Petrol problems : Editorial in The Express Tribune, Nov 26,2021The vast majority of petrol pumps across the country closed on Thursday after a strike call by the owners’ union over the government’s failure to allow them to increase their profit margins. Miles-long queues were seen at petrol pumps across the country in the days before the completely avoidable strike. Pump owners have not given a definitive reopening date. They say the government had agreed to…
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Following the Taliban’s succession to power in Kabul on 15th August, China decided to keep its embassy operational. The Chinese government made it clear that their foreign policy will continue to prioritise peace and stability in Afghanistan. Short of recognising the Taliban regime, China — along with Pakistan, Russia and Iran — decided to maintain a diplomatic presence and help the Afghan people cope with grave humanitarian crises. Several questions have been raised regarding China…
Pakistan’s relations with the USA in the last few months, for perhaps the first time ever, appeared to be at a standstill. Relations could not be called warm, but they were not hostile either. It seemed as if the Biden administration could not decide what kind of relationship to keep with Pakistan; as if the decision on whether to keep alliances or abandon them was being delayed. However, with the situation in Afghanistan being as…
There is no doubt that a system of robust and impartial accountability is the cornerstone of liberal democracy; the process of checks and balances safeguards the roots of democratic norms from being dismantled. But there is a chronic dilemma in Pakistan that the dream of fair and stringent accountability has always been a farce in the country. And, successive democratic dispensations have systematically contributed to politicising and making the main accountability bureau blatantly controversial. Among…
For nearly twenty-five minutes, the man in blue stood on the rostrum and faced the lordships’ ire. He had his back towards the packed hall as he gazed at the elevated bench in front of him and tried to respond to the unending barrage of queries and comments. It was a spectacle rare for even this hall — and it has seen its share of dramatic moments. Prime Minister Imran Khan was in an awkward…
A meeting of the ruling alliance on Monday formed an 11-member “coordination committee” to support the Sher Bahadur Deuba government. The idea was pushed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chair of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). Dahal had made a similar push when KP Sharma Oli was prime minister. At that time, Oli and Dahal were chairing the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which was born out of a merger between the CPN-UML and the…
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying has said that China is willing to work with Pakistan to implement the outcomes of the recently held 10th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) including the Karachi project. “In the recently held 10th meeting of the joint cooperation committee of CPEC, China and Pakistan agreed to include the Karachi project in the CPEC framework and listed as an outcome of the meeting,” she said…
WASHINGTON: A bill was Monday introduced in the US Senate requiring assessments and imposition of sanctions on the Taliban and persons assisting them in Afghanistan. Titled as the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act, the bill also seeks to establish a task force that will focus on continued evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents and Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan. The bill aimed at tackling several issues related to the Afghanistan withdrawal as…
A number of residents speaking to TOLOnews complained about the high price of primary items in the markets, saying they are concerned about providing food for their families. According to the residents, the economic downturn and the high prices have worried them as winter approaches. “Domestic production is not enough, the prices are high because the goods are imported,” said Abdul Maroof, a shopkeeper. Meanwhile, a number of farmers said that the recent drought has…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has vowed to cooperate more closely with China as the work at the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s 4,320-megawatt Dasu hydropower project was restarted yesterday. The work was stopped after 13 people including nine Chinese workers were killed in Dasu bus incident on July 13. The Chinese authorities had demanded adequate security arrangements to resume work. Over the weekend, an official statement said: “The security of Dasu project area has been improved by the…
The evacuation of thousands of Afghan refugees to the UK after Kabul fell to the Taliban has triggered an increase in far-right groups targeting hotels where they are being accommodated, according to those monitoring the activities of extremist groups. Britain First is one of the most prominent organisations involved and, according to its own website, has made more than a dozen unsolicited visits in recent weeks to hotels housing Afghan refugees in areas including Telford,…