Independent Pakistan – I know what I believe I know

PM Sharif urges Iran and Gulf neighbours to return to dialogue as US postpones strikes on Iranian power plants

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday pressed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for an immediate collective effort to de-escalate the widening Middle East conflict, warning that the fourth week of war had created a “grave situation” requiring urgent dialogue among neighbours and renewed unity across the Muslim world.

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A Pakistani farm hand is seen fertilising a wheat field by hand in this photo by Qasim Ghauri dated February 11, 2021. Image courtesy of APP.

Pakistan fertiliser buffers shield Rabi, Kharif crops from Iran conflict fallout

ISLAMABAD: The government has ruled out any risk of fertiliser shortages for the ongoing Rabi 2025-26 season and the upcoming Kharif 2026 planting, even as the escalation of conflict in Iran and the broader Middle East sharply raises threats to global energy and agrifood supply chains.

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Pakistan hikes premium gasoline levy by Rs200 a liter to raise Rs9 billion monthly for public relief

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved an immediate increase of Rs200 a litre in the levy on high-octane blending component, or HOBC, the premium gasoline used in luxury and high-performance vehicles, shifting more of the fiscal burden from the national budget to higher-income consumers as global oil prices surge.

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PM Sharif rejects fresh fuel-price increase on Eid eve, govt to absorb Rs69 billion burden amid Gulf oil shock

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government will shoulder the full cost of a fresh surge in international oil prices rather than pass it on to consumers, absorbing an additional Rs69 billion in subsidies to prevent petrol and high-speed diesel from rising as much as Rs127 and Rs252 a liter respectively.

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