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Wednesday, 10 December, 2025 | 18 Jamadiul Sani, 1447
Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 155 | 8 Pages | Islamabad Edition
PAKISTAN, INDONESIA AGREE TO BOOST BILATERAL TRADE, EXPAND COOPERATION IN HEALTH, IT, EDUCATION
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PM SHEHBAZ HAILS ‘EXTREMELY PRODUCTIVE, GRATIFYING’ TALKS WITH INDONESIAN PRESIDENT
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PREMIER HIGHLIGHTS RELATIONS PREDATE PAKISTAN’S INDEPENDENCE, RECALLING QUAID E-AZAM BACKED INDONESIA’S INDEPENDENCE
BOTH LEADERS REAFFIRM BOOSTING BILATERAL TRADE STANDS AT $4.5 BILLION, WITH CORRECTIVE MEASURES TO BALANCE EXPORTS AND IMPORTS
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AGREE TO COORDINATE ON REGIONAL ISSUES, INCLUDING PALESTINE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
PRESIDENT SUBIANTO CONFERRED NISHAN-I-PAKISTAN BY PRESIDENT ZARDARI FOR FOSTERING BILATERAL FRIENDSHIP
AGREEMENTS SIGNED IN CULTURE, IT, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, SCIENCE, AND EDUCATION SECTORS
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Pakistan, Indonesia reaffirm deeper strategic partnership as President Subianto wraps up visit ISLAMABAD
Staff report
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ISLAMABAD
Staff report
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday agreed to enhance bilateral trade, expand cooperation in health, agriculture, Information Technology (IT), science, and education, and deepen coordination on regional and global issues, including Palestine. Describing the engagements as “extremely productive and gratifying,” PM
Shehbaz emphasized the historic and enduring friendship between the two countries, which spans over 75 years. In a joint press briefing at the Prime Minister’s House, PM Shehbaz noted that bilateral trade between Pakistan and Indonesia currently stands at $4.5 billion, with over 90% of it comprising palm oil imports from Indonesia. Both leaders discussed measures to balance trade, including increasing Pakistan’s exports in agriculture, IT-led initiatives, and other sectors.
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Marking a milestone in their long-standing relationship, Pakistan and Indonesia on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to substantially expand political, economic, defence and cultural cooperation as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto concluded his two-day official visit to Islamabad at the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, with both sides pledging a forward-looking partnership aligned with regional stability, economic growth and people-centric development. In a joint statement issued at the end of the visit, both sides said the trip carried special significance, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two brotherly nations.
Bilawal rules out more Constitutional changes, says ‘two amendments are enough’ LAHORE
Staff report
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday firmly opposed any further constitutional amendments, declaring that the 26th and 27th amendments passed earlier this year were sufficient and that “no room” remained for additional changes in the current parliamentary term. Speaking to senior journalists in Lahore, Bilawal stressed that the Constitution was not a document to be altered repeatedly. His remarks come amid intensifying speculation over a proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment, fuelled in part by state-
ments from Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah, who has publicly hinted that the government intends to table the amendment soon. Bilawal’s resistance carries significant political weight. While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) commands a simple majority in the National Assembly with 131 seats, it still depends on the PPP’s support to reach the two-thirds majority — 224 votes — required for any constitutional amendment. The ruling coalition also includes lawmakers from the MQM-P, PML-Q, IPP and several smaller parties, along with independent members, while the opposition holds 89 seats. In the Senate,
the government similarly needs a two-thirds majority — 64 votes — to pass any amendment. The ruling alliance currently controls 61 seats compared to the opposition’s 35. The proposed 28th Amendment is said to focus on education, population management and local government reforms, according to Sanaullah’s earlier statements. ‘Make South Punjab a province first’ Addressing the long-standing debate over new provinces, Bilawal said that before any further proposals were considered, the resolution already passed by the Punjab Assembly for creating a South Punjab province should be implemented.
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Punjab Assembly passes resolution seeking ban on PTI for ‘anti-state’ activities LAHORE
Staff report
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Punjab Assembly adopted a resolution on Tuesday, calling for a ban on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its incarcerated founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, alleging that the party was posing a “threat to the interests of the state.” The move came amid escalating
political tensions following recent remarks by the military’s spokesperson criticising the PTI leadership. Last week, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused Imran Khan of creating and spreading an “anti-army” narrative, dubbing the “PTI founder a mental patient” and asserting that such rhetoric had crossed beyond politics and evolved into a “national security threat.” His remarks triggered a heated
exchange between the government and the opposition. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif defended the ISPR chief, saying Imran had previously used “harsh language” against political rivals and thus had no grounds to object to the military spokesperson’s comments. The PTI, however, strongly rejected the allegations, terming the DG ISPR’s statements “ridiculous” and insisting that Imran was “not a security threat”.
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Police rated Pakistan’s most corrupt department in new TI survey ISLAMABAD
Staff report
An annual survey released by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday has once again ranked the police as the most corrupt government sector in Pakistan, followed by the tender and procurement system and the judiciary. The findings are part of TI’s National Corruption Perception Survey, which gauges public sentiment on governance and corruption across the country. According to TI, 24 per cent of the 4,000 respondents surveyed nationwide — with 1,000 participants from each province — identified the police as the most corrupt institu-
tion. The perception was highest in Punjab at 34 per cent, followed by 22pc in Balochistan, 21pc in Sindh and 20pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Despite retaining its top position, TI noted a “notable improvement” in the public perception of police when compared with the previous year. The tender and procurement sector was viewed as the secondmost corrupt, with 16pc of respondents citing irregularities within it. Balochistan recorded the highest perception of corruption in this category at 23pc, followed by KP at 18pc, Sindh at 14pc and Punjab at 9pc. The judiciary ranked third, with 14pc of participants believing it to
be corrupt, a perception that was strongest in KP at 18pc. The survey found that 66pc of respondents said they did not feel compelled to bribe a public official in 2025. However, dissatisfaction with the government’s anti-corruption efforts remained widespread, with 77pc expressing low satisfaction. Sindh recorded the highest frequency of bribery in accessing public services at 46pc, compared with 39pc in Punjab and 20pc in KP. Overall, 59pc of respondents believed that provincial governments were more corrupt than local governments, a view held most strongly in Punjab.
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President Prabowo held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, met President Asif Ali Zardari, and was also called on by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. President Zardari conferred the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the country’s highest civilian award, on the visiting dignitary in recognition of Indonesia’s longstanding friendship with Pakistan. The leadership of the two countries noted that bilateral ties predate their independence and reaffirmed their resolve to build on this historic foundation by adopting a forwardlooking agenda. Both sides reviewed the full spectrum of relations and agreed to deepen collaboration across political, diplomatic, economic, trade, security, defence, cultural, education, scientific and health sectors.
IHC seeks Justice Jahangiri’s response as degree verification plea proceeds ISLAMABAD
Staff CorreSpondent
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday declared maintainable a petition challenging the academic credentials of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and sought his response within three days, paving the way for a judicial examination of whether he lawfully holds office as a high court judge. The petition, filed by lawyer Mian Daud, questions the authenticity of Justice Jahangiri’s LLB degree and seeks a judicial determination on his eligibility to serve as an IHC judge. The court had earlier reserved its ruling on the plea’s maintainability in July last year. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan announced the decision after hearing arguments from representatives of bar associations and the amicus curiae. During the proceedings, Ahmed Hassan Shah, representing the District Bar Association, argued that the matter should be referred to the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) — the authority responsible for issuing licences to lawyers. He maintained that questions pertaining to a judge’s alleged misconduct fall squarely under Article 209 of the Constitution, which empowers the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to investigate such matters. CJ Dogar, however, noted that the case revolved around the eligibility of a judge, not misconduct, distinguishing it from the domain of the SJC. Still, Shah insisted that Article 209 was the appropriate constitutional route, arguing that Article 199 — under which the petition has been filed — should not be invoked where Article 209 could prevail. He further contended that “judges cannot proceed against one another” and that the high court could not exercise its Article 199 jurisdiction in overlapping or “competing circumstances”.