Washington, June 5 (IANS) The European Union (EU) has faced growing criticism for allegedly enabling Pakistan’s severe abuses of human rights standards since at least 2014, with observers repeatedly warning of the consequences and calling for significant change. Brussels-based organisation ‘Human Rights Without Frontiers’ (HRWF), for example, described the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP-plus) status granted to Pakistan as “the bad deal between the EU and Pakistan”, adding that “The …
Latest Pakistan government News & Updates
New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Pakistan Railways is facing pending employee-related liabilities worth Rs 21.36 billion (Pakistani rupee), with dues of retired and serving staff remaining unpaid despite claims of improved financial performance, a report has said.According to official documents cited by SAMAA TV, a dispute has emerged between the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Finance over the release of funds required to clear the outstanding payments.The neighbouring country’s Railways Min…
Islamabad, May 10 (IANS) Transporters in Pakistan’s Peshawar and across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province held protests against a hike in prices of petroleum products, local media reported on Sunday. Dozens of transport operators gathered at the Hajji Camp Terminal in Peshawar on Saturday and demanded an immediate reduction in prices of petrol and diesel, The Express Tribune reported.While addressing the protesters, transport leader Zubair Ahmed Qureshi said that the prices of petroleum are increasing…
Islamabad, April 6 (IANS) The recent detention of a former Elite Force officer, who is believed to have been involved in the 2023 Greek boat capsize incident, showcases Pakistan government’s laidback approach to human trafficking, a report has stated. “Human sale is a dark blot on Pakistan’s conscience. Although global collaborations have attempted to end the scourge, our lawmakers’ efforts remain a letdown. Thousands of Pakistanis are traded annually, yet the conviction rate refuses to impr…
New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) Pakistan’s total public debt rose from Rs 71 trillion to Rs 80.5 trillion in 360 days, a government fiscal summary shows — a Rs 9 trillion increase across a period the government has described as one of economic stabilisation — a new report has said.According to a report published in The News International, the increase translates to Rs 26 billion borrowed every day, including 19 gazetted public holidays.Hourly, the government incurs Rs 1.08 billion in new debt. Moreo…
Islamabad, April 3 (IANS) The Pakistan government has announced a sharp increase in fuel prices, with petrol rising by 43 per cent and high-speed diesel (HSD) by 55 per cent, according to local media reports. The price of petrol has been raised by Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 137.23 per litre from PKR 321.17 to PKR 458.41 while price of HSD has been increased by PKR 184.49 per litre from PKR 335.86 to PKR 520.35, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported. The price of kerosene has been raised by PKR 34.0…
Geneva, April 3 (IANS) Several United Nations human rights experts have expressed serious concern over the deteriorating and life-threatening health condition of Pakistani human rights defender Idris Khattak, urging the Pakistan government to immediately release him from his “unjust detention”, highlighting the urgent need for medical care and protection of his fundamental rights.“Pakistan must stop disregarding and must abide by their international human rights obligations and immediately…
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) While the IMF loan has bailed out Pakistan from the brink of economic collapse for the time being, weak growth and fractious domestic politics suggest that the current period of stability may prove difficult to sustain over the medium term, according to an article. In September 2024, the IMF approved a $7bn Extended Fund Facility aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability and rebuilding policy credibility. To date, Pakistan has received roughly $3.3bn under the programme…
New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) The privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been sold as a big reform to end decades of losses, but the opaque deal has turned out to be an example of institutionalised corruption, according to a media report.The Pakistan government has parked around Rs 650 billion of PIA’s historic liabilities into a holding company, which insulates the buyer from huge accumulated losses. A clean operating entity has been sold to a private consortium led by Arif Hab…
Mumbai, Feb 10 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has failed to get any major concessions from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for agreeing not boycott the match against India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played on February 15 in Colombo.In its negotiations with the ICC, the PCB has sought a higher share of revenue from ICC and had also asked the sport’s governing body to ask BCCI to approach the Indian government seeking the restart of bilateral cricket ties be…