ISLAMABAD: Senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban government on Friday contacted JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to express condolences over the killing of Sheikh Idris.

According to the JUI-F media cell, Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid separately contacted Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

In the discussion with Maulana Fazl, the Afghan leadership expres­sed deep sorrow over the killing and prayed for the departed soul.

Maulana Idris, a senior member of JUI-F was shot dead by armed motorcyclists in the Utmanzai area of Charsadda on May 5, while he was traveling to a madressah. As the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the killing the initial findings suggest the attack was planned in Afghanistan.

JUI-F protesters in Islamabad demand immediate arrest of culprits

They strongly condemned the assassination and said the people and leadership of Afghanistan equally share the grief of the Pakistani people over the killing.

The Afghan leaders also conveyed solidarity with JUI-F and its student wing, saying they fully understand and share the pain and suffering of the party and religious students. The contacts come amid strong reactions from political and religious circles following the killing of Sheikh Idris, which has triggered condemnation and protest calls from JUI leadership across the country.

Meanwhile, the JUI-F Islamabad chapter staged a protest demonstration against the killing. Led by JUI-F Islamabad emir Mufti Owais Aziz, a large number of party leaders and workers participated in the protest including JUI-F central spokesperson Aslam Ghauri, Sindh deputy chief Qari Usman, Punjab deputy secretary general Maulana Saeed Sarwar, emir Rawalpindi chapter Dr Ziaur Rehman and Mufti Abdullah.

The protesters demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the killing. Addressing the demonstrators, Aslam Ghauri said that until the killers were arrested, the present government would be considered responsible for Sheikh Idris’ murder. He said JUI-F is a peaceful political party that has always advocated peace and stability.

He vowed that the blood of Sheikh Idris would not go in vain and alleged that no one’s life, property or honour is safe in Pakistan anymore. Criticising the authorities, Mr Ghauri said repeated failures of the security institutions had become unbearable.

The protest comes amid growing anger within JUI-F over the killing, with the party announcing demonstrations in different parts of the country.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026

• Demands more than just ‘strongly worded statements’, warns against yielding international waters to Iran
• Trump weighs response to allies blocking base access
• Riyadh keeps bases open, prohibits their use for Hormuz operations

ROME: Secretary of State Marco Rubio questioned on Friday why US allies, including Italy, were not backing Washington’s efforts to confront Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, following a frank meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“I don’t understand why anybody would not be supportive,” Rubio told reporters, adding that countries needed “something more than just strongly worded statements” if they opposed Iran’s actions.

Rubio was wrapping up a short, two-day trip aimed at easing ties with Pope Leo after attacks on the pontiff by President Donald Trump, while also addressing Washington’s frustration over Italy’s refusal to support the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Meloni had been one of Trump’s firmest allies in Europe, cultivating close ties with him and presenting herself as a natural bridge between Washington and other EU states.

But that alignment has come under increasing strain in recent months, as the Iran war has forced her to balance loyalty to the United States against Italian public animosity to the war and the growing economic cost of the conflict.

Meloni and Rubio met for an hour and a half in what she later described to reporters in Milan as a “certainly frank” discussion between countries willing to defend their national interests while valuing the transatlantic partnership.

Rubio warned that Tehran’s claim to control access to Hormuz risked setting a dangerous precedent.

“The fundamental question every country, not just Italy, needs to ask themselves is, are you going to normalise a country claiming to control an international waterway?” he said. “Because if you normalise that, you’ve set a precedent that’s going to get repeated in a dozen other places.”

Italy and other European allies have said they would be willing to help keep the strait open once there was a lasting ceasefire or the conflict ends, but have refused to be drawn into direct confrontation with Iran.

Trump has yet to decide how to respond to some allies denying the US military the use of their bases in its war on Iran, Rubio said on Friday.

Trump has threatened to pull US troops from Italy and Spain due to their opposition to the Iran war, with Madrid notably refusing to allow the use of its bases.

“If one of the main reasons why the US is in Nato is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case, at least when it comes to some Nato members, that’s a problem, and it has to be examined,” Rubio told reporters.

He said that “ultimately that’s a decision for the president to make”, adding: “He hasn’t made those decisions yet.”

Meanwhile, US forces have access to Saudi airspace and bases despite being told not to use them for the now-suspended operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, two Saudi sources said on Friday.

Earlier this week, Trump announced a pause in the two-day-old “Project Freedom” to guide ships through the Strait, after a flare-up with Iran strained a fragile ceasefire.

US media reports on Thursday said Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman talked directly to Trump and refused to let US forces use Saudi airspace and bases for the operation.

However, two Saudi sources said on Friday US access to its airspace and bases continues for other uses.

“Saudi Arabia was against the operation because it felt it would just escalate the situation and would not work,” one of them told reporters.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The newly created Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has pushed the emoluments of its staff and officers to unprecedented levels as debate continues over the constitutional supremacy of FCC and Supreme Court.

The development comes amid an intensifying constitutional debate between the FCC and the SC over their respective jurisdictions and authority following the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

In a recent judgement, the SC ruled it is not subordinate to the FCC despite FCC’s repeated assertions that exclusive constitutional adjudication now rests with it after the amendment.

The ruling, authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, interpreted the amended constitutional framework as creating two co-equal apex courts with separate jurisdictions, rather than a hierarchical arrangement placing one above the other. The judgement diverged sharply from several FCC rulings declaring its decisions binding on all courts, including the SC.

Pay gap of up to Rs300,000 in some cases raises questions

In a number of judgements, the FCC maintained the SC no longer retained the authority to interpret the Constitution after the enactment of the 27th Amendment and that constitutional interpretation exclusively fell within FCC’s domain.

Against this backdrop, FCC officials have emerged as one of the most highly compensated segments of the public sector, with salary structures and benefits significantly exceeding those available to employees of the SC and high courts.

Official notifications issued by the FCC reveal an extensive package of salaries, allowances and financial incentives for employees ranging from lower-grade staff to senior officers, raising questions about the growing financial privileges being extended to the newly established institution.

According to a notification issued last week, judicial and utility allowances for FCC employees were fixed at 50pc each of the running basic pay. The decision effectively doubles employees’ basic salaries through additional benefits.

In an earlier office order, the court had also approved a special judicial allowance equivalent to three times the basic pay, substantially increasing the overall monthly emoluments of employees across various grades.

The benefits apply to employees from BPS-2 to BPS-22 under notifications and office orders issued between November 2025 and January 2026. During the same period, the Federal Constitutional Court also created dozens of new posts to expand its administrative structure.

Another notification granted transport monetisation to officers from BPS-17 to BPS-22, ranging from Rs60,000 to Rs250,000 per month. Under the arrangement, officers would receive cash payments in place of official transport facilities.

By comparison, transport monetisation available to SC officers starts at Rs65,000 for BS-17 officers and rises to Rs95,000 for BS-22 officers.

A senior court official said the widening disparity between the salaries and allowances of FCC and Supreme Court employees had increased the difference in monthly compensation to between Rs250,000 and Rs300,000 in certain cases.

Separate gazette notifications also showed the creation of more than 25 posts in the Federal Constitutional Court, including those of registrar, six additional registrars and the secretary to FCC chief justice, all carrying special pay scales substantially higher than those available to ordinary government servants.

According to the documents, the expenditures would be met from the FCC’s allocated budget for the fiscal year 2025-26. However, no public details have been released regarding the total financial implications of the new compensation structure or its long-term sustainability.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026

• Marriage halls increase rates or avoid long-term pricing commitments due to economic uncertainty
• Govt austerity measures have led to stricter enforcement of wedding regulations, including the 10pm curfew and one-dish policy

KARACHI: With temperatures climbing, wedding invitations seem to have mercifully dwindled to a stop for those who dread the sweat of suits, heels, and layers of makeup. And not a day too soon, given how the ongoing war has impacted this wedding-obsessed country.

Amid surging fuel rates and inflation, pricing volatility has reached new highs. Several venues have rai­sed rates by up to Rs500 per head, while others are refusing to commit to winter pricing altogether, citing uncertainty around oil and input costs, says Izzah Zaman, co-founder of wedding-tech startup Shadiyana.

Alongside this, the government’s austerity measures have led to stricter regulatory enforcement: a 10pm wedding cutoff, police intervention in cases of violations, and crackdowns on the one-dish policy, resulting in venue closures across Islamabad.

There are also operational challenges. Weddings in the capital, in particular, are increasingly vulnerable to external disruptions, whether due to security cordons near the Margalla Hills during peace talks or city-wide VIP protocols that delay guest arrivals without warning.

Media reports suggest that last winter’s wedding season in Karachi alone was worth around Rs33 billion, while Shadiyana estimates the nationwide market at approximately Rs900 million.

All of this is unfolding within an industry that has historically operated at enormous scale, albeit through a fragmented and informal economy. This disconnect is what Shadiyana aims to address.

The idea took shape in 2021, at the height of Pakistan’s startup boom, when funding was pouring into companies such as Airlift.

While much of that capital pursued models tested elsewhere, Izzah Zaman and her co-founder, Neelam Shoaib, chose a less-travelled path: weddings. “When we thought about weddings, we realised this isn’t something you can simply copy-paste from the West. It’s a very local problem,” she says.

Pakistan’s wedding economy has historically been structurally resistant to organisation. Entire neighbourhoods, such as North Nazimabad in Karachi, function as dense clusters of 60 to 70 wedding halls, where discovery remains largely physical and inefficient.

Finding a venue often means driving from one location to another, only to discover that most dates are already booked. Shadi­ya­na’s proposition is to bring this chaos online and streamline it with just a few clicks.

In essence, Shadiyana is a wedding marketplace that connects users with vendors offering a wide range of services, from mehendi artists and photographers to its primary revenue driver: marriage halls.

The company began modestly in 2021 with $2,500 in funding from Ms Zaman’s alma mater, Carnegie Mellon. Since then, it has helped organise over 30,000 weddings across Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, leading to an $800,000 raise from Indus Valley Capital.

Today, the platform, which includes both a website and a mobile app, reports more than half a million users and over 600 vendors listed on its platform.

The company’s business model is anchored primarily in commissions, which comprise roughly 80 per cent of revenue. This is supplemented by vendor subscriptions and marketing add-ons, including services such as a wedding-night workshop that educates brides on the religious and medical aspects of their first night together.

In practice, when a user books a venue through the platform, Shadi­ya­­na earns a percentage of the tra­nsaction, with rates varying by category. Photographers may generate commissions of around 10pc, while venues yield between 2pc and 10pc, depending on the size of the deal.

Yet, even as the platform formalises parts of the process, it remains exposed to the same pressures reshaping the wider industry.

Before the latest inflationary wave driven by the US-Iran conflict, the average wedding ticket size on Shadiyana stood at around Rs600,000. Through the platform, wedding budgets have ranged from as little as Rs20,000 to as much as Rs4.4 million.

However, the broader trend poi­nts towards contraction. A startup that began operations during the pandemic, then navigated the Rus­sia-Ukraine conflict, domestic inf­l­ation, a near-default economic crisis, and now ongoing geopolitical tensions, has effectively grown alo­ngside a series of economic shocks.

The impact is evident in consumer behaviour. Guest lists that once averaged 400 people have now shrunk to around 150. Budgets for venues, photography, and catering are also being reduced.

As the war continues and fiscal pressures tighten for ordinary people, weddings will still take place, albeit on significantly smaller budgets.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026

• DIG Imran Shoukat says authorities received around 150 threat alerts last month
• Additional security personnel deployed across provincial capital

QUETTA: Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Quetta, Imran Shoukat said the city remained on high alert last month after authorities received around 150 threat alerts during April, prompting the implementation of strict security measures across the provincial capital.

Speaking at a press conference, the DIG said terrorists were changing their tactics, prompting police and other security institutions to revise their strategies to better protect the public and prevent potential attacks.

“Quetta city is facing multiple security threats, and strict security measures are being enforced, including the deployment of additional security personnel and other steps to ensure the safety of citizens and institutions,” DIG Imran Shoukat said.

He added that 23 murders were reported last month, of which 21 were linked to personal enmities. Investigations into the cases are ongoing.

The DIG further said police had registered multiple cases against individuals and personnel involved in various crimes, corruption, and misuse of authority.

He also confirmed the safe recovery of a kidnapped child in a ransom-related case.

Mr Shoukat said the Special Crime Investigation Wing (SCIW) successfully recovered kidnapped child Muzammil Ahmed from the Eastern Bypass during an operation.

A female suspect, Muzlifa, daughter of Abdul Baqi, was also arrested.

Referring to the recent killing of a young student, he said police had signalled a suspicious vehicle to stop near Podgali Chowk.

When the vehicle allegedly failed to stop, police opened fire, resulting in the death of a man identified as Safeer Bajwa.

He said authorities took immediate notice of the incident, and cases were registered against three police personnel — Riaz Muhammad, Dilawar Khan, and Adnan — who were subsequently arrested.

The DIG further stated that on May 1, a complaint was received alleging that personnel from the Eagle Squad City had taken bribes from two young men, Aftab Ahmed and Faizan Imran.

Following an investigation, cases were registered against Eagle Squad officials Muh­ibullah, Adil Rasheed, and Taj Muhammad, who were later arrested. Legal proceedings are currently underway.

He emphasised that action against criminals, corruption, and misuse of authority within the police force would continue, adding that no one is above the law.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026

The government raised the price of petrol by Rs14.92 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 on Friday.

Following the increase, the price of petrol stands at Rs414.78 per litre and HSD’s at Rs414.58.

The Petroleum Division’s press release notifying the increase said the new prices would be effective from May 9.

Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators.

The government has been revising petroleum prices every week on Friday night following the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. The war also led to a global fuel crunch caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil and gas used to pass in peace time.

After the US-Israeli war on Iran began, the government initially hiked petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per litre on March 6 and announced unprecedented austerity measures on March 9.

In the following weeks, PM Shehbaz said he had rejected recommendations to increase fuel prices despite an increase in the global market on three occasions.

But on April 2, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced an unprecedented increase of 43 per cent and 55pc in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel, respectively. The ministers had also announced a targeted fuel subsidy programme.

However, just a day later, PM Shehbaz slashed the petroleum levy by Rs80 per litre and brought the price of petrol down to Rs378 per litre.

On April 10, PM Shehbaz further decreased diesel prices and petrol prices by Rs135 and Rs12 per litre, respectively.

Last week, the government raised the price of petrol by Rs6.51 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs19.39.

Security forces killed five terrorists in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday.

In Tank district, an intelligence-based operation was conducted on the reported presence of khwarij.

“During conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij location and after intense exchange of fire, four khwarij, belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij were sent to hell,” said the military media wing.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

In another IBO conducted in DI Khan district, a terrorist was killed during a firefight with security forces.

The ISPR said the IBOs were conducted on May 7-8.

“Weapons and ammunition have also been recovered from killed Indian sponsored khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.”

A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other khawarij found in the area, the ISPR statement added.

The country’s “relentless” counter terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istekham’ “will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” said the ISPR, adding that the sacrifice of innocent civilians further strengthened resolve.

There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

BANNU: A powerful explosion, following the reported crash of a quadcopter drone, injured eight people, including women, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Friday night.

Security agencies immediately launched an investigation into the matter as panic spread in the area.

According to police, the drone flew into the area from an unknown location and exploded shortly after falling near a residential area, leaving several people injured.

Local residents rushed to the scene and shifted the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital Bannu after initially providing first aid.

The administration at the District Headquarters Hospital confirmed that all injured individuals are receiving medical treatment, while some are said to be in critical condition.

Meanwhile, security sources said the incident is being investigated from multiple angles to determine the nature of the explosion, the origin of the drone, and possible motives.

Local residents expressed deep concern over the incident and urged the government and relevant authorities to conduct an immediate inquiry, identify those responsible, and ensure the protection of civilians.

Last Friday, a suspected cross-border quadcopter strike from Afghanistan wounded two Pakistani personnel.

Officials said a quadcopter targeted a security post in Baizai tehsil, in KP’s Mohmand district.

Bannu district has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and local security forces coming under attack amid a broader surge in militant violence.

Violence in Bannu has included attacks on police and jirga members, prompting targeted operations by police and security forces in various localities to disrupt militant networks.

WASHINGTON: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again urged the US State Department to declare India a “country of particular concern,” citing its 2026 assessment and hearing over “ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom conditions” in the country.

The issue was examined during an in-person hearing in Washington on Thursday, where commissioners, lawmakers, scholars, and legal experts shared their views on conditions faced by religious minorities in India, including Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and Dalits, as well as allegations of growing transnational repression targeting critics abroad.

USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler said India’s trajectory on religious freedom had continued to decline.

She stated: “Our 2026 Annual Report, USCIRF once again recommended that the State Department designate India as a ‘country of particular concern’ for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom conditions.”

Hartzler added that under the current political environment, “The Indian government, at both the national, state and local levels, continues to facilitate and tolerate religious freedom violations through the use of discriminatory legislation, arbitrary detention of religious leaders, and failure to intervene in attacks against religious minority communities.”

She also highlighted the legal framework affecting conversions and security laws, saying: “As of 2026, 13 out of 28 Indian states now have and enforce strict anti-conversion laws,” noting, “These laws also include harsh punishments—in some cases, life imprisonment—for those deemed to have facilitated or conducted religious conversions from Hinduism to another religion.”

USCIRF Vice Chair Asif Mahmood, in his written observation, focused on what he described as growing transnational repression and pressure on religious communities and their institutions beyond India’s borders.

“The Indian government has also targeted religious minorities and advocates beyond its borders, through acts of transnational repression,” he stated, adding that this included “surveillance and monitoring of advocates, and at the most extreme end, assassination attempts predominantly of Sikhs in North America.”

US House of Representatives member Chris Smith focused his intervention on India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and its implications for civil society.

“The government of India has long tolerated and, at times, facilitated serious rights violations against religious minorities, especially Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs,” he said.

He warned of proposed legal amendments, stating: “The vast majority of these are Christian churches and charitable institutions, such as hospitals and schools. In effect, if the amendments to the FCRA are enacted, the total property of entire Christian organisations and dioceses, as well as health-care systems and schools, could soon be vulnerable to expropriation by the government of India.”

Smith added that the proposed changes would significantly expand state powers: “The FCRA amendments would permit state takeover of assets of NGOs whose licenses to receive foreign funds lapse, are denied, or are not renewed.”

Stephen Rapp, former ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, described what he called a deterioration in patterns of violence and accountability. He stated: “For the past decade, atrocities against minorities are showing signs of becoming less episodic, more normalised, where everyday violence and open calls to violence have become routine.”

“Throughout this grim history, it is seldom that perpetrators have been held to account, and justice done – deeply entrenching impunity,” he maintained.

Rapp also noted India’s ranking in global risk assessments: “India consistently ranks among high-risk countries for mass killings and atrocities in the Early Warning Project’s Statistical Risk Assessment.”

Scholar Angana Chatterji of the University of California, Berkeley, described what she termed a structural transformation of religious and political life.

“Under an authoritarian regime, freedom of religion is imperilled for minoritised communities,” she stated.

She further wrote: “This maelstrom of religionisation has progressively polarised ‘majority’ against ‘minority,’ neighbour against neighbour, endangering religious pluralism.” She also described “the racialised and violent subordination of religious minority communities using state power.”

Raqib Naik, executive director of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate, alleged large-scale abuses against Muslims and refugees.

“State-led violence and dispossession against Muslims have reached an unprecedented scale,” he said.

He referred to “documented cases of Bengali Muslims, in Assam and other states, being forcibly taken to the border with Bangladesh and thrown across, sometimes gagged and at gunpoint, into a country they have never lived in.”

On Rohingya refugees, Naik added: “Members of the Rohingya refugee community in India have been subjected to similar treatment.”

He also alleged that in 2025, “the Indian Navy forcibly expelled around 40 Rohingya refugees by ferrying them out into the Andaman Sea, handing them life jackets, casting them into the water, and ordering them to swim toward the Myanmar coast.”

Professor Arjun Sethi of Georgetown University Law Centre focused on alleged transnational repression targeting diaspora activists. He stated: “Indian authorities are assassinating activists in North America.”

He referred to the 2023 killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying that, “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later informed the world that the Indian government authorised the assassination and was engaged in ‘clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder.’”

He also cited an alleged plot against Sikh American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, stating: “Simultaneously, the Indian government was plotting to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh American citizen, in Brooklyn, New York.”

Sethi added broader allegations about conditions in India, saying authorities “routinely enable and commit human rights violations across the country and in Kashmir; openly discriminate against Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Dalit and caste-oppressed communities; intimidate and shutter advocacy organisations; lead the world in internet shutdowns; and charge human rights defenders, even poets and comedians, with terrorism-related offences.”

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board on Friday approved the latest review of Pakistan’s reform programme, paving the way for the release of $1.2 billion in financing under the ongoing arrangements.

In Islamabad, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb also confirmed the approval, saying the decision reflects Pakistan’s continued progress on difficult but necessary economic reforms.

The approval was given at a meeting of the IMF Executive Board in Washington, DC, reflecting its continued support for Pakistan’s ongoing economic reform programme.

The disbursement includes around $1 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and approximately $200 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). With this tranche, total disbursements under the current programme have risen to about $4.5 billion.

The IMF said the approval comes after Pakistan successfully met key structural benchmarks, including tax policy measures and adjustments in energy pricing, aimed at strengthening fiscal discipline and improving macroeconomic stability.

In its statement, the IMF said Pakistan’s policy implementation under the programme had remained strong and had helped preserve stability despite a more uncertain global environment.

“Pakistan’s strong programme implementation under the EFF arrangement has continued, which has supported macroeconomic stability and the rebuilding of fiscal and foreign exchange buffers,” the Fund said.

At the same time, the IMF said external conditions had become more difficult due to geopolitical tensions.

“The shocks emanating from the Middle East war underline the continued importance of maintaining strong policies to continue building resilience and of moving ahead with structural reforms to achieve sustainable long-term growth,” it added.

The Fund said Pakistan’s economic performance had shown improvement under the programme. It noted that GDP growth had accelerated, inflation had remained contained overall despite recent pressures, and the current account had been broadly balanced in the first nine months of FY26.

Inflation, however, had risen due to the pass-through of higher global commodity prices, particularly into domestic energy tariffs. The IMF noted that this reflected necessary adjustments in administered prices aimed at restoring energy-sector viability.

Foreign exchange reserves also improved during the review period, rising to $16 billion at end-December 2025, compared with $14.5 billion at end-June 2025. The Fund said reserves were expected to continue rebuilding over the medium term, supported by programme financing and policy discipline.

Following the Executive Board discussion, IMF Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair Nigel Clarke said Pakistan needed to maintain tight macroeconomic policies while accelerating reforms to withstand external shocks and sustain growth.

“Amid a more challenging and highly uncertain external environment since the onset of the war in the Middle East, Pakistan needs to maintain strong macroeconomic policies while accelerating reform efforts, which are critical to managing further shocks and fostering higher sustainable medium-term growth,” Clarke said.

He added that continued programme implementation had supported stability. “Pakistan’s strong programme implementation under the EFF arrangement has continued, which has supported macroeconomic stability and the rebuilding of fiscal and foreign exchange buffers,” he said.

The IMF emphasised that fiscal policy should remain focused on gradual consolidation. It said this approach would strengthen resilience and credibility while helping reduce vulnerabilities. At the same time, it stressed that fiscal adjustment should be supported by stronger revenue mobilisation, including broadening the tax base and improving compliance.

“Gradual fiscal consolidation remains appropriate to strengthen resilience and should be supported by continued efforts to boost revenue mobilisation— through broadening the tax net and improving compliance — and strengthen spending efficiency and public financial management,” Clarke said.

The Fund said improved fiscal discipline would also create space for higher social spending and investment in human capital. It specifically highlighted the importance of maintaining and expanding social assistance programmes while increasing productive public investment and addressing distortions in tax policy.

On monetary policy, the IMF said the State Bank of Pakistan had acted proactively to maintain a tight stance aimed at anchoring inflation expectations. It urged continued vigilance against second-round effects on prices, wages, and expectations.

The IMF also reiterated that exchange-rate flexibility should remain the primary shock absorber for the economy as Pakistan rebuilds reserves. It encouraged continued development of the foreign exchange market and supported a carefully sequenced medium-term liberalisation of FX regulations.

“Exchange rate flexibility should be the main shock absorber, particularly given the need to continue rebuilding reserves,” Clarke said.

The Fund also highlighted risks in the financial sector. It called for continued efforts to ensure that banks remain adequately capitalised and urged authorities to address capital shortfalls in microfinance institutions, while maintaining broader financial stability.

Energy sector reforms remained a central pillar of the programme. The IMF said recent improvements in the sector needed to be sustained through cost-reflective pricing of electricity, gas, and fuel, alongside targeted support for vulnerable consumers.

“In an environment of high and volatile commodity prices, recent improvements in energy sector finances need to be sustained by keeping domestic fuel, electricity, and gas prices in line with costs, while protecting the most vulnerable consumers with targeted support,” Clarke said.

The Fund also stressed that continued reforms were essential to reduce inefficiencies, lower costs, and improve competitiveness. Energy sector reforms were also linked to reducing fiscal pressures and containing circular debt accumulation.

On governance and structural reforms, the IMF urged Pakistan to continue implementing economic governance reforms aimed at strengthening anti-corruption institutions. It also called for progress in completing state-owned enterprise restructuring and privatisation, and for improvements in the business environment through regulatory simplification and removal of distortions.

“Efforts should continue to deliver on the Economic Governance Reform actions aimed at bolstering anti-corruption institutions,” Clarke said. “Other priorities include completing SOE reforms and privatisation, and enhancing the business environment by eliminating distortions and unnecessary regulations.”

According to programme details, Pakistan’s reform path going forward will emphasise sustaining a primary budget surplus of around 2 per cent of GDP, broadening the tax base, and improving compliance in previously under-taxed sectors, including retail and agriculture.

Authorities are also expected to pursue additional revenue measures to support a tax-to-GDP increase over the medium term.

Energy sector reforms remain central to the IMF framework, with commitments to regular and predictable tariff adjustments in electricity and gas to reduce circular debt and improve financial viability in the sector.

The programme also envisages continued restructuring and privatisation efforts involving selected state-owned enterprises, aimed at reducing fiscal burdens and improving efficiency.

Officials said the latest review is expected to help support Pakistan’s external position, with inflows contributing to a further strengthening of foreign exchange reserves in the coming weeks.

The IMF has also indicated that Pakistan will continue to maintain a tight, data-driven monetary policy stance to anchor inflation expectations and preserve macroeconomic stability.

Looking ahead, an IMF mission is scheduled to visit Islamabad on May 15 to engage with authorities on the next federal budget framework and review progress on structural reforms.

Pakistan is currently under a $7 billion, 37-month IMF programme, aimed at stabilising the economy through fiscal discipline, structural reforms, and measures to support long-term growth.

Analysts say the approval provides near-term stability for financial markets while reinforcing the government’s commitment to its reform agenda under the multi-year programme, which remains focused on long-term fiscal and external sustainability.

WASHINGTON: A courtroom clash with US War Secretary Pete Hegseth is rapidly transforming Democratic Senator Mark Kelly into one of the most closely watched potential challengers to President Donald Trump ahead of the 2028 US presidential election.

A federal appeals court on Thursday appeared sceptical of Pentagon efforts to punish the retired astronaut and Navy officer over remarks urging US troops to refuse illegal orders, with judges sharply questioning whether the government’s case could stand constitutional scrutiny.

The case has taken on broader political significance in Washington, where Democrats are increasingly searching for figures capable of challenging Trump’s hardline political and security agenda.

Kelly, 62, is a former US Navy combat pilot who flew missions during the 1991 Gulf War before joining Nasa as an astronaut. He later commanded multiple space shuttle missions, including the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2011.

He studied at the US Merchant Marine Academy and earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Kelly has since built a political profile in Arizona and nationally, and is now widely discussed in Washington political circles as a possible Democratic presidential contender.

According to the magazine Politico, Kelly has raised more than $25 million in recent months, while also using the legal dispute to energise supporters and expand his national fundraising base.

The dispute began after Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers — all with military or intelligence backgrounds — released a video last year warning against the politicisation of the US armed forces and reiterating that troops are not required to obey unlawful orders.

US President Donald Trump reacted angrily, accusing the lawmakers of “seditious behaviour,” while the Pentagon later initiated proceedings that could have reduced Kelly’s military retirement rank and benefits.

The case reached the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this week, where a three-judge panel — Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson, Florence Pan, and Cornelia Pillard — questioned the government’s legal reasoning.

Judge Pillard said the central issue appeared to be mischaracterised by the government.

“The text of the video advises that service members have no obligation to obey unlawful orders,” she said. “Nobody in the video says service members have a duty to disobey lawful orders.”

Judges Pan and Henderson also pressed government lawyers on whether the Pentagon’s interpretation of the remarks could justify disciplinary action against a retired officer for expressing a constitutional view, while questioning whether any actual harm to military discipline had been demonstrated.

During the hearing, administration lawyers ultimately conceded that Kelly had not explicitly called for disobedience of lawful orders.

The Washington-based Cato Institute also supported Kelly, arguing that the Pentagon’s attempt to revoke his benefits amounted to unconstitutional retaliation for protected speech.

Outside the courtroom, Kelly said the case had implications far beyond his personal dispute with the Pentagon.

“I am not backing down,” he said. “After 25 years in the Navy, I have given too much to this country to be silenced by an administration that does not want to be held accountable.

“This was a day in court not just for me, but for millions of retired veterans and our First Amendment rights.”

The legal battle has significantly elevated Kelly’s national profile, with some Democrats already viewing him as a potential White House contender in a future election against Trump.

That political attention has also spilt into social media. Soon after the hearing, Kelly posted on Facebook, reiterating his stance and vowing to continue the legal fight. In the comments section under his post, reactions reflected both growing Democratic enthusiasm and Republican alarm.

Legal observers expect the dispute to eventually reach the US Supreme Court, potentially turning it into a major constitutional test of free speech, military authority, and the boundaries of political expression by former service members in the United States.

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Friday voiced alarm over rising violent crimes against women and demanded stronger measures to improve the conviction rate, which the presiding officer, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, said stood at “only five per cent”.

The debate began after Balochistan Senator Naseema Ehsan raised the killing of Rubina Chandio for alleged ‘honour’ in Sindh’s Tando Masti.

“Rubina Chandio was killed in Sindh. She was given neither a funeral nor a shroud,” Ehsan said. She added that the woman was shot in front of a crowd, and the case surfaced after videos circulated on social media.

“The culprits involved in this brutal murder should also be hanged publicly,” she added.

Police suspect that Chandio was killed in a karo-kari case in Khairpur district.

‘Honour killings’ persist despite the 2016 anti-honour killing law that removed the option of pardoning by heirs. HRCP data says over 470 women were killed in the name of ‘honour’ in Pakistan in 2023.

Rehman called the situation “deeply distressing and unacceptable”. She said the country was witnessing a “dangerous surge in honour killings, rape, and other forms of gender-based violence”.

“The surge in these cases is deeply concerning. We cannot allow such brutality to become normalised,” she said.

She termed the 5pc conviction rate “an extremely alarming state of affairs”.

“When justice is delivered sporadically, it reflects a systemic failure,” she said, adding that the legislative framework existed, but “what is missing is implementation with resolve and consistency”.

Rehman also rejected the notion that such crimes were limited to remote areas or linked solely to poverty and illiteracy.

“These crimes also occur within influential households. Wealth, status, and education do not erase patriarchal thinking — often, they provide stronger networks of silence and protection,” she said.

She urged that cases be “continuously and rigorously taken up by the Senate Human Rights Committee”.

“True deterrence will only come when a few perpetrators are made unquestionable examples,” she said.

As presiding officer, she referred Chandio’s case to the rights committee for immediate scrutiny.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry assured “full institutional support” to parliamentary committees working on crimes against women. He said the government would provide all necessary assistance whenever a committee seeks input from any ministry or department.

“Cooperation between the government and parliamentary committees is important for better governance and timely delivery of justice,” he said, adding that efforts to strengthen the justice system would continue.

JUI-F flags KP insecurity

Meanwhile, JUI-F Senator Maulana Atta ur Rehman told the House his party members were “unsafe” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing the “targeted” killing of Maulana Muhammad Idrees.

He said the killers were “so expert” that only Idrees was killed while others in the vehicle were injured.

“Every week some heartbreaking incident happens in our area,” he said.

He also claimed the administration blocked the JUI-F’s protest over the killing.

“We said: you kill us and also don’t let us mourn. What answer do we give to our workers?” he asked.

The senator further said that the PTI had ruled the province for 13 years but has “lost the right to rule”.

“There is no law and order in our province. We are being killed and targeted daily,” he said, adding the provincial government tried to “shift blame to the federal government”.

He also questioned election transparency: “Are lists not prepared in advance?”

Taking aim at the centre, he said the federal government was “only busy brokering peace for America”.