Gilgit-Baltistan traders end border protest after government grants tax exemptions

ISLAMABAD: Traders in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region suspended a two-month protest near the Chinese border on Wednesday after the government agreed to significant tax exemptions for the region’s residents, ending a standoff that had crippled trade through the vital Khunjerab Pass.

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CII clarifies no final decision on withholding tax, deems it ‘un-Islamic’ in initial ruling

ISLAMABAD : The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Pakistan’s top advisory body on Islamic law, stirred debate on Wednesday after initially declaring the withholding tax on money transfers and withdrawals “un-Islamic” during its 243rd meeting, only to later clarify that no final decision had been reached.

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Pakistan seeks IMF nod to restore wheat price support after crop yields falter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is turning to the International Monetary Fund to reinstate the annual announcement of a minimum support price for wheat, a move aimed at stabilising agricultural production after the policy’s abolishment triggered a decline in output and a surge in prices, food minister said.

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Trump pitches Gaza ceasefire plan to Muslim leaders, rejects Palestinian statehood at UN

ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump met with Muslim leaders from the Middle East and beyond on Tuesday to unveil a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza, hours after a combative UN General Assembly speech in which he rejected growing global support for Palestinian statehood as rewarding “horrible atrocities” by Hamas.

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