ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party is poised to seize control of the government in Azad Kashmir on Monday, when the regional Legislative Assembly is expected to vote out Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and install the party’s regional secretary general, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, in his place.
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Afghanistan turns north in search of trade partners as Pakistan ties fray
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban government is urgently pushing Afghan merchants to redirect trade toward Central Asia’s oil-rich republics, seeking to break decades of reliance on Pakistan after the most serious armed clashes in years and a month-long border shutdown that cost traders hundreds of millions of dollars.
Pakistan delays NFC meeting again as growth forecast cut
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has again postponed the inaugural meeting of the newly constituted National Finance Commission (NFC), with a session previously planned for Nov. 18 now delayed indefinitely, as the government downgraded its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year by up to 0.7 percentage points to 3.5%, Dawn newspaper reported on Monday.
Seven TTP militants killed in northwestern Pakistan after hours-long battle
ISLAMABAD: Seven militants from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed Saturday in a hours-long gun battle with police and counterterrorism forces who received critical support from local residents in a remote corner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, officials said.
Diesel rises to Rs284.44/liter, petrol left unchanged
ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday left the retail price of gasoline unchanged but increased high-speed diesel by Rs6 per litre to Rs284.44 for the November 16-30 fortnight, a significantly milder adjustment than the jump of up to Rs9.60 projected earlier in the week.
Lahore High Court judge resigns over 27th Constitutional Amendment
LAHORE: A judge of the Lahore High Court resigned on Saturday, saying he could no longer serve “in good conscience” after the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, in the first departure from a provincial high court since the sweeping changes to the judicial system took effect a day earlier.
Pakistan’s dollar bonds seen extending rally on IMF discipline and market return hopes
KARACHI: Pakistan’s US dollar-denominated sovereign bonds, already the standout performers among high-yield emerging-market credits this year, are expected to push higher as investors bet on credit-rating upgrades and a successful return to international capital markets in 2026, fund managers said.
Federal Constitutional Court inaugurated amid resignations, boycott and debate over opaque appointments
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s newly created Federal Constitutional Court formally began operations on Friday with the swearing-in of its chief justice and four judges, but the ceremony was marred by a conspicuous boycott by five senior judges of the Islamabad High Court and widespread criticism that the appointments lacked transparency and violated established judicial norms, Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.
Pakistan debt surges to Rs80.5 trillion in FY25 as daily burden hits Rs25 billion
KARACHI: Pakistan’s total public debt swelled by a staggering Rs9.3 trillion in fiscal 2024-25, pushing the stock to Rs80.5 trillion by the end of June 2025 and adding Rs25.4 billion to the burden every single day of the year, according to official figures tabled in the National Assembly on Friday.
Pakistan slips to ‘not free’ status on internet as govt expands platform blocks, curbs on speech
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s internet environment is among the world’s most restricted, according to a major annual assessment released this week by Freedom House, the Washington-based democracy advocacy group.