Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Thursday denied any knowledge of any potential change in the team’s leadership amid rumours that new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board — Ramiz Raja — was monitoring the situation and could wield his proverbial axe if his expectations were not met. Raja, in his first press conference after taking over the board, had shied …

LAHORE: Newly-elected chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja is most likely to create a post of director cricket to implement his cricketing plans, instead of relying on the officials appointed by previous chairman Ehsan Mani. It is learnt that the director cricket will have the powers to deal with all domestic and international cricket affairs. Though director …

ISLAMABAD: Ignoring the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority’s (Ogra) workings, the government on Wednesday increased the prices of all the petroleum products by Rs5 to Rs6 per litre with immediate effect for next 15 days to pass on impact of higher international market and currency depreciation. According to a notification issued by Ministry of Finance, the prices of petrol and …

KARACHI: Growing pressure in the external sector is likely to result in a current account deficit of $12 billion to $17bn for 2021-22, veteran bureaucrat and former aide to the premier Dr Waqar Masood Khan said on Wednesday. Addressing a book launch ceremony at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Dr Khan said the country should expect major changes in …

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said that Pakistanis are no longer required to visit a branch for opening an account and instead can use the digital framework designed by the central bank for the purpose. “Based on the success of the Roshan Digital Account framework, the SBP has now devised a comprehensive ‘Customers’ Digital Onboarding Framework’, which …

ISLAMABAD: Within first quarter of the new fiscal year, the Economic Coordination Committee (CCI) of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved Rs28 billion supplementary grants to Ministry of Defence and about Rs44bn to Pakistan International Airlines. Presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, the ECC also allowed 70 million cubic feet of imported gas to two Punjab-based fertiliser plants for the …

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday reached Tajikistan on a two-day visit, during which he will attend the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO’s) Heads of State Summit in Dushanbe, according to a tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). “The prime minister was received by Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda and was accorded a red carpet welcome at Dushanbe International …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking referendum on the introduction of electronic voting machines in the next general elections. The court, however, said it expected that parliament in the light of objections raised by the Election Commission of Pakistan would legislate in this matter. Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed that parliament and the ECP …

ISLAMABAD: With the government continuing to fire salvos against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the opposition on Wednesday announced it would defend the ECP and the Chief Election Commissioner in and outside the parliament. A delegation of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) called on Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja to share their concerns over …

ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee on Wednesday decided to debate at length resistance from public sector entities and ministries to the constitutionally mandated scrutiny of their accounts after the Auditor General of Pakistan’s (AGP) office complained that over two dozen entities were refusing audit. The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, led by Senator Talha Mahmood, on Wednesday unanimously approved …