QUETTA: Nine people were killed in a series of shootings and one tribal clash across Balochistan Province on Saturday, and two others were abducted, as a surge in violence underscored the region’s persistent security challenges, officials said.
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Coalition govt tables bill to set up constitutional court, reshape top military command
ISLAMABAD: The coalition government pressed forward Saturday with a controversial overhaul of the nation’s constitution, introducing legislation in the Senate to establish a specialised constitutional court, revamp judicial appointments and bolster military powers — moves that critics decried as an attempt to concentrate authority in the executive and armed forces while eroding provincial autonomy and judicial independence.
Cabinet clears 27th Constitutional Amendment, bill goes to Senate
ISLAMABAD: The government will present a bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment in the Senate on Saturday, proposing the establishment of a federal constitutional court, new rules for judicial transfers, adjustments to provincial cabinet sizes and changes to military command structures, amid fierce criticism from opposition parties and lawyers who see the measures as a rollback of provincial powers granted in 2010.
Pakistan approves inclusion of local investor in PIA bid, pushes airport privatisation
ISLAMABAD: The Board of the Privatisation Commission on Friday approved the inclusion of a local investment firm in a bidding consortium for Pakistan International Airlines and recommended placing the management of the country’s three main international airports under private control, moving ahead with a long-stalled effort to shrink the state’s role in the economy.
Pakistan posts rare fiscal surplus in first quarter, aided by SBP profits
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded a fiscal surplus of 1.6% of gross domestic product in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, supported by record profits at the State Bank of Pakistan, a 30% jump in petroleum levy collections and robust provincial cash balances, the Ministry of Finance said Friday.
ECC approves Rs 660 billion guarantees to back circular debt cleanup
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet on Friday approved a plan to settle inter-corporate circular debt, rationalise tariffs for six nuclear plants and wind down Power Holding Ltd., a shell entity set up to park legacy liabilities.
KP chief minister Afridi faces backlash after comments on counterterror ops
PESHAWAR: The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has come under intense criticism after questioning the conduct of security forces in counterterrorism operations, drawing swift rebukes from political and religious leaders who accused him of ingratitude, incitement and undermining national morale at a time when the military is bearing heavy losses in the fight against militant groups.
Pakistan reaffirms 1998 nuclear test moratorium, rebukes India
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan on Friday forcefully denied conducting any nuclear tests since May 1998, dismissing Indian allegations of clandestine nuclear activities as “baseless and malicious” and accusing New Delhi of distorting facts to divert attention from its own lapses in nuclear security.
Pakistan, Afghan Taliban talks collapse in Istanbul, though ceasefire still holds
ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at curbing cross-border terrorism have broken down without agreement, plunging the fragile dialogue into an indefinite hiatus, Pakistan’s defence minister said on Friday, even as a tenuous ceasefire along their shared border holds for now.
October remittances rise 12 percent year-on-year to $3.4 billion
KARACHI: Remittances from overseas workers into Pakistan rose to $3.4 billion in October, up nearly 12% from a year earlier, central bank data showed on Friday, as inflows from key markets including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates helped bolster the country’s external accounts.