Pakistan

LAHORE: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have rejected the proposed Punjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information Bill 2025, terming it an attempt to gag journalists by denying them the right to question. Speaking to Dawn, CPNE President Kazam Khan said the proposed law was an attempt to give legal protection to lavish public money spending for personal publicity. “The proposed law, after enactment, will allow the rulers to use public money for political gains and even launch unelected politicians’ advertisement campaigns,” he observed. Mr Khan said the proposed law would be in conflict with the Supreme Court decisions and impact the proceedings of cases in courts. Commenting on the provision of lodging complaint with the Director-General of Public Relations (DGPR) and further appeal before the Punjab information secretary, the CPNE president said how the DGPR, who is the authority to allow launch of any advertisement campaign, can hear a complaint a...

Pakistan has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to immediately halt Israel’s military strikes on Iran and hold Tel Aviv accountable for what it termed “unjustified and illegitimate aggression.

• Urges nations to take ‘all measures necessary’ to exert pressure on Israel • World body says Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has failed in its mission UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urging nations to take “all measures necessary” to place pressure on Israel. Following the United States’ veto of a similar push in the Security Council last week, the General Assembly on Thursday adopted the non-binding resolution by a vote of 149-12, with 19 abstentions. The text demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners. However, it goes further than the US-vetoed text, taking direct aim at Israel over its impeding aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip. It “demands that Israel, the occupying Power, immediately end the blockade… and ensure that aid reaches the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip,” which after more than 20 months of war is...

ISLAMABAD: Barbs flew in the Senate on Friday with PTI and PML-N accusing each other of being involved in corruption. The two parties also held each other responsible for the economic mess the country was facing. Opening the budget debate in the House, Leader of the Opposition Syed Shibli Faraz said the government had set wrong priorities of public sector development. He said that while an allocation of Rs135 billion was proposed for water it was Rs227bn for roads. He alleged that it was because it was an easy way to make money. He said that the proposed federal budget for the next year had become controversial in the beginning as questions were being raised about the apparently fudged economic figures presented in the budget. “The sanctity of the budget and the numbers in the budget document appear to be compromised,” he said, adding that the budget is a manipulation of figures as serious objections have been raised over it for the first time. He underlined that agriculture contributed 24 per cent to GDP, wh...

• Antiterrorism experts join investigation process • Govt considers ‘grounding’ Boeing-787 fleet; regulator orders safety checks • One black box found from building’s rooftop • New Delhi-bound flight makes emergency landing in Thailand after bomb threat AHMEDABAD: The investigation into the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source said on Friday, as the aviation regulator ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing-787 fleet. The Boeing 787-8 Drea­m­liner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport south of London began losing height moments after take-off over a residential area of the western city of Ahmedabad and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. Only one passenger survived and local media reported that as many as 24 people on the ground were also killed as the plane crashed onto a medical college hostel during the lunch hour. It was the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. On Friday, a sou...

• Tax relief for low-income salaried individuals reversed by cabinet, says FBR chief • PIA re-enters privatisation process, confirms finance minister • Tax on Google, YouTube services increased from 10pc to 15pc • 4pc tax on commercial rental income deferred ISLAMABAD: The National Assem­bly’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has approved an increase in the minimum threshold for daily cash withdrawals, raising it from Rs50,000 to Rs75,000 while rejected a separate proposal to impose an additional 2 per cent sales tax on online purchases, signalling resistance to new digital levies amid growing e-commerce activity. Chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, the committee also gave its nod to increasing the withholding tax rate on cash withdrawals — from 0.6pc to 0.8pc. However, the committee struck down a parallel proposal to raise the tax from 15pc to 20pc on loan profits earned by banks. Among other decisions, the committee endorsed the government’s proposal to increase the tax on services provided by digital pla...

ISLAMABAD - The head of the Pakistan parliamentary delegation and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on the international community Friday to engage with India and emphasize that military confrontation is not a solution to the Kashmir dispute or terrorism, stressing that dialogue is the only way forward.

• 12pc salary hike for BS-1 to BS-16 employees • 10pc raise for BS-17 to BS-22 officers; 8pc jump in pensions • Education sector allocation increased to Rs523.7bn KARACHI: Amid noisy protests by opposition lawmakers, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday presented a deficit budget of Rs3.451 trillion for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the provincial assembly — a 12.9 per cent increase over last year’s budget of Rs3.056tr. The chief minister announced a 12pc salary increase for provincial government employees in grades BS-1 to BS-16, and a 10pc raise for officers in grades BS-17 to BS-22, alongside an 8pc increase in pensions. He also revealed that the salaries of Sindh Assembly members would be brought in line with those of legislators in other provinces starting in July. “We are introducing a Finance Bill that abolishes and reduces certain taxes and levies rather than increasing them,” Mr Shah said. Taxes that will be abolished include professional tax, entertainment duty, drainage cess, cotton fees...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday strongly condemns unjustified and illegitimate aggression by Israel against Iran.

KARACHI - Sindh budget for next financial year, with a total outlay of over 3451 billion rupees, was presented in provincial assembly in Karachi on Friday.

• Ayaz Sadiq distances himself from unprecedented increase in salaries of speaker, Senate chairman • NA’s sound system develops fault ‘due to PTI’s protest’ • Opposition continues to face ‘censorship’ as budget debate begins ISLAMABAD: A key government minister on Friday announced that a decision to award an unprecedented and massive increase in the salaries and allowances of the National Assembly speaker, Senate chairman and their deputies as well as federal ministers, could be reviewed and potentially even withdrawn in the wake of widespread and ‘somewhat justified’ criticism. The announcement was made by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on the floor of the National Assembly during a debate on the federal budget, after Speaker Ayaz Sadiq distanced himself from the ongoing controversy, clarifying that neither he nor the finance committee of the house had any role in this decision. The speaker even declared that he would have no objection, if the decision to increase the sala...

PESHAWAR - The Khyber Pakthunkhwa Government on Friday presented Rs 2119 billion surplus budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 with no new tax and increase in 10 percent in salary and seven percent in pension of its employees.

LAHORE - The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed a unanimous resolution condemning the recent Israeli attack on Iran during a session marked by intense political sparring, disruptions from the opposition and heated debates on multiple public interest issues.

Senator Siddiqui says budgetary allocation for education very low.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday chaired a high-level meeting to review preparations for the upcoming 12th session of the Pak-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Abu Dhabi.

ISLAMABAD - The fifth round of the Pakistan–European Union Dialogue on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament was held in Islamabad yesterday.

ISLAMABAD - A joint meeting of Auction Committee and Auction Management Committee of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) was held on Friday.

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