KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced on Monday that it had decided to cut the interest rate by 150 basis points (bps) to 20.5 per cent. The decision to cut the key rate to 20.5pc comes ahead of the annual budget and a week after data showed inflation slowed to a 30-month low of 11.8pc in May. In a statement, …
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court’s (IHC’s) Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has ordered that Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad be declared an “enforced disappearance/missing person” till he reaches his home safely, it emerged on Monday. A written order of Friday’s hearing stated: “Syed Farhad Ali Shah is declared an enforced disappearance/missing person until he reaches his home safely.” Farhad had been allegedly abducted …
LAHORE: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider has said the approval of the controversial defamation law was inevitable as bills automatically become laws 15 days after being sent to the governor, even if they choose not to give assent. “I did not sign the Defamation Bill. However, it was supposed to be passed automatically after 15 days,” he told a private TV channel from the …
QUETTA: Several PTI leaders have been booked for alleged anti-state and provocative speeches during a public gathering in Bostan area of Pishin. Levies police station has registered an FIR against PTI leaders, including Shehryar Afridi, Shandana Gulzar, Haleem Adil Sheikh and Dawood Shah Kakar. The FIR included charges under sections 123-A (advocacy against Pakistan’s sovereignty), 124-A (Sedition), 143 (Punishment for …
ISLAMABAD: In an apparent jibe at PTI, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Sunday called street protests “futile” as parliament was the real forum for strengthening, protecting, and ensuring constitutional supremacy. Mr Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan Nasar, who called on him in Murree. According to a party spokesman, Mr Sharif congratulated the …
LAKKI MARWAT/BAJAUR: At least seven security officials, including an army captain, were martyred after an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted their vehicle in Lakki Marwat on Sunday, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police repulsed a pre-dawn ambush at their checkpost in Bajaur. Local officials said the vehicle was on its way to the Kaichi Kamar area when it came under attack near …
ISLAMABAD: Former governor Sindh Mohammad Zubair on Sunday formally parted ways with the PML-N, saying that the “differences were too vast” to bridge. Speaking to ARY News, Zubair was asked about his reasons for leaving the party. “I had made the decision a while ago. Obviously, when the party’s stance changed, it was better to part ways,” he said. Zubair said …
ISLAMABAD: The D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, an alliance of developing nations of Turkiye, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Nigeria and Indonesia, on Saturday demanded full Palestinian membership of the United Nations and greater international pressure on Israel for ceasefire amid the Gaza war. Calling for an immediate ceasefire, foreign ministers from the group at an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul asked the United States …
ISLAMABAD: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Saturday claimed he was not considering taking revenge on anyone, pointing out that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was the main hurdle in political reconciliation and harmony across the country. While presiding over a second parliamentary party meeting after regaining party office, the PML-N president also lauded the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz …
ISLAMABAD: PTI has nominated Zartaj Gul as the parliamentary leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in the National Assembly. PTI Secretary General and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan has announced that PTI founding chairman Imran Khan nominated three MNAs as parliamentary leaders. He said that Ms Gul was named as the parliamentary leader, while Zain …