Pakistan

In 1977, when an alliance of anti-government parties kicked off a protest movement against alleged fraud in the elections, the then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made a television address in which he thumped the chair he was sitting on and declared, “Ye kursi bohat mazboot hai [This chair is very strong].” A few days later, a furniture brand known for its chairs, Chairman, released a press ad with the caption, “Humari kursi sab se mazboot hai [Our chair is the strongest].” That one press ad put the brand smack dab in the middle of a political discourse that was raging at the time. Some understood the ad as mocking Bhutto, while others believed it was supporting him. The brand was doing neither. It was simply trying to gain some relevance during a time when a majority of Pakistanis were split into two camps and politics was all they were talking about. Uncannily, Chairman did something that was ahead of its time. There is now enough evidence that in today’s polarised societies, consumer brands and their a...

Seven people, including a toddler, were killed on Sunday in India when a helicopter ferrying Hindu pilgrims from a shrine crashed in the Himalayas, officials said. The fatal accident comes as relatives mourn at least 279 people killed when a passenger plane slammed into a residential area in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday. The helicopter crash left the pilot and all six passengers dead when their chopper came down during the flight from Kedarnath temple, in Uttarakhand state, disaster response official Nandan Singh Rajwar told AFP. The state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said rescue teams had been dispatched to the scene after the “very sad news”. The crash was likely caused by bad weather, according to district tourism official Rahul Chaubey. Pilgrims flock to Kedarnath temple during the summer when it is possible to access the site, which stands at an altitude of 3,584 metres. A cottage industry of helicopter charter firms has developed to serve wealthy pilgrims who want to visit ...

Shehbaz Sharif speaks to Iran President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkiye President Erdogan Pakistan, Turkiye call for immediate end to Israel’s attacks against Iran.

• CM says plan to manage Sindh’s projects from Islamabad will not work • Inaugurates second phase of first segment of Shahrah-i-Bhutto KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has warned the PML-N government that the PPP will not support the passage of the federal budget in parliament if Islamabad continues to manage development schemes in Sindh instead of transferring them to the provincial government. Although the PPP is not part of the federal cabinet, it is a major coalition partner of the PML-N government and without its support the passage of the federal budget in the National Assembly is not possible. Speaking at a programme held to inaugurate the second phase of the first complete segment of the Malir Expressway, renamed as Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Expressway / Shahrah-i-Bhutto, on Saturday, the CM strongly criticised the federal government, accusing it of discriminating against Sindh and treating the province like a colony. “The federal government has wronged us. They have dissolved the P...

PTI, MQM can’t blackmail PPP govt: Sindh CM.

KARACHI: The Pak­istan Business Council (PBC) has expressed concern about the excessive powers granted to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), stating that this anti-business decision will further harm the already poor investment climate. PBC Chief Executive Officer Ehsan Malik, in a letter to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, said the powers do not differentiate between major taxpayers and the informal sector. “We are alarmed at the draconian powers proposed to be granted to the FBR. If past practice is anything to go by, these will most likely be misused to harass the formal taxpaying sector,” he feared. “We are disappointed that the powers proposed for the FBR will do the exact opposite of encouraging investment,” Ehsan informed the finance minister. Pointing out excessive powers to FBR, he said Section 11E enables tax assessment and recovery based on suspicion without proper investigation, while Section 14AE allows arbitrary seizure of business premises and property without adequate safeguards. Section ...

• Defence minister warns each Muslim country could become target if Ummah fails to act together • Asad Qaiser says it is Pakistan’s moral duty to support Iran ISLAMABAD: Minister for Defence Kha­waja Asif on Saturday cal­le­­d on the Organisation of Islamic Coope­ra­tion (OIC) to hold an emergency meeting to map out a joint strategy in the wake of Israel’s ongoing aggression, warning that if the Muslim Ummah does not unite, every Muslim country’s turn will come. “The way Israel has targeted Yemen, Iran, and Palestine shows a larger game plan,” he said while speaking in the National Assembly. The remarks came as another war in Middle East has sparked a global turmoil. The defence minister pointed out that most of the Muslim nations were already facing security risks. “Strong leadership is needed now,” he remarked and described Israel’s brutal actions, particularly its military aggression against Iran as a serious threat to regional and global peace. Regretting the apathy of the Muslim world over the aggression...

• For third year, no new mega project announced for the country’s economic hub • Meagre allocations for Sukkur motorway and K-IV projects deplored KARACHI: Trade and industry leaders on Saturday strongly criticised the federal and Sindh budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, calling them deeply disappointing and discriminatory towards Karachi, the country’s economic nerve centre. Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Zubair Motiwala and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Jawed Bilwani expressed serious concerns over the sheer neglect and denial of essential development funds to Karachi and the province of Sindh as a whole. In a joint statement, they also demanded that before the approval of budgets, necessary amendments be made by significantly enhancing allocations for Karachi-centric development projects. Highlighting the gross underfunding of the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, a strategic infrastructure project vital for the economic connectivity of Sindh and Karachi, they said despite the pro...

• Lawmakers warn misuse to hurt businesses, turn country into police state • FBR chief says tampered vehicles to be seized and destroyed • IMF to review tax authority’s performance every week • Average annual income of top 1pc households is Rs10m ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Saturday pressed senior tax officials to drop proposed provisions in the Finance Bill 2025 granting arrest and money laundering notice powers to tax commissioners, warning the move would create unnecessary obstacles for businesses. The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandvi­walla, convened for a second consecutive day to examine the Finance Bill 2025. Lawmakers debated the implications of enhanced powers for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and discussed measures to curb tampered vehicles. Senator Mandviwalla warned that there is a grave risk of misuse of the power to arrest or issue a notice. Even a junior FBR officer sending a notice could create chaos, he warned. He also emphasised t...

WASHINGTON: Two important visits from Pakistan to the United States — one by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the other by a trade delegation — have been postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, official sources told Dawn. Mr Dar was scheduled to travel to New York next week to attend a United Nations conference on Palestinian statehood. But on Friday, France and Saudi Arabia — co-sponsors of the event — requested the UN to postpone the gathering. The request followed Israeli air strikes on Iran. Speaking in Paris, French President Emmanuel Mac­ron said the conference, which aimed to advance a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, had been delayed but would still take place. “While we have to postpone this conference for logistical and security reasons, it will take place as soon as possible,” Presi­dent Macron said. The changing situation in the Middle East has also delayed another planned visit — that of a trade delegation from Islamabad, which was to hold tal...

• Hamas accuses Tel Aviv of turning aid centres into traps of mass deaths • Egypt blocks activists’ bid to march to Gaza border CAIRO: Israeli firing and air strikes killed at least 45 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, many of them near an aid distribution site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Saturday, local health authorities said. Medics at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in central Gaza areas, where most of the casualties were moved to, said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near the Netzarim corridor. The Israeli army said in a statement that an aircraft had opened fire on a person “to neutralise the threat” after he advanced towards troops and ignored warning shots fired near a group. Last week, the army warned Palestinians not to approach routes leading to sites of the GHF between 6pm and 6am local time, describing these roads as closed military zones. The GHF said none of its distribution centres was opened on Saturday. The ...

GWADAR: In another significant development regarding regional trade and transit facilities, a second cargo ship under the Afghan Transit Trade successfully docked at Gwadar Port. The vessel, MV ASL ROSE arrived from Australia carrying 20,000 tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser destined for Afghanistan. Previously, the first ship under the Afghan Transit Trade, MV Beyond 2, berthed at Gwadar Port on Feb 4. The current consignment was imported by Agven Private Limited, further highlighting Gwadar Port’s growing role as an emerging transit hub for Afghanistan. This progress in Afghan transit trade became possible after the Economic Coordination Committee of Pakistan abolished the requirement for bank guarantees on Afghan trade — a policy aimed at facilitating smoother trade and strengthening economic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Gwadar Port Chairman Shah Irfan Ahmed remarked that the successful berthing and swift unloading of MV ASL ROSE demonstrate that Gwadar Port is now fully equipped fo...

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Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif spoke with President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed the current regional situation. In a post on X, PM Shehbaz said, “Spoke with my dear brother President Erdogan this evening on the grave regional situation following Israel’s unprovoked aggression against Iran.” “We agreed such actions are a blatant […]

Erin Moriarty, best known for her role as Annie January/Starlight in the hit Prime Video series The Boys, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Graves’ disease. The 30-year-old actress shared the news with her fans on Instagram, saying that she had been feeling unwell for some time but had blamed it on stress […]

KARACHI: Former federal minister Senator Faisal Vawda hosted JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence in Karachi as they discussed current political situation of the country, ARY News reported. During the meeting, Faisal Vawda admired Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and mentioned that Pakistan needs his leadership and guidance. Faisal Vawda accepted Fazlur Rehman as his […]

Iran has partially suspended gas production at the world’s biggest gas field after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, in what would be the first Israeli strike on Iran’s oil and gas sector. Iran shares the South Pars gas field with Qatar. Striking it would mark […]