KARACHI: Dispelling rumors that it was taking measures to do away with ride-hailing giants Uber and Careem, the Sindh government on Tuesday warned the two of strict legal action if they failed to register with the concerned authorities within 10 days.
“We have only asked them to get registered with the transport department of province under the law, but they are not complying and misinterpreting that we are closing down services,” Awais Qadir Shah, Transport Minister of Sindh, told Arab News.
“We have asked them to get registered with the department within 10 days and if they fail to comply with the directions, strict legal action will be taken against them,” he added.
The provincial government said it was taking steps to register ride-hailing service providers following an incident wherein a girl jumped out of a moving cab — which she had booked by using a ride-hailing services’ app — after accusing the driver of harassment.
The driver has denied the allegations. He was arrested by the area police and produced in court, but was later released on bail.
“Different incidents are taking place in the province. The government does not have the information about the legality of the vehicles and the drivers. At least this information must be available to the provincial government so that appropriate steps are taken in case of any mishap,” the provincial minister said.
The move to register ride-hailing companies is not the first initiative of its kind. Last year, a similar decision was taken by the then transport minister who had called for banning the services in case they failed to register with the department. He had to withdraw his plans following stiff resistance from the masses.
Following reports in the local media that the government was looking to ban Careem and Uber in the Sindh province, Careem’s management responded on Tuesday by saying that it was business as usual for the company.
“Careem’s services are running as normal across Pakistan, providing our customers with safe, affordable and comfortable rides. Careem is committed to helping create 1 million jobs in Pakistan by 31 Dec 2020. As a local company, we remain engaged with the respective governments of all provinces for the finalization of frameworks which will not only govern ride-hailing specifically but online marketplaces in general,” the statement said.
Soon after the report, the twitter brigade took to social media censuring the government’ decision in the background of the current state of public transport in the province.
“Strongly condemn Sindh Government’s decision to shut down Uber and Careem in Sindh. For a province without Public Transport, it is a facility for millions of people and full-time job for thousands. Sindh Government has no right to snatch it!”, Shafaat Ali, an actor, tweeted.
Huzefa, a political worker, responded to Ali’s tweet saying: “It is requirement in every country that ride-sharing companies obtain permits from the local government. How can government regulate these companies? In case of any mishap, will the company be responsible or government?”
Under Pakistan’s laws, vehicles registered for non-commercial purposes cannot be used for commercial reasons.
Clock ticking for Uber, Careem to get registered
Clock ticking for Uber, Careem to get registered
- Move aimed at regularizing ride-hailing services, transport minister says
- Sindh government’s decision follows incident where a girl accused a taxi driver of harassment
IMF team concludes Pakistan visit after talks on budget proposals, economic policy and reforms
- The visit concluded hours after the Pakistani government announced it will now present Budget 2025-26 on June 10
- Discussions in Islamabad focused on actions to enhance revenue and prioritize expenditure, the global lender says
ISLAMABAD: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team has concluded its visit to Pakistan after discussions with authorities regarding the upcoming budget, broader economic policy and reforms under its ongoing $7 billion loan program, the lender said on Saturday.
The visit concluded hours after the Pakistani government announced it would now present the Budget 2025-26 on June 10, a delay from the earlier announced date of June 2, seen by many as a result of authorities’ struggle to finalize fiscal targets.
The Economic Survey 2024-25, which details performance of various sectors of the economy in the outgoing fiscal year, will be unveiled on June 9, a day before the budget presentation, according to the Pakistani finance ministry.
The discussions between Islamabad and the IMF team, led by Mission Chief Nathan Porter, began on May 19 and focused on recent economic developments, IMF program implementation, and the budget strategy for the next fiscal year.
“The authorities reaffirmed their commitment to fiscal consolidation while safeguarding social and priority expenditures, aiming for a primary surplus of 1.6 percent of GDP in FY2026,” Porter was quoted as saying by the IMF.
“Discussions focused on actions to enhance revenue — including by bolstering compliance and expanding the tax base — and prioritize expenditure. We will continue discussions toward agreeing over the authorities’ FY26 budget over the coming days.”
The IMF this month approved first review of Pakistan’s loan program, unlocking a $1 billion payment. A fresh $1.4 billion loan was also approved under the IMF’s climate resilience fund.
The IMF loan is vital for Pakistan which is trying to revive its debt-ridden economy that is expected to expand 2.68 percent by June, about one percent lower than the government’s earlier projection.
The IMF’s latest country report, issued last week, mentioned certain structural benchmarks for Pakistan’s economic reform program that officials said represented the natural progression of the measures already agreed upon, when Pakistan signed the Memorandum for Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) in September.
“These benchmarks are not surprises. They are deliberate follow-ons to earlier milestones,” Khurram Schehzad, an adviser to Pakistan’s finance minister, told Arab News this week, citing Pakistan’s parliamentary approval of the next budget in line with the IMF staff agreement as a second step toward the country’s goal of achieving a primary surplus of 2 percent of GDP by FY27.
“The first step was the FY25 budget [presented in June last year], which targeted a 1.0 percent surplus.”
Discussions between Pakistan and the visiting IMF team also covered ongoing energy sector reforms aimed at improving financial viability and reducing the high-cost structure of Pakistan’s power sector as well as other structural reforms which will help foster “sustainable growth and promote a more level playing field for business and investment,” according to the lender.
Pakistani authorities emphasized their commitment to ensuring sound macroeconomic policy-making and -building buffers.
“In this context, maintaining an appropriately tight and data-dependent monetary policy remains a priority to ensure inflation is anchored within the central bank’s medium-term target range of 5–7 percent,” the lender said.
“At the same time, rebuilding foreign exchange reserve buffers, preserving a fully functioning FX [foreign exchange] market, and allowing for greater exchange rate flexibility are critical to strengthening resilience to external shocks.”
The next IMF mission is expected to visit Pakistan in the second half of 2025 for next reviews its loan program and climate fund facility.
Beyond ceasefire, India and Pakistan battle on in digital trenches
- Both states continue to push competing narratives after the four-day military standoff, which ended on May 10 with a US-brokered truce
- Digital rights experts note how it is often laced with hate, targeting vulnerable communities like Muslims in India and Hindus in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: As Indian and Pakistani guns fell silent after trading fire for days this month, the war over facts and fiction is far from over and fierce battle rages on social media as to who won, who distorted the truth, and which version of events should be trusted.
As both states continue to push competing narratives, experts warn that misinformation, censorship and AI-generated propaganda have turned digital platforms into battlegrounds, with real-world consequences for peace, truth and regional stability.
The four-day military standoff, which ended on May 10 with a US-brokered ceasefire, resulted from an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people last month. India accused Pakistan of backing the assault, a charge Islamabad has consistently denied.
While the truce between the nuclear-armed archfoes has since held, digital rights experts have sounded alarm over the parallel information war, which continues based on disinformation, censorship and propaganda on both sides, threatening the ceasefire between both nations.
Asad Baig, who heads the Media Matters for Democracy not-for-profit that works on media literacy and digital democracy, noted that broadcast media played a central role in spreading falsehoods during the India-Pakistan standoff to cater to an online audience hungry for “sensational content.”
“Disinformation was overwhelmingly spread from the Indian side,” Baig told Arab News. “Media was playing to a polarized, online audience. Conflict became content, and content became currency in the monetization game.”
Several mainstream media outlets, mostly in India, flooded the public with fake news, doctored visuals and sensationalist coverage, fueling mass anxiety and misinformation, according to fact-checkers and experts, who say the role of media at this critical geopolitical juncture undermined journalistic integrity and misled citizens.
“I think this is a perfect example of the media becoming a tool of propaganda in the hands of a state,” said prominent digital rights activist Usama Khilji, calling on those at the helm of television and digital media outlets to independently verify state claims using tools like satellite imagery or on-ground sources.
In Pakistan, X, previously known as Twitter, had been banned since February 2024, with digital rights groups and global organizations calling the blockade a “blatant violation” of civic liberties and a threat to democratic freedoms.
But on May 7, as Pakistan’s responded to India’s missile strikes on its territory that began the conflict, the platform was suddenly restored, allowing users to access it without a VPN that allows them to bypass such restrictions by masking their location. The platform has remained accessible since.
“We were [previously] told that X is banned because of national security threats,” Khilji told Arab News, praising the government’s “strategic move” to let the world hear Pakistan’s side of the story during this month’s conflict.
“But when we actually got a major national security threat in terms of literal war, X was unblocked.”
Indian authorities meanwhile blocked more than 8,000 X, YouTube and Instagram accounts belonging to news outlets as well as Pakistani celebrities, journalists and influencers.
“When only one narrative is allowed to dominate, it creates echo chambers that breed confusion, fuel conflict, and dangerously suppress the truth,” Khilji explained.
VIRTUAL WAR
Minutes after India attacked Pakistan with missiles on May 7, Pakistan released a video to journalists via WhatsApp that showed multiple blasts hitting an unknown location purportedly in Pakistan. However, the video later turned out to be of Israeli bombardment of Gaza and was retracted.
On May 8, Indian news outlets played a video in which a Pakistani military spokesperson admitted to the downing of two of their Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jets. X users later pointed out that the video was AI-generated.
Throughout the standoff both mainstream and digital media outlets found themselves in the eye of the storm, with many official and verified accounts sharing and then retracting false information. The use of AI-generated videos and even video game simulations misrepresented battlefield scenarios in real time and amplified confusion at a critical moment.
Insights from experts paint a disturbing picture of how information warfare is becoming inseparable from conventional conflict. From deliberate state narratives to irresponsible media and rampant misinformation on social platforms, the truth itself is becoming a casualty of war.
AFP Digital Verification Correspondent Rimal Farrukh describes how false information was often laced with hate speech, targeting vulnerable communities like Muslims in India and Hindus in Pakistan.
“We saw dehumanizing language, misleading visuals, and recycled war footage, often from unrelated conflicts like Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Gaza, used to stoke fear and deepen biases,” she told Arab News.
Pakistan to export female beauticians to Saudi Arabia — state media
- Hairdressers, makeup and nail artists under the age of 40 are required, OEC says
- Pakistan has long maintained a strong labor export relationship with the Kingdom
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) will send skilled female beauticians to Saudi Arabia in response to a demand from a private firm in the Kingdom, state media reported on Friday, outlining the qualifications required for applicants.
The initiative comes as part of Pakistan’s long-standing labor export relationship with Saudi Arabia, which remains the top destination for Pakistani workers and contributes over $700 million in monthly remittances to the South Asian country.
Pakistan regularly sends skilled labor to Gulf nations, including medical professionals, engineers and technicians. The latest move targets the beauty and personal care sector.
“Overseas Employment Corporation, an attached department of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, will export skilled workers (female beauticians) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
It informed a Saudi firm is seeking beauticians for various roles, including senior hairdresser, nail technician (gel and acrylic), eyelash specialist, makeup artist, waxing and bleaching specialist and wig technician.
The required qualifications include a minimum of three years’ experience and an age limit of under 40 years.
APP said the firm will offer senior beauticians a monthly salary of 3,000 Saudi Riyals or approximately $800.
Employees will also receive free shared accommodation with furnishings and air conditioning, food allowance, and round-trip airfare, along with surface transport within Saudi Arabia if needed.
The news report said applications must be submitted via the OEC website by June 8.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy robust economic, defense and cultural ties.
The Kingdom hosts over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and remains the largest source of remittances to Pakistan, a crucial lifeline for the country’s cash-strapped economy.
PM Sharif calls for economic policies to revive Pakistan’s export competitiveness
- The PM outlines the goal during a meeting with Dr. Stefan Dercon, a prominent British economist
- He calls for deep-rooted reforms to steer Pakistan’s economy back toward export-led growth
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the need for balance across all economic policies to revive Pakistan’s export potential, saying his government wanted to take the country back to a place where its products were once again in global demand.
The remarks came during a meeting with Dr. Stefan Dercon, a prominent British economist and professor of economic policy at Oxford University.
Dercon, who previously served as the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID) chief economist, is widely recognized for his work on poverty, institutional reform and economic development in low- and middle-income countries.
“A sound balance across all policies is essential to promote business,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in an official statement circulated by his office. “For Pakistan’s economic development, alignment between fiscal policy, taxation policy and production policy is necessary.”
“In the past, Pakistani products were in high demand globally and the country was counted among the world’s major exporters,” he continued. “We want to bring Pakistan back to that place.”
Sharif’s meeting with the British economist took place at a time when Pakistan seeks to strengthen its economy through increased exports and foreign investment, following signs of stabilization under an IMF-supported economic program.
He maintained that deep-rooted reforms were required to transition the national economy back toward export-led growth.
Dercon praised the direction of Pakistan’s economic policy and reform agenda, noting improving investor sentiment toward the country.
He particularly lauded Pakistan’s tariff rationalization efforts, which aim to simplify and streamline import duties to support industrial competitiveness.
The meeting was also attended by top members of the government’s economic team, including Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and senior officials from relevant departments.
IMF defends $1 billion disbursement to Pakistan amid India’s objections
- IMF communications director says the board approved funding as Pakistan had ‘met all of the targets’
- She clarifies EFF disbursements go to the central bank and are not used to fund the national budget
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week defended its decision to release a $1 billion tranche to Pakistan, despite India’s concern over its potential misuse, by pointing out the country had met all requisite targets under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
India had raised objections to the IMF’s disbursement amid a military confrontation with Pakistan, saying the funds could be diverted to support activities that it described as detrimental to regional stability. New Delhi abstained from the IMF Executive Board vote on May 9, highlighting apprehensions about the timing and potential implications of the financial assistance.
During a news briefing in Washington on Thursday, IMF Communications Director Julie Kozack addressed these concerns, saying the international lender provided financing to member states for the purpose of resolving balance of payments problems.
“In the case of Pakistan … the EFF disbursements … are allocated to the reserves of the central bank,” she said. “Under the program, those resources are not part of budget financing … [and] are not transferred to the government to support the budget.”
The IMF official further emphasized the Fund’s decision was based on Pakistan meeting all the targets set under the loan program.
“Our Board found that Pakistan had indeed met all of the targets,” she continued. “It had made progress on some of the reforms, and for that reason, the Board went ahead and approved the program.”
Kozack also outlined the safeguards to prevent any potential misuse of funds, including targets on the accumulation of international reserves and a zero target for central bank lending to the government.
She also noted the program includes substantial structural conditionality aimed at improving fiscal management.
The IMF’s disbursement this month was part of a broader $7 billion support program aimed at stabilizing Pakistan’s economy. The Fund has said future disbursements will depend on Pakistan’s continued adherence to the program’s conditions and reforms.
