Category: Featured

Pakistan receives $3.4bn remittances in October

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ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Friday that Pakistan received remittances worth $3.4 billion in October 2025, marking an increase of 12% year-on-year and 7% month-on-month. In a statement, the central bank said that the cumulative inflow during July-October FY26 reached $13 billion, up 9.3% from $11.9 billion recorded in the same period last year. Remittances in October were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($820.9 million), the United Arab Emirates ($697.7 million), the United Kingdom ($487.7 million), and the United States ($290 million), the SBP added. Prime…

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Bilawal lends ‘support’ to select 27th Amendment proposals

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Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday voiced his party’s support for select proposals for the 27th Constitutional Amendment, particularly those relating to the establishment of the Constitutional Court. In a press conference after the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, Bilawal said: “We agree to three things: amending Article 243, constitutional court, and the government having authority to transfer judges.” However, he mentioned that his party had a condition for the transfer of judges that the government should not have complete authority to transfer judges unilaterally. “We…

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JUI-F chief says Article 243 tweak unacceptable ‘if it undermines democracy’

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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday said his party would not accept any amendment to Article 243 that “might undermine democracy”. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said: “No draft of the proposed 27th Amendment has been made public so far, so we cannot comment on it at this stage.” Maulana Fazl added that the government had withdrawn 35 clauses during the 26th Constitutional Amendment, and including any of these in the 27th Amendment would amount to disrespecting the Constitution. He emphasised that the 18th…

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Deadlock continues between PPP, PML-N on 27th Amendment

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The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed to bridge differences on the 27th Constitutional Amendment as the Bilawal Bhutto-led party opposed several contentious clauses. During the second day of its Central Executive Committee meeting, the PPP reiterated its opposition to most provisions of the draft amendment, agreeing only to the proposed changes in Article 243, which concerns appointments in the armed forces. Following PPP’s stance, the government postponed today’s federal cabinet meeting, initially scheduled to approve the draft. A day earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal…

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Pakistan slams India over ‘unilateral’ suspension of IWT

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Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations on Friday criticised India for unilaterally suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), urging the international community to prevent New Delhi from “weaponising” shared natural resources. India held the IWT — which split the Indus and its tributaries between the two countries and regulated water sharing — in abeyance in April after 26 civilians were killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). New Delhi blamed Pakistan without providing concrete evidence, a charge Islamabad denies. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Pakistan’s UN…

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Pakistan shares ‘evidence-backed demands’ to mediators during Istanbul talks

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In a move aimed at curbing cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan, Pakistan has handed over its “justified and logical” evidence-backed demands to mediators, Turkiye and Qatar, during ongoing talks with the Afghan Taliban regime in Istanbul. “Yesterday our talks with the Afghan Taliban regime commenced in Istanbul with the presence and participation of mediators,” FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad. He said the Pakistani delegation handed over evidence-based, justified, and logical demands to the mediators with the singular aim to put an end to cross-border…

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Calls for Urgent Climate Action to Keep 1.5°C Goal Alive

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By Shakeel Ahmed UN Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing the Belém Climate Summit, warned that exceeding the 1.5°C global warming limit by the early 2030s is unavoidable and called it a “moral failure.” He cautioned that even a brief overshoot could cause irreversible damage to ecosystems, threaten peace, and endanger billions. Guterres urged immediate global action to limit the overshoot’s impact by peaking emissions now, phasing out fossil fuels, cutting methane, and protecting forests and oceans. He emphasized achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and investing in adaptation and resilience. Highlighting the…

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Trump says lost ‘sovereignty’ in New York after Mamdani win

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Miami: President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States had lost “sovereignty” after New Yorkers elected leftist Zohran Mamdani as their next mayor. “We’ll take care of it,” Trump said without explaining what he meant, while claiming the country’s largest city would become communist. In a speech in Miami a day after Mamdani’s convincing victory, Trump added that the Florida city “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York.” “The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear: We have a choice between communism…

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Putin says Russia considers resuming nuclear tests after Trump comments

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MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would consider resuming nuclear tests if the United States did so, convening a security council meeting after US President Donald Trump’s comments on testing. The statement marks the latest episode of nuclear sabre-rattling between the world’s two largest atomic powers, after Putin and Trump failed to find ways to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Putin ordered Russia’s defence and foreign ministries, as well as security services, to “gather information on this topic” and make “proposals on the possible start of preparation works…

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Trump admin revokes 80,000 non-immigrant visas

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WASHINGTON: A senior State Department official confirmed on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked around 80,000 non-immigrant visas since its inauguration on January 20 for offenses ranging from driving under the influence to assault and theft. The extent of the revocations, first reported by Washington Examiner, reflects a broad immigration crackdown initiated when Trump came into office, deporting an unprecedented number of migrants including some who held valid visas. The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.…

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