Pakistan

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday said that Pakistan’s economic direction had been set right through a series of structural reforms, which were now being operationalised to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth. “I believe there is a broad consensus that we have made significant inroads and achieved considerable progress in terms of macroeconomic stability,” he said while addressing a joint news conference on economic reforms. He was accompanied by Power Minister Awais Leghari, Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali. Aurangzeb said the government had achieved macroeconomic stability, as evidenced by external validation: three leading international rating agencies upgraded Pakistan after a gap of three years. “These agencies are now aligned not only on where we stand but also on our positive outlook,” he added. He said the successful completion of the seco...

Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports a bill that would authorise the execution of Palestinian prisoners. The far-right Jewish Power party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, submitted the bill, which will go to a first reading in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) on Wednesday. The draft law states: “The death penalty shall be imposed on any person who intentionally, or through indifference, causes the death of an Israeli citizen out of racist motives, hatred, or intent to harm the State of Israel.” Bills in Israel must pass three readings in the Knesset to become law. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that Coordinator Gal Hirsch told the Knesset’s National Security Committee on Monday that Netanyahu had expressed support for the measure. Hirsch said he had previously opposed the bill “because of the risk it posed to the lives of the living hostages in Gaza”. “The hostages are now alive, and therefore my oppos...

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said Islamabad is pursuing diplomacy, reflecting a confident, future-focused Pakistan that builds bridges and values partnerships.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rain, strong winds, and snowfall across the country’s upper regions this week as a new westerly wave enters Pakistan tonight.

The PPP on Monday said that its coalition partner PML-N has officially sought its support for a proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment — the idea of which had been floated soon after the 26th Amendment. The development comes even as three dozen petitions challenging most of the 26th Amendment, which had also faced sizeable censure, are pending before the Supreme Court. According to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, proposals include setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, end of protection for provincial shares under the National Finance Commission and amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to the command of armed forces. With the 27th Amendment’s introduction in the parliament now seeming to be on the horizon, the legal fraternity and political circles were quick to raise concerns about the proposed changes in the Constitution. Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, a former Sindh High Court Bar Association president, noted that the proposed changes seemingly aimed t...

Pakistan’s security is solely the responsibility of its armed forces and no such guarantee will be extended to Kabul, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said while briefing senior journalists.

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday that a PML-N delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had visited him and President Asif Ali Zardari, seeking their support for the approval of a 27th Constitutional Amendment. Separately, the PPP also issued a similar statement that quoted Bilawal as saying that the proposal included setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates and the matter of transfer of judges. It also included the end of protection for the provincial share under the National Finance Commission and amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to the command of armed forces, the statement further quoted Bilawal as saying. He added that the proposed amendment also included a provision about the return of the subjects of education and population planning to the federation and a point about ending the stalemate regarding appointments to the Election Commission of Pakistan. Bilawal said a session of the PPP’s central executive committee (CEC) ha...

A man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following a mass stabbing on a London-bound train, British Transport Police said on Monday. The 32-year-old, named Anthony Williams from Peterborough in central England, was also charged with actual bodily harm and possession of a knife in connection with the incident on Saturday evening. He was also charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a knife over a separate incident in London on the same day, a statement said. Tracy Easton of the Crown Prosecution Service said the investigation had involved a “huge volume of evidence, including CCTV”. “We know the devastating impact the events on Saturday’s train has had and how the incident shocked the entire country. Our thoughts remain with all those affected,” she said. Williams will appear in court in Peterborough later.

The Karachi Trafic Police have announced traffic diversion plan for four day Pakistan Maritime International Expo & Conference (PIMEC-2025), inaugurated here on Monday (November 3).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has unveiled a comprehensive plan to help Pakistan safeguard its vital water resources, agricultural productivity, and energy systems in the face of growing climate change challenges.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed gratitude and pride after the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) achieved a historic milestone of 1,000 successful liver transplants.

A strong earthquake killed at least 20 people in northern Afghanistan, authorities said on Monday, just months after another deadly tremor that left the country reeling. The 6.3-magnitude quake struck overnight at a depth of 28 kilometres with the epicentre near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). More than 20 people were killed and around 320 were injured in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, health ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told journalists on Monday morning, stressing that this was a preliminary toll. He did not provide a province-wide breakdown of the casualties. Expressing sorrow over the “tragic loss of lives in northern Afghanistan after the deadly earthquake near Mazar-e-Sharif”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X that Pakistan “stands in solidarity with our Afghan brothers and sisters in this difficult hour”. “Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured,” he said. Residents of Mazar-i...

The former advocate general of the Israeli military, who had resigned last week after admitting to leaking a video to the media that allegedly showed Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian prisoner, was arrested hours after she was reported to have gone missing, according to the The Times of Israel. Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi had resigned from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) over a criminal inquiry into the leaking of a video that allegedly showed soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee arrested during the Gaza conflict. She said that she was stepping down because she had approved the video’s leak in August last year. In a report on Sunday, the Times of Israel said that Tomer-Yerushalmi was reported missing by her family, which prompted a search by authorities. “The large search, involving police, rescue forces, and the military, was carried out after she was unreachable for several hours, and her car was later found at Hatzuk Beach near Tel Aviv. Hebrew media outlets reported that she had l...

Six cops were injured on Monday when gunmen opened fire at the North Waziristan district police officer’s (DPO) vehicle near Bannu district’s Mamash Khel town, an official said. Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan confirmed the details to Dawn, adding that the incident took place on Miranshah road, which connects Bannu and North Waziristan. “Armed men open fire at the vehicle of North Waziristan’s DPO,” RPO Khan said. “The DPO remained unhurt,” he added. He further said the injured police personnel were taken to the Bannu District Headquarters Hospital. “The unidentified attackers have hidden in nearby areas and a search operation is underway [to trace them],” the Bannu RPO said. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The past few months have seen an escalation in attacks on law enforcement agencies, with police forces in K...

US President Donald Trump has included Pakistan among countries that he claims are “testing nuclear weapons”, saying that he did not want the US to be the only country that does not do so. “North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing. […] But they don’t go and tell you about it,” he said in an interview on CBS News programme ‘60 Minutes’, where he was asked about his recent directives to the Pentagon to resume testing nuclear weapons. He also named Russia and China as testing nuclear weapons. In a recent social media post, Trump had instructed the US Department of War to resume testing nuclear weapons “immediately”. Confusion has surrounded Trump’s order that the US begin testing, particularly if he meant conducting the country’s first nuclear explosion since 1992. When the matter was brought up during the interview, Trump said: “Well, we have more nuclear weapons than any other country. I think we should do something about denuclearisation. And I did actually discuss that with both Russian Presid...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally sought the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari confirmed on Sunday.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday termed Pakistan a “natural maritime bridge” between the East and the West as he inaugurated the second edition of Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference (PIMEC) in Karachi. The event is being held from today to November 6 (Thursday) at Karachi’s Expo Centre, and will see the participation of 45 countries, including Pakistan. It has been organised under the overall responsibility of the Pakistan Navy and with the support and patronage of federal and provincial departments. Addressing PIMEC, Iqbal highlighted that Pakistan had a unique geography as the regions of South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa converged here, which positioned the country as a “natural maritime bridge between the East and the West”. However, despite these advantages, the maritime sector contributed less than 1pc to Pakistan’s GDP, compared to 4-7pc in several other maritime nations, he lamented. The planning minister pointed out that Pakistan had a coastline of over 1,000...

The Pakistan Navy expects its first Chinese-designed submarine to enter active service next year, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf told Chinese state media. A deal under which Islamabad will take delivery of eight Hangor-class submarines by 2028 is “progressing smoothly,” Admiral Ashraf told the Global Times in an interview published on Sunday, adding that the successful launch of the second and third submarines in China earlier this year was a major milestone for naval collaboration between the two countries. Admiral Ashraf further said that the project was not only significant for the advancement of the Pakistan Navy’s submarine force capabilities, but would also contribute toward self-reliance through transfer of technology and skill development at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works, according to the report. He said that the Type 054A/P frigates marked another major achievement in China-Pakistan naval cooperation. The publication reported that such multirole frigates were already in service w...

• Fawad claims over a dozen lawmakers agree with him on need to ‘open channel with govt’; concedes he ‘doesn’t represent PTI’ • Qaiser says party ‘willing to talk to anyone’ if fair polls assured • Ismail says no ‘minus-Imran formula’ LAHORE/ISLAM­ABAD: Even as its founder remains locked up, and the party continues to lose ground, some former PTI members seem to have taken it upon themselves to end the isolation faced by their erstwhile party, proposing talks with the government and other parties to bring down political temperatures and pave the way for Imran Khan’s release. Only a day ago, a number of ex-PTI leaders, including former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and ex-Sindh governor Imran Ismail, had called on party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at a Lahore hospital, ostensibly to seek his blessing for their campaign — an offer Mr Qureshi did not endorse, as per his lawyer. On Sunday, Mr Chaudhry doubled down on his quest to revive the fortunes of the PTI, even as senior party leaders like Asad ...

• Urges govt to ensure market-determined, flexible exchange rate • Calls for deeper reforms to cut energy, input costs ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has asked Pakistan to improve its skewed preferential trade agreements with 10 bilateral partners, ensure a market-determined and flexible exchange rate and push deeper reforms to lower energy and other input costs to turbocharge over three decades of declining exports for sustainable economic growth. In a policy advice to the government, the bank observed that nearly all countries that have achieved rapid and durable growth have done so by tapping into global markets, but Pakistan has struggled to follow this path. “Exports have declined from 16 per cent of GDP in the 1990s to just around 10pc in 2024, with the export basket still concentrated in low-value textile and agricultural products,” it said, adding that economic upturns had been fuelled instead by debt and remittance-financed consumption, rather than export dynamism. The Washington-based lending agency has ...