Pakistan

While macroeconomic stability improved in the first half of fiscal year 2026, the war in the Middle East poses risks to the economic outlook amid heightened uncertainty, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Tuesday. The SBP released its Half Year Report 2025-26 (The State of Pakistan’s Economy) on Tuesday, showing that Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability strengthened in the first half of the fiscal year despite headwinds from uncertainty regarding global trade and domestic floods. However, the report noted that the war in the Middle East poses “significant risks to the macroeconomic outlook”, as supply chain disruptions are likely to affect the inflation trajectory, external trade and remittance flows, and the country’s economic activity, according to an SBP press release. Discussing the outlook for FY26, the report notes that the latest data on high-frequency indicators — including Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), LSM and construction — suggests that economic activity maintained the momentum through Febr...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would “get on with governing” despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections. At a meeting of his cabinet, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that, while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest. Four ministers expressed their support for him. It was the latest pledge from Starmer to press on with a premiership that has been dogged by scandal and policy U-turns since he won a large majority at a national election in 2024. On Monday, he promised to be bolder in tackling the problems besetting Britain to try to shore up his political future. Borrowing costs rise In a nod to an increase in borrowing costs on the markets over fears of another bout of political instability in Britain, Starmer said the “past 48 hours have been dest...

ISLAMABAD: Kuwait agreed on Tuesday to “explore new opportunities” around building strategic storage in Pakistan’s petroleum sector, a statement by the Petroleum Division said, adding that the initiative could result in mutual benefit for both sides. The assurance came during a meeting between petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Kuwait’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi, in Islamabad. “Both sides discussed prospects for enhanced cooperation in the petroleum and energy sectors, especially refining, and agreed to explore new opportunities around building strategic storages in Pakistan that could bring mutual benefit to Pakistan and Kuwait”, the statement said. It added that the meeting focused on regional developments and energy cooperation. The two sides also agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand collaboration in areas of common interest, it said. For his part, the petroleum minister expressed gratitude to Kuwait’s government for its “timely facilitation an...

The United Nations condemned on Tuesday the toll from “escalating” Israeli military operations and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank on children, with 70 Palestinian children killed since the start of 2025. “Children are paying an intolerable price for escalating military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” UN children’s agency spokesman James Elder told reporters. Since the start of 2025, when Israel began a large-scale military operation in the West Bank, “at least one Palestinian child has been killed on average every single week” there, adding that another 850 children had been injured during that period. “Most of those killed or wounded were done by live ammunition,” he said. Israeli forces were responsible for a full 93 per cent of the deaths, Elder said, highlighting that the scaled-up military operations had come amid “historic levels of settler attacks”. According to the UN, March 2026 saw the highest number of Palestinians injured by Israe...

At least seven people, including two police personnel, were killed and more than 18 others injured in a blast in the Serai Naurang area of Lakki Marwat District on Tuesday, police said.

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) on Tuesday said that Eidul Azha is expected to fall on May 27, based on astronomical calculations related to the sighting of the Zilhajj moon.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday rejected a report by a US media outlet alleging that Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to use its airbases during Islamabad’s role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide the sentence suspension pleas filed by lawyer and rights activist Iman Mazari and her husband, activist Hadi Ali Chattha, while keeping the matter pending before the apex court until the high court issues a ruling.

The federal government has appointed Shafquat Hussain Wadho, a nominee of the Sindh government, as member of the Indus River System Authority for a period of three years.

The Higher Education Commission Pakistan has announced the launch of a fully online, paperless Degree Attestation System (DAS), marking a major step toward digital transformation in higher education services.

Asif Ali Zardari and Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have paid rich tribute to brave citizen Liaqat, who embraced martyrdom while thwarting a potential terrorist incident at the inter-provincial area between Jand and Khushal Garh Bridge near Kohat.

LAKKI MARWAT: At least nine people, including two traffic policemen, were martyred while 33 others were injured on Tuesday in a blast in the Serai Naurang tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, police said. Initially, Lakki Marwat district police officer’s spokesperson Qudratullah Khan, in a statement, said that seven people, including two traffic cops, were killed while 23 others were injured. He identified the martyred police officials as Adil Jan and Rahatullah. Separately, Lakki Marwat Deputy Inspector General of Police Sajjad Khan said that both the deceased were traffic police officials. A statement issued by the KP chief minister’s office also stated that the officials were traffic policemen. Subsequently, Lakki Marwat Deputy Commissioner Hameedullah Khan issued a statement saying that at least nine people were martyred. He said that, as per initial reports, terrorists had planted explosives in a rickshaw. An incident report issued by the THQ Hospital confirmed that nine people were kill...

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday “our work is not over” to contain hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness. The fate of the MV Hondius sparked international alarm after three passengers died in an outbreak of the rare virus, for which no vaccines or specific treatments exist. Yet health officials stressed that the global public health risk was low and rejected comparisons to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “There is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” Tedros told a joint news conference in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” Tedros said. More than 120 passengers and crew on the MV Hondius were flown out from Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday and Monday, and countries adopted different health measures for their returning eva...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide within two weeks the pleas of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, seeking the suspension of their sentence in the controversial social media posts case. Until the IHC decides upon the petitions, the matter will remain pending before the apex court, a three-judge SC bench, consisting of Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shafi Siddiqui, ordered. During the hearing, the couple’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi H, argued that the legal requirements were not met in the trial against his clients. He asserted that they did not get the opportunity to be cross-examined and statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code were also not recorded. He presented his arguments as the SC took up the couple’s plea seeking to set aside an IHC order denying interim relief to them in the case. The lawyer said that the IHC had kept his clients’ pleas for the suspension ...

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on Tuesday forecast that Eidul Azha was expected to fall on May 27. “The new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH is expected to be born on May 17 at 1:01am,” it said in a statement. It said that at sunset the same day, the age of the new moon would be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes. It estimated an interval of 60 minutes between “sunset and moonset along the country’s coastal belt”. “Based on these astronomical parameters, the chances of sighting the Zilhajj crescent on the evening of May 17 are considered favourable,“ Suparco said, adding it would be subject to clear weather conditions and visibility near the horizon. “Consequently, the 1st Zilhajj 1447 AH is anticipated to fall on Monday, May 18, marking the conclusion of the holy month of Zilqad,” it said. Therefore, Eidul Azha will fall on May 27, Suparco said. “The final decision regarding the sighting of the Zilhajj crescent and the commencement of the holy month will be made by the Centra...

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday paid tribute to a brave citizen who sacrificed his life while averting a suicide attack in Attock’s Jand tehsil a day earlier. According to reports, the incident occurred near a key security post on the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtu­nkhwa bor­der, located in Jand, some 70km from Attock. A local shepherd, identified as Liaqat, noticed a suspicious individual in the area while grazing his goats nearby. Witnesses said Liaqat confronted the suspect after sensing something unusual about the man’s behaviour. As he approached, the suspect detonated himself with a powerful explosion, claiming Liaqat’s life in the process. In separate statements issued on Tuesday, the president and the prime minister lauded Liaqat’s sacrifice. PM Shehbaz said that as a responsible citizen, Liaqat stopped the terrorist and asked for his identification, who then blew himself up, resulting in the shepherd’s martyrdom. He said that Liaqat’s sacrifice would always be remembered...

Israel’s parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian fighters linked to the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The surprise attack, led by elite “Nukhba” force fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas, killed at least 1,200 people. The fighters also took 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins. Israel has been holding an estimated 200-300 fighters — the precise number is classified — captured in Israel during the attack, who have not yet been charged. The special military court established by the law, to be presided over by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem, could also try others captured later in Gaza and suspected of participating in the attack, or of having held or abused Israeli hostages. The new law was backed by a wide majority 93 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers, in a rare show of Israeli political unity. No trial ...

Peshawar - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Monday visited Bannu in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attack on the Fateh Khel Police Check Post, expressing solidarity with the victims and reaffirming the provincial government’s commitment to combating terrorism.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday termed a report by an American media outlet claiming that Islamabad “quietly allowed” Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields while playing the role of a mediator in the Middle East conflict as “misleading and sensationalised”. Citing US officials, CBS News had alleged that days after US President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Air Base. “Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report claimed. In a response issued on Tuesday, the FO said, “Pakistan categorically rejects the CBS News report regarding the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase as misleading and sensationalised. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.” “Following the ceasefire and during the initial round of the Islamaba...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday stressed that export-led industrial growth was essential for achieving the country’s economic development targets and reiterated that the government was fully focused on enhancing exports and providing facilities and support to industries.