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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Saleem Shahid |Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
QUETTA: The provincial leadership of PPP has strongly condemned the remarks of BNP leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal against their party and expressed support for the Balochistan chief minister. The PPP leaders said their party’s government in the province was determined to utilise all available resources to eliminate terrorism and maintain peace.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Mubarak Zeb Khan |Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
ISLAMABAD: The National Price Monitoring Committee on Thursday showed concerns over the rising trend in perishable products and directed the Ministry of Food Security to develop a price control mechanism for poultry and promote the use of frozen chicken. The committee, which met under the chairmanship of Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, reviewed the prices of essential food commodities. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) representatives briefed the meeting on the recent price trends.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly held one of the briefest sittings on Thursday, which was adjourned without transacting any business. PTI’s Iqbal Afridi pointed out a lack of quorum before Question Hour could even start. The deputy speaker, who was presiding over the session at the time, ordered a count and adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes after finding the House not to be in order.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Iftikhar A. Khan |Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
ISLAMABAD: The Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat successfully implemented 93.21 per cent of its decisions in 2024, marking a notable increase from 85.70pc the previous year. This was disclosed by Wafaqi Mohtasib Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi while informally talking to a group of senior journalists at the secretariat. He said the rest of around 7pc decisions could not be implemented due to litigation and limited funds available with the relevant institutions.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Iftikhar A. Khan |Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
ISLAMABAD: The government will block the passports of Pakistanis deported from other countries over criminal activities, and tighten the process of issuing new travel documents, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Thursday. The move is aimed at deterring Pakistani nationals who travel abroad and commit illegal acts, such as begging. In recent years, hundreds of Pakistanis have been deported, mostly from the Gulf countries, over beggary.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
QUETTA: The road link between Quetta and Karachi, as well as Quetta and Taftan, could not be restored despite the passage of 14 days, as both the highways remain closed due to a protest sit-in staged by the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) demanding the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee chief organizer Dr Mahrang Baloch, along with other female activists.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Shahid Iqbal |Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
KARACHI: Despite a massive cut in the benchmark interest rates, the private sector continued retiring loans as bank advances plunged 52 per cent in the January-March quarter. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) slashed its policy rate by a staggering 1,000bps to 12pc from an unprecedented level of 22pc since June 2024. The SBP data on Thursday showed that the private sector kept returning bank money it borrowed in the second quarter of FY25.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Khaleeq Kiani |Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
ISLAMABAD: The two gas utilities — SNGPL and SSGCL — have sought about 42 and 144 per cent increase in the prescribed gas prices, respectively, to meet their revenue requirements for 2025-26. The prescribed gas prices are revised twice a year under the law following determinations by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on the basis of which the government sets the consumer gas prices for various categories.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
• EU halts retaliatory duties after US reprieve• Wall Street tumbles as tariff risks send investors fleeing WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s steep tariff hike targeting Chinese goods, which took effect on Thursday, brings Washington’s additional rate on many products to 145 per cent, the White House has confirmed. Trump’s 90-day halt in fresh duties for dozens of countries has come into place, a White House order showed.
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2 weeks ago | 
dawn.com | Khurram Abbas |Khurram Husain
KARACHI: The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) improved by $23 million to $10.699 billion during the week ending on April 4, reported the central bank on Thursday. The country’s overall foreign reserves stood at $15.752bn, including $5.053bn held by commercial banks during the week. The SBP reserves are expected to rise by $1bn after the release of the second tranche, already approved by the IMF board. Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2025
