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Field Marshal lauds strategic Foresight oF political leadership during Marka-e-haq Sunday, 25 May, 2025 I 27 Ziquad, 1446
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COAS ACKNOWLEDGES UNWAVERING ROLE OF YOUTH AND MEDIA IN COUNTERING INDIAN DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN
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RAWALPINDI
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GEN MUNIR HOSTS DINNER TO HONOUR POLITICAL LEADERSHIP, STEADFAST COMMITMENT OF ARMED FORCES, AND INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF PEOPLE DURING OPERATION BUNYANUM MARSOOS
STAFF REPORT
HIEF of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday lauded the strategic foresight of the country’s political leadership during Marka-e-Haq that ensured the country’s success in Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos against India, according to the military’s media wing. According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while hosting a dinner, the army chief expressed profound gratitude to the political leadership for their strategic foresight during Marka-e-Haq and lauded the seamless inter-services coordination that ensured operational success in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. Field Marshal Munir also acknowledged the unwavering role of the youth and media in countering the disinformation campaign waged by India, describing them as a “steel wall” against malign propaganda. Earlier this week, the government
promoted Gen. Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his “strategic leadership and decisive role” in defeating India during the military confrontation between the two countries that culminated with a US-mediated ceasefire. Field marshal is the highest rank in armies modeled after the British Army. In Pakistan, it was awarded only once before, to General Mohammad Ayub Khan in 1959. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime
internet services in pakistan ‘fully functional’ amid global X outage, pta clarifies ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally decorated the army chief with the rank of field marshal at a ceremony held at the presidency earlier this week. “The COAS also commended the outstanding contributions of Pakistani scientists, engineers, and diplomats, whose professionalism and resolve proved critical during the conflict,” the press release said. “The dinner was hosted to honor the political leadership, steadfast commitment
of the armed forces, and the indomitable spirit of the people demonstrated during Marka-i-Haq and Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” it added. According to the ISPR, the distinguished participants of the event included President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, the Senate Chairman, the National Assembly Speaker, Federal Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, air and naval staff chiefs, senior leadership of major political parties, high-ranking government officials, and senior officers from the three services. “Participants paid tribute to the sagacious leadership that steered the nation through a defining moment, hailed the courage and sacrifice of the armed forces, and commended the resolute patriotism of the Pakistani people,” it added. “The evening stood as a powerful affirmation of national unity and the collective resolve to advance with renewed strength and cohesion,” the press release said.
13 dead, 92 injured as thunderstorm batters parts of Punjab, twin cities LAHORE/ISLAMABAD SALEEM JADOON
The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) on Saturday clarified that social media platform X is facing a mass global outage, but the country’s internet services “remain fully functional.” “This disruption is similar to the one reported on Thursday, which was resolved by the platform itself,” the telecom watchdog stated in a statement on Saturday. “PTA’s investigation into the matter has confirmed that there are no technical issues at Pakistan’s internet gateways and all other internet services across the country remain fully functional,” the statement claimed. The PTA added that global internet observatory NetBlocks also confirmed that the outages are international and “not related to any country-level internet disruptions or filtering”. The clarification comes after users in Pakistan reported mass disruption on the social media platform, with realtime monitor Downdetector showing a peak of 372 outages at 5:36pm. Over 600 complaints in total were reported on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, X said that it was working to resolve issues with various services that continued for a second day. “We’re still experiencing issues from yesterday’s data center outage. Login and signup services are unavailable for some users, and there may be delays in notifications and premium features,” the engineering department of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s platform said on X. “Our team is working 24/7 to resolve this. Thanks for your patience — updates soon,” it said at 5am PKT. In the early hours of Friday, the platform had said, “X is aware some of our users are experiencing performance issues on the platform today. We are experiencing a data center outage, and the team is actively working to remediate the issue.” With X stating a “data center outage” as a reason for the service disruption, users speculated that a fire at the platform’s data centre in the US state of Oregon’s Hillsboro city was the cause of the issues. A fire broke out on Thursday morning at the data centre leased by X, forcing an extended response from emergency crews, Wired reported, citing multiple sources. The sources required anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the company, it added. According to the report, firefighters arrived at the Hillsboro Technology Park and found a “room with batteries that were deemed to be involved in the fire.”
Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 318 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
At least 13 people died and 92 others were injured as severe windstorm followed by heavy rain and hail battered several parts of Punjab, federal capital and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to the NDMA and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), a powerful weather system brought intense thunderstorms, heavy rain, and hail to parts of the KP and Punjab, including Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Gujranwala, and surrounding regions on Saturday. The weather pattern broke heatwave and significantly dropped the simmering temperatures, it added. The PMD stated that rainfall reached up to 40mm in various
parts of the twin cities, including 10mm in Golra, 29mm near the PMD headquarters, 32mm in Shamsabad, and 6mm in the Kutchery area. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported hail and heavy downpours in several northern areas, including Haripur and Abbottabad, before the storm moved southward towards Islamabad and the twin cities. The PDMA released a report on the damage caused by the storm across the province, which showed that three people died in Lahore, two in Jhelum, one each in Rawalpindi, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Sialkot, Mianwali, Layyah and Jhang. PDMA’s spokesperson Mazhar Hussain informed that the deaths occurred due to the collapse of dilapidated houses and being in unsafe locations. He said that several mud and dilapidated houses were also damaged
due to the storm, adding, “There were incidents of falling trees and damage to solar panels in Lahore.” Cool winds began sweeping through Islamabad by late morning, followed by dense cloud cover that turned day into night around 11 AM and soon after, torrential rain and hail lashed the capital and nearby areas. Residents welcomed the sudden shift in weather as the cool breeze and rain turned parts of the Punjab into a refreshing scene. In light of the continued severe weather, a rain emergency has been officially imposed in Rawalpindi. In Lahore, the storm began around 4PM when dark clouds started gathering over the city. Within minutes, Lahore was engulfed by a fierce dust storm that drastically reduced visibility, forcing drivers to switch on headlights and streetlights to navigate the roads.
planning Minister hints at raising defence budget due to regional security situation LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday hinted at raising the defense budget for the upcoming fiscal year 202526 following the recent escalation with India and New Delhi’s suspension of decade-long water-sharing Indus Water Treaty. The minister was talking with reporters after meeting a delegation at the Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP), led by its Secretary General Engr Ameer Zameer in Lahore. The planning minister declared that the budget had not been delayed due to any pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to friendly nations and the Eidul Azha holidays. “We had very good meetings and negotiations with the IMF and as you’ve seen, they acknowledged our government’s efforts”, the minister asserted, adding the main reason behind the delay in budget was the PM’s five-day visit to friendly countries … and Eid after that. Earlier this month, the minister had announced that the federal budget would be presented on June 2, however, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said yesterday that the budget would be presented on June 10, while the Pakistan Economic Survey would be released a day earlier. “We decided to present the budget after Eid so that we can easily convene a meeting of parliament afterwards,” he added. Iqbal said that the government wants to minimise the burden on the general public, but noted that defence spending would increase to protect Pakistan’s sovereignty. “It is our national duty to provide the armed forces with whatever they need in this budget to bolster their capacity and defend our country in the future,” the minister said. “It has been proven that we have a dangerous neighbour (India) who attacked us in the night, but we gave them a befitting response.” He added that the country must “remain ready to respond if they attack again”. Speaking about Pakistani water security, Iqbal said that the country will fast-track water projects, including the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams. “We are prioritising them so that Pakistani water is secure,” he said. “The PM has sent over a thousand agricultural engineers to China for training, who will complete their training this year and bring about an agricultural Green Revolution 2.0,” he explained. “We aim to develop our own seeds and modernise our dairy and livestock sectors.” Iqbal added that within the budget, funding has been allocated for an internship for engineers. “Thousands of young engineers across the country will be able to receive on-the-job training so that they receive better job opportunities in the market.”
US-based Pakistani doctors arrive for ‘fresh backdoor push’ for Imran’s release ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Some US-based Pakistani doctors and businessmen, previously involved in ‘quiet diplomacy’ regarding Imran Khan, have returned to Pakistan amid fresh efforts to secure relief for the jailed Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) founder. According to media reports, the group, previously visited Islamabad a couple of months back, arrived this week and is presently in Lahore. The reports quoting sources, however, suggested the delegation has not yet managed to secure a meeting with Khan during this visit, nor is it confirmed if any interaction has taken place with any key officials. Next
week is seen as important for their interactions. These visits are understood to be part of ongoing unofficial channels through which PTI sympathisers and diaspora figures are attempting to influence developments with regard to Imran Khan’s legal and political future. According to sources familiar with the matter, progress in such efforts hinges not only on political negotiations but also on the conduct of Imran Khan and PTI’s social media wing and the messaging from the party’s foreign chapters, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. The military establishment has repeatedly stated it would not engage directly with political parties, instead urging political forces to resolve their issues amongst themselves. Still, some PTI leaders
continue to pursue behind-the-scenes contact with key officials, despite public denials of such engagements. The reports quoting sources indicate that Imran Khan and PTI’s persistent criticism of the military leadership through its official social media accounts and affiliated international chapters has been a major stumbling block in any potential reconciliation. Some within PTI’s second-tier leadership privately acknowledge that these aggressive tactics have harmed the party’s prospects, especially efforts aimed at seeking leniency or relief for Khan. There is growing internal recognition that the party must tone down its confrontational posture, particularly on digital platforms, to enable meaningful dialogue and reduce institutional friction.
Govt expected to unveil Rs16.9tr FY26 budget, marking 11% cut in outlay g
LOWER DEBT SERVICING TO DRIVE EXPENDITURE CUTS IN FY26 PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The federal government is expected to present a Rs16.9 trillion budget for fiscal year 2025– 26, down by 10.6% or Rs2 trillion from the Rs18.9 trillion budgeted for FY25, according to a report by Arif Habib Limited (AHL). The cut is primarily driven by a significant decline in debt servicing costs, as the State Bank of Pakistan’s policy rate has halved to 11% from 22% last June, leading to a drop in markup payments to Rs8.5 trillion from Rs9.8 trillion previously budgeted. “The upcoming budget is likely to be more balanced, focusing on fiscal discipline and targeted relief,” said AHL Head of Research Sana Tawfik, while speaking to Business Recorder. AHL forecasts a fiscal deficit of Rs6.2
trillion in FY26, with gross revenues estimated at Rs17.8 trillion. After provincial transfers of Rs8.04 trillion and a provincial surplus of Rs950 billion, net federal revenues are projected to align with these deficit estimates. FBR revenues for FY26 are projected at Rs14.3 trillion, reflecting a modest rise driven by new taxation measures including: n GST on petroleum products at 3% n Income tax on retailers and wholesalers n Withdrawal of tax exemptions for FATA/PATA regions The tax-to-GDP ratio is expected to improve to 11.3%, up from 10.3% in FY25. AHL also estimated the federal PSDP at Rs1.1 trillion and PDL collection at Rs1.4 trillion. On the expenditure side, the government is budgeting current expenditures at
Rs16.2 trillion, thanks to the lower interest burden. However, a dip in non-tax revenue, notably from lower expected SBP profits (Rs1.5 trillion), could strain fiscal space. AHL projects GDP growth at 3.6% in FY26, up from an estimated 2.68% in FY25, with average inflation seen rising to 6.29%. The current account is expected to swing to a $1.5 billion deficit in FY26 from a projected $1.6 billion surplus this year. The report anticipates no tax amnesties, further progress on circular debt resolution, and reforms under the National Fiscal Pact aimed at devolving spending to provinces. Overall, AHL sees the FY26 budget as neutral to positive for economic stability and investor sentiment, with continued alignment to IMF conditions. The government is scheduled to present the budget on June 10.
Budget delayed as govt eyes higher levy, bigger PSDP PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The federal government has pushed the FY26 budget presentation to June 10, over a week later than initially planned, amid ongoing talks with the IMF and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming foreign visit, The Express Tribune reported. The delay is attributed to the PM’s four-nation trip — starting May 25 — and pending decisions on expenditure heads. Sources told The Express Tribune that the government is also weighing a further hike in the petroleum levy beyond
Rs78/litre to finance a larger Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), now proposed at Rs1 trillion. The Annual Plan Coordination Committee meeting, earlier scheduled for May 26 to approve macroeconomic targets and PSDP allocations, has been postponed indefinitely. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Langrial confirmed that virtual discussions with the IMF would continue, focusing on tax targets and related matters. Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal cited Eid holidays and limited post-IMF negotiation time as key reasons for the delay.