Pakistan, IMF open talks on $7 bln bailout review amid revenue shortfalls, flood impact

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund began talks on Monday for the second review of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility programme and the first review of a $1.1 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility, with discussions focusing on mixed fiscal performance, revenue shortfalls and the impact of recent floods.

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Punjab CM revives row with PPP over shelved Cholistan canals project

FAISALABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday revived a simmering dispute over a halted irrigation project in the Cholistan desert, accusing her party’s coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party, of meddling in provincial affairs while insisting that the water in question rightfully belongs to Punjab.

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Supreme Court restores sidelined Islamabad judge in law degree row

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday suspended an order from the Islamabad High Court that had barred one of its judges from performing judicial duties, a decision that swiftly restored the jurist to the bench and laid bare deepening tensions within the country’s judiciary over administrative authority and allegations of political interference.

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PM Sharif backs Trump’s Gaza peace blueprint

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif threw his support behind President Donald Trump’s ambitious 20-point blueprint to halt Israel’s war in Gaza on Monday, hailing the American leader’s role in rallying Muslim nations toward a potential ceasefire amid a mounting death toll that has surpassed 65,000 since October 2023.

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Clashes erupt in Azad Kashmir as protesters demand end to elite perks

MUZAFFARABAD: A man was killed, and more than a dozen people were wounded, including a police officer, on Monday as rival groups clashed during a regionwide strike in this divided Himalayan territory, where protesters demanded the abolition of elite privileges and an end to reserved legislative seats for refugees from occupied Kashmir.

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