ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is shifting the outsourcing of its three biggest airports to an open bidding process after drawing strong interest from investors, a move that scraps earlier plans for government-to-government deals and aims to spur competition.
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PM Sharif says cabinet clears Pakistan to join Trump-led Board of Peace for Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday the cabinet had cleared the way for the country to join the Board of Peace, an international group for Gaza, headed by US President Donald Trump.
Karachi shivers as rare cold snap brings single-digit temperatures
KARACHI: As a biting cold wave tightened its hold on this sprawling port city, residents bundled up against plummeting temperatures that forecasters warned could dip into the single digits over the weekend, marking one of the chilliest spells in recent memory for Karachi’s typically mild winters.
Bangladesh barred from T20 World Cup after India travel refusal; Scotland drafted in
LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in next month’s T20 World Cup in India, after Dhaka refused to travel amid escalating tensions between the two nations.
Pakistan, US to launch joint operations targeting visa fraud rings
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States have agreed to mount joint operations against networks peddling fraudulent visas, aiming to curb illegal immigration through a set of coordinated protocols, officials said on Saturday.
National Savings cuts most profit rates after treasury yields slide
KARACHI: The Central Directorate of National Savings slashed profit rates on most of its savings schemes, aligning with bets on further monetary easing as inflation cools and the economy stabilises.
Police open criminal case into deadly Gul Plaza fire that killed at least 71
KARACHI: A deadly fire that tore through a bustling shopping plaza in Karachi last week, killing at least 71 people and reducing much of the building to rubble, has prompted a police investigation into negligence and ignited a bitter political feud over accountability and relief for the victims’ shattered families.
District court sentences prominent rights lawyer and husband to 17 years for social media posts
ISLAMABAD: A court on Saturday sentenced a prominent human rights lawyer and her husband to a combined 17 years in prison for social media posts that authorities said glorified terrorism, spread false information and amounted to cyberterrorism, a verdict that drew swift condemnation from rights advocates and opposition figures who called it a blatant effort to stifle dissent.
SBP rate decision next week to test inflation, growth balance
KARACHI: The central bank is poised to ease monetary policy further at its meeting next week, with most economists expecting a half-percentage-point cut that would push the benchmark interest rate deeper into easing territory amid cooling inflation and strengthening external buffers.
Avalanche kills nine in northern Pakistan as snowstorm strands thousands
PESHAWAR: At least nine people from the same family were killed and a child was rescued alive after an avalanche buried their house in a remote mountainous area of northwestern Pakistan, officials said Friday, as heavy snowfall and rains continued to lash the region, stranding travelers, blocking roads and prompting urgent rescue operations across multiple provinces.