Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Presi­d­ent Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday appointed Maq­bool Ahmad Gondal, a BS-22 officer of the Pakis­tan Audit and Accounts Group who had been serving as the Controller General of Accounts, as the new Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP). Talking to Dawn, Mr Gondal confirmed his appointment and said he would assume the post next month, upon the completion of the current auditor general’s term. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had moved the summary, which included senior officials of the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Group, and the president appointed Mr Gondal as the new AGP. Mr Gondal is a public fi­­nance executive with over three decades of leadership experience in financial governance, audit and public procurement. As controller general of accounts, he is credited with leading initiatives that included the digitisation of public financial ma­­nage­m­ent and the reco­very of more than Rs460 billion through audit enforcement. His previous roles also include managing director of the Public Procure­ment ...

ISLAMABAD - Parliamentary politics is filled with a lot of unexpected happenings.

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan has a significant opportunity to convert its debt into climate investments through a new “Debt Swap Hub” launching in 2026, provided the country prepares by building institutional capacity and identifying high-impact projects, United Nations Department of Economic Affairs (DESA) senior official said on Saturday. The United Nations and its partners will roll out the dedicated hub for climate investments, creating a pathway for debt-distressed nations to foster sustainable development. “An early engagement by Pakistan will allow the co­­u­ntry to be among the first to get access to this mechanism for converting debt into investment in climate resilience, education or healthcare,” UN Assistant Secretary-Gen­eral for Economic Development Navid Hanif told Dawn. Mr Hanif, who just completed a visit to Pakistan, said the recent Fourth International Conference on Financing for Develo­pment in Seville, Spain, opened a window for the country to mobilise new public and private capital if it takes a ...

KARACHI: The recent reduction in the State Bank of Pakistan’s policy rate to 11 per cent, nearly half of what it was in July 2024, has failed to generate enthusiasm among the country’s traders and industrialists. While the rate cut is seen as a step towards easing the cost of doing business, many in the sector argue that it remains uncompetitive compared to regional rates and does little to address the core challenges hindering economic growth. Industry leaders point to the high cost of production and the rising influx of smuggled goods from countries such as Iran, China, and Bangladesh, which continue to undermine the competitiveness of Pakistani products in both domestic and international markets. “The market is flooded with smuggled goods — everything from high-quality shoes and garments to food products. New shopping centres popping up around Karachi are full of these imports, and shop owners openly advertise their smuggled stock,” said one frustrated currency dealer. He attributed the failure of anti-smu...

LAHORE - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday reserved its verdict in two high-profile cases related to the May 9 incidents, the Shadman police station arson case and the burning of police vehicles near Rahat Bakery Chowk.

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, held meetings with senior American political and military officials, as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora, during his official visit to the United States, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

QUETTA: Iranian Consul General in Quetta Ali Reza Rajaei and President of the Zahidan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abdul Hakim Regi have invited Balochistan’s industrialists and business community to launch joint ventures with Iranian investors in Mirjaveh Free Zone. They said that the Iranian government will extend all facilities and incentives for starting joint ventures with Iranian entrepreneurs and investors. They extended the offer during a meeting with business leaders and representatives of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Small Chamber of Commerce and Small Industries and the Pak-Iran Chamber of Commerce in Quetta on Saturday. The Iranian officials emphasised that achieving the $10 billion bilateral trade target between Pakistan and Iran depends on cooperation. They also congratulated Balochistan’s business community on the resumption of Quetta-Zahedan flight services via Mashhad. The Iranian envoy and members of the delegation expressed satisfaction over recent agreements signed ...

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recovered movable and immovable properties, as well as money, worth Rs547.31 billion during the first half (January to June) of the current year from corrupt elements. NAB made recoveries amounting to Rs456.3bn during the second quarter of 2025, marking a substantial increase of Rs365.29bn compared to Rs91.01bn recovered in the first quarter. Of the total recoveries, movable and immovable properties worth Rs532.33bn have been disbursed and handed over to different ministries and departments of federal and provincial governments, as well as to financial institutions. In addition, 12,611 victims in various cases of public cheating have also been compensated. Over the past two years, the anti-graft body has recovered Rs5.854 trillion, which is 700 per cent more than Rs839.08bn recovered previously since the bureau’s inception. Preliminary estimates indicate that state land worth approximately Rs5tr is under illegal possession and will be reclaimed. Two-year rec...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise Dosti-ll was conducted from 4-9 August 2025 at Fakhrobod Base, Tajikistan.

LAHORE: Two more people died on Saturday, taking the death toll due to monsoon rainfall in Punjab to 166, as another spell of torrential monsoon lashed several cities in Punjab. The deaths were reported in Sialkot and Jhelum, with the former receiving 78 millimetres of rain — the highest in the province. According to the Pakistan Meteorologi-cal Department (PMD), Sialkot City received 78mm of rain, Lahore 43.4mm, Gujranwala 36.8mm, Chakwal 23mm, Attock 13.6mm, Mangla 12.2mm, Gujrat 10.6mm, Narowal 5.0mm, Rawalakot 4.0mm, Islamabad Airport 3.9mm, and Mandi Bahauddin 0.5mm. The Met Department said mainly hot and humid weather was expected in most parts of Punjab, but rain-wind/thundershower was expected at isolated places in northeastern Punjab, Potohar, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and adjoining hilly areas on Sunday. According to provincial figures issued on Aug 8, 164 people have died and 82 have sustained injuries during the ongoing monsoon season that has also killed 121 head of cattle. Ab...

BAJAUR: After talks between local militant commanders and the Bajaur Amn Jirga for their return to Afghanistan hit a snag on Saturday, the locals are apprehensive about the resumption of a military offensive, ‘Operation Sarbakaf’, in Lowi Mamund tehsil. Initially, the anti-terror operation had been postponed after both sides agreed to a ceasefire until the conflict was completely resolved thro­ugh talks. The failure of the peace talks has also plunged the local population into fear and a state of uncertainty. Accor­ding to reports, a number of families from 16 areas of Lowi Mamund tehsil left their homes for peaceful areas in the district on Saturday. The reports added that more families from the said areas were expected to leave their homes today. “The collapse of negotiations between members of the Bajaur Aman Jirga and militant leaders, aimed at convincing them to leave the region peacefully, has left no option but to resume Operation Sarbakaf to neutralise militants in the region, who pose a significant t...

• 47 terrorists eliminated in two-day operation along Pak-Afghan border • Three soldiers, woman martyred in spate of attacks in Lakki Marwat QUETTA / LAKKI MARWAT: Security forces have thwarted yet another terrorist infiltration attempt in the Sambaza area of Balochistan’s Zhob district, eliminating 14 terrorists, the military’s media wing said on Friday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the latest action brings the total number of terrorists killed in the last two days to 47, following successful operations by security forces in Sambaza. This adds to the earlier neutralisation of 33 militants. “Following the successful engagements by the security forces in the general area Sam­baza, Zhob district, on Aug 7-8 night, during which 33 Khwarij were sent to hell; on the night of Aug 8-9, a deliberate sanitisation operation was conducted in the surrounding areas of Sambaza along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” the ISPR said. “During the conduct of the operation, 14 more Indian sponsored Kh...

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has revealed an easy and user-friendly process for obtaining the new Smart Pakistan Origin Card (POC), targeted at foreign nationals of Pakistani origin. NADRA POC is designed for individuals who have aquired a foreign nationality from their Pakistani citizenship, as well as those foreign nationals whose parents, […]

Tel Aviv: Thousands took to the streets in Israel’s Tel Aviv on Saturday to call for an end to the war in Gaza, a day after the government vowed to expand the conflict and capture Gaza City. Demonstrators waved signs and held up pictures of hostages still held captive in the Palestinian territory as they […]

Urges COPHC to meet concession commitments, calls for clear timelines

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EU-funded programmes, joint ventures, and AI research on agenda as both sides push for long-term collaboration

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Cabinet stresses no loophole is left in policy aimed at reaping economic benefits from regulated cultivation

Demands ceiling for SMEs operating on thin profit margins