CHAKWAL: Two suspects in the Wednesday night robberies and a fatal shoot-out were killed in an encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) Chakwal, while an official of the CCD was arrested under the charge of murdering a minor girl and injuring her brother and father, sources told Dawn on Saturday. Adeel Ahmed, 39, his wife Dr Sidra Khan, daughter Hania Ahmed, 9, and son Aafan Ahmed, 10, came under attack during a robbery when CCD cops opened fire on their vehicle mistaking it for that...

KARACHI: The grounds for an increase in the policy rate have largely disappeared ahead of the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) upcoming monetary policy announcement, as global oil prices have either remained stable or eased despite heightened tensions in the Gulf, market participants said. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is scheduled to meet on June 15 for what will be the final policy review of FY26. The only increase in the policy rate during the current fiscal year came in the previous r...

THE electoral process in Gilgit-Baltistan has concluded peacefully, despite initial concerns ari­sing from the violent protests that erupted after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. In contrast, de­­velopments in Pakistani Kashmir are concerning, particularly as the region approaches elections scheduled for July 27. The GB case was managed with a combination of political engagement and coercive measures. Kashmir, however, has emer­g­­ed as a poorly managed case in which dialogue and politica...

SIGNALS from the US and Iran that a framework agreement could be signed as early as this weekend are being viewed in Washington policy circles not as a final breakthrough but as the start of a tightly managed and uncertain negotiation process. Analysts at leading American think tanks, including the Atlantic Council and the Brookings Institution, caution that even if a preliminary understanding emerges, it is likely to resemble an outline agreement rather than a comprehensive settlement and wo...

• Authorities tighten crackdown on group’s activists as businesses are seized and raids conducted • Internet outage enters eighth day, affecting students and freelancers • Ex-president urges JAAC to end agitation unconditionally MUZAFFARABAD: Two sit-ins by activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) continued on the fringes of Rawalakot for the fourth consecutive day amid a partial shutter-down strike across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday. Though ...

• Shehbaz hopes deal will pave way for lasting peace, says Pakistan preparing for ‘electronic signing’ • Trump claims signing scheduled for today; threatens Iran; official says Washington to take part in de-mining • Iran states deal close but rules out signing today; negotiators not going to Islamabad, Geneva soon ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a historic milestone for Middle East peace, Islamabad is preparing for an electronic signing by the US and Iran on a framework for a peace deal, to ...

SWAT: An ice drug addict killed his wife in the Balasor Chuprial area of Swat on Saturday, residents said. They said that the suspect had a history of drug addiction and had reportedly been arrested and jailed multiple times in narcotics-related cases. On the day of the incident, the woman was reportedly on her way to seek medical treatment. Her 17-year-old son had given her money for the treatment expenses, they said. The residents alleged that when the woman reached near a graveyard, her hu...

LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has begun prioritising complaints against individuals involved in blackmail, harassment and harming the “dignity and reputation of women”, and arrested 10 alleged “harassers” on Saturday in different parts of Punjab. “The NCCIA is according the highest priority to complaints involving the harassment, exploitation, and blackmailing of women in the digital space,” NCCIA Punjab chief Muhammad Ali Waseem told Dawn. “While the NCCIA rem...

KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), in a joint operation with a federal civilian intelligence agency, arrested a suspect in Karachi for allegedly supplying drone technology and electronic equipment to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for use in drone-based attacks, a CTD spokesperson said on Saturday. According to the CTD, the suspect is the brother of Talal alias Zaid Baloch, an alleged active member of the banned TTP currently based in Afghanistan and listed among th...

Five Indian air force personnel were killed when a Russian-made Indian military plane crashed while landing at a base in the country’s remote northeast on Saturday, the military said in a statement. “The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat”, a city in Assam state, the air force said in a statement. However, an air force official, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, told AFP the co-pilot had s...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is currently addressing the National Assembly, a day after the federal budget for FY27 was proposed. He began his speech by noting that he would not give a “detailed response” to the criticism voiced by Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai at the moment, but at an “appropriate time”. After the NA proceedings began at 11am, Achakzai had spoken mostly on the country’s law and order situation. He had also criticised the government’s decision to freeze the develop...

The United States opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday, powered by a first-half double from striker Folarin Balogun, but the victory was tempered by concern over the fitness of Christian Pulisic. The emphatic Group D win marked a dream start for the co-hosts, whose four goals were their most ever in a World Cup match. Balogun became the first US player to score twice in a World Cup game since the 1930 tournament. “Amazing result,” US captain Tim Ream said. “I...

• Budget keeps lender’s targets intact on revenue, deficit, primary surplus • Divisible pool frozen for three years at Rs13.35tr; govt eyes Rs1.9tr fiscal space • Revenue target up 17.6pc after record Rs1.15tr shortfall; defence up 17.7pc to Rs3tr • Salaries, pensions to rise 7pc; minimum wage proposed at Rs40,700 • Super tax scrapped for Rs150m-Rs500m incomes • Social media earnings, traders face new tax measures • Incentives for small EVs; curbs on luxury ones • Petroleum now top non-tax ea...

(CLOCKWISE) PM Shehbaz Sharif meets a delegation of MQM-P leaders ahead of the budget session; PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan holds a placard during the party’s demonstration in parliament; while PPP lawmaker Sehar Kamran protests Sindh’s water share cut.—APP • PPP slams ‘unreasonable attitude’ of ally PML-N; PTI protests for Imran, against taxes; MQM-P delegation meets Shehbaz, PML-N leaders before budget session • Govt workers’ demonstration outside Parliament House results in strict securi...

• Increase comes amid tensions with India, Afghan border concerns • Allocation crosses 2pc of GDP after 17.6pc hike • Military spending makes up nearly 16pc of federal outlay • Rs967.55bn earmarked for salaries, allowances • Military pensions budgeted separately at Rs822bn ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday proposed allocating Rs3 trillion for defence services in fiscal year 2026-27, marking a 17.65 per cent increase over the outgoing year’s original allocation of Rs2.55tr, as it sou...

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has allocated Rs5,290.49 million to train 120,000 youth in IT and digital skills under the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme. Finance Minister Muhammad Aura­n­g­zeb, in his budget speech, highlighted the importance of the country’s youth population, describing it as Pakistan’s biggest asset. He said 67 per cent of the country’s population is below the age of 30. “Our youth possess a strong spirit for acquiring skills and utilising them for ...

WASHINGTON: A major US surveillance authority is set to expire on Friday midnight, deepening concerns over national security as the World Cup gets underway and Washington remains deadlocked over President Donald Trump’s intelligence leadership. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows US spy agencies to collect communications of foreign targets overseas without a warrant, including when they contact people inside the United States. Officials describe the program­­me as ...

• Income tax rates reduced for salaried individuals earning between Rs2.2m and Rs7m annually; 35pc slab threshold raised to Rs7m ISLAMABAD: The gover­nment has unveiled a sweeping package of tax and tariff reforms, offering relief to higher-income salaried individuals and businesses by rationalising income tax, sales tax, and customs duties, while promoting documentation, digital compliance, and investment. The measures are designed to ease the burden on households and enterprises while targe...

If ever voice mattered, it was now. The budget unveiled today shows the government heard everything that was being said about it and has moved to rectify, albeit the moves are small. Salaried people have been extended some relief, but mostly for upper slabs. The infamous “deemed income” on capital assets (immoveable property) has been scrapped. The other bug bear of the elites, the so-called “Super Tax” has been abolished for firms with income up to Rs500 million and for those earning above t...

The government on Friday reduced the price of petrol by Rs4 per litre and diesel by Rs2 per litre with immediate effect. Following the decrease, the price of petrol stands at Rs373.78 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) at Rs378.78, down from Rs377.78 and Rs380.78 per litre, respectively. The Petroleum Division’s notification announcing the decrease said the new prices would be effective from June 13 (Saturday). This is the fifth consecutive weekly reduction in petrol prices...

Five-time winners Brazil needed a superb Vinicius Junior equaliser to draw 1-1 with Morocco in their opening game at the World Cup on Saturday as Scotland marked their return to the tournament after a 28-year absence with a nervy 1-0 victory over Haiti. On the first day to feature four matches at the 48-team tournament, Qatar won the first World Cup point in their history when Miro Muheim’s own goal earned the 2022 tournament hosts a 1-1 draw with Switzerland. The meeting of Brazil and 2022 s...

ISLAMABAD: The government has substantially increased penalties for late filing of income tax returns, restoration to the active taxpayers list, and deficiencies in document accessibility and formatting, apparently an effort to strengthen tax compliance. The increases, introduced through the Finance Bill FY27, apply across federal taxes, including income tax, sales tax and federal excise duty. In some cases, penalties have more than doubled and are widely seen as providing the Federal Board o...

THE US war on Iran has exposed the fundamental strategic vulnerability of the Arab Gulf states. The double blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and the US has significantly affected the oil and gas exports of the GCC states. The impact has varied from state to state. Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait have been the most affected GCC countries due to their overwhelming dependence on Hormuz for exports. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have managed to partially mitigate the disruption by diverting some oil ...

• Netanyahu not coming to Trump’s bilateral meetings • One-on-one session with Zelensky not planned WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will meet Middle Eastern leaders and attend a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the G7 summit next week, senior US administration officials said on Saturday. The officials said Trump, who is scheduled to travel to Evian, France, for the G7 summit early on Monday, would meet separately with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, United...

ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed 21 terrorists during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan over the past 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said multiple terrorist locations were targeted in the Miranshah area and its surroundings. “Following fierce fire exchanges, in [the] last 72 hours, 21 more khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij, including...

PKMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai speaks at the National Assembly’s budget session.—White Star • Opening day dominated by political speeches in NA • Achakzai says freezing funds will hit provinces’ health, social sectors • PM defends govt’s approach, highlights Balochistan projects • Supports border fencing for national security; renews offer for talks with opposition • MQM calls for strong local govt system, approval of 28th Amendment ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Saturday formall...

The leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua has been killed in southern Venezuela as part of a joint operation with the United States, in what a top Pentagon official on Saturday described as a warning to “narco-terrorists” in Latin America. Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Nino Guerrero, was “neutralised” in southeastern Bolivar state, Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications said in a statement on Friday. US President Donald Trump said Guerrero was killed in “a swift and leth...

Larkana police’s Women and Child Protection Cell (WCPC), along with other officials, conducted a raid and stopped a forced child marriage involving two teenagers in Khero Dero village of the district on Friday. A 13-year-old girl was being forced into marriage with her 16-year-old cousin when WCPC officials, the SHO of Women Police Station Larkana and the SHO of Lashari Police Station reached the spot, according to a statement by Child Protection Officer Larkana Gada Hussain Abbasi. Naween Ma...

In the charged political landscape of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)’s core demand to abolish the 12 reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees in the legislative assembly strikes at the heart of constitutional governance, historical justice, and the enduring Kashmir cause. These seats, constitutionally entrenched under Article 22 of the AJK Interim Constitution 1974, are not mere administrative privileges or tools for “electoral engineering,” as JAAC alleges....

Anthropic said on Friday it will “abruptly disable” its most advanced AI models for all users after the US government ordered it to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. The company received the export control directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all foreign nationals, without being given specific details of its national security concern, Anthropic said in a statement. It is Anthropic’s understanding that the government belie...

BANNU: An alleged militant commander and two people were killed in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, while militants also attempted to blow up a key link bridge, local sources said on Saturday. The Police Peace Committee said that Shahid, son of Mir Khatam and a resident of Wali Noor in Jani Khel, was killed near Kangar Bridge during an operation on Friday night. The deceased was said to be a close associate and facilitator of militant commander Akhtar Muhammad and wa...

• Underprivileged segments hit hardest • Bike riders, office workers, labourers struggle to cope with extreme heat • Outdoor workers face hardship, household chores become tall order KARACHI: By midday, Karachi, a city usually bustling with activity, begins to lose much of its vibrancy as intense heat and persistently high “feels-like” temperatures keep people indoors and restrict movement across the metropolis. The scorching June sun, coupled with high humidity and feels-like temperatures ex...

PAKISTAN’S ongoing role in helping bridge differences between the US and Iran has attracted considerable attention. Given the depth of hostility between Washington and Tehran, even keeping channels of communication open is nothing short of an achievement. That said, an important aspect of this episode has received surprisingly little attention: it’s the significance — albeit limited — of both Pakistan’s role in shaping the development of international law and its implications for Pakistan’s p...

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth — without breaching the IMF’s macroeconomic targets. After three years of painful austerity and demand compression, the decision to reduce the super tax, introduce a real estate stimulus and offer a scattering of export incentives indicates that the government believes the worst is behind it as it cautiously proceeds to pump moderate growth of 4pc. The desperation is understandabl...

MUZAFFARABAD: Activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who had dispersed from sit-in sites on the outskirts of Rawalakot after midnight, regrouped at two locations on Friday afternoon, drawing thousands of participants des­pite official claims that the protest campaign had collapsed. Senior officials had claimed early on Friday that all three protest camps on the fringes of Rawalakot had been vacated after 12:30am amid expectations of a major operation b...

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minis­ter Mu­ham­mad Aurangzeb on Fri­day laid a copy of the Finance Bill 2026 containing the Annual Bud­get Statement before the Se­­nate amid a noisy protest by opposition members who cha­nted slogans rejecting the proposed budget. Moving that the Senate make recommendations, if any, to the National Assembly on the bill as required under Article 73 of the Constitution, Mr Aurangzeb faced full-throated slogans from the opposition benches. Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza G...

• Planned protests abandoned amid fears of clash as armed patrols, checkpoints blanket city HERAT: Heavily armed security forces deployed across Herat on Friday, prompting residents to scrap planned protests following a crackdown where morality police arrested at least 30 women for alleged dress code violations and violently dispersed a subsequent rally, killing at least two people. Independent experts noted that Taliban forces allegedly fired on men, women, and children on Tuesday, administe...

FOR the first time in years, Pakistan’s budget reads less like a crisis management document and more like a cautious growth agenda. The budget for FY27 comes at a moment when IMF-mandated stabilisation has helped significantly improve the fiscal position, slash inflation, and contain the current account deficit. For a government that spent its first two years ‘firefighting’, this is the first budget that makes political choices. How it has used that opportunity represents both the government...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday confirmed that a “final agreed-upon” text of the peace deal between Iran and the United States had been reached. A day prior, US President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend, which, if finalised, would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough yet to end the months-old war. “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “The strait will offi...

ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement regarding the formation of a government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and expressed his gratitude. The PPP is all set to form a government in the region after it gained 11 out of 24 seats in the GB Legi­slative Assembly, according to the unofficial results (Form-47) of the June 7 elections. According to Radio Pakistan, the prime minister assured full support from the PML-N to the PPP on gove...

Courtesy: FCCU LAHORE: The Forman Christian College University (FCCU), heritage conservationists and human rights activists have raised a voice against the alleged forcible takeover of the Ewing Hall, a historical building associated with the Forman Christian College, by the Punjab government. They urged the government to halt any move that would threaten the century-old structure and engage all stakeholders in a meaningful consultation. In a statement, FCC Rector Dr Jonathan Addleton sa...

KARACHI: The grieving families of the Baldia Town factory fire victims walked into the Karachi Press Club on Saturday along with labour organisations, wanting to know who they should hold responsible for the death of their loved ones. Holding tightly to the framed photographs of their dear father, son, husband, brother, sister or daughter, the families wanted to know why they had been fed lies for the past 14 years. The recent decision of the three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakista...

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases like ‘moving in the right direction’, ‘resilience’, and ‘enabling business and investment environment’ delivered by the keepers of the public exchequer. After the briefings end, journalists walk away with little they did not already know. The post-budget presser by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb was no different. While talking with the characteristic confidence of a bank ...

BEIRUT: Israeli air raids across southern Lebanon killed five people as attacks continued on Saturday despite a United States-brokered ceasefire. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that one person was killed in an air strike targeting the town of Maarakeh, in the Tyre district. Ali Badie, the mayor of Ar Rihan municipality, was killed in an Israeli attack on the area in the Jezzine district of southern Lebanon. Three people were killed in the towns of Deir al Zahrani and Kafr Reman...

KARACHI: The Paki­stan Football team is set make its appearance in the FIFA ASEAN Cup as the country has been invited to participate in the tournament, according to media reports. According to reports, FIFA has extended an invitation to Pakistan for the newly launched competition, scheduled to be held in Indonesia from Sept 21 to Oct 6. The Pakistan Football Fed­eration (PFF) is also reported to have agreed to participate. The national team would rep­ortedly slot into Divi­s­ion 1, joining a ...

Illustration by Abro The tiresome and perpetually ill-informed debate regarding the supposed superiority of Lahore over Karachi manifests with regularity across social media. It is contested as if it were a zero-sum existentialist struggle. The discourse is often stripped of nuance and weaponised for partisan gain. The noted architect and researcher Arif Hasan once told me that cities really cannot be compared. He argued that every urban sprawl possesses its own unique geographical, hist...

Workers in the US capital removed President Donald Trump’s name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, the venue said, after a federal judge ruled that its renaming was unlawful. In a legal filing, the center’s Executive Director Matt Floca said it had “removed all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds” containing Trump’s name. Around noon Washington time, the sign on the building’s exterior was still covered by a white tarp pu...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which approved amendments to the Code of Conduct for judges in its June 11 meeting, decided to allow judges of the superior courts to attend or preside over political or diplomatic functions after obtaining prior permission from the relevant chief justices. Presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, the June 11 SJC meeting decided to make certain amendments to the Code of Conduct for judges while considering the draft Rules Re...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the peace deal between Iran and the United States is expected to be finalised in the next 24 hours. A day prior, PM Shehbaz said that a “final, agreed-upon” text of the peace deal between Tehran and Washington had been reached, adding that Islamabad was working “closely” with both sides to finalise the next steps of the process. “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before,” the premier said on X, adding that Pakistan is preparing for the...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is currently addressing a press conference to provide further details about the proposed budget for FY26-27. “In this budget, we have made significant progress in that direction of travel [towards economic growth] that we spoke earlier about,” he said at the outset of his media briefing in Islamabad. The minister affirmed that the government has “made comprehensive efforts to create an enabling environment” for an export-led growth, recalling the abolishmen...

Continuing their intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, the security forces have killed 21 terrorists in the last 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said multiple terrorist locations were engaged in the “general area Miran Shah and surroundings in North Waziristan”. “Following fierce fire exchanges, in [the] last 72 hours, 21 more khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored ...

QUETTA: The Young Doctors Asso­ciation (YDA) announced on Wednesday its intention to continue a strike against recent incidents at the Civil Hospital, refusing negotiations with health authorities until their demands are met. YDA leader Dr Palwasha Raheem Kakar spoke at a press conference held at the protest camp, urging the government to allocate resources towards enhancing doctor safety and strengthening hospital security. Ms Kakar highlighted the case of Dr Mahnoor Nasir, who was a victim ...

IF Pakistan undertakes air strikes inside Afghanistan to decrease, degrade and destroy the capability of terrorist groups who carry out attacks on its soil, does it justify India’s stance of conducting strikes — similar to the ones it resorted to last year — on Pakistani territory? In my view, it does not. This is because, from a legal perspective, the two cases are entirely different. However, it is still important to underscore the importance of a long-term solution to unpleasant bilateral ...

WASHINGTON: The United States plans to significantly reduce the aircraft and warships it makes available for Nato operations in Europe, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing two senior European officials. The decision would limit Nato’s ability to launch long-range strikes and conduct surveillance, the report said. The US plan includes cutting the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets from roughly 150 to 100, reducing maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15, and removing all ei...

QUETTA: The Balochistan cabinet has approved the dissolution of all local bodies institutions in the province on Feb 8 next year upon completion of their constitutional term, with fresh local government elections, including in Quetta where the administrative division has been split into two districts, to be held thereafter. Chief minister’s aide Shahid Rind while briefing the media after a cabinet meeting on Friday said proposed amendments to the Balochistan Right to Information Commission Ac...

• Spill poses a serious threat to marine life and local fishing economy • Source of spill remains unconfirmed, though it may be linked to regional tanker incidents and sea conditions in the Strait of Hormuz GWADAR: Gwadar’s western coast has been covered with a thick layer of crude oil across a 20-kilometre stretch, posing a severe threat to marine life and the local fishing industry, officials said on Friday. “Thick crude oil has washed ashore, covering a vast area of the coastline and penet...

• Govt announces Rs1tr for PSDP, Rs2.2tr for provincial programmes, and Rs450bn for SOEs ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday announced a Rs3.675 trillion development budget for the next fiscal year, with hardly any new uplift projects. However, the Public Sector Develop­ment Programme (PSDP) contains a list of long-overdue mega-projects, which provinces had been insisting should be financed by the Centre. The second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC-II) is perhaps the only ...

Co-hosts Canada grabbed a second-half equaliser to draw 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday in the first World Cup finals game ever played on Canadian soil. Cyle Larin got Canada’s goal after Jovo Lukic put Bosnia ahead with a header in the 21st minute in Toronto. The result gave Canada its first point in World Cup history. Canadian sides had a perfect record of futility at two previous tournament appearances in 1986 and 2022, with six losses. Lukic’s goal from a corner sent the small b...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday said that the government was committed to reducing the disproportionate tax burden on certain classes by widening the tax net. Speaking on the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ following the unveiling of a Rs18.8 trillion budget for the next fiscal year, Aurangzeb said: “Exporters, manufacturers, the IT sector, construction and the salaried class — we tried to give them relief. Now the direction of travel is identified, and we wi...

ISLAMABAD: PTI, the main opposition party in the National Assembly, on Friday rejected the federal budget for FY2026-27, terming it a “refined exercise in elite self-preservation”. In an NA session earlier today, the federal government unveiled a Rs18.8 trillion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. In a statement, PTI Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram said that even the Pakistan Economic Survey released on Thursday showed that the country had been facing a continued decline across sect...