Pakistan

KARACHI - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), releasing its State of Pakistan’s Economy, Half Year Report FY26 on Tuesday, stated that Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability strengthened further in the first half of fiscal year 2025-26 with 3.

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in an Intra-Court Appeal (ICA) filed by apartment owners of One Constitution Avenue.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday directed the Islamabad High Court to decide within two weeks the petitions filed by human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, seeking suspension of their sentences in the controversial social media posts case.

Islamabad - Pakistan’s Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal met with Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in the health sector on Tuesday.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Wednesday that it had recieved $1.3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “The IMF Executive Board completed the third review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) in its meeting held on May 8 and approved the disbursement of SDR 760 million for Pakistan. Furthermore, the IMF Executive Board has also approved the disbursement of the second tranche of SDR 154 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF),” the central bank said on the social media platform X. “Accordingly, SBP has received SDR 914 million (equivalent to about US$ 1.3 billion) under the EFF and RSF in value May 12 from the IMF,” it said. It said that the amount would be reflected in the country’s foreign exchange reserves for the week ending on May 15. Last week, the international money lender had approved the latest review of Pakistan’s reform programme. The decision paved the way for disbursements of about $1.1bn from the EFF and $220m from the RSF, bringing total payout...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan could not be stopped from progressing if the country’s political and military leadership remained united and committed to stability and development.

Spokesperson says US media report on presence of Iranian aircraft in Pakistan ‘misleading and sensationalised’.

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid an official visit to the National Police Academy (NPA) on Tuesday, where he chaired a high-level meeting and reviewed multiple development projects aimed at modernising police training in Pakistan.

Attock - The funeral prayer of the brave citizen Muhammad Liaquat Ali Shaheed, who sacrificed himself while foiling a suicide attack in Tehsil Jand of Attock district, was offered with official honors at Police Lines Attock.

• Gap shrinks to Rs856bn, or 0.7pc of GDP, during July-March • Provincial surpluses, higher PDL collections, lower debt servicing drive improvement • Revenue-to-GDP ratio falls; defence, pension, subsidy expenditures rise ISLAMABAD: Supported by higher-than-targeted provincial contributions, strong petroleum levy collections and lower interest payments during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, Pakistan recorded its lowest fiscal deficit in at least 27 years at 0.7 per cent of GDP, despite a decline in revenue ratios and increases in most expenditure heads except debt servicing. According to official fiscal operations data released by the Ministry of Finance for July-March, the historically low fiscal deficit was achieved after a gradual reversal of the Rs2.1 trillion surplus, equivalent to 1.6pc of GDP, recorded in the first quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal year. The budget surplus had narrowed to Rs542 billion (0.4pc of GDP) by the end of the first half and eventually turned i...

Senior players failed to deliver as familiar weaknesses resurfaced in another disappointing overseas performance

KARACHI: Police on Tuesday arrested a “most-wanted” woman accused of supplying cocaine and other narcotics across the city, an official statement said. According to the statement, a joint operation was conducted by a police team from Garden Police Station and a civilian intelligence agency to arrest the accused after midnight. “A female suspect identified as Anmol alias Pinki, allegedly involved in supplying cocaine and other deadly narcotics across the city, has been arrested,” the statement said. It added that the accused was “most-wanted” by police and had been absconding in several cases. “One pistol, cocaine worth millions of rupees, chemicals, and other narcotics were recovered from the accused,” claimed police. In its statement, the police further said the accused was operating an “organised and extensive network” for narcotics dealing and supply, adding that she used to supply drugs online in Clifton, DHA, and other areas of Karachi through designated riders. The accused also used female riders to pro...

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, on Tuesday, exchanged in-depth views on recent regional developments.

ISLAMABAD: The sisters of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister were once again denied a meeting with the ex-premier at Adiala jail on Tuesday. Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, told reporters that being denied a meeting was “nothing but contempt of court”, as they were not being allowed to meet Imran despite clear orders from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that family meetings be arranged every Tuesday and Thursday. When asked about the sit-in, she said that last time, a police officer had requested them to leave and gave an assurance that he would not repeat the request the next time she came to the prison. “I want to hold a sit-in throughout the night,” Aleema said. KP CM Sohail Afridi urged parliamentarians from across Pakistan to stand in solidarity with Imran’s sisters, adding that he was in Rawalpindi on Aleema’s invitation. “These people are shameless. They have paralysed the whole system after the constitutional amendment,” he said. “It is unfortunate t...

ISLAMABAD: The treasury and opposition sparred in the Senate on Tuesday over a rising wave of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Attaur Rehman asking whether the province had been “handed over to terrorists”. Speaking in the House, Senator Rehman accused the government of indifference to KP’s security situation, saying its focus on legislation was “in no way more important than the lives of the people of KP”. “Why has our blood turned white? Why is there no concern for KP?” Rehman asked. “Blood is being spilt there and you’re worried about your bills. Are these bills so important that human blood keeps flowing while you keep passing legislation?” He cited attacks in Lakki Marwat and Bannu and said the provincial chief minister was “still out on tours”. “Have some sense of our wounds. Why are Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s conditions not being given importance?” he said. Responding to the senator’s remarks, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry s...

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger, on Tuesday, exchanged views on the evolving regional situation.

Iran’s leadership is betting it can outlast an under-pressure Donald Trump in its peace negotiations with Washington, but its defiance risks renewed military confrontation, analysts say. With a shaky ceasefire holding, almost two-and-a-half months after the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic began, the US president has angrily dismissed Iran’s responses to an American proposal for a settlement, warning the truce is on its last legs. But analysts say that even after the assassination of long-time supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, Iran’s leadership remains fiercely ideological and dedicated to the preservation of the Islamic republic set up in the 1979 revolution that ousted the shah. The Iran flag flutters from a tall flagpole over high-rise buildings in northern Tehran on May 12, 2026. — AFP “They do think they can outlast Trump. The war is existential for them,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the Chatham House think tank in Lon...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, on Tuesday, reiterated their shared commitment to deepening cooperation across areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, energy, and people-to-people contacts.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday discussed regional developments and peace efforts regarding the Middle East conflict with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the two leaders held a phone call on Tuesday to discuss peace efforts in the region, while also reaffirming the bilateral ties between the two countries. The two leaders exchanged greetings and reaffirmed the “strong fraternal bonds of friendship” between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The prime minister conveyed his best wishes to President Aliyev for the success of the upcoming World Urban Forum, which will be held in Baku next week, the statement said. He expressed confidence that under Azerbaijan’s stewardship, the forum would serve as a “valuable platform for advancing the global urban development agenda”. The premier also expressed his regrets that pressing commitments would make him unable to personally attend the forum, but noted that he had ensured that Pakistan...

Nine die in Lakki Marwat market blast Two cops among victims; 33 others injured PM vows justice, renewed anti-t