Pakistan | Pakistan

The Pakistan Polio Programme on Sunday launched the third drive of the year against the crippling disease at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Islamabad. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. Earlier this week, two new cases of polio were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts, taking the tally for the current year to 10. “The Pakistan Polio Programme today launched its third National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign of the year at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Islamabad,” a statement from the Centre read. The campaign was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, alongside members of the Polio Programme’s core group and representatives of partner organisations, the statement added. “To...

KARACHI: The Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) organised an interactive session on ‘The Pakistan-India conflict’ in the institute library on Saturday. It was explained by PIIA chairperson Dr Masuma Hasan there was a need to hear different voices, especially the voices of the youth, regarding the recent conflict. Therefore, they decided to call on their research assistants to talk about the different themes of the conflict, as identified by them, for the audience to then take it from there. Taking the audience through the events of the past month or so, she also reminded how India, out of the blue, with no credible evidence, held Pakistan responsible for April 22’s Pahalgam attack, which was an intelligence failure on the part of India. “Then India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and Pakistan suspended the Simla Agreement of 1972,” she said. “Then on May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. While defending the country very well, Pakistan retaliated on May 10, which w...

India’s portrayal of Pakistan as a subordinate state to China has come under scrutiny, as international experts push back against what they describe as misleading propaganda aimed at deflecting attention from recent setbacks.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said that Pakistan will raise its defence budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26 keeping in view the recent escalation with India and New Delhi suspending a key river water-sharing treaty with Islamabad. Earlier this month, the minister had announced that the federal budget would be presented on June 2, however, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said yesterday that the budget would be presented on June 10, while the Pakistan Economic Survey would be released a day earlier. Meeting a delegation at the Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) in Lahore, led by IEP Secretary General Engr Ameer Zameer, the planning minister told reporters that the budget had not been delayed due to any pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but because of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to friendly nations and the Eidul Azha holidays. “We had very good negotiations with the IMF,” Iqbal said. “As you’ve seen, they acknowledged our government’...

The Pakistan China Institute has released a landmark report titled “Historic Change in South Asia in 16 Hours,” declaring that Pakistan has restored the balance of defensive power in the region by decisively countering Indian aggression.

In a major move to curb illegal migration and restore the country’s international reputation, Pakistan has decided to cancel the passports of individuals deported from other countries and initiate legal action against them.

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON - The Junaid Family Foundation has signed a landmark Letter of Cooperation (LoC) with the Gates Foundation and UNICEF to strengthen collaboration on the promotion and scale-up of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for women in Pakistan, with a particular focus on maternal and newborn health.

In a significant step toward improving public health access, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the government of Pakistan have announced the establishment of 26 new vaccination centres across the country, aimed at reaching over 750,000 people in underserved areas.

TAXILA: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, criticised the Indian government’s refusal to issue visas to Sikh pilgrims intending to perform religious rites in connection with two religious events next month in Pakistan. He was addressing a press conference at Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hassanabdal on Friday. Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board Dr Muhammad Sajid Chau­han, Additional Secretary Shrines Saifullah Khokhar, Rawalpindi Zone Administrator Tanveer Hus­sain, Deputy Administrator Yasir Asghar Monga, and other leaders of the Sikh community were also present on this occasion. He strongly condemned the Indian government’s move to not allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to offer religious rituals in June on the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The minister stated that the Modi-led government is rattled by Pakistan’s diplomatic success and is now resorting to religious restrictions in clear violation of...

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday defended its decision to release a $1 billion tranche to Pakistan, despite India’s objection, by pointing out the country had met all requisite targets under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday warned India against any aggression and reaffirmed commitment to peace and ceasefire.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan received $16.08 billion in foreign loans and grants in the first 10 months of 2024-25, compared to an annual target of $19.2bn by June 30. While half of this portfolio was legacy rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, fresh loans and grant inflows amounted to $6.086bn in July-April, almost 15 per cent lower than the comparable period of last fiscal year. In its monthly report on Foreign Economic Assistance (FEA) released on Friday, the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) said that against its annual target of $19.4bn, FEA in July-April amounted to $6.086bn compared to $7.142bn in the same period last year with an annual target of $17.6bn. This does not include about $1bn disbursed by the IMF in October as an upfront payment under the $7bn ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) that is accounted for separately by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This also does not include the subsequent $1bn IMF inflow last week. With three rollovers and fresh disbursements, the total e...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Türkiye on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in offshore and onshore energy exploration and the development of critical minerals.

ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the government of Pakistan have joined hands to establish 26 new vaccination centres across the country, serving over 750,000 people in underserved areas. The centres, funded by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, will provide access to lifesaving vaccines and essential health care services to populations previously lacking access, said […]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday said that its executive board approved funding for Pakistan after the country “met all the targets” under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, adding that the loan programme for Islamabad was only for stabilisation of foreign exchange reserves and not related to the budget financing. Despite Indian attempts to derail Pakistan’s loan programme, the IMF approved the immediate disbursement of about $1 billion to Pakistan under the ongoing EFF and allowed an additional arrangement for the $1.4bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). During a press briefing in Washington D.C., IMF Director of the Communications Department, Julie Kozack, said, “Our Board found that Pakistan had indeed met all of the targets. It had made progress on some of the reforms, and for that reason, the Board went ahead and approved the programme.” An Indian journalist asked the spokesperson on the recent bailout package by IMF to Pakistan, saying “the Indian government has expre...

Pakistan has prolonged its ban on Indian aircraft from entering its airspace until June 24, 2005, as stated in a newly issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) by the Pakistan Airports Authority.

Pakistan has strongly rejected the recent remarks made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public rally in Rajasthan, calling them "baseless, provocative, and irresponsible.

MUZAFFARABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said India would never forget the defeat in the recent briefest yet most effective war against India that also falsified those who thought Pakistan lagged behind in con-ventional war.

The Foreign Office on Friday categorically rejected the “baseless, provocative, and irresponsible allegations” made by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in a heated speech accused Pakistan of carrying out terrorist attacks in his country. The military confrontation between New Delhi and Islamabad came as tensions over last month’s Pahalgam attack continued to build up, as India —without evidence — blamed Pakistan for the attack. On the night of May 6-7, India launched a series of air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir, resulting in civilian casualties. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets. After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally drop their guns and declare a ceasefire. India has since continued its aggressive posturing even as Pakistan has warned against any further military aggression and offered talks. Yesterday, the Indian premier said that Pakistan would not get water f...

• AGP Awan says Islamabad willing to discuss water sharing deal • Senate panel slams India’s ‘provocative action’ NEW DELHI: Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, a month after a deadly attack in India-held Kashmir led New Delhi to suspend a key river water-sharing treaty between the neighbours. The attorney general for Pakistan, in an interview with Reuters, responded that Islam­abad remained willing to discuss water sharing between the neighbours but said India must stick to the decades-old treaty. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), negotiated by the World Bank in 1960, was among a slew of measures announced by India against Pakistan last month after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. New Delhi had said the attack was backed by Pakistan, an accusation Islamabad den­ied and the nuclear-armed neig­hbours were involved in their worst military fighting in nearly three decades before agreeing to a ...