In partnership with
IndIan state-sponsored terrorIsm takIng place agaInst pakIstan sInce Its InceptIon: dg Ispr
Profit
Saturday, 24 May, 2025 I 26 Ziquad, 1446
g
g
LT-GEN CHAUDHRY SAYS ATTACK IN BALOCHISTAN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ‘BALOCH IDENTITY, RATHER IT WAS JUST INDIA’S PROVOCATION’ MILITARY CARRIED OUT MORE THAN 93,000 OPERATIONS ACROSS PAKISTAN IN ONE AND A HALF YEARS: LT-GEN CHAUDHRY
I
g
g
Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 317 I 8 Pages I Karachi Edition
WE ARE GOING TO TELL THE WORLD … THAT INDIA IS THE EPICENTRE OF DESTABILIZATION AND TERRORISM IN THIS REGION: DG ISPR VEHEMENTLY CRITICISES BALOCH YAKJEHTI COMMITTEE AND ITS LEADER, SAYING THE MEDIA NEEDED TO ‘UNMASK’ THE GROUP AND ITS MEMBERSHIP
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
NTER-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday reiterated that “Indian state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan” was taking place since inception of the country and it was also responsible for Khuzdar school bus attack, saying the attack in Balochistan had nothing to do with the “Baloch identity, rather it was just India’s provocation.” DG ISPR Lt Gen Chaudhry was addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside the Interior Secretary, Captain (retd) Khurram Muhammad Agha. The DG ISPR maintained that New Delhi had been involved in perpetrating terrorism across the country “since the inception of Pakistan.” On Wednesday, at least six people, including three students, were martyred while over 40 others — mostly students — were injured when “an explosives-laden” vehicle targeted a school bus near Zero Point in Khuzdar on the Quetta-Karachi highway when it was transporting students at the Army Public School in Khuzdar Cantonment. On Thursday, the military top brass, dur-
ing the 270th Corps Commander Conference (CCC), had also pointed out India’s involvement in the incident, vowing that the armed forces will prevent the country’s peace from being compromised by “externally-sponsored terrorism.” Lt-Gen Chaudhry highlighted that the attack on the Chinese envoy in Karachi in Oct 2024 also had Indian backing. “The Indian social media accounts affiliated with the Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis
Us hails ceasefire, urges lasting peace between India and pakistan WASHINGTON
STAFF REPORT
The United States has expressed optimism that the recent de-escalation between Pakistan and India could pave the way for a long-term resolution of their longstanding disputes, saying American involvement played a key role in averting a full-scale war. During a daily press briefing, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said it was “heartening” that the U.S. helped facilitate a ceasefire following the nearoutbreak of war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. “We know how close it came to a full-scale war erupting,” Bruce said, referring to the latest conflict. “What’s very exciting and heartening is that America’s involvement and assistance made a difference in stopping that escalation.” She was responding to a question about the implications of the recent India-Pakistan conflict for US-India relations. Bruce noted that while the ceasefire was welcome, the global community remains concerned about the unresolved nature of the underlying issues. “There has been a generational concern about violence and terrorism in that region, particularly regarding India and Pakistan. What the world hopes for is a long-term resolution to these problems,” she added. The remarks come in the aftermath of a major flare-up in April, when India launched “Operation Sindoor” following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead. India’s operation, which targeted alleged militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, prompted a forceful Pakistani retaliation. Islamabad responded with a barrage of missile strikes on at least 26 military installations across India, causing significant damage and raising fears of uncontrolled escalation.
Wing) posted about the attack beforehand.” He added that the same thing happened during the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train in March when more than 400 passengers were taken hostage by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army terrorists. “Before the Jaffer Express incident occurred, they [the social media accounts] were asking followers to ‘keep an eye on Pakistan today and tomorrow’.” Lt Gen Chaudhry pointed out that the Indian media
g
g
CAPT (RETD) AGHA SAYS INITIAL FINDINGS CONFIRMED SCHOOL BUS ATTACK WAS A CONTINUATION OF INDIAN-SPONSORED VIOLENCE
DECLARES, ‘THIS WAS NOT AN ATTACK ON A BUS ALONE, RATHER AN ATTACK ON OUR VALUES, OUR EDUCATION, AND THE VERY FABRIC OF SOCIETY’
was “celebrating” the attack in Khuzdar. “These are all Indian accounts, affiliated with RAW and posting for BLA and Fitnah al Hindustan, he said, referring to the government-designated term for all terror outfits in Balochistan. “What kind of a country celebrates acts of terrorism?” Indian involvement in terrorism ‘since inception of Pakistan’ “In 2009, the Pakistani government handed a dossier containing irrefutable evidence of India’s involvement in terror attacks across Pakistan to the Indian prime minister,” he said. “The publicly disclosed documents released in 2010 are part of history. In 2016, the world saw another ugly face of India-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan in the form of Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer,” he said. Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, in a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan’s Mashkel area for his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. “Then in 2020, a dossier full of evidence was presented to the United Nations. Very recently, the international media has seen confessions and acknowledgement of multiple surrendered terrorists of this Fitnah al
PM Shehbaz Sharif to visit four key allies for regional diplomacy from May 25-30 ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will embark on a high-level diplomatic tour from May 25 to 30, visiting Iran, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan to strengthen regional cooperation and express gratitude for support during Pakistan’s recent standoff with India, the Foreign Office announced Friday. The first leg of the tour will take him to Tehran on an official invitation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. During the visit, PM Shehbaz will hold important meetings with President Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, focusing on bilateral ties, border security, trade, and evolving regional tensions. Diplomatic sources indicate that Iran’s leadership will also brief the Pakistani side on ongoing Iran–US nuclear negotiations — a matter of significant geopolitical concern. In return, PM Shehbaz is expected to thank Tehran for its diplomatic role during the recent Pakistan-India escalation, particularly acknowledging Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi’s mediation efforts. Following his stop in Iran, the
premier will visit Türkiye and Azerbaijan, where high-level discussions will be held with respective heads of state. PM Shehbaz is expected to reaffirm Islamabad’s appreciation for their vocal support during the India-Pakistan conflict and explore broader strategic and economic cooperation. The final stop of the tour will be in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where PM Shehbaz will attend the International Conference on Glaciers from May 29-30. The event will also provide a platform to discuss climate resilience and regional environmental collaboration. The Foreign Office emphasized that the tour will include
“wide-ranging discussions” on bilateral ties and regional peacebuilding. It will also reinforce Islamabad’s message of gratitude to its allies for standing by Pakistan during the recent military escalation with India, which ended in a US-brokered ceasefire earlier this month. Meanwhile, in a parallel diplomatic effort, PM Shehbaz has formed a special delegation led by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to visit key global capitals — London, Washington, Paris, and Brussels — to counter India’s disinformation campaign and highlight its alleged destabilizing actions in the region.
Hindustan,” he said. Interior Secretary Agha also said that India was behind the terrorist incident in Khuzdar on May 21. “In the aftermath of the despicable terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar in the early morning of May 21, this cowardly attack targeted innocent children, our future, resulting in the tragic loss of six children and injuries to 35 others. “Let me be unequivocal that this was not an attack on a bus alone, it was an attack on our values, our education, and the very fabric of our society,” Capt (retd) Agha said. “On behalf of the government of Pakistan, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, we share their grief and we stand by them in this hour of immense suffering. The Ministry of Interior, in close cooperation with the provincial authorities and the law enforcement agencies, is looking into all [aspects] of this dastardly attack.” Capt (retd) Agha said initial findings confirmed that this attack was a continuation of a broader pattern of violence sponsored by India through Fitnah al Hindustan, operating under the tutelage and intelligence of the Indian intelligence agency, RAW Research and Analysis Wing.
ImF confirms pakistan met all targets under extended Fund Facility
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that Pakistan met all the required targets under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF), leading to the successful completion of the programme’s first review and the disbursement of the agreed funding tranche. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack, speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, said that Pakistan’s performance was reviewed by the Fund’s Executive Board, which determined that the country was on track and had made adequate progress on reforms. Kozack clarified that all IMF disbursements under the EFF are credited directly to the State Bank of Pakistan and are not transferred to the federal government for budgetary expenditures. She underscored that the financing provided by the IMF is solely intended to resolve balance of payments problems and is subject to strict safeguards and conditionalities. These include requirements such as maintaining a zero ceiling on central bank lending to the government and specific targets for increasing foreign exchange reserves. According to Kozack, these safeguards are standard for IMF programmes and are transparently laid out in the official programme documents. Pakistan’s current EFF arrangement was approved in September 2024, replacing the nine-month Stand-by Arrangement that had concluded earlier that year. The new programme, reportedly worth $7 billion, was designed to provide medium-term support for Pakistan’s fragile external sector while pushing forward structural reforms. The first review of this programme had been scheduled for early 2025. On March 25, 2025, Pakistan and IMF staff reached a staff-level agreement, which was subsequently approved by the Executive Board on May 9.
PM directs budget clean-up: committees formed to cut costs, review subsidies g
MINISTRIES ASKED TO WIND UP REDUNDANT BODIES AND FINALISE PSDP, SAP ALLOCATIONS AHEAD OF JUNE 2 BUDGET PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Days before the federal budget, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed ministries to identify redundant government organisations for closure and to resolve outstanding issues related to power sector subsidies. These instructions come as part of efforts to streamline public spending and finalise key budget components ahead of the 2024–25 fiscal year. According to government sources, the prime minister, after a detailed briefing on the budget, constituted around half a dozen committees to address unresolved matters. These include the winding up of unnecessary institutions, review of subsidies, and finalisation of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The directives were issued 10 days prior to the budget’s scheduled pres-
entation in the National Assembly on June 2 by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The PM has asked all ministries to review the “pink book” — a budget document listing development schemes — and identify dysfunctional or obsolete organisations for dissolution by May 24. This exercise is part of a broader cost-cutting agenda which previously saw the cabinet committee on rightsizing conduct a five-phase review with limited success. A federal rightsizing committee is now reevaluating the role of state-owned enterprises, with a deadline of December 2025 to complete its recommendations. Officials said that nearly 40,000 posts have already been abolished or declared dying positions. Of these, 11,558 — or 29% — were grade-1 posts such as peons, sweepers, and gardeners. Abolishing these positions is expected to save Rs36.3 billion annually, with Rs7 billion of the savings
linked to grade-1 reductions. The PM has also asked the Finance Minister to submit a summary of key budget initiatives that will shape the narrative of the budget speech. The government’s media wing and finance ministry have been tasked with crafting a favourable public messaging campaign around the budget. In parallel, the Planning and Finance ministries have been asked to hold consultative sessions with line ministries to review proposed projects for 2025–26. The review must be completed by Friday, with the aim of including only those development projects in the PSDP that can be fully funded given tight fiscal space. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to chair a meeting to finalise the PSDP. Disagreements persist over the proposed Rs921 billion PSDP size, which the Planning Ministry and coalition partners
deem insufficient. Another unresolved issue involves discretionary funding under the parliamentarians’ Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme (SAP). Although Rs50 billion was originally allocated for this year, actual spending is expected to exceed this figure. For 2025–26, pressure is mounting to increase the allocation. At the 45th steering committee meeting of the SAP, chaired by Ishaq Dar on Thursday, it was decided that unallocated funds would be surrendered, though only Rs2 billion remains unspent. Dar emphasised the need to involve local communities in development planning and ensure alignment with SDGs. The PM has also urged the Finance and Power ministries to finalise the quantum of power sector subsidies. Despite a meeting between the two ministries on Thursday, no resolution was reached. The government
has set aside Rs1.04 trillion — roughly 0.8% of GDP — for power subsidies in the next fiscal year, but the Power Division is seeking an additional Rs180 billion, citing expected revenue from the petroleum levy. Shehbaz Sharif had earlier increased the levy by Rs10 per litre to help reduce electricity prices by Rs1.71 per unit. Instructions were also issued for the Petroleum Division to resolve input tax adjustment issues affecting refineries, in coordination with the Finance and Revenue divisions, by Saturday. Meanwhile, the final stages of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund are expected to conclude today. Officials described the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as the main sticking point in the talks, with IMF staff reportedly questioning the reliability of FBR commitments made during staff-level negotiations in March.