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Another meeting expected as PML-N, PPP continue budget discussions ahead of June 10 presentation

ISLAMABAD: With the federal budget for the financial year 2026-27 expected to be tabled on June 10 , two major ruling partners, the PML-N and the PPP, continued their consultations on the proposed fiscal measures, with another round of the pre-budget meeting scheduled for later this week. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Wednesday that the budget would be tabled on June 10. Sources said the next meeting between the PPP and PML-N would be attended by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who will be back from his election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan before the June 7 polls. PPP sources said these were routine pre-budget meetings to discuss taxation and other measures and multiple rounds could take place before the budget session expected on June 10. A PPP leader said they were trying to reach an agreement with the government on the fiscal measures in light of the new IMF demands , adding that they were unhappy with the budget in its current form. Another source said th...
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Ebola had 'big head-start' but response catching up: WHO

The Ebola outbreak raging in central Africa had a “big head-start”, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief acknowledged Wednesday, but insisted efforts to rein in the deadly virus were making progress. The outbreak, which was declared on May 15 in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has so far been confirmed to have infected 359 people, including 61 who have died. But the actual numbers could be far higher, with the virus believed to have been spreading under the radar for some time before it was detected. “The outbreak had a big head-start and we’re still behind,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva, but insisted that “we’re catching up”. Tedros, who had just returned from a trip to DRC, where he travelled to the outbreak’s epicentre in Ituri province, said he had been “very encouraged by the level of commitment I saw everywhere I went”. But challenges remain, he said, warning that “the virus i...
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Federal govt extends closing times for markets, restaurants under austerity measures

The federal government on Tuesday decided to extend the operating hours of shops, markets, restaurants and other commercial outlets as part of its ongoing austerity measures, citing longer daylight hours and rising summer temperatures. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The government had announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9 in the wake of the Middle East war to deal with the global energy crisis, which had arisen due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As per the revised schedule, the closing timings are as follows: Shops, markets, malls, and general retail: 9pm Restaurants, cafes and eateries: 11pm (takeaway and delivery services exempt) Marriage halls and event venues: 10pm (no change in timings) Essential services (pharmacies, hospitals, fuel stations, IT & telecom-related services) are exempted. ...
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PTI leaders expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan, decry ‘lack of level playing field’

ISLAMABAD: Four PTI leaders, including the party’s general secretary, were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan while local leaders were detained on Tuesday. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. According to the PTI leadership, the party is not being allowed to campaign in the upcoming elections. “Today, upon entering Gilgit-Baltistan, I, along with Shaukat Basra, Naeem Panjutha, and Zaheer Babar, was stopped by the police within the jurisdiction of Jal Police Station and prevented from proceeding further,” PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed in a post on X. “The DSP informed us that my name had been specifically listed in their records. We and our colleagues from the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) were subsequently surrounded by police vehicles and forcibly escorted out of the province,” claimed the PTI general secretary. Raja said that these a...
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BUDGET 2026-27: Farmers look to budget with growing fears, fading hopes

PAKISTAN’S farmers are awaiting the next budget with growing fears and fading hopes. Their concerns this year are fundamental, as the government — amid pressure for reform — continues experimenting with subsidies, procurement prices, input-cost liberalisation and agricultural trade. The cost of this trial-and-error has become an existential problem for farmers and the agricultural sector. The agriculture sector’s fading hopes are a direct result of the government’s inability — or unwillingness — to adopt a long-term policy direction and muster the political will needed for its implementation. Deregulation of agricultural inputs has led to a continuous rise in production costs, which the government hesitates to pass on to consumers because of political consequences. Wheat policy reversals, deregulated input costs and controlled output prices are curtailing farm profitability Consequently, farmers and agri-sector experts alike agree the government should make a clear decision thi...
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'In everybody’s interest': EU's top diplomat says bloc seeks stability in region

European Union (EU) top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Monday said the bloc sought stability in the region, adding that it was in everyone’s interest for the ongoing war in the Middle East to end and for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open. Kallas, who serves as vice-president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to participate in the 8th round of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which was held earlier today. In an interview on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Kallas said, “This is in everybody’s interest that this war is stopped and the Strait of Hormuz is opened. We are paying a very high price. There are a lot of things dependent on the Strait of Hormuz.” During the appearance on the show, she commended Pakistan for being a mediator between the United States and Iran, bringing all the parties together, adding that, “Even...
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The social weight on the new budget

The government must stop shifting the cost of weak revenue mobilisation onto households and the corporate sector and instead offer targeted tax relief to offset the burden imposed in recent years, including a reduction in the petroleum levy. While support for the most vulnerable remains necessary given high poverty levels, sustained job-creating growth is vital. It is unreasonable to tax a monthly income of Rs50,000, which falls below the amount required for a family’s subsistence. To make the tax regime more logical and equitable, the income tax threshold should be raised to Rs1.5 million per annum (Rs125,000 per month) from the current Rs600,000. The tax slabs and rates should then be recalibrated accordingly to preserve progressivity while providing meaningful relief to low-income earners. At the same time, there is little justification for imposing a super tax on the already compliant corporate sector while large segments of the economy — including many services, retail and whole...
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