KHYBER: The Torkham border crossing, which has been closed since Feb 21, is expected to reopen soon as Pakistani security officials held a meeting with tribal elders on Tuesday after the Afghan side gave some “positive signals”. Sources told Dawn that the jirga met in the late evening “to take stock of the situation”. The…
Quetta: At the main ticket counter of the Quetta Railway Station, a handwritten notice affixed to the window proclaims it to be the ‘Information Desk for Jaffar Express’. Security at the station is very tight, following news of the seizure of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express in Balochistan’s Bolan district by Baloch separatists. But things are…
THE last few years have seen a slow expansion of social assistance programmes in Pakistan. Among mainstream political parties, the PPP claims to embrace such programmes as a policy measure. In 2008, the PPP-led federal government introduced the first targeted cash transfer programme, the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). In its 2024 election manifesto, the…
• ‘Grid levy’ to witness multiple hikes till Aug 2026 amid bid to discourage use of natural gas• Insiders say Fund unhappy with Discos’ privatisation timeline; agri tax also on its agenda ISLAMABAD: In a major retreat, the government had to immediately notify an increase in gas rates for industrial captive power plants (CPPs) by…
THE State Bank’s decision to pause its monetary easing cycle, after six consecutive cuts of 1,000bps in its key policy interest rate since June to 12pc, in spite of a bigger than expected drop in inflation last month, reflects its efforts to achieve a balance between emerging strains on the economy and the fragile macro…
• PPP chairperson endorses Green Pakistan initiative; urges govt to review project to ensure ‘no harm’ to any federating unit• Proposes smart irrigation and collective farming as alternative solutions ISLAMABAD: A day after President Asif Ali Zardari expressed concerns over a proposed canal project on the Indus River in Punjab, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on…
• Nearly dozen, including security personnel, lose their lives in gun battle with terrorists near Mashkaf Tunnel• Around 104, including women and children, rescued; dozens still held by assailants hiding in the hills• Minister says attackers using civilians as ‘human shields’; president and PM promise no quarter for ‘beastly terrorists’ QUETTA: An unprecedented hostage situation…
LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) on Tuesday temporarily suspended its entire operations from Punjab and Sindh to Balochistan and vice versa, following the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express. PR Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch told Dawn that passenger and freight trains would remain suspended until security and law enforcement agencies notified them that the…
• Nearly dozen, including security personnel, lose their lives in gun battle with terrorists near Mashkaf Tunnel• Around 104, including women and children, rescued; dozens still held by assailants hiding in the hills• Minister says attackers using civilians as ‘human shields’; president and PM promise no quarter for ‘beastly terrorists’ QUETTA: An unprecedented hostage situation…
President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed off a 50% tariff on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum, ratcheting down a threat against a major U.S. trading partner on another day of whiplash for U.S. stocks.