Page 64 - Pakistan

About 10 mn people at risk of slipping into poverty in Pakistan: World Bank

The World Bank has painted a grim economic picture of Pakistan in its biannual report, cautioning that over 10 million more people are at risk of descending into poverty in the cash-strapped country. The Washington-based lender's apprehension comes from a sluggish economic growth rate of 1.8 per cent coupled with soaring inflation, a staggering 26 per cent in the current fiscal year. The World Bank's biannual Pakistan Development Outlook report indicated that the country is set to miss almost all major macroeconomic targets. The international lender said the country is anticipated to fall short of its primary budget target, remaining in deficit for three consecutive years, contrary to the International Monetary Fund's stipulations mandating a surplus. Sayed Murtaza Muzaffari, lead author of the report, said despite a board-based yet nascent economic recovery, poverty alleviation efforts remain insufficient. The economic growth is projected to stagnate at a paltry 1.8 per cent whil

Pakistan economic growth seen below 3% for next 2 years, says World Bank

The economy is set to grow 1.8% in the current fiscal year ending June 30 and will expand to 2.3% in the following year and 2.7% in 2026 if there is continuous fiscal consolidation

92% of total fatalities in Pakistan witnessed in KP, Balochistan, in 2024

According to the report, the data indicated that the remaining regions were relatively peaceful, suffering less than 8 per cent of all deaths

Toshakhana case: Pak court suspends Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi jail terms

The Toshakhana corruption case pertains to the accusations against Khan for illegally selling state gifts, which he received during his tenure as the PM of Pakistan between 2018-2022

2 Pakistan soldiers killed as armed men open fire on security personnel

Unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on a Pakistan Army bomb disposal team near the port city of Gwadar in the restive Balochistan province, killing two soldiers and injuring four others. The bomb disposal team of the Pakistan Army was busy clearing landmines in the Ankara Dam area of Gwadar district when gunmen opened fire on them on Sunday, the Dawn newspaper reported on Monday. Two security personnel were killed and four others injured in the attack in the Ankara Dam area on Sunday, officials said. The firing incident took place some 25km from the port city [Gwadar], which claimed two lives and injured four others, said Gwadar SSP Mohsin Zohaib, adding that after the incident, the bodies and the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Security forces have launched a search operation in the area to trace the attackers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has, in the past, claimed most of the attack

Pak sees 245 terror attacks, counter-terror operations in first qtr of 2024

Pakistan witnessed as many as 245 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations during the first quarter of 2024, resulting in 432 fatalities and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel and rebels, according to a think tank report. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces, both bordering Afghanistan, accounted for over 92 per cent of all fatalities and 86 per cent of attacks (including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations) during this period. Individually, the former suffered 51 per cent and the latter 41 per cent of all fatalities in the first quarter of 2024, according to the security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). The data indicates that the remaining regions were relatively peaceful, suffering less than 8 per cent of all fatalities. Interestingly, militant organisations claimed responsibility for less than 20 per cent of the total casualties attributed to terrorism in the first quarter of 2024.

One killed, 14 injured in Balochistan bomb blast, says Pak police

At least one person was killed and 14 others injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan's restive province of Balochistan, officials said on Saturday. The blast happened in Balochistan's Harnai district after an improvised explosive device exploded when a team from Mari Petroleum Company was conducting a gas exploration survey in the area. Harnai deputy commissioner Javed Domki confirmed the incident and said one person was killed and 14 others were injured. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but ethnic Baloch extremists often target government installations. They blamed the federal government for exploiting the mineral wealth of the province. The latest attack comes on the back of a series of such attacks in the past weeks. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack and ordered authorities to provide all necessary medical support to the injured.

Need to cut our expenditures, take Pak towards self-reliance: PM Shehbaz

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday vowed to transform the country's economic landscape as he said he has shared the broad parameters of a five-year plan with all the ministries, the state media reported. Sharif, who earlier this month took oath as the prime minister for a second time since 2022 amidst staggering economic and security challenges, chaired a Cabinet meeting in which he shared the five-year plan with all the ministries specifying their targets, reported Radio Pakistan. He emphasised that the ministries would have to devise strategies to achieve these targets and the progress would be reviewed regularly. We have to cut our expenditures and take the country towards self-reliance, he said. Expressing determination to uplift various sectors such as agriculture and information technology, Sharif said We have to take the country on the growth trajectory and create employment opportunities. He was confident that the Ministry of Commerce would take the requisit

China joins probe into terror attack that killed its nationals in Pakistan

Measures pertaining to protection of Chinese nationals and overall security were also discussed in the meeting

Meeting with IMF scheduled for Apr 14-15: Pak's Finance Minister Aurangzeb

Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday said the government will hold a meeting with the IMF on April 14 and 15 in Washington to discuss the features of the new bailout programme which the cash-strapped country is seeking, according to a media report. The minister for finance and revenue in the Shehbaz Sharif government, while addressing journalists during his visit to the Pakistan Stock Exchange here, reiterated that the government plans to enter a major programme with the International Monetary Fund which will ensure microeconomic stability, Geo News reported. Aurangzeb said the features of the new programme would be discussed during the meeting, while detailed talks would be held in Pakistan, the report said. Prime Minister Shehbaz on March 21 signalled that the new IMF programme was likely to be continued for three years. Shehbaz, while addressing a session of the Special Investment Facilitation Council's apex committee attended by civil-military leadership, sa

Six Pakistan high court judges allege intelligence agencies' interference

In an unprecedented move, six judges of the Islamabad High Court sought intervention by the Supreme Judicial Council against the alleged interference in the working of the judiciary by Pakistan's powerful intelligence agencies. A letter signed by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges demanded the SJC initiate a judicial convention against such interference in judicial affairs. The six judges who signed the March 25 dated letter include Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz. The letter also advocated adopting a stance to ensure the judiciary's independence through the convention. The SJC is the highest body authorised to take action against judges of high and supreme courts. We are writing to seek guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with regard to the duty of a judge to report and respond to actions on part of members of the execut

Former Pak PM Imran Khan demands probe in May 9 violence, Feb 8 polls

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan once again on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the May 9 violence and the February 8 elections, urging Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to hear the petitions filed by his party on the two issues. Khan, 71, while speaking to journalists after attending a court hearing in the 190 million pound corruption case, said the establishment was using the May 9 violence following his arrest in a corruption case as a pretext to dismantle his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan claimed that the plot to dismantle his party was hatched in London by the now-ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and urged Chief Justice Isa to set up a judicial commission to probe the matter, Dawn News reported. Khan's supporters resorted to violence, burning civil and military installations following his arrest by the National Corruption Bureau (NCB) outside the Islamabad High Court premised in a corruption case. The May 9 violence, also

Suicide bomber kills 5 Chinese nationals in Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Suicide bomber rams explosive-laden vehicle into convoy carrying Chinese engineers

Pakistan court orders to produce Imran Khan and his wife on April 4

Imran Khan has been booked in two cases at Loohi Bheer and Sahala police stations during the party's long march in Islamabad. Judicial Magistrate Ayesha Kundi acquitted him in both cases

Pakistan set to launch second phase of repatriation of documented Afghans

Even as confusion prevails about the exact number of undocumented Afghans sent back from Pakistan to their country, preparations are afoot to launch the second phase of repatriation aimed at nearly one million documented' Afghans, a media report said on Monday. The Interior Ministry had already issued directives to district authorities and police to expedite the mapping, and collecting data of the whereabouts of the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and given March 25, Monday, as the deadline to complete the exercise, the Dawn newspaper reported quoting documents it had accessed and an official privy to the developments. Pakistan launched the first round of repatriation of what it called undocumented aliens in November last year. No date has yet been announced, but the official said the campaign to repatriate hundreds of thousands of ACC holders could begin in early to mid-summer, following approval from the federal government. We have already started the mapping process, Abid Maje

Pak to 'seriously' consider restoring trade ties with India: FM Ishaq Dar

Pakistan will seriously consider restoring trade ties with India that remained suspended since August 2019, Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar has said, indicating a potential shift in diplomatic stance towards the neighbouring nation. Dar made these remarks during a press conference in London following his participation in the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, Geo News reported. He highlighted the eagerness of cash-strapped Pakistan's business community to resume trade activities with India. Pakistani businessmen want trade with India to resume, the foreign minister said on Saturday. Pakistan will consider restoring trade ties with India, he said. We will seriously look into matters of trade with India, Dar was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune newspaper. His remarks indicated a potential shift in diplomatic stance towards India. Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the spe

Imran's party loses seats it won to Sharif's coalition after recounting

This was evident as they first lost reserved seats and subsequently conceded several other seats to opponents during the recounting process

EAM Jaishankar dismisses China's claims on Arunachal Pradesh as 'ludicrous'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday dismissed China's repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as "ludicrous" and asserted that the frontier state was a "natural part of India". In probably his first public comments on China's frequent claims on Arunachal Pradesh and its opposition to Indian leaders visiting the state, Jaishankar said it was not a new issue. "This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today," he said in response to a question on the Arunachal issue after delivering a lecture at the prestigious NUS Institute of South Asian Studies here. He emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh was a "natural part of India." "So, I think we've been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place," he said. Jaishankar's comments came days after the Ministry of External Affairs dismiss

Pakistan to bid for non-permanent seat on UN Security Council for 2025-26

Pakistan has formally launched its bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term from 2025 to 2026, a media report said on Saturday with a promise to contribute meaningfully" to the council's mandate for international peace and security. Pakistan's Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Munir Akram formally announced the cash-strapped country's candidacy at a reception organised in connection with Pakistan Day celebrations at the UN on Thursday, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Seeking support from the international community for Pakistan's UNSC bid, Ambassador Akram expressed confidence in Pakistan's ability to "contribute meaningfully to the UNSC's mandate for international peace and security". The reception, which was held at the Pakistani Mission to the UN in New York, was attended by UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Dennis Francis, top diplomats from the UN permanent missions and others, the report said. The envoy emphasi

Pakistan needs another IMF bailout, says PM Sharif amid economic woes

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the review for issuance of the last tranche of USD 1.1 billion which hopefully be received by next month