ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Thursday that neither he nor his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, had received any approach from the federal government regarding a prospective 28th Constitutional Amendment, even as media reports swirled about the ruling coalition’s interest in pushing such a measure through parliament.
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Pakistan orders cybercrime investigation into leaks of Cambridge math exam papers
ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry on Thursday directed the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency to launch a full inquiry into the premature circulation of Cambridge International Education exam papers, escalating a controversy that has unsettled thousands of students and their families across the country.
Pakistan raises $250 million in debut Panda bond, drawing demand more than five times oversubscribed
KARACHI: Pakistan sold its first yuan-denominated Panda bond in China’s onshore capital market on Thursday, raising the equivalent of $250 million at a coupon of 2.5 percent in a sale that drew orders exceeding five times the amount offered.
Pakistan reaffirms strong ties with UAE, welcomes Indian overtures for dialogue amid lingering tensions
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday sought to project steadiness across multiple diplomatic fronts, firmly denying any erosion in its longstanding relationship with the United Arab Emirates despite recent media reports of large-scale expulsions of Pakistani workers and expressing cautious optimism about nascent calls for dialogue from across the border in India.
Pakistan Army conducts successful training launch of indigenous Fatah-IV cruise missile
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Thursday carried out a successful training launch of the indigenously developed Fatah-IV ground-launched cruise missile, the military’s media wing said, the latest in a string of tests intended to sharpen the force’s long-range precision strike capabilities.
Finance ministry rejects claims deputy PM Dar was handed budget duties
ISLAMABAD: The finance ministry on Thursday dismissed as “misleading” and “factually incorrect” a media report that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had transferred responsibility for preparing the federal budget to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Imran Khan remains barred from meetings with family and allies despite court order, as sister challenges solitary confinement
ISLAMABAD: Meetings between former prime minister Imran Khan and a small group of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders were again blocked in Thursday at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, even though the Islamabad High Court had directed prison authorities to allow the imprisoned politician twice-weekly visits with family members, lawyers and associates.
Finance minister Aurangzeb pitches structural overhaul to IMF ahead of budget talks
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met a visiting International Monetary Fund mission in Islamabad on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming federal budget and outline the government’s structural reform priorities, the finance ministry said.
Pakistan economy reaches $452.1 billion in FY2026; per-capita income rises to $1,901
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy expanded at a slower pace than forecast in fiscal 2026, with gross domestic product growing a provisional 3.7 percent for the year through June, the government said on Wednesday, trimming its earlier projection of 4 percent.
Defence minister Asif warns of ‘open war’ with Afghanistan unless Taliban halts cross-border militant attacks
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif delivered one of Islamabad’s most pointed public rebukes to Afghanistan in recent weeks, warning on Wednesday that the Taliban government’s refusal to stop militants from using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan could leave “only one alternative” — open war.