Author: capital

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the State Bank of Pakistan and commercial banks to further simplify and expand credit mechanisms for SMEs, new businesses and small farmers amid terming improved access to finance a top government priority for economic growth and inclusion. He made these remarks while chairing a high-level review meeting on facilitation of loans for SMEs, small farmers here, a Prime Minister’s Office statement said. He emphasized that priority financing should be ensured for service providers to promote innovation in the agriculture sector.

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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly given the go-ahead to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to proceed with negotiations between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), sources said on Wednesday, a significant development in efforts to cool political temperatures. Parliamentary sources said that the government side has agreed to take part in the talks at the speaker’s request. However, discussions will only be held with PTI’s elected representatives, while no engagement is planned with unelected party figures. Despite the government’s readiness, the sources said, no PTI leader…

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Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 fighter jet deal, two Pakistani sources said, deepening military cooperation months after the two nations signed a mutual defence pact last year. The talks underscore how the two allies are moving to operationalise defence cooperation at a time when Pakistan is facing acute financial strain and Saudi Arabia is reshaping its security partnerships to hedge against uncertainty about U.S. commitments in the Middle East. The mutual defence deal was signed following Israel’s…

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will continue to be part of the trilateral mechanism involving Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, saying the forum reflects Islamabad’s positive engagement, but it will maintain its long-standing position on bilateral ties with Kabul, including demands for action against terrorist groups. Speaking at the Foreign Office’s weekly press briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said it was agreed during the Pakistan-China dialogue to maintain the trilateral mechanism. He said Pakistan does not seek a hostile relationship with Afghanistan but expects concrete steps from the Taliban administration. “Pakistan expects…

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