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In-camera briefing on regional situation concludes at PM House

The leaders of parliamentary parties, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, were on Wednesday given an in-camera briefing on the regional situation. PM Shehbaz had invited parliamentary leaders and party heads to “sit down and develop a course of action so we can move forward”, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Tuesday while addressing the National Assembly. The briefing began shortly after 11:30am and concluded after more than two hours. It mainly discussed the ongoing ‘ Operation Ghazab lil-Haq ’ against terrorist hideouts and the Middle East conflict. “The meeting was given an in-camera briefing regarding the Pakistan-Afghanistan situation, the hostilities in Iran, Middle East and the Gulf, and Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts,” read a statement from the PM Office (PMO). It added that the parliamentary leaders of the participating political parties “freely expressed their views”. “The participants underscored the need for national unity, consensus and unanimity in the curren...

Indian media aflutter after ‘airplane shaped balloon’ spotted in occupied Kashmir

A balloon in the shape of an airplane has caused a stir on Indian media. According to several media outlets, the balloon has been taken into police custody. Indian news agency ANI posted on X that an “aircraft-shaped balloon” with “PIA” written on its was found in Rajouri in occupied Kashmir. “The police team took the object into possession. No electrical or electronic components were found affixed,” the post said, citing police. The images shared with the post showed a deflated balloon in the shape of a plane and with the words PIA on the sides, ostensibly a reference to Pakistan International Airlines. The development was also reported by the Hindustan Times , Times of India . Meanwhile, NDTV also shared the the same on its X account. “Further proceedings underway to determine its origin,” it said. In 2021, a similar incident had occurred, with authorities in occupied Kashmir seizing a plane-shaped balloon bearing the name of the Pakistan International Airlines. Acc...

FM Dar expresses concern at ‘sudden’ US-Israel attack on Iran despite ‘positive direction’ in talks

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday expressed concern at the “sudden” US‑Israel coordinated attack on Iran, despite “positive direction” observed in talks between Washington and Tehran. The minister made the remarks while addressing a session of the Senate. He recalled that the process of talks between the two countries was “going successfully”, citing the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Austria, where Pakistan held a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, Rafael Grossi, who Dar said was “optimistic that dialogue was heading in a positive direction”. The foreign minister also recalled his conversation with the foreign minister of Oman last night, where he was told that the last round of talks between the US and Iran had ended “on a positive note”. “He told me that after the talks, the Omani FM flew to Washington, where he met the vice president and told him that the dialogue was going in a positive direction,” Dar said...

PPP delegation meets with PM Shehbaz, discusses prevailing local and regional situation

A PPP delegation met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in the country as well as the regional situation. A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that a delegation of PPP parliamentarians met with the premier today. “The Pakistan People’s Party is an important coalition party of the government,” PM Shehbaz said according to the statement. “The PPP supported the government at every step in important decisions for national development and progress, for which it is grateful.” The meeting discussed the current political situation in the country as well as the prevailing regional situation in the Middle East, but the statement did not provide details of the discussions. The PPP delegation included Senator Sherry Rehman, Raja Pervez Ashraf, and Members of the National Assembly Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Jakhrani. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqb...

Canada and India strike agreements on rare earth, uranium

India and Canada on Monday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust, and positivity,” Modi said. Ties effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Sikh activists in Canada, accusations India rejected. Carney’s visit — his first to India since taking office last year — is not only aimed to reset strained ties, but also to push efforts to diversify trade beyond the United States. “There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decade...

CONTAINING THE PRICE SPIKE OF RAMAZAN

Every Ramazan, like clockwork, the markets begin to change their rhythm. The footpaths thicken with shoppers, as fruit stalls glow brighter, stacked high with bananas, apples and other seasonal fruits. The vegetable sellers speak faster, not because they want to deceive you, but because there are simply too many customers and too little time. This isn’t an anomaly, this is seasonality. The patterns repeat every year and disposable income keeps shrinking further. Over the last six years, prices across the board have increased by more than 111 percent, while prices of a broad-based basket of food has increased by 116 percent. Effectively, prices have more than doubled in many cases and remain around that range. Despite the run-up, a price bump is also a regular occurrence. When you track food prices week-by-week and month-by-month, you see a recurring ‘Ramazan Premium’, a step-up in prices that arrives with remarkable regularity. It does not hit every item equally. It concentrates in ...