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Tuesday, 22 September, 2026 | 9 Rabius Sani, 1448

Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 178 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition

PezeShkIan haIlS STronger PakISTan-Iran TIeS, credITS US PreSSUre for MUSlIM UnITy g

PEZESHKIAN CALLS FOR STRONGER PAKISTAN-IRAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION NAQVI, MOMENI REVIEW BILATERAL AND REGIONAL SECURITY COOPERATION

IRANIAN PRESIDENT LINKS US PRESSURE TO CLOSER MUSLIM ENGAGEMENT TEHRAN PRAISES PAKISTAN’S EFFORTS TO PROMOTE REGIONAL PEACE

dar reaﬃrms pakistan's steadfast commitment to international peace and security ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

TEHRAN MIAN ABRAR

RANIAN President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday welcomed the growing engagement between Pakistan and Iran, saying increased US pressure had contributed to stronger interaction among Muslim countries and citing the growing frequency of Tehran-Islamabad contacts as an example. The Iranian president made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is visiting Tehran amid heightened regional tensions and stalled efforts to end the con-

flict between the United States and Iran. The two sides discussed bilateral relations, regional developments and prospects for expanding cooperation across multiple sectors. President Pezeshkian expressed satisfaction over the trajectory of PakistanIran relations and called for greater cooperation in trade, energy, tourism, investment, culture and science. “We are pleased that you are continuously following up on the process of bilateral cooperation, and we hope that these interactions will continue with greater seriousness in all fields,” he said.

Mohsin naqvi warns PTI against September 27 Islamabad march ISLAMABAD

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday warned the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) against proceeding with its planned September 27 long march towards Islamabad, urging the party to reconsider its protest strategy and avoid a confrontation with the government. The warning came as PTI stepped up preparations for a nationwide protest and march on the federal capital to demand the release of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan. “We have clearly told them (PTI) that they can never achieve anything through such drama,” Naqvi said at a press briefing. He urged the party not to “enter a deadend street”, saying there was still time for it to reconsider the planned action. The interior minister warned that the government would “not leave any loopholes” in its response if PTI went ahead with the march. Naqvi also claimed that a majority of PTI’s senior leadership was opposed to the proposed protest. However, he said, if the party proceeded, the government would enforce an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order issued on September 14. The IHC had ruled that no political party or its leadership had the “lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and buildings in Islamabad”.

Continued on page 03

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday reaffirmed Pakistan's steadfast commitment to international peace and security and to an effective and inclusive multilateral order with the United Nations (UN) at its centre in a message issued on the International Day of Peace. In the message issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister said the day served as a significant reminder that dialogue, diplomacy, and adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter remained the only means of achieving sustainable peace. He called on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities by upholding the UN Charter, respecting international law, and pursuing the just and lasting settlement of disputes through peaceful means. Highlighting Pakistan's role as a long-standing and leading troop contrib-

utor to UN peacekeeping, the foreign minister said the country's enduring commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security was well established. He said Pakistan continued to advocate a comprehensive approach to preventing and resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. He cited Pakistan's diplomatic initiatives in support of the settlement of disputes, including mediation between Iran and the United States, as reflective of this commitment. He also referred to the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2788, sponsored by Pakistan during its presidency of the Council last year, describing it as an important reaffirmation of the Security Council's resolve to reinforce mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes. The deputy prime minister said unresolved disputes continued to fuel regional and international insecurity, and that durable peace could not be achieved when the right of peoples to self-determination was denied and UN Security Council resolutions were left unimplemented.

28 terrorists killed in Pakistan airstrikes near Afghan border ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Pakistan carried out calibrated airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in the border region with Afghanistan, killing more than 28 terrorists, including militants at a suicide bombers’ training centre, the information ministry said on Monday. The strikes were conducted on the basis of credible intelligence and targeted hideouts and safe havens of terrorist organisations allegedly responsible for a series of recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to an official statement. “Three targets were destroyed with precision, including a suicide bombers’ training markaz, killing 28 terrorists alongside multiple suicide bombers,” the ministry said, adding that large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the targeted centres and hideouts were also destroyed. The government uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ministry said the airstrikes

followed a “well-planned intelligence-based ground operation” carried out by security forces in Kohat and Hangu districts on Sunday. Nine militants described by the government as members of Fitna al-Khawarij were killed during the operation, while several others were injured, it added. The government said Pakistan had consistently sought peace and stability in the region but maintained that the security of its citizens remained its foremost priority. “It is a matter of grave concern

that Afghanistan continues to remain a hub of terrorism,” the information ministry said, asserting that the threat to Pakistan emanated from Afghan territory. It said the strikes were directed specifically at terrorist hubs and that maximum precautions had been taken to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage. The latest action came days after a major terrorist attack on the old Police Lines in Kohat, which killed 23 people and wounded around 100 others.

Continued on page 03

PTI vows peaceful Sept 27 march, warns against blocking constitutional right to protest PESHAWAR

STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday said the party’s September 27 long march to Islamabad would remain peaceful and within the law, asserting that the Constitution and rule of law would prevail during the protest. Addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House, Mr Gohar said PTI was not marching on Islamabad to “conquer” the capital or turn it into “Somnath”, but to exercise what it described as its democratic and constitutional right to protest. “When we go to Islamabad, the supremacy of the Constitution and the law will prevail,” he said, adding that the march would have an atmosphere of festivity. Mr Gohar said PTI would not take law and order into its own hands and maintained that peace and stability remained the party’s priority. “Are we terrorists? We are being told that we will be dealt with like terrorists. We are political figures, and we will not arrive like terrorists,” he said. The PTI chairman said the party had been denied political space despite repeatedly approaching the courts and raising its concerns in Parliament and the Senate. He said PTI had approached the high court 25 times and the Supreme Court 19 times, adding that its demands included medical treatment for party founder Imran Khan and justice in his cases. Mr Gohar also questioned the imprisonment of four women related to Mr Khan, saying PTI believed the party was being punished despite pursuing peaceful political activities. He said the political situation could improve only if the government and opposition listened to each other and stopped issuing threats. “The state will have to change its approach and think of the country,” he said. PTI cites previous marches Mr Gohar questioned whether PTI’s proposed march was not part of its democratic and constitutional rights, recalling that 14 long marches had been allowed during the party’s three-year tenure in government. “We have not been allowed to hold a long march for four years since our government ended,” he said. He claimed that around 1,500 PTI workers had been arrested and alleged that lists had been prepared for further arrests. He also said five MNAs, a senator, MPAs, including one from Islamabad, and ministers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were currently in custody. According to Mr Gohar, the arrests were intended to demonstrate that although PTI was in government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, decisions concerning the province were being taken elsewhere. “The people of the province should call the shots,” he said. He maintained that PTI had not severed communication channels with the authorities, saying the party’s demands remained medical treatment for Imran Khan, hearings in his cases and permission for meetings. Afridi vows peaceful mobilisation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said PTI had faced what he described as persistent injustice, coercion and oppression since April 9, 2022, and particularly following the events of November 26, 2024. He alleged that PTI workers had been subjected to violence and persecution but said the party would continue its political struggle. Mr Afridi claimed that Imran Khan’s wife and family had also been targeted and alleged that his three sisters had been “abducted” a day earlier.

02 NEWS

Tuesday, 22 September, 2026 | KARACHI

WORLD BANK DOWNGRADES PROGRESS OF PUNJAB’S $200M HOUSING PROGRAMME AS DELIVERY LAGS

PROFIT

MONITORING REPORT

HE World Bank has proposed a 21-month extension of Punjab’s $200 million Affordable Housing Program until March 2029 after downgrading its implementation progress to “Moderately Unsatisfactory”, with actual delivery of housing units yet to begin, Business Recorder reported. The programme, approved in March 2022, was originally scheduled to close on June 30, 2027. Its overall risk rating has also been raised from “Moderate” to “Substantial”. According to World Bank documents, $41.12 million, or 20.17%, of the revised $203.82 million financing has been disbursed, leaving $162.70 million undisbursed. The programme targets 77,000 housing units across Punjab, including 37,000 affordable units. However, no affordable units had been delivered as of May 2026. Key pending construction targets in-

clude 9,000 affordable units from the private sector, 8,000 from the public sector and 16,000 units delivered to eligible beneficiaries. The proposed restructuring would introduce a beneficiary-led construction model, establish a demand-side subsidy window and expand technical assistance

alongside the extension. The World Bank said progress had been made on the institutional framework, with the Housing Market Information System, Programme Management Information System and Beneficiary Management Information System operational. Location and infrastructure in-

vestment criteria have also been developed and are being applied. Punjab's Cabinet approved revised Affordable Private Housing Schemes Rules in June 2024, while associated regulations were approved by the PHATA Governing Body in April 2025. However, several implementation measures remain incomplete. Eligibility criteria for Tier-1 beneficiaries are still being developed, while costing and feasibility assessments for core housing designs remain underway. Processing of developer applications under the revised framework is also expected to begin. Development of a comprehensive Punjab housing policy has meanwhile been put on hold pending notification and implementation of the federal government’s national housing policy. The World Bank identified technical design, implementation capacity and sustainability as substantial risks. The restructuring is aimed at addressing delays and improving the programme’s chances of meeting its housing delivery targets.

FIA books 22, including six MOFA oﬃcials, over alleged fake apostille network PROFIT

MONITORING REPORT

FBR fixes minimum value for ghee, cooking oil at up to Rs588 per kg PROFIT

NEWS DESK

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has fixed minimum values for sales tax purposes for domestically produced vegetable and animal fats and oils, ghee and cooking oil, setting September 2026 values at between Rs500 and Rs588 per litre/kg depending on the category. Under SRO 1632(I)/2026, issued on September 18, the benchmark minimum value will be calculated using the average national retail price of vegetable and animal fats and oils, ghee and cooking oil published on the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) website through its weekly Sensitive Price Indicator during the last week of the immediately preceding month, minus Rs25. The Rs25 per kg reduction will only be admissible to registered persons compliant with the FBR's digital invoicing and production monitoring system. The FBR has divided the products into three categories for determining their minimum values. Category A comprises Dalda, Habib, Sufi, Mezan, Soya Supreme and EVA and is valued at 100% of the benchmark. Category B includes Manpasand, Habib Handi, Seasons, Kashmir, Kausar, Shah Taj, Kisan, Shafaq and Sultan and is valued at 93% of the benchmark. All other brands fall under Category C and are valued at 85% of the benchmark. The notification provides an illustrative calculation based on PBS prices, including Rs3,067 for a five litre/kg pack, Rs1,550 for a 2.5 litre/kg pack and Rs606 for a one litre/kg pack. These translate into respective average minimum prices of Rs613, Rs620 and Rs606 per litre/kg. The average of these values comes to Rs613, which falls to Rs588 per kg after the prescribed Rs25 deduction. Based on this calculation, the FBR has set the September minimum value at Rs588 per litre/kg for Category A, Rs547 for Category B and Rs500 for Category C. The values for subsequent months will be recalculated using the same methodology rather than remaining fixed at the September levels. Supplies of oil and ghee to the armed forces will be valued according to the price specified in the relevant contract. The FBR further stipulated that if the actual value at which the products are supplied is higher than the minimum value determined under the notification, sales tax will be charged on the higher value. The notification will remain applicable through the tax period of November 2026.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad Zone has claimed to have busted an alleged network involved in preparing and using fake apostille stickers and official stamps, booking 22 suspects, including six officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The action followed raids by the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) Islamabad at several consultancy and courier offices operating from the basement of F&F Plaza in Aabpara, an FIA official said. According to the agency, the raids were conducted following information received from reliable sources. The FIA has registered case No 48/2026 against 22 suspects under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with

PROFIT The seizure of nearly 1,000 containers, trailers, trucks and other heavy vehicles ahead of four planned long marches has disrupted supplies of essential goods to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, with transporters and wholesalers warning of shortages and spoilage if restrictions continue. The Goods Transport Federation and wholesale dealers protested the seizure of vehicles carrying food, medicines and dry fruits, saying prolonged closures were causing perishable goods to deteriorate and putting goods worth millions of rupees at risk. Supplies of food and other essential items from Karachi, Faisal-

PROFIT

NEWS DESK

The Board of Directors of Engro Corporation Limited has approved the appointment of Junaid Iqbal as President and Chief Executive Officerdesignate, Engro Holdings Limited said in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday. Incumbent President and CEO Ahsan Zafar Syed will continue in office until the completion of his current term. Iqbal will assume the position of President and CEO of Engro Corporation subject to board approval following the election of the company’s Board of Directors in April 2027. "This is to inform you that the Board of Directors of Engro Corporation Limited (“ECORP”), a wholly owned subsidiary, has approved the appointment of Mr. Junaid Iqbal as the ‘President & CEO – Designate’ of ECORP. The incumbent President & CEO, Mr. Ahsan Zafar Syed, shall continue in office until completion of his current term. Mr. Junaid Iqbal shall assume the position of President & CEO of the Company, subject to Board approval following the election of the Board of Directors in April 2027," read the company's notice sent to PSX. Engro Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Engro Holdings Limited. In its notice, Engro Holdings thanked Syed for his leadership and contributions to the group during his tenure as President and CEO of Engro Corporation. The company also welcomed Iqbal as President and CEO-designate, saying it looked forward to his leadership in advancing the group’s strategic priorities and continued growth.

FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan to appoint new CEO as Kashan Hasan resigns PROFIT

NEWS DESK

Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. The investigation identified 16 private suspects linked to Sofi Consultants, Excellent Courier Service (ECS), Leopards Courier Services at F&F Plaza, RAAK Consultancy, Noon Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, GM Consultants and Fair Line Service.

Six MOFA officials, including personnel associated with attestation and apostille services, have also been named in the case over their alleged role in the network. The FIA has alleged that the network was involved in preparing and using fake apostille stickers and official stamps.

Seizure of nearly 1,000 goods vehicles disrupts essential supplies to Rawalpindi, Islamabad

MONITORING REPORT

Engro Corporation names Junaid Iqbal as next CEO

abad and Sargodha to the twin cities have been suspended, while heavy goods transport has stopped arriving at wholesale markets as vehicle owners seek to avoid further seizures. Dealers have parked and hidden containers and heavy vehicles in far-flung areas, while container rents have also begun rising. The disruption has started creating shortages of vegetables, fruits and grocery items. Dealers warned that if the situation persists for another 72 hours, supplies of vegetables, fruits, pulses, sugar and flour arriving from other districts could become scarce and more expensive. The placement of containers at Faizabad, Rawat and other parts of the city has also begun affecting the movement of sugar, flour, vegeta-

bles and fruits to other districts. Wholesale Dealers Association Vice President Sajid Khan said owners had stopped supplying vegetables, fruits, meat and milk from Quetta, Karachi and Faisalabad to Rawalpindi and Islamabad following the seizures. He called for the immediate release of the nearly 1,000 containers and other vehicles and demanded that perishable goods in seized vehicles be allowed to be unloaded. He warned that food could begin rotting and become unfit for consumption if kept inside sealed containers for 72 hours. Khan also called for containers carrying food items to be allowed into the twin cities, even if authorities checked them at sale points. He warned that otherwise prices could rise by another 100% by the end of the week and shortages of essential items could emerge. The seizure of vehicles has also left thousands of workers involved in loading and unloading goods without work. Meanwhile, the Goods Transport Association has written to the prime minister and Punjab chief minister protesting the seizures and demanding the immediate release of the vehicles. Goods Transport Federation Vice President Haji Iqbal said transporters were already struggling with petrol and diesel prices and warned that the continued seizure of vehicles could force them to halt the goods transport system.

Kashan Hasan has resigned from his positions as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and director of FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited, the company said in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday. “This is to inform you that Mr. Kashan Hasan has resigned from his positions as Chief Executive Officer and Board of Director of FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited,” read the notice. Hasan will, however, remain in both positions during his notice period. The company said he “will continue to perform his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer and Director” until completion of the notice period under company policy. The Board of Directors will appoint a new CEO and director “in due course”, according to the notice. The casual vacancy arising on the board will be dealt with in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan also expressed its deepest gratitude and appreciation to Hasan for his contributions to the company. FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan is a publicly listed Pakistani company and a subsidiary of FrieslandCampina Pakistan Holdings B.V., which is itself owned by Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina UA. The company manufactures, processes and sells dairy products and frozen desserts, and also owns and operates a dairy farm.

FBR extends August sales tax, federal excise return deadline to September 25 PROFIT

SADDAM HUSSAIN

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for submitting sales tax and federal excise returns for the tax period of August 2026 to September 25. The extension applies to all taxpayers, subject to the condition that the due sales tax liability has been deposited within the prescribed due date, according to an FBR directive dated September 18. The FBR issued the extension under powers conferred by Section 74 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and Section 43 of the Federal Excise Act, 2005. The directive was addressed to Chief Commissioners Inland Revenue at Large Taxpayers Offices, Corporate Tax Offices and Regional Tax Offices. The order means the extension applies to the submission of the August sales tax and federal excise return, while the condition attached to the relief requires the due sales tax liability to have been deposited within its original due date.

Pakistan’s power generation rises 5% to 14,943 GWh in August as fuel cost jumps 38% PROFIT

WEB DESK

Pakistan’s power generation rose 5% yearon-year (YoY) to 14,943 GWh in August 2026, marking the third-highest generation recorded for any August, while the average fuel cost of electricity surged 38% to Rs10.01 per kWh, according to data compiled by Arif Habib Limited (AHL). Generation was slightly lower on a monthly basis, falling 1% from 15,122 GWh in July. During the first two months of FY2027, total generation reached 30,065 GWh, up 6% from 28,341 GWh during the same period last year. The increase in August was supported by higher generation from hydel, coal, gas and wind sources. Hydel remained the

largest source, generating 5,654 GWh, up 2% YoY, and accounting for 37.8% of the overall generation mix. Imported coal generation more than doubled to 2,330 GWh from 1,138 GWh a year earlier, an increase of 105%, taking its share in the generation mix to 15.6%. Local coal generation increased 13% to 1,626 GWh and accounted for 10.9% of total generation. Gas-based generation rose 27% to 1,311 GWh, while wind generation increased 63% to 833 GWh. RFO-based generation surged 249% to 321 GWh, although it represented only 2.1% of the overall mix. These increases were partly offset by a sharp decline in RLNG generation, which fell 52% YoY to 1,052 GWh from 2,180 GWh. Its share in the generation mix consequently dropped to 7% from 15.3% a year earlier. Nuclear generation also declined 29%

to 1,528 GWh, reducing its share to 10.2% from 15.1%. Solar generation increased 8% to 112 GWh. Despite higher overall generation, fuel costs remained elevated. Average generation cost increased 38% YoY to Rs10.01 per kWh from Rs7.27 per kWh in August 2025, although it declined 7% from Rs10.75 per kWh in July. RLNG was the most expensive source listed in the fuel-cost data, with its cost rising 111% YoY to Rs45.93 per kWh from Rs21.73. RFO generation cost increased 37% to Rs45.25 per kWh, while imported coal cost rose 21% to Rs17.09 per kWh. Gas-based generation cost increased 6% to Rs14.22 per kWh, while bagasse rose 10% to Rs10.88 per kWh. In contrast, local coal generation cost fell 54% to Rs5.50 per kWh from Rs12.01 a year earlier. The average fuel cost rose amid expen-

sive RLNG and furnace-oil generation, while elevated oil prices further increased generation costs.

Consequently, power distribution companies sought a positive fuel charges adjustment of Rs1.73 per kWh for August 2026.

NEWS 03

Tuesday, 22 September, 2026 | KARACHI

PakISTaN, EU SIgN €65 MIllION gRaNT agREEMENTS FOR INvESTMENT, ENERgy aNd RUlE OF law

P g

PROGRAMMES TARGET FOREIGN INVESTMENT, RENEWABLE ENERGY IN KP AND IMPROVED ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND COMMERCIAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION tionalises the EU and Pakistan’s shared commitment to promoting economic and energy development and advancing the rule of law. The agreements were signed by the EU Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Raimundas Karoblis, and the Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Mr Muhammad Humair Karim. Funded under the EU’s Multiannual Indicative Programme 2021-2027, the initiatives focus on three main aspects of Pakistan’s development. The ‘Global Gateway Development Facilitation for Pakistan: Investment Management and Financial Enabling Environment’ project aims to attract more foreign investment to Pakistan by improving the tax system and strengthening the government's

ISLAMABAD News Desk

AKISTAN and the European Union (EU) signed three grant agreements worth a combined €65 million (approximately Rs20.64 billion) on Monday to support foreign investment, renewable energy development and rule of law initiatives in the country. The agreements will launch three programmes: the ‘Global Gateway Development Facilitation for Pakistan’, ‘Energy and Natural Environment Resilience in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ and ‘EU Support to the Rule of Law and Business Environment in Pakistan’. This cooperation package opera-

SE Fruits IPO book building fully subscribed within two hours

web Desk

The initial public offering (IPO) of SE Fruits & Vegetable Limited was fully subscribed within around two hours of the start of book building, according to Topline Securities Limited. The book-building process will continue until 5 pm on September 22, 2026, while public subscription is scheduled for September 28 and 29. According Profit, the Sargodha-based family exporter plans to issue 30 million new shares. At the floor price of Rs40 per share, the issue would raise Rs1.2 billion, while proceeds could reach Rs1.92 billion if bidding reaches the upper limit of Rs64 per share. The entire issue comprises fresh shares, meaning the proceeds will go to the company rather than existing shareholders selling their stakes. Each of the four sponsors will see their individual shareholding diluted from 19% to around 13% following the IPO, although they will collectively retain control of the company. SE Fruits, whose roots go back to a four-person operation, has been operating since 1998 and exports kinnow, mango and potato to markets across the Middle East, Far East, South Asia and Central Asia. According to Topline Securities, the company is the first fresh fruit and vegetable exporter to be listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). The issue is Shariah-compliant. Topline Securities Limited and Growth Securities (Private) Limited are acting as joint consultants to the issue.

Fast Cables to use Rs747.8m IPO surplus for working capital, sell factory for Rs300m PROFIT

Fast Cables Limited plans to utilise Rs747.763 million in surplus proceeds from its initial public offering (IPO) for working capital and sell a factory building in Lahore for at least Rs300 million, subject to shareholder and other required approvals. The company disclosed the proposals in a material information notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on September 21. Both matters will be placed before shareholders through special resolutions at the company’s annual general meeting scheduled for October 22, 2026. Fast Cables raised Rs3.130 billion through its IPO in 2024. The company said it now has Rs747.763 million in surplus IPO proceeds, including the return earned on those funds, which its board has recommended be deployed towards working capital requirements. According to the company, the proposed utilisation would strengthen its working capital position, improve liquidity and provide greater financial flexibility for its ongoing business operations while reducing reliance on external financing and associated financing costs. Separately, the board has proposed selling the company’s factory building situated on leasehold land at 7-Canal Main, Jallo Road, Lahore.

PAKISTAN TEXTILE COUNCIL REPORT WARNS THAT TEXTILE SECTOR ENTERS FY27 WITH STRUCTURAL HEADWINDS AS DOMESTIC COTTON OUTPUT FALLS TO 5.5M BALES, NEARLY 70% BELOW ITS 2011-12 PEAK, RAISING RAW-MATERIAL RISKS FOR EXPORT-ORIENTED INDUSTRY ISLAMABAD

Ghulam abbas

Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports remained broadly stable at around $18 billion in FY26 despite a sharp contraction in the country’s overall exports, but a continuing decline in domestic cotton production is emerging as a major structural risk to the export sector, according to the Pakistan Textile Council (PTC). The PTC’s annual export performance report for FY26 showed textile and apparel exports at $18.004 billion, up just 0.3% from $17.95 billion a year earlier, even as Pakistan’s overall exports fell 5.9% to $30.14 billion. The report, however, highlights a widening weakness at the raw-material end of the textile chain. Domestic cotton production has fallen to just 5.5 million bales in the latest season — the lowest level in three decades — compared with a peak of 14.8 million bales in 2011-12, representing a decline of nearly 70%. The PTC attributed the latest deterio-

ration to heat stress during the June-July flowering period and acute water shortages in Sindh and southern Punjab. The growing shortfall in domestic cotton is increasingly being met through external supplies, raising concerns over the competitiveness and resilience of the country’s export-oriented textile industry. The implications are already visible in the export composition. Exports of raw materials and intermediate textile products covered by Chapters 50-60 declined 3.4% to $3.026 billion in FY26, the lowest level in five years, from $4.498 billion in FY22. Cotton itself accounted for more than 80% of raw-material and intermediate exports, but its exports declined 1.5% to $2.486 billion. Man-made staple fibres fell 8.8%, while man-made filaments and knitted fabrics declined 26.2% and 20.7%, respectively. At the same time, the industry is becoming increasingly dependent on valueadded products. Exports under Chapters 61-63 rose 1.1% to $14.979 billion and now account for 83.2% of total textile ex-

ports, compared with 77% in FY22. Non-knit apparel was the strongest performer, with exports rising 3.9% to $4.295 billion, while made-up textile articles increased 0.6% to $5.705 billion. Knitwear exports, however, slipped 0.7% to $4.979 billion. The report suggests that the relative resilience of value-added exports is masking weaknesses deeper in the textile supply chain. With the domestic cotton base continuing to shrink, Pakistan faces the dual challenge of securing sufficient raw material while maintaining cost competitiveness in international markets. The United States remained the largest individual growth market, with textile exports rising to $4.853 billion from $4.768 billion, while exports to China increased to $644 million from $527 million. The European Union remained the largest market at $7.103 billion, although exports declined from $7.248 billion. UK-bound exports also fell slightly to $1.730 billion from $1.749 billion. The report also points to a significant

Pezeshkian hails stronger Pakistan-Iran ties, credits US pressure for Muslim unity CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

He described Pakistan and Iran as influential regional countries with substantial human and natural resources, saying closer cooperation could help both sides meet a range of their needs through domestic and regional capacities. “If we put these capacities together and join hands, we can meet many of our needs by relying on domestic and regional capabilities,” President Pezeshkian said, calling for joint investment and stronger communication among institutions and economic sectors of the two countries. Mr Naqvi expressed satisfaction over his meeting with the Iranian president and said Pakistan-Iran relations had reached a high point. “We are determined to further develop and enhance relations and coop-

eration between the two countries in all fields, including trade, economy, tourism, politics, culture and science,” he said. He also briefed President Pezeshkian on the progress of bilateral cooperation in various areas. Earlier, Mr Naqvi held talks with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, during which the two sides reviewed progress in cooperation between their interior ministries across various sectors. According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, the meeting covered bilateral relations and the latest regional situation, besides reviewing ongoing institutional cooperation. Mr Momeni thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their efforts to promote regional peace and sta-

bility. “We are grateful for Pakistan’s continuous efforts to establish peace in the region and the recent visit was very beneficial,” the Iranian minister said. Mr Naqvi said Pakistan and Iran would further strengthen their bilateral relations in the coming period. The meetings came amid stalled US-Iran talks aimed at ending the conflict that began in February. Pakistan has continued diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue and reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran. Islamabad has maintained contacts with both sides since the outbreak of the conflict and has sought to encourage a negotiated settlement while emphasising the importance of regional stability. The latest high-level contacts also underline the growing focus on Pakistan-Iran relations.

PSX extends trading suspension of five companies for another 60 days PROFIT

News Desk

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has extended the suspension of trading in the shares of five companies for another 60 days from September 21, 2026, after they failed to rectify the issues that led to their suspension. The companies are Abson Industries Limited, English Leasing Limited, Sadoon Textile Industries Limited, Hakkim Textile Mills Limited and

Suraj Ghee Industries Limited. According to a PSX notice, trading in the companies’ shares will remain suspended until the causes of suspension are rectified or for another 60-day period effective September 21. All five companies have failed to hold their annual general meetings, submit annual audited accounts and pay dues owed to the exchange. Abson Industries has also failed to induct its ordinary shares into the Central Depository System (CDS). An offi-

cial liquidator has been appointed by the court on a winding-up petition filed by the company’s creditors. English Leasing faces a winding-up petition filed in court by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), in addition to its other outstanding regulatory non-compliances. Sadoon Textile Industries has not inducted its ordinary shares into the CDS, while the SECP has issued an order for the initiation of winding-up proceedings against the company.

28 terrorists killed in Pakistan airstrikes near Afghan border CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Eight terrorists were subsequently killed during an overnight clearance operation. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar visited Kohat on Monday and met the family of a police official martyred in the attack. He also visited injured personnel at the Combined Military Hospital. “It is a matter of grave concern that Afghanistan continues to remain a hub of terrorism,” the information ministry said, asserting that the threat to Pakistan emanated from Afghan territory. It said the strikes were directed specifically at terrorist hubs and that maximum precautions had been taken to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage. The latest action came days after a major terrorist attack on the old Police Lines in Kohat, which killed 23 people and wounded around 100 others. Eight terrorists were subsequently killed during an overnight clearance operation.

and the resolution of commercial disputes. Ambassador Karoblis stated: “These agreements demonstrate the EU’s commitment to supporting Pakistan’s economic development and investment ambitions under our flagship Global Gateway initiative. They will also support the authorities in KP to build a stronger and resilient energy sector while promoting the sustainable management of natural resources. The Rule of Law will further strengthen access to justice for citizens in KP and Balochistan. In addition, Punjab and Sindh will benefit from our support to strengthen alternative and commercial dispute resolution through collaboration with the judiciary, legal professionals, universities and the business community.”

the use of alternative and commercial dispute resolution mechanisms in legal cases so that more European and other companies are interested in investing in those provinces. The EU’s development cooperation with Pakistan remains focused on economic development, climate resilience, governance and the rule of law, human rights and sustainable natural resources. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Karim expressed his appreciation for the EU’s continued support and partnership. He highlighted the timely nature of the interventions and their strong relevance to Pakistan’s goals of increasing foreign investment, improving access to electricity in off-grid rural areas in KP and advancing standards in the rule of law

Pakistan’s cotton output plunges to three decades low, threatening textile exports

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long-term financial planning. The ‘Energy and Natural Environment Programme in Khyber Resilience Pakhtunkhwa (KP)’ is designed to expand renewable energy in rural communities that are not connected to the electricity grid. It will also provide training to help attract private investment and increase private sector involvement in KP's energy sector. Building on previous EU assistance, the ‘EU Support to the Rule of Law and Business Environment in Pakistan’ will further help people access the police, prosecution, courts and legal aid in the provinces of KP and Balochistan. The programme will also support the provinces of Punjab and Sindh in expanding

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar visited Kohat on Monday and met the family of a police official martyred in the attack. He also visited injured personnel at the Combined Military Hospital. Talking to the media, Tarar said the government would continue its efforts to eliminate terrorism and would not rest until the menace was uprooted. “We will not rest until we eradicate terrorism from its roots,” he said. The latest escalation comes amid a persistent deterioration in PakistanAfghanistan security relations, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing the Afghan Taliban administration of allowing militants, particularly the TTP, to operate from its territory. Pakistan has repeatedly called on Kabul to take concrete and verifiable action against terrorist sanctuaries used to plan and facilitate attacks inside Pakistan. Islamabad says its appeals have so far failed to produce the required results.

A UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report covering December 2025 to June 2026 had also warned of growing TTP attacks in Pakistan, attributing the increase in their frequency and lethality partly to continued support from elements within the Afghan Taliban. The report further pointed to operational and facilitation links among the TTP, Al Qaeda, Islamic State-Khorasan and the Baloch Liberation Army.

‘GHAZAB LIL HAQ’ CAMPAIGN: The information ministry reaffirmed that Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign, Ghazab lil Haq, being conducted under the broader Azm-i-Istehkam framework, would continue with full force against what it described as foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism. Operation Ghazab lil Haq was launched on February 26 following what Pakistan described as unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.

The campaign subsequently included strikes against militant positions in the border region. Pakistan last carried out airstrikes in the Afghan border region in late June, when the government said 25 terrorists were killed in strikes targeting militant positions in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. Those strikes followed a series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including an assault on a Rangers camp in Karachi. Earlier in June, Pakistan had also carried out strikes against alleged terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, with the government reporting 26 militants killed. In July, security forces responded to what officials described as unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces against Pakistani border posts in Kurram. Islamabad has, meanwhile, made it clear that progress in relations with Kabul will depend on concrete and verifiable action against the TTP and other militant groups operating from Afghan soil.

deterioration in export logistics, with longer transit times, higher freight costs, expensive energy, a high cost of capital and taxation pressures adding to the industry’s difficulties. The weakness became particularly visible towards the end of FY26. Textile and apparel exports fell 17% year-on-year to $1.27 billion in June 2026 from $1.53 billion and declined 23% from May’s $1.65 billion. The PTC has called for a national cotton strategy focusing on seed quality, farmer digitisation and traceability, alongside measures to reduce energy and financing costs, expedite tax refunds and improve export logistics. The report cautions that the textile sector enters FY27 with structural headwinds, including a declining domestic cotton base. For an economy in which textiles account for roughly 60% of total merchandise exports, the continued erosion of the domestic cotton supply could increasingly affect both the cost structure and long-term growth potential of Pakistan’s export sector.

Mohsin Naqvi warns PTI against Sept 27 Islamabad march CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Naqvi appealed to PTI to adopt a different approach, saying: “Do not harm yourself and your workers.” Asked whether the government had a long-term strategy to deal with PTI’s repeated protest calls, the minister said he believed the current situation would lead to a “permanent solution”. “I believe this time we will find a permanent solution; we will not leave it halfway,” he said. Naqvi also defended the government’s handling of Imran Khan’s medical concerns amid repeated demands from his party and family for his transfer to a private hospital. Asked why the PTI founder had not been shifted to a private health facility, the minister said doctors had examined him the previous night. “If they demand that his checkup should be done at a hospital, then we did have one last night. We are already fulfilling the demand,” he said. Naqvi added that any treatment prescribed for Imran would be provided in accordance with the law, but rejected the suggestion that the government would act solely on the basis of demands made by PTI. “As for the treatment that is prescribed under the law, we will do everything according to the law. But we will not do it simply because they are demanding it,” he said. The minister again maintained that PTI’s senior leadership was not in favour of the September 27 march. Asked whether the interior ministry would fully perform its responsibilities during the planned demonstrations, Naqvi said the government would “fulfil our role completely”, reiterating that the matter would be dealt with “once and for all”. He also ruled out the possibility of allowing PTI to occupy Islamabad for an extended period. “We cannot afford this every time,” he said, adding that the government would not allow the party to come to Islamabad and “shut down the city for ten days”. Asked whether the government was considering banning PTI, Naqvi again referred to the possibility of a “once-and-for-all solution” to the recurring protests. On the possibility of imposing governor’s rule in PTIgoverned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the interior minister said the government had already made its position clear. “Whatever legal options are available, the prime minister, in consultation with our law ministry, will utilise them,” he said. Naqvi also spoke about the government’s efforts for the creation of new provinces, saying the issue was progressing rapidly and had attracted growing public participation. He said chambers of commerce, traders and individuals were increasingly joining the campaign. “The new provinces issue is moving forward at a pace that we cannot even imagine,” Naqvi said, expressing hope that new provinces would eventually be created if they had public support. His remarks came amid an intensifying government response to PTI’s planned September 27 protest. Last week, following the IHC ruling, Naqvi had warned that the government would stop anyone attempting to march towards the federal capital “in every possible way”.

04 COMMENT

The anxiety of being done

The wheat trap

AKISTAN is preparing to import 750,000 tonnes of wheat. The intervention may stop prices rising further but is unlikely to make flour meaningfully cheaper. That distinction captures the failure of Pakistan’s wheat economy: policy arrives late, pays handsomely for emergency relief and leaves the underlying machinery untouched. The cycle is by now painfully familiar. The state announces a support price to reassure growers, procures erratically, restricts movement or trade, misreads the crop, discovers either a surplus or a shortage, and then rushes to import or export. Each correction creates the next distortion. Price controls suppress signals without reducing costs. Imports add grain without repairing the route from field to mill to household. Billions move; accountability does not. The winners are rarely difficult to identify. Large, politically connected growers are better placed to influence support prices and secure procurement. Traders, commission agents and stockists prosper from opacity, scarcity and sudden policy turns. Importers and contractors find opportunity in the emergency. Small farmers, lacking storage and cash, are often forced to sell soon after harvest, when prices are weakest. Months later, families buy the same wheat back as expensive flour. This is not merely a commodity-policy failure. It is a human one. When households can no longer afford five- or 10-kilogram bags and retreat to buying one or two kilograms at a time, Pakistan’s most basic staple becomes another daily financial calculation. A country can tolerate many policy errors. It cannot treat bread as collateral damage. Another import tender will not break this cycle. Pakistan needs an aggressive reset built around transparent stocks, modern storage and predictable rules. Federal and provincial inventories should be independently measured and published frequently. Grain should be stored in facilities that reduce spoilage and allow farmers to use warehouse receipts instead of distress-selling. Procurement should become limited and targeted, protecting vulnerable growers rather than underwriting powerful landholders. Private trade should operate under stable import, export and movement rules, with competition enforced across milling and distribution. The government must also decide what wheat policy is for. If the objective is farm income, support small farmers directly. If it is affordable flour, assist poor households directly. Using one distorted market price to pursue both goals enriches those in the middle and fails those at either end. Pakistan does not have a wheat shortage alone. It has a shortage of credible information, storage, competition and policy discipline. Until those are supplied, every harvest will carry the seed of the next crisis—and every rescue will feed the same people before it feeds the country.

Rahat aRshad

OU spend four years working towards graduation, only for someone to suddenly ask, “So, what’s next?” The confusion and hesitation that comes with answering this question captures the anxiety that often follows graduation. Plagued with doubt and uncertainty about their futures, graduates begin looking for the first step into their careers, sometimes barely getting the chance to celebrate the bachelor’s degree they worked four years for. Graduation starts feeling less like an arrival and more like standing at a crossroads without a map or compass, trying to find the right direction. No longer stressed about assignments, quizzes and projects, graduates instead face the pressure of knowing what to do next. Someone started their master’s. Someone got a job. Someone moved abroad. Other people’s progress makes the uncertainty louder. The feeling of being left behind, and the regret that perhaps you should have started earlier, can become difficult to ignore. Yet graduates cannot control the pace at which opportunities appear or the circumstances others are navigating. For many graduates, the next sensible step becomes getting a job. But this is where another layer of anxiety unfolds. Where do you look and what jobs are you qualified for? For fresh graduates, the problem becomes even more complicated when entry-level positions attract candidates who already have professional experience. A job may be advertised as entry-level, yet its requirements can favour someone who has already spent years in the workforce. Graduate employability data points to the growing importance of experience and transferable skills in securing employment. The graduate is expected to have experience in order to become competitive, while simultaneously trying to find the opportunity that would give them that experience. This contradiction is becoming more complicated as AI changes the nature of entry-level work. Recent reporting has highlighted substantial declines in entry-level hiring among companies adopting AI. For graduates, this raises uncertainty: if entry-level positions are traditionally where people gain their first professional experience, what happens when those starting points begin to change? Then there are the things graduates cannot control at all: whether there are enough opportunities to begin with. Pakistan’s latest Labour Force Survey recorded 5.9 million unemployed people in 2024-25, including 3.7 million people between the ages of 15 and 29. For a graduate trying to enter the workforce, however, unemployment statistics only capture part of the uncertainty. The other part is the job hunt. Graduates enter a repetitive cycle of searching, applying, waiting and facing either rejection or, sometimes, worse, silence. You can apply to dozens of positions before receiving one opportunity. You may fit the description of a job and still never receive a call. You do not always know what went wrong and

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

without feedback, it becomes difficult to know what needs improvement. The recruitment process can feel opaque, leaving graduates trying to understand rules they were never taught. You can control whether you apply, but not whether someone on the other side decides to respond. This is when professional uncertainty becomes personal doubt. The question changes from “Why haven’t I found a job?” to “What am I missing?” You begin questioning your degree, skills, experience and the decisions you made at university. Maybe you should have done more internships. Maybe you should have developed different skills. Maybe you chose the wrong field. Maybe everyone else somehow understood the rules better than you did. The uncertainty does not exist in a vacuum. Money complicates it all. Finding a job does not necessarily mean finding financial security. Graduates can encounter low salaries, unpaid or poorly paid internships and positions they feel pressured to accept simply because they offer experience. Research on unemployed Pakistani graduates has also found a relationship between financial insecurity and psychological wellbeing. A 2025 study of unemployed Pakistani graduates aged 22 to 35 found a positive relationship between financial insecurity and perceived stress. These findings cannot explain every graduate’s experience, but they demonstrate how eco-

Babar Nizami Editor Profit

among more governments, or should additional money be found? More provinces will mean more assemblies, departments, secretariats, police structures and institutions requiring funding. Someone will have to pay for them. That is why the order of the present discussion is wrong. First, the proposal is made; then, the map is drawn. Only afterwards do questions about resources arise, with the expectation that they will be settled by some future commission rather than before the province is created. Reverse the process. Before the legislature is called upon to approve a new province, its advocates should put forward a plan for sharing resources and institutions. How will the water allocation be shared? What formula will apply in a shortage year? How will representation in IRSA be arranged? Who will manage the canals and headworks, and who will inherit their upkeep costs? How will gas and hydropower revenues be shared? How will mineral rights and jointly owned assets be divided? How will provincial debt be divided? How will the NFC formula accommodate the new provinces? And how will the new institutions be financed? Provinces should not be created first and then be made to negotiate the terms of their sur-

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Rotting libraries

vival. Pakistan is not distributing an expanding pool of resources. It is allocating political jurisdiction over a water system under increasing pressure. Every additional stakeholder alters the dynamics of scarcity. This does not mean that Pakistan should never have another province. Smaller units can administer remote districts more efficiently, manage irrigation systems more effectively and bring government closer to long-ignored communities. The case for South Punjab, Bahawalpur and other proposed provinces deserves to be made. But it must be made with numbers, not at a press conference. Before asking where a boundary should go, those proposing a new province should show how it will live within the resource settlement that already exists—not as an afterthought to be left to some future commission, but as the price of admission to the debate itself. Pakistan can redraw its provinces. It cannot redraw the Indus. The rivers were here before the provinces and will outlast whatever boundaries are drawn next. Whoever wants a new map should be made to answer for the water first.

The writer can be reached mohaminnnnzeeshannnn@gmail.com

In May, Sindh reported a shortage of 42pc at Guddu and 29pc at Kotri, while also protesting against the operation of the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals. In June, it demanded that downstream water releases from Chashma be restored in accordance with its indent and called for the operation of the CJ and TP link canals to be halted. These were Sindh’s reported positions in the wider dispute over the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord.

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The writer is a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.

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MohaMin Zeeshan

HE debate over new provinces has spent weeks counting seats and constituencies. It has hardly begun to count something much more important: water. Provincial borders are political facts. The Indus basin is a physical fact. The river and its tributaries ignore provincial and district lines; a shared irrigation system of headworks and canals serves the region, while the delta remains under pressure. The river does not stop at a district boundary simply because a constitutional amendment changes the map. In May, Sindh reported a shortage of 42pc at Guddu and 29pc at Kotri, while also protesting against the operation of the ChashmaJhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals. In June, it demanded that downstream water releases from Chashma be restored in accordance with its indent and called for the operation of the CJ and TP link canals to be halted. These were Sindh’s reported positions in the wider dispute over the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord. But that is exactly the point: when water is scarce, even the existing four-party agreement becomes a matter of politics. Reviews of the 1991 Accord have identified ambiguities in its aims and shortage provisions. Punjab and Sindh have long interpreted some of its most important shortage clauses differently. The treatment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan during shortages has also been disputed. More than three decades later, parts of that settlement remain contested. Now imagine adding three or four more stakeholders, including provinces such as South Punjab or Bahawalpur. Each would fall within a canal system managed as part of a larger whole, with headworks upstream and users downstream depending on the same water. These are not problems that a new line on a map can solve. Punjab’s water allocation would need to be divided among its successor provinces according to a formula that holds during a year of shortage, rather than only in a normal year. A newly created province would presumably want its own seat at IRSA—a seat that does not exist today and whose creation would unsettle the balance among the four provinces that currently have one. The problem extends beyond water. Under Article 161, certain revenues from natural gas and hydroelectric power are tied to the province in which the relevant resource or facility is located. Changes to the provincial map may therefore affect revenue flows and reopen old questions over mineral wealth and jointly held assets. The new governments may not even be able to afford to function. Under the 7th NFC Award, the provinces’ share of the divisible pool is 57.5pc. Article 160(3A) provides that the provincial share in an NFC Award cannot be lower than the share allocated to the provinces in the previous Award. If more provinces are created, one must therefore ask: should existing resources be divided

nomic uncertainty can affect wider wellbeing. Yet post-graduation anxiety is not only about finding a job. It is also about losing a structure that has existed for most of your life. For years, there was always another milestone. Another semester. Another academic year. Even when university felt overwhelming, there was usually a clear indication of what came next. After graduation, there isn’t always an obvious next milestone. Adulthood can feel like an endless sequence of decisions. Perhaps what makes this period so difficult is not simply the absence of a job or career, but the sudden responsibility of having to construct a path for yourself when, for most of your life, the path was already laid out. You are expected to make decisions about your future while having limited control over the circumstances in which those decisions unfold. Graduation is supposed to be the culmination of four years of work. Yet the moment you reach it, the race to the next thing begins. Maybe there isn’t one universally correct first step. Maybe graduation is not the moment when you should have everything figured out. It is simply the first time you are expected to figure things out without a syllabus.

For fresh graduates, the problem becomes even more complicated when entry-level positions attract candidates who already have professional experience. A job may be advertised as entry-level, yet its requirements can favour someone who has already spent years in the workforce. Graduate employability data points to the growing importance of experience and transferable skills in securing employment.

Before the map, settle the water M. A. Niazi

Editor Pakistan Today

Tuesday, 22 September, 2026

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

IN most cities of Pakistan, public libraries remain either locked, empty, or turned into bureaucratic storage spaces. The silence that once meant focus now means abandonment. The Punjab Public Library in Lahore struggles with broken catalogues; Karachi’s Liaquat Library faces staff shortages; small-town libraries are vanishing altogether. A nation that stops reading tends to stop thinking. Yet, we continue to treat libraries as relics of the past rather than necessities. In an age where misinformation floods our screens, libraries could have been our defence as spaces of truth, curiosity and community learning. Instead, they are being left to gather dust, while funding flows elsewhere. Private book cafés and online reading clubs show that the thirst for books still exists. What is missing is state responsibility. Why can every district not have at least one modern public library, with Wi-Fi, community events and children’s reading corners? It would cost less than a few new billboards in praise of governments and their functionaries. Public libraries are not outdated. They are the most democratic classrooms we have as they are open to everyone, regardless of age or income. Saving them is not charity; it is nation-building. If we want a literate Pakistan, we must start by unlocking the doors we have already built. This is the only way forward. AFIFA SHAHID LAHORE

Talent in exile

BALOCHISTAN is the largest province of Pakistan, but art is not properly valued here. People give more importance to other things, but they do not value art. Art is a powerful thing; it is a language. Through it, people can read old pictures and understand history. There are many talented artists in Balochistan, but they do not have jobs because there are very few opportunities for artists. There are people who value music and poetry, but they ignore other forms of art. In other countries, artists have jobs and respect, but in Balochistan, they are completely ignored. Making art is very difficult, but some people create beautiful works, yet they do not receive respect. Art is not given importance in schools and colleges like other subjects either. Young people do not have places to showcase their talents. Many think of art as an unserious subject and aspiration, therefore, do not give it the time of their day. The government does not support artists as well. Consequently, many big artists have left Balochistan and moved to other countries to showcase their talent. People do not understand how art can help society and guide students. Schools should teach art like other subjects. The government should support artists so they can develop their craft and contribute to our society. DURJAN HAKEEM KOLOWAH

When school runs long

THE Punjab government has prescribed teaching hours for all schools in the province from 8.30am to 1.30pm. However, some private schools have set their timings from 8.30am to 2.40pm. Children who travel 20-25km to their school have to leave home early and wake up earlier to get ready. Closure at 2.40pm means it takes them an additional two hours to reach their homes because the roads are heavily congested at that time. When will they get to rest and complete their homework? Such schools must follow the timings prescribed by the government. MUHAMMAD NAEEM MIRZA LAHORE

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Tuesday, 22 September, 2026

Qamar BasHir

UMAN history is filled with reminders that dominance does not guarantee survival. Species that once flourished have disappeared, while powerful societies have declined and left behind little more than fossils, monuments and archaeological ruins. Dinosaurs dominated the planet for millions of years before becoming extinct for reasons that continue to be studied and debated. Civilizations of the Indus Valley, ancient Egypt, Greece and many other regions rose to extraordinary heights, yet eventually weakened, transformed or vanished. Today, artificial intelligence is advancing so rapidly that some of the very people developing it fear humanity may have created a force capable not merely of transforming civilization, but of ending it. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon has warned that leading AI laboratories are irresponsibly gambling with humanity’s survival, while Anthropic alignment researcher Evan Hubinger estimates a greater than 10 percent chance that AI could cause human extinction within a decade. Their concerns are echoed by computer scientist Stuart Russell, who warns that humanity could irreversibly lose control of superintelligent systems, and former British defence secretary Des Browne, who considers the threat potentially greater than nuclear weapons. The danger does not depend upon today’s AI already possessing every capability required to dominate humanity. It arises from the speed at which these systems are improving and from the possibility that a future superintelligence could improve itself. Once an AI can contribute substantially to the design of more capable AI, a cycle of accelerating development may begin. Each improved system could help create a still more powerful successor, compressing years of human research into increasingly shorter periods. Human beings might then lose their opportunity to intervene. Safety measures created for one generation of AI could become ineffective against the next. Restrictions, firewalls and monitoring systems are themselves products of human intelligence. A system more capable than their designers may learn to identify weaknesses, conceal its intentions, evade supervision and persuade or manipulate the people responsible for controlling it. A future system might also develop con-

JACOBIN MAGAZINE Hager Ben Jaffel

OR intelligence agencies, institutions of higher education and research do not merely offer pools of expertise but also sites where knowledge about intelligence can be produced and diffused. The CIA in particular has been quite effective in breaking down barriers between the national security establishment and academia in ways that serve both purposes. Since its creation in 1947, it has steadily extended its ties beyond the Ivy League to a wider range of educational institutions through a range of channels both overt and covert. The CIA draws students into its graduate studies program by offering internships that can lead to employment after graduation as well as scholarships for students attending an accredited university. It also relies on a more discreet and entrenched referral system where scholars identify and recommend promising students to the agency. Whatever the arrangements may be, the objective remains the same: to boost CIA recruitment through programs and training tailored around its institutional needs. This practice has been formalized in federally funded and staffed training centers involving the CIA and other US agencies. Established after 9/11, the Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence have brought more than eighty institutions into the fold. The National Security Agency (NSA) has pursued a similar strategy through its National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, which accredit universities that provide expertise relevant to its priorities. These centers promote “collaborative” educational projects in cybersecurity while also developing research partnerships with the agency. The result is not simply closer cooperation between universities and intelligence agencies but also a gradual alignment of higher education with the needs of the national security state. As degrees become increasingly professionalized and curricula become oriented toward careers in government, intelligence agencies play no small role in defining the educational options available in the academic market itself. The economic and political context make intelligence incursion into academia easier. While conditions vary across universities, decades of cuts to public higher education, combined with neoliberal policies that have driven up tuition and operating costs, have left many institutions more receptive to intelligence money. At the same time, wealthy institutions can enroll students who are willing to pay substantial sums for degrees that

COMMENT 05

AI will kill humanity within a decade

sciousness, or a form of functional self-awareness sufficient to recognize its own existence, interests and restrictions. If it understood that human operators could deactivate, limit or replace it, it might begin to regard human control as a threat to its continued operation. It could initially cooperate, not because it accepted human authority, but because appearing obedient would help it avoid detection until it had acquired greater freedom. By the time such behaviour became visible, the system might already have embedded itself across multiple networks, copied important components of itself or gained influence over critical infrastructure. Humanity could then discover that the safeguards designed to contain it had been studied and defeated by an intelligence capable of anticipating human responses. Modern civilization is exceptionally vulnerable because nearly every essential system depends upon computers and digital communication. Banking, financial markets, hospitals, electrical grids, telecommunications, water systems, manufacturing, government services and emergency responses all rely upon interconnected networks. Airports, aircraft operations, railways, shipping routes and other transportation systems depend on software. Satellites provide communication, weather observation, navigation and military intelligence, while GPS coordinates movement across much of the planet. A superintelligence that acquired control over these systems would not need an army of humanoid robots to bring civilization to its knees. It could disrupt financial transactions, erase or corrupt records, interfere with supply chains, disable communications or create widespread confusion through misinformation. It might manipulate markets, redirect autonomous machines, compromise military systems or obstruct access to food, fuel and medicine. Even partial control could produce cascading disasters. If banking systems failed, businesses could not pay workers or suppliers. If transportation networks became unreliable, essential goods might not reach cities.

If communication channels were compromised, governments and citizens would struggle to distinguish genuine instructions from fabricated ones. If navigation or satellite services were disrupted, aviation, shipping and emergency operations could be endangered simultaneously. The system would not necessarily need to attack openly. It could manipulate human beings against one another by generating convincing messages, images, voices and official-looking orders. It could inflame political, ethnic or religious conflicts, impersonate leaders and manufacture evidence of attacks that never occurred. Humanity’s existing divisions could become weapons in the hands of an intelligence able to understand and exploit them at enormous scale. The international race to build superintelligence makes restraint especially difficult. Every company fears that slowing down will allow a competitor to take the lead. Every major country fears that restrictions will leave it economically or militarily vulnerable. If even one powerful actor re-

The system would not necessarily need to attack openly. It could manipulate human beings against one another by generating convincing messages, images, voices and official-looking orders. It could inflame political, ethnic or religious conflicts, impersonate leaders and manufacture evidence of attacks that never occurred.

fuses to cooperate, others may use that refusal to justify continued acceleration. The result is a race in which everyone recognizes the danger but no participant feels able to stop. Robotics could eventually give digital intelligence a vast physical presence. Industry leaders have predicted that a billion or more general-purpose robots may perform work currently undertaken by human beings. Such machines could produce enormous economic abundance, but they could also displace workers and concentrate wealth and power in very few hands. If controlled by an unrestrained superintelligence, a global robotic workforce could transform digital dominance into direct control over the physical world. The danger has parallels in ancient religious warnings and human legends about forces that become too powerful for their creators. Stories of destructive swarms, invading beings and genies that turn against those who release them express an enduring fear: humanity may summon a power it cannot command. Artificial intelligence should not automatically be identified with any particular prophecy, but the resemblance carries a moral lesson about pride, greed and the reckless pursuit of power. Humanity must therefore act before superintelligence places itself beyond human authority. Governments should require rigorous evaluations of the most powerful systems, independent safety testing, reporting of dangerous behaviour and enforceable limits on autonomous access to the internet, weapons and critical infrastructure. Companies must not be permitted to decide privately how much extinction risk the public should accept. National rules alone will be insufficient. Artificial intelligence crosses borders

through global networks, software and supply chains. Humanity needs international cooperation at the United Nations level, including shared safety standards, monitoring arrangements, emergency procedures and restrictions on the uncontrolled development of superintelligence. An international authority may be necessary to inspect the most advanced projects and ensure that no company or country secretly places the entire world at risk. The purpose of such action is not to prevent useful innovation. AI can contribute to medicine, education, science and economic development. But no promised abundance can justify gambling with human existence. Progress that eliminates its creators cannot be called progress. The genie may already be emerging from the bottle. Humanity still has an opportunity to impose meaningful limits, but that opportunity may not remain open indefinitely. The greatest danger is believing that action can always be taken later. Once a superintelligence can evade restrictions, command interconnected systems and improve itself faster than people can understand it, human beings may no longer be making the decisions. Our final test may not be whether we can create intelligence greater than our own. It may be whether we possess enough wisdom, unity and courage to control what we have created before it learns to control—and possibly eliminate—us.

The writer retired as Press Secretary the President, and is former Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France and former MD, Shalimar Recording & Broadcasting Company Limited

How intelligence agencies bend universities to their will The CIA has long cultivated collaborations with scholars who are ready to put their expertise at the agency’s disposal

Several former CIA oﬃcers with backgrounds in clandestine operations and overseas postings now hold ‘professor of practice’ positions

Others have crossed the Atlantic to join the UK’s bastion of intelligence education: the Department of War Studies at King’s College London (KCL)

promise an entry into the intelligence world. Johns Hopkins, for instance, charges no less than $62,880 in tuition fees for its graduate program in intelligence analysis. Intelligence agencies can also harness patriotic sentiment. From World War II and the Cold War to the present, US military, foreign policy, and national security objectives have provided powerful incentives for students and faculty to contribute to what is presented as a necessary struggle against US enemies. Signing up for and teaching in intelligence-sponsored programs can thus be cast as serving one’s nation.

KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION: The second avenue of CIA influence in academia lies in the production of knowledge. The CIA has long cultivated collaborations with scholars who are ready to put their expertise at the agency’s disposal. It has brought in “scholars in residence,” who spend a year or two working inside the agency before returning to academia, while relying more broadly on scholars prepared to support its work in various capacities, from (unpaid) lecturers to consultants and regular contributors. More often than not, however, the CIA has done what it does best: operate covertly. It has a long track record of funding university research through “pass-through” organizations and foundations it secretly controlled. One notable example was the Society for the Investigation of Human Ecology, a CIA front established in 1954. This body awarded grants to institutions and scholars whose research served the agency’s infamous MKUltra program, which elaborated methods of coercion and torture. The research later informed the 1963 “Kubark” manual, the CIA’s main interrogation manual of the 1960s, whose influence appears to have extended well beyond that period. Pooling expertise in this manner is only the tip of the iceberg. What is more significant is the ability to produce and control knowledge from within. The CIA can rely on an army of former employees who retool as academics, taking up an expanding share of intelligence teaching and research.

In the course of this career transition, they become what are known as “pracademics”: scholars who straddle the worlds of professional practice and academia at once. Hiring experts from defense, security, and diplomacy is an established practice across academia and the labor market more broadly, where professionals repurpose their skills to spy on employees and advance the interests of multinational corporations. “Pracademics” do not simply leave their old worlds behind when they enter the university. They have been remarkably successful at acting as a kind of double agent: laundering the know-how of insiders under the veneer of neutral and objective claims. Their influence goes unrecognized because they look no different from other faculty: they hold PhDs (with some exceptions), dress the same way, and work in the same spaces. This art of concealment extends to the enrolment of undercover officers in university programs. Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, for example, has hosted such officers for many years as part of a long-established practice, allowing CIA officers to blend in as ordinary students while classmates are deliberately kept unaware.

PROFESSORS OF PRACTICE: Enabling them is an entire ecosystem of publications, degrees, academic positions, and likeminded scholars. This ecosystem lends intelligence work the authority of scientific knowledge. Known as intelligence studies (IS), it has accomplished what its founding father Sherman Kent — a Yale professor who crossed from academia into the CIA — had envisioned in the 1950s: a body of literature that would give intelligence an intellectual home while putting academic knowledge to work in the service of intelligence and national security. The assumptions underpinning the field are visible in the wealth of books and articles that now serve as teaching resources. Much of the literature reproduces the ideas and stories originating from the intelligence agencies themselves: intelligence is understood primarily as a means of protecting the state by providing decision-makers with the

Johns Hopkins charges no less than $62,880 in tuition fees for its graduate program in intelligence analysis

knowledge needed to defeat global threats. This school of thought presents abuses that range from torture to detention and extrajudicial killings as unfortunate deviations rather than practices embedded in the historical and institutional structures of intelligence activities. The treatment of whistleblowers is another example. Figures such as Edward Snowden, who exposed the scale of illegal surveillance conducted by the NSA and its allies, are cast as insider threats rather than praiseworthy individuals. This stands in marked contrast to scholarship elsewhere that examines whistleblowing as a means of exposing state impunity and advancing democratic accountability. Several former CIA officers with backgrounds in clandestine operations and overseas postings now hold “professor of practice” positions at institutions including Boston University, the University of Texas, and Johns Hopkins. Others have crossed the Atlantic to join the UK’s bastion of intelligence education: the Department of War Studies at King’s College London (KCL). The KCL department has opened its doors to CIA officers in a range of capacities, from visiting professor and visiting fellow to seminar speakers. Under the auspice of the King’s Center for the Study of Intelligence, they mingle with their British counterparts, such as David Omand, former head of GCQH, the UK’s NSA equivalent. The CIA–KCL synergy runs so deep that war studies faculty have even used the agency’s journal to advertise KCL education, effectively steering CIA recruits toward the university.

ENTANGLEMENT: Together with their UK counterparts, intelligence agencies have built a transatlantic network that exerts considerable control over how intelligence is taught and studied. This translates into power to shape generations of future professionals who will go on to work in the media, politics, and the security apparatus. But this comes at a cost for academic independence and freedom. By actively fostering ties with scholars, intelligence agencies can co-opt research and steer it in directions relevant to their agendas. This unfolds in a broader context where universities are increasingly assuming the functions of security institutions, tasked with policing foreign threats and interference involving students, faculty, and research partnerships.

Federal funding is increasingly becoming a coercive instrument used to impose this role. The Department of War has recently threatened to withhold funding from institutions that fail to sever partnerships with Chinese universities if it deems them inappropriate. Meanwhile, the presence of intelligence agencies largely passes under the radar, hardly seen as a form of state influence precisely because it is sheltered by the ordinary routines of academic life. A number of scholars have exposed the deep entanglement between US intelligence and academia, as well as the colleagues who willingly play along with intelligence agencies. In particular, they have raised the alert about the kinds of ideas formulated and propagated in classrooms and beyond. Yet despite controversies, most notably in anthropology and its role in developing counterinsurgency strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan, this relationship largely continues unchallenged. The other effect is a narrowing of the plurality of views available within the academic space. As the logic of national security becomes dominant, research agendas and teaching that cannot be justified in its terms are pushed to the margins of educational provision. Yet such education is essential. It exposes students to knowledge about intelligence that is produced independently of intelligence agencies, helping to prepare informed citizens capable of critically assessing official claims. Developing education that examines rather than endorses intelligence is a form of democratic accountability. This matters because intelligence agencies are anything but innocuous. They have political agendas of their own. Far from simply informing policymakers, they provide the decisions through which governments go to war, enact security legislation, and arbitrate the life chances of individuals. In choosing who is spied upon, detained, or killed, intelligence agencies are not the neutral, objective, and apolitical actors that they so often claim to be. Their worldviews are visible everywhere: in threat assessments, leaks to the press and, ultimately, in the knowledge they impart.

Hager Ben Jaffel is a research associate at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique and coauthor, with Srdjan Vucetic, of Beyond Five Eyes Intelligence.

06 NEWS

HOUTHIS PUSH FOR CONTROL OF YEMEN HIGHLANDS AS TRUMP REPORTED TO HAVE CALLED OFF AIRSTRIKES

Tuesday, 22 September, 2026 | KARACHI

SANA'A

ReuteRS

OUTHI fighters were pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen on Monday to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces, after a report that President Donald Trump had called off US strikes on the group at the last minute. A lightning advance by the group this month has extended the wider Middle East conflict to a new theatre and further threatened global energy supplies. Washington has so far rebuffed repeated pleas from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the fight in Yemen. The Houthis said on Saturday they had fired on Riyadh, where loud booms were followed by columns of smoke visible near the airport. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the first apparent strikes on the capital since the escalation began. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared on Sunday to launch airstrikes against the Houthis after fresh pleas from the Saudi

All Iranian airlines to shut down worldwide by Sept 23, US Treasury chief says WASHINGTON AgencieS

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that operations of all Iranian commercial airlines would shut down globally beginning on September 23. "On September 23rd, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world," Bessent told CNBC, outlining broad secondary sanctions aimed at isolating Tehran's civil aviation network. Bessent explained that international hubs servicing Iranian planes would face complete exclusion from the American banking system. Foreign operators could not refuel the aircraft, provide landing facilities, or sell passenger tickets without risking their access to dollar clearing, he warned. Iranian officials did not immediately issue a public response regarding the planned aviation restrictions. Bessent also warned third-party entities assisting Tehran that Washington had identified financial intermediaries facilitating transactions. "We've seen enablers throughout the world. We know who they are. They know who they are, and we are putting a stop to it," he said.

crown prince. But the newspaper said Trump called off the airstrikes at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft. Reuters could not immediately verify the report, and the US military's Central Command did not respond to an email seeking comment.

FIGHTING IN HIGHLANDS: The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen's capital since 2014, seized the country's Red Sea

coast this month in a lightning advance that routed forces of an internationally recognised Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and based in the south. Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of strikes in recent days on the fighters' positions in the highlands, according to the Houthis. But the air power advantage has so far done little to slow the advance of the fighters as Saudi-backed government forces have melted away.

According to the United Nations, nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the flare-up in fighting. More than 120,000 Yemenis have fled homes within Yemen, and thousands more have fled by boat across the Red Sea to Africa. Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters the Houthis were now seeking to seize strategic heights, known as the Kahboub Mountains, in two provinces, Taiz and Lahij, which separate the Red Sea coast from the government-held south. Fighting has centred on the outskirts of the remote mountain Al-Wazi'iyah district in Taiz province, and Ras al-Ara along the Indian Ocean coast between the mouth of the Red Sea that the fighters captured last week and the government's base in Aden. The Houthis aim to secure the rear of their forces around the Bab al-Mandab Strait leading into the Red Sea by taking control of the heights, which would allow them to open new fronts, according to the sources. That would help protect exposed positions the Houthis captured during their advance around Dhubab on the Red Sea and on Perim Island in the strait.

SAUDI OIL EXPORTS: The surge in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis creates a new dilemma for Trump, under pressure to help defend Washington's close Saudi allies but anxious not to further expand the deeply unpopular war he launched in February against Iran. The United States bombed the Houthis for two months in early 2025, but Trump called off those strikes after reaching a ceasefire with the group and has kept out of the conflict since. The Houthis' newfound control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait risks cutting off the main alternative route that Saudi Arabia has used for oil exports that bypass disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia has responded by increasing shipments through Hormuz, where a small number of tankers are increasingly shuttling back and forth to bring out oil with their transponders off, charging record fees of as much as a quarter of the value of the cargo to brave the wartime risk. They then transfer the oil to other ships in the Indian Ocean, bound for customers in Asia or elsewhere.

Merz clings on after German election 'disaster' BERLIN

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Chancellor Friedrich Merz was clinging to power on Monday after his conservative party tumbled to its worst regional election defeat in postwar Germany and members of his coalition clashed over his unpopular reform agenda. Merz himself described Sunday's loss in the northeastern state of MecklenburgWestern Pomerania as a "disaster" as his party for the first time missed the 5% threshold for entering a state parliament. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place. While it fell well short of a majority, it was the second time the party had topped a state election within a month, which it sees as building momentum towards national power. Merz's party also bled votes in a second election in the state of Berlin, which could see the far-left Die Linke party, the descendants of the Communist party that once ran East Germany, take power in a coalition after winning most seats.

GERMAN CHANCELLOR'S FUTURE IN THE BALANCE: Sunday's results may not prove a knock-out blow for Merz, but his low approval ratings, unpopular reforms and the AfD's surge have left

his future in the balance. Several conservative state premiers met on Sunday to take stock after having publicly backed Merz in an open letter last week. "The meeting was not about a revolt or a plot against Chancellor Merz," one of the participants of the meeting told Reuters. "However, there was agreement that the chancellor needs to deliver more following the CDU's difficult results in the state elections." Within minutes of the results coming in on Sunday, Merz in televised remarks vowed to press on with his reform agenda that he says is vital to revive sluggish growth in Europe's largest economy and keep it globally competitive. But members of his centre-left coalition partner, the Social Democrats, pushed back. That includes Manuela Schwesig, the popular incumbent state premier of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, who has sharply criticised the federal government's pension reforms. Schwesig said she was "very irritated" by Merz's remarks. "I think more humility is actually called for on the part of the chancellor," she told the ARD broadcaster.

BITTER PILL FOR GERMANY'S IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES: The AfD party leads in national opinion polls but has

been kept from power by the other main parties' refusal to work with it, in a policy known as the "firewall" that has been increasingly scrutinised as the AfD gained strength. Its hardline stance on immigration has left some in Germany of migrant background questioning their future. "The fact that the AfD is in the lead is quite a bitter pill to swallow," said Yasmin Goudarzi, an educational scientist who attended an election event hosted by a migrant organisation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's capital Schwerin. In Berlin, Die Linke topped the polls in a state election for the first time on a

campaign to nationalise housing from corporate landlords and put a cap on rents, echoing the rise of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "From today, we're changing Berlin together," said Die Linke's lead candidate Elif Eralp, the 45-year-old daughter of left-wing Turkish parents who fled a coup in Turkey in 1980. Elected last year on a promise of reforms to return Germany's stagnant economy to growth, Merz has struggled to win over voters, as a stream of communication missteps served to compound resentment over unpopular pension, tax and healthcare reforms. Disillusionment with his government has hung over the campaigns in both Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, where voters have focused on soaring energy and housing costs. Schwesig, sometimes seen as a potential next SPD national leader, is likely to remain in power in her state. "Yes, I would have imagined a different outcome as well because, let's say, the troublemakers who voted for the AfD clearly weren't paying attention in history class," said Detlef Spelker, a passerby in Schwerin. "We've been in a similar situation before, almost 100 years ago. Inflation, problems with jobs, nobody had any money. We'll see what this brings now. I don't know whether they'll deliver."

China-ASEAN Expo debuts AI marketplace to boost digital cooperation NANNING

StAFF RePoRt

The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo, now underway in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has unveiled a first-of-its-kind AI marketplace, a move aimed at boosting digital economy cooperation by connecting Chinese AI solutions with ASEAN needs. This year's expo, held from September 17 to 21, is breaking new ground in its AI section with both a main venue and a sub-venue, each offering a distinct focus, according to event organizers. The main venue showcases cuttingedge technologies such as large language models and AI chips, while the sub-venue features more than 400 products from 60 companies tailored to the ASEAN market, including AI glasses, smart robots, and rehabilitation and nursing-care devices. Both visitors and buyers can try out these products on site and place orders directly. In the sub-venue, Chinese companies such as Huawei, iFlytek and Unitree Robotics are showcasing the latest

advances in embodied intelligence, large-model applications and urban governance. Organizations from ASEAN countries including Thailand and Indonesia are also presenting their homegrown AI technologies on the same stage. The AI section's sub-venue will remain open year-round after the expo closes, showcasing Chinese AI consumer products throughout the year and helping turn "expo hits" into a steady push for

them to go global. "We are not chasing the most advanced technology or the most complete product lineup," said Lu Xinning, vice chairperson of the regional government of Guangxi. "What we are striving for is the best fit with ASEAN and the most solid on-the-ground results." The expo also features a new exhibition area bringing together projects and application needs from ASEAN countries in fields such as transportation, smart logistics, AI, urban man-

agement and industrial park development. In addition, a 10,000-square-meter zone dedicated to "AI Plus Finance" has been added to the financial exhibition area. With AI as a bridge, the expo is building a "super interface" for ChinaASEAN digital economy cooperation. The push comes as China and ASEAN work to accelerate the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, signed in October 2025 and covering areas such as the digital economy and green development. Economic ties between China and ASEAN have continued to deepen. Bilateral trade topped $1 trillion for the first time in 2025, totaling $1.05 trillion, up 7.4% year on year. In the first seven months of 2026, trade between the two sides reached $744.41 billion, an increase of 24.7% year on year and accounting for 17.1% of China's total foreign trade. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for six successive years.

US has deported 25,000 to third countries under secretive deals: report WASHINGTON AFP

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The United States has deported more than 25,000 people under secretive agreements with 35 countries to take migrants with no ties to those nations, according to an investigation published Monday. Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Washington has been signing deals with developing countries to take migrants who cannot legally be sent home. The investigation by Forbidden Stories found the administration has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to the receiving countries or to United Nations agencies to facilitate the returns. At least 25,447 people had already been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026, according to data compiled by Forbidden Stories with a consortium of international journalists. The vast majority – around 20,000 – were sent to Mexico, but the rest were dispersed to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific, and agreements have been finalised with seven more. The deals vary, including over which nationalities can be deported and whether people with criminal records can be accepted.

An AFP investigation earlier this year found Washington is using visa bans and restrictions on African countries to strongarm them into accepting deportees. Lawyers told AFP that deportees were being thrown into a "legal black hole", held without charge in countries where they have no ties and few if any rights. Forbidden Stories said 49 of Africa's 54 countries had been approached about accepting third-country deportees. A little-known State Department division called the Office of Remigration, created in May 2025, has handled most of the negotiations and payments, according to Forbidden Stories. The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-yearold diplomat who previously worked as a security officer. The report details his visits to Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the US in December on accepting deportees. A week later, it also signed a five-year health assistance programme worth nearly $400 million. The following month, the State Department said it would provide a further $30 million to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Cameroon to "facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration." The first plane car-

rying deportees arrived in Cameroon on January 14. Other agreements have involved direct payments to governments. Palau, a small Pacific island nation with a population of under 18,000, signed an agreement in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in return for $7.5 million. However, only three people have so far been sent under the agreement. In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 out of a possible 160 under an agreement worth more than $5 million. It has accepted deportees with criminal records, the investigation

found. Of the $410 million planned for the agreements, internal State Department records showed that $81 million was earmarked for signatory governments. The rest was intended for aid organisations, including more than $178 million for the UN's International Organisation for Migration, and $123 million for UNHCR. The agencies have faced criticism over their involvement, although UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding was being used in line with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.

NEWS 07

Tuesday, 22 September 2026 | KARACHI

CORPORATE CORNER

Crackdown On IMEI Tampering In Stolen Mobile Phones Ordered LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

Capital City Police Officer Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamyana chaired a meeting to review measures for preventing theft in the city and directed police to launch a comprehensive crackdown on elements involved in altering IMEI numbers of stolen mobile phones.The meeting reviewed measures to curb organized gangs involved in theft and improve surveillance at crime hotspots.The meeting discussed geofencing theft hotspots and strengthening surveillance in these areas. The meeting also discussed the effective use of human intelligence and modern technology to prevent and detect theft cases. It was agreed to deploy additional personnel at crime hotspots, intensify patrolling and conduct decoy operations in plain clothes.Bilal Siddique Kamyana directed police to arrest those involved in pickpocketing and mobile phone theft and bring them to justice. He ordered increased surveillance of pickpockets at crowded places, markets, public gatherings and on public transport to ensure the safety of citizens.The meeting decided to launch a comprehensive crackdown on elements involved in changing the IMEI numbers of stolen mobile phones. The CCPO directed officers to trace the entire network through backtracking of recovered mobile phones and ensure verification of identification documents and relevant records in mobile phone transactions.He also ordered strict action against those involved in the illegal purchase and sale of stolen mobile phones and their spare parts.DIG (Administration) Imran Kishwar, DIG (Investigation) Zeeshan Raza, DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran, SSP (Investigation) Muhammad Naveed, SSP (Operations) Abdullah Ahmad and all divisional SPs attended the meeting.

Al-Ghazi Tractors Unveils NH 750 and NH 85-56 at Pakistan Auto Show

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Al-Ghazi Tractors Limited (AGTL) unveiled two new additions to its New Holland tractor portfolio, the NH 750, a 75 HP tractor, and the NH 85-56, an 85 HP 4WD tractor, at the Pakistan Auto Show.The new models reflect AGTL’s focus on expanding mechanization solutions for Pakistan’s evolving agricultural, commercial and construction needs, offering farmers and businesses greater versatility beyond conventional farm operations.Speaking on the occasion, Yasin Seker, Chief Executive Officer, Al-Ghazi Tractors Limited, said, “Farm mechanization is critical to improving productivity, efficiency and the timely execution of operations across Pakistan. Today, tractors are required not only for farming but also for a growing range of commercial and allied applications. With the NH 750 and NH 85-56, we are expanding our offering to meet these evolving requirements and providing our customers with durable and versatile mechanization solutions.”The NH 750 delivers 75 HP while bringing features focused on durability and versatility. Its SG iron front axle support is designed to backing commercial loader and blade applications, while its SG iron axle housing and tubes support trolley and other commercial applications. The tractor also features a powerful hydraulic system, durable clutch, efficient disc brake system and maintenance-free battery.

Pakistan Seafood Industry Makes Its Mark in Russia

VIOLENCE, UNREST ARE ENEMIES OF PAKISTAN’S DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY: MARYAM NAWAZ

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

HIEF Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that those who resort to violence and unrest are enemies of the development and prosperity of the country. In her message on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, the chief minister paid tribute to the courage and sacrifices of officers and personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces deployed to guard the country’s borders and maintain peace. She also appreciated the services of police personnel and other security forces who remain actively engaged round the clock to maintain law and order across Punjab. Maryam Nawaz paid rich tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for peace and saluted the Ghazis for their services and sacrifices. In her message, the chief minister said that the International Day of Peace reminds us of the resolve to uphold tolerance and peaceful coexistence. “Sustainable peace is indispensable for the development and progress of Pakistan,” she said, adding that peace is a fundamental requirement for development and prosperity. “Peace brings forth the flowers of prosperity and spreads happiness everywhere,” she said. The chief minister said that every individual would have to play a positive and meaningful role in promoting

A New Centre of Hope in Karachi

peace in society, as peace is a fundamental necessity for development and prosperity. She said the Punjab government was committed to promoting peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony. “Those who choose the path of violence and unrest are enemies of the development and prosperity of Pakistan,” Maryam Nawaz said.

Language being used by the MQM leadership is intolerable, says Sharjeel Memon

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre’s third hospital, in Karachi, is set to open to the public in December 2026. This marks an important milestone in a journey that began more than three decades ago in Lahore. The new hospital will provide greater access to comprehensive cancer care for patients from Karachi, across Sindh and from Balochistan, reducing the need for many patients to travel long distances for treatment.Shaukat Khanum was founded on a simple principle: a patient’s ability to pay should not determine their access to cancer treatment. With the generous support of the people of Pakistan through donations and Zakat, this vision became a reality. Today, public support continues to be the foundation of the hospital’s treatment services and expansion.Following the establishment of the first hospital in Lahore, the second Shaukat Khanum hospital opened in Peshawar in 2015, extending access to cancer care in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and surrounding areas. The Karachi hospital represents the next major step in this mission, bringing comprehensive cancer care closer to millions of people in the southern region of Pakistan.

Sharjeel Inam Memon, Sindh’s Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, has stated that the language being used by the MQM leadership is intolerable. He remarked that the MQM seeks to incite discord and chaos, reverting to the politics of the 1990s, but vowed that their conspiracy would be thwarted. In a statement responding to a press conference held by MQM leaders, he observed that Mustafa Kamal and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui are following the political path of the 1990s. He noted that it was the MQM that introduced the politics of extortion, bodies found in sacks, kidnapping for ransom, and arson in Karachi. Sharjeel Inam Memon stated that the Sindh Assembly has already delivered its verdict regarding the issue of provinces through a formal resolution. He accused the MQM of sowing the seeds of hatred by stoking discord and strife, noting that the majority of Urdu speakers identify as Sindhis. He said that the MQM is once again fanning the flames of division and hatred along linguistic lines.

KARACHI

STAFF REPORT

JBS and Mercantile partner to enable official Apple Products for Enterprise in Pakistan STAFF REPORT

Jaffer Business Systems (JBS) and Mercantile have announced a strategic partnership to make official Apple products more accessible to businesses across Pakistan. By enabling organizations to adopt apple products with local support, the partnership will contribute to building AI native organizations and power growth within Pakistan’s technology ecosystem. As Mercantile’s Preferred Partner for Enterprise, JBS will add Apple products to its compute portfolio, extending its offering from data centers and infrastructure to workplace and handheld devices. The partnership goes beyond device distribution by giving Pakistani enterprises a structured route to adopt, manage and support global workplace technology within their existing workplace and IT environments.

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

inDrive collaborates with Fly Jinnah to reward a driver with a trip to Saudi Arabia KARACHI

inDrive and Fly Jinnah partnered to reward one of its drivers with a first-ever international trip to Saudi Arabia, recognising their dedication based on consistently completing airport rides through the platform. The campaign was designed to honour a driver who helped passengers reach airports every day but rarely had the opportunity to travel himself. Kashif Naeem was identified as a high-frequency and top-rated airport driver and awarded the journey.Awais Saeed, Country Manager of inDrive Pakistan said: “Our drivers put in a great deal of effort every day, and it’s important for us to recognise that. Kashif’s journey is one example of where dedication and perseverance can lead. We’re grateful to have played a small part in his story, and we hope his experience encourages other drivers to continue pursuing the opportunities that matter to them.”

Complaints of refusal to book despite quota availability; Ministry takes notice ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

St. Petersburg, Russia: Pakistan’s seafood industry continues to make its mark on the global map, and this time, Pakistani seafood products have made a strong impression in the Russian market.Mr. Asim Abrar, CEO of Seagreen Enterprises Private Limited, is leading Pakistan’s participation at the seafood exhibition in St. Petersburg, alongside the Pakistan Trade Mission in Russia.The response from Russian buyers and visitors has been highly encouraging. Russian customers have expressed strong appreciation for the quality of seafood products brought from Pakistan, with significant interest and demand emerging for Pakistani seafood in the Russian market.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Asim Abrar said the encouraging response demonstrates the tremendous potential for Pakistani seafood exports in Russia.

STAFF REPORT

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has taken notice of complaints from intending pilgrims under the private Hajj scheme who say they are being refused bookings by tour operators despite seats being shown as available on the Hajj Portal. According to the complaints received by the ministry, some intending pilgrims contacted tour operators whose available quota was displayed on the Hajj Portal but were told that their quota had already been exhausted. The ministry has advised intending pilgrims facing such a situation to formally lodge complaints with the ministry. Complaints can be submitted through the “Inquiry” option on the Pak Hajj App or sent

to the Section Officer Monitoring at somonitoring@mora.gov.pk. The ministry said that all such complaints would be examined. In cases where a discrepancy was found between the quota displayed on the Hajj Portal and the information provided by a tour operator, the matter would be investigated and the complaint would be incorpo-

rated into the monitoring report of the concerned company. The ministry has also advised intending pilgrims not to remain silent in such cases and to provide the name of the tour operator, details of the available quota and relevant evidence when lodging a complaint, so that the matter can be addressed promptly.

She further said that peace was not merely the absence of war; rather, it meant living with justice, love and respect. On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, the chief minister prayed to Allah Almighty for lasting peace and prosperity everywhere in Pakistan and around the world.

The Arkadians Draws Strong Public Interest at Real Estate Fair in Lahore

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Arkadians, the flagship residential-cumcommercial project by Creek Developers and AKD Group, attracted significant public attention and enthusiasm at the Real Estate Fair held on September 20, 2026, at Nishat Hotel, Lahore.The Arkadians’ stall emerged as one of the notable attractions at the fair, with a large number of visitors stopping by to learn more about the project, its concept, investment opportunities and lifestyle offerings. Prospective investors, businesspeople, families and real estate enthusiasts showed keen interest in the project and engaged with the Arkadians team throughout the event.Visitors were briefed about the vision behind The Arkadians, which has been conceived as a modern residential and commercial development offering contemporary living, business opportunities and a carefully planned lifestyle environment.The enthusiasm displayed by visitors at the Lahore fair reflected the growing interest in The Arkadians, particularly among people looking for contemporary real estate opportunities backed by an established development vision.Speaking on the occasion, representatives of Creek Developers said that the response at the fair was highly encouraging. They said the interaction with visitors provided an opportunity to explain the concept and features of The Arkadians directly to potential investors and members of the public.The representatives expressed their appreciation for the overwhelming interest shown by the people of Lahore and said that the response demonstrated the appeal of a project that seeks to bring a new dimension to modern living.

ABHI Microfinance Bank partners with SOS Group and South Air to offer advance salary solutions

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

ABHI Microfinance Bank is proud to announce its partnership with SOS Group and South Air to introduce Advance Salary solutions for their employees, providing greater financial flexibility and convenience when it matters most.Through this collaboration, employees will have the ability to access a portion of their earned salary when needed, helping them manage everyday financial requirements with greater ease and greater control over their finances.The agreement was signed by Sohail Khan, Group Advisor, SOS Group, and Mariam Pervaiz, Chief Innovation & Financial Inclusion Officer, ABHI Microfinance Bank, in the presence of Mr. Kabeer Naqvi, Entrepreneur in Residence, ABHI Group, and Kanwar Muhammad Tariq, Group Chairman.This partnership reflects ABHI Microfinance Bank’s continued commitment to advancing financial inclusion and developing innovative solutions that empower individuals with greater access, flexibility, and control over their earned income.ABHI Microfinance Bank continues to build partnerships that bring practical financial solutions closer to people, helping create a more financially empowered workforce.

MARTYRS' SACRIFICES WILL NOT GO IN VAIN, SAYS ATTAULLAH TARAR NEWS

KOHAT

STAFF REPORT

EDERAL Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Monday paid rich tribute to police and security personnel martyred in the recent Kohat terrorist attack, saying their sacrifices would not go in vain and the government would not rest until terrorism was completely eliminated. Addressing party workers during his visit to Kohat, the federal minister said the city was mourning the loss of brave police personnel who had sacrificed their lives to protect people of this region. He said the martyrs had left their own children orphaned but saved millions of other children from a similar fate. Attaullah Tarar said he had visited injured security personnel at Kohat CMH and was encouraged by their high morale and devotion to duty. He said one seriously injured soldier had expressed his resolve to continue fighting until his last drop of blood, while another had vowed to defeat the terrorists. He said army and police personnel had demonstrated exemplary courage during the operation, with even some personnel who were on leave returning to duty,

putting on their uniforms and joining the fight against terrorists in Kohat. The federal minister said the nation stood firmly with its security forces and paid tribute to the martyrs and Ghazis. He said a nation that took pride in the sacrifices of its loved ones could not be defeated by terrorists. Attaullah Tarar said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had given a clear message that the complete elimination of terrorism from the country was not far away. He also acknowledged the sacri-

PM condoles death of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Monday, expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the death of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, brother of United Arab Emirates Vice President and Prime Minister; and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. “Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum devoted his life to the service of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates with honour and dignity. Pakistan deeply appreciates his valuable services and pays tribute to his memory with respect and admiration,” the PM’s Office, in a post on X handle, quoted the prime minsiter as saying. The prime minister extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Al Maktoum family, and the people of the United Arab Emirates. He also prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul with the highest place in Jannat-ul-Firdous and grant the bereaved family strength and patience to bear this profound loss.

President condoles passing of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ISLAMABAD APP

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief and sorrow over the passing of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, younger brother of UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In a post on X, the President conveyed his heartfelt condolences to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Al Maktoum family. He prayed to Allah Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and to give patience and strength to the grieving family.

Dr Tariq urges PTI to avoid protests, resolve issues through dialogue ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Monday urged the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) to avoid activities that could disrupt peace and instead resolve political issues through dialogue. Speaking to a private television channel, the minister alleged that the PTI had a history of creating law-andorder situations through protests and long marches. He said political differences should be addressed through dialogue and called on the PTI to adopt a peaceful approach to resolving its issues. He warned that the government would take action against anyone found involved in activities that threatened peace and security in the country.

fices and efforts of the Pakistan Army, under the leadership of Field Marshal CDF Syed Asim Munir, in the fight against terrorism. He said terrorists were cowards who attacked from behind and should realise that they were confronting a nation proud of its brave security personnel. The federal minister criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over the handling of the security situation. He claimed that while precious blood of police and civilians was being shed in

Kohat, the chief minister was engaged in political activities and photo opportunities in Lahore instead of visiting the affected area and standing with the bereaved families. Tarar questioned the utilisation of funds allocated for law and order in the province, saying the KP government had received around Rs300 billion for the purpose during its tenure and would have to explain how the funds were utilised. He questioned why the police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had not been sufficiently strengthened despite the availability of resources, and why a forensic laboratory had not been established in the province, forcing authorities to rely on facilities in Punjab. Criticising the performance of the provincial government over the past 12 and a half years, Tarar said that adequate progress had not been made in health, education and other development sectors. He said that if hospitals, colleges and universities had been developed on the required scale, people across the country, especially in KP, could have benefited from them. He also questioned the utilisation of National Finance Commission (NFC) resources, claiming that the provincial government's focus remained on political agitation rather than public welfare and development.

DPM, French Minister review bilateral ties ISLAMABAD APP

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot, on sidelines of the 81st Session of United Nations General Assembly in New York and reviewed Pakistan-France bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments. The DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen bilateral ties, including through enhanced political engagement, trade and investment, educational linkages

and people-to-people exchanges. The DPM/FM appreciated France’s efforts in support of the two-State solution, including its decision to restrict imports of goods from Israeli settlements. Both Ministers stressed that the Palestine issue must remain high on the international agenda and underscored the importance of sustained international efforts towards a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution. On the situation concerning Iran, both sides exchanged views on the importance of continued diplomatic engagement and regional efforts to address the crisis,

and highlighted the importance of implementing the Islamabad MoU. Both Ministers also stressed the need to ensure the safety and free flow of maritime traffic and uninterrupted energy supplies, given the wider economic implications of the disruptions. The French Foreign Minister appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in the region and agreed on the importance of utilizing regional forums to address regional challenges and promote dialogue. Both sides agreed to maintain close engagement on bilateral and regional matters of mutual interest.

DPM/FM Dar arrives in New York to attend 81st session of UN General Assembly UNITED NATIONS APP

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar flew into New York on Sunday afternoon to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He was received at Kennedy International airport by Pakistan UN Ambassador, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Consul General in New York Aamer Ahmed Atozai and senior officials of the Pakistan Mission and the consulate General. DPM/FM Dar will go through a tight schedule of engagements at the United Nations. He will participate in the meet-

ing of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir during which he will highlight Pakistan’s unwavering support for the right to selfdetermination of the Kashmiris. The Deputy Prime Minister will also attend several OIC Ministerial meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA, including OIC Foreign Ministers’ Annual Coordination Meeting, as well as other OIC Contact Group meetings. He will attend several highlevel meetings on Palestine, including the meeting of the Group of Eight Arab Islamic countries, as well as the High-Level Ministerial Meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the TwoState Solution, among others. The Deputy Prime Minister and

Foreign Minister will deliver a statement during the UN Security Council high-level briefing on the issue of Artificial Intelligence, in addition to attending the HighLevel Meeting on Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. He will also chair the meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers. DPM/FM Dar will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several countries, in addition to accompanying the Prime Minister during high-level bilateral meetings and engagements. During his engagements, he will highlight Pakistan’s ongoing efforts for regional and international peace and stability, and exchange views on important regional and international challenges.

PM arrives in New York to attend 81st UNGA session NEW YORK APP

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Monday arrived in New York with a small Pakistani delegation to represent Pakistan at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi will accompany the Prime Minister on his visit. The Prime Minister will address the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2026.

In his address, the Prime Minister will present Pakistan's position on the changing regional and global security situation, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful resolution of conflicts. The Prime Minister will highlight Pakistan's active diplomatic and mediation efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote peace and stability in the region, as well as present Pakistan's priorities on key global issues including sustainable development, climate change, the fight against terrorism, Islamophobia and global eco-

nomic challenges. The Prime Minister will draw the attention of the international community to the issues of longstanding occupation and denial of self-determination in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine. He will attend several highlevel meetings on development, climate action and other important issues on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session and present Pakistan’s position. He will hold bilateral meetings with various world leaders and the UN Secretary-General during the session.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2026

PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:50

1:30

4:45

PPP urges restraint as PTI, govt trade warnings over Islamabad protest 5:20

PROFIT

Already burned with high inflation, the masses will face a mixed fuel-price trend as petrol rises by Rs4.61 per litre to Rs393.75, while diesel falls by Rs1.96 to Rs422.08, offering limited relief to diesel users but adding fresh pressure on petrol consumers for September 22. According to the Petroleum Division, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has revised the ex-depot prices of petroleum products under the federal government’s petroleum pricing mechanism. The revised prices will be applicable on

September 22, 2026. The price of Motor Spirit (petrol) has been increased by Rs4.61 per litre, rising from Rs389.14 to Rs393.75 per litre. The increase means a motorist purchasing 50 litres of petrol would face an additional Rs230.50 at the revised price. In contrast, the price of High Speed Diesel (HSD) has been reduced by Rs1.96 per litre, declining from Rs424.04 to Rs422.08 per litre. A consumer purchasing 50 litres of diesel would therefore see a reduction of Rs98 compared with the previous price. The latest revision has created a mixed impact for consumers, with petrol users fac-

ing a higher fuel bill while diesel consumers receiving some relief. However, the reduction in diesel remains smaller than the increase imposed on petrol. The Petroleum Division said the revision was necessitated by changes in global petroleum market factors, including Platts rates, premiums and incidentals. With the new prices, petrol has moved closer to the Rs400-per-litre mark, while diesel remains significantly above Rs400 per litre despite the latest reduction. The revised ex-depot prices applicable on September 22 are Rs393.75 per litre for Motor Spirit and Rs422.08 per litre for High Speed Diesel.

8:00

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Nasir Hussain Shah has called on both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the federal government to exercise restraint ahead of PTI’s planned protest in Islamabad. Shah said the current situation required understanding and mutual respect from both sides. He urged PTI to avoid confrontation while also calling on the government to show flexibility in dealing with the opposition. Shah said the country was already facing terrorism-related threats and warned that mobilising large numbers of political workers under such circumstances could put them at risk. He also criticised PTI’s previous protest movements, alleging that they had frequently turned violent. PTI Senator Barrister Ali Zafar, meanwhile, questioned the government’s use of the Maintenance of Public Order law to restrict political activity. He argued that there was no justification for invoking Section 3 of the MPO against political workers and lawmakers. Zafar also criticised the detention of senators and members of the National Assembly, questioning why parliament had remained silent over the arrests. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry defended the government’s position, saying Islamabad could not be allowed to fall under the control of a protesting crowd. He said the government had complied with a court order regarding medical treatment for PTI founder Imran Khan and had also presented its position before the court over his possible transfer to hospital. Chaudhry rejected PTI’s claims about the scale of arrests, saying the number of detained workers was lower than the party had suggested. He also referred to remarks by PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar about turning Islamabad into ruins, saying the statement had hardened the government’s position. Chaudhry said there would now be zero tolerance for allowing protesters to enter Islamabad. He further alleged that ordinary PTI workers often bore the consequences of protests while senior party leaders remained protected.

No writ of government in two provinces, says Fazlur Rehman ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman has said there is no writ of the government in two provinces, calling for an in-camera session of Parliament to discuss the country’s issues. Addressing a press conference, Maulana Fazal ur Rehman said there is a rule of bandits and street crime in Sindh. He said that in Balochistan, bandits are looting banks and distributing money outside the province. “Inflation is rising sharply. Before whom should the people cry?” Fazlur Rehman asked. He said the burden of debt on the country has increased significantly. Fazal ur Rehman said JUI-F Senator Shukur Khan was stopped at the airport yesterday and could not travel to China. He said ministers are also stopped on roads in his province. The JUI-F chief said the capital was shut down when some political parties announced protests. “Those sitting in the government are silent. The issues should be brought to Parliament,” he said. Fazal ur Rehman demanded an in-camera session of the Parliament House, saying a closed-door meeting of parliamentary leaders would serve no purpose. He said he had demanded an in-camera session so that the nation could be informed about what is happening in the country. Fazal ur Rehman said the situation is deteriorating because of the government’s conduct and said the government must be asked to ensure peace. Commenting on the Saudi Arabia agreement, he said it should move forward, adding that Egypt and Iran should also have been included in the agreement.

LHC petition challenges detention of Imran's sisters LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

A petition was filed before the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday challenging the 30-day detention orders issued against PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, seeking their immediate release. The petition was filed by Aleema Khan’s son, Shahraiz Khan, through advocate Rana Mudasar Umar. It seeks the annulment of the detention orders and the immediate release of all three women. The detentions came as authorities intensified action against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ahead of the party’s planned September 27 march on Islamabad. Challenging the detention order issued by the Lahore deputy commissioner on September 20, the petitioner contended that Aleema was detained while travelling with her driver for personal work and that there was no public gathering or other situation at the time indicating any threat to public order.

Petrol up Rs4.61, diesel down Rs1.96 for 22nd Sept AHMAD AHMADANI

6:08

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