Pakistan

The budget for the new fiscal year sailed through the National Assembly (NA) on Sunday, a day after the government made several changes, including fiscal tightening measures, dictated by the Internat­ional Monetary Fund (IMF) in a last-ditch effort to secure critical funding. The revised budget aims for an additional Rs215 billion in tax revenue alongside a cutback of Rs85 billion …

The Federal Investigation Agency arrested on Sunday eight suspects from across the country allegedly involved in smuggling the victims of the Greece boat tragedy. Last week, an Italy-bound fishing trawler reportedly carrying at least 800 people — including approximately 300 Pakistanis — capsized off Greece. Only 104 people are known to have survived and the chance of finding more survivors was seen …

The National Assembly on Sunday passed a bill seeking an amendment to the Elections Act 2017, aimed at limiting the disqualification of lawmakers to five years with retrospective effect. The Act — titled Elections (Amendment) Bill 2023 — also aims to empower the ECP to announce election dates unilaterally without having to consult the president. When approved by the Senate on June …

ISLAMABAD: Malik Riaz, owner of Bahria Town, on Friday skipped a second call-up notice of the National Accou­ntability Bureau (NAB) that insiders said had been under immense pressure for summoning ex-premier Imran Khan but not calling the real estate tycoon in Al Qadir Trust case. According to NAB rules, the anti-graft watchdog could arrest any suspect who ignores three call-up …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the world should “course correct” by rethinking the global financial architecture, urging everyone to rise to face the challenge hand in hand in a spirit of solidarity and compassion. “The world should use [the] present economic and climate turbulence as an opportunity for course correction,” PM Shehbaz said on Twitter. He was in …

LAHORE: Former president Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistani businessmen along with their capital are moving out of the country only because of ‘insecurity’ despite the fact that they could get a ‘lucrative’ return on investment in Pakistan. Even Dubai doesn’t offer such a lucrative return, as Pakistani businessmen could get “1000 per cent return” on investment in their own …

Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Friday barred entry of non-residents inside the Nisar Shaheed Park located in the locality’s Phase IV. In a tweet from its official Twitter account, the DHA issued a number of procedures for entrance into the park, saying that they were aimed at ensuring a “smooth and enjoyable experience for all visitors”.     The …

Lahore’s Special Court (Central) on Saturday granted PTI President Parvez Elahi post-arrest bail in a money laundering case, days after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him and he was sent to jail. On June 21, Elahi was taken into custody from the district jail in the said case. The FIA had requested physical custody, but a district court denied it and …

ISLAMABAD: After days of speculation over the total number of Pakistanis on the boat that capsized off southern Greece, the interior minister on Friday confirmed at least 350 passengers were from Pakistan. Speaking in the National Assembly, Rana Sanaullah said as per the information received so far, over 300 citizens lost their lives, more than the number of deaths caused …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice-desig­nate Qazi Faez Isa believes that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has put other judges of the Supreme Court into “unnecessary dilemma”, though being the head of the top court he should have desisted from doing so. In a 30-page statement issued in Urdu, Justice Isa regretted he had no choice but to emphasise that …