Page 7 - Pakistan Government

Pak violence: 10 killed, 21 injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite ceasefire

At least 10 more people have been killed and 21 others injured as sporadic clashes continued between Sunni and Shia tribes despite a cease-fire brokered between the two warring communities in Pakistan's restive northwest, police said on Wednesday. The latest violence took place on Tuesday in Kurram district, bordering Afghanistan, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. At least 10 people died and 21 others injured in the sporadic tribal sectarian violence, police said. "An agreement has been reached for an extension of the cease-fire for another 10 days," Deputy Commissioner of Kurram Javedullah Mehsud said. The deputy commissioner stated that during the past week, 100 people have lost their lives, and 180 others have been injured in the clashes. He further mentioned that all parties will vacate their positions starting tomorrow, adding that both police and army personnel will remain deployed in Kurram. The clashes between Alizai and Bagan tribes in Kurram district started on Friday la

Imran Khan's PTI condemns violence against protestors by security forces

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's party alleged that the government's security forces assaulted the peaceful protesters in Islamabad during their rally

Imran Khan supporters breach lockdown in Islamabad, 6 killed in violence

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's supporters reached the heart of Pakistan's capital on Tuesday after removing barricades and battling police in clashes that killed six security personnel and injured dozens. Four paramilitary Rangers and two policemen were killed late Monday and over 100 security personnel injured when protesters marching towards D-Chowk turned violent, prompting the federal government to deploy the army in Islamabad along with shoot-at-sight orders, state-run media said on Tuesday. The 72-year-old former premier, who has been in jail since August last year, issued a "final call" on November 13 for nationwide protests on November 24, denouncing what he termed as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a dictatorial regime. Geo News shared footage, which showed Khan's supporters climbing on the shipping containers placed on the roads leading to D-Chowk, which is located close to ..

Islamabad PTI protest: Pak Army ordered to shoot on sight. What's going on?

PTI convoys, travelling across the country since Sunday, have converged in Islamabad for a high-profile power show, demanding the release of their founder, Imran Khan, among other things

Pakistan: Sectarian clashes kills 37 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 30 injured

At least 18 people were killed and 30 others injured in sectarian violence in northwest Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the last 24 hours, police said. The clashes between the tribes of Alizai and Bagan in Kurram district bordering Afghanistan took place following Thursday's attack on a convoy of passenger vans in which 47 people were killed by militants. Gunfire is also continuing in Balishkhel, Khar Kali, Kunj Alizai and Maqbal. The tribes are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons. So far, 18 people have been killed and 30 injured in the clashes. Independent and media sources reported more than 30 deaths in the clashes. Homes and shops have also been damaged in the fighting. People from various villages have fled to safer locations. Due to the deteriorating situation, all educational institutions in the district remain closed on Saturday, confirmed Muhammad Hayat Hassan, chairman of the Private Education Network. Over 50 passenger vehicles were

Pak ministries at odds over IMF condition on gas supply cut to industries

Pakistan's finance and energy ministries are at loggerheads over meeting a key IMF condition to reduce gas supplies to industrial power plants by January, highlighting shortcomings in the negotiation of the USD 7 billion agreement. During a recent meeting at the prime minister's house, the Petroleum Division, a part of the energy ministry, claimed that the finance ministry accepted the condition despite its reservations at the time of the programme negotiations, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Saturday. The division further claimed that abrupt disconnection may cause a Rs 427-billion loss to the government and the industries. However, the finance ministry insisted that the Petroleum Division was fully on board at the time of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and was now changing its position. The development comes amid the energy ministry's assessment that the complete shifting of industries from gas to electricity would require about two ...

The roads in Pakistan's Kurram have turned into killing fields. Here's why

Kurram, Pakistan's volatile tribal district near Afghanistan, sees 42 killed in a convoy attack, pushing civilian casualties to over 120 in recent months amid sectarian tensions

Under China's glare, Pakistan launches Balochistan offensive to save CPEC

Facing China's mounting demands for better security after attacks on its citizens and CPEC delays, Pakistan is under intense pressure to safeguard Beijing's interests

Pakistan to launch comprehensive operation against militants in Balochistan

Pakistan decided to launch a comprehensive operation against militants in the southwestern province of Balochistan after a series of deadly attacks. The participants of the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan on Tuesday approved a comprehensive military operation, said a statement. The target of the blitz would be the leading terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan including the Majeed Brigade, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Balochistan Raaji Anjou-R-Sanger (BRAS) who targeted innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan's economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers. It was decided during a meeting headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by senior civil and military officials, including Army Chief General Asim Munir. The participants of the meeting, which focused on Reinvigorating Pakistan's Counter Terrorism (CT) Campaign, were briefed on the evolv

'Don't trust Pak soldiers': Xi faces flak for Chinese deaths in Pakistan

Many Chinese companies in Pakistan have reportedly turned to Chinese security engineers to gather intelligence amid inadequate local security arrangements

Pakistan employs new measures to deal with smog affecting 70,000 people

Pakistani authorities introduced mobile clinics and added more beds in hospitals to treat the nearly 70,000 patients received daily with respiratory-related diseases as hazardous smog continued to shroud the country's east, officials said Wednesday. Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province with 127 million residents, has been hit by a record-high ongoing wave of pollution since October. The UN children's agency on Monday warned that the health of 11 million children there was at risk. Lahore and Multan, the province's two main cities hit by smog, remained the two most polluted cities in the world on Wednesday, with air quality index readings of about 400, according to the Environmental Protection Department. Anything over 300 is considered hazardous to health. The dangerous smog is a byproduct of large numbers of vehicles, construction and industrial work as well as burning crops at the start of the winter wheat-planting season, experts say. Meanwhile, more than 200 clinics on boa

Pakistan's $7-bn IMF bailout deal hits a rough patch. Here's what we know

IMF reportedly mulling stricter review of Pakistan bailout package after noticing early slippages

Pakistan, US 'old friends'; Trump's win won't affect China ties: Pak FO

Pakistan and the US are "old friends and partners", the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Thursday, but added that Donald Trump's election as the new American President will not affect Islamabad's ties with China. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President-elect Trump on his election as the 47th President of the US. Our relations with the United States are decades old, and we look forward to further strengthening and broadening Pakistan-US relationship in all fields," Baloch said at the weekly briefing. Responding to a question if Trump's election will affect Pakistan-China ties, she said Islamabad's relations with Beijing are "all-weather, strategic, and a source of stability" in the country's foreign policy. "This relationship has remained unaffected by developments around the world. So we do not need to even consider the possibility that this relationship will be affected by any domestic development in another

Justice Amin-ud-Din appointed Pak SC's 1st-ever constitutional bench head

A Pakistani constitutional panel on Tuesday appointed Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan as head of the first-ever constitutional bench in the Supreme Court as mandated by a recent amendment that gave legislators more power in appointing the top judge. The amendment passed last month created a body called the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) with powers to form a constitutional bench within the Supreme Court to deal with constitutional and political disputes. The 12-member JCP met in Islamabad and appointed Justice Khan as head of the constitutional bench in the Supreme Court by a split decision of 7-5. Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, who led the JCP, found himself with the minority, along with two more senior judges of the apex court and two representatives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who were members of the panel. Constitutional benches have been created at the Supreme Court through an amendment to Article 191-A. "There shall be a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, which may ...

Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi breaks down during court proceedings

A court in Pakistan on Monday witnessed emotional scenes when jailed former premier Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi burst into tears, expressing her utter helplessness against the inefficient justice system and her husband's "unjust sentencing". The former first lady appeared before Islamabad District Magistrate Afzal Majoka's court to acquire bail for her husband in six cases and herself in another case, registered at Tarnol, Karachi Company, Ramna, Secretariat and Kohsar police stations. During the hearing held at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Khan was not produced in the court. He was also not allowed to appear through a video link. When Bushra took to the rostrum to speak, she became emotional. "I have been facing injustice by those responsible for serving justice for the past nine months. I and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder were unjustly sentenced," she said. "There is no justice. I haven't come to seek justice," she sobbed, and even blamed lawyers, saying all lawyers,

Baloch Human rights dept condemns violence following Mastung bomb blast

Paank called on the Pakistani government to halt its support for religious extremist groups in the region, Dawn reported.

Pakistan's national carrier stake sale now uncertain after low offer

Pakistan's government has failed to privatize the airline in previous attempts because of protests by labor unions and political parties

Pakistan's FM Aurangzeb sees 'encouraging' reply from China debt talks

Pakistan is seeing a period of stability after securing a new $7 billion loan program from the IMF

Pakistan central bank announces $30 billion foreign debt repayments in FY25

Pakistan's central bank has said the country is scheduled to repay a total of USD 30.35 billion in maturing foreign debt and interest payment in this financial year even as the foreign debt repayments and interest payments are rising every passing year, a media repot said on Monday. The payments over the 12 months from August 2024 to July 2025 include those significant loans which bilateral creditors roll over every year, reported the Express Tribune quoting a JS Global report, which, in turn, cited data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The report showed that Pakistan is to repay maturing foreign debt worth USD 26.48 billion and pay another USD 3.86 billion on account of interest expense in the period. Pakistan's repayments and interest payments are fully secured under the latest USD 7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) through the loan period of 37 months. In terms of debt-to-GDP ratio, however, the foreign debt has dropped to 20.2 per cent in August 2024 from 27.6 per

Protests in Pakistan after govt raises taxes by 40% under IMF bailout

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose coalition government has only been in power for seven months, is urging patience in a country that can no longer keep up