Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board on Friday approved the latest review of Pakistan’s reform programme, paving the way for the release of $1.2 billion in financing under the ongoing arrangements. In Islamabad, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb also confirmed the approval, saying the decision reflects Pakistan’s continued progress on difficult but necessary economic reforms. The approval was given at a meeting of the IMF Executive Board in Washington, DC, reflecting its continued support for Pakistan’s ongoing economic reform programme. The disbursement includes around $1 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and approximately $200 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). With this tranche, total disbursements under the current programme have risen to about $4.5 billion. The IMF said the approval comes after Pakistan successfully met key structural benchmarks, including tax policy measures and adjustments in energy pricing, aimed at strengtheni...

The interior ministry on Friday denied reports about the “targeted deportation” of Pakistanis from the United Arab Emirates, asserting that no “country- or sect-specific” expulsions from any country, including the UAE, were being carried out. The ministry’s statement contradicts claims on social media that Pakistanis were being deported from the UAE without any reason. In recent days, several media outlets have also reported that Pakistanis are being deported from the UAE. Among them, The New York Times published a report earlier today stating that the Gulf country had begun a “large-scale expulsion” of Pakistani workers. The US news outlet spoke to more than 20 Pakistani Shias who worked in the UAE, the report stated, adding that “all [the workers] said they were suddenly arrested, detained and deported in the past month”. The article linked the reported expulsion to what it described as an apparent dent in the relationship between the two countries amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Following these repo...

The government raised the price of petrol by Rs14.92 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 on Friday. Following the increase, the price of petrol stands at Rs414.78 per litre and HSD’s at Rs414.58. The Petroleum Division’s press release notifying the increase said the new prices would be effective from May 9. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators. The government has been revising petroleum prices every week on Friday night following the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The war also led to a global fuel crunch caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil and gas used to pass in peace time. After the US-Israeli war on Iran began, the government initially hiked petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per litre...

Security forces killed five terrorists in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday. In Tank district, an intelligence-based operation was conducted on the reported presence of khwarij. “During conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij location and after intense exchange of fire, four khwarij, belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij were sent to hell,” said the military media wing. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. In another IBO conducted in DI Khan district, a terrorist was killed during a firefight with security forces. The ISPR said the IBOs were conducted on May 7-8. “Weapons and ammunition have also been recovered from killed Indian sponsored khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.” A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other khawa...

BANNU: A powerful explosion, following the reported crash of a quadcopter drone, injured eight people, including women, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Friday night. Security agencies immediately launched an investigation into the matter as panic spread in the area. According to police, the drone flew into the area from an unknown location and exploded shortly after falling near a residential area, leaving several people injured. Local residents rushed to the scene and shifted the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital Bannu after initially providing first aid. The administration at the District Headquarters Hospital confirmed that all injured individuals are receiving medical treatment, while some are said to be in critical condition. Meanwhile, security sources said the incident is being investigated from multiple angles to determine the nature of the explosion, the origin of the drone, and possible motives. Local residents expressed deep concern over the incident and urged the government a...

WASHINGTON: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again urged the US State Department to declare India a “country of particular concern,” citing its 2026 assessment and hearing over “ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom conditions” in the country. The issue was examined during an in-person hearing in Washington on Thursday, where commissioners, lawmakers, scholars, and legal experts shared their views on conditions faced by religious minorities in India, including Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and Dalits, as well as allegations of growing transnational repression targeting critics abroad. USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler said India’s trajectory on religious freedom had continued to decline. She stated: “Our 2026 Annual Report, USCIRF once again recommended that the State Department designate India as a ‘country of particular concern’ for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom conditions.” Hartzler added that under the current political envi...

President Asif Ali Zardari asked Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to Iran to work towards further strengthening bilateral relations, with particular focus on trade, people-to-people contacts, and facilitation of Pakistani Zaireen visiting Iran.

The Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar housing initiative has distributed loans worth more than Rs5 billion to 1,845 beneficiaries as part of the government’s efforts to promote affordable housing across Pakistan.

Govt pledges adherence to pre-war targets Money will be disbursed early next week

Petrol, diesel prices rise by Rs15 to stand at around Rs415 per litre

LHC allows women to become lumberdars

CIA report shows Tehran could withstand blockade for four months as fighting flares

Australia sanctions BLA, affiliates

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Nawaz-led parliamentary board reviews candidates for 45 assembly seats

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China, Russia still expected to veto

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Trump announces May 9-11 break in war, prisoner swap

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