Pakistan

The federal government has formed a task force to revamp the legal wings of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The purpose of the task force is to reform, revamp, and strengthen FBR’s revenue litigation framework at all levels, including initial adjudication by the tax department, commissioner/collector appeals, Appellate Tribunals Inland Revenue and Customs, high courts, Supreme Court, and the Federal Constitutional Court. The high-level task force was constituted by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and is aimed at examining and overhauling FBR’s legal wings. The task force was set up after the federal government’s recognition of growing concerns over persistent gaps in litigation management that have hindered effective representation and enforcement of tax and customs laws. The task force will be presided over by Shad Mohammad and includes senior legal and operational officials from FBR, the CEO of Pakistan Single Window, technical advisors, representatives of the Attorney General’s Office, and the eminen...

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted 366 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across various cities in Punjab over the past month, resulting in the arrest of 36 terrorists, a spokesperson said.

India has approved defence purchases worth about $25 billion, the defence ministry said, including additional Russian-made S-400 long-range missile systems. The approvals were given by the Defence Acquisition Council, led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, according to a statement issued late on Friday. The ministry said it has cleared 55 proposals worth 6.73 trillion Indian rupees ($71bn) in the 2025-26 financial year so far. It has also signed capital procurement contracts worth 2.28tr Indian rupees ($25bn), the highest in a single fiscal year. For the air force, the approved items include new medium transport aircraft to replace old AN-32 and IL-76 planes, additional S-400 air defence systems, drones and upgrades to Su-30 fighter jet engines. Although India has expanded defence purchases from the United States, France and Israel in recent years, the new S-400 orders and Su-30 upgrades indicate that Russia remains an important defence supplier. The S-400 system will “counter enemy long-range air” threats, w...

Pakistan has entered a new phase of digital development with the rollout of 5G services under the strategy of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

PARIS: Scientists have managed to film a spectacular event rarely witnessed by humans: a sperm whale giving birth while other females worked together to support the mother and her newborn. A team from Project CETI, an international effort seeking to understand how whales communicate, were in a boat near a pod of 11 whales off the coast of the Caribbean island of Dominica on July 8, 2023. Rounder, a 19-year-old female, was surrounded by family members and others as she was about to give birth to her second calf. Over nearly five and a half hours, the scientists documented the group’s behaviour, watching them from the boat, filming them with drones and recording the sounds underneath the waves. The data they collected, which was published in the journals Scientific Reports and Science on Thursday, represent an exceptional rarity in the history of science. Out of 93 species of cetaceans — a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises — only nine have ever been observed giving birth in the wild. Rarer stil...

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday announced that it had reached a staff level agreement (SLA) for disbursement of about $1.2 billion on successful conclusion on the third review under Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the second review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The Fund tacitly endorsed Islamabad’s fuel pricing policy in the wake of Middle East crisis. It said program implementation by Pakistan under the EFF remained broadly aligned with the authorities’ objectives to strengthen public finances, ensure inflation remains durably within the State Bank of Pakistan’s target range; advance reforms to improve the viability of the energy sector; and deepen structural reforms, while strengthening social protection and rebuilding health and education spending. The authorities’ climate reform agenda, backed by the RSF, is progressing, and the authorities remain committed to implementing comprehensive reforms and policies that enhance resilience and redu...

WASHINGTON: Democrats on the United States House Armed Services Committee have called for an immediate public hearing on President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, pressing the Pentagon to testify publicly as concerns mount over strategy, transparency, and the mounting human and economic costs of the conflict. In a letter led by Ranking Member Adam Smith and signed by every Democratic member of the committee, the lawmakers urged Chairman Mike Rogers to convene a separate hearing on the conflict, apart from routine budget and posture hearings, and to require the Department of War to explain its objectives, operational plans, and costs. The Democrats noted that the war has already resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members and 290 wounded, along with more than a thousand civilian deaths. They expressed concern about the lack of clarity on possible US ground operations, shifting strategic and operational objectives, and reports that the administration intends to request a $200 billion supplemental budget fo...

Tiger Woods was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on Friday after a rollover crash near his Florida home, authorities said, as the 15-time major champion’s golf career veered into fresh turmoil. Woods, 50, escaped injury but was detained after his vehicle clipped a truck while attempting to overtake on a residential road on Jupiter Island, flipping onto its side before sliding to a stop. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods — who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017 — showed signs of “impairment”, although he passed a breathalyser test. “When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash,” Budensiek said. In line with Florida DUI laws, Woods was detained at the county jail for eight hours and was photographed departing the facility in a car late on Friday. A booking photo showed a red-eyed, stubbly-chinned Woods when he arrived at the jail a...

Jet fuel prices in Pakistan have surged sharply, rising by Rs84 per litre to reach a record Rs472 per litre, according to reports.

Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif have urged citizens to switch off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 p.

Westerly winds have entered the country, bringing widespread rain and thunderstorms across most parts of Pakistan from today through March 31, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

ISLAMABAD: As maritime trade becomes more uncertain due to the Gulf crisis, Pakistan has permitted exporters to continue shipping food and pharmaceutical products to Iran via land routes without using mandatory banking instruments. Simultaneously, the federal government has permitted the export of rice to Central Asian Republics and Azerbaijan via the land route through Iran. The decision was communicated to customs field formations through an official message issued by the commerce ministry. According to the decision, the government has permitted the export of 10 food items to Iran via land route without the need for financial instruments. These items include rice, seafood, potatoes, meat, onions, maize, citrus fruits, bananas, tomatoes, and frozen chicken. Two other non-food items are pharmaceutical products and tents. Exemptions will be granted to exporters for the export of these items to Iran for three months — from March 24 to June 21. The exemption also covers rice exports routed through Iran’s land co...

• Punjab, Sindh favour passing global oil prices to consumers • National leadership dialogue planned on March 30-31 • Petrol, diesel consumption rises amid price freeze • Targeted subsidy proposed with 20-litre monthly cap for bikers • Contingency plans include rationing, lockdowns, reduced workdays • KP opposes lockdown, warns of impact on daily wage earners ISLAMABAD: Amid provincial reluctance to shoulder the fuel subsidy burden and growing calls to pass on rising international petroleum prices to consumers, a national leadership dialogue is being arranged early next week to develop an “all-inclusive” agenda on austerity and energy conservation. Background discussions with key stakeholders suggest the provinces expressed their inability on Friday to contribute about Rs200 billion sought by the Ministry of Finance to shield consumers across the country from further hikes in petroleum prices. Both Punjab and Sindh — the two largest provinces supposed to share more than Rs102bn and about Rs60bn, respectively ...

The United States can only determine with certainty that it has destroyed about a third of Iran’s vast missile arsenal as the US and Israeli war on the country ​nears its one-month mark, according to five people familiar with the US intelligence. The status of around another third is less clear but bombings likely damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and ‌bunkers, four of the sources said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the information. One of the sources said the intelligence was similar for Iran’s drone capability, saying there was some degree of certainty about a third having been destroyed. The assessment shows that while most of Iran’s missiles are either destroyed or inaccessible, Tehran still has a significant missile inventory and may be able to recover some buried or damaged missiles once fighting stops. The intelligence stands in contrast to President Donald Trump’s public remarks on Thursday that Iran ​had “very few rockets le...

The war in the Gulf is still expected to last weeks, not months, and Washington can meet all its objectives without using ground troops, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. Rubio told reporters after meeting G7 counterparts in France that Washington was “on or ahead of schedule in that operation, and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here — a matter of weeks, not months.” While he said Washington could achieve its aims without ground troops, he acknowledged that it was deploying some to the region “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge”. Washington has dispatched two contingents of thousands of Marines to the region, the first of which is due to arrive around the end of March aboard a huge amphibious assault ship. The Pentagon is also expected to deploy thousands of elite airborne soldiers. The deployments have raised concern that an air war that has already disrupted global energy supplies could turn into a ...

Iran’s men’s national football team wore black armbands and held schoolbags as their ‌anthem played ahead of a match in Turkey on Friday, in what a team official said was a protest over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the Iran war. Iran were playing a friendly against Nigeria in the Mediterranean ​resort town of Belek ahead of the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, ​at which their participation is in doubt due to the conflict. Iran players line up before the match as school bags are laid in memory of the victims of the girls school bombing in Minab, Iran, March 27, 2026. — Reuters The men lined up ⁠holding pink and purple bags with ribbons on them — a reference to the attack on the ​Shajareh Tayyebeh School that Tehran says killed more than 175 people, including children and teachers, on the ​first day of joint US-Israeli strikes on the country. Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, a vice president of the Iranian football federation, told Reuters that the players had decided to stage the protest as a symb...

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said strengthening governance is vital to restoring public trust, improving service delivery and enabling Pakistan to transition from economic stability to sustainable growth and transformation.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar Friday spoke with Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres and exchanged views on the evolving situation in West Asia and its implications for international peace and security.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced that Earth Hour will be observed across the province on March 28 (today) as she urged citizens to switch off lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm as part of the global initiative.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan will take up on March 31 a review petition filed by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) concerning his right of defense in a defamation case instituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.