ISLAMABAD: Escalating conflict in the Middle East has forced the postponement of two significant Pakistani visits to the United States, disrupting diplomatic and economic plans, Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.
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Lawmakers push back on tax powers in Finance Bill 2025
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Saturday pressed the government to abandon proposed provisions in the Finance Bill 2025 that would empower tax officials to arrest individuals and issue money laundering notices, cautioning that such authority risks misuse and could stifle businesses.
Pakistan targets housing finance boost with foreclosure laws
ISLAMABAD: The government will roll out foreclosure laws to spur bank lending in the housing sector and clamp down on tax evasion to formalise its cash-reliant economy, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said Friday.
Trump renews call for US mediation in India-Pakistan Kashmir dispute
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump has reiterated his offer to mediate the longstanding Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, following a recent escalation of tensions that saw both nuclear-armed neighbors engage in military actions before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire.
IFC boosts Reko Diq mine with $400 million loan, total financing hits $700 million
ISLAMABAD: The International Finance Corporation will provide a $400 million subordinated loan for Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper-gold mine, according to an IFC disclosure on Friday, boosting its total financing for the project to $700 million and signaling strong support for the country’s natural resources sector.
SBP seen holding policy rate as Israel-Iran tensions fuel inflation risks
KARACHI: The central bank is expected to keep its policy rate unchanged on Monday as escalating tensions between Israel and Iran stoke fears of rising commodity prices, threatening a resurgence of inflation in the financially strained country
Flags of Israel and Iran, as conflict between countries.
Pakistan condemns Israeli strikes on Iran, issues travel advisory
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday issued a sharp rebuke of Israel’s military strikes on Iran, labeling them “unjustified and illegitimate” and a breach of international law and a peril to regional stability, as the Middle East braced for further escalation following Israel’s assault on Iranian nuclear and military targets.
Enforcement or heavier taxes
The latest budget is a reckless bet that the government can muscle through enforcement measures no one believes are feasible. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has staked the country’s fiscal future on a Rs14.1 trillion revenue target, a 19% jump from Rs11.9 trillion, underpinned by a crackdown on tax dodgers and IMF-mandated austerity. The problem? This plan assumes a level of political backbone and economic resilience that Islamabad has rarely shown. It’s less a strategy than a prayer, and the odds are stacked against it.
US Centcom chief praises Pakistan as ‘phenomenal partner’ in counter-terrorism efforts
ISLAMABAD: Army General Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (Centcom), called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism efforts, citing the country’s role in combating groups like the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) amid persistent violence in Balochistan province.
US State Department hopeful on Trump’s Kashmir role
ISLAMABAD: The US State Department signaled optimism on Tuesday that President Donald Trump could help resolve the decades-old Kashmir dispute, a proposal Pakistan embraced but India swiftly rejected.