ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will travel to Washington on Saturday for three days of talks aimed at advancing a bilateral trade and investment framework with the US, according to diplomatic sources familiar with the itinerary, as the two governments race to settle outstanding tariff questions before a key deadline expires this month.
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Gilgit-Baltistan assembly in Himalayan territory unanimously demands provincial status
GILGIT: The regional legislature representing Gilgit and Baltistan, one of the most remote and politically ambiguous corners of South Asia, voted unanimously on Thursday to press Pakistan’s federal government for a provincial status, reviving a demand that officials say has simmered among residents for three-quarters of a century.
Pakistan rejects UK pressure to accept convicted child rapist Shabir Ahmed’s deportation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is pushing back against efforts by the British government to deport a convicted child rapist released from prison earlier this month, deepening a diplomatic standoff over a case that has inflamed public anger across the United Kingdom.
Pakistan diesel prices poised for steepest jump yet on Iran oil shock
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is bracing for one of its steepest fuel-price increases of the year, with high-speed diesel poised to jump by as much as 42 rupees a liter and gasoline by up to 13 rupees when the government issues its next price notification just after midnight Saturday, as renewed fighting between the US and Iran sends benchmark crude and freight costs surging across South Asia.
US, Iran trade fire for sixth straight night as fight for Hormuz escalates
ISLAMABAD: The United States and Iran traded fire for a sixth consecutive night on Thursday, as American warplanes, drones, and warships struck deeper into Iranian territory and Tehran answered with missile and drone attacks on US military installations across the Persian Gulf, pushing a month-old ceasefire toward collapse and reviving fears of a wider Middle East war.
Pakistan becomes founding member of China-led AI cooperation body in Shanghai
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan formally joined a new China-backed international body aimed at shaping global cooperation on artificial intelligence on Thursday, one of 29 founding member nations to sign on as Beijing moved to position itself at the centre of AI governance worldwide.
Pakistan races to curb fuel hoarding as petrol cover shrinks to 14 days
ISLAMABAD: The government convened an emergency session with oil industry executives on Thursday after petrol stockpiles fell to a 14-day supply cushion, moving to stamp out hoarding and unclog customs bottlenecks as renewed hostilities between the US and Iran push import costs higher.
New private carrier South Air begins domestic flights, targets underserved cities
KARACHI: Pakistan’s newest private carrier, South Air, began scheduled domestic flights on Thursday, launching services from Karachi to Quetta and Islamabad via two cities that have had little or no direct air access in recent years, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said.
PM Sharif orders contingency plan as renewed Iran-US clashes threaten economic recovery
ISLAMABAD: The government is preparing contingency plans to shield the economy from a new round of turmoil in the Middle East, as an intensifying exchange of fire between the United States and Iran unravels a ceasefire that Islamabad helped broker just last month.
EU says Pakistan regressed on human rights, warns GSP+ access hinges on reforms
ISLAMABAD: The European Union said on Thursday that Pakistan had regressed in several areas of human rights over the past two years despite a series of legislative reforms, and warned that Islamabad must address the shortcomings to retain preferential access to European markets under a revised trade scheme due to take effect in 2027.