Page 21 - Pakistan Government

Pak suffers nationwide power outage after grid failure: Power ministry

Pakistan faced a major power breakdown on Monday due to a "frequency variation" in the national grid, leaving millions of people in large parts of the country, including capital Islamabad and financial hub Karachi, without electricity. According to the Ministry of Energy, the system of frequency of the national grid went down at 7:34 am local time, resulting in the breakdown. System maintenance work is progressing rapidly, it tweeted. Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir said the restoration work was going on. "I can assure you that power will be fully restored across the country within the next 12 hours, he was quoted as saying by Geo News. Explaining the failure, he said the authorities shut down the power generation system at night due to lower demand in winter to save fuel costs. But when the systems were turned on in the morning, frequency variation and voltage fluctuation were observed in the south of the country somewhere between Dadu and Jamshoro resulting in shutting down of

Pakistan's mobile phone imports decline 66% in 1st half of FY 2023

Pakistan's mobile phone imports declined by 66 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year 2022-2023, compared to the same period of the last fiscal year, according to official figures

Foreign shipping lines may stop services for cash-strapped Pakistan

The ship agents have forewarned the cash-strapped Pakistani govt that all export cargoes could come to a halt as foreign shipping lines are considering stopping services

Leave Pak to Pak

Pakistan desperately needs breathing space and financial generosity, but India should not indulge it

Pak has been isolated, Nadda on terrorism at party's executive meet

BJP National President JP Nadda on Friday said "Pakistan has been isolated" and the world has understood where terrorism is emanating from

Only elections can avert Sri Lanka-like crisis, says former Pak PM Khan

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan warned that the country could slide into Sri Lanka-like situation if "free and fair" elections were not held by the incumbent government

Asking for more loans from friendly countries is embarrassing: Pakistan PM

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that it was embarrassing for him to seek more loans from friendly countries, saying it was not a permanent solution for the cash-strapped country's economic challenges. Addressing the passing out ceremony of probationary officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) here in the capital of Punjab province on Saturday, Prime Minister Sharif regretted that during the past 75 years, different governments whether headed by political leadership or military dictators could not address the economic issues. Sharif said it really embarrassed him to ask for further loans while lauding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the financial support, Geo News quoted him as saying. He said that seeking foreign loans was not the right solution to address Pakistan's economic challenges as the loans would have to be eventually returned. The prime minister said that sustainable development goals (SDGs) could be achieved and foreign loans avoided had th

Amid deepening food crisis in Pakistan, people chase wheat truck on bikes

In a video shared on social media, some people riding a motorcycle are seen chasing a truck carrying sacks of flour, and people can be seen chasing the vehicle to buy the lot

Pak's Punjab Assembly dissolves; caretaker CM nominations asked by Jan 17

Pakistan's Punjab Assembly on Saturday evening stood dissolved after Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman refused to sign an advice of Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi. Elahi on the "wish" of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Thursday had sent the advice to dissolve the assembly. As the governor did not sign the dissolution summary, it stood dissolved 48 hours (Saturday evening) from the time the CM sent it to governor as per the Constitution. The governor said in a tweet: "I have decided not to become part of the process leading to the dissolution of Punjab Assembly. I would rather let the Constitution and law take its own course. Doing so will not hamper any legal process as the Constitution clearly provides a way forward." The governor also invited CM Elahi and Leader of the Opposition in the PA, Hamza Shahbaz (son of prime minister Shehbaz Sharif), to start the process of the appointment of the caretaker chief minister. He asked them to submit their nominations by .

As flour prices start to ease, pulses start becoming costlier in Pakistan

Prices of pulses are going up, thanks to the non-clearance of imported consignments at the port due to a delay in the approval of relevant documents by banks, Dawn reported

Unions seek full EY report for discussions on PSU general insurers rejig

The Joint Forum of Trade Unions and Associations (JFTU) in 4 PSUs general insurers reiterated their demand for discussions on restructuring after full report is submitted by the consultancy firm EY

Pak PM on two-day visit to UAE to ramp up bilateral economic, trade ties

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to the UAE on Thursday on a two-day visit aimed at ramping up bilateral economic and trade ties, just days after the country's powerful Army chief General Asim Munir concluded his trip to the Gulf emirate. Sharif is leading a delegation of key ministers on his third visit to the UAE since becoming prime minister in April last year. He was received by UAE's Minister for Economic Affairs Touq Al Mari at Abu Dhabi airport. "My visit to the UAE is aimed at building on the conversation I have had with H.H. President Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed. We share a resolve & understanding that the continuous efforts need to be made to further strengthen trade, investment & economic relations," Sharif tweeted after landing in the UAE. Pakistan's Foreign Office said on Tuesday that Sharif will meet the UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed with a particular focus on advancing economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries. "The two .

Pak: Punjab CM Parvez Elahi receives 186 votes to secure trust vote

In a midnight drama in Pakistan's Punjab Assembly, Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi managed to obtain a vote of confidence paving the way for its dissolution on the wish of ousted prime minister Imran Khan. Punjab Governor Baligur Rehman of the PMLN had sought a vote of confidence from CM Elahi last month in a bid to stop the dissolution of the assembly. He had de-notified Elahi and his cabinet for failing to comply his order. However, the Lahore High Court had restored Elahi and his cabinet. On Wednesday, the LHC held hearing in this case and remarked that the chief minister would have to take trust vote. In the light of the court's observation, Elahi secured the required 186 votes from the Punjab Assembly in the ongoing session at 1 am Thursday amid the Opposition's protest. Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan presided over the session and said CM Elahi had received 186 votes required to secure the trust vote. The Opposition led by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) boycott

Ex-Pak general convicted of espionage pardoned by new military leadership

A retired Pakistani general convicted of sharing "classified information" with foreign spies has been pardoned by the new military leadership and released from prison.

Pak needs $30 bn to cover short and long-term needs of flood victims: PM

Pakistan needs about USD 30 billion to cover the short and long-term needs of the victims of last year's floods that claimed about 1,700 lives, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said, as he sought the international's community's support ahead of a key donors conference. More than 33 million were affected due to massive floods hitting the country last summer, leaving many at the mercy of international donors. Sharif's comments came as he sought the support of the global community ahead of an international conference being jointly hosted by Pakistan and the UN in Geneva on Monday. Sharif in an article in The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, wrote that a comprehensive roadmap for post-flood reconstruction and rehabilitation, to be presented at the conference, has been developed with the assistance of the World Bank, the UN, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union. He said the roadmap essentially envisages a two-pronged response to deal with the ravages of the flood. The

Thousands protest against rising terrorism in northwest Pakistan

Thousands of tribesmen in Pakistan's northwest took to the streets to protest against rising incidents of terrorism and kidnapping in the country's tribal districts bordering Afghanistan while demanding immediate restoration of peace in the region. Over 5,000 tribesmen took out a rally on Friday in Wana, the headquarters of the South Waziristan tribal district, against the growing unrest, terrorism, and kidnappings in their areas. The protest comes amidst rising terrorist attacks in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces that are believed to have been carried out by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group based in Afghanistan. Pushtoon nationalist and leader of Pushtoon Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) Manzoor Pushteen addressed the protesters carrying placards and banners. The protesters demanded the restoration of peace and harmony in the tribal districts. All the shops and markets were closed in Wana bazaar as a protest against the surge in unr

Pakistan to seek over $16 bn for flood rehabilitation at UN conference

Pakistan is likely to seek over USD 16 billion at a UN conference next week for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the areas devastated by last year's catastrophic floods which caused the country a loss of about USD 30 billion, officials said on Thursday. The flood triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains killed at least 1,739 people while affecting over 33 million. At one time, one third of Pakistan territory was under water. The "International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan" is being held in Geneva on January 9 and co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations to seek funding for the flood victims, according to Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. She said that the Conference will be co-chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. "The programme will feature a high-level opening segment, where leaders will make supportive statements," she said at her weekly media briefing here. Officials of the ..

Pakistan plans to shut malls, markets early in a bid to save power

Khawaja Asif told journalists the Cabinet-approved measures to shut markets, including restaurants, aimed to save the cash-strapped country about 62 billion Pakistani rupees ($273 million)

Pakistan braces for economic meltdown exposure without IMF umbrella

At the moment, Pakistan's shrinking foreign exchange reserves and inflation remain as the two most challenging and key factors for the government

Pakistan govt invites Imran Khan's party for 'unconditional negotiations'

The Pakistan government on Saturday invited Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party for holding unconditional talks, saying negotiations are part of the political process and complex problems are resolved when two sides hear each other out. Addressing a joint press conference with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party should sit down and negotiate with the government to resolve the impasse over holding early general elections. At the same time, they said that threats and talks cannot go together. The development comes after PTI chief Khan on Friday warned that he would dissolve the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces ruled by his party if the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not sit down for talks and announce dates for the general elections. The federal government led by Prime Minister Sharif is opposed to holding elections now. The term of the