Page 53 - Pakistan

India notifies Pakistan to amend six-decade-old Indus water treaty

India's notification highlights fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various Articles of the Treaty

ADB assures cash-strapped Pakistan $2 billion in new loans annually: Report

The Asian Development Bank has assured Pakistan it will provide USD 2 billion annually in new loans to the cash-strapped country amid the government's inability to get cheaper credit due to its worsened ratings, according to a media report on Tuesday. The assurance was given by the visiting Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa during his interaction with Pakistani authorities on Monday, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing Ministry of Economic Affairs officials. The Manila-based lender is expected to provide USD 2 billion per annum from 2024 to 2027, the officials said, adding that the total four-year package amounts to USD 8 billion. Out of the USD 2 billion, the ADB will give around USD 1 billion at a fixed 2 per cent rate under its concessional window. Despite having reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan has become a desperate borrower in recent years, striking deals at unsustainably higher interest rate

Pak govt delays tabling of controversial constitutional amendment Bill

Pakistan's coalition government was on Monday forced to once again delay the tabling of a controversial constitutional amendment bill in the parliament, apparently due to a lack of required numbers to pass it. The details of the amendments are still a mystery as the government has not officially shared it with the media or discussed it publically. What has been reported so far shows that the government plans to increase the retirement age of judges and fix the tenure of the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Senator Irfan Siddiqui of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) told the media that the amendment bill would not be tabled in the parliament on Monday. Speaking to Geo News, Siddiqui said sessions of both houses on Monday were to be "prorogued and would next be called when we would be prepared from all angles to introduce a constitutional amendment. Asked if it was possible for the matter to be delayed for months, the PML-N senator replied in the negative. He added t

Trump assassination attempt suspect planned to recruit Afghan soldiers

A 58-year-old man detained in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump has said in an interview in 2023 that he planned to recruit potential Afghan soldiers through Pakistan to fight in Ukraine against Russia. Ryan Wesley Routh, who authorities suspect was planning to attack the Republican presidential nominee as he played a round of golf, made these remarks to The New York Times. During an interview with newspaper in 2023, Routh also said he was seeking recruits for Ukraine from among Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban. He said he planned to move them, in some cases illegally, from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. He said dozens had expressed interest. We can probably purchase some passports through Pakistan since it's such a corrupt country, he was quoted as saying by the New York Times. He has shown pro-Ukraine views into his public statements because of which he was interviewed by several news organisations, including The New York Ti

ADB asks Pakistan to adopt Indian scheme ULLAS to fix its education system

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has advised Pakistan to adopt India's scheme ULLAS to fix its dysfunctional education system and impart quality training to its citizens, according to a media report. The Manila-based lender's recommendation came in response to Pakistan's request for financial support to improve its education system and impart education to all out-of-school children, The Express Tribune newspaper said. The Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society (ULLAS) was launched by the Government of India in July last year to help non-literates and adults who missed out on formal schooling. The ADB recommends that the government adopt a strategic and multi-stakeholder consultative approach, drawing on international best practices, such as the government of India's new centrally sponsored scheme "ULLAS", according to the lender. The ADB emphasised that the ULLAS scheme emphasises the need for both federal and provincial governments to collaborate urgently to enhance

US puts sanctions on Chinese cos for supporting Pak's missile programme

The US has taken action against four Chinese entities, one Pakistani company, and one Chinese individual for their supply to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme under the missile sanctions laws, a State Department statement has said. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement on Thursday said the US imposed sanctions on the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry (RIAMB), which has worked with Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC), under the missile sanctions laws (i.e. the Arms Export Control Act [AECA] and the Export Control Reform Act [ECRA]). The statement said the Beijing Research Institute had worked with NDC in the development and production of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missiles to procure equipment for testing of large-diameter rocket motors, including the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel. "The United States is [also] imposing sanctions on three PRC-based entities, one PRC individual, and a Pakistani entity for ballistic

US imposes sanctions on suppliers to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme

RIAMB has worked with Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC), -which the United States assesses is involved in the development and production of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missiles

IMF to discuss $7 billion loan to cash-strapped Pakistan on Sep 25

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday said that its board will meet on September 25 to discuss the USD 7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to cash-strapped Pakistan. The loan package was agreed on July 12 when the two sides inked a staff level agreement but its formal approval was delayed due to failure of Pakistan to bridge external financing gap. However, chief of the State Bank of Pakistan, Jamil Ahmad, said the country had secured a commitment of USD 2 billion external financing, which had been a hurdle in the key Fund's meeting to endorse the 37-month EFF loan. Addressing a press briefing, IMF's spokesperson Julie Kozack said the Fund had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan in July. We are very happy that we can say now that the board meeting is scheduled to take place on September 25, she said. This is following Pakistan obtaining the necessary financing assurances from its development partners. The new EFF arrangement...follows the successful implementatio

Pakistan central bank's MPC cuts key policy rates by 200 bps to 17.5%

Pakistan's Central bank on Thursday cut its key policy rate by 200 basis points to 17.5 per cent from 19.5 per cent bowing to demands for a major rate cut. The State Bank in a statement said that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to reduce the policy rate by 200 basis points (bps) to 17.5 per cent in its meeting on Thursday. Various factors impacting the inflation outlook were taken into consideration while reaching this decision, it said. Inflation in August was at 9.6 per cent, resulting in a positive real interest rate of 10 per cent. Financial experts generally anticipated a reduction of 150 bps with some forecasting a cut of up to 200 bps. However, industry leaders advocated for a deep 500 bps cut to spur economic growth. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) assessed the real interest rate to still be adequately positive to bring inflation down to the medium-term target of 5 to 7 per cent and help ensure macroeconomic stability, the statement read. The MPC said glob

Militants kill policeman in another attack on polio workers in Pakistan

Unknown gunmen killed a policeman on security duty with polio vaccinators in Pakistan's restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday in a second attack within 24 hours and the third one since Monday. The gunmen on motorbikes opened fire at the team of polio workers killing constable Noor Alam in Domel police station jurisdiction in Bannu district bordering Afghanistan, police said here. The assailants escaped after the attack. An angry mob put the body of the slain cop in front of the police lines to protest the rising trend of targeted killings of policemen on duty with polio teams in southern districts of the province. On Wednesday, police constable Alam Khan and a polio worker were killed after unidentified gunmen ambushed a team of polio vaccinators in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur district. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack. Militants frequently target the polio workers in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Meanwhile, in Lakki Marwat .

Islamabad, parts of Pakistan jolted by 5.7 magnitude earthquake: Met Dept

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday jolted parts of Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad, according to the country's meteorological department. The quake's epicentre was situated near the Dera Ghazi Khan region in the southwestern part of the Punjab province at a depth of 10 kilometres, Geo News reported, citing the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. The earthquake originated at 12:28 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST) and was recorded at magnitude 5.7 on the Richter scale, according to the Met Department. It was felt in several parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, including the capital Islamabad. Meanwhile, the earthquake's tremors were felt across Delhi and the neighbouring regions in India. India's National Center for Seismology said the earthquake was of magnitude 5.8. Authorities in the Punjab province were on alert "to deal with the aftershocks of the earthquake", a spokesperson of t

Pakistan accepts IMF's condition to not establish new SEZs: Report

Pakistan has accepted the IMF condition that it would not establish any new special economic or export processing zone in the country as it waits for the approval of a USD 7 billion bailout package from the international money lender, a media report said on Wednesday. The Washington-based lender's condition will impact the government's plans to establish an export processing zone (EPZ) on a piece of land belonging to the closed Pakistan Steel Mills, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The report quoted government sources as saying that the IMF had asked Pakistan that it would not create any new special economic zone (SEZ) or EPZ and tax incentives already availed by the existing zones will not be extended after expiry. While the condition will be applicable to both federal and provincial governments, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has refused to accept it, the report said. The IMF's conditions underscore how deeply it has captured Pakistan's economic and industrial policies, which could ..

5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Pakistan, tremors felt in Delhi NCR

Delhi earthquake: After Afghanistan, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake has shaken Pakistan. Tremors felt in many Northern regions of India, including Delhi NCR

Visa aims for 10-fold rise in Pakistani businesses using digital payments

Visa is investing in building digital payment infrastructure in the country, aiming to make digital payments less costly and more manageable

BSF trooper injured as Pakistan violates ceasefire along border in Jammu

A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts in violation of a ceasefire agreement along the border here on Wednesday, officials said. The BSF troops also retaliated but the casualties on the Pakistani side were not known immediately, they said. At about 2.35 am, an incident of unprovoked firing in the Akhnoor area from across the border happened and which was befittingly responded by the BSF. One BSF personnel sustained injuries in Pakistani firing, a spokesperson of the border guarding force said. He said the troops are on high alert and keeping a strict vigil all along the International Border and Line of Control. The ceasefire violation between the two countries has been very rare ever since India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021. Last year, a BSF jawan was killed in Pakistan Rangers firing in the Ramgarh sector, the first loss of life on the Indian side in more than thre

Why has a Dutch court convicted and sentenced two Pakistanis in absentia?

The convicted individuals are believed to be residing in Pakistan, which does not have an extradition agreement with the Netherlands

Karachi sees surge in street crime, reports 5,960 incidents in Aug: Report

The report also highlights that motorcycles are a common target, with 656 stolen and 3,385 reportedly taken from various parts of the city this year so far

6 injured in explosion targeting polio workers in Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least six people, including three policemen, were injured in a bomb explosion that targeted a vehicle carrying workers associated with the Pakistan Polio Programme in the country's restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities said on Monday. The explosion resulted in injuries to three frontline polio workers and three policemen in South Waziristan district's Wana town. The injured were immediately shifted to a hospital and their condition is stated to be stable. Police contingents rushed to the explosion site and launched a combing operation to arrest the accused. Authorities in Pakistan last week reported its first polio case in the capital Islamabad in the last 16 years, a setback to the national efforts aimed at eradicating the crippling virus from the country. The country came close to achieving zero poliovirus cases in 2021 when only one infection was reported. So far this year, 12 cases have been reported from Balochistan, three from Sindh, and one from .

8 Afghan Taliban soldiers killed in border clash with Pak forces, 16 hurt

At least eight Afghan Taliban soldiers, including two key commanders, have been killed in a fierce clash with the Pakistani security forces in the border region near the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The exchange, which was reported in the Khurram border district of the province over the weekend, also injured 16 Afghan Taliban soldiers. The Afghan side attacked a Pakistani checkpost with heavy weapons in the Palosin area on the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday morning, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting sources. We have reports about heavy losses on the other [Afghan] side. So far, eight Afghan Taliban have been killed, and 16 others have sustained injuries in retaliatory firing by the Pakistani forces, sources said, adding that two key' commanders were also killed. There was no official word on the incident from the Pakistan military's media wing - the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). This is not the first time Afghan troops have opened fire on Pakistani security for

Will not compromise with govt, says ex-Pak PM Imran after 400 days in jail

The government ministers say Khan's freedom is linked with his unconditional apology for the riots in which the PTI workers allegedly attacked state and military installations