HYDERABAD: Leaders of Pakistan’s fractured opposition alliance gathered on Saturday to demand fresh elections, constitutional reforms and an end to what they described as systemic injustices, warning that the nation’s stability hinges on restoring parliamentary supremacy and equal rights for all provinces and ethnic groups.
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Trump Hits India Where It Hurts
Donald Trump’s tariff barrage is hitting India where it hurts, and it might just jolt New Delhi into fixing its creaky economy—though don’t hold your breath for anything revolutionary. Since last August, a slew of Indian exports to the US have been hammered with 50% duties, some of the stiffest penalties slapped on any big trading partner. With America as India’s top market for goods and services, this spat has prodded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to roll out a fresh batch of economic tweaks. Sure, any effort to unclog India’s bloated, inefficient system deserves a nod. But let’s be clear: most of these so-called reforms are just patching up messes that Modi’s own policies created. If he wants credit as a real economic trailblazer after almost 12 years at the helm, Modi must push free markets with real guts and consistency, not this half-hearted nibbling.
A medical school shutdown in occupied Kashmir exposes the broken state of merit and secularism in Modi’s India
Saniya Jan had every reason to believe her hard work had paid off. The 18-year-old from Baramulla district in occupied Kashmir had aced one of India’s toughest exams, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), securing a spot in the inaugural class at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute. “It was a dream come true — to be a doctor,” she told Al Jazeera, remembering her excitement. Her father, Gazanfar Ahmad, drove her 196 miles through the rugged terrain to drop her off, beaming with pride over his “brightest” daughter, a lifelong topper who had earned this through sheer grit.
Industry sees sharp November rebound, led by cars and refining
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s large-scale manufacturing sector posted its strongest monthly growth in years during November, expanding 10.37% from a year earlier amid a rebound in automobiles, petroleum products and other key industries, even as exports continued to slide and some segments lagged.
Achakzai appointed opposition leader, ending five-month standoff in parliament
ISLAMABAD: After a protracted delay marked by legal wrangling and political maneuvering, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, a veteran politician and chief of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan alliance, was formally declared leader of the opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly on Friday, filling a vacancy that had lingered for nearly five months.
ECP suspends 159 lawmakers over missed asset disclosure deadline
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election commission on Friday suspended the memberships of 159 lawmakers across the national and provincial legislatures for failing to disclose their assets and liabilities by a mid-January deadline, a move that shows persistent challenges in enforcing financial transparency among the country’s political class.
Security forces thwart hostage bid, kill 12 militants in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: The security forces have killed 12 militants in a series of clashes in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan after the attackers targeted a police station and two banks in an attempt to seize hostages and loot cash, the military said on Friday.
Jailed PTI leader seeks dialogue with government but draws line against ex-ally plan
LAHORE: An incarcerated leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the opposition party founded by the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, called on Friday for renewed talks with the government to ease the country’s deepening political and economic woes, even as he distanced himself from an ex-fellow party member’s push for a national dialogue committee.
Kandahar vs Kabul: Leaked recordings reveal Taliban’s hidden divide
A rare, leaked recording of the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader has exposed what he fears most: not foreign enemies, but fractures within his own ranks that could unravel the Islamic Emirate he commands.