Page 2 - Pakistanis

Adani Power says committed to supplying electricity to B'desh amid protests

Adani Power's 1,600 megawatt (MW) Godda plant in Jharkhand state is the only one in India under contract to export 100% of its power to a neighbouring country

74% Pakistanis unable to meet expenses, 10% doing two jobs: Report

Survey of Pakistan with roughly 240 mn population, also highlighted that more than half of those who are just managing to cover expenses, are unable to save any money after meeting their basic needs

Who is Asif Merchant: Pak national charged with US assassination plots

Asif Merchant has been charged with murder-for-hire in connection with a foiled assassination plot targeting US politicians or government officials

Pak man with Iran ties charged in plot to assassinate gov officials in US

A 46-year-old Pakistani national with close ties to Iran was on Tuesday charged in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a politician or US government officials on American soil, authorities here said. Asif Raza Merchant was charged in a complaint unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn with murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate a politician or US government officials on its soil. Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any attack could be carried out. Merchant, who has stated that he has a wife and children in Iran and a wife and children in Pakistan, is in federal custody in New York. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that for years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran's brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. US Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said that working on behalf of others ...

Why Pakistan has suspended the passports of 2,000 beggars for 7 years

The Pakistan govt said that begging abroad not only damages Pakistan's reputation but also diminishes the honour of its citizens

Ex-Pakistan PM Abbasi launches new political party 'to change system'

Pakistan's former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday formally launched a new political party with the mission to change the system and restore respect for the Constitution of the country. The main slogan of the Awaam Pakistan Party is: Badlien gaen nizam' (we will change the system) and its membership is open to anyone and everyone who can contribute for the development of the country. Abbasi, 65, served as a prime minister from August 2017 to May 2018 when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court. Abbasi, who belongs to the Murree area of Rawalpindi, which is a famous hill resort, distanced himself from the PML-N due to policy disagreements after 2018 and refused to be part of the government in 2022. He is a businessman, whose family owned the country's AirBlue airline. He entered politics in 1988 when elected as a member of the National Assembly for the first time. He was elected at least six times from the ...

'People want Imran Khan to be kept in jail for 5 yrs for progress of Pak'

Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed concern that the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) release could lead to renewed protests and unrest

Pakistan says United Arab Emirates to invest $10 billion in country

The Pakistani government said Thursday that the United Arab Emirates committed to investing up to $10 billion in Pakistan during a meeting in the UAE capital between that country's president and the Pakistani prime minister. The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made the commitment during a meeting in Abu Dhabi with Sharif, who is visiting the UAE. It provided few details. The statement said Sharif told the UAE president about measures the Pakistani government is taking to encourage foreign investment, and that the UAE president committed to investing $10 billion in various sectors in Pakistan. Sharif also invited the UAE president to visit Pakistan, an offer which he accepted, the statement said.

Are those mimes spying on us? In Pakistan, it's not a strange question

Today, the "golden men" of Islamabad have been added to the ranks of the conspiracy theories sprouted, knocked down and rehashed every day across the city

Lightning, rains kill 49 in Pak, state of emergency declared in southwest

Lightning and heavy rains have killed at least 49 people across Pakistan in the past three days, officials said Monday, as authorities in the country's southwest declared a state of emergency. Some deaths occurred when lightning struck farmers harvesting wheat. Rains caused dozens of houses to collapse in the northwest and in eastern Punjab province. Arfan Kathia, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority, said 21 people had died in Punjab, where more rains were expected this week. Khursheed Anwar, a spokesman for the disaster management authority in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, said 21 people died there. Rain also lashed the capital, Islamabad, and killed seven people in southwestern Baluchistan province. Streets flooded in the northwestern city of Peshawar and in Quetta, the Baluchistan capital. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in televised remarks that he had ordered authorities to provide relief aid. Pakistan's water ...

Pakistan set to repay $1 bn against Eurobond to reduce stock of debt

Pakistan is set to repay a foreign debt worth USD 1 billion against a 10-year Eurobond maturing in the middle of this month which will reduce the stock of the debt acquired through the selling of bonds in international markets to below USD 7 billion. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) told The Express Tribune that it was ready to repay the bond anytime and was waiting to receive instructions to do so from the finance ministry. The move will reduce the stock of the debt acquired through selling Eurobonds and Sukuks (bond-like instruments used in Islamic finance) in international markets to below USD 7 billion. This has enhanced the country's capacity to repay all the upcoming maturing foreign debt on time. Following the repayment of USD 1 billion in April, Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves will experience a decline. However, the anticipated International Monetary Fund (IMF) tranche of USD 1.1 billion, likely to be received by the end of April, is expected to restore the reserves ba

No evidence of Bushra Bibi being poisoned, says personal physician

Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi has not been given any poisonous substance, her personal physician has said following a medical checkup after allegations by the ex-prime minister that the former first lady was poisoned while incarcerated at his private residence which was turned into a sub-jail. On April 2, Khan during the hearing of the 190 million pound Toshakhana corruption case in Adiala jail informed Judge Nasir Javed Rana that there had been an attempt to poison the former first lady and added that she had marks on her skin and tongue as a side effect of the "poisoning". "I know who is behind it," the 71-year-old former prime minister said, without naming anyone. He said that if any harm came to 49-year-old Bushra, the Pakistan Army chief (Gen Asim Munir) should be held responsible as members of an intelligence agency were controlling everything at his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad and Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. At this time, there is no evidence of Bushra Bibi being poisone

About 10 mn people at risk of slipping into poverty in Pakistan: World Bank

The World Bank has painted a grim economic picture of Pakistan in its biannual report, cautioning that over 10 million more people are at risk of descending into poverty in the cash-strapped country. The Washington-based lender's apprehension comes from a sluggish economic growth rate of 1.8 per cent coupled with soaring inflation, a staggering 26 per cent in the current fiscal year. The World Bank's biannual Pakistan Development Outlook report indicated that the country is set to miss almost all major macroeconomic targets. The international lender said the country is anticipated to fall short of its primary budget target, remaining in deficit for three consecutive years, contrary to the International Monetary Fund's stipulations mandating a surplus. Sayed Murtaza Muzaffari, lead author of the report, said despite a board-based yet nascent economic recovery, poverty alleviation efforts remain insufficient. The economic growth is projected to stagnate at a paltry 1.8 per cent whil

Need to cut our expenditures, take Pak towards self-reliance: PM Shehbaz

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday vowed to transform the country's economic landscape as he said he has shared the broad parameters of a five-year plan with all the ministries, the state media reported. Sharif, who earlier this month took oath as the prime minister for a second time since 2022 amidst staggering economic and security challenges, chaired a Cabinet meeting in which he shared the five-year plan with all the ministries specifying their targets, reported Radio Pakistan. He emphasised that the ministries would have to devise strategies to achieve these targets and the progress would be reviewed regularly. We have to cut our expenditures and take the country towards self-reliance, he said. Expressing determination to uplift various sectors such as agriculture and information technology, Sharif said We have to take the country on the growth trajectory and create employment opportunities. He was confident that the Ministry of Commerce would take the requisit

Newly-elected lawmakers of Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly sworn in

Newly-elected lawmakers of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly were sworn in on Wednesday, with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party in poll position to form the provincial government for the third consecutive time. Outgoing Speaker Mushtaq Ghani administered the oath to the 113 provincial lawmakers elected to the Assembly on general seats, Geo News reported. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has a total strength of 145 members, including 10 women and four minorities elected against reserved seats. The allocation of the reserved seats has not been notified as the matter is currently being heard by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Meanwhile, elections were postponed on two general seats in the province due to the candidates' deaths in constituencies.

Talks to form cabinet in Pak's Punjab province under CM Maryam Nawaz begins

Consultations for the formation of a Cabinet in Pakistan's Punjab province under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz have started within the ruling PML-N with her father and party supremo Nawaz Sharif holding talks with allied parties. In the first phase, a 20-member Cabinet is likely to be formed this week, according to a media report on Wednesday. The PML-N leadership also held talks with its allied parties PPP, PML-Q and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), which are also expected to get ministries in the cabinet in the second phase. Maryam, 50, is the first woman chief minister of a province in Pakistan's history. The meeting was chaired by three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who surprisingly nominated his younger brother to be the prime minister when a coalition federal government was formed. Senior PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Rashid and Marriyum Aurangzeb are expected to be accommodated in the provincial cabinet. Sanaullah and Rashid are expected to be inducted as

Pak govt announces Section 144 as assembly set to convene inaugural session

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam have announced plans to stage a protest

Three injured in blast in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Three persons were injured when an explosive device planted on a motorbike detonated in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, police said. The incident occurred at Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan district. The blast originated from a motorbike laden with explosives that was parked in front of a hotel. The explosion resulted in injuries to three passersby in the vicinity, police said, adding that one of the injured persons is in critical condition. Heavy contingents of police rushed to the site and cordoned off the entire area following the blast.

Pak polls: PML-N leaders hold consultations with allies over Balochistan CM

According to Dawn, the former CM expressed contentment with PML-N's performance in the February 8 elections, highlighting the party's victory in 10 provincial and five national seats in the province

PML-N, PPP set to discuss power-sharing deal for coalition govt: Report

A second round of talks between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party is expected to take place on Friday on the power-sharing formula between them for the formation of a coalition government, according to a media report. The Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led PPP has promised to back PML-N in the formation of a government as well as the election of the next prime minister, on the condition that Nawaz Sharif's party will support them in elections to key constitutional offices like that of the President. A scheduled second round of talks between the Contact and Coordination Committees (CCCs) of the PPP and PML-N could not take place on Thursday, as both sides sought more time to assess proposals that came up in their first meeting. The next meeting between the two sides is likely to take place on Friday for clarity on the power-sharing formula, the Dawn newspaper reported. However, given the tough competition between individuals, nominating people to fill those ...