CRISIS
China intensifies mediation efforts, to send special envoy to ME
ISLAMABAD
s ta f f r e p o r t
The federal government on Thursday fi-
nalised a “national action plan” aimed at conserving fuel amid potential disruptions in oil supplies due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East The measures under consideration include distance learning, workfrom-home arrangements, and weekly revision of petroleum prices starting March 8 according to official sources
The plan was formulated during consultations with the provinces at a meeting of the cabinet committee on monitoring petrol prices, set up by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to assess the impact of regional tensions on domestic fuel supplies The action plan will be presented to PM Shehbaz on Friday Subject to his approval and final adjustments it will then be submitted to the federal cabinet s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for formal approval and implementation Back-to-back meetings of the three forums are scheduled Friday reflecting the urgency of the situation Informed sources said the contingency measures were also discussed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) During Thursday s cabinet committee
An official handout said the meeting
meeting chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb federal ministries and provincial representatives highlighted lessons learned from similar conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic The committee noted that, aside from health precautions, most contingency measures including work-from-home distance learning and car-pooling could be revived from next week to save fuel energy foreign exchange and reduce financial pressure on both the federal budget and household budgets Energy Sector Preparedness
GOVT PLANS TO AMEND LAW TO SHIFT TAX POLICY ROLE FROM FBR TO FINANCE MINISTRY
Indus Motor warns Middle East crisis could delay imported parts, squeeze inventories
during the period from 12,749 units a year earlier Gross margins also improved, rising to 15 2 percent in the first half of FY26 from 13 8 percent in the corresponding period last year supported by stable exchange rates and higher sales volumes The company said imported vehicles across the industry
PAKISTAN WEIGHS WEEKLY FUEL PRICE RESETS AS HORMUZ RISK POINTS TO HIKE OF
Power referred to its earlier communication dated February 17, 2026, which highlighted pending sales tax refunds and requested expedited processing to maintain liquidity ahead of the summer demand season The company said the revised interpretation could alter the tax framework governing IPPs and affect the fiscal structure underlying its Power Purchase Agreement signed on April 30 2007 and the Master Agreement dated Feb-
ruary 11 2021 The issue arises from a recent decision by the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue in the case of Lucky Electric Power Company versus Commissioner Inland Revenue (ITA No 1064/KB/2025) The tribunal reinterpreted Clause 132 of Part I of the Second Schedule to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 According to Saif Power the ruling challenges the longstanding tax treatment under which capacity payments received by IPPs were exempt from income tax
Following the decision, the company said it received a notice on February 23 2026 under Section 122(9) of the Income Tax Ordinance for Tax Year 2024, proposing amendments to completed assessments by applying minimum tax on the company’s annual turnover Saif Power said it disagrees with the interpretation and intends to challenge the notices through the relevant legal forums
The company argued that the proposed tax treatment contradicts commitments outlined in its Implementation Agreement of July 13, 2007, and its Power Purchase Agreement which
formed the basis for its investment Under the PPA any reinterpretation or change in the application of tax laws by a public sector entity after the signing of the agreement is considered a Change in Tax In such cases, producers are entitled to relief under Article 14 of the agreement Saif Power noted that if the reinterpretation is implemented any additional tax liability on capacity payments or minimum tax on turnover would qualify as a change in tax event and could be passed through to the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G) The company stated that such a mechanism would mean that additional taxes collected by the Federal Board of Revenue would ultimately be reflected in electricity tariffs, increasing costs for consumers and potentially affecting grid demand It also warned that higher tariffs could add pressure to the power sector s circular debt and undermine recent efforts to stabilise the sector s finances Saif Power has urged the Private Power and Infrastructure Board to engage with the Federal Board of Revenue, CPPA-G and the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) to address the issue
Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia push for ‘maximum restraint ’ amid esc alating Middle East C risis
H M A L AY S I A N P R E M I E R: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed similar concerns during his tele-
phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim The two leaders agreed that restoration of peace and a swift return to normalcy was essential, but this could only be achieved through the exercise of maximum restraint by all parties involved ” the PMO said They also agreed to work together and coordinate their positions on a regular basis to support efforts aimed at restoring stability in the region The prime minister emphasised the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law He urged all sides to demonstrate restraint halt hostilities and resolve their differences through dialogue and diplomatic engagement Prime Minister Shehbaz also briefed the Malaysian premier on the situation in Afghanistan particularly Pakistan s efforts to counter terrorist elements and strengthen regional security Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination on all issues of mutual interest,” the PMO said
TH E Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf ibn Said Al-Malki has assured Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik that Pakistan s oil security would be maintained, and instead of the Straits of Hormuz, Pakistan would be supplied through the Red Sea from the port of Yanbu (probably the newly built King Fahad Industrial Port, which is the largest port on the Red Sea for handling petrochemicals), which is also the home three refineries It would be advisable to have this oil escorted by Pakistan Navy destroyers or frigates Pakistan Navy ships should be safe from attack by both US and Iranian navies, while the Israeli navy would not operate beyond the Mediterranean On the other hand an Iranian frigate was sunk off Galle by a US submarine, which shows that international waters are no longer safe Unescorted, the Iranian Navy might try to enforce the Straits blockade by hitting at oil tankers originating from other ports Pakistan should not assume its oil import woes are over, but the danger of a sudden and complete cut-off is at least partially averted Meanwhile, liquefied natural gas from Qatar has come to a sudden halt in another symptom of the disruption affecting oil and gas markets the world over Pakistan continues to make what diplomatic efforts it can Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to his Egyptian and Turkish counterparts on Wednesday, stressing the need for de-escalation and regional peace With both Hakan Fidan of Turkey and Badr Abdelatty of Egypt Mr Dar conveyed Pakistan’s concern and concerted measures that would lead to a collective action restoring international law and regional peace Meanwhile in a significant development Qatar s PM Sh Muhammad bin Abdul Rehman Al-Thani spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, asking that Iran cease its attacks on Gul states, including Qatar Meanwhile back home political parties received a briefing on the regional situation which includes not just the US-Israel-Iran war, but also Operation Ghazab lil Haq which is being conducted by Pakistan against Afghanistan The parties stressed the need for unity though a notable absentee was the Pakistan Tehrik Insaf which had linked attending with meeting founder Imran Khan Even though told explicitly that attending would create a chance to break the ice the PTI stayed away meaning that the Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of Parliament were absent Unity was therefore not as much visible as the hosts of the briefing would hace liked
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
AS predicted, the USA has attacked Iran The main aim of the USA, removing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been achieved, by killing him However Iran has responded by sending missiles against US bases in the region Though the damage it inflicted did not match what it had itself suffered One of the most notable features of what the USA under President Trump has done is the removal of the head of state The fate of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela is before everyone; he was kidnapped out of his capital Ayatollah Khamenei was not captured but killed That seems more like something on the Israeli wishlist rather than the USA s because it was the USA which is said to have stopped Israel from killing Ayatollah Khamenei during last year s 12-Day War However, this time around, it seems, Trump (as usual) bowed to Israeli wishes He of course seems concerned with a replay of the 1953 CIA coup against then Iranian PM Muhammad Mossadegh That was the last time the USA carried out a regime change in Iran Israel has moved far from being recognized by Iran to seeing it as its main enemy The nuclear weapon that is being developed by Iran could be used against it, while the missile programme is doubly a concern as it can not only provide a delivery system for a nuclear weapon but also be provided to proxies (such as Hamas and Hizbollah) for use with conventional warheads However it is not so much the threat it perceives from its nuclear weapons as that from its sponsorship of these groups that it and the USA resent This is clear from the killing in Iraq of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Maj Gen Qassem Solemaini who as head of the IRGC’s Quds Force was responsible for developing the various forces that made Israel unhappy The killing was carried out by US drones, but the driving force was Israel However, though undoubtedly a high ranking officer, there is a difference between Khamenei and Soleimani Perhaps one manifestation of that was the fact both deaths provoked protests in Pakistan but Khamenei s led to a large number of deaths: at least 19 on Sunday They showed the depth of rage within the Shia community of Pakistan They also put the government in an awkward situation Even as it risked US ire by joining the Gulf Countries in protesting the attacks, it also engaged in killing its citizens all over the country in order to protect US diplomatic missions Protecting those missions is justifiable but the optics are going to cost the government Recent events, starting from last year s confrontation with India, have led Pakistan to try to draw closer to the USA, but this might be a little too much It is one thing for the Gulf monarchies, which are not democracies to place a restraint on their populations and to support the USA even though their people do not like it Another factor is that Pakistan is not under
Iranian attack, which the Gulf countries are because of the US bases they are hosting Pakistan faces the problem that its government depends on elections and killing demonstrators of any stripe is electorally costly but doing so on behalf of the USA is probably going to cost the ruling party within its own base Trump s behaviour, his cavalier disregard was something of which Hitler suspected Roosevelt during World War II and which may have helped him decide to commit suicide rather than surrender: the fear that he would be put in a cage and be jeered at by spectators Certainly Hitler would have been a leading defendant at Nuremberg if he had been brought to trial, just as Hideki Tojo, Japan s wartime PM, was the leading defendant at the Tribunal, but he was never offered any violence down to his execution in December 1948 Hitler too probably have been convicted and executed
However now it seems that that courtesy is not to be extended If the opposing head of state can be taken out, kidnapped, or otherwise deposed, the USA will not even bother with a coup, but will act, presumably safe in the immunity of its own President This is a tacit signal to other heads of government and state None should assume that they will be an exception for Trump has not shown himself to be particularly trustworthy Maybe Khamenei s security was more than that of Maduro s, meaning that no attempt to kidnap him could be made, and he had to be killed
One of
The debt trap of wealthy economies
Unemployment steals futures
Tpotentially giving rise to a form of financial instability deeper and more prolonged than previous crises In this context wealthy nations face a critical moment of reflection: to move beyond short-term political interests and chart an economic course that guarantees stability and growth not only for their own citizens, but for the world as a whole
The writer is a freelance columnist
Teach AI in schools
Dr MuhAMMAD TAyyAb KhAN SINghANvI
The nearness of it all
within structured rules Hadi believed in systems He believed that when laws are interpreted carefully and applied fairly, stability follows At the same time he represented vulnerable clients often without charging them For him the Constitution was not a theoretical text It was a safeguard meant to work in real lives I remember one case that revealed his character more clearly than anything else A young girl was referred to me She had been trapped in a secret nikkah by an older man who already had children He was threatening her telling her his family would never accept her while also refusing to divorce her She felt frightened and cornered I took her to Hadi He listened patiently and decided to take up her matter pro bono without hesitation He did not ask what he would gain from it He simply focused on how to protect her legally and restore her sense of security That girl is still in touch with me She often expresses gratitude for connecting her with a lawyer who was ready to help her when she had nowhere else to turn That is the Hadi I know The charges against Hadi and Imaan relate primarily to online speech and protest related incidents They were prosecuted under provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and other criminal laws In January 2026, a sessions court in Islamabad convicted them in what became known as the tweets case Appeals were filed before the Islamabad High Court In separate matters including cases connected to protests bail was later granted by an anti-terrorism court However their release depends on the
of the primary sentence,
TE H R A N may well
US-Israeli pleas for a ceasefire until the region is transformed Both Trump and Netanyahu find themselves in an extraordinarily vulnerable position They have given their greatest ideological opponent the means and the justification to extract maximum damage from them, as well as ceasefire conditions that would truly make this conflict a turning point in modern history President Trump clearly believed at Netanyahu s encouragement that assassinating Iran s Leader would pressure it to soften its negotiating position on the nuclear file What he did instead was to shatter nearly a decade of Iranian restraint in the face of relentless provocation Trump has rendered both Washington and Tel Aviv more desperate for an end to the war than Iran In addition to retribution for the assassination of the Leader of the Revolution, Tehran is calling in the debts of Trump’s “maximum pressure strategy in full Ever since Trump s withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 Tehran has attempted to limit the rate of escalation, especially following the assassination of Quds Force commander Gen Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and others across various arenas since October 2023’s Al-Aqsa Flood Netanyahu s domestic political interests have been the opposite deliberately prolonging the genocidal onslaught in Gaza, expanding it to the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and from 2024, Iran, when it bombed the Damascus consulate He followed up by assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and much of Lebanese Hezbollah s leadership By June last year, he had attained his life-long goal of drawing Washington directly into hostilities with Iran when it bombed the Natanz Fordow and Isfahan nuclear facilities Now he has obliterated the ultimate red line with the airstrike that martyred Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei As US and Israeli military sources themselves acknowledged, even before the outbreak of war, stockpiles of missile defense munitions were critically low
The 12 days of direct war between Iran and “Israel” last year cut deeply into the regime’s Iron Dome Arrow and David s Sling systems before Washington stepped in to impose a ceasefire Now that Iran and Hezbollah are unleashing their arsenal, the ability of Israel, US forces and GCC states to avoid catastrophic blows is being measured in days rather than weeks The global supply of these munitions has been further strained by shipments sent to Ukraine and will be insufficient to resupply the West Asian theatre well before the end of this week This will critically expose western assets not just in the region but globally for years to come As of just the third day of the war maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is effectively at a standstill In Saudi Arabia, Ras Tanura, the most crucial oil refinery in the world, has sustained impact from drones and halted operations Even without direct hits on regional energy infrastructure GCC oil producers will be forced to halt production within three weeks due to a lack of storage capacity President Trump’s favorite metric of economic performance the stock market is staring down the barrel of an energy shock unseen since 1973 and which may well exceed that crisis The frail state of the US economy combined with the global blowback to its tariff policy, could easily tip into recession or even depression This would be shattering to the petrodollar system as well as the very status of the US Dollar as the global reserve currency
Once Iranian missiles are unimpededly striking vital military and economic targets in Israel daily and inflicting mass casualties on US forces from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea the Islamic Republic will be able to impose extraordinary conditions merely in exchange for a halt to the war It will plausibly be able to demand the unconditional lifting of all Western sanctions, not just against itself, but against Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza It will also be able to dictate the end of Netanyahu s regional escalation spree forcing Israel s withdrawal from Gaza Lebanese and Syrian territories, and re-establishing a balance of terror that ensures an indefinite calm, even if a limited one Alternatively, it could in emulation of Ansar Allah in early 2025 agree a separate ceasefire with Washington leaving them a free hand to continue full-scale bombardment of Israel Assuming the intensity of hostilities doesn t achieve this first, it could also demand the definitive withdrawal of US forces from the Persian Gulf ending America’s hegemony over the region and the world by extension
FE W thinkers have shaped our understanding of political power and historical change as profoundly as Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) The Tunisianborn historian, philosopher and sociologist widely regarded as the father of sociology developed one of the earliest systematic theories explaining the rise and fall of civilizations Writing in the fourteenth century Ibn Khaldun produced his most influential work, The Muqaddimah (1377), a sweeping introduction to history in which he explored how societies form, consolidate authority and eventually weaken At the heart of his theory lies the concept of asabiyyah a form of social solidarity or group cohesion that binds communities together and enables them to overcome adversity As Ibn Khaldun wrote: Group feeling gives protection, makes possible mutual defense and enables the undertaking of collective enterprises For Ibn Khaldun political authority cannot survive without this shared sense of collective purpose Strong solidarity allows tribes, movements or nations to rise rapidly, challenge established powers and establish new political orders Yet success carries the seeds of decline
Over time ruling elites grow distant from the social forces that brought them to power Luxury complacency and internal division weaken solidarity Generations raised in comfort lack the pioneering spirit of their predecessors As ‘asabiyyah fades, the political system loses legitimacy, making decline inevitable These cycles rise consolidation stagnation and collapse have often been used to explain the trajectories of historical empires Today they may also help explain the shifting balance of power in the modern Middle East
ISRAEL: CRISIS OF LEGITIMACY: From an Ibn Khaldunian perspective Israel increasingly appears to be struggling with a profound crisis of legitimacy and cohesion For decades Israel was supported by rooted ideological narratives For many Jewish communities around the world particularly in the United States it was portrayed as a historical miracle: a refuge born from trauma and a symbol of national revival However that narrative is rapidly eroding Younger Jewish communities in the United States and elsewhere are increasingly distancing themselves from Israel s policies particularly in the wake of the devastating war on Gaza and the wider regional escalation The moral legitimacy that once sustained Israel’s international support has been deeply shaken Rather than attempting to restore that legitimacy through stability justice or political compromise Israel has increasingly relied on overwhelming military force The decision to escalate regional war including the devastating assault on Iran may
Did
ultimately prove to be a strategic miscalculation From the perspective of Ibn Khaldun’s theory regimes facing internal legitimacy crises often resort to external confrontation as a means of restoring authority Yet such strategies can accelerate decline if they further weaken the social cohesion necessary for long-term stability Israel’s reliance on war, combined with growing ideological fractures and declining international credibility suggests a political system struggling to renew its founding solidarity
SIGNS OF IMPERIAL DECLINE: The legitimacy crisis is not limited to Israel The United States and the broader Western order are experiencing their own forms of structural decline For much of the twentieth century Western dominance rested on a combination of military power economic influence and ideological appeal Liberal democracy technological progress and economic opportunity formed the pillars of a global order centered around Washington and its allies Today, many of those pillars are eroding Endless wars deepening political polarization and widening economic inequality have weakened the credibility of Western leadership At the international level, the emergence of alternative power centers from China to regional alliances in Asia and the Middle East has further diluted Western dominance
In Ibn Khaldun’s terms the social cohesion that once sustained imperial authority appears increasingly fragmented Empires often fail not simply because of external challenges but because they lose the internal unity and moral clarity that once justified their power
WHY IRAN WAS EXPECTED TO COL-
LAPSE: Against this backdrop the US and Israel appeared to believe that Iran was approaching its own moment of decline When the two allies launched their war on Iran on February 28, their calculations seemed straightforward Iran had experienced years of economic pressure, sanctions and periodic domestic protests Some observers argued that the revolutionary fervor that defined the early years after 1979 had faded If the leadership could be decapitated the logic went the entire political system might collapse Targeting senior figures including the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other prominent figures from the revolutionary generation was meant to create political chaos and accelerate regime change
The assumption was that Iranian society had already lost the cohesion that sustained the Islamic Republic But the opposite occurred
THE WAR THAT RENEWED IRAN’S SO-
that logic Iran now well into its third revolutionary generation might have been expected to weaken Instead, the war appears to have reset the cycle The renewed revolutionary discourse, popular mobilization and revived national solidarity suggest that Iran may be experiencing something closer to a political renewal than a termi-
IBN
CIAL CONTRACT: Rather than collapsing Iran experienced a powerful surge of social solidarity The assassinations and external attacks triggered widespread mobilization across the country Political factions that had previously been divided found themselves confronting a common external threat In many ways, the war revived the revolutionary discourse that had defined the early years of the Islamic Republic Anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist slogans that once dominated Iran’s political culture resurfaced across public life Mass mobilization volunteerism and expressions of national unity began to resemble the atmosphere that followed the 1979 revolution In Ibn Khaldun s framework, this represents the reawakening of asabiyyah a renewed sense of collective identity forged under pressure Ironically the strategy designed to destroy Iran’s
CHINA CHARTS NEW GROWTH PATH AS 'T WO SESSIONS' L AUNCH 15TH FIVE-YEAR
WASHINGTON ag e n c i e S
The ongoing conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran has entered its sixth day, with developments indicating a shift in the nature and geography of the hostilities According to sources what began as a focused campaign targeting Iran s strategic infrastructure has evolved into a broader contest marked by attrition and cumulative pressure Reports suggest that airspace over Iran continues to be dominated by the United States and Israel with both sides still engaged in missile exchanges However, the most notable change in the past 24 hours has been the expansion of the conflict's geographic scope Sources highlight that the most visible sign of this lateral spread occurred not within Iran or Israel but in the South Caucasus region Specifically, two kamikaze drones reportedly struck separate locations at the airport in Nakhchivan an Azerbaijani exclave situated between Iran Armenia and Turkiye Videos circulating on regional channels are said to show the distinctive engines of the drones involved in the attacks This development is seen as indicative
policies and deeper structural reforms are expected to further unlock the country’s development potential
nectivity
the lowest recorded in recent years, with only a fraction of the usual internet traffic available to users The disruption has raised concerns about the impact on daily life commerce and the ability of citizens to access information Reports suggest that the blackout is part of a broader pattern of internet restrictions in the region, particularly during periods
observers who are monitoring the situation closely As the blackout continues there is no clear indication of when normal internet access will be restored in Iran The situation remains fluid with further updates expected as more information becomes available
though
of Ramazan having passed, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has still
to
ate the distribution of its Ramazan
She stated that in contrast the Punjab government has already transferred financial assistance to 3 million families under the Nigehban Ramadan Package and in the coming days the government will achieve its target of reaching 4 million deserving families Azma Bokhari added that under the Nigehban Ramadan Program launched by Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, thousands of people across the province are benefiting daily from Maryam s Dastarkhwan
PHA
where millions are being provided Iftar in a dignified manner She further said that it is unfortunate that the KP government is still at the stage of seeking lists from its Members of the National and Provincial Assemblies According to reports, she claimed, the PTI-led
plans new parks in cities across Punjab
LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t
The Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) is working on a plan to extend the green cover of the province by establishing new parks across Punjab, Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad said on Thursday New parks are being developed in Sargodha Multan Faisalabad and Rawalpindi among other urban centres Separately planning is under way to create new parks and extend the green cover of cities recently added to PHA s jurisdiction, including Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Khushab, Nankana Sahib Sheikhupura Okara Gujrat Jhelum Murree Khanewal and Muzaffargarh This is being done alongside the rehabilitation and beautification of existing facilities in these cities he added
The PHA has also extended its Adopt-a-Park scheme first launched in Lahore to other cities across the province Under the scheme, individuals and organisations can adopt a park of their choosing and take responsibility for its upkeep Mr Ahmad emphasised that the authority was committed to ensuring a clean and green Punjab with a particular focus on remote districts Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had placed special emphasis on the beautification of cities, he added Meanwhile, a meeting of the managing directors of the Sargodha and Multan horticulture agencies was held on Thursday Chaired by Additional Director General Mirza Waleed Baig the meeting reviewed the performance of both agencies and discussed ways to improve the horticultural landscape of the two cities Mr Baig also directed the agencies to identify avenues for achieving financial self-sustainability, in line with the provincial government s vision
government in KP will once again distribute Rs10 billion among party workers this year under the name of the Ramadan package The Provincial Information Minister stated that even senior officials of the KP government appear unaware of the status of the relief program She said that Muzammil Aslam does not even know whether the Ramadan package distribution has begun while Sohail Afridi also seems unaware of the disbursement of financial assistance Azma Bokhari added that the KP government appears more focused on the prisoner in Adiala Jail rather than addressing the real issues of the public She expressed regret that for the past 12 years a province with a population of 40 million has been left in the hands of indifferent and negligent rulers, resulting in people being deprived of basic facilities
Randhawa
case of fire incidents on Margalla Hills Chairman CDA and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Ali Randhawa said that the purpose of the meeting is to review the preparations according to SOPs and protocols before the fire season During the briefing it was informed that the process of temporarily hiring staff before the fire season
Prime
Minister instruc ts embassies in Gulf to suppor t Pakistanis amid current situation
ISLAMABAD
The Prime Minister has directed Pakistani embassies in Gulf
tries to provide assistance to citizens in response to the
situation according to official statements Reports indicate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has established Special Facilitation Desks at Pakistan s missions abroad These desks are intended to assist Pakistanis who are stranded in Gulf countries Officials said that the move aims to ensure that Pakistani nationals facing difficulties receive timely support and guidance The Special Facilitation Desks have been set up specifically to address the needs of those who are unable to return home or are experiencing
challenges due to the prevailing circumstances
According to sources the embassies have been instructed to remain in close contact with Pakistani citizens and provide all necessary
assistance The government has emphasized the importance of protecting the welfare of its nationals abroad particularly in Gulf states where a significant number of Pakistanis reside and work
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that these measures are part of ongoing efforts to support overseas Pakistanis during the current situation Further details regarding the nature of the assistance or the specific challenges faced by the stranded citizens were not provided in the reports
Officials encouraged Pakistani citizens in Gulf countries to reach out to their respective embassies for help through the newly established Special Facilitation Desks
The government reiterated its commitment to addressing the concerns of its nationals abroad
plea bargain and ordering his release, the court declared that Saran Zeb is now discharged from his liability in this case However, under Section 15 of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 he stands disqualified from holding any public office in the future The proceedings mark a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the alleged large-scale financial irregularities in Upper Kohistan The court s order emphasized that the plea bargain was made voluntarily by the accused and that all legal requirements had been fulfilled
PTI leaders denied meeting with Imran Khan at Adiala Jail despite cour t order
Efforts by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to meet the party s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, at Adiala jail were unsuccessful on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the matter The party had sought the meeting in accordance with directions from the apex court
On Wednesday PTI Secretary
s ta f f r e p o r t The Sindh Apex Committee has
General Salman Akram Raja submitted a list of six individuals intended to meet Imran Khan The list included MNAs Shahid Khattak Shabbir Ali Qureshi Javed Waraich Adil Bazai Sohail Sultan and Major (Retd) Fayyaz Ahmed This
list was forwarded to jail authorities as per the court's instructions Shabbir Ali Qureshi stated that he along with other PTI leaders arrived at Adiala jail at 1:30pm on Thursday He said they informed the jail administration of their presence and the court s directions regarding the meeting According to Qureshi, the jail officials responded that the names had been forwarded for approval and advised the delegation to wait
Qureshi reported that the group waited until 3pm which was the cut-off time for such meetings Despite their wait, they were not granted access to meet Imran Khan "We had arrived at 1:30pm and informed the jail administra-
tion that, as per the directions of the court, we should be allowed to meet Khan sahib They told us that names have been forwarded for approval and suggested we wait " Qureshi said Jailed PTI leaders have called on the government to reconsider its approach towards the former prime minister They maintained that adherence to court directions is essential and expressed concern over the continued denial of access to Imran Khan
There has been no official statement from jail authorities regarding the reasons for the delay or denial of the meeting The situation remains unresolved, with PTI leaders reiterating their demand for compliance with the court's instructions
ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t
President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday assented to the NAB (Amendment) Bill, 2026, hours after it was rushed through both Houses of Parliament amid opposition protests, just a day before the term of incumbent NAB
Chairman Lt-Gen (r) Nazir Ahmed was set to expire The bill enables an extension of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman s term by another three years which was due to end Lt-Gen (r) Nazir Ahmed assumed office on March 4, 2023, following the resignation of his predecessor
Aftab Sultan, who cited “interference” and “pressure” as reasons for stepping down Following the presidential assent a notification was issued extending Lt-Gen (r) Nazir Ahmed’s tenure until March 2029 according to official sources Key Amendments
Previously, a NAB chairman served a non-extendable three-year term and was ineligible for reappointment The amendment
