World News Headlines

Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the expansion in the Afghan cabinet as a “positive step” and called for more such actions by the Taliban for stability in the war-ravaged country. “We have taken note of the expansion in the interim cabinet with representation of different ethnic and political groups. This is a positive direction, and we hope they continue to take steps leading to lasting stability in the country,” Foreign Office spokesman Asim Iftikhar said at the weekly media briefing. The Taliban had earlier in the week expanded the interim cabinet by naming a number of deputy ministers, some of whom belong to ethnic minorities like Hazaras. Most of the newly-inducted deputy ministers are, however, hardliners. Moreover, no woman was included in the cabinet yet again. The international community has been unrelenting in its demand for an inclusive government in Afghanistan and has linked recognition of the new set-up to the fulfilment of the demand. International development assista

Pakistan and China on Thursday agreed to keep unchanged the tariff and tax policies relating to power sector contracts and arrest and prosecute the attackers of July 14 Dasu bus tragedy at the earliest. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, it could not finalise arrangements for over $6 billion Mainline Railway Track (ML-1) and a framework agreement on industrial cooperation pending for a long time. The Chinese has been agitating build-up of power sector dues going beyond $1.4bn (about Rs230bn), creation of a revolving fund for automatic payments and an increase in withholding tax rates after the agreements were signed. Pakistan has been seeking changes in tariff structure for independent power producers to reduce financial burden in line with tariff discounts secured from other IPPs to address the circular debt pressure. Speaking at a news conference after the much-delayed JCC meeting, P

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on Thursday on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly session. The meeting, which lasted almost an hour, began at 1pm New York time at the Palace Hotel in the city, according to Blinken’s schedule on the website of the US Department of State. This is the first meeting between the two top diplomats and as the foreign minister’s statement after the meeting showed, it focused on Afghanistan. Secretary Blinken is scheduled to give a press briefing at 4:45pm local time and may talk about this meeting as well. Mr Qureshi said that close engagement between Pakistan and the United States had always been mutually beneficial and a factor for stability in South Asia. He reiterated Pakistan’s desire for a balanced relationship with the United States that was anchored in trade, investment, energy and regional connectivity. According to the official Pakistani statement, the foreign mi

Heavy monsoon rain lashed parts of Karachi yet again on Thursday, leaving roads flooded, cars submerged and commuters struggling to reach their destinations. No casualties were immediately reported in the latest spell that began in the afternoon and disrupted life across the city in a matter of a few hours. Videos and pictures shared on social media showed numerous areas, especially in the city's Central district, inundated with rainwater and vehicles submerged up to their wheels. A large truck could be seen lying on its side near Nagan Chowrangi as residents waded through the water with their motorcycles and cars. According to Karachi police, traffic flow was affected due to accumulated rainwater from Liaquatabad to Teen Hatti, Jinnah Bridge Turning to ICI, and Jahangir road to Gurumandir, at Gurumandir Chowk, Karsaz to Pir Bukhari, FTC to Avari, PIB in front of Central Jail, Murshid Bazar, Tibet to Regal, Tibet Chowk, Patel Para, Lasbela Chowk, Denso Hall, Regent Plaza to FT

Pakistan will have to take tough decisions in future due to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, says State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir. He made this remark during his speech at a conference on business leaders Wednesday. The SBP governor said Pakistan had overcome the threat of COVID-19 and the positivity rate of the infection is now "much lower than the global rate", The News reported. The Pakistan government, he said, made sure of quick disbursement of financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. Loans of Rs2 trillion were given to business persons, Rs430 billion were spent on new investment and Rs240 billion were allocated for loans on easy conditions, the publication reported. Baqir said the income of people has increased as the growth rate has increased from a minus level to 4%. Foreign remittances, too, increased by 27% during the last fiscal year and the trend continues this year as well, he explained. The SBP governor also

China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the various unilateral sanctions or restrictions on Afghanistan should be lifted as soon as possible. Economic sanctions on Afghanistan must end, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, citing Wang at a virtual G20 foreign ministers' meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday. Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves are national assets that should belong to the country's people and be used by its own people, and not be used as a bargaining chip to exert political pressure on Afghanistan, he said. While most of the countries have adopted a wait-and-see approach to engagement with the Taliban, China has said it is ready to deepen “friendly and cooperative” relations with the Taliban following their takeover. It has also expressed willingness to maintain communication with the leaders of the new Taliban government in Afghanistan, calling its establishment a "necessary step" in reconstruction. Las

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar stressed on Thursday the need to increase security for projects backed by the Chinese, as the country's investment in Pakistan rises. "The investment through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is increasing. Chinese investors are investing in [projects] besides special economic zones," the federal minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad after a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on the CPEC. The federal minister noted that the need for ramping up security had increased after the Dasu incident, where at least 12 people, including nine Chinese nationals working on the hydel project, were killed when a bus carrying them fell into a ravine following an explosion. In a press conference in August, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) were i