Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while expressing its unwavering solidarity with the aspirations of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and has decided not to participate in the upcoming elections under the prevailing circumstances Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf while expressing its unwavering solidarity with the aspirations of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, their right to self-determination, and their democratic rights, has decided not to participate in the elections under the prevailing circumstances This is not a political strategy but a principled stance and an expression of solidarity with the Kashmiri people," said a statement issued by the party's central media cell
The statement asserted that it was not a political strategy but a principled stance adopted by the Party and and an expression of solidarity with the Kashmiri people
"Azad Kashmir is currently passing through a severe crisis
Thousands of citizens are sitting in protests in Rawalakot and various other areas to press their legitimate demands Several precious lives have been lost as a result of the use of state force by the government The supply of essential commodities from Punjab to Azad Kashmir has also been completely stopped
A JK S upreme Cour t defers ECP plea against PTI's provisional registration – hails record Rs12.957tr FBR haul, sets sights on Rs15tr revenue target
MUZAFFARABAD
T Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday hailed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for achieving a recordbreaking tax collection of Rs12 957 trillion in fiscal year 2025-26 describing the milestone as a major step forward in Pakistan s economic recovery and the outcome of sustained reforms, digitisation and institutional teamwork, while setting a new revenue target of over Rs15 trillion for the current fiscal year Chairing a meeting with senior FBR officers at the Prime Minister s Office the prime minister congratulated the officers individually and the entire FBR workforce collectively for surpassing the historic revenue collection target during the last fiscal year according to a news release PM Shehbaz said the timely disbursement of nearly Rs600 billion in tax refunds during the fiscal year had provided much-needed relief to the business community while supporting export growth
with US and Iranian negotiating teams in Doha, where "positive progress" was achieved on various components of the 14-point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding
The parties agreed to continue negotiations with the next round expected to be scheduled at the earliest opportunity following the funeral ceremonies of Iran s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The diplomatic engagements come as efforts intensify to consolidate the fragile ceasefire reached after months of conflict between the United States and Iran US Vice President JD Vance said discussions with Iran were progressing well following indirect technical talks in Doha which focused on maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and other key issues
"It's
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on Thursday deferred hearing the Election Commission s application seeking interim relief against a high court order directing the provisional registration of Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) as a political party A full bench comprising Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Justice Raza Ali Khan and Justice Khalid Yousaf Chaudhary ruled that the commission's application for ex parte ad interim relief would be heard together with its petition for leave to appeal (PLA) after the appeal completes the scrutiny process in the court's registry The decision means the legal challenge to PTI's provisional registration will remain pending as the region heads towards the general elections scheduled for July 27
causing immense hardship to the people Instead of pushing the Kashmiri people further into political instability in such circumstances, an immediate and just solution to their problems should be found," the statement said The statement added that the PTI believed that the current measures
The controversy stems from the AJK High Court s June 23 order, which directed the Election Commission to provisionally register PTI as a political party while effectively suspending the commission s May 16 decision rejecting the party s registration application Challenging the high court's ruling, the Election Commission approached the Supreme Court through a petition for leave to appeal and simultaneously filed an application under Order VI Rules 1 and 2 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1978, seeking immediate interim relief pending adjudication of the appeal
were undermining the constitutional democratic and political identity of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and are creating an environment that is erasing the fundamental distinction between Azad Kashmir and occupied Jammu and Kashmir This approach is also detrimental to Pakistan’s historical Kashmir policy it added
FOREIGN INVESTORS SPEND RS15B ON CORPORATE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILIT Y PROJECTS IN PAKISTAN
India
tells WhatsApp to halt usernames rollout, justify feature or face ac tion
Referring to the US-Iran conflict, Andrabi said Pakistan had “stepped up its diplomatic engagement with key regional and international stakeholders as well as the principal interlocutors to facilitate earnest followup and implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two sides on June 18
Under the 14-point agreement, Washington and Tehran committed to a framework aimed at ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and negotiating key outstanding issues within 60 days of the signing
Andrabi said “positive progress” had been made on various aspects of the Islamabad MoU during the latest round of US-Iran talks held in Doha on Tuesday which continued into Wednesday morning
He reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to play a facilitative and mediatory role in the negotiation process along with our Qatari partners”
The spokesperson also recalled that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had continued high-level consultations in recent days through telephone conversations with several foreign counterparts WAT E R 'N O T
N'
Addressing another issue, Andrabi strongly rejected what he described as India’s attempt to treat the Indus river system as a “strategic asset that can be controlled”
He said Pakistan rejected India s attempt to invoke baseless allegations of terrorism as a pretext for placing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and obstructing the lawful flow of Pakistan s share of the waters
Let this be very clear: the real issue is not terrorism
The real issue is the growing disposition within the Indian leadership to treat a shared international river system as a strategic asset that can be controlled withheld or diverted at will he said This mindset of unilateral appropriation is fundamentally incompatible with the letter and spirit of not just international law but also the Indus Waters Treaty, Andrabi added
Describing water as “not a tool of coercion or political pressure” he warned that any attempt to deny Pakistan its legitimate share of the Indus waters would constitute a clear violation of India s international legal
obligations and undermine its credibility and commitment to a treaty-based relationship
He also referred to the “International Seminar on Indus Waters Treaty: An Instrument of Peace and Regional Stability held in Islamabad on Tuesday where participants reaffirmed support for the treaty and rejected the weaponisation of water
According to Andrabi, speakers including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and international scholars called for resolving disputes through legal and diplomatic mechanisms rather than unilateral actions
They warned that any attempt to deprive the country of its shared water would have profound consequences for regional peace and security he said
The FO spokesperson also recalled Dar s remarks that the six-decade-old Indus Waters Treaty could neither be suspended nor terminated under any pretext, describing India's decision to place it in abeyance as “illegal unilateral and without any basis”
Responding to a question on whether the seminar could prevent Pakistan from being converted into barren land , Andrabi replied firmly: No country can do that Not India, not any other country has the power to do that ” Asked about a recent civil society letter urging the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers to revive peace and dialogue Andrabi said private citizens were free to express their views but the government and the Foreign Office neither endorse nor reject such initiatives and had no official comment
On a discrepancy in the lists of prisoners exchanged between Pakistan and India earlier this week, Andrabi said Pakistan’s list of 753 nationals in Indian custody had been “meticulously compiled” and was considered authentic India by contrast had shared a list of 439 prisoners who were Pakistani or believed to be Pakistani He said Pakistan s list included all reported cases of Pakistani nationals detained in India, including those identified through media reports, family notifications and official channels
Responding to questions regarding India s comments on the reported demolition of a gurdwara in Punjab s Farooqabad, Andrabi said the building had long ceased to
NO W the World Bank has plunged into the debate about the NFC Award and the constitutional protection it has showing that the protection given to the provincial share by the Eighteenth Amendment is bothering Pakistan’s creditors The World Bank is even more of an instrument of US economic imperialism that the IMF what with the USA appointing its President as an exercise in patronage , and obedience to the USA s political agenda even more of a precondition of its loans than the IMF It is aligned with the IMF in that its does not engage in budgetary lending unless a country has got approval from the IMF Pakistan has so actively sought IMF programmes because, among other things, they unlock loans from the World Bank for budgetary support Thus the World Bank is also interested in seeing its loans serviced which means that it sees it as appropriate to examine the NFC Award in terms of what it does for Pakistani financial viability
The latest report on fiscal federalism does unearth a disturbing pattern, where the extra resources have not resulted in improved outcomes in education while the extra funds seems to have gone in salaries and pensions In short, even with the Seventh NFC Award, the money needed for devolved subjects was not made available Now that a new NFC is contemplating a new Award, the inevitable question arises: will the funds become available now? Without going into actual figures it is noteworthy that the country is poor, and thus it seems probable that
The brain drain continues
Acould go to the ‘mother country’ but almost never to work Even to study was rare It was possible like Jawaharlal Nehru to attend an English public school (Harrow) and to become a barrister It was also possible to go to England only to become a barrister as was the case with the Quaid-e-Azam Gandhi and Vallabhai Patel At the same time Europeans did not use the colonies to settle their own population surpluses There was some settlement in North America but the USA’s gaining independence ended that There was some attempt at sending white settlers to South Africa the Rhodesias and even Kenya but they never became a major destination for migration On the other hand the UK contributed settlers to Australia and New Zealand At this time the USA and Canada continued to attract migrants from the UK as well as Europe One of the most important inflows to the USA were the Irish who migrated in vast numbers from the 1830s and 1840s because of the Irish Potato Famine caused by the blight which had affected the potato crop By that time the potato had become the country’s staple after it had been introduced by the English from the USA However after World War II things changed and the same change created the migration problem The imperial powers had lost too much manpower to sustain the armies necessary to police their empires That same manpower shortage meant that there was now a need for labourers who had to be imported from what were becoming former colonies They didn’t just import unskilled labour but doctors nurses and teachers to man the schools and hospitals of the postwar welfare states The welfare state’s development after World War II is supposed to have played a part in the rush of migrants with anti-migrant voices claiming that these migrants were misusing the welfare system There was also a racist aspect to anti-migrant sentiment It was also worth noting that Subcontinental migrants popped up all over Europe even in countries which had not been their colonial masters
Anti-immigrant sentiment had a racial component and that component remained within Islamophobia which developed after 9/11 Another parallel development was the relative freedom of movement
that developed after the formation and expansion of the European Union That also played a role in allowing Indian and Pakistani migrants to establish a presence in the rest of Europe It is a truism that natives did not have any appetite for an increasing number of occupations, which got taken over by migrants However, two trends have influenced the dimensions of the issue First, while immigrants were willing to take what jobs they were given, the second generation has got to be more like the natives, in that they too have aspirations, they have attended their educational institutions, and they are more adept at their culture, their society Second, European populations have peaked, and are predicted to decline, with Italy having experienced that The reasons for that are too numerous to discuss here, and suffice it to say that second-generation migrants are part of that trend
Thus a perfect storm has been created: Europe and Japan now need migration to maintain their populations, and where else are those populations going to come except from the Third World Unfortunately, the migrants bring along baggage: different religions, different cultures, and they are all the wrong race The Third World has not followed the trend of the West and still has a burgeoning population Pakistan is an example, but it too has a growing population, not enough jobs and a governance style which is the opposite of welfare
There seem to be two reasons for the flow of migrants One is of course the lack of opportunity at home Second, there is the feeling that the state does not provide enough protection to citizens, which would be available in the West especially Even those attracted by the Western lifestyle are economic migrants, thus there remains a failure of the first generation to adapt, and of the second generation to be
Healthcare inequalit y in Pakistan
Healing family ties
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MArIA IMrAN
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Russia bombards Kyiv in
one of war's biggest strikes, at least 21 people killed
Biochemistry was
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A G E N C I E S
Preparations were underway at Tehran s Grand Mosalla on Thursday ahead of funeral rites for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with security stepped up around the vast religious complex where his body is due to lie in state from Saturday According to AFP dozens of security personnel were deployed at the main entrance stopping vehicles one by one and requiring passengers to show special permits before entering the site, which has not yet been opened to the public The funeral arrangements were being made during an intense heatwave with workers continuing their tasks as temperatures rose Inside the complex large portraits of the late Iranian leader had been hung on the walls alongside black mourning flags and red banners associated with martyrdom and
in Beijing
biochemistry
and other offices were gutted
the attack "This is a catastrophe for medical and biological science of Ukraine," biologist Yurii Danylovych told Reuters, saying the lab housed rare equipment
vengeance One image showed Khamenei, then serving as president, standing with young fighters during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s Hossein Moghadassi who said he had been working at the site for several days, described the preparations for the ceremony We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide” he stated He was wearing
Trucks were also seen
hat and face
Moghadassi said
Noting that China and Moldova are friendly partners Wang said China cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries, and stands ready to work with Moldova to further cement mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation inject impetus into the growth of bilateral ties and bring benefits to the two peoples Wang said that as a responsible major country China firmly upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter China appreciates Moldova s correct stance on issues involving China's core interests, supports Moldova in pursuing a development path chosen by its own people and suited to its national conditions and welcomes greater participation from Moldova in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation said Wang He called on both sides to expand economic and trade exchanges, enhance cooperation in emerging sectors such as green energy and digital economy, and step up exchanges in education, culture, tourism and exchanges among youth The two sides
CORPORATE CORNER
Ahigh-level delegation from the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan Uzbekistan called on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday to explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, investment, tourism and industry, while both sides agreed to pursue a proposal to declare Lahore and Nukus as sister cities
The two sides also agreed to further strengthen collaboration in trade agriculture, livestock and industry, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister s Office (CMO) Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz warmly welcomed the delegation During the meeting the Uzbek side invited Punjab to participate in the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Karakalpakstan modelled on Punjab s successful framework The delegation comprised Chairman of the Council of Ministers of
Karakalpakstan Ermanov Farkhod and Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Alisher Tukhtaev, the statement said Both sides held detailed discussions on expanding bilateral
of Chinese experts and other foreign nationals
Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Kareem on Thursday ordered a comprehensive review and further strengthening of security arrangements for Chinese experts, foreign nationals and diplomatic missions across the province, while directing authorities to intensify the repatriation drive against illegally residing foreign nationals including Afghan nationals amid an assessment of the overall law and order situation
Chairing a high-level meeting at the Central Police Office (CPO), the IGP directed that security be further enhanced at Chinese and other foreign consulates as well as at the residences and workplaces
He stressed that the existing security protocol should be reviewed in consultation with police officers the Special Branch the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other security agencies to make it more effective, according to a statement issued by the Central Police Office on Thursday “Security arrangements during the movement of Chinese experts and other foreign nationals should be further strengthened to ensure their complete protection, Abdul Kareem said
The meeting reviewed in detail security arrangements for Chinese experts and other foreign nationals the repatriation process of illegally residing foreign na-
Nadeem Khan appointed as CEO PTCL
KARACHI STAFF REPORT The Board of Directors of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) today announced a major leadership transition as the company marks the successful completion of the amalgamation of Telenor Pakistan into Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML), operating as Ufone 5G The Board of Directors appointed Nadeem Khan, previously working as Group Chief Financial Officer of PTCL and Ufone, as CEO of PTCL, effective immediately for a period of 14 days Nadeem Khan is a Chartered Accountant with over two decades of association with the PTCL Group He joined Ufone as Chief Financial Officer in 2003, a role he held for a decade, before a brief stint on the Board of U Microfinance Bank Limited He was appointed at the PTCL Group in 2017 as Group Chief Financial Officer going on to oversee the Group’s financial strategy through a period of major transformation including the Telenor Pakistan acquisition He currently serves as a Member of the Accounting Standards Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan Hatem Bamatraf, serving as President and CEO of PTCL & Ufone for the past 5 years has stepped down from his role at PTCL to take on the position of CEO of Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML) The leadership transition ensures continuity across both PTCL and PTML as each organization moves into its next phase of growth
tionals, including Afghan nationals, and the overall law and order situation across Punjab AIG Operations Zahid Nawaz Marwat gave a comprehensive briefing on the relevant matters
The IGP also directed that the campaign for the repatriation of all illegally residing foreign nationals and migrants, including Afghan nationals, be accelerated
He instructed the Special Branch CTD and other security and intelligence agencies to ensure the timely identification of illegally residing foreign nationals through intelligence-based information He further ordered that intelligencebased search sweep and combing operations continue across the province including in inter-provincial border areas
PIA launches direct Lahore-Manchester flights: Spokesperson
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has launched its inaugural non-stop flight from Lahore to Manchester Flight PK709 departed today from Lahore marking the commencement of direct air services between the two cities A simple yet dignified inauguration ceremony was held at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore A cake-cutting ceremony was organized to commemorate the occasion, and PIA Chief Operating Officer Khurram Mushtaq bid farewell to the passengers before departure Passengers welcomed the restoration of direct air connectivity between Lahore and Manchester describing it as a significant development for the Pakistani community residing in the United Kingdom They expressed confidence that the resumption of direct flights would further strengthen people-to-people ties between Pakistan and the UK The inaugural flight departed with 325 passengers on board Earlier, the first direct flight from Manchester to
'REFORM BEGINS WITH HONEST Y': CJP PUSHES PRISON OVERHAUL AS SC CLEARS DEATH APPEAL BACKLOG
PTI's slams government over poor economy, governance and par t y crackdown
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
Secretary General Salman Akram
Raja on Thursday launched a sharp critique of the federal government alleging worsening economic conditions, administrative failures and continued political victimisation of the party s leadership
Addressing a press conference alongside PTI Lahore President Mian Usman Akram Raja said his recent visit to Kahna in NA-123 the constituency of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had highlighted the hardships faced by ordinary citizens and exposed what he described as serious governance failures
Referring to the recent collapse of the roof of a private tuition centre that claimed the lives of 14 children Raja said the tragedy underscored systemic shortcomings that had deprived underprivileged families of safe educational facilities and quality public services The tragic loss of 14 young lives in their pursuit of education reflects the harsh reality of the existing system, he said, adding that PTI, under the
leadership of its founder Imran Khan, would continue to raise the voice of disadvantaged communities both inside and outside Parliament
Describing conditions in the prime minister s constituency Raja claimed that residents were struggling with deteriorating civic infrastructure, including damaged roads and inadequate public facilities
"This is the reality of a constituency represented by the prime minister himself he said alleging that the prevailing governance model had failed to address the basic needs of the people
The PTI secretary general said that despite the presentation of five federal budgets by the incumbent government the country continued to face rising economic hardship and declining living standards
He maintained that PTI viewed itself not merely as a political party but as a social movement committed to standing with citizens facing financial and social challenges
Citing what he described as findings of a World Bank report Raja alleged that questions had been raised over federal government expenditure and claimed that
appointments had been made in departments that were expected to be abolished under administrative reforms
He further argued that the objectives of reducing the size of the federal government following the 18th Constitutional Amendment had not been achieved
Expressing concern over the education sector, Raja claimed that nearly 40 per cent of Pakistan's children remained out of school while many enrolled students continued to lack access to quality education
He said PTI would continue expanding its public outreach and political activities despite what he described as state pressure and restrictions on the party
Commenting on the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja alleged that residents were facing hardships, including internet shutdowns and restrictions, while also claiming that several people had lost their lives during recent developments
The PTI leader also reiterated the party s position that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were being held in what he termed politically motivated and unlawful cases
in Attock Khushab Sargodha and Sheikhupura districts during the last 24 hours The seriously injured persons were shifted to nearby hospitals after being given immediate medical aid Ahmed said Earlier this week the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast the first organised monsoon spell of the season from July 1 to July 6, warning of heavy rainfall, localised flash floods and urban flooding across large parts of the country following successive years of devastating monsoon disasters
Pakistan’s four major oil refineries have opposed a government proposal to retrospectively reduce deemed duty on high-speed diesel (HSD) warning that such a move would penalise the industry for delays they say were caused by the government’s failure to implement the refinery upgradation policy The News reported In a joint representation submitted to the secretary Petroleum Division, after a June 23 meeting chaired by the minister for energy (Petroleum Division), the chief executives of Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) National Refinery Limited (NRL) Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) and Cnergyico PK Limited (CPL) opposed any reduction in HSD tariff protection from 7 5% to 5 0% The refineries also opposed retrospective recovery of the 2 5% deemed duty arguing that they had completed all obligations required under the Pakistan Oil Refining Policy for Upgradation of Existing/Brownfield Refineries 2023 within the prescribed timelines
According to the representation, implementation of the policy stalled because the Petroleum Division did not arrange the signing of the Upgrade Agreements within the required period
The refineries said the proposed adjustment was being considered despite the fact that the delay did not result from any unwillingness, omission or default on their part
They argued that the Finance Act 2024 later altered the fiscal assumptions on which the refinery upgradation policy had been approved by converting motor spirit, HSD, kerosene and light diesel oil from taxable supplies into exempt supplies under the Sales Tax Act 1990
The companies said this change required stakeholders to revisit the implementation mechanism for the refinery policy
The representation cited official correspondence to support the refineries position It said PRL signed its Upgrade Agreement in November 2023
NRL submitted duly initialled Upgrade and Escrow Agreements along with required documents on March 22 2024 ARL submitted two original
Upgrade Agreements and three Escrow Agreements on March 25, 2024, and informed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) that the mandatory Rs1 billion bank guarantee would be provided on the date of signing Cnergyico informed Ogra through a letter dated April 18, 2024, that its Board of Directors had approved both the Upgrade Agreement and Escrow Agreement and that the company was ready to execute the documents It also requested the regulator to announce a signing date
Despite these steps, the refineries said none of them was invited to execute the agreements although they had completed the required formalities within the prescribed timelines
The representation also stated that NRL has already started producing Euro-V, or Pak-V, compliant high-speed diesel
The refineries referred to Ogra s letters dated April 3 and April 4 2024 in which the regulator informed the Petroleum Division that ARL, NRL and PRL were ready to sign the Upgrade Agreements and asked the ministry to coordinate the signing ceremony
