Profit Pakistan sees ‘significant Progress’ in bid to revive iran-Us Peace deal In partnership with
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026 | 12 Rabiul Awwal, 1448
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CDF MUNIR, NAQVI HOLD KEY TALKS WITH IRANIAN LEADERSHIP IN TEHRAN TO BREAK STALEMATE
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 152 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
WE REMAIN HOPEFUL THIS MOMENTUM WILL HELP PAVE WAY FOR FURTHER PROGRESS AND LASTING PEACE IN REGION: NAQVI
ISLAMABAD SALEEM JADOON
AKISTAN said on Tuesday that “significant progress” had been made in talks with Iran during the just-concluded visit of Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, as Islamabad intensified efforts to revive its brokered agreement between the United States and Iran amid Washington’s warning that it has kept open the possibility of further military strikes and persistent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a series of meetings with the Iranian leadership in Tehran during their day-long visit as Islamabad sought to break the stalemate between
Washington and Tehran and restore the interim peace agreement it helped the two
Field Marshal’s Tehran visit yields 'valuable diplomatic achievements': Iranian official TEHRAN/ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR
An Iranian presidential office official on Tuesday described Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s recent visit to Tehran as “highly fruitful”, saying it produced important diplomatic outcomes, while Pakistani officials said discussions focused on de-es-
calating the US-Iran conflict and resolving the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, deputy for communications and information dissemination at the Iranian President’s Office, rejected media speculation surrounding the visit, saying its results would become evident soon.
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sides reach in June. “Significant progress was made, and the
ISLAMABAD
US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker has praised Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for his role in promoting regional peace and stability, as Pakistan stepped up diplomatic efforts to revive dialogue between Washington and Tehran. Baker made the remarks during a meeting with Interior Minis-
ISLAMABAD SEEKS TO RESTORE JUNE MOU BETWEEN US-IRAN, REOPEN STRAIT OF HORMUZ
meeting concluded on a highly positive note,” Naqvi said in a post on X after he and CDF Munir met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “We remain hopeful that this momentum will help pave the way for further progress and lasting peace in the region.” Naqvi said discussions with President Pezeshkian focused on the Iran-US conflict, wider Middle East tensions and steps required from both sides to restore the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the aim of reaching a comprehensive settlement. The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said separately that the talks covered measures to prevent further escalation, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring the conflict to an “expedited” end. During the day-long visit, the Pakistani delegation also met Mohsen Rezaei, the
uS praises CdF’s regional peace efforts STAFF CORRESPONDENT
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ter Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Interior. The two sides discussed the regional situation, efforts to promote peace and stability and ways to strengthen Pakistan-US cooperation in areas of mutual interest. “The US ambassador appreciated CDF Munir’s positive diplomatic role in promoting peace and stability in the region,” the ministry said.
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Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative on the Supreme National Security Council; parliament speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf; Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi; and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, according to ISPR. The visit followed months of Pakistani mediation between Iran and the US after fighting that began in February and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important routes for oil and gas supplies. Islamabad helped the two sides reach an interim peace agreement, known as the Islamabad MoU, in June. It called for a cessation of hostilities, Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and an end to a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, among other measures.
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Dar, Fidan step up diplomacy as Middle East tensions simmer ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday discussed regional developments and preparations for an upcoming four-country ministerial (R4) meeting in Istanbul, as Islamabad stepped up diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East.
The telephone conversation came a day after Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with Iran’s leadership in Tehran, with Naqvi describing the discussions as “significant progress” towards restoring an Islamabad-brokered agreement between Iran and the United States.
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02 NEWS
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026 | KARACHI
Pakistan oPens customs-bonded facilities to foreign Petroleum suPPliers for storage and re-exPort
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PROFIT
MONITORING REPORT
HE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet has approved a new policy allowing international petroleum suppliers to bring oil and petroleum products into Pakistan, store them in customs-bonded facilities and later choose between selling the stocks in the domestic market or re-exporting them. The ECC approved the Policy Guideline on Import on Foreign Suppliers’ Account through Customs Bonded Storage Facilities-2026, aimed at attracting foreign investment in petroleum storage and strengthening the availability of energy supplies within the country. Under the framework, foreign suppliers will retain ownership of petroleum products while they remain in customsbonded storage. Unlike the conventional cargo-by-cargo import model, suppliers will be able to position inventories in Pakistan without committing the products immediately for domestic consumption. They may subsequently sell the products to Pakistani oil marketing companies (OMCs) and refineries or re-export them, depending on commercial and market conditions. The policy covers a range of energy commodities, including crude oil of all grades, motor spirit, high-speed diesel,
jet fuel, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Proposed locations for bonded storage include Port Qasim, KPT/Kemari, Hub, Gwadar, Mahmood Kot and Machike, Sheikhupura, subject to the required regulatory and safety approvals. The framework also allows petroleum products held under customs bond to be moved through the national pipeline network between approved bonded storage facilities, refineries, ports and export terminals. This would enable suppliers to maintain inventories at inland locations closer to major consumption centres while retaining the option of re-exporting the products. Foreign suppliers may participate in
the scheme through a registered liaison office, a locally established branch or an incorporated company acting as a consignee. They will be allowed to develop dedicated storage facilities or use licensed public and private bonded-storage facilities. Duties, taxes, levies, charges and cess will not apply while petroleum products remain under customs bond and are not released for domestic consumption. When the products are sold in Pakistan, the applicable duties and taxes will be paid by the purchaser. Foreign suppliers will not be required to obtain Sales Tax registration solely for holding petroleum stocks under the bonded-storage arrangement. They will also be permitted to re-export
bonded petroleum without prior regulatory approval, subject to restrictions relating to sanctioned goods and items included on the Negative List. As a safeguard for domestic energy supplies, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) will have the first right of refusal over the final 10% of bonded petroleum stocks, with two days to decide whether the supplies should be retained for the domestic market. The government will also be allowed to access privately owned bonded petroleum stocks during formally declared emergencies, including war, armed conflict, major natural disasters or a documented collapse in domestic supplies. In such cases, the government will purchase the stocks at the prevailing international market price in foreign currency within 15 days. Foreign suppliers, however, will not be subject to any minimumstock obligation under the framework. Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ali Pervaiz Malik said the policy could help attract investment, particularly from Gulf countries, for the development of bonded petroleum storage facilities along Pakistan’s coastal areas. He said foreign suppliers would be able to store petroleum products in Pakistan and re-export them when required, while the country would have access to the available stocks during emergencies or major supply disruptions.
Govt forms committee to settle $35m Roosevelt Hotel union dispute, approves $153m GoP guarantee for PIAIL-NBP deal PROFIT
ubl shareholders approve up to rs22b investment in khushhali microfinance bank
MONITORING REPORT
PROFIT
NEWS DESK
Shareholders of United Bank Limited (UBL) have approved a further equity investment of up to Rs22 billion in Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited (KMBL), subject to the microfinance bank proceeding with its discounted rights issue and obtaining all requisite regulatory approvals, according to a notice sent to the PSX on Tuesday. The approval was granted at UBL’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) held on August 24, 2026, with the special resolutions receiving the required majority of at least three-fourths of shareholders entitled to vote and present in person, by proxy or through postal ballot. Under the approved resolution, UBL will be able to increase its shareholding in KMBL through a number of investment routes. The first involves subscribing to UBL’s proportionate entitlement in KMBL’s further issue of ordinary shares through a rights issue. The proposed rights issue will offer approximately 51.166 new KMBL shares, each with a face value of Rs10, for every one existing share held, at a subscription price of Rs2 per share. The Rs2 subscription price represents an Rs8 discount to the shares’ Rs10 face value. The terms of the discounted rights issue will be set out in KMBL’s formal rights offer documentation. UBL has also been authorised to subscribe to all unsubscribed shares under the discounted rights issue in its capacity as underwriter, at the applicable discounted price and subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement to be entered into with KMBL. In addition, the bank may acquire further KMBL shares through one or more transactions or arrangements on terms and conditions to be negotiated and finalised by its authorised representatives. The shareholders also authorised any two of UBL’s President & CEO, Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary and Chief Strategy Officer to jointly undertake all necessary actions to implement the proposed investment. The authorised officials may negotiate and execute agreements and other documents required for the investment and handle related ancillary matters. The resolutions further provide that actions taken by the authorised persons under the shareholders’ approval will be binding on UBL. Any amendments, modifications, additions or deletions required or advised by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) or any other regulatory authority will also be deemed incorporated into the resolutions without requiring fresh approval from UBL’s board or shareholders.
Pakistan has constituted a negotiation committee to settle a labour dispute involving the trade union of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, after an arbitration award requiring the hotel’s owners to pay at least $35 million in severance and potentially another $1 million per month in employee-related costs threatened to complicate the property’s redevelopment. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the formation of the committee to negotiate a settlement with the union and facilitate the hotel’s redevelopment, according to the Ministry of Finance. The committee will comprise representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Finance and the Privatisation Commission,
along with a US-based legal counsel and two members of the PIA Investment Limited Board. The ECC was informed that the dispute arose after the union secured an arbitration award in November last year requiring the hotel’s owners to pay a severance package estimated at around $35 million. The award also called for the reinstatement of employees with effect from January this year, potentially adding around $1 million per month to costs. The Roosevelt Hotel has remained closed since 2025. The hotel was reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently entered into an agreement with the New York City administration in mid-2023 for migration-related business. The arbitration award could affect plans for the hotel’s redevelopment and the proposed arrangement with the US General Services Ad-
ministration (GSA), prompting the Pakistani authorities to pursue an amicable settlement with the union. In February this year, Pakistan and the US GSA signed a memorandum of understanding to explore options for the joint operation, maintenance, renovation and redevelopment of the Roosevelt Hotel. Under its mandate, the negotiation committee will seek a comprehensive, one-time settlement covering all outstanding issues between Pakistan and the union. The committee will also seek the withdrawal of grievances and legal cases filed by both sides before relevant courts and forums. In addition, it will seek a firm commitment from the union to support the hotel’s redevelopment by facilitating the acquisition of all required no-objection certificates (NOCs) and regulatory permissions.
SECP shares draft VC Bill with BOI, proposes simplified framework to boost startup funding PROFIT
NEWS DESK
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has shared the draft Venture Capital (VC) Bill with the Board of Investment (BOI) for public consultation, as the government moves to establish a dedicated regulatory framework for venture capital and improve access to funding for startups and high-growth businesses. The proposed legislation is aimed at increasing access to risk capital, attracting domestic and foreign investment, supporting startup expansion, generating employment and contributing to economic growth, according to a statement issued on Monday. The draft has been prepared in line with a federal government initia-
tive that tasked the SECP with developing a standalone legal framework for venture capital and addressing funding constraints faced by startups and innovative businesses. Pakistan’s startup, technology and innovation sectors have significant growth potential but continue to face limited access to formal venture capital. Much of the existing investment activity is structured offshore or operates outside the domestic regulatory framework. The proposed bill seeks to address these gaps by establishing a simpler and more transparent regulatory framework for venture capital funds and fund managers. It provides for light-touch licensing and registration requirements, simplified operational structures and defined governance and reporting standards. SECP Chairperson Dr Kabir
Ahmed Sidhu said the proposed legislation would help channel private capital towards emerging businesses in Pakistan. “The bill recognises the highrisk and innovation-driven nature of venture capital and seeks to reduce regulatory barriers while ensuring effective governance and investor protection,” he said. Following the sharing of the draft with the BOI, the SECP and BOI will conduct consultations with key stakeholders, including startups, fund managers, legal and financial experts, the State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan Stock Exchange and relevant industry associations. The draft will subsequently proceed through the legislative process after incorporating feedback received during the consultation phase.
BFC Islamabad facilitates Rs6.6b investment, 4,100 businesses and 20,000 jobs in first year PROFIT
NEWS DESK
Business Facilitation Centre (BFC) Islamabad facilitated more than Rs6.6 billion in investment, over 4,100 new businesses and more than 20,000 employment opportunities during its first year of operations, Federal Minister for the
Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said. The minister made the remarks during a visit to BFC Islamabad, where he reviewed its performance, business and investment facilitation initiatives and future roadmap. From August 20, 2025 to August 20, 2026, the centre received 7,709 applications from businesses
and investors and issued 6,896 registrations, licences, certificates and other permits. Of the applications received, 4,920 were processed within the stipulated timeframe, while another 2,050 were processed beyond the prescribed timeframe. The centre also provided expert guidance and consultation in 845 cases.
ecc approves Passco wheat supply to recipient agencies with 85% local, 15% imported stocks PROFIT
NEWS DESK
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Monday approved the provision of PASSCO’s wheat stocks to all recipient agencies in a ratio of 85% local wheat and 15% imported wheat to facilitate the timely disposal of imported stocks. The decision was taken at a meeting of the ECC held at the Finance Division under the chairmanship of Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb. The forum considered nine agenda items relating to various ministries and divisions. The proposal was submitted by the National Food Security and Research Division and was based on a recommendation of the Board of Directors of PASSCO. The ECC approved the proposed ratio of 85% local and 15% imported wheat for supplies to all recipient agencies, with the arrangement aimed specifically at ensuring the timely disposal of imported wheat stocks.
Pakistan skips diesel imports in July as local refineries meet demand amid high import premiums PROFIT
MONITORING REPORT
Pakistan’s oil import mix shifted in July as the country made no purchases of high-speed diesel (HSD), with domestic refineries supplying enough diesel to meet rising demand amid elevated import premiums and disruptions affecting supplies from the Middle East. Oil sector data showed that Pakistan imported 1.35 million tonnes of HSD during FY2025-26, with imports continuing throughout the year. However, no HSD was imported in July, while crude oil imports stood at 890,000 tonnes. Oil sector sources said local refineries produced more than 500,000 tonnes of HSD in July, enough to meet domestic requirements. HSD is primarily sourced from the Middle East, with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) serving as the main supplier to Pakistan State Oil (PSO) under a long-term agreement. Despite relatively weak HSD sales in June, demand increased sharply in July. HSD sales rose 19% yearon-year (YoY) and 25% month-on-month (MoM) during the month, with the increase met through local refinery production. However, an HSD cargo arranged by PSO is expected to arrive in the coming days, according to oil sector sources. Petrol imports Pakistan imported 345,361 tonnes of petrol in July. All petrol imports during the month were of 92 RON grade, while no imports of 95 RON or 97 RON petrol were recorded. Furnace oil exports Furnace oil exports remained relatively subdued during the month. Pakistan exported 29,853 tonnes of high-sulphur furnace oil (HSFO), 8,354 tonnes of medium-sulphur furnace oil (MSFO) and 26,411 tonnes of low-sulphur furnace oil (LSFO) in July.
sapphire fibres moves to participate in gePco privatisation PROFIT
NEWS DESK
Sapphire Fibres Limited has obtained the Request for Statement of Qualification (RSOQ) issued by the Privatisation Commission for the proposed divestment of Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) through privatisation. According to a material information notice submitted to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday, the company’s Board of Directors has approved its participation in the transaction. The company said it had not assumed any binding obligation in connection with the proposed transaction as of the date of the notice. Its participation remains subject to prequalification by the Privatisation Commission as well as all requisite corporate and regulatory approvals. Sapphire Fibres said it may form a consortium once the necessary approval is granted. The company also undertook to keep the Pakistan Stock Exchange informed of material developments concerning the transaction. On Monday, AKD Securities Limited, Fast Cables Limited and Mughal Iron & Steel Industries Limited have joined a consortium with AJCL (Private) Limited to pursue GEPCO’s privatisation, with the consortium designating AKD Securities as its lead member. GEPCO is among the three DISCOs in the first batch of the government’s privatisation programme, alongside FESCO and IESCO. The Privatisation Commission has received EOIs from 11 local and international firms and consortiums seeking a 51%-100% controlling stake in GEPCO.
iTANZ Technologies approves 10-for-1 stock split in principle PROFIT
NEWS DESK
The Board of Directors of iTANZ Technologies Limited has approved in principle a 10for-1 subdivision of the company’s ordinary shares, reducing their face value from Rs10 to Re1, subject to shareholders’ approval and completion of statutory and regulatory requirements. Under the proposal, shareholders would
receive 10 shares of Re1 each for every one existing share of Rs10. The company’s paid-up capital will remain unchanged at Rs1.186 billion, while the number of issued shares will increase from approximately 118.6 million to 1.186 billion. The stock split will not change shareholders’ proportionate ownership, the company said. It will also have no impact on the company’s paid-up capital, net assets or earnings and will not involve any cash out-
lay by the company or dilution of existing shareholders. The authorised capital will remain unchanged in rupee terms, with no additional increase required. The Board has also approved consequential amendments to the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association to reflect the revised face value and share capital structure, which will be placed before shareholders for approval. Members’ approval will be sought
through a special resolution requiring at least 75% of votes cast. The Annual General Meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 30, 2026. The Board has authorised the Chief Executive Officer, any Director and/or the Company Secretary, jointly or severally, to complete the required regulatory formalities with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) and Central Depository
Company (CDC), and to finalise the effective and record dates. Earlier, its principal activity was the manufacture and sale of greige fabric. The company’s principal line of business has subsequently been amended to include consultancy and other services in the field of Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services, including software development, installation and implementation, as well as other IT-related supplies and services.
PETROL UP RS1.12/LITRE, DIESEL RS1.11/LITRE FOR AUG 26-27 ONLY
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026 | KARACHI
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ogra revised ex-depot fuel prices under the daily pricing mechanism: petrol (ms) increased By rs 1.12/litre and diesel (hsd) By rs 1.11/litre for aug 26-27. change reflects more frequent pass-through of oil-market moves
ETROL price has been increased by Rs1.12 per litre and HighSpeed Diesel (HSD) by Rs1.11 per litre for two days—August 26 and 27—under the revised daily petroleum pricing mechanism. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), acting under the revised petroleum pricing mechanism issued by the Federal Government, has revised the ex-depot prices of Motor Spirit (MS) and HighSpeed Diesel (HSD). According to the Petroleum Division’s notification, the price of High-Speed Diesel has been increased from Rs370.69 to Rs371.80 per litre, reflecting an increase of Rs1.11 per litre. Similarly, the ex-depot price of Motor
WHY PETROL AND DIESEL MATTER DIFFERENTLY TO PAKISTAN: The im-
Pakistan sees ‘significant progress’ in bid to revive Iran-US peace deal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
pact of the latest increase is not identical across the economy because petrol and HSD serve different segments of Pakistan's transport and economic activity. Petrol/Motor Spirit (MS) is primarily the fuel of private and light transportation. It is extensively used in motorcycles, cars, rickshaws and other light vehicles. Government material describing Pakistan's petroleum supply chain identifies cars, motorcycles, commuter vehicles and some light traffic vehicles as the principal users of MS. This makes petrol particularly important for daily commuters and urban mobility. Motorcycles and cars are heavily dependent on petrol, while ride-hailing, delivery and other light commercial activities also contribute to demand. A change in petrol prices can therefore directly affect the day-to-day transportation expenses of mil-
Spirit, commonly known as petrol, has been raised from Rs341.98 to Rs343.10 per litre, showing an increase of Rs1.12 per litre. The revised prices will apply specifically for August 26 and 27, meaning consumers will see the two fuel prices move upward for a two-day period under the government's revised pricing framework. The latest adjustment continues the shift toward more frequent petroleum price revisions. Under the daily pricing mechanism, OGRA calculates and publishes petroleum prices more frequently, allowing changes in international oil prices to be passed through to domestic consumers more quickly. The current framework uses a seven-day average of international market prices, according to reporting on the mechanism.
ISLAMABAD
AhMAD AhMADAni
lions of consumers. High-Speed Diesel (HSD) has a broader productive-economy role. It is widely used by heavy transport, buses, trucks, agricultural machinery, construction equipment and industrial users. Government data also identifies HSD as an important fuel for agriculture and heavy electricity generators. Diesel is especially significant for the movement of goods because trucks and other heavy vehicles depend heavily on HSD. Consequently, changes in diesel prices can affect freight and transportation costs and, indirectly, the cost of moving commodities from ports and production areas to markets. The agriculture sector is another major diesel user, with tractors, harvesters, tubewell machinery and other agricultural equipment relying on diesel. The fuel therefore has a direct connection with farm op-
Private sector retires Rs393b in first 45 days as bank lending remains weak
The agreement unravelled in July after the US attacked Iran, accusing Tehran of firing on commercial vessels in the strait. Iran denied the allegations and retaliated with strikes in neighbouring Gulf countries and Jordan, saying it was targeting US military bases. Although the two sides have not traded attacks for weeks, negotiations remain stalled, while both Washington and Tehran have continued to issue threats. Iranian negotiator Ghalibaf told Munir on Monday that Tehran wanted the Islamabad agreement implemented and accused Washington of failing to meet its commitments. “We are pursuing the implementation of the terms of the MoU, and it is America that must adhere to its commitments based on the Memorandum of Understanding,” Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying. The latest diplomatic push comes as the United States continues to threaten both economic and military action against Tehran. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that Washington had not suspended the option of further military strikes against Iran, according to remarks reported by international media. Asked whether kinetic strikes were currently on pause, Hegseth said: “No. If we need to use kinetic strikes, we’ll use them.” He said economic pressure was currently inflicting the greatest damage on Iran, but Washington was “by no means” ruling out strikes “anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran.” US President Donald Trump has separately threatened what he called the “greatest financial offensive ever marshalled” against Iran and warned of economic consequences for countries providing Tehran with “any type of lifeline.” Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to halt oil exports from the Gulf if pressure on it intensifies. The conflict has taken a heavy toll on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The International Maritime Organization has confirmed 68 incidents involving commercial vessels in the Gulf and surrounding waters during the six-month conflict, or roughly one every 2.6 days, according to an AFP analysis published on Tuesday. At least 20 seafarers or port workers have been killed, 35 wounded and one remains missing, the UN maritime agency said. Nearly half of the incidents involved tankers, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations classified 47 as attacks. The frequency of incidents fell sharply while peace talks were underway but rose again after negotiations collapsed in July, according to the AFP analysis. Pakistan has repeatedly called for a diplomatic settlement and said it was using direct and indirect channels to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations.
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Businesses repay more than they Borrow amid high interest rates and economic uncertainty, while Banks favour risk-free government securities PROFIT
Monitoring report
Private-sector borrowers retired Rs393.4 billion in bank debt during the first 45 days of the current fiscal year, signalling weak demand for credit as businesses remain cautious amid high interest rates and economic uncertainty. Businesses repaid more bank debt than they borrowed during the period, with private-sector borrowers recording net debt retirement of Rs393.4 billion between July 1 and August 15, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This compared with net retirement of Rs232 billion during the corresponding period last year. The decline in private-sector borrowing comes as the government seeks to mobilise businesses and investment
to support economic growth and exceed the 4% GDP growth target set for fiscal year 2026-27. The latest figures also point to continued weakness in private-sector investment despite an increase in bank advances during the previous fiscal year. Bank advances to the private sector rose to Rs1.46 trillion in FY26 from around Rs1 trillion in FY25. However, the higher lending did not translate into a significant acceleration in economic activity, with GDP growth remaining at 3.7% in FY26. Lending to Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs) also remained weak. During the 45-day period, financing to NBFIs recorded a net retirement of Rs25.3 billion. The subdued demand for privatesector credit comes despite repeated
calls from the central bank for banks to expand financing to businesses and productive sectors. However, banks have continued to favour government securities, which offer relatively low-risk investment opportunities, over lending to the private sector. High borrowing costs are another constraint for businesses, making financing more expensive and increasing the cost of locally produced goods compared with competing products in the region. The weak credit demand and continued preference for government securities pose a challenge to efforts to shift economic activity towards private-sector-led growth, particularly as the government targets GDP growth of more than 4% in FY27
Field Marshal’s Tehran visit yields 'valuable diplomatic achievements': Iranian official CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
“Contrary to some inaccurate media speculation, the visit of Field Marshal Asim Munir, commander of the army of friendly Pakistan, to Iran was highly fruitful and yielded highly valuable diplomatic achievements,” he said in a post on X. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also described his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, attended by Field Marshal Munir, as positive and productive. “Significant progress was made, and the meeting concluded on a highly positive note,” Naqvi said, expressing hope that the momentum would contribute to further progress and lasting peace in the region. According to Naqvi, the discussions covered the US-Iran conflict, escalating tensions in the Middle East, the way forward and measures required by both sides to restore the Islamabad memorandum of understanding aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement. Naqvi said Pezeshkian openly shared his government’s perspective and
concerns, with the two sides engaging in a constructive exchange on the issues involved. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) provided a detailed account of the Pakistani delegation’s engagements in Tehran after the daylong visit concluded on Monday. According to the military’s media wing, Field Marshal Munir and Naqvi held comprehensive discussions with Iran’s political and security leadership on steps to prevent further escalation, reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and expedite an end to the conflict. The Pakistani side also discussed regional peace and possible avenues for a negotiated settlement of outstanding disputes, ISPR said, adding that the visit was part of Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock in the USIran conflict and promote lasting regional stability. During the visit, Munir held separate meetings with President Pezeshkian, Mohsen Rezaei, whom ISPR identified as the representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council, Parliament Speaker Mo-
hammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Iranian leaders appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role and its efforts to facilitate dialogue, de-escalation and a peaceful resolution of the conflict, according to ISPR. The US-Iran conflict, which began on February 28, has remained unresolved despite diplomatic efforts by regional countries, including Pakistan. A memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran on June 17 had envisaged further negotiations towards a permanent settlement, but renewed hostilities subsequently stalled the process. The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a major flashpoint, with restrictions on shipping and the US naval blockade complicating efforts to revive negotiations. Pakistan, Qatar and Oman have intensified diplomatic contacts aimed at breaking the impasse, while Islamabad has maintained that progress on the Hormuz issue could help create conditions for the resumption of broader US-Iran negotiations.
US praises CDF’s regional peace efforts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
The acknowledgement came a day after Field Marshal Munir and Naqvi returned from a high-level visit to Tehran, where they held talks with Iran’s senior political and security leadership as part of Islamabad’s efforts to break the deadlock in the ongoing US-Iran conflict. During their meeting, Baker and Naqvi also discussed expanding cooperation between Pakistan and the United States, particularly programmes and training opportunities for Pakistani police officers. The two sides agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation against organised crime, drug trafficking and human smuggling. The Interior Ministry secretary was also present at the meeting.
NAQVI REPORTS ‘SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS’ IN TEHRAN TALKS: Separately, Naqvi said Pakistan’s latest diplomatic engagement in Tehran had produced “significant progress” towards ending the regional conflict. In a post on X, the interior minister said his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, held alongside CDF Munir, had concluded on a “highly positive note”. “Significant progress was made,”
Naqvi said, expressing hope that the momentum would lead to further progress and lasting peace in the region. He said the discussions focused on the US-Iran conflict, tensions in the Middle East and possible steps towards restoring the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran. “Our discussion focused on the US-Iran conflict, tensions in the Middle East and the way forward, as well as the steps needed by both sides for restoration of the Islamabad MoU thereby leading to comprehensive settlement of the conflict,” he said. According to Naqvi, President Pezeshkian openly presented Tehran’s perspective and concerns, resulting in what he described as a “very constructive exchange”.
MUNIR HOLDS TALKS WITH TOP IRANIAN LEADERSHIP: The latest visit marked another major diplomatic engagement by Field Marshal Munir with the Iranian leadership as Pakistan seeks to keep channels open between Tehran and Washington. According to ISPR, Munir and Naqvi held comprehensive discussions with Iran’s senior political and security leadership on preventing further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and securing an expe-
dited end to the conflict. Munir separately met President Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Iranian officials appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role and sincere efforts” to facilitate dialogue, de-escalation and a peaceful resolution, according to ISPR. The Pakistani delegation also discussed regional peace and explored avenues for a negotiated settlement of outstanding disputes.
ISLAMABAD SEEKS REVIVAL OF STALLED MOU: Pakistan has continued to advocate a negotiated settlement between Washington and Tehran after an Islamabad-brokered memorandum of understanding was signed in June. The framework was intended to provide a basis for further negotiations on contentious issues, but the process subsequently stalled amid renewed tensions. Islamabad has maintained that the framework remains relevant and could provide a pathway towards renewed negotiations if both sides agree to return to dialogue.
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in the confrontation. Pakistan has argued that resolving the standoff over the vital maritime route could help create conditions for the resumption of broader US-Iran negotiations. Pakistan, Qatar and Oman have meanwhile intensified diplomatic contacts aimed at reducing tensions and encouraging dialogue.
PAKISTAN-US COOPERATION ALSO DISCUSSED: The diplomatic developments coincided with Baker’s meeting with Naqvi, where the two sides also focused on practical areas of bilateral cooperation. The discussions covered police training and capacity-building programmes as well as joint efforts against organised crime, drug trafficking and human smuggling. The US appreciation of Munir’s diplomatic role also comes as Islamabad seeks to balance its relations with Washington and Tehran while positioning itself as a facilitator of regional dialogue. For Pakistan, the latest diplomatic push carries wider strategic significance, with Islamabad seeking to prevent further escalation in the region, protect regional stability and encourage a negotiated settlement to the US-Iran confrontation.
NEWS 03
erations and the transportation of agricultural produce. Pakistan's petroleum consumption remains heavily concentrated in transportation. The Economic Survey has previously shown transport as the country's dominant petroleum-consuming sector, accounting for more than three-quarters of petroleum consumption, while power and other sectors account for the remaining share. Recent data also shows the continuing dominance of transport in petroleum demand. During July-March FY2026, the transport sector accounted for about 82.5% of petroleum demand, according to industry reporting based on official data. The latest two-day adjustment, therefore, has a different transmission mechanism for each fuel: the Rs1.12-per-litre increase in petrol directly affects motorists and motorcycle users, while the Rs1.11-per-litre increase in HSD is particularly relevant to freight, public transport, agriculture, construction and other diesel-dependent economic activities. For consumers, the immediate change is relatively small on a per-litre basis, but the significance of the adjustment lies in the government's move toward more frequent price revisions, under which international oil-market movements can be reflected in domestic fuel prices over shorter periods. The revised ex-depot prices are Rs343.10 per litre for petrol and Rs371.80 per litre for HSD, applicable for August 26 and 27, 2026.
Pakistan's single digit inflation streak set to end as CPI rebounds toward 11% akd sees inflation at 11.4% yoy; topline projects 10.75-11.25% range, with real interest rates seen falling to 25-75bps, well below the historical 200-300bps average PROFIT
news Desk
Pakistan's annual inflation is expected to rebound sharply in August 2026 after easing to single digits the previous month, driven by rising food and fuel prices, according to separate estimates from AKD Research and Topline Securities. AKD Research projects headline inflation at 11.4% year-on-year for August, up from July's reading, citing increases in the heavyweight Food and Transport indices alongside upticks in Communication and Clothing. The brokerage expects food, transport and housing indices to rise 14.8%, 19.6% and 8.4% year-on-year, respectively, while the communication index is projected to climb 13.8% year-on-year on a 16.5% surge in communication services. Clothing, education and health are expected to increase 9.1%, 8.6% and 7.1% year-on-year, respectively, while recreation and culture is projected to grow the slowest, at just 2.3% year-on-year, due to falling textbook prices. Topline Securities placed its estimate at 10.7511.25% year-on-year, compared with 9.21% in July 2026 and 2.99% in August 2025. On a month-on-month basis, AKD expects overall inflation to rise 1.3%, the sharpest increase in four months, with the food index accelerating 2.5% on higher perishable and nonperishable food prices amid supply-chain disruptions from monsoon weather and the transporters' strike. The brokerage forecasts wheat and wheat flour prices rising 6.3% and 2.7% month-on-month, respectively, following the government's shift toward building strategic reserves through aggregators and giving farmers more control over offloading timing under financing programmes. Onion prices are expected to jump 59.5% month-on-month, along with eggs (+8.3%) and gram pulse (+8.1%), while tomato and moong pulse prices are projected to fall 3.3% and 2.1%, respectively.
Dar, Fidan step up diplomacy as Middle East tensions simmer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
“Discussions focused on bilateral relations, regional developments, and other matters of mutual interest,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on X. “The two Ministers also discussed the upcoming meeting of the Regional Four (R4) Foreign Ministers and other forthcoming multilateral engagements.” The R4, comprising Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, emerged in March following the outbreak of the Iran war as a forum for the four countries to consult on the conflict and broader regional security concerns. At its fourth consultative meeting in Cairo, the grouping discussed the Pakistanbrokered peace framework between Washington and Tehran, known as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed in June. Fidan invited Dar last week to attend the group’s next foreign ministers’ meeting in Istanbul later this month, an invitation the Pakistani minister accepted, according to the Pakistan government. An exact date for the meeting has not been publicly announced. Tuesday’s Dar-Fidan conversation also came amid deepening strategic coordination between Pakistan and Türkiye. The two countries, along with Saudi Arabia, signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement on Aug. 7, pledging greater defence cooperation and collective deterrence. Under the accord, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all. Pakistan has said the agreement is defensive in nature and is not directed against any country. The Foreign Office statement said Dar and Fidan agreed to remain in close contact.
04 COMMENT
It’s dangerous to conflate
Oil over troubled waters
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Criticism of Israel is not antisemitism
An olive oil supply chain policy may have multiple benefits
NE of the most important benefits that would result from a spread of olive cultivation is that it would have immense health benefits if it was indeed to replace hydrogenated vegetable ghee as the main cooking oil element of the country. If complete import substitution was to be achieved, as much as $4 billion could be saved, which is what Pakistan paid for importing the palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia. The first saving that could be made would be the $4 to $7 million which is spent on olive oil imports. Historically, olive oil has long been an integral part of the Mediterranean Diet, which is supposed to play an important role in the residents of the Mediterranean coast. An important advantage is that olives can be cultivated with less water than such water-intensive crops as sugarcane or rice; this is going to be crucial in the more water-stressed circumstances of the future, particularly in dealing with the water shortages that are upcoming. One of the points to be noted is that the olive is not really native to this part of the world. Olives are supposed to be a semi-arid crop, and thus its sudden attractiveness in Pakistan are not so much an indication of climate change taking place, as of how far matters have gone. The purpose of Monday’s ceremony was not so much to introduce a new crop as to make clear the state’s recognition that olives would loom large on Pakistan’s landscape, not just as a crop but also a new player in the industrial sector. The significance of the involvement of Qatari investors should not be mistaken. The olive is well adapted both to the agriculture of desert regions, and has been involved in its industry as a raw material. More than anything else, the olive will draw Pakistan into the Greater Middle East, but the simple means of becoming one of the world’s olive-growing areas. Within this context, the government should put to use its existing expertise, such as in the University of Arid Agriculture at Rawalpindi, which was originally the University of Barabi Agriculture, In fact, the barani areas seem the most likely prospects for olive cultivation. This must be taken into account, as Pakistan explores an option created by climate change.
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WASHINGTON WATCH Dr JAmeS J ZOGby
OES criticizing actions of the Israeli government or the behaviour of its prime minister fuel antisemitism? Despite the stretch of logic required to make this argument and the danger its bizarre conflation presents to American Jews, some US pro-Israel organizations are working overtime to establish the case that criticizing Israel puts American Jews at risk. Their view on this matter has now been echoed by Benjamin Netanyahu who, before leaving Israel for his meeting with President Trump, used an interview with a US TV network to level this very charge against New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. While tensions between Mamdani and pro-Israel groups have been brewing since his 2025 election campaign, it was recently reignited in the lead up to Netanyahu’s announced visit to the US. Mayor Mamdani was asked by a reporter whether he would fulfill a campaign pledge to arrest the Israeli prime minister as a war criminal, as per the indictment issued by the International Criminal Court. In response, the mayor convened a group of legal experts who concluded that the city, on its own, did not have the authority to make an arrest —only the federal government could do that. In an effort to put the matter to rest, Mamdani released a short video in which he acknowledged that he lacked the power to order an arrest but nevertheless called out Netanyahu as a war criminal responsible for the deaths of “more than 73,000 people” and stated that he would not welcome him in New York City. In his video, Mamdani did not mention Israel, nor did he mention the Jewish people or the citizens of Israel. This was, he observed, simply about Netanyahu’s crimes cited in the ICC arrest warrant. Some pro-Israel groups immediately denounced Mamdani’s video and charges against the Israeli prime minister. They accused him of “repeatedly singling out the world’s only Jewish state…leaving many Jewish New Yorkers feeling targeted and unwelcome.” One group characterized the video as “blood libel and outrageous lies.” While still another charged Mamdani with “fomenting antisemitism.” A few days later, a Hispanic man, whom police said had mental health issues, allegedly stabbed two people, one was Asian and another Jewish. In both instances, observers said they heard the attacker
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shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The same pro-Israel groups that have been conflating Israel with American Jews and relentlessly condemning Mamdani leapt into the fray, blaming the mayor for making New York unsafe for Jews by “using his platform to viciously attack Israel.” One prominent Jewish leader called on the mayor to resign, charging him with “dereliction of duty.” Mamdani immediately responded to these charges condemning the stabbings as “hateful and despicable attacks that have no place in our city” and noted that his administration had already dramatically increased investment in hate crime prevention “so that we can start to address the root causes of this bigotry and hatred, as we look to root out the scourge of antisemitism.” The mayor added: “When it comes to my comments about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they are critiques based not on my personal analysis, but rather on objective facts. They are critiques of a political leader, not of people of a specific faith or religion or background. And my responsibility as mayor of the city is to keep every New Yorker safe, no matter where they come from, what they believe in or frankly, even if they agree with my politics. My job is to keep them safe.” The mayor was not without defenders in the Jewish community. Brad Lander, who describes himself as a liberal Zionist and who recently defeated a proIsrael congressman, described the attacks as “almost certainly an antisemitic hate crime and quite likely an anti-Asian hate crime, but they are not the fault of the
Babar Nizami Editor Profit
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Dr ZAfAr KHAN SAfDAr
HERE is a distinction in military philosophy between tactical success and strategic victory that Pakistan’s security establishment understands better than almost any institution in the country and that Pakistan’s political leadership has been slowest to translate into policy. A tactical success is winning an engagement. A strategic victory is winning the conditions that make future engagements unnecessary. Pakistan has been achieving the former with increasing proficiency and moving no closer to the latter, and the gap between those two realities is where more than 80,000 Pakistani lives have been lost since 2001, where police officers continue to be martyred, and where the question that nobody in official Pakistan is prepared to answer with honesty continues to accumulate its terrible compound interest. The numbers from the second quarter of 2026, published by the Centre for Research and Security Studies this week, deserve to be read slowly rather than absorbed as routine. Pakistan recorded 774 violence-linked fatalities and 336 injuries across at least 267 incidents between April and June 2026, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan together accounting for 96 percent of all violence-linked fatalities. KP alone suffered 475 deaths, more than 61 percent of the national total, a 53 percent surge compared to the previous quarter, while 151 violent incidents were recorded there, the highest among all regions in the country. Although nationwide fatalities declined by five percent from the previous quarter, attempted suicide attacks doubled, with six vehicle-borne bombings killing 40 people and six more foiled. An insurgency that sustains high levels of violence while adapting its tactics is not in retreat. It is evolving. The geographical pattern of this violence tells a story that military operations alone cannot resolve. The great majority of terrorism-related fatalities are concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, especially near the border with Afghanistan. This concentration is not coincidental. It is the operational signature of groups that plan across borders, sustain themselves through cross-border sanctuary, and exploit a diplomatic impasse that has persisted through multiple Pakistani governments and multiple international frameworks without producing meaningful
change in Afghan Taliban behaviour. Pakistan has consistently maintained that terrorist groups are using Afghan territory to plan, facilitate, and recover from attacks inside Pakistan. The year 2025 was the deadliest year on record for Pakistan, with 2,115 militants and insurgents killed alongside 664 security personnel and 580 civilians. The militants can absorb those losses because the infrastructure enabling their recruitment, training, financing, and command sits across a border that Pakistan’s security forces cannot cross and that Afghanistan’s Taliban government has no intention of policing on Pakistan’s behalf. The financial dimension of this sanctuary is the least discussed and most actionable aspect of the problem. Militant ecosystems do not sustain themselves through ideology alone. They require money for recruitment, operations, and logistical infrastructure that moves people and material across difficult terrain. The Afghan Taliban’s ability to host a range of terrorist organisations operating against Pakistan is not purely ideological solidarity. It is an arrangement with economic dimensions that the international community has the tools to disrupt and has chosen not to prioritise. The Financial Action Task Force removed Afghanistan from its grey list in 2022 despite documented evidence of terrorist financing flowing through Afghan financial channels. Western governments that have designated TTP and BLA as terrorist organisations domestically have been slower to apply the financial pressure on networks sustaining them regionally than such designations logically imply. Pakistan has raised this inconsistency at every available forum. It has been heard politely and acted upon inadequately. The domestic governance dimension is the one that official Pakistani discourse handles most delicately, because acknowledging it fully requires acknowledging that military operations, however effective tactically, are operating against a recruitment environment that governance failures have created and sustained. The failure of successive politicians, tribal sardars, and provincial elites to pursue inclusive development has left Balochistan burdened by Pakistan’s highest poverty, severe child deprivation, and growing insecurity. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government’s persistent ambiguity over counterterrorism has been the principal source of policy incoherence. A government that refuses to adopt a clear and
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The writer is President, Arab American Institute
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Dental exploitation
consistent approach inevitably weakens the state’s response to militancy. Yet the federal government is hardly blameless. Instead of confronting this divergence through sustained political engagement and a coherent national strategy, Islamabad has too often relied on ad hoc coordination and shortterm security measures. The consequence has been clear as operations deliver temporary gains, but the absence of sustained governance allows militancy to rebound. Pakistan has never lacked brave soldiers or capable commanders. Time and again, its armed forces have demonstrated professionalism and resolve to defeat terrorist networks and restore security in contested areas. Yet military victories, however decisive, cannot by themselves secure a lasting peace. History is unambiguous on this point. Wars end not when the last militant is killed, but when the political, economic and social conditions that sustain conflict are transformed. That responsibility does not belong to military but to political leadership. Unless elected governments can build credible institutions, deliver justice, expand economic opportunity, strengthen provincial governance, and forge a genuine national consensus, every tactical success will remain vulnerable to strategic reversal. Pakistan has proved that it can win battles. It has yet to prove that it can win the war. That will depend not on the next military operation, but on the next political decision.
The writer has a PhD in Political Science, and is a visiting faculty member at QAU Islamabad. He can be reached at zafarkhansafdar@yahoo.com and tweets @zafarkhansafdar
Unless elected governments can build credible institutions, deliver justice, expand economic opportunity, strengthen provincial governance, and forge a genuine national consensus, every tactical success will remain vulnerable to strategic reversal. Pakistan has proved that it can win battles. It has yet to prove that it can win the war.
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
mayor for calling Netanyahu a war criminal.” Lander added, “The effort to connect the mayor to that…is a political effort to shut down criticism of Israel,” and called it “weaponizing antisemitism.” Peter Beinart, one of America’s most thoughtful progressive Jewish thinkers, directly took on the proIsrael Jewish establishment by noting that it was they, not the mayor, who are conflating Israel with the Jewish community. Beinart wrote: “Zohran Mamdani keeps saying again and again that his critique of Israel… has nothing to do with his feelings toward Jews in New York, because he separates Israel, as a state, from Jewish New Yorkers. The people who are making this conflation…are the very establishment Jewish leaders who are now attacking Mamdani.” The problem here is two-fold. Antisemitism is real, and conflating American Jews with Israel is wrong and dangerous whether it is done by pro-Israel advocates who want to identify all Jews with Israel for political purposes, or by haters of Jews who want to hold Jewish people, in general, responsible for the crimes committed by that state. In the first instance the effort is designed, as Lander notes, to silence criticism of Israel claiming that charges leveled against that state put all Jews at risk. In the second instance, the conflation serves to fuel the preexisting bigotry of some by holding all Jews responsible for the crimes committed by others. The bottom line is Mamdani, Lander, and Beinart are right, and the pro-Israel establishment is wrong.
The effort is designed, as Lander notes, to silence criticism of Israel claiming that charges leveled against that state put all Jews at risk. In the second instance, the conflation serves to fuel the preexisting bigotry of some by holding all Jews responsible for the crimes committed by others.
Winning battles, losing the war M. A. Niazi
Editor Pakistan Today
Resolve needed
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
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DENTAL clinics in Pakistan have rapidly increased over the last few years and now nearly match the number of general medical clinics. A large number of these clinics are neither registered with the provincial healthcare commissions nor licensed by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). Many individuals with only a diploma or degree in dentistry start their own clinics without sufficient experience. This lack of oversight poses serious risks to public dental health. On the other hand, both dental surgeons and dental technicians often charge excessively for the most basic of procedures, such as dental fillings, scaling, extractions and denture fittings. They set their own professional fee without standardised guidelines or fear of regulatory checks. For instance, a dentist charges Rs20,000 to Rs100,000 for fitting a single upper or lower denture, while the actual laboratory cost typically ranges between Rs5,000 and Rs15,000 for both simple and mono-plast types. The PMDC, all provincial healthcare commissions, consumer courts and any other regulatory body in the country must ensure that dental clinics are properly licensed and registered. They must also verify that those running these clinics are actually qualified and competent, and that the fee being charged is fair and transparent. It is also of critical importance to enforce the law prohibiting dental technicians from operating clinics independently without professional oversight. If patients are dissatisfied with charges or the quality of treatment, they should approach the relevant provincial healthcare commission or consumer court to file a complaint. MUHSIN KHAN BANNU
Drugged classrooms
DRUG abuse is fast becoming one of the most alarming social problems in Pakistan. What makes the issue even more disturbing is its growing presence inside educational institutes. Schools, colleges and universities, places meant for learning and character-building, are increasingly being reported as hotspots for drug use. Easy access to substances such as crystal meth (ice), hashish and synthetic drugs has made it possible for students to experiment at a young age. Peer pressure, curiosity and the desire to escape stress are among the main reasons that push students toward addiction. Some even fall into it due to the influence of so-called ‘friends’ or the glamorisation of drugs in popular culture and social media. The consequences are devastating: students lose focus on studies, their health deteriorates, and in severe cases, addiction can ruin entire futures. Sadly, many parents and teachers remain unaware until it is too late. Strict monitoring within educational campuses, stronger anti-drug policies and counselling services are urgently needed. Equally important is the role of awareness campaigns, so students understand the risks before they fall victim. MUHAMMAD ANFAL ISLAMABAD
Forecast broadcast
SEVERAL mobile and computer applications offer weather reports for thousands of cities all over the world. These reports are invariably from sources based in the West, and provide weather forecasts obtained from computer simulations which usually are not correct. Accurate real-time data needs regular monitoring with human input. In our case, the relevant department issues statements that are acceptable on a macro level, but not in terms of facilitating the people to adjust their activity schedules. We need an official weather channel to provide real-time data and forecasts that will surely help businesses, travellers and event organisers. ALEEM M. AHMAD LAHORE
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COMMENT 05
How can the internet ‘turn against’ a state? Wednesday, 26 August, 2026
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The state’s control of information has been broken Taha Ikram
OVERNMENTS have always understood that political authority rests on more than the ability to enforce laws. It also depends on the ability to shape how events are understood. For much of the 20h century, that power was concentrated in the hands of the state and the institutions around it. Governments controlled broadcasting licences, influenced the press and issued the official account of events that citizens had limited means to contest. Dissent existed, but it moved slowly. Before it could reach scale, it usually had to pass through a gatekeeper. The internet has changed that arrangement. The state has not lost its police, bureaucracy or institutional authority. What it has lost is something less visible but politically consequential: the monopoly over the first version of a story. A citizen can now record an event and distribute it almost instantly, without waiting for an editor, broadcaster or official spokesperson to decide whether it deserves public attention. That does not mean every viral video produces a political crisis. Nor does the internet manufacture public anger from nothing. But it has changed the relationship between grievance and visibility. A local injustice can now become a national concern before a government has decided how to respond to it. The question, therefore, is not simply whether the internet can destabilise a state. Recent events in Bangladesh, Nepal and India suggest that it can. The more important question is how a digital network moves from being a space where people complain to a force capable of producing genuine political pressure. Bangladesh’s 2024 student uprising offers one of the clearest examples. The immediate grievance was specific: the restoration of a quota reserving 30 per cent of government jobs for descendants of veterans of the 1971 Liberation War. For students competing for a limited number of public sector jobs, the policy was widely viewed as unfair. Yet the scale of the crisis cannot be explained by the quota alone. The quota was the trigger. Beneath it lay broader frustrations over inequality, political exclusion and the perceived inability of ordinary citizens to influence the system. What digital networks changed was the speed at which those frustrations could become collective. Videos of demonstrations, clashes and the experiences of students circulated
through social media and messaging networks. People in different parts of the country could see the same images and encounter the same accounts of events without waiting for a single traditional media organisation to establish the dominant narrative. When authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown during the unrest, the attempt to restrict information became part of the crisis itself. The lesson is not that social media caused Bangladesh’s political upheaval. It did something more subtle and, in some ways, more important. It compressed the distance between individual grievance and collective recognition. People who might otherwise have experienced their frustrations separately could suddenly see them as part of the same national story. Nepal in September 2025 revealed a different side of the same phenomenon. The government blocked 26 major social media platforms after they failed to comply with registration requirements. The official justification was regulatory. But for many young Nepalis, the ban became something larger: evidence of a government increasingly willing to restrict the space in which citizens communicated, organised and expressed dissatisfaction. The resulting protests quickly moved beyond the ban itself. Long-standing anger over corruption, nepotism and political instability merged with opposition to the restrictions. The government had attempted to close a digital space. Instead, the closure became the issue around which wider political grievances gathered. That is the paradox governments often underestimate. A restriction intended to reduce the circulation of dissent can sometimes provide dissent with a clearer target. The ban did not create Nepal’s underlying frustrations. It gave them a common symbol. India’s recent crisis surrounding the NEET UG examination offers the most revealing example of what happens when a grievance acquires not only visibility but a
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CNN
S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday vowed an “economic D-Day” for countries that buy oil from Iran. Experts say that means one country in particular: China. Bessent didn’t name China on Monday, but he left little room for doubt. “We find that the best way to engage with countries is through quiet diplomacy, and we are level-setting with every country to tell them our expectations,” Bessent said on Monday. “We know who they are. They know who they are.” But while Bessent’s threat could put China front and center, the repercussions could reach across the world – even for American consumers, who could find their own energy costs rising as a result. Tehran likely shipped $3.9 and $4.2 billion worth of oil in September 2025, one analysis found; China, the world’s largest energy consumer, buys the vast majority. “Chinese purchases account for roughly 90 percent of Iran’s exported oil, providing tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue that supports Iran’s government budget and military activities,” the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said earlier this year. Monday’s announcement was a “warning shot,” Bessent said. While some entities and individuals were sanctioned, he did not announce broad measures aimed at any specific nations. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said: “Sanctions and pressure tactics do not help in resolving issues. They will only lead to escalation that serves no one’s interest.” During a regular press briefing, Lin also hinted that China could take its own measures: “China is closely following relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests.” Thirty-eight percent of China’s oil and 23% of its liquified natural gas transits through the Strait of Hormuz, a focal point of the Iran war, according to a Nomura report in April. China has already reduced its Iranian oil intake. Its Iranian crude imports averaged around 1.4 million barrels per day before the war but have fallen to around 700,000 in recent months due to lower refinery runs and drawdowns from onshore inventories, according to Emma Li at energy analytics
troversy into a symbol of collective identity for frustrated young Indians. Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the movement used humour, online communication and political satire to convert a specific education crisis into a broader expression of youth dissatisfaction. It was not a conventional political party in the traditional sense. Its significance lay precisely in the fact that it could acquire recognition and reach before possessing the organisational structure normally required to build a national political movement. That is the new political possibility created by digital networks. A traditional party spends years building branches, recruiting workers and developing a public identity. A digital movement can begin with a grievance, a symbol or even a joke. If it resonates with a wider frustration, it can acquire political meaning at extraordinary speed. The NEET crisis also demonstrated the limits of state control over narrative. The government could issue statements and implement administrative measures. But it could not easily determine what millions of students and families were showing one another on their phones. The official narrative was no longer the only narrative available.
The internet turns against a state not because it becomes a government itself, but because it weakens the state’s traditional monopoly over information. And once citizens discover that the official version of events is no longer the only version available, controlling the narrative becomes far more difficult. A government may be able to shut down the network. It cannot so easily shut down the political reality the network has already revealed.
Who’s buying Iranian oil?
ramIshah maruf
political identity. The examination is a high-stakes event for millions of Indian students competing for a limited number of medical places. When the National Testing Agency cancelled the 2026 examination after concerns over a question paper leak, the issue immediately became more than an administrative controversy. For students and families who had invested years of preparation, the cancellation represented a profound crisis of trust. The initial grievance was familiar: an examination system that many students believed had failed them. What happened next was different. The internet gave the grievance a face, a language and eventually a political identity. Families and students were able to share their experiences directly. Images, testimonies and accounts of the crisis circulated outside the traditional media cycle. The anger was not simply reported to the public. It was produced and distributed by the people experiencing it. Then came the unexpected political form of the movement. A satirical campaign built around the idea of the “Cockroach Janta Party” turned an insult associated with a courtroom con-
firm Vortexa. “A complete halt (in imports of Iranian crude) would probably have a limited immediate impact on China’s overall oil security, because imports from Iran have already fallen substantially and China still holds relatively large crude inventories,” Tianyue Hu, an analyst at energy intelligence firm Rystad, told CNN. But new sanctions could further erode the Trump administration’s rocky relationship with China. The two nations were in a blistering trade war last year at the height of President Donald Trump’s tariffs rollout. And they recently revived a tit-for-tat exchange of sanctions. “China, by far, is the most impactful one if you really wanted to make a dent in Iran’s ability to continue to finance their activities,” Daniel Tannebaum, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, previously told CNN. It’s not the first time the United States has threatened sanctions on Iranian trade partners. India once was a major importer of Iranian oil. The two maintained a $1.1 billion trade relationship between April and December 2025 for goods like rice and sugar, but India stopped importing Iranian oil in 2019 due to US sanctions. (India bought Iranian oil in April of this year amid an energy crisis.)
MUDDY WATERS: It’s hard to determine how much US sanctions could impact China or any other countries that depend on Iranian oil. Wall Street analysts haven’t even been able to get a straight answer on how much oil is leaving the Strait of Hormuz. While US Energy Secretary Chris Wright asserted that the strait is open and oil is flowing, Iran says the opposite. And third-party ship-tracking data showed about half the amount Wright claimed. Then there are shadow fleets, used often by countries under sanctions. These oil tankers hide their owners, origins and destinations, making them hard to track. Ship tracking platform Kpler said this month that shadow transit made up around 50% strait traffic in recent weeks, up from around 12.5% a month ago. But the lack of oil flows affects everybody. Large oil reserves kept the world from entering a major oil shortage when the war with Iran started in February. And periodic ceasefires during the war sent global oil prices lower – only to rise again whenever those agreements have lapsed or run out. American consumers have already seen the effects of higher oil prices because of the war. The current national average price for gas is $4.10 a gallon, compared to last year’s average of $3.15, according to AAA. “No one is above the reach of US sanctions,” Bessent said Monday. But he sidestepped announcing end dates for any decisions. And Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to visit the US next month. “I’m not going to set timelines, but we do not have infinite patience here,” Bessent said.
CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Jennifer Hansler, Adam Cancryn, Sylvie Zhuang and David Goldman contributed to this report.
This is where the internet’s political power truly lies. It does not replace institutions. It does not automatically create revolutions. It can spread misinformation as rapidly as it spreads truth, amplify outrage as easily as legitimate grievances and turn complex events into simplistic narratives. Digital visibility is not the same as political legitimacy. But the balance has nevertheless shifted. In Bangladesh, digital networks helped amplify a movement. In Nepal, an attempt to restrict digital communication helped intensify one. In India, digital platforms helped transform a specific grievance into a wider political identity. The common thread is not that the internet caused these crises. It is that the internet changed their speed, scale and visibility. A government may still control the machinery of power. Citizens, however, increasingly control the speed at which information moves. That distinction matters. A state can restrict access to a network. It can block an account. It can issue an official statement. What it cannot easily do is make people unsee what they have already seen, unhear what they have already heard or forget the moment they discovered that thousands or millions of others shared the same grievance. The internet turns against a state not because it becomes a government itself, but because it weakens the state’s traditional monopoly over information. And once citizens discover that the official version of events is no longer the only version available, controlling the narrative becomes far more difficult. A government may be able to shut down the network. It cannot so easily shut down the political reality the network has already revealed.
Could Mecca defence pact be first step to new Middle East order? As security deal shakes up calculations for the US, China and Russia, a regional order shaped by regional states is no longer unthinkable
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SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST Zhou Bo
HE Mecca security pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan stipulates that an armed attack against one shall count as an attack against all three. Yet the real message is directed at the United States: if being an American ally offers no immunity against attack, there is little point in waiting for Washington to honour its security guarantees. That there has been no official White House statement casts some doubt on whether Donald Trump is really “very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement”, as the US president wrote on social media. “It shows that the Middle East is coming together and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way.” Superficially, the needs of the three nations are complementary: wealthy Saudi Arabia lacks military capacity, Turkey harbours ambitions across Eurasia and nuclear-armed Pakistan seeks financial support. Their strengths fit neatly together, cemented by a shared Sunni faith. But it is too early to argue that the Middle East is coming together. The concept of “middle power” may be in vogue after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for middle power solidarity amid great power rivalry in his landmark Davos address. Yet neither Pakistan nor Turkey, plainly middle powers, are strictly Middle Eastern countries, despite ambitions to extend their influence.
The writer is a freelance columnist
The pact is particularly awkward for India given its traditionally close economic and energy ties with Saudi Arabia, one of India’s largest oil suppliers. Turkey, meanwhile, has long been an outspoken supporter of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue
And the major powers will not walk away. America’s role in the Middle East might shrink in the long term but a new regional security architecture is unlikely to be short of its presence. The European Union, for instance, has talked about strategic autonomy for over a decade. The Ukraine conflict, however, exposed the hollowness of that ambition, as European security still fell back on American leadership and Nato’s military umbrella. Besides, eroding US influence in the region runs counter to Israel’s interests. Even if Washington were inclined to step back, Tel Aviv would go to great lengths to drag it back into the fray and cling tightly to its American backing – notwithstanding the fact that Israel’s killings in Gaza have shifted public opinion across sizeable segments of the US population, including young Jewish communities. Beijing has not issued a formal statement on the pact either. It should view the agreement with cautious approval. China has a long-standing preference for locally led security frameworks and supports regional powers in assuming greater responsibility for their stability. The pact complements its push for common and comprehensive security. In recent years, as China’s clout has grown, voices have increasingly called for Beijing to step in as a security guarantor. Voices are strongest in the Middle East, in part because China is the only major power that has friendly ties with all nations in the region, including Israel. But this diplomatic balancing act was sustainable partly because regional powers did not have acutely hostile relations with one another before the Gaza war. Should armed conflict erupt, China would find itself squeezed between opposing sides asking for support – a parallel to its predicament over the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia’s role in the Middle East has shrunk, but it is far from being pushed out of the picture. Ukraine-related obligations have tied down plenty of its energy and other resources, yet Moscow can still sustain its foothold, drawing on long-established diplomatic ties, technical military cooperation with Iran and residual military and political assets in Syria. Although it lacks the capacity to steer major regional
events or launch bold new initiatives, Russia can still serve as a secondary diplomatic broker and keep up modest weapons sales. How far can the pact realistically go? The catch is who, exactly, would invade any of the three. Israel functions as a shared threat more than a direct foe, yet an Israeli military strike against any member is hard to imagine. Israel has no cause to attack Pakistan or Turkey – both are American allies as well. And before the Gaza war erupted, Saudi-Israeli normalisation was almost within reach. The pact is unquestionably bad news for Tehran: it unites the three most powerful Sunni states, a dynamic that naturally bodes ill for Shiite-led Iran. Backing proxies like the Houthis and Hezbollah will also become more costly. Yet if even Washington cannot make Iran bend, no regional power will dare launch a direct military assault against Tehran. Conversely, Tehran is highly unlikely to start an open war against any Mecca pact member – its doctrine rests on asymmetric leverage and proxy power, rather than territorial invasion. India, which regards Pakistan as its primary regional threat, will frown on the deal too. With Pakistan now backed by two of the most powerful Muslim nations, New Delhi will have to factor in potential pushback from Saudi Arabia and Turkey when planning military operations in Kashmir. The pact is particularly awkward for India given its traditionally close economic and energy ties with Saudi Arabia, one of India’s largest oil suppliers. Turkey, meanwhile, has long been an outspoken supporter of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. The pact so far is a straw in the wind – but could it be the first move in a tectonic shift? Throughout its modern history, the region has served as a geopolitical chessboard for external powers. Today, great powers command far less ability to dictate regional outcomes than they did a generation ago. A regional order shaped by regional states is no longer unthinkable.
Senior Colonel Zhou Bo (ret) is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and a China Forum expert.
06 NEWS
WAR MAY LEAVE ISRAEL WORSE OFF DESPITE GAINS AGAINST IRAN, ANALYSTS SAY
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faced a choice between accepting a fresh nuclear agreement that could strengthen Iran or trying to further weaken the country at the risk of pushing it toward pursuing a nuclear weapon. "It's a colossal failure of Israeli strategy regarding Iran," Citrinowicz said.
JERUSALEM agenCieS
FTER years of pressing Washington to take military action against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has seen that objective realised, but six months into the conflict some analysts say Israel may emerge in a weaker strategic position than before. The war began in late February when US President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching the conflict. By April, however, Trump had called a ceasefire and moved toward a negotiated settlement amid declining public support and rising oil prices. These shifts in Washington's approach have added to Netanyahu's difficulties. Danny Citrinowicz, a former senior Israeli intelligence analyst on Iran who is now with the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said Israel had registered tactical successes but fallen short strategically. He said Israel now
DEBATE OVER THE WAR'S OUTCOME: Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war. It adds that Khamenei, while known for suppressing dissent and backing anti-Israeli groups including Hamas, had also been viewed as restraining any full-scale move toward nuclear weapons. That restraint may now disappear if Iran believes its conventional deterrence has been eroded. Trump has since alternated between imposing economic pressure on Iran, ordering periodic new strikes and voicing support for a deal that would include sanctions relief. Netanyahu had strongly opposed the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated under former US president Barack Obama.
Gaza parents told to stop children flying kites after Israeli warning
Iranian counter-strikes killed 25 people in Israel and four in the occupied West Bank, while more recent Iranian fire has been directed at Gulf Arab states hosting US military bases. Alex Grinberg, a senior fellow on Iran at the Turan Research Centre, said the war had significantly set Iran back by destroying infrastructure, removing personnel linked to the nuclear programme and causing heavy economic losses. "I think Israel did achieve its strategic goals, meaning denying the Iranian regime the strategic capacity to threaten Israel," Grinberg said, while also expressing doubt that Washington and Tehran would reach a favourable agreement.
A June survey by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Agam Institute found that 92% of Israelis believed Iran had won or gained more from the conflict, presenting a political warning for Netanyahu ahead of elections scheduled for October 27. Netanyahu said he hoped to create conditions for regime change, though he stopped short of explicitly declaring the overthrow of the Islamic republic as a formal war aim. Some observers say Netanyahu may be following a broader Israeli pattern also seen in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria: inflicting severe damage in a way that allows Israel to strike again later if it chooses. One diplomat based in Israel, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu did not view the outcome as a defeat because the United States was now directly at war with Iran while Israel had, for the time being, moved to the sidelines. "Netanyahu doesn't see this as a loss. He has the United States directly at war with Iran, with Israel for now on the sidelines," the diplomat said.
IMPACT ON ALLIANCES AND PUBLIC OPINION: The war has strained Israel's ties with its most important ally and may also reduce the chances of future reconciliation with the Iranian public. The conflict has fuelled criticism of Israel in the United States, where the Gaza war had already damaged its image.
The most revered dawn
GAZA CITY agenCieS
Representatives of local committees running displacement camps and shelters in Gaza have urged parents to stop children from flying kites, after Israel warned Hamas it would respond forcefully if cross-border kite launches continued. The warning was issued late Monday in a statement by the popular committees, which include representatives of local non-government organisations and charities operating in Gaza's shelters and displacement camps. The move was coordinated with Hamas authorities. The committees said they were trying to prevent harm to children amid growing tension over kites drifting toward Israel from the enclave. In the statement, they said their aim was not to deny children what little remains of normal life in Gaza, but to keep them safe. "We are working tirelessly on the ground and doing everything possible to stop this practice, not to restrict the childhood of our children, who have already been deprived of the most basic rights to play and live in safety, but to protect their innocent lives" The issue has revived memories of 2018, when Palestinians in Gaza sent incendiary balloons and kites across the border, causing fires over hundreds of acres of open land and farmland in Israel. At the time, those involved said the launches were meant as a protest against the Israeli blockade of the Hamas-run territory.
ISRAELI CONCERNS OVER RECENT KITE SIGHTINGS: In the past month, several kites were seen drifting from Gaza into Israel, though they were not reported to be carrying incendiary material. Even so, the sightings caused concern among residents of nearby Israeli communities. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas that if it did not halt the launches immediately, those behind sending kites, balloons or drones toward Israel could be targeted for assassination. He also said areas from which such launches took place would be ordered to evacuate. A senior Israeli defence official alleged that Hamas was trying to provoke Israel by encouraging people in Gaza to fly kites over the border. A Hamas official, however, told Reuters that the group had raised the matter with ceasefire mediators and maintained that Israel was using the issue as a pretext to continue the war. Israel was making fake pretexts to continue the war on Gaza. One Gaza mother, Umm Mohammed from Gaza City, told Reuters via a chat app that she feared her 10-year-old son could be hurt if he flew a kite. She said her son Ahmed and other children in the street usually flew kites in summer for entertainment, but added that she would no longer allow him to do so. Israel also raised the issue with US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which oversees implementation of the 2025 Gaza ceasefire agreement.
QUDRAT ULLAH AKISTAN observes 12 Rabi-ulAwwal today as Pakistanis join Muslims worldwide in commemorating the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The occasion carries a significance far beyond ceremony. It invites us to reflect on a life that transformed the moral, social and political landscape of its time and established enduring principles of justice, compassion, equality and human dignity. More than fourteen centuries ago, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emerged in a society marked by tribal conflict, social inequality, exploitation of the vulnerable and the denial of rights to women and children. His message of Islam challenged these practices and established a moral order based on the sanctity of human life, accountability, justice and mercy. The Holy Qur’an describes him as
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Rahmat-ul-lil-Alameen — a mercy to all the worlds. His mercy extended beyond personal kindness and was reflected in the principles by which society was organized. In Madina, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established a political community in which people of different religious backgrounds were bound by mutual obligations, rights and responsibilities. His example demonstrated that diversity, peaceful coexistence and social responsibility could flourish within a just order. His Farewell Sermon, known as the Khutba Hujjat-ul-Wida, remains a powerful affirmation of human dignity. He emphasized the sanctity of life, property and honour and rejected superiority based on race, ethnicity, tribe or social status. Human worth was linked not to birth or wealth, but to character and righteousness. This principle continues to offer a timeless foundation for societies seeking equality, justice and protection for every citizen. The teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also transformed the status of women. Islam recognized women’s rights to inheritance and property and established marriage as a relationship involving mutual rights and responsibilities. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) repeatedly urged men to treat women with kindness and respect. His example affirmed that women were individuals of dignity and rights, not possessions.
Children and orphans were, likewise, placed at the heart of social responsibility. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) called for their protection, care and fair treatment and condemned the neglect of the vulnerable. His example made compassion towards children, orphans and the disadvantaged a moral responsibility rather than merely an act of charity. These values find a constitutional expression in modern Pakistan. The Constitution guarantees equality before the law and equal protection, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, provides special protection for women and children, recognizes the right to education and safeguards the rights of religious minorities. In this sense, the ideals of justice, dignity and social protection remain central to the responsibilities of the state. In Punjab, these principles are increasingly reflected in programmes aimed at supporting vulnerable citizens and expanding opportunities. The Social Welfare and Baitul-Maal Department provides assistance to disadvantaged families, women and persons with disabilities. Initiatives such as the Himmat Card provide financial support to eligible persons with disabilities, helping them live with greater dignity and independence. The Dhee Rani Programme offers another example of dignity-oriented welfare. By supporting deserving families in ar-
Police use water cannon as Bihar exam leak protest turns tense BHUBANESWAR agenCieS
Police in India’s eastern state of Bihar used water cannon on Tuesday and detained dozens of demonstrators who were trying to march towards the governor’s residence to demand cancellation of a civil services recruitment examination over allegations of leaked question papers and other irregularities. The Bihar Public Service Commission examination is a competitive statelevel test used to recruit officers for the state administration. The latest protests centre on the test held in December 2024. According to local media reports cited by Reuters, more than 300,000 candidates sat the examination for 2,000 posts that were filled in June after two rounds of testing and an interview process. The Bihar government has previously rejected claims of a large-scale paper leak, but it had ordered a re-examination at one centre at the time.
MARCH TOWARDS GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE STOPPED: Footage carried by ANI showed hundreds of protesters in the state capital, Patna, pushing through police barri-
ranging marriages and providing financial assistance to couples, the programme seeks to ease economic pressures while respecting family dignity. Its inclusion of couples from minority communities also reflects the principle that public welfare should be inclusive and accessible to all. The true relevance of Rabi-ul-Awwal, therefore, lies in translating remembrance into responsibility. The legacy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) calls upon governments and societies to uphold justice, protect the vulnerable, respect women and children, safeguard minorities and ensure that every citizen is treated with dignity. For Pakistan, this is both a cherished moral inheritance and a shared responsibility. The most meaningful tribute to the ‘Prophet of Mercy’ is a society where justice is accessible, compassion guides public policy, minorities live securely, women are empowered, children are protected and every citizen can approach the state with trust and confidence. Fourteen centuries after the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), His message remains remarkably contemporary: power must be tempered by justice, difference must be met with respect and mercy must be translated into action. That universal standard continues to offer humanity a compelling path towards a more just, peaceful and dignified world. The writer is a Lahore-based public policy analyst & can be reached at qudratu@gmail.com.
China opposes 'illegal, unilateral sanctions' as US escalates sanctions on Iran BEIJING
cades before officers used a water cannon to force them back. The visuals also showed protesters being taken into a police bus that then left the area. Senior police officer KS Anupam said the situation had calmed down after the confrontation. Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari also said the authorities had addressed the students’ demands, though he did not provide further details. He added that the door for dialogue remained wide open. WIDER ANGER OVER EXAMINATION IRREGULARITIES: India has seen a rise in demonstrations over
BEIJING
Staff CorreSpondent
common aspiration of countries of the Global South, and is in line with the trend of the times, Wang pointed out. Noting China-India relations have gone beyond the bilateral sphere and carry global and strategic significance, Wang said China is ready to work with India to view bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, strengthen communication, enhance mutual understanding, resolve differences and overcome obstacles, and be good neighbors and friendly
It adds that public opinion inside Iran is difficult to measure, but notes that Iran and Israel were once allies before the Islamic revolution and that protests before the war showed visible opposition to clerical rule. At the same time, the United States and Israel, despite publicly expressing support for the Iranian people, issued severe threats during the conflict that appeared to blur the distinction between the state and its citizens. Their strikes also damaged infrastructure, including major universities. Liora Hendelman-Baavur, a senior research fellow at the Alliance Centre for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, said the longer-term result could be enduring resentment toward both Israel and the United States if the war is remembered primarily for civilian losses and destruction rather than the killing of senior regime figures.
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alleged wrongdoing in examinations since youth protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over several weeks forced the resignation of the federal education minister in July. Similar protests in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand led to the cancellation of civil service examinations there. The CJP has also announced a peaceful march in New Delhi next month to protest what it says is the federal government’s failure to implement some of the promises made at the time, including the withdrawal of police cases against protesters.
China, India hold special representatives talks on boundary question China and India on Tuesday held the 25th round of talks between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary question in Beijing, with the two sides engaging in comprehensive, in-depth, friendly and candid communication on the boundary question and bilateral relations, according to a statement released by the Chinese side. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and China's special representative on the boundary question between China and India, held talks with India's Special Representative and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Wang said China and India are important neighbors, as well as representatives of major developing countries and emerging economies. A healthy and stable development of China-India relations serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, meets the
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026 | KARACHI
partners that help each other achieve success, so as to realize "the dragon and the elephant dancing together." Wang noted that the two sides are orderly implementing the outcomes of the special representatives' meetings. Institutional exchanges and cooperation between the two countries are gradually resuming, while both sides are working together to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas. The two sides should draw lessons from history, place the boundary question
in its appropriate position in bilateral relations, and continue moving forward without stagnation, regression or deviation, Wang added. Efforts should be made to gradually build a positive narrative on China-India boundary affairs and make dialogue, peace, consultation and cooperation the mainstream, injecting positive factors into the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, he said. Doval said China and India are both ancient civilizations, populous countries and important economies, and are partners rather than competitors. A stable, predictable and forwardlooking India-China relationship serves the common interests of the two peoples and is of great significance to Asia and the world, Doval said. India is ready to further strengthen strategic communication with China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen multilateral coordination, effectively manage border areas, explore solutions to the boundary question and accelerate the improvement and development of India-China relations, Doval said.
China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions without a basis in international law and without authorization from the United Nations Security Council, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday. Lin made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a question about US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's announcement of a new round of sanctions aimed at Iran's "economic isolation" to further increase pressure on Iran. "An economic war and maximum pressure will not help resolve the issue. They will only further intensify contradictions and conflicts, cause risks to spill over, disrupt the global economic and financial order, and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries," Lin said. Lin stressed that the pressing priority is to cool down the situation and return to the track of dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, adding that China's cooperation with Iran has always been carried out within the framework of international law and should not be disrupted or undermined.
Netherlands to skip next Eurovision over concerns about neutrality on Gaza war AMSTERDAM agenCieS
The Netherlands will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, with Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS saying the event can no longer be seen as neutral because of divisions linked to the Gaza war. In a statement issued by the broadcaster, AVROTROS Director-General Taco Zimmerman said international conflicts were increasingly affecting the competition and eroding its neutral character. He said the contest had become a source of division and that recently announced changes by organisers did not provide enough confidence that Eurovision’s independent and neutral standing had been restored. It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division. Zimmerman also described the withdrawal as difficult, saying the broadcaster had wanted to return to the competition next year but would continue to act in line with its principles even if that meant leaving an event it valued highly.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026 | KARACHI
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Abdul Wahid Sethi Assumes Charge as Acting President & CEO of NBP, Ensuring leadership continuity at NBP
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Mr. Abdul Wahid Sethi has assumed charge as the Acting President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bank, effective August 21, following the completion of the tenure of the Bank’s previous President & CEO. The appointment has been made by the Finance Division in accordance with the Corporate Governance Regulatory Framework.Mr. Sethi brings more than three decades of experience across Pakistan’s public and private sectors, with expertise in financial management, audit, risk, governance and internal controls. He has been associated with NBP since November 2009 and has held several senior leadership positions during his tenure.Apart from assuming the role in an acting capacity, Mr. Sethi is also serving as Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NBP, a position he has held since September 2017. Earlier, he served as SEVP/Group Chief of the Audit & Inspection Group and Secretary to the Board Audit & Compliance Committee, gaining extensive experience across the Bank’s financial, operational and governance functions.
Hemnani distributes solar kits and Rs10m in interest-free loans under PPRP
GHOTKI STAFF REPORT
Sindh Government Spokesperson Sukhdev Hemnani on Tuesday distributed interest-free loan cheques worth a total of Rs10 million among more than 50 beneficiaries, including women, under the Peoples Poverty Reduction Programme (PPRP), saying the Sindh Government remained focused on helping families build sustainable livelihoods, achieve economic self-reliance and strengthen women’s economic empowerment.Hemnani attended the cheque distribution ceremony in Ghotki as chief guest. The financing will support women entrepreneurs, livestock, small businesses and other income-generating activities. One beneficiary received Rs2.5 million to expand a scrap business, while others received smaller interest-free loans according to their livelihood and business needs.The programme is being implemented in partnership with the Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO).Speaking at the ceremony, Hemnani said PPRP reflected PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s vision of inclusive, people-centred development and the party’s longstanding philosophy of Roti, Kapra aur Makaan.
FBL wins best bank of Pakistan award at Banking Awards 2026
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Faysal Bank Limited (FBL) has once again been named Pakistan’s Best Bank (Mid-size) at the 11th Pakistan Banking Awards 2026, reaffirming its leadership in Islamic banking and its continued commitment to innovation, excellence and customer-centric growth.As one of Pakistan’s leading Islamic banks, with an expanding network of 900 branches nationwide, Faysal Bank’s recognition reflects its strong financial performance, growing digital capabilities and continued focus on delivering inclusive, responsible and innovative Shariahcompliant financial solutions. Its customer-first approach and focus on sustainable growth have further strengthened its position in Pakistan’s evolving financial landscape.Mr. Juma Abul, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Being recognized as the Best Mid-Sized Bank at the Pakistan Banking Awards 2026 is a proud moment for all of us at Faysal Bank. This achievement reflects the strength of our transformation journey and our continued focus on delivering innovative, customer-centric and Shariah-compliant Banking solutions across Pakistan”.
NEWS 07 CM MARyAM ORdERS ONE-WEEK POLICE CLEAN-UP, vOWS zERO tOLERANCE FOR CORRUPtION, CRIME
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PUNJAB CM TASKS IGP WITH IDENTIFYING, WEEDING OUT CORRUPT OFFICIALS WITHIN SEVEN DAYS LAHORE
SALEEM JADOON
UNJAB Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday ordered a province-wide crackdown on corrupt elements within the police, directing the inspector general to identify and weed out corrupt officials within a week, while setting September 30 as the deadline for equipping Punjab Police personnel with body cameras. Presiding over a special meeting on law and order, the chief minister said maintaining peace and protecting the lives and property of citizens remained the government’s top priority, directing the police leadership to take strict action against officials involved in corruption and ensure effective control of crime across the province. The meeting decided to bring the operational control of Dolphin Police under the jurisdiction of the respective police stations. The chief minister also directed that all Punjab Police personnel be equipped with body cameras by September 30. The Punjab CM sought a comprehensive plan to ensure effective control of crimes against women and children and ordered a zero-tolerance policy against
those involved in such offences. “Children and women are my red line. No one will be spared for crimes against them,” she said, adding that the government would fulfil its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens. The chief minister ordered that police officers known for corruption should not be appointed as station house officers (SHOs) and directed strict action against corrupt officials. She also ordered the police to inten-
sify efforts to curb burglary and directed a clean-up operation in Sheikhupura to eliminate crime. Maryam Nawaz further approved the installation of GPS devices and cameras in prisoner vans and directed the authorities to take strict action over incidents involving the escape of prisoners. She said district police officers would be held accountable in districts where crime rates remained high. The inspector general of police briefed the meeting that the overall crime
Punjab Police deploys 55,000 personnel for Eid Milad security LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Punjab Police has finalised comprehensive security arrangements for 1,436 Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) gatherings and 2,479 processions across the province, including Lahore, to mark 12th Rabiul Awwal and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH), with Inspector General of Police Abdul Karim directing strict surveillance of miscreants and anti-state elements. More than 55,000 police officers and personnel will be deployed to secure the 1,436 Milad gatherings and 2,479 processions being held across Punjab, a Punjab Police spokesperson said while sharing details of the security plan. In Lahore alone, 216 processions and 111 Milad gatherings will be held on the occasion, while more than 8,000 police officers, personnel and volunteers will perform security duties in the provincial capital. Punjab IGP Abdul Karim directed that strict security arrangements in accordance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) be ensured for all processions, rallies and
LAHORE
Cities across Punjab glowed last night as the Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) marked Eid Milad-un-Nabi with decorative light installations and religious motifs across the province. The authority put up illuminated signage and ornamental displays in all 21 districts under its jurisdiction, part of an annual push to mark the occasion with public greenery and green spaces dressed for the holy day. In Lahore, the PHA went beyond its usual light displays, installing billboards themed around the occasion and running digital campaigns across major thoroughfares, including The Mall and Gulberg. Similarly, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Khushab, and Rahim Yar Khan also
gatherings on 12th Rabiul Awwal, with additional personnel deployed at sensitive locations. “The gatherings and rallies should be monitored with the help of Safe City cameras,” he directed. The IGP also directed police authorities to take into account the consultations and suggestions of peace committees, religious scholars and community leaders while finalising security arrangements. He directed all regional police officers (RPOs), city police officers (CPOs) and district police of-
ficers (DPOs) to personally supervise security arrangements for 12th Rabiul Awwal. He further ordered moment-by-moment monitoring of security arrangements for all programmes through control rooms. Teams from Police, Traffic Police, Elite, Special Branch and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) will assist in maintaining security, the spokesperson said, adding that all conventional and modern policing resources would be utilised to secure gatherings, processions and rallies.
featured prominent lighting arrangements, with parks and public spaces in each city decorated with religious calligraphy, illuminated domes, and floral motifs. The district agencies also decorated their offices with lights and buntings, giving them a distinct green appearance in honor of the sacred occasion. PHA DG Ahmad Usman Javaid said the Eid Miladun Nabi celebrations were "a great honour and a blessing for all of us." Preparations began weeks in advance, with horticulture staff working overnight to complete installations ahead of the holy night. In a separate meeting, he directed PHA's newly-established district agencies to devise area-specific revenue generation plans aimed at strengthening financial sustainability and reducing reliance on government funding.
The meeting reviewed the agencies' operational performance, administrative arrangements, and progress on organisational development, with officials stressing the need to build financially self-sustaining institutions. Mr Javaid directed agencies to identify local revenue opportunities and prepare strategies suited to each district's commercial profile, in compliance with the relevant legal framework. “Every district has its own commercial character, and revenue strategies must reflect that, instead of copying a single template,” Mr Javaid said. “A district with heavy commercial activity may derive significant income from regulating outdoor advertising, while another may have greater potential in leasing underutilised land or entering into public-private partnerships for the development and management of parks,” he added.
Foolproof security arrangements finalised in twin cities for Eid Miladun Nabi ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
The Aga Khan University’s Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME), Karachi, in partnership with the AKU Medical College, has received the AMEE ASPIRE to Excellence Award from the International Association for Health Professions Education. The recognition places CIME among an international cohort of institutions named to AMEE's ASPIRE Academy this year for excellence in simulation-based health professions education.Since opening in 2017 as Pakistan's first health care simulation centre, CIME has developed into the country’s largest health care simulation centre and has been described as the most advanced health care teaching and learning institute in Pakistan and East Africa. In 2020, CIME became South Asia's first simulation programme to be accredited by the US-based Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). The ASPIRE Award adds a second major international benchmark to that record."Receiving the ASPIRE to Excellence Award in Simulation is a proud milestone for CIME and a significant moment for health care simulation in Pakistan," said Dr Faisal Ismail, Regional Director, CIME, South Asia. "As an institution based in a low- and middle-income country, this recognition affirms that excellence in simulation-based education is not defined by geography or resources alone but also by vision, collaboration, and a strong commitment to improving health care.
iFFALCON Officially marks entry into Pakistan with Lahore launch event
LAHORE STAFF REPORT
RAJA KASHIF ASHFAQ
Foolproof security arrangements have been finalised in Islamabad for the 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, with more than 3,000 police officers and personnel to be deployed for the security of the central and other Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions. Traffic police personnel will also be deployed to maintain the smooth flow of traffic and manage diversions along alternative routes. SSP Operations Islamabad Qazi Ali Raza said procession participants would only be allowed to enter through designated entry points. Walk-through gates would be installed at all entry points, and every participant would undergo a complete body search before being allowed to join the procession. According to police officials, the procession routes and adjoining areas will be continuously monitored through Safe City cameras.
AKU Wins International AMEE ASPIRE to Excellence Award 2026 in Healthcare Simulation
KARACHI
PHA lights up Punjab for Eid Miladun Nabi STAFF REPORT
situation in the province had improved, with robberies declining by 54 per cent, murders by 35pc, car snatching by 46pc and motorcycle theft by 53pc. In Lahore, murders had fallen by 43pc, robberies by 32pc, car snatching by 43pc and motorcycle theft by 54pc, according to the briefing. CM congratulates AJK leaders on election of Speaker, Deputy Speaker Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed gratitude over the election of Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) candidates as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The chief minister congratulated Tariq Farooq on his election as Speaker of the AJK Legislative Assembly and Ahmed Raza Qadri on being elected Deputy Speaker. Maryam Nawaz also felicitated the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion. CM condoles over loss of lives in Murree bus accident In a related development, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives after a bus fell into a ravine near Lower Barrian, Murree (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
Snipers will also be deployed on the rooftops of important buildings along the routes as part of the enhanced security arrangements. Streets, roads and other access points adjoining the procession routes will be temporarily sealed during the procession. Police mobiles from the relevant police stations, specialised police commando teams and
patrolling squads will perform security and patrol duties in their respective areas. SSP Operations Qazi Ali Raza urged citizens to immediately inform the police about any suspicious activity or the presence of a suspicious person. He said all available resources were being utilised to ensure foolproof security on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi .
iFFALCON, a next-generation smart technology brand and sub-brand of TCL, officially entered the Pakistani market, unveiling its latest television portfolio at a launch event in Lahore attended by members of the media, content creators, business partners and industry stakeholders.The launch marked an important milestone in iFFALCON’s continued international expansion, introducing Pakistani consumers to a brand built on advanced display technology, contemporary design and accessible premium entertainment. Founded in 2017, iFFALCON has expanded to more than 43 countries and regions. As a sub-brand of TCL, it draws on the group’s expertise in television and display technology while maintaining a distinct identity for younger, digitally connected consumers.Mr. Majid Khan Niazi, Director Sales & Marketing, iFFALCON Pakistan, said: Pakistan represents an exciting new chapter for iFFALCON. It is a young and highly connected market where entertainment, gaming, sports and digital content have become an important part of everyday life. Our ambition is to bring consumers advanced television technology through a brand that feels relevant, contemporary and accessible.
PAKISTAN SEEKS STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP WITH SAUDI ARABIA, SAYS PM NEWS
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ISLAMABAD
SALEEM JADOON
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan was keen to elevate its economic relationship with Saudi Arabia into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership in line with the vision of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, as a high-level Saudi business delegation arrived in Islamabad to explore investment opportunities across key sectors. The prime minister was talking to the delegation, led by Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council Prince Mansour bin Mohammad AlSaud, which called on him at the PM House, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). During the “warm and cordial” meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz conveyed his respectful regards to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Both sides discussed ways to further elevate economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the PMO said. Recalling the longstanding brotherly ties between the two countries, the prime
minister discussed avenues for expanding bilateral economic cooperation and investment. He recalled Prince Mansour’s earlier visits to Pakistan and expressed the hope that the current visit would build on those discussions and culminate in the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements across multiple sectors. “In line with the vision of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistan was keen to elevate its economic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into a mutually benefi-
SC to hear contempt plea over alleged violation of Imran's hospital transfer order on Sept 16 ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Supreme Court will hear on September 16 a contempt of court petition filed by Dr Uzma Khan, sister of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, against government officials for allegedly violating the apex court’s August 18 order directing his transfer to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. The same three-member bench that issued the August 18 directions — comprising Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim — will hear the contempt petition. The bench is already scheduled to resume proceedings on September 16 in pending matters relating to Imran’s health and his meetings with family members. It remains unclear, however, whether the bench will also take up the review petition filed by Islamabad Chief Commissioner retired Lieutenant Sohail Ashraf challenging the order directing Imran’s transfer to the private hospital. The development follows the resubmission of Uzma Khan’s contempt petition after the Supreme Court registrar’s office had returned it with objections. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the registrar had informed him that one objection related to the list of charges against the respondents not having been dispatched. Gohar subsequently said the party would remove the objections and resubmit the petition. Uzma later filed a separate application seeking early fixation of the contempt plea, arguing that the matter concerned Imran’s life, health, dignity and physical well-being and that any further delay could cause serious and irreparable harm. The application maintained that the August 18 order remained binding unless its operation was expressly stayed by the Supreme Court. The contempt petition alleges that the respondents deliberately and wilfully disobeyed the August 18 order, which directed the government to shift Imran from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital within two days for examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board. Instead, the government took Imran to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for a medical examination before returning him to Adiala jail. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had attributed the change in arrangements to the security situation allegedly created by PTI workers along the route to and outside Shifa International Hospital. Uzma, who was present during the medical examination, challenged the government’s decision and sought contempt proceedings against those responsible. She named Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf, Interior Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar, Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Adiala Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar as respondents. She also asked the court to appoint an officer or local commission to ensure implementation of its earlier order. In her application for early hearing, Uzma argued that the filing or pendency of a review petition by the chief commissioner did not suspend or dilute the binding effect of the August 18 order unless the Supreme Court expressly stayed its operation.
cial strategic economic partnership,” the statement quoted the prime minister as saying. The Saudi side conveyed interest in investment opportunities in agriculture, ports, highways and airport outsourcing, as well as the real estate, energy, power distribution and information technology sectors, the statement added. The prime minister welcomed Saudi interest in these priority areas and expressed hope that the visit would culminate in the signing of agreements across multiple sectors.
Prince Mansour thanked the prime minister for the warm reception and reaffirmed the Saudi government’s and business community’s continued interest in deepening business-to-business engagement with Pakistan, according to the PMO. The delegation will meet a number of senior government representatives and private-sector stakeholders during its stay in Pakistan. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have grown closer and sought to enhance their business, trade and investment ties over the years. In 2024, Pakistani and Saudi businesses signed 34 memoranda of understanding worth $2.8 billion across multiple sectors. A month after signing a landmark defence deal in September 2025, the two countries agreed to an economic cooperation framework during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh, with the goal of strengthening trade and investment ties. Federal Ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Dr Musadik Malik, Jam Kamal Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ataullah Tarar, Junaid Anwar Chaudhury, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari and Muhammad Hanif Abbasi; Advisors Muhammad Ali and Haroon Akhtar Khan; Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani; SAPM Tariq Fatemi; and senior government officials attended the meeting.
JI threatens nationwide shutdown, Islamabad march over petroleum levy LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday warned of a nationwide shutdown, road blockades and a march on Islamabad if the government failed to withdraw the petroleum levy and provide relief to consumers. Addressing a press conference at the JI sit-in outside the Punjab chief minister’s House, Mr Rehman said the protest had entered its 10th day and was gaining momentum across the country. “The people’s patience has run out,” he said, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the petroleum levy and what he termed unjustified taxes. He said the sitins would continue until the government took concrete steps to ease the burden on the public. The JI chief said the party would announce the date for a nationwide strike on 13th Rabi-ulAwwal, while protests would continue during Eid Miladun Nabi. He claimed the party had mobilised supporters in all four provinces and would further expand the campaign if its demands were ignored.
He criticised the government’s economic policies, saying successive administrations had shifted the burden of their failures onto ordinary citizens. He alleged that the authorities were exploiting the prevailing war situation to raise fuel prices and increase revenues. Mr Rehman demanded the abolition of the petroleum levy and other taxes on fuel, arguing that rising prices were particularly affecting commuters, students, labourers and motorcyclists. He also called for a reduction in the price of roti to Rs10. The JI emir also called for a forensic audit of coal imported for independent power producers (IPPs), alleging irregularities in coal-related transactions. He said the Power Division had itself acknowledged such irregularities and demanded an independent investigation to determine those reand identify sponsible beneficiaries. He accused consumers of being forced to pay for expensive fuel, unused electricity and questionable IPP arrangements, saying the cost of government and elite extravagance was ultimately being passed on to ordinary people.
Referring to the JI’s earlier campaign against IPPs, Mr Rehman claimed that public pressure had contributed to a reduction of around Rs10 per unit in electricity prices. He warned that the party would intensify its campaign if the government failed to respond to its demands. “Shutdowns, road blockades and a march on Islamabad are among our options,” he said, warning the government against testing the party’s resolve. Criticism of ruling coalition Mr Rehman also criticised the political system, saying governments lacking genuine public support remained weak. Referring to the ruling coalition as a “Form-47 product”, he accused it of failing to address the problems confronting ordinary Pakistanis. He criticised the PPP-led government in Sindh and what he described as a family monopoly in Punjab, while also questioning the prolonged delay in holding local government elections. Taking aim at the Punjab government, the JI leader said its much-publicised initiatives could not compensate for its failure to resolve basic public problems.
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026
PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR SUNRISE
ZUHR
ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
6:07
1:30
5:11
HOLIDAY NOTICE 4:48
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The office of Pakistan Today will remain closed on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, on account of Eid Miladun Nabi. Consequently, the newspaper will not be published on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Publication of Pakistan Today will resume on Friday, August 28, 2026.
PML-N's Tariq Farooq elected AJK Assembly speaker, Qadri deputy speaker MUZAFFARABAD
STAFF REPORT
PML-N’s Chaudhary Tariq Farooq was elected the 16th speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, while party colleague Muhammad Ahmed Raza Qadri secured the deputy speaker’s slot in elections held during the newly constituted House’s second sitting. The session began at 2:30pm with outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar of the PPP in the chair. Akbar, who could not retain his seat in the recent general elections, presided over the election of his successor before handing over the office. All 46 legislators who took oath on Monday participated in the polling. The PML-N and its ally collectively hold 32 seats, while the PPP has 14 members. Farooq, elected from LA-7 Bhimber City, secured 32 votes against PPP nominee Chaudhry Qasim Majeed’s 13. One PPP vote was rejected. The rejected ballot was reportedly cast by PPP lawmaker Zobia Khurshid Raja, who had been elected on a women’s reserved seat through a draw of lots after her votes were tied with PML-N candidate Riffat Abid. Raja reportedly told a colleague that she had marked a tick rather than a cross on the ballot paper. Farooq was administered the oath of office by his predecessor, Chaudhry Latif Akbar. PML-N leader and former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider paid tribute to Akbar for what he described as his smooth conduct of the House. He noted that he and Akbar were the last members of the outgoing Assembly who had also been elected in 1985, following the restoration of democracy in AJK and Pakistan. PPP regional president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin also praised Akbar, describing his contribution to the PPP and democratic politics as significant. Qadri elected deputy speaker After taking charge of the proceedings, Farooq conducted the election for deputy speaker, with PMLN nominee Muhammad Ahmed Raza Qadri securing 32 votes. PPP candidate Aamir Abdul Ghaffar Lone received 13 votes, while one ballot was rejected for a second time. The repeated rejection of a PPP ballot prompted speculation among party members over whether the votes had been deliberately invalidated. Qadri and Lone both represent Kashmiri refugee constituencies, with Qadri elected from Rawalpindi and Lone from Karachi. The PML-N had reportedly initially considered Raja Asif of LA-11 Sehnsa for the position, but he declined the offer. The PPP had first nominated Zaffar Iqbal Malik of LA-8 Raj Mahal before replacing him with Lone. Farooq administered the oath to Qadri after the latter’s election.
Imran's family meetings continue under SC directions ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
CM Maryam, Xinjiang CPC chief agree to deepen Punjab-China farm cooperation LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday met Chen Xiaojiang, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee, and agreed to expand cooperation between Punjab and Xinjiang in agriculture, irrigation, livestock and other key sectors, including through advanced Chinese technologies and tested seeds to boost agricultural productivity. Chen Xiaojiang warmly welcomed the chief minister, who thanked him for the reception. The meeting was also attended by CPC Xinjiang Uygur Deputy Secretary He Zhongyu, Head of the Publicity Department Wang Jinzhen, Executive Vice Governor of Xinjiang Uygur Zhang Yingchen and Provincial Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the CPC Li Qiyong. The two sides agreed to promote partnership in agriculture, irrigation and livestock and
discussed the adoption of advanced aerial vehicles, modern water-levelling techniques and digital crop-monitoring systems to promote agricultural productivity. Detailed discussions were held on prospects for cooperation in agricultural irrigation, mechanisation and livestock development. Maryam Nawaz offered Chinese authorities cooperation in agricultural mechanisation, water-efficient irrigation and livestock development, while the two sides also agreed on the use of tested Chinese seeds to improve agricultural productivity. The meeting stressed the need to promote exchanges of delegations between Punjab and China and further strengthen people-to-people contacts. The discussions also covered development, regional stability and enhanced cooperation in line with China’s international strategy. The chief minister said Punjab was Pakistan’s largest province in terms of agricultural production and played a key role in meeting the country’s requirements for
wheat, maize, sugarcane and rice. “Punjab wants to benefit from Xinjiang’s experience in corporate farming,” she said. Maryam Nawaz said the Punjab government wanted to further expand cooperation with China in agriculture, industry, minerals and new technologies. CM Punjab arrives in China for four-day official visit Earlier, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz arrived in China on Tuesday for a four-day official visit, where she was received by senior Chinese officials and diplomatic representatives at Urumqi International Airport. Chinese Consul General in Lahore Mr Sun Yan saw off the chief minister at Lahore airport as she departed for China. Upon her arrival in Urumqi, the Punjab CM was warmly received by senior Chinese officials and diplomatic representatives. The chief minister began her official engagements at the Kunlun Hall of the conference centre at the Xinjiang State Guest House, where she held a series of high-level meetings.
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi met him at Adiala jail on Tuesday for the second consecutive week, as the family’s meetings with the incarcerated PTI founder continue under directions issued by the Supreme Court (SC). The meeting, which lasted around 45 minutes, was facilitated in accordance with the apex court’s Aug 18 order directing authorities to allow Imran to meet his family members once a week and speak to his sons by telephone twice a week. According to PTI lawyer Awais Younas Chaudhry, Noreen was permitted to meet Imran after Bushra Bibi’s family was allowed to meet her. Imran’s other two sisters accompanied Noreen to the jail but remained in their vehicle. “When Noreen Niazi came out of the jail, all the sisters left without speaking to the media,” Chaudhry said, adding that the PTI was adhering to the guidelines and directions issued by the Supreme Court. Noreen had previously met Imran on Aug 18, the day the SC issued its directions concerning his family meetings and medical treatment. Chaudhry appreciated the apex court’s role in facilitating the meetings, saying that contact between Imran and his family had become possible because of the court’s intervention. “We really appreciate the role of the Supreme Court as the meetings with PTI’s founding chairman have become possible only because of the court,” he said. He also expressed hope that the government would fully implement the SC’s directions, particularly the order requiring Imran to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for medical examination and treatment and allowing his personal physicians to examine him.
Govt says it will follow any Supreme Court direction on Imran Khan medical order ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate on Tuesday that the Supreme Court will determine on September 16 whether its August 18 order concerning Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s medical examination was implemented and to what extent, and said the government would act on any further direction issued by the court. Responding to points raised by Senator Ali Zafar and Leader of the Opposition in the
Senate Raja Nasir Abbas, Sanaullah said the court itself would assess compliance with the order and identify any deficiency if it found one. He said the government would implement the apex court’s instructions if it directed additional measures. In remarks to the House, Sanaullah said neither the government nor the opposition should assume the role of the judiciary by issuing their own conclusions on whether the order had been complied with. He said the Constitution and the law bind the government, state institutions and the courts, and also provide review mechanisms and legal remedies in cases where implementation of
a judicial order is disputed. The matter stems from the Supreme Court’s August 18 order issued after Imran Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a medical examination. The court had directed that he be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and had also ordered the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family. Following what PTI described as a violation of that order, the party moved a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court. PTI also challenged the authenticity and
completeness of the medical documentation and demanded that Imran Khan be examined by his personal doctors, Dr Asim Yusuf and Dr Faisal Sultan, as well as an independent medical board. Government position in Senate Sanaullah said the government had made what he described as a sincere effort to implement the August 18 order. According to him, the purpose of taking the PTI founder to hospital was to ensure a medical examination. He said the original plan was altered because the administration had security concerns about the situation that could emerge at the intended private facility.
He told senators that Imran Khan was instead taken to a government hospital, where, he said, he received a complete examination by qualified and professional doctors. Sanaullah also said the government had no intention of compromising the PTI founder’s health and maintained that no negligence had occurred in the past and none would be permitted in the future. He further referred to political messaging after meetings with the PTI founder, saying messages emerging from such interactions were later repeated in press conferences and amplified on social media, including from abroad.
Published by Asad Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 021-32640318 . Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk