ISLAMABAD: Iran delivered a new proposal late on Thursday for a second round of negotiations with the United States aimed at ending the nearly nine-week war, Iranian state media and Pakistani officials involved in the mediation said on Friday, offering a potential opening in a diplomatic impasse that has kept global oil prices elevated and the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to commercial traffic.
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Pakistan’s foreign reserves rise above $21 billion on Eurobond proceeds
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s total liquid foreign-exchange reserves climbed above $21 billion at the end of last week, lifted by fresh inflows from the country’s first return to international capital markets in four years.
FBR misses 10-month tax goal by Rs684 billion as Middle East conflict clamps down on imports
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue missed its collection target by Rs684 billion during the first 10 months of fiscal 2026, tax officials said, with much of the gap traced to trade disruptions caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Security forces kill 13 militants in foiled Afghan border infiltrations; cross-border shelling kills 9 Pakistani civilians
ISLAMABAD: The security forces have killed at least 13 militants in two separate attempts to cross the Afghan border this week, the military said, in operations that underscored Islamabad’s deepening frustration with what it described as the Afghan Taliban government’s failure to control its side of the frontier.
Lahore Bar Association asks Supreme Court to strike down constitutional amendment over judge transfers
ISLAMABAD: The Lahore Bar Association on Thursday petitioned Pakistan’s Supreme Court to declare the 27th Constitutional Amendment unconstitutional, arguing that the measure — which enabled the abrupt transfer of three Islamabad High Court judges and stripped the Supreme Court of key powers — violates the nation’s basic constitutional framework and undermines judicial independence.
Imran Khan’s lawyers urge Islamabad court to grant release on humanitarian grounds, citing solitary confinement and eye ailment
ISLAMABAD: Lawyers for former prime minister Imran Khan told the Islamabad High Court on Thursday that their client should be freed on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, pointing to more than a year of solitary confinement and an untreated eye infection that have worsened his condition in prison.
IMF-pushed fuel hike tests Pakistan’s balancing act between fiscal targets and cost-of-living pain
ISLAMABAD: The government raised petrol and diesel prices on Thursday while simultaneously extending fuel subsidies for motorcyclists and the transport sector, aiming to shield vulnerable consumers from the surge in global oil costs triggered by the Middle East crisis.
Trump receives briefing on Iran options as new supreme leader wows to safeguard nuclear program amid surging oil prices and Hormuz standoff
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump will receive a classified briefing on Thursday on US military options for the Strait of Hormuz and potential actions inside Iran, as the administration grapples with a punishing naval blockade that has driven energy prices to their highest levels in years and shown no sign of breaking an impasse with Tehran.
Islamabad keeps lines open to Washington and Tehran, urges immediate reopening of vital oil chokepoint
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said Thursday that Islamabad remains deeply engaged with both Washington and Tehran in an effort to broker a resolution to their conflict, even as a second round of direct negotiations failed to materialize and the strategic Strait of Hormuz stayed closed for a second month.
Pakistan unveils Rs3.2 trillion housing program to build 500,000 homes and revive construction-led growth
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally launched a five-year, Rs3.2 trillion housing initiative on Thursday, committing the government to finance the construction of 500,000 homes nationwide as part of a broader effort to stimulate economic activity and address a chronic shortage of affordable shelter.