Author: i2wtc
Minister for Sports Asim Sharif Bhat sent his resignation directly to Haq to avoid media attention MUZAFFARABAD: Three ministers in the cabinet of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq have announced their resignations, holding the PM responsible for the recent unrest in the region. Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed has already tendered his resignation. The ministersAbdul Majid Khan, Asim Sharif Bhat and Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahimalleged that Haq failed to protect the constitutional rights of the people of the AJK and over 2.5 million Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan. They also asked the PM to step down.…
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb speaks during a Reuters interview at the 2025 annual IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, US, April 25, 2025. Photo: Reuters/ File ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has projected Pakistan’s economic growth between 3.5 and 4 per cent for the current fiscal year despite the severe impact of recent monsoon floods that devastated farmland, displaced over four million people, and killed over 900 across the country. In an interview with Bloomberg, the finance minister said the initial assessments showed damage to the country’s rice and cotton sectors, adding more detailed damage assessments will take place…
Afghan refugees arrive from Pakistan at the border in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on December 3, 2023. PHOTO: AFP ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday decided to ensure expedited and dignified repatriation of Afghan nationals without further extension. The decision was made after a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister on the repatriation of Afghan refugees, where the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to supporting Afghanistan in times of difficulty but noted that continued involvement of Afghan nationals in cross-border terrorism was a matter of grave concern. The prime minister directed all provincial governments and the relevant…
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has proposed amendments to the Code of Conduct for Judges in order to establish an institutional mechanism for responding to “extraneous influence”. The CJP on Friday chaired the 55th meeting of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC), convened at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The committee deliberated on key policy issues, while reviewing implementation status of the decisions taken in its 54th meeting. The chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court and the chief justices of all the high courts were present in the meeting. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor…
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, speaks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Keystone/eda/martial Trezzini | Via ReutersU.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday he expects to meet next week with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Malaysia to try to forestall an escalation of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods that President Donald Trump said was unsustainable. Bessent made the announcement during a White House cabinet meeting and later confirmed plans for a meeting after a call with…
Police officers stand as they use tear gas to disperse supporters of TLP during a solidarity march for Gaza in Lahore on October 10, 2025. Photo: Reuters LAHORE: The Punjab government on Friday reaffirmed its decision to send a summary to the Centre recommending a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and announced stricter action against those spreading hate content online. Titled “Punjab cabinet approves ban on TLP,” a press release was issued to the media – apparently aimed at creating a misleading impression that the government had moved to suspend the operations of the province’s third-largest vote-getting party, even…
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed sending a technical assistance mission to Pakistan to investigate reasons behind a whopping $16.5 billion to $30 billion trade data discrepancy and recommend corrective measures. Sources told The Express Tribune that the IMF offered to send the mission during the recently concluded talks for the second review of the $7 billion bailout package. However, the Pakistani authorities were not receptive to the proposal and have not yet given their consent, the sources added. Authorities argued that they did not need the IMF’s involvement to determine the causes behind the huge discrepancy, saying…
Premier tasks provinces, federal govt with ensuring swift repatriation amid escalating tensions with Kabul Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting on the repatriation of Afghan refugees in Islamabad on Oct 17, 2025. — Photo by Online Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ruled out on Friday any further extension for Afghan refugees “illegally” residing in Pakistan, directing provincial governments and relevant authorities to ensure their “swift and dignified” repatriation. Chairing a high-level meeting on the matter, Shehbaz said Pakistan has “borne the burden long enough” and that “those without valid visas will have to return home”. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif…
A modified Long March-6 carrier rocket carrying a new satellite group blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province on Oct. 17, 2025. The satellite group, which will constitute the Spacesail Constellation — a commercial Chinese low-orbit satellite network, was launched at 3:08 p.m. (Beijing Time) and entered its preset orbit successfully. (Photo by Wang Yapeng/Xinhua)TAIYUAN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) — China sent a new satellite group into space on Friday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province.The satellite group, which will constitute the Spacesail Constellation — a commercial Chinese low-orbit satellite…
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad handed over on Friday more than 30 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers to the police for 14-day physical remand in connection with recent demonstrations by the religio-political party across Punjab. Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain accepted the investigation officer’s (IO) request for 14-day physical remand for identification parade. Read: TLP’s Saad Rizvi ‘shot, injured’, Muridke SHO martyred The detained suspects are accused of damaging public property and violent rioting in different cities across Punjab. TLP crackdown The governments in Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have launched a crackdown against TLP, sealing several of the party’s offices and…