June | Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate on June 5 to announce the federal budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2026-27. According to an official press release issued by the Presidency on Friday, the NA has been summoned at 5pm on June 5, while the Senate session is scheduled for 6pm. Meetings of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) and the National Economic Council (NEC) — forums which review economic and development performance during the outgoing FY and set targets for the following year — are scheduled in the first week of June. The schedule hints that presentation of the federal budget to parliament may slip to the second week of June from the first week, as earlier contemplated by the authorities concerned. The government is set to approve a consolidated national development programme of more than Rs3.5 trillion and a macroeconomic framework envisaging an economic growth rate of 4.1 per cent with an elevated inflation rate of 8.5pc for FY2026-...

A ban on Indian civilian and military aircraft using Pakistani airspace has been extended for another month, until June 24, according to a Notice to Airmen (Notam) issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Tuesday. The previous extension was set to expire on May 24. The ban extension took effect on May 19 at 10:40am and the restriction was extended until 4:59am on June 24, according to the Notam. “Pakistan airspace not available for Indian registered aircraft and aircraft operated/owned or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights,” the Notam, available with Dawn, read. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs. India and Pakistan closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since late April 2025, when tensions between them escalated in the wake of a deadly attack in Indian-occupie...

The Pakistan Airports Authority has extended restrictions on Indian aircraft using Pakistani airspace until June 23, 2026, through a newly issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) released on Tuesday.

LAHORE: Responding to traders’ protests and appeals by the shopping malls association and general public to revise 8pm business closure timings, the Punjab government has granted partial relief and lifted the restriction on market timings until June 1. The implementation and coordination wing of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD), the Punjab government on Friday notified that “all the shops, markets, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and food outlets are exempted from the prescribed closure timings till June 1, 2026”. On April 6, the federal government had announced that all markets across the country, barring Sindh, would close by 8pm throughout the week as part of energy conservation measures amid a global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran. Complying with the federal government’s decision, Punjab notified that all shops, markets and shopping malls shall be closed at 8pm, including Saturday and Sunday. However, the government had exempted pharmacies, medical stores...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team call on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Presidency. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Senator Saleem Mandviwalla are also present.—Online ISLAMABAD: With no end in sight to the conflict in the Middle East, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ordered that a countrywide austerity drive be extended until June 13. Meanwhile, with rumours of a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment swirling, the premier and his team also met with President Asif Ali Zardari and his aides on Monday, even as both houses of parliament were in session. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Senator Saleem Mandviwalla were also present at the meeting. A source privy to developments told Dawn that if enacted, the 28th Amendment would entail “a complete rollback of the 18th ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended the nationwide austerity campaign until June 13 as Pakistan continues to face economic challenges linked to tensions in the Middle East and rising global oil prices.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday extended the countrywide austerity drive till June 13. The Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, has given rise to a global oil crisis. In order to deal with the situation, the government had announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9. A notification of the Cabinet Division, available with Dawn, said: “The prime minister, on consideration of the recommendations of the committee for monitoring and implementation of fuel conservation and additional austerity measures, has been pleased to extend the applicability of the following additional austerity measures up till 13th June, 2026 with immediate effect.” The measures extended included 50 per cent reduction in fuel allowance for official vehicles, with the exemption of operational vehicles such as ambulances and public buses. Other steps included grounding 60pc of official vehicles and a complete ban on foreign visits by ministers and government officials, excluding those ...

Cambridge International Education (CIE) on Thursday cancelled the “prematurely shared” mathematics exam, announcing that it will conduct a new version of the exam for affected regions on June 9. On April 30, CIE confirmed that its AS-level mathematics paper was “shared prematurely” against its regulations. It said that the exam paper was for the Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and South Asia regions. CIE, in a statement, said that “Cambridge’s senior assessment experts have decided that a new version of the Mathematics (9709/12) exam paper will be sat by all candidates in the affected regions”. CIE noted that the previous exam paper could not be used to award final exam results and “will not be used to generate results through calculated assessment”. As per the statement, the replacement exam will “ensure fair outcomes for students and deliver grades that are trusted by universities and other stakeholders”. CIE announced that the new exam will take place on June 9 (Tuesday), “as part of the June ser...

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was informed by the petroleum ministry on Monday that the country has sufficient reserves of POL products till the third week of June. The information was conveyed to the deputy premier during a high-level meeting to review the country’s petroleum, oil, and lubricants stock position. “The Petroleum Ministry briefed the committee on the prevailing supply situation, confirming that, after factoring in incoming shipments, sufficient stock levels are available to ensure uninterrupted availability of POL products throughout Pakistan until the third week of June 2026.” Global fuel prices have skyrocketed over the past two months as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains paralysed since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28. The attendees were also informed that the supplies are being continuously monitored on a daily basis by the National Coordination and Management Committee (NCMC), to “ensure effective oversight and proactive supply chain management...

The Government of Sindh has announced the complete digitalisation of route permits and vehicle fitness certificates across the province, making online documentation mandatory for all transporters and vehicle owners by 30 June 2026.

Polling for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections will be held on June 7, 2026, as the regional election authority has officially announced the schedule.

LAHORE - Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed authorities to complete all sewerage and rainwater drainage projects across Punjab before June, ordering round-the-clock work to ensure preparedness ahead of the upcoming monsoon season.

GILGIT: General elections in Gilgit Baltistan will be held on June 7, the GB Election Commission announced on Saturday after a four-month delay. General elections for the GB Assembly were scheduled for Jan 24, 2026. However, days after the announcement, the elections were postponed indefinitely due to harsh weather conditions in the region. The GB Election Commission Secretariat, in a notification available with Dawn, announced June 7 as the poll day for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly general elections. The GB Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan also confirmed the development. As for the local government election, Khan said a schedule will be issued later, and it will be held after the general election. He added that preparations were ready for both. LG polls in GB, announced after a gap of 20 years, were initially set for Feb 14, 2026. Earlier this month, Khan said the GB Election Commission was preparing to conduct the elections but had not yet decided on a date. Fourteen political parties had stoo...

The Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan has officially declared June 7, a Sunday, as the date for the upcoming regional elections.

Peshawar - Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has directed all provincial departments to complete the PC-1 documentation for development schemes proposed under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2026–27 by June this year.

Managing Director of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi, announced that a new version of the e-Procurement system will be launched in June to enhance transparency in public procurement.

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee was informed on Thursday that Pakistan plans to digitise all payments by the federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as state-owned enterprises, by June 2026. This initiative is part of a broader move towards a cashless economy. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad briefed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, outlining the country’s progress in developing a digital payments ecosystem. He discussed the current infrastructure, achievements, and emerging trends, noting that 88 per cent of retail transactions are now conducted digitally. He added that Pakistan’s digital infrastructure supports 226 million accounts and 46m RAAST IDs across the country. Efforts are ongoing to increase the value of these transactions and improve security, including the introduction of a bank liability framework and a two-hour transaction cooling-off period to reduce fraud. Mr Ahmad highlighted the successful launch of Mashreq Bank’s digital op...

At least 71 people have died — over half of them children — and another 86 have been injured in rain-related incidents across Khyber Paktunkhwa since the start of the monsoon season in late June, according to the latest figures by KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September every year, continue to lash many parts of the country. Starting in late June, Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country in the past month by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. According to the latest data provided by KP PDMA, the total death toll from rain-related incidents this monsoon season stands at 71, out of which 40 are children, 17 men and 14 women. Swat district recorded the highest number of lives lost, at 22, during heavy rains. According to PDMA, most of the deaths occurred due to floods, landslides and infrastructure collapse. On June 27, 17 people, mo...

ISLAMABAD - A total of 299 people, including 140 children, have lost their lives, and 715 others—among them 239 children—have been injured in flash floods and torrential rains that have swept through vulnerable areas of the country since June 26, according to the latest figures issued by the National Disaster Management.

Pakistan witnessed a slight overall decline in militant violence during June 2025 despite several high-profile attacks, according to data released by an Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (Picss). The monthly security assessment shows there were a total of 78 militant attacks across the country in June, resulting in at least 100 fatalities, including 53 security personnel, 39 civilians, six militants, and two members of peace committees, the organisation said in a press statement. These attacks injured 189 people, comprising 126 security personnel and 63 civilians — marking an 8 per cent decrease in attacks, a 12pc drop in fatalities, and pc increase in injuries compared to May 2025. “In response to militant activities, Pakistani security forces intensified counterterrorism operations during the month,” the statement added. According to Picss, security forces killed 71 militants, while two security personnel and two civilians also lost their lives in operations la...