Government to table bill in parliament today seeking additional taxes to meet IMF terms

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar (R) speaks during a press conference in Islamabad on February 10, 2023. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
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Updated 14 February 2023
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Government to table bill in parliament today seeking additional taxes to meet IMF terms

  • Development comes after president advises government to levy additional taxes through parliament
  • Economists say the IMF is moving ahead cautiously as it remains skeptical of Islamabad’s promises

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has announced it would table a finance bill in parliament on Wednesday, aimed at levying additional taxes worth $636 million for the revival of the $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.

The development came hours after President Arif Alvi advised the government to enact a law through parliament for the collection of additional taxes to meet the IMF requirements.

The South Asian nation of 220 million is making frantic attempts to complete all prior actions suggested by the global lender to reach a staff-level-agreement for the disbursement of a $1.2 billion tranche as part of its bailout program secured in 2019.

“The finance bill will be submitted in the parliament tomorrow which has been summoned,” the Pakistani finance ministry said late Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar called on President Alvi and “apprised him about the progress in talks with the International Monetary Fund and that all modalities have been agreed upon,” according to a finance ministry statement.

The minister informed the president that the government wanted to raise additional revenue through taxes by promulgating an ordinance, but the president suggested him to do it through an act of parliament.

“The President advised that it would be more appropriate to take the Parliament into confidence on this important subject, and that a session be called immediately so that the bill is enacted without delay,” the finance ministry said.

“The president appreciated the efforts of the government for negotiating an agreement with the IMF and assured that the state of Pakistan would stand by the commitments made by the government with the IMF.”

The finance minister has already announced imposing new taxes of around Rs170 billion ($636 million) to fulfil one of the demands of the IMF to revive the program, which has been stalled since November.

The government can impose the additional taxes either through an act of parliament or through a presidential ordinance, which would remain valid for 120 days.

The government has already jacked up electricity and gas tariffs for all domestic and commercial consumers effective from January 1 till June 30 to meet the IMF conditions.

Finance ministry officials also shared this data with the IMF during virtual talks between the two sides on Monday.

An IMF delegation also visited Islamabad from January 31 till February 9 to negotiate the revival of the bailout program, but left the country without signing the agreement.

The lender has agreed to continue talks virtually while the government would implement all the prior actions mentioned in the memorandum of economic and financial policies (MEFP) to receive the $1.2 billion tranche after completion of the 9th review of the program.

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings on Tuesday cut Pakistan’s rating by two notches to CCC- from CCC+, the fourth lowest score. The agency downgraded Pakistan’s rating for the second time in four months after the country’s foreign exchange reserves dropped to critically low levels amid a delay in its IMF bailout.

Economists say the government must firm up all fiscal and monetary actions as quickly as possible to stave off a balance-of-payment crisis as the country’s foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to a staggering $2.9 billion, barely enough to provide three-week cover for imports.

“The IMF is moving ahead cautiously as there is a serious credibility issue of the government if it will be able to implement all the actions in true spirit after disbursement of the tranche,” Dr. Salman Shah, a former economic adviser to the government, told Arab News.


At least one injured as fire guts multiple factories in Pakistan’s Karachi

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At least one injured as fire guts multiple factories in Pakistan’s Karachi

  • The city, home to hundreds of thousands of industrial units, has fragile firefighting system and poor safety controls
  • In November last year, a blaze erupted at a shopping mall killing around a dozen people and injuring several others

KARACHI: At least one person was injured after a fire gutted multiple factories in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, Rescue 1122 officials said on Sunday, with efforts underway to douse the blaze.

The fire engulfed four factories, including Y G Textile and MF Roomi Textile, at the Landhi Export Processing Zone, with 11 fire brigade trucks and one snorkel taking part in the firefighting operation.

The operation was facing difficulties due to the intensity of smoke and shortage of water in the city of roughly 20 million people, according to rescue officials.

“One person was injured after part of the affected buildings collapsed,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hasaan Khan told Arab News.

The Rescue 1122 team is making efforts to control the blaze by utilizing all possible resources.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and commercial capital, is home to hundreds of thousands of industrial units and some of the tallest buildings in the South Asian country. The megapolis, known for its fragile firefighting system and poor safety controls, witnesses hundreds of fire incidents annually.

In Nov. last year, a blaze at a shopping mall killed around a dozen people and injured several others. In April 2023, four firefighters died and nearly a dozen others were injured after a blaze erupted at a garment factory, while 10 people were killed in a massive fire at a chemical factory in the city in August 2021.

In the deadliest such incident, 260 people were killed in 2012 after being trapped inside a garment factory when a fire broke out.


Volleyball returns to Azad Kashmir border village as fragile India-Pakistan ceasefire holds

Updated 33 min 42 sec ago
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Volleyball returns to Azad Kashmir border village as fragile India-Pakistan ceasefire holds

  • As guns fall silent in Battal sector, youth return to riverside ground with message of peace, memories of fallen friend
  • Anwar Taskeen, 17-year-old student and regular at the matches, was killed in shelling hours before May 10 ceasefire

Battal Sector, Azad Kashmir: On a dusty, uneven patch of ground beside the Poonch River, the rhythmic thud of a volleyball hitting palms and sand rose above the late afternoon quiet. 

It’s a familiar sound in the border village of Jhawara, located in the Poonch district of Azad Kashmir, the part of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir that is governed by Pakistan. But until recently, it had fallen silent under the roar of artillery and gunfire.

Just weeks ago, the area bore the brunt of intense cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan. The Line of Control (LoC), a jagged and heavily militarized de facto boundary slicing through the disputed region, once again became a flashpoint for conflict, forcing families into hiding and pausing everyday joys like this daily volleyball match.

Now, with a tenuous ceasefire in place since May 10 — brokered with help from Washington — the boys are back on the field. 

For them, the return to play is more than a pastime. It’s an act of defiance, remembrance, and quiet hope.

“There has been firing here before but now it doesn’t feel scary,” said Hamid Fareed, 18, as he waited to serve. “There is a ceasefire in place now, which is why we play with peace of mind. Before, when there used to be firing, we didn’t play here.”

People are playing volleyball in the border village of Jhawara, located in the Poonch district of Azad Kashmir, on May 23, 2025. (AN photo)

The Battal sector, situated at one of the most sensitive stretches of the LoC, was at the heart of last month’s escalation, with the shelling so heavy residents were forced to evacuate, and even the simple joy of a volleyball match became too dangerous to risk.

Among those displaced were the families of the boys who now fill the field each evening from 4pm until the sunset maghrib prayer. Many had sought shelter with relatives in safer villages farther from the border during the latest fighting. Others, like Fareed, stayed behind but refrained from venturing out unnecessarily.

The violence still didn’t spare the players. Anwar Taskeen, a 17-year-old student and regular at the matches, was killed in shelling on his home just hours before the ceasefire was announced.

“Our brother who got martyred [on May 10, 2025] used to play volleyball with us,” said Muhammad Nawaz, one of Anwar’s closest friends. “He used to come every day.”

“When they [Indian forces] fire, they target civilians and army posts as well,” he added.

The picture shows Anwar Taskeen, a 17-year-old student who was killed in shelling on his home just hours before India-Pakistan ceasefire. (AN photo)

SYMBOL OF NORMALCY

Now that calm has returned, at least for the moment, the boys are determined to reclaim the ground and the normalcy it represents. Most days, they split into two teams of six, playing until darkness falls. Laughter, shouts, and the squeak of rubber slippers on hard soil fill the air.

But the volleyball field isn’t just a space for play. It’s also a space of memory.

Taskeen’s absence lingers. So too does the knowledge that peace here is often fleeting.

“There are beautiful places on that side, people should get to enjoy them. And people from there should be able to come here,” said Abdul Hannan, another student who recently completed his intermediate studies.

“Many people there [Indian-administered], in Jammu and Kashmir, play as well,” Hannan added. “We watch their videos to gain skills. They are playing better than us. We also get motivated by watching them.”

The boys recalled that some former players who used to compete on this very field had now moved abroad in search of better opportunities. From afar, many continued to support the volleyball tradition, pooling together funds to help maintain the ground. 

Their latest contribution helped install a protective net, now in place for six to seven years, which keeps the ball from rolling into the river and drifting downstream toward the Indian side.

“WE JUST WANT PEACE”

The Poonch River marks both a border and a lifeline for the region. On hot days, the boys often dive into its cool waters to beat the heat, even as Indian army posts watch from across the bank.

That same river has seen far more than games but carried the sounds of shelling, the cries of displaced families, and now, the echoes of a volleyball match played in the name of peace.

During Ramadan and other special occasions, the field hosts semi-annual tournaments. Teams travel from neighboring towns and villages to compete, a reminder that even in a conflict zone, community and competition endure.

“When there is peace, we can play. That’s all we want,” Fareed saiid. 

India and Pakistan have long shared a contentious relationship over Kashmir, with flare-ups along the LoC occurring frequently despite periodic agreements. The current ceasefire too is fragile, its future uncertain. But on this side of the Poonch River, young players are daring to imagine something more permanent — not through diplomacy, but through volleyball, through shared videos, playful rivalries, and quiet tributes to friends lost. And through simple, hopeful wishes — that one day, the people of Kashmir might cross the border not as enemies, but as guests.

“We just want peace,” Hannan repeated softly. “That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”


Pakistan-origin Mahnoor Qazi wins James Baldwin award for fiction

Updated 54 min 54 sec ago
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Pakistan-origin Mahnoor Qazi wins James Baldwin award for fiction

  • The James Baldwin Award for Fiction is one of six creative writing awards given by Penguin Random House
  • Qazi, whose entry ‘Eternity’ won $10,000 prize, aims to connect literature with the deepest human emotions

ISLAMABAD: Mahnoor Qazi, a Pakistani-origin high school student in the US state of California, has won the inaugural James Baldwin Award for Fiction, the organizers announced this week.

The James Baldwin Award for Fiction is one of six creative writing awards given by Penguin Random House, touted as the world’s largest trade book publisher, as part of their signature Creative Writing Awards (CWA) program. The award is named after Baldwin, a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet and critic.

Qazi, an aspiring writer who attends Golden Valley High School in California, is dedicated to connecting the art of literature with the deepest human emotions. Her entry ‘Eternity’ won the first-place prize of $10,000.

“As his niece, it has been an honor to select the recipient of the James Baldwin Award for fiction. Traveling the creative landscape of students with insightful narrative voices has been inspiring,” Baldwin’s niece Darlene Burnett said.

“They continue to demonstrate that the power of words can inform minds, fuel the imagination, and construct narratives that compel us to read and to feel. They are the literary architects of the future.”

Other categories included the Freedom of Expression Award, Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, and the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word.

Since 1993, the Penguin Random House CWA program has awarded more than $2.9 million to public high school students for their original compositions.

In addition to scholarships, the publisher hosts a virtual development week for the CWA winners each summer that includes networking workshops, a panel about career opportunities in publishing, and fireside chats with Penguin Random House authors.


Pakistani, Muslim leaders share Eid greetings, offer special prayers for Gaza

Updated 08 June 2025
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Pakistani, Muslim leaders share Eid greetings, offer special prayers for Gaza

  • Israel’s military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, Palestinian officials say
  • The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90 percent of its population

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday exchanged Eid Al-Adha greetings with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and other Muslim nations and offered special prayers for the people of Gaza.

Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar, marked by Muslims in Pakistan and around the world by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats, and distributing their meat among family, friends and the poor.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Dar held a telephonic conversation with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and exchanged warm Eid greetings, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported. They prayed for peace, prosperity and well-being of Muslims across the world.

Separately, PM Sharif held a telephonic conversation with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and conveyed his warm greetings to him and the brotherly people of Oman on the Eid Al-Adha.

“While exchanging Eid wishes, the two leaders prayed for unity and harmony among the Muslim Ummah. They also offered special prayers for the people of Gaza,” Sharif’s office said.

The development came as at least four Palestinians were killed and others were wounded by Israeli fire around a kilometer from an aid distribution point in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said on Sunday.

Israel’s military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian Health Ministry. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90 percent of its population. The territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all of Gaza’s food production capabilities have been destroyed.

The Pakistani leaders also held similar calls and exchange of Eid greetings with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Jordan’s King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.


Pakistan Navy urges ‘result-oriented’ collective actions as world marks Oceans Day

Updated 08 June 2025
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Pakistan Navy urges ‘result-oriented’ collective actions as world marks Oceans Day

  • World Oceans Day is observed on June 8 each year and this year’s theme is ‘Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us’
  • The navy says it is undertaking initiatives to safeguard oceans against pollution, over-fishing and climate change

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy on Sunday urged “result-oriented” collective actions to safeguard oceans against pollution, over-fishing and climate change, its Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) said, on the occasion of the World Oceans Day.

World Oceans Day is observed on June 8 each year and this year’s theme is ‘Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us,’ which resonates with the oceans’ vital role in underpinning all life on earth. Covering over 70 percent of Earth, oceans are a key source of oxygen, a regulator of climate and immeasurably support biodiversity, all of which are essential to global livelihoods.

As the principal custodian of Pakistan’s maritime domain, the navy said, it is undertaking substantive initiatives like implementing remedial measures for preventing oil spills at sea, enforcing pollution control measures and banning destructive fishing nets to encourage healthy practices and sustainable use of ocean resources.

“World Oceans Day calls upon us to move beyond the reflexive acknowledgment and take result-oriented collective actions,” the navy quoted its Public Relations director-general as saying.

“To this end, I call upon all the stakeholders to join hands with Pakistan Navy and adopt safe and sustainable practices to secure our oceans’ vitality. Collectively, we can avail this immense endowment in the shape of our rich oceans, preserve their enduring majesty and secure the lifeblood they provide, for our future generations.”

The statement came ahead of a United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Nice, France on June 9-13, which will not only focus on accelerating actions for conservation and sustainable use of oceans but also identify ways to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources by building partnerships.

“For Pakistan, our long coastline and rich marine resources constitute a national trust. This vital treasure trove of biodiversity is facing rapid deterioration and demands immediate and robust intervention by all stakeholders,” the navy said.

“Recognizing our obligation to the environment, Pakistan Navy is also instilling ecological ethos through awareness drives and crucial partnerships. To mark the occasion, National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) has organized one day international seminar to create awareness about the issue and highlight ways and means to protect our oceans.”