Page 5 - Pakistan

Pak court grants Imran Khan bail in 8 terrorism cases, one civil case

Pakistani court here granted protective bail to the former prime minister on Friday in eight terrorism cases and a civil case after he appeared before the court

Foreign airlines' $290 million stuck in cash-strapped Pakistan: Report

The global airline industry body has warned that debt-ridden Pakistan has become very challenging for foreign air carriers as USD 290 million of funds were stuck in the country as of January, a media report has said. Pakistan, currently in the throes of a major economic crisis, is grappling with high external debt, a weak local currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves. Analysts believe the country is at risk of default. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said USD 290 million of funds were stuck in the country as of January this year, up nearly a third since December last year, according to the Financial Times newspaper report on Thursday. Pakistan is holding the second-largest amount of foreign currency from airlines globally, after only Nigeria. Airlines are facing long delays before they are able to repatriate their funds, Philip Goh, the IATA's Asia-Pacific head was quoted as saying in the report. Some airlines still have funds stuck in Pakistan from sa

Imran Khan ready to talk to anyone for country's sake as PM calls again

Imran Khan, the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, struck a conciliatory tone on Thursday, declaring that he was willing to talk to anyone

IMF wants friendly nations to give funds to cash-strapped Pak before deal

This has led to a delay in concluding talks with the IMF for the program, Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told the upper house of parliament on Thursday

No compromise on Nuke program, says Pak's Finance Minister amid cash crunch

Amid the hike in prices of commodities and cash crunch, Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar asserted that they won't compromise on the nuclear and missile programmes, Dawn reported

BJP putting Opposition leaders in jail is similar to Pak does: Mehbooba

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said like the ruling party in Pakistan is trying to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan, the BJP-led central government here is misusing central agencies to put opposition leaders in jail. Speaking at the party headquarters here, the former chief minister said she is concerned about the difficulties being faced by people in the aftermath of the revocation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories in August 2019. "Nothing new is happening in Pakistan...

Vengeful politics, weary friends prevent IMF from $7 bn dole to Pakistan

Pakistani media is reporting that the IMF agreement with Pakistan, which has been on the verge of materialising for the past many days, is not happening simply because of political instability

Pakistan: Cyberbullying, digital violence worsens pains of working women

There is no denying that women and girls are some of the worst impacted by digital violence worldwide, particularly in South Asia.

Pakistan facing perfect storm of crises, says Foreign Minister Bilawal

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the country is facing a perfect storm of crises as it battles worsening political, economic and security issues

China's Sunwalk Group intends to invest $2 bn in Pakistan telecom sector

The company started deployment and invested about USD 5 million and has the plan to deploy 5,000 km OFC as the next step, according to Business Recorder

Court forces police to retreat in battle to arrest Imran Khan

The current volatile political situation in Pakistan has become a factor in delaying a much-needed deal with the Washington-based IMF that may stabilise the cash-strapped country's economy

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India invites Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for SCO meeting

India has invited Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to attend the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to be held in New Delhi in April, according to a media report on Wednesday. India currently holds the presidency of the SCO, which comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As President of the SCO, India is set to host a series of meetings. Diplomatic sources told The Express Tribune newspaper that the Indian government shared the formal invitation with the Pakistan Foreign Office on Tuesday. There was no immediate confirmation from New Delhi on the Pakistani media report. India earlier invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, as well as shared an invitation for the meeting of foreign ministers of SCO, the report said. The chief justice, however, skipped the meeting of the SCO chief justices and instead Justice Muneeb Akhtar attended the meeting through a video link recently, it said. The forei

South Asia gets back to reality

The crises in Sri Lanka and Pakistan raise questions about the relevance and costs of reliance on the alternative financial system provided by China's Belt and Road Initiative

Gilgit-Baltistan force being used to attack police in Zaman Park: Pak govt

The minister accused the PTI chairman of using women and children as human shields outside Zaman Park during the clashes, the Pakistani daily reported

2 killed, 8 injured in bomb explosion in Pakistan's Khuzdar district

He added that a heavy contingent of police had reached the site, and an investigation into the incident was underway

Volatile political situation in Pakistan delaying IMF deal: Report

The current volatile political situation in Pakistan has become a factor in delaying a much-needed deal with the Washington-based IMF that may stabilise the cash-strapped country's economy, according to a media report on Wednesday. Pakistan's economy is in dire straits. The country is awaiting a much-needed USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical if Pakistan is to avoid defaulting on external debt obligations. Quoting diplomatic sources, the Dawn newspaper reported that global lenders, particularly the IMF, are seeking assurances from Pakistan that the future political setup in the country will respect any deal they sign with Islamabad. Pakistan and the IMF have been negotiating the resumption of an installed USD 7 billion IMF programme for months but have yet to reach an agreement. Last week, Finance Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh

Army will not be available for election duty: Pakistan govt tells EC

The Pakistan Army considers security of borders as its first priority and will not be available for poll duty in the upcoming provincial elections due to the "current situation" in the country, the defence ministry has informed the election commission. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) held back-to-back meetings with top Punjab officials and the secretary and additional secretary of the federal defence ministry to discuss security for the elections. Elections in the Punjab province of Pakistan are scheduled to be held on April 30, while in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the governor has proposed to hold elections in the province on May 28. Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Hamood Uz Zaman Khan led a team of his ministry in a meeting chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said in a press statement on Tuesday that the defence secretary along with Additional Secretary Maj Gen Khurram Sarfraz Khan briefed the CEC

Pak Rangers join police teams in fresh attempt to arrest ex-PM Imran Khan

A heavy contingent of Punjab Rangers joined the police personnel near Imran Khan's Zaman Park residence here on Wednesday to launch a fresh attempt at arresting the ousted Pakistani premier for failing to appear in court on graft charges. Lahore's Zaman Park area has turned into a battleground after Khan's defiant supporters engaged in pitched battles with police personnel on Tuesday to stop them from arresting their leader, resulting in injuries to dozens of policemen.

My arrest part of London plan, says Imran; accuses govt of planning arrest

In a video message, Imran said, "This is part of the London plan and an agreement has been signed there to put Imran in jail, make the PTI fall and finish all cases against Nawaz Sharif"