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TCP to push G2G agri, pharma exports

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KARACHI: The federal government has decided to expand government-to-government (G2G) exports of non-traditional Pakistani products to earn foreign exchange. For the first time, a chairman from the private sector has been appointed to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). Following this appointment, the federal government has entrusted TCP with the key task of selling commodities and pharmaceuticals at the global level to boost exports. Speaking to The Express Tribune, TCP Chairman Asim Siddiqui said TCP will now export agricultural commodities and medicines worldwide on a G2G basis. He added that…

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Open bidding for Islamabad Airport

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ISLAMABAD: The federal government has said that following the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the privatisation of Islamabad International Airport has been declared a priority, adding that the process will be carried out through open bidding rather than government-to-government (G2G) arrangements. According to details, during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee chaired by Senator Afnanullah Khan on Friday, the Secretary of the Ministry of Privatisation told the committee during a briefing that the privatisation of Islamabad Airport is the next priority after PIA. He said that Saudi Arabia,…

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Banks open as tax gap hits Rs374b

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ISLAMABAD: As the tax shortfall against the downward revised target widened to Rs374 billion, the central bank on Friday ordered commercial banks to remain open on a holiday in the hope of collecting a few billion rupees more to minimise the yawning gap. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs7.15 trillion till the last working day of the month, falling short of the July-January target by a margin of Rs374 billion, according to provisional results compiled till Friday evening. Compared to the same period last year, the collection was…

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Cabinet questions polymer notes

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ISLAMABAD: Cabinet members have raised questions over the use of polymer substrate banknotes and observed that further analysis was required regarding the possible discontinuation of the Rs10 banknote. The issue was taken up in a recent high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sources said that during the discussion, cabinet members observed that greater diligence was required in relation to the use of polymer substrate banknotes to ensure that the material was fit for human use, especially given the possibility of young children chewing them instinctively. The cabinet members…

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Trump says Iran wants deal, US ‘armada’ larger than in Venezuela raid

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President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal to avoid military action, adding that the United States “armada” near Iran was bigger than the one he dispatched to topple Venezuela’s leader. “We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the Republican president told reporters in the Oval Office. “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”…

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Trump predicts Iran will seek deal

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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump predicted on Friday that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal rather than face American military action, despite Tehran warning that its arsenal of missiles would never be up for discussion. “I can say this, they do want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Asked if he had given Iran a deadline to enter talks on its nuclear and missile programmes, Trump said “yeah, I have”, but refused to say what it was. “We have a large armada, flotilla, call it…

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UN faces ‘imminent financial collapse’

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GENEVA: The UN chief has told member states that the organisation is at risk of “imminent financial collapse,” citing unpaid fees and a budget rule that forces the global body to return unspent money, a letter seen by Reuters on Friday showed. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly spoken about the organisation’s worsening liquidity crisis, but this is his starkest warning yet, which comes as its main contributor, the United States, is retreating from multilateralism on numerous fronts. “The crisis is deepening, threatening programme delivery and risking financial collapse. And…

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Minister Macinka Attends His First Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council

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Press Release Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Petr Macinka took part in a foreign working visit to Brussels on 28–29 January 2026. As part of the programme, he held meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. He subsequently attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and the EU–Morocco Association Council. “At my meeting with the NATO Secretary General, I presented the priorities of the new Czech…

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CM Maryam orders arrests over mother, infant daughter’s deaths in Lahore manhole

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LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday ordered the arrest of a Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) project director, manager, and a consultant over the deaths of a woman and her infant daughter, who fell into an open manhole near Lahore’s Bhatti Gate. Condemning the tragic incident, she directed that the contractor responsible for the site compensate the family of the deceased woman with Rs10 million. The bodies of the 24-year-old woman and her 10-month-old daughter were recovered after an extended rescue operation, officials said earlier on Thursday. According to…

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LHC moved against Azma Bokhari over mother, child manhole deaths

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LAHORE: A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court seeking registration of a criminal case against Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, Lahore deputy commissioner, and other officials for allegedly spreading false information regarding the deaths of a mother and daughter who fell into an open manhole near Bhatti Gate. The petition noted that more than 10,000 manhole covers are stolen in Lahore annually, yet effective preventive measures remain absent. It argued that the police registration of an FIR under Section 322 is inadequate, as the deaths were not…

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