ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has become the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency market, with roughly 40 million residents now holding accounts linked to digital assets, according to the head of the country’s newly formed virtual-asset regulator.
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FBR beats two-month revenue target despite August shortfall
ISLAMABAD: The tax authority collected 901 billion rupees in August, missing its target by 29 billion rupees and leaving the pace of revenue growth well short of the roughly 17% annual increase required to meet a target tied to the country’s International Monetary Fund loan program.
Inflation seen near 11 percent in August as floods, credit slump threaten growth
ISLAMABAD: Inflation is projected to hold in a range of 10% to 11% in August, as global commodity and energy costs continue to pressure consumer prices even as the country contends with a slump in foreign investment and a deepening contraction in private-sector lending, the Finance Division said.
Petrol up, diesel down as Mideast war keeps pump prices on knife edge
ISLAMABAD: The government raised the retail price of petrol by 77 paisa a litre while cutting high-speed diesel by Rs1.03, the Petroleum Division said on Monday, the latest in a run of daily adjustments that have become the norm since the outbreak of the Iran war roiled global crude markets in late February.
Lawmakers challenge Pims fire probe over missing footage, disputed infant count
ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers in both houses of the parliament pressed officials on Monday over gaps in the investigation into a nursery fire that killed 14 infants at a major Islamabad hospital, with committee members in the National Assembly and Senate raising pointed questions about incomplete surveillance footage, uncertain casualty figures, and the qualifications of hospital leadership.
IHC seeks govt response on social media age limits for children
ISLAMABAD: A senior judge on Monday ordered five government ministries and two regulatory bodies to explain, within two weeks, what they intend to do about children’s access to social media — the latest sign that Pakistan’s courts, not its parliament, have become the venue of choice for those pushing to rein in how minors use the internet.
Pakistan axes seven seniors in mass Test overhaul after England humiliation
LAHORE: Pakistan cricket has undergone a dramatic shake-up after the Pakistan Cricket Board released seven Test squad members, including senior figures Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, following a chastening series defeat to England.
Volunteer climbers recover mountaineer Asma Mushtaq’s body 10 days after fatal descent from Spantik Peak
GILGIT: A team of volunteer climbers recovered the body of Pakistani mountaineer Asma Mushtaq on Monday, nearly 10 days after she died descending Spantik Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
PPP leaders draw a line against calls to divide Sindh province
KARACHI: Sindh’s chief minister told the provincial assembly Monday that his province would never be split apart, dismissing calls for new administrative units as the work of outsiders rather than the people who would actually be affected.
Supreme Court won’t fast-track Imran Khan contempt petition; Islamabad court says private care isn’t a prisoner’s right
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday rebuffed a second attempt by the sister of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan to accelerate contempt proceedings against government officials accused of defying a court order to move him to a private hospital, even as a separate court in the capital rejected pleas from three other inmates seeking the same treatment.