ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb credited strict financial discipline and robust coordination between the federal and provincial governments for enabling the achievement of a primary surplus, according to a Finance Ministry statement released on Friday. Last November, unprecedented profits by the State Bank of Pakistan, driven by the highest-ever interest rates and record petroleum levy revenue — both non-tax sources …

QUETTA: Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal on Thursday reiterated his party’s demand for the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) Chief Organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and other detained political workers, vowing to continue the struggle until the recovery of all missing activists. Speaking at the Balochistan Bar Association, Mr Mengal criticised the authorities for their inaction following …

ISLAMABAD: As tensions escalate with India, the PTI has demanded an immediate release of its founder and former prime minister Imran Khan to “unite the nation”. The demand was made during a joint meeting of the party’s political committee and core committee held on Thursday to thoroughly deliberate on the prevailing political and security situation in the country. Central information …

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday snubbed Indian media reports of Pakistan shutting the Wagah border to returning citizens amid heightened geopolitical tensions between the two countries following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir. The April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has …

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday warned that any “misadventure” by India, amid fraught tensions with Pakistan that has seen continued shelling across the Line of Control after a militant attack in occupied Kashmir last week, would be met with a quick and decisive response. The April 22 attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday allowed 150 stranded Afghan trucks carrying goods for India to cross the Wagah Border, easing a weeks-long bottleneck, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The moves came nearly a week after Pakistan shut off its borders for any trade with India, including to or from a third country, in response to New Delhi’s …

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the welfare and uplift of workers, state-media Radio Pakistan reported. As the world commemorated International Labour Day, the president and the premier issued separate messages to mark the occasion. According to the International Labourers Organisation (ILO), Pakistan has yet to ratify 55 conventions …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday thanked China’s envoy for endorsing his offer to conduct a neutral probe into the Pahalgam attack, following India’s actions against Pakistan that have heightened the risks of a military confrontation between the two countries. The April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults …

ISLAMABAD: The government has appointed Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik, the incumbent dire­ctor general of the country’s premier intelligence agency, as the new National Security Adviser (NSA). The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief becomes the country’s tenth NSA. A notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday said that Gen Malik would retain his role as DG ISI, a position he …

ISLAMABAD: In a major blow to Imran Khan’s hopes for a legal reprieve, the Islamabad High Court has signalled that his appeal against a 14-year sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case won’t be heard this year — effectively keeping the former prime minister in legal limbo throughout 2025. The report by the IHC registrar office was submitted …