ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered officials to speed up the elimination of redundant government posts, pressing ahead with a downsizing drive that has already shuttered three state bodies as Pakistan seeks to narrow its fiscal deficit and unlock the next tranche of International Monetary Fund support.
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Fresh flooding fears grip Pakistan as forecasters warn of week of heavy rain
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is bracing for another bout of heavy monsoon rain from Wednesday, weather officials have warned, as communities across the country continue to reel from flooding that has already killed at least 110 people and displaced thousands of families.
Trump says Iran talks ‘going well’ but warns bridges and power plants remain targets
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks between Washington and Tehran were “going well”, even as he repeated a threat to destroy Iran’s power stations and bridges within hours if the two sides fail to reach a lasting agreement, hours before sitting down with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for the first time since the war between Israel, the US and Iran began.
Pakistan approves $6 billion refinery overhaul after six-year delay
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan approved a long-delayed overhaul of its oil refining industry, clearing the way for roughly $6 billion in investment to modernize aging plants and reduce the South Asian nation’s dependence on imported fuel.
Blood money value nearly doubles to Rs19.35mln as silver prices surge
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has fixed the value of diyat, or blood money, at Rs19,352,390 for the financial year 2026-27, a rise of nearly 97 per cent driven by a sharp climb in silver prices.
Pakistan’s ruling coalition turns on itself as deadly clashes overshadow Kashmir vote
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fragile coalition government was plunged into open conflict on Tuesday, as the first phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir left a trail of disputed casualties and a bitter public feud between the two parties that are supposed to be governing the country together.
Pakistan trims petrol price, diesel jumps under new daily-picing regime
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lowered the retail price of petrol and raised the cost of diesel on Monday, an adjustment under a new daily pricing mechanism the government adopted to keep pace with swings in global crude markets triggered by renewed fighting between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf.
US holds fire on Iran as Trump dangles diplomacy – and a warning
ISLAMABAD: Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States was engaged in “good talks” with Iran and believed there was a genuine chance of a deal to end their five-month conflict, even as he warned that American air strikes would resume within days if negotiations collapsed.
Pakistan signals fuel price cuts after tankers clear red sea chokepoint
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s petroleum minister signaled that pump prices for gasoline and diesel are poised to decline after cargo vessels carrying the country’s oil supplies safely navigated the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, a Red Sea chokepoint that has been targeted repeatedly by Houthi militants.
Four Pakistani nationals shot dead in suspected targeted ambush in South Africa
LAHORE: Four men believed to be Pakistani nationals have been shot dead in what appears to have been a targeted ambush in South Africa, with the killings adding to growing concern over violence directed at foreign nationals in the country.