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Saturday, 14 June, 2025 I 17 Zilhaj, 1446
Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 336 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
IRAN LAUNCHES HUNDREDS OF BALLISTIC MISSILES AT ISRAEL IN RETALIATION FOR AIRSTRIKES
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MAYHEM AS 86 KILLED, 341 INJURED IN ISRAELI STRIKES ON IRAN
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TOP THREE IRANIAN MILITARY OFFICIALS KILLED IN ISRAELI ATTACKS; 6 NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS DEAD, DOZENS INJURED
pakistan condemns ‘unjustified, illegitimate’ israeli aggression against iran ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
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TEL AVIV
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XPLOSIONS were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded on Friday night across Israel following what the country’s military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched as part of “Operation True Promise 3”, in retaliation for Israel’s biggest ever attacks on Iran, blasting Iran’s huge underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiping out its top military commanders. Iranian state media said the country’s forces downed two Israeli fighter jets and detained one pilot. “At least two Israeli fighter jets were shot down in Iranian skies,” the official IRNA news agency reported, without elaborating. At least 15 people have been wounded in central Israel, including one with moderate injuries, Al Jazeera reported, citing Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Iranian media declared that Tehran’s response to Israel had “officially begun,” marking a sharp escalation in regional tensions. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they carried out attacks against dozens of targets in Israel in retaliation for the latter’s biggest attacks ever against Iran. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected calls on Tehran to show restraint following Israel’s large-scale
deadly attack on the Islamic republic. Araghchi “rejected calls for Iran to show restraint in the face of Israeli aggression” in call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement. Iranaian senior official told Reuters that nowhere in Israel will be safe, adding that the country’s revenge will be painful. Air raid sirens blared across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Friday as Israel’s military confirmed the launch of multiple missiles from Iran. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) instructed civilians to seek shelter immediately and remain there until further notice. Loud explosions were heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with AFP and Reuters correspondents reporting booms consistent with missile interceptions. Iran’s state media confirmed that hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in response to recent Israeli strikes. An Israeli military spokesperson said the country was actively intercepting the incoming threats and emphasized that Israel could defend itself without foreign assistance. A televised briefing by the spokesperson was abruptly cut short, reportedly due to an incoming missile targeting central Israel. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that the country’s armed forces would respond “with all might” to Israeli attacks that killed several senior commanders, nuclear scientists and
Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned the “unjustified and illegitimate” aggression by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, reaffirming that it stood in resolute solidarity with the government and the people of Iran. “The Israeli military strikes violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran and clearly contravene the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law. Iran has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement. He said that Pakistan stood in “resolute solidarity” with the people of Iran and unequivocally denounced these blatant provocations, which constituted a grave danger and a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the entire region and beyond, with serious implications. The spokesperson said that the international community and the United Nations had the responsibility to uphold international law, stop this aggression immediately, and hold the aggressor accountable for its actions. civilians across multiple Iranian cities. Mayhem as 86 killed, 341 injured in Israeli strikes on Iran At least 86 people were killed and 341 others injured in large-scale Israeli airstrikes that targeted Iranian soil on Friday, according to Fars news agency. In the capital Tehran, 78 people lost their lives, and 329 others sustained injuries. Separately, at least eight people were killed and 12 others injured in Israeli strikes that targeted Tabriz in northwest Iran. Israel launched a large-scale attack early Friday, deploying around 200 air-
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami and other military and civilian figures have been assassinated in Israeli strikes in Tehran. It also reported the assassination of Mohammad-Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist and president of the Islamic Azad University, and Fereydoun Abbasi, also a nuclear scientist and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, were also assassinated in separate strikes. Besides, Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters Major General Gholamali Rashid was assassinated in the Israeli strikes. In a statement issued from the presidency, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the Israeli military strikes on Iran, terming them a “blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” “The Israeli military strikes are a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran and amount to total disregard of the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law,” he said. craft to target Iran’s nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities. Several senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists were killed in the strikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “targeted” military operation will continue as long as necessary. Iran has vowed “severe punishment,” and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social he had given Iran “chance after chance to make a deal” and urged it to make one now “before it is too late.”
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Dar reiterates commitment to strengthening Pak-UAE economic ties ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday reiterated Pakistan’s firm commitment to strengthening Pak-UAE economic and trade relations. DPM Ishaq Dar was speaking at a high-level meeting held to review preparations for the upcoming 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi, a statement from the Foreign Office said. According to the FO statement, the 12th session of PakUAE JMC is being held after a hiatus of 13 years as it was originally scheduled in October 2024. The 11th session was held in Islamabad from 6-7 November 2013. “Dar chaired a high-level meeting that discussed advancing key bilateral initiatives, formalizing collaboration in existing sectors, exploring new avenues for cooperation, and attracting mutually beneficial UAE investments in priority areas,” the FO statement said. The meeting was attended by federal secretaries of economic affairs, commerce, maritime affairs, interior, inter-provincial coordination, national heritage, and health, along with senior officials from relevant ministries and departments, and special assistant Tariq Bajwa. The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, is home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, and is the second-largest source of remittances to the South Asian country after Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Faisal Tirmizi earlier this year said that the bilateral trade between Pakistan and the UAE exceeded US$10.9 billion in the fiscal year 2023–24, including goods and services. The envoy also disclosed that remittances from the Pakistani community in the UAE reached $6.7 billion in 2024. He noted that during the period July 2024 to January 2025, goods trade rose by 21.63%, with Pakistan’s exports growing by 7.53%, indicating sustained momentum in economic engagement. According to Ambassador Tirmizi, goods trade in 2023–24 reached $8.41 billion, with Pakistan’s exports rising by 41.06% to $2.08 billion, while imports from the UAE declined by 14.45% to $6.33 billion, resulting in a 28.28% reduction in the trade deficit.
iMF rejects pakistan’s refinery upgrade proposals, halting $6b investment plans g
FUND’S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS STALLS EFFORTS TO PRODUCE CLEANER EURO-V FUELS PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan’s efforts to upgrade its oil refineries and produce cleaner Euro-V standard fuels have suffered a major setback, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rejected the government’s proposals aimed at facilitating $6 billion in refinery upgrade projects, The News reported, citing official sources from the Petroleum Division. The government’s proposals, part of the Finance Bill for FY26, sought to address the
issue of sales tax exemption on petroleum products, which had made the upgrade projects financially unviable. The sales tax exemption, introduced in the Finance Bill for FY25, caused a loss of Rs34 billion to refineries and oil marketing companies in the previous fiscal year. The IMF’s refusal has effectively halted the planned investments, frustrating top government officials, including Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Parvaiz Malik. The minister escalated the matter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging
immediate intervention. Minister Malik had previously stated that the delay in receiving the IMF’s response meant that the government could not address the sales tax exemption issue in the budget for FY26. Following the IMF’s rejection of the proposals, the government is now seeking alternative solutions. The proposed changes included restoring the zero-rated status for petroleum products and imposing a 10% sales tax to make the upgrade projects financially viable. However, the IMF rejected the restora-
tion of the zero-rated status and argued that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) lacked the capacity to assess whether the imported plants, machinery, or spare parts for the upgrade projects were new or old. While the IMF did agree to impose a 10% sales tax on motor spirit and highspeed diesel, which would have an impact of Rs25 per litre, it has urged the government to propose new solutions for the refinery upgrades. Despite the setback, some refineries are in talks with lenders to secure investment
for the upgrade projects. However, these lenders are awaiting clarity on the budget for FY26, as the government has failed to resolve the sales tax exemption issue. Earlier, on May 20, 2025, managing directors and CEOs of Pakistan’s leading refineries met with the petroleum and finance ministers, urging them to address the sales tax exemption in the upcoming budget to ensure no changes in tax policy for the next seven years. This, they argued, was crucial for the initiation of the $6 billion upgrade projects.