Pakistan

Pakistan on Wednesday expressed concern over the loss of lives in an attack in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which claimed the lives of 26 people. Responding to media queries, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan was saddened by the incident and expressed sympathy with the families of the deceased. “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the spokesperson said. “We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.” At least 26 people, including an Indian Navy officer, were killed and 17 were injured when gunmen opened fire at tourists in the IIOJK in the worst such attack in the region in nearly two decades. According to police, the attack took place on Tuesday in the popular destination of Pahalgam — a renowned site for tourists in summer some 90 kilometres away from Srinagar. The attack occurred in an of...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised concerns over political interference in civil service appointments in Pakistan. According to sources, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva highlighted systemic flaws in Pakistan’s governance structure during a meeting with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The IMF expressed reservations about widespread corruption risks, citing weak institutional accountability and fragmented decision-making processes, sources said. The Fund further said that political meddling in appointments undermines the credibility and efficiency of the civil service. In response, Finance Minister Aurangzeb assured the IMF chief of Pakistan’s commitment to implementing structural reforms under the ongoing reform program. Following extensive consultations, the IMF has issued a set of key recommendations focused on strengthening anti-corruption measures. Notably, the Fund has linked public procurement processes and departmental performance to enhanced structural accountability. Duri...

Today is budget day, the day when a government official, usually the finance minister, comes to the floor of the National Assembly and lays out, in complex economic terms, policies that will ultimately affect every single citizen. Read: Finance Minister Aurangzeb announces Budget 24-25 A budget is the government’s financial plan that outlines its proposed expenditures and the means of financing them for a single fiscal year (July 1-June 30). If you’re going to be watching the finance minister’s speech, which is usually delivered in Urdu, here are some of the important terms you should be looking out for. Maali khasaarah (مالی خسارہ) — Fiscal deficit You’re going to be hearing khasaarah a lot during the speech, which means deficit. An important term to look out for is maali khasaarah, which refers to the fiscal deficit. A fiscal deficit occurs when the total income of a government is less than its total expenditure. Budget khasaarah (بجٹ خسارہ) — Budget deficit The budget deficit differs from the fiscal defici...

It is widely believed that Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was born in Karachi. But some local oral traditions say that he was born in Jherruck, a town in present-day Thatta district of Sindh. The proponents of the latter opinion point to a textbook published in Sindh in the 1950s to support their contention, which mentions that the Quaid-i-Azam was, indeed, born in Jherruck. This controversy has been going on for a long time. Several attempts were made in the past by various authorities, including Syed Abdullah Shah — when he was serving as the provincial chief minister — as well as the district government of Thatta, who constituted committees to ascertain the facts of this claim. But it was all in vain. While compiling a biography of Jinnah, I too confronted the same question and decided to approach the matter from three different angles, i.e., documentary evidence, personal statements of the Quaid-i-Azam on the subject and accounts rendered by his family members. Here is the outcome of the exercise. But b...