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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PM Sharif presses for de-escalation in widening Middle East war during Eid calls with leaders from Azerbaijan to Lebanon
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a series of telephone conversations with leaders across the Muslim world, using the occasion of Eid al-Fitr to exchange greetings while pressing for an immediate de-escalation of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Sindh arrests 5 members of banned Baloch group, foils plot to bomb Karachi railway tracks
KARACHI: Counterterrorism authorities in the southern Sindh province arrested five members of a banned Baloch separatist outfit on Friday, disrupting what officials described as an imminent attack on railway infrastructure in this major port city.
Pakistan accuses India of illegal suspension of Indus Waters Treaty, says millions of farmers at risk
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan accused India on Thursday of violating a decades-old water-sharing agreement by unilaterally putting the Indus Waters Treaty on hold, warning that the decision endangers the livelihoods of millions who depend on the rivers for their crops and could further inflame tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban claims of Eid ceasefire violation, warns of swift resumption of strikes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday dismissed as “frivolous” and “absolutely false” Afghan Taliban accusations that it had violated a temporary pause in cross-border hostilities during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, while issuing a blunt warning that any act of terrorism, cross-border attack or drone strike would immediately end the truce and trigger a resumption of military operations with “renewed intensity.”
Pakistan extends export scheme input window to 18 months to aid SMEs
ISLAMABA: The government on Thursday extended the utilization period under the Export Facilitation Scheme to 18 months from nine, a change officials say will lower costs for shippers and give particular relief to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Opposition leaders again turned away from Imran Khan jail visit
ISLAMABAD: The opposition figures were once again barred from meeting imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday, an episode that deepened anxieties over his health and prompted sharp accusations that the government is deliberately obscuring details about the longtime political leader’s condition.
Hormuz chokepoint risks hit Gulf LNG-dependent Pakistan hardest in South Asia, CFR warns
KARACHI: Pakistan is among the Asian economies most at risk of rapid energy shortages if disruptions to Gulf shipping continue, according to analysis from energy data provider Kpler, the Council on Foreign Relations and reporting by the Financial Times.
Imran Khan’s ex-wife accuses authorities of pushing sons to travel on NICOP without British consular protection
ISLAMABAD: Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, accused the Pakistani government on Thursday of deliberately refusing to issue visas to her two sons so that any visit would leave them without British consular protection.
PM Sharif appeals for fuel savings to head Off supply risks from Middle East turmoil
ISLAMABAD: The government called on the public on Thursday to step up fuel-conservation efforts, warning that supplies of petroleum products could come under pressure in the coming days as instability in the Middle East intensifies.