Pakistan

PAKISTAN’S economic debate is trapped in a distracting quarrel — whether banks lend too much to government and too little to enterprise. Allocation matters, but it is not the binding constraint. On the State Bank’s consolidated estimates, with the share of development spending shrinking, a rupee of government spending now multiplies about 0.71 in output on average while a rupee of private investment returns 1.2 to 1.3. The private rupee works nearly twice as hard yet, strip out productivity — ie, the efficiency with which inputs become output — and even that collapses towards 1.0. Adjusted for our stalled productivity, no rupee in Pakistan truly compounds. We accumulate without amplifying. The distinction is decisive. A rupee invested where productivity is rising earns more each year as workers learn and firms innovate; a rupee in a stagnant system merely buys more of the same. Pakistan’s productivity sits near 0.28 on comparable estimates, against India’s 0.48 and Sri Lanka’s 0.42, and the export scoreboard ...

KARACHI has been ranked among the ‘least-liveable cities in the world’, ranking 170th among 173 cities on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Global Liveability Index 2026. The only cities ranked below Karachi include Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus, while war-torn Tehran (164) and Kyiv (166) scored slightly higher. According to EIU, issues such as congested roads and crime tend to punish the index’s biggest cities. The EIU’s ranking, which evaluates living conditions across 173 cities, provides a globally recognised benchmark for urban liveability and resilience. It measures measuring indicators such as stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, and quantifies the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle in any given location. Getting an overall score (out of 100) of 43 — the same as Algiers — Karachi’s scored poorly in nearly all metrics, except education. It scored 20 on stability, 54 on healthcare, 36 in culture and environment, 75 in education and 52 in infras...

KSE-100 Index falls 6,751 points to 179,504 by midday as investors continue broad-based selling

THE spectacle of a number of cabinet ministers at an investment conference in Istanbul last week offers an insight into the current government’s perception of how to fix Pakistan’s problems. Of course, the inseparable duo of the prime minister and deputy PM was there too. The two may well have secured a place in the Guinness World Records for the most world tours undertaken together. They were apparently there to project Pakistan’s potential for foreign investment. No one denies the significance of such conferences for attracting foreign investment critical for economic growth. But the ministers’ presence at every conference will not, on its own, draw investor interest. What matters more is fixing things at home to create the environment and capacity for both domestic and foreign investment. Chaotic governance and inconsistent policies have been a major impediment in the way of any investment coming to the country. Over the past few years, Pakistan’s top leadership has addressed investment conferences in seve...

Veteran actor explains why he prefers guest house over staying with son, daughter-in-law

THE surge in terrorist violence in Balochistan highlights the renewed threat confronting Pakistan. The martyrdom of at least nine policemen in Ziarat and the arrest of two alleged BLA operatives in Karachi on Tuesday, preceded by deadly violence near Quetta a day earlier, indicate that terrorist groups retain both the capability and intent to challenge the state’s writ. While security forces responded by killing 15 terrorists, the priority should be to determine whether groups that have traditionally operated independently are now cooperating operationally. Any evidence of tactical collaboration between the banned TTP and separatist outfits such as the BLA would mark a dangerous escalation. The latest incidents also reinforce concerns that militancy is no longer confined to the remote districts of Balochistan and KP. The foiled plot in Karachi coming soon after the attack on Rangers personnel in the city is a reminder that urban centres could be the next targets. The state’s counterterrorism strategy must ant...

Military tightens measures at checkpoints, detains Palestinians during raids across several cities

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ule­ma-i-Islam (JUI-F) has approached the Federal Shariat Court (FSC), challenging the constitutional vali­dity of the Islamabad Capital Terri­tory Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025 and seeking a declaration that certain provisions of the law are repugnant to the Holy Quran and Sunnah (PBUH). Filed under Article 203D, read with Article 227 of the Constitution, the petition argued that the law’s definition of a “child” as a person un­­der 18 years of age conflicts with the Islamic concept of puberty (bulugh) as the threshold for marriageability. Senior counsel Kamran Murtaza filed the petition in June, seeking a declaration that the Act is inconsistent with Islamic jurisprudence on multiple grounds. The petition recalled that the FSC had on March 6, 2023 dismissed the Ali Azhar case, in which Section 2(a) of the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013 was challenged. The court rejected the case, holding that fixing the minimum marriage age at 18 is not repugnant to the injunctions of I...

Also met his Sri Lankan counterpart, agree to strengthen coordination in combating narcotics trafficking

Baghdad’s old movie theatres stand abandoned in dust, bearing witness to Iraq’s once-vibrant cultural scene

WASHINGTON: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is expected to meet senior US officials in Washington early next week, as Pakistan continues efforts to facilitate US-Iran talks, diplomatic sources told Dawn. Naqvi is currently in New York to represent Pakistan at the Fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit 2026 (UNCOPS), being held at the UN headquarters on July 7 and 8. The summit has brought together interior ministers, police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from across the world to discuss peace, security and enhanced cooperation against transnational crime. The key focus of this year’s summit is developing a new vision for United Nations policing to ensure that peace operations remain agile, effective and people-centred. On the sidelines of the summit, Naqvi is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General. He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from several participating countries. During his visit, diplomatic sources said, a meeting between Naqvi and New York Mayor Zohran...

BEIJING: The death toll from devastating storms in parts of China rose to 17 on Tuesday, with hundreds more injured and tens of thousands evacuated, as President Xi Jinping urged “all out” rescue efforts. Over 130,000 people were evacuated, but 11 are still missing, regional officials told a news conference, adding that the rain has damaged nearly 13,000 acres of agricultural land. Dramatic video shared by state broadcaster CCTV showed a torrent of muddy water rushing past the crumbled concrete walls of a reservoir dam that had burst in the southern region of Guangxi, the worst-hit area. Rescue workers wearing life vests searched for missing people in inflatable boats, while authorities erected emergency shelters to house those displaced. 40 rivers and waterways overflowing in southern Guangxi region Intense rain and severe flooding from typhoon Maysak killed six people in Guangxi, where authorities raised the flood control emergency response to its highest level in the regional capital, Nanning. The state br...

MOC advances mutual security interests, helps partner countries meet energy security needs, says US State Department

Netflix acknowledges the competitive threat with a product redesign that added a TikTok-style vertical video feed

KARACHI: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that human intervention between the tax administration and taxpayers would be reduced to a minimum under a new AI-led engagement model. Addressing a banking summit in Karachi, the minister said parliament had introduced a new tax administration operating model and approved a new structure in which notices would be issued through AI-led systems. The minister discussed several segments of the economy and expressed optimism about the launch of international bonds. He said that although Pakistan was late in entering the financial market of China, the world’s second-largest economy, the Panda Bond remained a significant achievement for the country. Says Pakistan preparing to launch more Eurobonds, sukuk Pakistan had been trying for years to tap the Chinese financial market but could not do so for several reasons. However, the government succeeded in entering the market to raise yuan equivalent to $250 million in mid-May 2026. The bond attracted demand mo...

• Suparco says obstructed floodplain could trigger overbank flooding, debris flows • Satellite imagery shows number of ‘unfrozen lakes’ increased from 24 to 40 in just two weeks ISLAMABAD: With the monsoon season now under way, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) has raised concern over the uncontrolled spread of settlements along a natural glacial lake-fed stream near Gilgit city, warning that lives, property and livestock could be at risk. A comparison of satellite images from 2013 and 2023 clearly reveals the rapid and largely uncontrolled expansion of settlements along the natural stream near Gilgit city. The stream is fed by upstream glacial lakes within the catchment, making it highly sensitive to climate-induced hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs). Over the past decade, urban growth has progressively encroached into the natural flood conveyance zone and alluvial fan of the stream, significantly reducing its capacity to safely accommodate high-magnitude...

ISLAMABAD: Russia has lifted restrictions on the import of potatoes from Punjab, allowing 101 exporters to resume shipments from July 7 after reviewing Pakistan’s phytosanitary control system, Pakistan’s trade officer in Moscow said on Tuesday. The decision to lift the ban was formally communicated to Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research. However, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance has barred two Pakistani exporters from exporting potatoes to Russia, citing their failure to comply with the required phytosanitary standards. According to the trade officer’s letter, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance had informed Pakistani authorities that potato imports from Punjab would be permitted, subject to guarantees provided by Pakistan’s Department of Plant Protection. The Russian authority said the decision followed a review of the list of Pakistani potato exporters and their planned export volumes from Punjab. However, ...

Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw on Tuesday to set up a quarter-final with defending champions Argentina. The two teams cancelled each other out in the final game of the last 16 — the last match to be played at the 2026 tournament outside the United States. Both teams missed spot-kicks before Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel brilliantly saved Cucho Hernandez’s effort and Ruben Vargas scored the decisive penalty. Colombia, once again backed by thousands of passionate fans in Vancouver, had conceded just once in their four games before Tuesday’s match and the Swiss had also proved difficult to break down. The first action of note came in the 21st minute when Kobel was forced into a flying save to keep out Gustavo Puerta’s curling effort from the edge of the penalty area. The Swiss stepped up a gear immediately after the first hydration break, with Camilo Vargas beating away a shot from Fabian Rieder before denying Dan Ndoye. But the match was goalless at half-time, with two we...

Filmmaker reflects on being recognised as rising star's father

Actor talks about honing his craft, director's guidance and co-star Samar Jafri's honest critique