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ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development hosted the thematic meeting of the Budapest Process, marking a significant milestone in Pakistan’s engagement with this international platform.

• Surpasses target for FY25 in first eleven months • Includes $6.89bn in fresh inflows; rest are rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE ISLAMABAD: Pakistan secured nearly $20bn in foreign loans and grants during the first 11 months (July-May) of 2024-25, surpassing the annual target of $19.2bn set for the fiscal year ending June 30. Almost half of this amount comprised legacy rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, while fresh loans and grant inflows totalled $6.89bn — about 9pc lower than the same period last fiscal year. According to the Economic Affairs Division’s (EAD) monthly report on Foreign Economic Assistance (FEA) released on Friday, the total FEA during July-May stood at $6.89bn, compared to $7.55bn in the corresponding period of last year, against a target of $19.4bn for 2024-25 and $17.6bn last year. This figure does not include approximately $2bn received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in two tranches under the ongoing $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF), ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Bangladesh have launched a trilateral cooperation mechanism, pledging to pursue “win-win cooperation” in what could mark a subtle yet significant shift in South Asia’s strategic landscape. The announcement came after the inaugural meeting of the Bangladesh-China-Pakistan Vice Foreign Minister/Foreign Secretary mechanism on Friday. A statement issued by the Foreign Office said the meeting was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh’s acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique and Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch joined the initial session via video link. New trilateral forum looks to enhance engagement, work for more trade, investment In her remarks, Ms Baloch expressed Pakistan’s desire for a deeper engagement between China and South Asian countries. She highlighted the “upward trajectory of bilateral ties” with both China and Bangladesh and “conveyed Pakistan’s readiness to work with the two ...

Pakistan qualified for the finals of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup after defeating France on Friday in the first semi-final match in Kuala Lumpur. “Excellent goals in the second half, followed by amazing goalkeeping in the shootout,” said the International Hockey Federation while praising the team. The national hockey team defeated France 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the match tied at 3-3 till regulation time. View this post on Instagram Rana Waheed Ashraf was declared the man of the match. View this post on Instagram Afraz Hakeem, Sufyan Khan and Muhammad Hammaduddin also scored goals for the national team. The final match will be played tomorrow (Saturday). View this post on Instagram Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti and Secretary General Olympian Rana Mujahid Ali Khan congratulated the national team on winning the game and expressed their best wishes for the final, according to a PHF statement. In the second semi-final, New Zealand will take on South Korea at 6pm PKT. The ...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting regional peace, stability, and international cooperation during his official visit to the United States, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, unveiled Pakistan’s National Electric Vehicle (NEV) Policy 2025–30, outlining a comprehensive strategy for transitioning to clean, affordable, and locally produced electric mobility.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday said that Iran has the right to self-defence under UN Charter amid Israeli aggression.

Member National Assembly (MNA) Mirza Ikhtiar Baig on Thursday said that Pakistan’s victory against Indian misadventure was an important turning point in the country’s history.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has credited Pakistan’s progress in military, diplomatic, and economic spheres to strong civil-military cooperation, emphasizing the effectiveness of the country's "hybrid model" of governance.

Strongly condemning the unjustified and illegitimate aggression by Israel against Iran, Pakistan on Thursday urged the international community and the United Nations to bear the responsibility to uphold international law, stop this aggression immediately, and hold the aggressor accountable for its actions.

Pakistan has crossed a major milestone in digital connectivity, with telecom subscribers exceeding 200 million, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced.

Pakistan says it has expelled more than a million Afghans in the past two years, yet many have quickly attempted to return — preferring to take their chances dodging the law than struggle for existence in a homeland some had never even seen before. “Going back there would be sentencing my family to death,” said Hayatullah, a 46-year-old Afghan deported via the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in early 2024. Since April and a renewed deportation drive, some 200,000 Afghans have spilled over the two main border crossings from Pakistan, entering on trucks loaded with hastily packed belongings. But they carry little hope of starting over in the impoverished country, where girls are banned from school after the primary level. Hayatullah, a pseudonym, returned to Pakistan a month after being deported, travelling around 800 kilometres (500 miles) south to the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, because for him, life in Afghanistan “had come to a standstill”. He paid a bribe to cross the Chaman fronti...

LAHORE - The scheduled departure of Pakistan’s first freight train to Russia has been cancelled due to regional instability, triggered by the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, Pakistan Railways sources confirmed on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office of Pakistan has refuted claims of a Pak-Iran border closure, labeling such reports as misleading and baseless. The spokesperson for the Foreign Office clarified that all border crossings between Pakistan and Iran remain fully operational, with regular movement of people and goods continuing as usual. The Foreign Office added that there […]

Pakistan on Wednesday signed $1 billion financing for a five-year multi-tranche facility with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). “The Ministry of Finance has signed a syndicated term finance facility of $1,000 million partially guaranteed by a Policy-Based Guarantee of the ADB Programme ‘Improved Resource Mobilisation & Utilisation Reform’,” according to a press release. The press release said that the Dubai Islamic Bank acted as the Sole Islamic Global Coordinator while Standard Chartered Bank was the Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunners. Other financiers include Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank as the Mandated Lead Arranger and Sharjah Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank and HBL as Arrangers, it added. “The facility is a landmark transaction for the Government of Pakistan that demonstrates strong support from leading financiers in the region. This is a five-year multi-tranche facility including both Islamic and conventional tranches,” it said. The finance ministry said that the Islamic facility was structured to be fully compl...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a heatwave alert for June 18 to 22, warning of dangerously high temperatures across several regions of Pakistan.

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false. To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan analysed the flight-tracking image to verify whether the aircraft mentioned actually existed in the US military and whether the mapped locations were accurate. Posts from multiple Indian users on the social media platform X on Tuesday shared an air traffic map claiming that Pakistan is helping the United States in obtaining crucial intelligence on Iran’s sensitive sites amid the conflict with Israel. However, the image is fake with numerous discrepancies. Nearly 80 people, including top army officers, were killed while civilians were among over 300 wounded in Iran as a result of Israel’s strikes on military sites and private residences on June 13. Iran subsequently launched its retaliation with ballistic missiles fired at Israel, and the two countries continued to exchange volleys over the weekend. Tensions have escalated since, with more than 224 Iranians killed and over 1000 injured, m...

Careem will suspend its ride-hailing service operations in Pakistan from July after nearly a decade in the industry, its CEO announced on Wednesday, adding that its journey in the country would continue “in a different role”. Mudassir Sheikha, Careem’s CEO and co-founder, shared a post on LinkedIn announcing “a new chapter” for the company. “It is with a heavy heart that I share this update: Careem will suspend its ride-hailing service in Pakistan on July 18,” Sheikha said, adding that it was “an incredibly difficult decision.” “The challenging macroeconomic reality, intensifying competition, and global capital allocation made it hard to justify the investment levels required to deliver a safe and dependable service in the country. “In the end, the Careem Rides team had to make this tough call,” he said. He called the ride suspension “the end of an iconic chapter — one built with purpose, grit and a ton of relentless hustle”. Sheikha highlighted some of Careem’s notable achievements while operating in Pakista...

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained in a conversation with US President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, India’s senior-most diplomat said. Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US, and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. “PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement. “Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,” he said. M...

LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday unveiled the schedule for the ICC Women’s World Cup, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2. Pakistan will commence their campaign on October 2 against Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where all their group-stage matches are set to be played. This arrangement is in line with the hybrid model announced by the ICC last year. Led by all-rounder Fatima Sana, Pakistan qualified for the eight-team event after an unbeaten run in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier, held in here earlier this year. Pakistan’s highly anticipated clash with arch-rivals India is scheduled for October 5, followed by encounters against defending champions Australia on October 8 and 2017 champions England on October 15. The national side will then face New Zealand (October 18), South Africa (October 21), and co-hosts Sri Lanka (October 24) to conclude their round-robin stage. If Pakistan secure a semi-final berth, they will play...