Pakistan

Two days after the budget was formally presented in the National Assembly, the PML-N and the PTI continued to butt heads over each other’s economic performance and the state of Pakistan’s external debt on Sunday. Earlier today, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb took to Twitter to share a video clip of a news package featuring former finance minister Shaukat Tarin. The clip was …

ISLAMABAD: The provinces are set to receive 17 per cent more share from the federal divisible pool in the next financial year as the government has estimated to transfer Rs4.099 trillion to the four federating units as compared to Rs3.511tr last year. As usual, Punjab will get over 50pc of the share from the divisible pool, leaving behind the same …

PESHAWAR: An official bill landed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday seeking power for the chief minister to hire an aircraft or helicopter from the open market or requisition it from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) or federal government for official use bearing its charges. The government already owns two helicopters, including the Soviet-designed Mi-17, with the chief minister …

ISLAMABAD: Unlike most previous budget sessions, the coalition government on Friday announced its first federal budget for the year 2022-23 without facing any resistance and uproar from the opposition. What was also rare was Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, while announcing the budget, saying “the government will continue all the projects launched by the previous PTI regime”. The minister faced no …

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Q senior leader and Punjab Assembly speaker Parvez Elahi says former prime minister Imran Khan has postponed his plans to march on Islamabad till after July 20. “The former prime minister will not be marching on the federal capital to protest against the government anytime soon,” Elahi told BBC Urdu. A key ally of the PTI, Elahi said …

A special court in Lahore on Saturday confirmed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz’s pre-arrest bails in a Rs16 billion money laundering case registered against them by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). It directed them to submit bail bonds of Rs1 million each. The court also confirmed the pre-arrest bails of other suspects in the case …

KARACHI: With its 31 branches in all district headquarters, the Sindh government has established a foreign security cell here at the Central Police Office (CPO) to register data of foreigners, particularly the Chinese, and provide them security. This emerged on Friday at a meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at the CM House. The …

RAWALPINDI: Religious and political parties on Friday took out big rallies in protest along with members of civil society against defamatory comments about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by some members of the Indian ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Leaders, religious scholars, Ulema and members of civil society called on the government to send a strong condemnation message to …

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that early closure of markets was being discussed with stakeholders so that the decision to that effect could be implemented in the national interest. He said the prime minister had taken him into confidence on closing the markets by 7pm or 8pm. “I have directed the commissioners of Karachi, …

MOHMAND: Wildfires continued to rage in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, claiming the lives of a security official in Mohmand and a volunteer in Upper Kohistan and causing injuries to several others. The casualties took the death toll in forest blazes to nine in over a week. A security official engaged in firefighting operation in Baizai tehsil of …