Pakistan PM proposes parliament dissolution on August 9, before term-end 

This handout photograph, released by Press Information Department on April 11, 2022, shows Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressing National Assembly in Islamabad. (AFP/File)
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Updated 04 August 2023
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Pakistan PM proposes parliament dissolution on August 9, before term-end 

  • Polls are due to go ahead after speculation of postponement because of months of political, economic turmoil
  • Caretaker government has 90 days to hold general elections when a government hands over power early

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has proposed that parliament be dissolved on Aug. 9, three days before the end of its term, political sources said on Friday, paving the way for a general election by November. 

The elections are due to go ahead after speculation they might have to be postponed because of months of political and economic turmoil in the nuclear armed country of 220 million people. 

Two members of parliament who attended a dinner hosted by Sharif on Thursday told Reuters that he confided in his allies that he would seek a dissolution on Aug. 9 and hand over to a caretaker government to organize the polls. 

Parliament’s five-year term is set to expire on Aug. 12. 

“He said he will consult his allies over formation of a caretaker set up to hold the elections, and ... his proposal to dissolve parliament,” one of the parliamentarians said. 

The Ministry of Information did not respond to a request for comment. 

The dissolution three days early would give Sharif and his allies more time to prepare for what is expected to be a bruising electoral battle with the party led by ousted former prime minister Imran Khan. 

A caretaker government has 90 days in which to hold a general election when a government hands over power early, as opposed to 60 days if the government hands over power at the end of parliament’s term. 

Sharif’s coalition came to power after former cricket star Khan was ousted in a vote of no confidence in April 2022. 

Ever since, Khan has been campaigning for a snap election and organizing protests, which led to significant violence on May 9, raising tension with the powerful military. 

Khan accuses the military of plotting against him. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half its history, denies that. 

Nevertheless, Khan’s party has faced a crackdown over recent weeks that analysts say was backed by the military. 

The political crisis has played out alongside an economic one. 

Last month, the International Monetary Fund’s board approved a $3 billion bailout for Pakistan to help it tackle an acute balance of payments crisis and dire shortage of central bank reserves. 


Pakistan stock market sees ‘slower’ activity as investors remain cautious before budget

Updated 23 min 48 sec ago
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Pakistan stock market sees ‘slower’ activity as investors remain cautious before budget

  • KSE-100 index surges 40.49 points or by 0.03 percent to reach 119,689.63 points
  • Pakistan is set to unveil its federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025–26 in June

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) surged by only 0.03 percent when trading ended on Monday, with a financial analyst attributing it to “slower trading activity” as investors remain cautious ahead of the upcoming federal budget to be announced by the government. 

Pakistan’s federal budget for the next fiscal year, starting July, will be finalized within the next three weeks. Pakistan’s scheduled budget talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which began on May 14 are scheduled to take place till May 23, the finance ministry had said.

The KSE-100 index surged by 40.49 points or 0.03 percent to reach 119,689.63 points when the market closed at 4 p.m. on Monday, data from the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) said. 

“The KSE100 has started the week on a muted note, which is reflecting in slower trading activity,” Raza Jafri, head of Intermarket Securities, told Arab News.

“It is possible that investors are waiting for the FY26 Budget, expected in early June, before they become more active.”

Pakistan’s stock market suffered an upheaval triggered by the most intense military row between Pakistan and India in years earlier this month. The two nuclear-armed nations agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10 after pounding each other with missiles, drones, artillery and fighter jets for four days. 

The crisis triggered a 12 percent decline in the Pakistani stock market from April 23 till May 8.
However, the market recovered nearly all of its losses last week, climbing more than 3,500 points.


Fire erupts in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills, containment efforts underway

Updated 19 May 2025
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Fire erupts in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills, containment efforts underway

  • The blaze erupted near Saidpur Darra, Jungle Number 15 and Rumli areas
  • Over 70 firefighters are participating in the operation to put out the blaze

ISLAMABAD: A wildfire erupted in the Margalla Hills in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Monday, the Islamabad district administration said, with efforts underway to put out the blaze.

The Margalla range, part of the Himalayan foothills, often experiences bushfires in the summer months. Last year, several incidents of forest fire were reported at the hills as various parts of the country remained in the grip of intense heatwaves.

On Monday, a fire broke out near Saidpur Darra, Jungle Number 15 and Rumli areas on the hills, prompting an immediate response from the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) fire brigade and officials of the district administration.

“More than 70 firefighters are participating in the operation to control the fire,” the district administration said in a statement.

“The fire was brought under control once, but it broke out again.”

No casualties or property damage have been reported in the wake of the fire, according to authorities.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

“The fire will be brought under control again soon,” the district administration added.


Death toll from IED blast in Pakistan’s southwest rises to four

Updated 19 May 2025
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Death toll from IED blast in Pakistan’s southwest rises to four

  • Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades
  • The attack comes days after four paramilitary troops were killed in the province

QUETTA: At least four people have been killed and 12 others wounded in a bomb blast in Pakistan’s turbulent southwestern province of Balochistan, a security official said Monday.

An improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in a parked car in Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan, less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta.

“It seems the IED exploded before reaching its intended destination,” a local security official, Ghulab Khan, told AFP.

“All those killed are civilian passersby,” he added.

Riaz Khan Dawar, a senior local government official, confirmed the details to AFP, adding the explosion took place close to a paramilitary compound on Sunday evening.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces, foreign nationals, and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

The attack came days after four paramilitary troops were killed in the province.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is the most active group in the region and often carries out deadly attacks against security forces, but the local chapter of Daesh and the Pakistani Taliban have also claimed recent attacks.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing its western neighbor of allowing its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan — a claim the Taliban deny.

In Balochistan, separatist violence has intensified, including a March attack by ethnic Baloch militants on a train carrying 450 passengers, which sparked a two-day siege and left dozens dead.

More than 241 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.


‘Brothers forever’: Pakistani military acknowledges Saudi role in truce with India

Updated 19 May 2025
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‘Brothers forever’: Pakistani military acknowledges Saudi role in truce with India

  • Pakistan and India this month traded missile, drone and artillery strikes over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir
  • The conflict alarmed world leaders and friendly nations, with a Saudi minister traveling to New Delhi and Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s role in helping secure a ceasefire with India, after the nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged heavy cross-border fire this month.

India on May 7 launched a series of strikes across the Line of Control — the de facto border that separates the Indian-controlled and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir. It also hit other sites on the Pakistani mainland, targeting what it claimed were militant positions.

Pakistan retaliated with strikes on Indian military targets before the ceasefire took effect on May 10, following efforts by world powers and friendly nations, including Saudi Arabia, to quickly de-escalate the conflict.

The Kingdom’s role in mediation was “very positive and wonderful,” Lt. Gen. Chaudhry told Arab News.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 9, 2025. (PID/File)

Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars since their independence from British rule in 1947. Two of the wars were over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part.

The recent escalation came days after New Delhi blamed Pakistan for a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir — Islamabad denied any involvement.

As the neighbors exchanged fire, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir visited both New Delhi and Islamabad. The May 10 truce was reached shortly afterward.

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar shake hands in New Delhi on May 8, 2025. (Ministry of External Affairs/File)

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan share close diplomatic and strategic relations, and the Kingdom has provided significant support to Pakistan during its prolonged economic challenges in recent years.

“The bond between the people of Pakistan and the people of Saudi Arabia is very strong, and we in the armed forces have a very close bond with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And this is a relationship that is based on respect,” Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said.

“Saudis are our brothers, brothers forever.”


Six killed, one injured as family feud turns violent in Pakistan’s northwest — official

Updated 19 May 2025
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Six killed, one injured as family feud turns violent in Pakistan’s northwest — official

  • The deceased persons included three men and three women
  • Injured woman shifted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital

PESHAWAR: At least six persons were killed and a woman sustained gunshot wounds in a violent altercation between two families in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, rescue officials said on Monday.

The incident took place near the Khatko Bridge area reportedly over domestic issues, according to District Emergency Officer Ghayoor Mushtaq Khan.

The deceased included three men and three women.

“As a result of the gunfire, one woman was critically injured, while six others died on the spot,” Khan said in a statement.

It added the Rescue 1122 service responded to the emergency, provided first aid to the injured woman and transferred her to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital.

Family feuds are common in Pakistan and that often violent and last for long in parts of the country where tribal customs and laws are followed by residents.

In June last year, 10 members of a family, including a two-year-old, were killed in a late-night attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said.