Pakistan

Federal cabinet approves promotion of COAS, Defence Ministry issues notification PM Shehbaz takes President Zardari into confidence n President, PM, Services Chiefs congratulate COAS on promotion Cabinet also unanimously decided to extend services of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu Field Marshal Asim Munir dedicates.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the immediate and effective imple-mentation of ongoing reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), with a strong focus on digitiza-tion and automation of the tax system.

ISLAMABAD - Islamabad yesterday rejected Indian army’s claim that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple through drones and missiles on the intervening night of 7 and 8 May.

Islamabad - Former prime minister and President of the Pakistan Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, has extended heartfelt congratulations to Chief of Army Staff Hafiz Syed Asim Munir on being awarded the distinguished title of Field Marshal.

• Sindh home minister’s house attacked, two trailers torched in Moro • Lanjar orders action against those disturbing peace HYDERABAD/NAWABSHAH: A protester was killed and over a dozen others, including a DSP and six other policemen, were injured during clashes in the Moro city of Naushahro Feroz — the home district of Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar — on Tuesday. Mr Lanjar’s house was also attacked, along with two trailers on Moro bypass road. Violence erupted when police attempted to disperse a protest reportedly organised by Sindh Saba against the proposed construction of new canals on the River Indus. The protesters had blocked the Moro bypass road to record their protest. A similar programme was scheduled by Sindh Saba at the press club in Hyderabad, but police authorities did not allow it and cordoned off the main road leading to the club. Police also picked up two activists of the party. In Moro, the protesters, armed with rods and sticks, raised slogans against corporate farming and the proposed canals....

ISLAMABAD - Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani held a constructive meeting with President of Italian Chamber of Deputies (Speaker Lower House), Lorenzo Fontana.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, presiding over the 3rd session of the Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners marathon meeting here on Tuesday, reviewed the progress of ongoing development initiatives across the province.

ISLAMABAD - The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) launched a two-day national-level Simulation Exercise (SimEx) at its headquarters in Islamabad to improve preparedness and bolster coordination between federal and provincial institutions in handling climate-induced disasters.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has expres­sed willingness to talk with the esta­blishment, saying the door for talks with the military was never closed. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has also hoped the incarcerated party leader, Imran Khan, will be “released in a week”, even though the government has dismissed reports of negotiations with the opposition party. He called the former prime minister’s incarceration “unjustified” as the cases against him were “bogus and politically motivated”. Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday after meeting Mr Khan, along with party leaders Salman Akram Raja and Ali Zafar, Mr Gohar said the jailed PTI leader had shut the door on talks with the government but not with the military establishment. He said Pakistan managed to triumph over India in recent clashes due to national unity. Hopes Imran will be released soon; govt denies negotiations with jailed PTI founder “Now that we are at peace with global powers, there is hope of peace internally,” h...

ISLAMABAD - Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong on Tuesday called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, during his visit to the Air Headquarters, Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the international community to ensure consistent and timely delivery of badly needed humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

• Gen Munir’s promotion to five-star rank marks first such elevation in over six decades • Field Marshal terms honour ‘tribute to the entire armed forces and the people of Pakistan’ • ACM Sidhu becomes first air chief to be given second extension • Ex-generals foresee new role of vice chief of army staff for four-star general ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday promoted Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his ‘strategic leadership and decisive role’ in defeating India in the conflict that started earlier this month following the Pahalgam inci­dent in India-occu­pied Kashmir. “The Government of Pakistan has approved the promotion of General Syed Asim Munir (Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Military) to the rank of Field Marshal in recognition of his superior strategy and courageous lead­ership… (and) infli­cted a decisive defeat upon the enemy,” a statement read. The elevation, first cleared by the federal cabinet and later communicated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Pre...

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue plans to introduce digital tracking of freight vehicles to prevent sales tax evasion and curb smuggling. A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday was briefed on the digital monitoring system, which will be installed at major highways across the country. An official announcement said FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial briefed the meeting on the project. He said the system freight vehicles will be fitted with e-tags and digital devices for the monitoring of goods. The system will enable the digitisation of the economy and significantly increase tax revenue. It will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, it will be launched in one city and later implemented across the country. Production in tobacco, steel, cement industries being monitored The meeting was informed that a system is being introduced for digital and automated monitoring of imports and exports at ports and airports. This system will be linked to local and internatio...

ISLAMABAD: The UN’s agency for refugees has expressed concern over the drastic cut in funding at a time when it is providing help to Afghans returning to their country from Pakistan. Over three million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries, around one-third from Pakistan, since September 2023, according to the International Organisation for Migration. These Afghans were either deported or left out of fear of arrest after the Pakistan government announced a plan to repatriate all illegal foreigners. In 2025 alone, 780,000 Afghans are estimated to have returned, including 351,600 who were deported, according to the information released by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday. UN body says support to returning refugees drastically reduced They return to a homeland that is “clearly unprepared to receive them”, with a UNDP report saying that three-quarters of the population in Afghanistan was barely surviving, with half the population in need of humanitarian assistance. Many of the retu...

• Shezra tells pre-budget dialogue that 30pc of all public development projects to undergo climate assessment • MQM-P MNA reveals 4m people in Karachi live in non-resilient housing • Sanaullah Baloch argues ongoing insurgency in Balochistan rooted in unjust distribution of resources ISLAMABAD: Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, the minister of state for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, on Tuesday announced the country’s first climate-focused budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 under which 30 per cent of all public development projects would undergo a Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (CPIMA). “It is a significant shift towards integrating climate considerations into national economic planning,” the minister said. The announcement was made during the Pre-Budget Dialogue 2025, titled “Rethinking Economic Policy for a Just Energy Transition,” organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PR...

• GDP expands at 2.6pc, per capita income sees modest rise to $1,824 • Economy size swells to $411bn, agriculture grows just 0.56pc and LSM contracts 1.5pc ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income increased in dollar terms at a modest pace in 2024-25, reflecting a sustained recovery in the country’s overall output compared to the previous year, the government said on Tuesday. It was announced on Tuesday that the country’s economy is expected to grow by 2.68 per cent in the current fiscal year, a revision from earlier projections of 3.6pc, suggesting that Pakistan will fall short of its GDP target. The leading global financial institutions’ estimates also show that Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow between 2.6 and 2.8pc in FY25, a slower-than-expected recovery with challenges in agriculture, industrial output, and external financing weighing on economic momentum. The lenders have already revised downward their earlier GDP projections for Pakistan. The IMF revised the growth...

ISLAMABAD - H.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the murder of Noor Mukadam.

Bahawalpur - District Police Officer Muhammad Hassan Iqbal organized an open court in Circle Hasilpur.

Vehari - The Central Traders Association Vehari warmly welcomed Colonel Qaiser Abbas, who returned as a hero from the “Operation Bunyānum Marsoos’ at the Bahawalnagar border.