Новости за 06.01.2025

ISLAMABAD: While the global community has been eyeing on Pakistan and Afghanistan, only two countries which have been reporting polio cases, the situation in war-prone Afghanistan is much better than Pakistan.

Last week, the Shehbaz Sharif government launched its ‘homegrown’ National Economic Transformation Plan: Uraan Pakistan. The five-year 2024/29 initiative is long on ambition, heavy on rhetoric and short on strategy, which it plans to employ to pull off the broader goal of making Pakistan a trillion-dollar economy in the next 10 years and a $3tr economy by 2047.

ISLAMABAD: Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have said Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to Kash­miris’ right to self-determination.

The dialogue between PML-N, its coalition allies, and the main opposition party, PTI, has been fortunately initiated at a time when Pakistan is threatened by a surge in global uncertainties while it is still struggling to achieve durable macroeconomic stability.

WASHINGTON: The aftermath of the 2024 elections is intensifying concerns among immigrant communities, particularly Pakistani Americans, as discussions around immigration policy take centre stage in the United States.

ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates expressed keen interest in collaboration with Pakis­tan in the minerals and agriculture sectors during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Rahim Yar Khan on Sunday.

THOUGH electoral transparency and justice are essential for the health of any democracy, the relevant quarters in Pakistan seemingly remain unconvinced of the need to address poll disputes with alacrity. While nearly a year has passed since 2024’s controversial general elections, only 27pc of poll petitions have been decided by election tribunals. Though the process may have picked up pace, the speed at which it is proceeding is still unacceptably slow. By law, petitions have to be decided within 180 days of their filing. Читать дальше...

• Mandates gas disconnections to industrial CPPs by the end of January
• Says captive plants must transition to grid electricity or pay equivalent costs
• Compliance critical for the country to qualify for $1bn tranche in March

THE “hybrid model” for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy next month will hand an unfair advantage to India as it will play all its matches at a single venue, former cricketers have said.

• Marri slams establishment of maritime authority without PPP input, demands CCI meeting
• Minister claims to have met Sindh CM, other PPP leaders to take them on board

Banks in Pakistan get a lot of bad rep for their lack of innovation, but honestly, the criticism is entirely baseless. You just need to look at the last few months of 2024 and how the industry came up with new ways to window-dress its advances-to-deposits (ADR) in a bid to avoid additional taxes from the government. As of August, the ratio stood at a historic low of 38.4 per cent, translating into an almost Rs4 trillion gap in loans to be plugged in four months. But you know, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Читать дальше...

The US President-elect Donald Trump is taking an aggressive foreign policy and trading posture. And the approach is beginning to yield results, not only from Rawalpindi but also from its major trading and political allies. The countries are taking the threats seriously and are scurrying to meet the demands of the incoming US administration.

A lack of sustainable solutions marks the entire energy landscape; whether it is the electricity, gas, or petroleum sector, the story is more or less the same. The circular debt of the gas sector has reached Rs2.89 trillion, including Rs0.81tr interest, according to the energy ministry cited in the print media as of September 2024.

LONDON: Snow and ice forced the grounding of dozens of flights in parts of Europe on Sunday, disrupting the tail end of the busy New Year holiday travel season.

Pakistan is currently grappling with interconnected challenges of rising poverty, growing food insecurity, escalating undernutrition, and increasing ‘hidden hunger’ — deficiencies of essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in diets.

The government projected optimism as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the 13th Five-Year Plan (2024-2029) on New Year’s Eve, joined by all four chief ministers representing the major political parties. While the track record of similar past plans tempers confidence, stakeholders have generally not dismissed it as political posturing and appear willing to support the government in delivering on its promises.

Each year, the National Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) releases the State of Power Industry Report, which outlines key events, technical and financial data, and sector issues. This comprehensive report offers valuable insights for planners and operators within various power-related entities.

LAHORE: A group of 84 Hindu pilgrims arrived in Pakistan from India on Sunday to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at Shadani Darbar in Hayat Pitafi, Sindh.