Pakistan

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Lack of contractor stalls repair work for months

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Strict ban imposed on matches, flammables, picnics in forests from April 15 to July 15

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ISLAMABAD: The government announced on Monday that it has increased its Eurobond to $750 million from $500m by exercising the green-shoe option as the country’s foreign exchange needs grow due to a higher oil import bill amid the war in the Middle East. A green-shoe option is the over-allotment provision allowing the borrower to raise additional funds at the same rate if the public demand exceeds expectations. “Following its successful return to international capital markets after four years, Pakistan has upsized its Eurobond issuance to $750m, with an additional $250m placed with global institutional investors through the exercise of the green shoe option,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. Khurram Schehzad, the adviser to the finance minister, said on the social media platform X that the development reflected “stronger-than-expected investor demand, reinforcing confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook and market re-entry”. He said that the three-year Eurobond, which was initially placed at $500m...

When the international community agreed to transition away from fossil fuels at the 2023 COP28 global climate summit, some hailed the moment as the beginning of the end for oil. But little progress has been made since then, even though the vast majority of scientists agree there’s overwhelming evidence of global warming and that it is driven chiefly by the burning of fossil fuels. The Middle East war, meanwhile, has shown that the world is as dependent as ever on “black gold,” with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz holding the global economy and energy supply in a chokehold. Some have pointed to the ripple effects of the war as yet another reason to decrease humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels. But several global trends indicate the 2023 promise is still a way away from coming true. Among them is the agenda of United States President Donald Trump, whose energy slogan is “drill, baby, drill” and has intervened with military force in two countries with vast crude reserves: Venezuela and Iran. But ...

Director of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, filed a defamation lawsuit against American magazine The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick following the publication of an article on Friday alleging the director had a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security. The magazine’s story, initially titled ‘Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job’, cited more than two dozen anonymous sources expressing concern at Patel’s alleged conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences that alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice. The article, which The Atlantic subsequently titled ‘The FBI Director Is MIA’ in its online version, alleged that the FBI had to reschedule early meetings as a result of Patel’s alcohol-fuelled nights and that he is often away or unreachable, delaying time-sensitive decisions needed to advance investigations. In The Atlantic’s story, the White House, the Department of Justice and Patel denied the allegati...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a high-level consultative meeting to review preparations for the second round of discussions between Iran and the United States.

KHYBER: Four road construction workers, including excavator operators, were abducted by armed men in the Peer Mela area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah valley on Monday. Local sources said the kidnapped men included two excavator operators and as many labourers, who were working on levelling the land for the construction of a link road when armed men abducted them at gunpoint. They added that the abducted workers had been taken to an unknown location. According to sources, three of the abducted men belonged to Balochistan. Meanwhile, security forces had launched a search operation in the area and nearby localities, they added. Local elders demanded foolproof security for construction workers after the incident, pointing out that such occurrences could jeopardise the ongoing development projects in the area. Separately, a peace council of the Akkakhel tribe was held in Bara tehsil of KP’s Khyber district. Members of the council told Dawn that, during the meeting, deep concern was expressed over the deteriorating...

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday said Sri Lankan cricketer Dasun Shanaka had been banned from participating in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) over his “unilateral withdrawal” from this year’s tournament. According to ESPNCricinfo, Shanaka left Lahore Qalanders to play for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals In a statement, the cricket board said that “the player’s unilateral withdrawal from the tournament on March 21, 2026, constituted a clear breach of both the Player Registration terms and the Tripartite Agreement”. As a penalty, the cricket board declared the player ineligible to participate in the next edition of the PSL — scheduled for 2027. The PCB said that as per its findings, Shanaka’s withdrawal was “made on grounds not recognised within the existing contractual framework”. The statement also quoted Shanaka as saying that he “deeply” regretted his decision to withdraw from the tournament. “I deeply regret my decision to withdraw from the PSL and offer my sincere apolo...

The high security measures were in place in Islamabad for the arrival of foreign delegations, even as mixed signals emerged from Iran amid intensifying tensions with the United States. Iran has said it has not yet decided on attending a new round of negotiations with the US, while President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a US delegation will be arriving in the federal capital “tomorrow evening”. Despite this, security in Islamabad was on high alert on Monday, with the Red Zone sealed and public transport in the twin cities suspended. A police officer gestures to a vehicle at a checkpost along a road near Faisal Masjid, as Pakistan prepares to host the US and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad on April 19, 2026. — Reuters Rangers descend from a vehicle during their deployment along a road leading to the Presidentâ’ss House, as Pakistan prepares to host the United States and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad on April 20, 2026. — Reuters A police officer guards a road blo...

Pakistan has stepped up diplomatic efforts to facilitate a second round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, with signs of both progress and hesitation emerging as Tehran adopts a cautious stance.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation on Monday with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, focusing on regional diplomacy, ongoing dialogue efforts, and broader global economic challenges.

A new bill aimed at eliminating begging has been introduced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, proposing strict legal action against professional beggars and organized networks across the province.

“You have to admit that most women who do something with their lives have been disliked by almost everyone.” — Françoise Gilot, the French painter who loved Picasso, left him on her own terms, and refused to be remembered just as his muse. There are many who would assert that Pakistan’s former first lady Bushra Bibi should be dismissed as a woman of no substance. She did not, they argue, earn a place in the national imagination by winning over crowds with her speeches or marching for the downtrodden. They would rather say she just weasled her way to the top through wedlock. Her new husband, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and her previous one, Khawar Maneka, were both men who loomed large in the public eye. One was a cricketing legend who had abandoned his storied appetite for pretty white women and the world’s attention in order to pursue political rebirth back home. The other was a shrine-through-town aristocrat from Pakpattan, known as much for his influence as for his oddities. Bushra Bibi’s effacement ...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)’s benchmark index KSE-100 plunged by over 1,700 points on Monday amid uncertainty over the Middle East conflict. The KSE-100 declined by 1,742.31 points or 1 per cent to close at 172,196.70 from the previous close of 173,939.01 points. The KSE-100 rose to an intraday high of 174,523.76 points at around 11:55am, then declined to an intraday low of 169,226.56 points at 1:05pm, before settling at 172,196.70. According to Topline Securities, the trading began on a “subdued note, reversing the previous session’s upward momentum, with the benchmark index declining to an intraday low of 4,712 points”. “Investor sentiment remained cautious amid escalating geopolitical tensions,” it said, citing increased concerns due to the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over Iran’s participation in the 2nd round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad. “Earlier indications of potential diplomatic engagement, including the possibility of a US delegation vi...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday held separate meetings with the Iranian and US envoys to discuss arrangements made for a second round of Islamabad Talks between the two warring parties. Naqvi’s intensified efforts come as Islamabad continues to set the stage for a possible second round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, after the first round ended without an agreement. The Ministry of Interior issued separate press releases detailing Naqvi’s interactions with US Charge d’Affaires to Pakistan Natalie Baker and Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam. According to a statement issued later in the day, Naqvi discussed “arrangements for a second round of Islamabad Talks” with the Iranian envoy, telling him that the preparations for it were complete. “Foolproof security arrangements have been made for foreign delegations,” Naqvi told Moghadam. Iran said earlier on Monday that Tehran has yet to decide on whether to send its delegation, and there is no official confirmation so far that ...

India and South Korea said on Monday that they would boost their economic ties by expanding cooperation in energy, critical minerals, shipbuilding, semiconductors and steel as they seek to double their trade to $50 billion by 2030. New Delhi and Seoul also agreed to resume and step up negotiations to give new energy to their 2010 trade agreement as India wanted their trade to be more balanced and South Korea wanted greater market access to the world’s fastest-growing major economy. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is in India for a three-day visit, the first South Korean presidential state visit to the country in eight years. “We decided to upgrade the framework of economic cooperation between the two countries to create a new engine for shared growth,” Lee told reporters after talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two countries created a ministerial-level economic cooperation committee for the first time, Lee said, adding that they would strengthen cooperation in areas such as nuclear power...

The federal government has formally approached Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Zaman, requesting a detailed update on the province’s progress under the “URAAN Pakistan” programme.