‘Climate finance a fundamental right’

LAHORE: The Second Asia Energy Transition Summit opened on Saturday at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with extensive regional and international participation. Jointly organised by the LUMS Energy Institute (LEI), the Alliance for Climate Justice and Clean Energy (ACJCE) and the Pakistan Renewable Energy Coalition (PREC), the summit brought together senior government representatives, foreign diplomats, global climate leaders, development institutions, researchers and civil society networks from across Asia, Europe and the Pacific to examine the shifting political, financial and technological landscape of Asia’s clean-energy transition. Delivering the inaugural…

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Pakistan to fiberise 10m homes

KARACHI: Pakistan, long criticised for inadequate public service delivery, now sees a rare opportunity to leap into modern governance through technology. But its race towards a digitally enabled future depends on whether it can overcome deep connectivity gaps, high infrastructure costs, and sluggish fibre-to-the-home penetration, as the government rolls out an ambitious National Fiberisation Plan aimed at delivering high-speed broadband to 10 million households by 2029. While the initiative promises 100 Mbps fixed internet for every user and aims to elevate the country into the top 50 global speed rankings,…

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Govt asks State Bank to address SME credit crisis

ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to resolve the credit crisis being faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as they need financing to sustain their operations as well as give a fresh push to their businesses. Representatives from the medium-sized enterprises have called for a shift from the normal tax regime to the fixed tax system, citing the need for a simpler and more predictable taxation framework. Expressing dismay at taxation and high energy costs, the SMEs argue that they have no easy…

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Govt underscores commitment to crypto regulation in talks with Binance chief

The government has reiterated its commitment to building a transparent and secure regulatory framework for digital assets, as senior officials held a high-level meeting with Binance leadership, including its Global CEO Richard Teng, during his visit to Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir were also present in the meeting. The meeting was briefed on Pakistan’s emerging virtual asset ecosystem. Bilal Bin Saqib, Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), also participated and outlined the authority’s recent progress and ongoing initiatives. Read: Pakistan ranks…

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PERA Force personnel to wear bodycams

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that there will be zero tolerance for bribery, misconduct or abuse in the Punjab Enforcement and Regulator Authority (PERA) Force and ordered that all its field operations will now be recorded through bodycams. Chairing a meeting to review the performance, monitoring system and reforms for PERA Force, she said installation of the cams should be completed as soon as possible to ensure transparency and accountability. She said training sessions would be launched to strengthen the force, while approving a proposal to…

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Military calls Imran’s narrative ‘threat to national security’

ISLAMABAD: The chief military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday assailed incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, calling him a “threat to national security” and warning that no one would be allowed to incite public against the armed forces. Khan’s “anti-army” rhetoric has crossed the limits of politics and now poses a direct threat to the nation’s security, the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said at a news conference in Rawalpindi. He added that the military has deemed necessary to confront the “creeping national security threat.” “Who…

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PM Shehbaz praises Punjab development projects, says PML-N set for ‘historic results’ in next polls

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for launching a series of public-oriented mega projects across the province, expressing confidence that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would achieve “historic results” in the next general election. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new mass transport system on Saturday, the prime minister said the recent election results in Punjab reflected public trust in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership. “In the next three years, the incumbent government of PML-N has the mandate to serve the people,” he said,…

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From National Hope to National Threat: Imran Khan, PTI’s Self-Created Storm, and the Point of No Return After the DG ISPR’s Explosive Briefing

By Tahir Masood (Rafa’el) Foreign Correspondent – Europe Daily Capital Mail Imran Khan’s political journey has turned into one of the most dramatic cautionary tales in Pakistan’s history – a leader who once enjoyed unprecedented love and legitimacy now publicly branded as a “security threat.” The latest DG ISPR press conference has officially drawn a sharp red line: Imran Khan is no longer being treated as a political opponent but as a destabilising force, a man whose words and actions allegedly undermine state security. This escalation did not begin suddenly; it…

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Government to address auto industry concerns over used vehicle imports

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan has assured the auto industry that the government is fully aware of its concerns over the import of used vehicles. He said that, on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, new legislation and regulatory frameworks would be introduced to address those issues comprehensively. “Only those used vehicles that meet safety and environmental standards will be allowed to enter Pakistan,” he emphasised. The PM aide held a meeting with a delegation of the auto industry to…

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