Pakistan

Punjab will launch the National Polio Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign from Monday (February 2), aiming to vaccinate more than 17.

There is a low risk of the deadly Nipah virus spreading from India, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday, adding that it did not recommend travel or trade curbs after two infections were reported by the South Asian nation. Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are among the Asian locations that tightened airport screening checks this week to guard against such a spread after India confirmed infections. “The WHO considers the risk of further spread of infection from these two cases is low,” the agency told Reuters in an email on Friday, adding that India had the capacity to contain such outbreaks. “There is no evidence yet of increased human-to-human transmission,” it said, adding that it has coordinated with Indian health authorities. But it did not rule out further exposure to the virus, which circulates in the bat population in parts of India and neighbouring Bangladesh. Carried by fruit bats and animals such as pigs, the virus can cause fever and brain inflammation. I...

Direct air connectivity between Pakistan and Bangladesh was restored on Thursday after a gap of 14 years, as Biman Bangladesh Airlines operated its inaugural flight from Dhaka to Karachi.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is set to meet and address leading exporters and prominent business figures in the country today as part of the government’s ongoing engagement with the business community.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called off his sit-in near Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after protesting for several hours when he was again denied permission to meet jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has publicly apologised for sharing incorrect information regarding the Bhati Gate incident in Lahore.

ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Thursday reaffirmed that Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully prepared to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against all threats.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has threatened to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack. Trump said he is speaking with Iran and left open the possibility of avoiding a military operation after earlier warning that time was “running out” for Tehran as the United States sends a large naval fleet to the region. When asked if he would have talks with Iran, Trump told reporters: “I have had and I am planning on it.” “We have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” the US president added, while speaking to media at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania. As Brussels and Washington dialled up their rhetoric and Iran issued stark threats this week, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region”. An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran’s response to any US action would not ...

BANNU: Five terrorists, including a ‘commander’, were gunned down in a sec­urity operation in Bannu’s Domel tehsil, which also resulted in the death of three civilians and injuries to several others. The operation, which continued from morning till evening, was launched in the Sperka and Kotka Akbar Ali Khan areas of the tehsil and at least seven militants were inju­red in the heavy shootout. The security forces targeted the terrorists’ hideouts with more than 25 quadcopter strikes, while a heavy exchange of fire continued throughout the clashes, sources claimed. The slain commander was identified as Zewaran alias Al-Badri, who was wanted in several cases. Following the operation, continuous surveillance by drones and helicopters was being carried out in the region to round up the remaining terrorists trying to flee the area. According to locals, the operation also resulted in the death of three civilians, including two women, whose bodies were retrieved from a house in the afternoon. A local resident told Da...

• PM speaks to Iranian president; FO says region cannot afford war • Diplomacy the ‘only viable way forward’, Dar tells Araghchi • Iranian army chief warns of ‘crushing response’ to any attack • Turkiye offers mediation; Russia cautions use of force will ‘fuel chaos’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday opposed the use of force and coercive measures against Iran, stressing that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Western pressure on Tehran intensified with a continuing US naval build-up in the Gulf and fresh European designations and sanctions. The Pakistani position was articulated across official engagements and public statements, including a telephone call bet­ween Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezesh­kian, con­­tacts between the two foreign ministers, and remarks by the Foreign Off­ice spo­kesperson at the media briefing. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Shehbaz “underscored the importance of sustained dialogue and diplomatic engage...

ISLAMABAD: The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) on Thursday reported that power consumers across the country would be paying Rs1.41 per unit higher fuel charges in February bills than in the current month, as industrialists said the base electricity tariff had already increased by Rs2-3 per unit with effect from Jan 1 for the full fiscal year. At a public hearing presided over by legal member of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), Amina Ahmed, the government also reported that it was working on another tariff package under which unutilised electricity would be offered at marginal cost — the actual cost of power supply — to various consumer categories during day time to absorb surplus capacity because of low demand amid rising solar penetration. “The government is currently working on various options to offer an incentive tariff package (as an alternative to growing net metering), and soon we will approach Nepra for approval”, after its clearance from the federal cabinet, said an of...

ISLAMABAD: The continued closure and suspension of trade at the Pak-Afghan border since October has led to a 53.02 per cent decline in revenues of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, prompting the province to seek urgent intervention from the federal government. The border closure triggered sharp revenue losses for KP as the collection of infrastructure development cess (IDC) fell to Rs3.48 billion, from Rs7.42bn, during the first seven months of the current fiscal year over the corresponding period of last year. Muzammil Aslam, the KP chief minister’s finance adviser, has written a four-page letter to Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, seeking an urgent meeting of provincial and federal stakeholders. The meeting is expected to deliberate on the revenue implications for KP and the challenges faced by exporters and traders, including stuck payments and the loss of business activity. Collection of cess has dropped to Rs3.48bn in 7MFY26 from Rs7.42bn The provincial government has already constituted a revenue review co...

KARACHI: Exporters and analysts fear that the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will pose serious challenges to Pakistan’s export base and hurt its textile exports. An office-bearer of a traders’ association said India “has now opened an economic front”, after facing defeat on the battlefield, by signing trade deals with several countries and the European Union. Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, chairman of the Businessmen Panel Progressive (BMPP) and vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), cautioned that the agreement could erode Pakistan’s competitive edge in European markets. Despite Pakistan’s GSP Plus status, which allows duty-free access for nearly 80 per cent of its exports to the EU, the country’s textile exports stand at $6.2 billion, marginally ahead of India’s $5.6bn exports even though the latter faces a 12 per cent tariff. “Once India secures zero-rated access under the EU deal, Pakistan’s advantage will vanish and our exports could suffer a severe blow,” Saq...

K-P CM calls concealment of PTI founder's health 'medical terrorism'

Says PIA to achieve new heights following privatisation

Report shows only one govt firm earned over Rs100b; only 36% completed audits

Rupee firms slightly while extreme volatility grips global precious metals markets

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Seven-day committee to review tariffs fixed under interim government agreement

Rs327b to be collected from large firms after court ruling; oil and gas companies' share put at Rs90b