What is the Al Qadir Trust case? – Pakistan
Case alleges Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, accepted Rs5 billion for whitewashing Rs50 billion that was returned by the UK during the PTI govt’s tenure. Originally published on May 9, 2023; updated on January 13, 2025. An accountability court on Monday yet again postponed its long-awaited verdict in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust […]
Finance: The three “Fs” of economy – Newspaper
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to roll over its $2 billion debt due for repayment this month. This decision should help the State Bank keep the rupee stable amidst the expanding trade deficit. Meanwhile, Pakistan is taking two commendable steps — one under International Monetary Fund pressure and the other in response to shifting […]
Pension pain – Newspaper – DAWN.COM
“In about seven to eight years, the pension budget will be more than the defence budget if it is not handled properly,” said Miftah Ismail, former finance minister of Pakistan. It has ballooned steeply over the last three years, crossing Rs1tr in FY25. “When a man retires, he gets a pension. After he dies, his […]
Trump prosecutor Jack Smith resigns – World
WASHINGTON: US Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned, as the Republican president-elect prepared to return to the White House. Smith resigned on Friday from the Department of Justice, according to a court […]
Institutional debacle – Newspaper – DAWN.COM
THE importance of institutions for economic development and growth has long been recognised — for example, in the writings of Adam Smith and, more recently, exemplified by Douglass North’s 1993 Nobel Prize. Governance quality and perceptions of the political, economic, and policy climate are critical in shaping overall conditions for investment and growth. Given the […]
Dealing with the Taliban – Newspaper
WHEN the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan over three years ago, Pakistan’s policymakers assumed this would help to guarantee the stability of the country’s western border. That has long been a strategic compulsion given Pakistan’s troubled relations with India on its eastern flank. But the assumption about securing the border with Afghanistan under Taliban […]
Anything goes – Newspaper – DAWN.COM
IT seems that the dark days of the freewheeling internet have returned. Two of the largest global social media companies have already abandoned important efforts and initiatives aimed at moderating speech on their platforms in a sign of their capitulation to alt-right mega-influencers and their war on ‘woke media’. The backsliding seems to have started […]
Cyprus orders probe into Pakistani man’s murder – World
NICOSIA: Cyprus’ chief prosecutor appointed an independent investigator on Sunday to oversee a criminal probe into the killing of a Pakistani man in police shooting. Pakistan’s Foreign Office told Dawn that the ambassador to Cyprus, based in Beirut, was in touch with Cypriot officials over the matter. The move comes a day after authorities said […]
US lawmaker looks to scrap Pakistan’s ‘non-Nato ally’ status – World
WASHINGTON: Congressman Andy Biggs, a far-right Republican from Arizona known for his hard-line positions, has reintroduced legislation to revoke Pakistan’s status as a major non-Nato ally (MNNA), a designation the country has held since 2004. However, the legislation focuses on action against the Haqqani Network, which the US State Department designated as a foreign terrorist […]
Nine terrorists killed in North Waziristan shoot-outs – Newspaper
PESHAWAR: Nine terrorists were killed in two encounters with security forces in North Waziristan district on Sunday, the military’s media wing said. The terrorists, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), were killed during intelligence-based operations (IBO). Security forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ hideout killing six of them while two others […]