RAWALPINDI: Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s most senior military officer, formally took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces on Monday, a move that consolidates command over the army, navy and air force under a single leader for the first time and signals a major restructuring of the nation’s defence apparatus.
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ADB says over 80pc of Pakistanis lack safe drinking water; per capita supply falls to two-thirds
ISLAMABAD: More than 80% of Pakistan’s population lacks access to safe drinking water, exacerbating waterborne diseases and straining resources amid rapid population growth, climate change and poor management, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released on Monday.
As political tensions mount, ministers raise threat of treason charges against Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: In a sharp escalation of political tensions, the military and government officials have accused Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, of posing a national security threat through his anti-army rhetoric, prompting warnings of possible treason charges and drawing defiant responses from his supporters.
PTI lawmakers rally behind Imran Khan, warning his exclusion threatens democracy
ISLAMABAD: As political tensions in the country reached a boiling point following a scathing military press conference aimed at former Prime Minister Imran Khan, lawmakers from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party gathered on Monday to declare that sidelining their imprisoned leader would only erode the nation’s fragile political framework.
IMF board unlocks $1.2 billion for Pakistan to back fiscal discipline, climate agenda
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund approved a $1.2 billion disbursement to Pakistan under its bailout program, providing a financial boost as the South Asian nation grapples with the aftermath of devastating floods and pushes ahead with economic reforms.
Bureaucratic spending up nearly 80 percent since 2022 despite austerity push
ISLAMABAD: Despite a stringent austerity drive and aggressive efforts to downsize the federal bureaucracy, the government spending on civil administration and pensions has continued to surge, with double-digit increases in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, according to fiscal data released by the Ministry of Finance.
Sharif family weighs response to PTI after military rebuke of Imran Khan, report
LAHORE: The powerful Sharif family convened a private meeting on Sunday to strategise over the escalating political tensions with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party and potential shifts in the Punjab government, as leaders across the political spectrum rallied to support the armed forces against what they described as a concerted effort to undermine state institutions.
Imran Khan’s supporters rally in Peshawar, reject military accusations of threat to national security
PESHAWAR: Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan rallied on Sunday to defend him against accusations from the military that his criticism of the armed forces posed a threat to national security, vowing that efforts to discredit him would only bolster his standing among the public.
ECP says it cannot recognise Gohar Khan as PTI chairman as intra-party polls remain under court stay
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has refused to recognise Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the chairman of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, citing a pending legal dispute over the group’s internal elections that has left its leadership in limbo.
Security forces kill 12 ‘Indian-backed’ militants in Balochistan: ISPR
ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed 12 militants in an intelligence-led operation in the restive southern district of Kalat, Balochistan, on Saturday, according to a statement from the military’s public relations arm, amid a surge in terrorist attacks that has plagued the region.