ISLAMABAD: Five bidders, including prominent business groups and a military-backed firm, have emerged as contenders to buy ailing Pakistan International Airlines, the Privatization Ministry said on Thursday, signaling momentum in Pakistan’s latest push to offload the loss-making state-owned enterprises and comply with the terms of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.
Independent Pakistan – I know what I believe I know
Latest News
Army chief Munir meets Trump amid India tensions, Iran-Israel conflict
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump welcomed Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, to the White House on Wednesday for a landmark meeting focused on joint counterterrorism efforts and expanding bilateral trade, a high-level engagement that stretched beyond its scheduled hour to over two.
SCP upholds transfer of judges to Islamabad High Court
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Pakistan (SCP) on Thursday upheld the transfer of three judges to the Islamabad High Court, dismissing challenges to the moves in a 3-2 ruling that affirmed their constitutionality.
Solar GST slashed to 10pc, provinces keep digital tax in budget shift
ISLAMABAD: The government has revised its budget proposals following concerns from coalition partners and stakeholders, retaining the digital sales tax under provincial jurisdiction and lowering the proposed general sales tax (GST) on solar panels from 18% to 10%.
Careem retreats from Pakistan ride-hailing after near-decade, joins Uber exit
KARACHI: Careem, the Dubai-based ride-hailing company, will suspend its operations in Pakistan starting July 18, ending nearly a decade of service in the country, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
Pakistan seals $1bn ADB-backed loan with Gulf banks in market return
By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistan on Wednesday signed a $1 billion financing deal with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), marking a pivotal step in its fiscal overhaul and heralding its return to international commercial markets after a nearly two-and-a-half-year absence.
May trade deficit narrows m/m but widens y/y
ISLAMABAD: The trade deficit shrank in May from the previous month as exports surged, though it widened compared to the same month a year earlier, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.
Trump hosts Field Marshal Munir at White House, hails role in averting war with India
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump welcomed Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the chief of Pakistan’s army, to the White House on Wednesday, a historic encounter that made Munir the first serving Pakistani military leader to meet a sitting US president without holding political office.
Manufacturing growth masks broader decline in fiscal 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s large-scale manufacturing sector grew 2.29% in April from a year earlier, but the uptick couldn’t reverse a 1.52% contraction over the first 10 months of fiscal 2025, highlighting persistent economic strain.
After India’s Vance meet, Pakistan lands Trump lunch with top general
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump will host Pakistan’s top military official, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, for lunch at the White House on Wednesday, a meeting that underscores US engagement with a key ally amid rising tensions in South Asia.