ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to repay its entire $3.5 billion debt to the United Arab Emirates this month, a senior cabinet minister said on Friday, resolving weeks of speculation over whether Abu Dhabi would continue rolling over the short-term financing that had become a monthly ritual.
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‘How will we feed our children?’: Pakistan’s record fuel price hike sends shock waves to streets
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s top political adviser on Friday blamed an unprecedented surge in global oil prices — triggered by the escalating US-Israeli conflict with Iran — for the sharpest one-day increase in Pakistan’s petroleum prices in recent memory, insisting the government had exhausted every option to shield consumers before passing on the burden.
Imran Khan, wife seek urgent hearings to overturn Toshakhana conviction and suspend Al-Qadir Trust sentence
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Friday asked the Islamabad High Court to immediately schedule their long-pending appeals to overturn a graft conviction and suspend their sentences in a separate corruption case, accusing the prosecution of “inordinate delays” and “dilatory tactics” that have kept them behind bars for years.
Sindh and Punjab unveil subsidies for motorcyclists, farmers and public transport after fuel price shock
ISLAMABAD: One day after the federal government imposed steep increases in fuel prices, the provincial administrations of Sindh and Punjab announced relief packages on Friday aimed at shielding motorcyclists, small farmers and public transporters from the impact of the hikes, while federal authorities made public transport free in the capital and halted planned toll increases nationwide.
Five killed, 13 hurt in suicide attack on police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the rear of the Domel Police Station in this northwestern district late on Thursday, killing at least five civilians and injuring 13 others, including one police officer, authorities said Friday.
Pakistan’s economy grows 3.89 percent in Q2, industry rebound outpaces agriculture slowdown
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy expanded 3.89 percent in the October-December quarter of fiscal 2026, accelerating from 2.18 percent a year earlier and edging ahead of the revised 3.63 percent pace in the preceding three months, according to official data released on Thursday.
Pakistan raises petrol to record Rs458.40 a liter, diesel to Rs520.35
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan sharply increased petrol and high-speed diesel prices on Thursday, reflecting record global oil costs triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, while introducing targeted subsidies to cushion the impact on two-wheelers, small farmers and key transport sectors.
Defence Minister Asif warns India of ‘drastic consequences’ for nuclear miscalculation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned his Indian counterpart on Thursday that any armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations would be “inconceivable” and carry “drastic consequences,” delivering a pointed rebuke amid rising tensions over the anniversary of last year’s attack in Indian occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan seeks IMF leeway on fuel prices as Iran conflict drives oil surge
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will press the International Monetary Fund for greater leeway in its bailout program to manage the fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran, including measures to shield consumers from soaring petroleum prices, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday.
Trade deficit widens 22.65 percent to $27.81 billion in nine months on weak exports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit expanded 22.65% to $27.81 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2026, driven by a sharp drop in exports that more than offset higher imports, according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics released on Thursday.