Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday acknowledged that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was standing firmly with the Centre in combatting terrorism, hailing that they were on the “same page”.

He made the remarks on the floor of the National Assembly while responding to an emotionally charged speech by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Noor Alam Khan, who had criticised both the federal and provincial governments for rising terrorism in the province.

“We did not have the KP government’s cooperation for a very long time, [but] now we have [it]. They are standing firmly with the Centre and the armed forces against terrorism. There is no doubt,” Asif declared.

“It is a good thing that we are all on the same page,” he added.

The defence minister said, “I agree with them that a solution to this issue is needed, but it is not the centre’s responsibility; it is partially, but all provinces have to contribute to this with their resources.”

Asif also strongly responded to suggestions that Islamabad hold a dialogue with Kabul, highlighting that Pakistan had already done so multiple times but to no avail.

“We have done so. I did three rounds myself,” he said, recalling his 2023 visit to Kabul and the meetings held in Turkiye and Qatar last year between the two sides.

The minister pointed out that Pakistan engaged in talks with the Afghan Taliban government while terrorism was ongoing in the country.

“Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia played a role but no solution came out of it,” he stated. “The Kabul government is not ready to give us a guarantee that no attacks will be carried out against Pakistan from their soil.”

Asif affirmed that the Centre stood with the KP government, noting the sacrifices rendered by the soldiers, including the recent attack on a police post in Bannu that claimed the lives of “22 people”.

“Our loss is a common loss,” he said, observing that KP and Balochistan witnessed more terrorist attacks since they shared the border with Afghanistan.

“We have made all possible efforts. You cannot even imagine,” he asserted, recalling that talks as long as 19 hours have been held with Kabul.

“They are ready to verbally agree, but not in writing,” Asif added.

‘Afghanistan fighting Hindutva’s war’

During his remarks, Asif reiterated Islamabad’s stance that the Kabul authorities were acting as a “proxy of India”.

“After India’s defeat in Marka-i-Haq last year, thanks to God, they would not even dare to enter into a direct confrontation with us. So, the entire war now is being fought with Pakistan through Kabul,” he said.

Asif stressed, “Their proxies were carrying out terrorism on our soil and terrorist activities were taking place here because of their facilitation. Despite that, we spoke to them, but no result came of it.

“Now, there may be efforts underway for some communication through some third country. I cannot say anything conclusive about it.”

The minister emphasised, “We have tried fully with sincerity. We have negotiated via three countries, not just one, […] we pleaded with them to stop supporting them (terrorists) and their facilitation, and abandon their bases and camps, but they do not come to it.

“So there remains only one alternative to this […] there will be open war then,” he warned.

The defence minister said Afghanistan was “fighting the Hindutva’s war against us”, terming the Afghan Taliban a “proxy of the Hindutva”.

“Whether it is the eastern border or the western, the enemy is the same. There is no difference between Delhi and Kabul at the moment,” Asif remarked.

He added, “We surely do wish that there was a difference, that they speak with us and enter into some kind of arrangement so that this terrorism can be stopped.

“But if they are not ready, then we will do to Kabul what we have done to Delhi,” he declared.

Asif’s remarks come days after Islamabad issued a “strong demarche” to Afghanistan over the May 10 suicide attack in Bannu, which claimed the lives of 15 police personnel.

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 Tehreek—i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

In the latest communication between Islamabad and Kabul, the two sides held talks in China’s Urumqi last month and agreed to avoid any escalation in their armed conflict.

Alam’s comments and PTI spat

In his remarks, Alam had decried that the people of KP were living a miserable life because of regular terrorist activities.

He claimed that when the people of KP tried to escape their homes, they were mistreated by the Punjab police and were seen as criminals even if they had families with them.

Alam had also criticised the PTI-run KP government, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the PML-N’s Punjab government and the Centre for not doing enough to protect the lives of KP’s residents.

Asif contended that JUI-F’s Alam was only talking about divisions on ethnic lines.

Responding to Alam, Asif contended that the JUI-F lawmaker was only talking about divisions on ethnic lines.

“Why do you always talk about one nationality and on ethnic lines?” Asif said, highlighting that the entire nation was rendering sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

However, his comments were met with strong reactions from Alam and PTI’s Iqbal Afridi and Junaid Akbar, who stood up and used harsh words against Asif for derailing the core discussion.

Afridi, demanding time to speak over power issues, became furious and began hurling abuses at Speaker Ayaz Sadiq as well as Asif.

He even engaged in a physical exchange with other PTI MNAs, and eventually, most of the opposition lawmakers were trying to stop each other from fighting.

Amid the chaotic situation, Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah gave the mic to PPP’s Sharmila Faruqui, but as the PTI members started yelling at each other in abusive language, the deputy speaker adjourned the session.

Even then, Afridi and his party colleague Saleem Rehman tried to approach each other aggressively, prompting the Sergeants at Arms to be called in.

JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Haideri reached the mayhem as well as tensions rose, with Afridi, Akbar and Rehman being escorted away by fellow PTI lawmakers.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday approved awarding the Sitara-i-Shujaat to a citizen who sacrificed his life while foiling a suicide attack in Attock’s Jand tehsil.

The approval was granted by the president on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, state-run PTV reported.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Monday near a key security post on the Punjab–Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, located in Jand, some 70km from Attock.

A local shepherd, identified as Liaqat, noticed a suspicious individual in the area while grazing his goats nearby. Witnesses said Liaqat confronted the suspect after sensing something unusual about the man’s behaviour. As he approached, the suspect detonated himself, claiming Liaqat’s life in the process.

A day earlier, the president and the prime minister had lauded Liaqat’s sacrifice in separate statements.

PM Shehbaz said that as a responsible citizen, Liaqat stopped the terrorist and asked for his identification, who then blew himself up, resulting in the shepherd’s martyrdom.

“Such brave and fearless citizens are the true symbol of the national resolve against terrorism. Shaheed Liaqat’s sacrifice is a guiding light for every individual of the nation,” he said.

President Zardari said that brave citizens like Liaqat were a shining example of national resilience, patriotism and collective awareness in the fight against terrorism.

“The entire nation stands united with its security forces and law enforcement agencies for the elimination of the scourge of terrorism. The war against terrorism resulting from external support will continue,” he added.

KARACHI: A court on Wednesday granted police three-day physical remand of a woman allegedly involved in supplying cocaine and other deadly narcotics across the city.

Anmol alias Pinky was arrested a day earlier from her Garden apartment in a joint raid conducted by police and a civilian intelligence agency in connection with two cases pertaining to the possession of narcotics and an unlicenced weapon.

The incident gained attention when a video of her being escorted to court without handcuffs went viral on social media. Subsequently, authorities suspended the investigating officer, including two other policemen, while the accused was sent on judicial remand by a judicial magistrate.

On Wednesday, the investigation officer (IO) filed a revision application against the judicial magistrate’s order. The matter was taken up by District and Sessions Judge Zahoor Ahmed Hakro.

According to an order issued by the court, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said that investigating officer (IO) Saeed Ahmed contended that the accused was the “head of a narcotic gang and used to supply narcotics through an established chain”.

“The IO further submitted that since the roots of this chain were to be ascertained by making proper interrogation from the accused in police custody, which could not be made due to the remand of the accused in jail custody,” it said.

“The perusal of the remand order shows that the learned judicial magistrate has not given proper reasons for remanding the accused in judicial custody,” it said.

The order said that the suspect’s judicial remand had been “set aside” along with the order issued by the judicial magistrate. The judge directed the superintendent of the women’s jail to hand over the suspect’s custody to the IO.

Separately, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar expressed satisfaction over the development, stating that the police “re-examined the legal aspects and presented their position in the court again,” according to a statement issued via his spokesperson.

As per the statement, “significant progress has been made in the case following orders” from the provincial home minister.

Lanjar directed a “fair, transparent and merit-based investigation so that all facts of the case come to light,” stressing that “no one was above the law”.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the Indian aircraft shot down during the brief military conflict in May last year “brought down Indian arrogance with them”.

He made these remarks while addressing a ceremony held in relevance to Marka-i-Haq at Islamabad’s Institute of Strategic Studies.

The conflict with India — starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire between the two countries on May 10 — has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state.

During the conflict, New Delhi launched deadly air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7. Pakistan retaliated by downing several Indian planes in air-to-air combat. The initial tally of the downed jets was announced as five and later raised to eight.

In his fresh remarks on the matter, Tarar said: “When those eight planes went down — and a lot of them were Rafale planes, which are a source of pride for India — those planes brought down with them the Indian arrogance; and proved to the world, once again, our dominance in aerial battle; and how Pakistan’s indigenous technology helped it achieve victory.”

He also said the Pakistan Navy was “alert and ready” to respond to any aggression.

“So this Marka-i-Haq belongs to the entire nation. We saw the entire nation stand tall, stand united. We set aside our political differences, we set aside our differences of opinion, and the whole nation came together as a united force,” he added.

Earlier in his address, Tarar noted that a first information report of the Pahalgam attack in India-occupied Kashmir was registered “within 10 minutes of the incident, without any inquiry, without anyone going to that spot, without any detailed investigation”.

He recalled that Indian was then quick to blame Pakistan, further stating that Islamabad’s narrative during the May conflict “gained strength” right from the beginning because “we expressed the truth at the right forum at the right time”.

“When it comes down to narrative, it’s all about saying the right thing at the right time at the right forum … There has to be a specific, detailed campaign with regard to what your strategic narrative is,” he explained.

The minister said Pakistan’s narrative was boosted when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the offer of a fair, independent and transparent investigation into the Pahalgam incident in April 2025.

“A year has passed, and there has been no response to the prime minister’s offer. And there could not be any response because we knew that it was a false flag operation.

“Pakistan proved that our hands are clean, and it was India that shied away from an investigation,” he said.

Tarar went on to say that on the pretext of that false flag operation, India resorted to attacking civilians in Pakistan. “It further damaged India’s stance, especially at the global stage,” he added.

The minister said Pakistan was well within its rights under the UN Charter to respond to Indian attacks in a firm and decisive manner in May last year.

He further stated that Pakistan had been “a frontline state against terrorism, or a shield or a wall between the terrorists and the rest of the world”.

“When one Pakistani lays down his or her life, it is for the motherland. But then, laying down that life [also] makes the world a safer place. No other country has to its credit 90,000 lives laid down …

So how can a country which is countering terrorism be blamed for terrorism?” he said.

“And who is pinning this blame on Pakistan?” he further questioned, as he went on to recount allegations of transnational assassinations associated with India.

In connection with this, he also mentioned Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, an Indian spy who was arrested in Pakistan in 2016. Tarar said Jadhav had been involved in terrorist activities, adding: “When an Indian spy is captured red-handed within the territory of Pakistan … and it is proven at the international level that he has been involved in these activities, then which country is promoting terrorism?”

Coming back to Marka-i-Haq, he said where Pakistan told the truth to the world in an effective manner, the Indian media and government made “absolutely absurd” claims.

He also acknowledged the role of the Pakistani media, intelligentsia, journalists, academia and analysts, who he said “made us look very good at the global stage”.

The Pakistani media was giving out information that was “100 per cent authentic, verified and that could not be contradicted at any level”, he said, adding that it was so because there was “complete unanimity and smooth, uninterrupted flow of information between the state institutions and the private sector media”.

Tarar also commended the youth, mentioning the “meme war” that was witnessed during Marka-i-Haq.

“We were at the top of our game. When it came down to the narrative game, when it came down to the conventional war, when it came down to diplomatic efforts … because we had a lot of truth to tell the world and we told it the right way, we were at the top of our game,” he said.

On the other hand, Tarar continued, “the enemy kept on making mistake after mistake. The entire world saw how their nefarious designs were exposed”.

“The entire world saw that starting from the false flag operation of Pahalgam and the baseless allegations made against Pakistan, Pakistan played all its cards right,” he added.

Tarar said a year after Marka-i-Haq, Pakistan’s relevance, significance and status had elevated at the international level.

“On the other hand, you have your eastern neighbour that spent hundreds of billions of dollars through lobbying and PR firms to come up with a ‘shining’ slogan. But, from shining to isolation, this is a one-year journey.

“When you base your entire premise and narrative on false information and propaganda, and you externalise your internal issues and internalise your external issues, and you try to create a hegemony within the region, and you assume the role of the bully of South Asia, that can never go well for you,” he said.

Tarar ended his speech, saying that “we have all witnessed how Pakistan has transformed after Marka-i-Haq” and “it is a moment to be proud”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “significantly” cut the size of his motorcade to save fuel, a government source said on Wednesday, days after Modi urged citizens to tighten their belts amid a surge in energy prices triggered by the Iran war.

Modi appealed to people on Sunday to adopt austerity measures, including avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, using public transport, reducing gold purchases and cutting their use of cooking oil, as soaring global energy prices put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Following the appeal, some critics on social media questioned the large motorcades of senior Indian politicians, Modi’s domestic flights and his upcoming Europe visit on his official aircraft.

The number of vehicles in Modi’s motorcade was reduced while ensuring essential security components, in line with the protocol of the Special Protection Group that guards the prime minister, the source said, without specifying the motorcade’s actual size.

Modi gets the highest level of personal security in the country and his motorcade was known to have about a dozen vehicles before the reduction.

Modi scaled down motorcades for visits this week to his home state of Gujarat and the northeastern state of Assam, the source said, adding that the prime minister had also asked for electric vehicles to be included in his motorcade where feasible but without making any new purchases.

The source declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz, closed during the US-Israel war with Iran, for supplies of crude, liquefied natural gas and cooking gas.

Higher oil prices threaten to widen the country’s current account deficit, hurt growth, and stoke inflation while Washington and Tehran struggle to reach a deal to end hostilities, more than a month after a tenuous ceasefire paused fighting.

India has avoided raising petrol and diesel prices so far but an increase is considered imminent due to the situation in the Middle East.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the test launch of the new strategic nuclear missile Sarmat, describing it as “the most powerful in the world”.

State TV showed Sergei Karakayev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, reporting to Putin on what he said was a successful Sarmat test-launch on Tuesday.

Putin said Russia will deploy Sarmat for “combat duty” by the end of this year. The planned deployment of the missile — designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe — follows years of setbacks and delays.

Putin, in televised comments, said the yield of the warhead was more than four times greater than any Western equivalent and its range exceeded 35,000 kilometres (21,750 miles).

“It has the ability to penetrate all existing and future anti-missile defence systems,” he said.

“The deployment of launchers equipped with the Sarmat missile system will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the ground-based strategic nuclear forces in terms of guaranteeing the destruction of targets and solving strategic deterrence problems,” Karakayev said.

The test launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) comes months after the last treaty with the United States limiting their atomic arsenals lapsed.

The ending of the New START agreement in February formally released the world’s two largest nuclear powers from a raft of restrictions.

Western security analysts say Putin has made exaggerated claims for the capabilities of some of Russia’s new generation of nuclear weapons, part of a modernisation programme he first announced in 2018.

Sarmat has seen failures in the past — one test in September 2024 left a deep crater at the launch silo, according to Western experts.

Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, Putin has repeatedly reminded the world of the size and power of Russia’s nuclear arsenal in statements seen by the West as attempts to deter it from intervening too strongly on the side of Ukraine.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday vowed that illegal constructions would be “completely eradicated” from Islamabad.

He made the remarks during a special meeting he and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry were chairing, the interior ministry said on the social media platform X.

“Land-grabbing mafia and illegal constructions will be completely eradicated from Islamabad,” the ministry quoted Naqvi as saying.

He vowed, “Operation Clean-up would continue without any pressure until it achieves its final result.”

For the past two months, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been conducting anti-encroachment operations in Islamabad, with a special focus on katchi abadis (informal settlements), whose residents have strongly protested the actions.

According to CDA’s rules, 34 societies/schemes were supposed to transfer amenity land in the name of the civic agency for further utilisation. However, despite the passage of years, CDA has failed to get the land. There are reports that many societies have already eaten up the land after carving out plots.

After removing the Muslim Colony in the Bari Imam area, CDA also conducted an operation against Rimsha Colony at H-9 and Shapar Colony of G-7, where residents had staged a protest in March against the move.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), along with several civil society organisations, had called on authorities to halt all planned and ongoing eviction operations in Islamabad’s low-income areas and katchi abadis.

In October 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a joint inquiry committee to thoroughly probe alleged land-grabbing by the “land mafia” in the federal capital and to fix responsibility on those involved in it.

Sewage treatment plants, Convention Centre discussed

Meanwhile, the meeting held on Wednesday also reviewed the progress of several ongoing and planned projects in the federal capital, including the construction of 11 new police stations.

It was decided during the meeting to set up sewage treatment plants to prevent untreated sewage from entering the Rawal Dam.

Various suggestions were reviewed regarding sewage plants at streams which feed into Rawal Dam, the interior ministry said, adding that this would provide clean water to residents.

Rawal Dam has been receiving untreated sewage and solid waste via streams, particularly through the Korang Nullah. A mega project under which three sewage treatment plants were to be built in the reservoir’s catchment areas had previously faced inordinate delay.

During the meeting, Naqvi also directed the relevant authorities to complete ongoing “development work” at Parliament Lodges by June 30.

The meeting reviewed the upgradation plan for the Capital Police College, which would include new classrooms, a mess, and barracks for personnel under training.

While being briefed about the plans to construct another Convention Centre, Naqvi was informed that three international companies have submitted their designs and that the process of evaluation was underway.

The minister was told that legal requirements were being fulfilled and that construction work for the Convention Centre would begin by the last week of June.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday discussed preparations for the upcoming federal budget and the country’s broader reform agenda with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visiting Islamabad, the finance ministry said.

He briefed the delegation on the country’s macroeconomic outlook, fiscal strategy, reform priorities, and the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable economic stability and long-term growth, the ministry said on the social media platform X.

The ministry said that the discussions focused on the country’s “macroeconomic stabilisation efforts, preparations for the upcoming federal budget, and the broader reform agenda aimed at strengthening fiscal and external sustainability while fostering sustainable economic growth”.

“Both sides exchanged views on maintaining reform momentum, preserving macroeconomic stability, and advancing structural reforms to promote investment, productivity, and export-led growth within a balanced and forward-looking policy framework,” the ministry said.

Welcoming the IMF delegation to Islamabad, the finance minister “appreciated the Fund’s continued engagement and constructive dialogue” with the government, it said, adding Aurangzeb particularly acknowledged the productive discussions initiated during the spring meetings held in Washington earlier this year.

The ministry added that Aurangzeb shared encouraging developments regarding the country’s external sector, highlighting positive trends in remittances and export performance.

“He noted that recent data indicated improvement in exports on both a month-on-month and a year-on-year basis, reflecting growing resilience in the economy and a gradual strengthening of macroeconomic fundamentals,” it said.

Further, the finance minister emphasised that while economic stabilisation efforts had produced encouraging results, the government remained fully mindful of the structural challenges confronting the economy, particularly external liabilities and the need to accelerate sustainable, export-led growth, it said.

Aurangzeb also reiterated the government’s commitment to deepening reforms aimed at strengthening macroeconomic stability without compromising long-term growth prospects.

“In this regard, he underscored the importance of moving Pakistan away from recurring boom-and-bust cycles through structural reforms, productivity enhancement, deregulation, and improved export competitiveness,” it said.

Aurangzeb further stated that the government’s reform agenda had been carefully calibrated in consultation with international experts and economists. He emphasised that the ongoing policy measures were not driven by short-term considerations, but formed part of a broader and technically grounded economic transformation strategy endorsed at the highest level, the ministry added.

The finance minister also briefed the mission on the country’s continued engagement with international development partners, including ongoing economic cooperation initiatives with China and efforts aimed at mobilising long-term investment aligned with the country’s strategic economic priorities.

According to the ministry, the visiting IMF mission, led by Iva Petrova, acknowledged the “positive progress made by Pakistan in maintaining macroeconomic stability despite a challenging global and regional environment”.

“The mission appreciated the government’s continued commitment to prudent economic management and reform implementation,” the ministry said.

“The IMF team emphasised the importance of sustaining reform momentum, maintaining fiscal discipline, and advancing structural reforms to support durable and inclusive economic growth. Discussions during the meeting also focused on the broader macroeconomic framework, the government’s reform agenda, and priorities for the upcoming budget,” it said.

“The mission reaffirmed its commitment to continued engagement and constructive cooperation with the government of Pakistan in support of the country’s economic reform programme and long-term economic resilience,” the ministry concluded.

Last week, the international money lender had approved a new disbursement for Pakistan of about $1.3 billion, acknowledging the nation’s resilience in maintaining economic stability while warning that continued reforms are essential to manage growing risks from the war in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the government is considering reducing the income tax burden on salaried individuals while refraining from increasing salaries and pensions in the upcoming budget, aiming to provide equitable fiscal relief to both public and private sector employees.

Informed sources have told Dawn that Aurangzeb has expressed a desire to lower tax rates and, if possible, raise the taxable income threshold for the salaried class in recognition of their significant contribution to revenue generation compared to retailers, wholesalers, exporters and real estate players.

On the other hand, the government may keep salaries and pensions uncha­nged at current levels, using the resulting fiscal savings to provide tax relief instead.

The United States has said it was imposing visa restrictions on 13 people linked to Indian online pharmacy KS International Traders for selling counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl.

The 13 people are close associates of KS International Traders, which operates out of India, and its owner, the US State Department said on Tuesday.

The Mumbai-based company’s web site, as listed in US government records, could not be accessed. No names or contacts of its senior executives were available.

India’s foreign and health ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

KS International Traders generated revenue through trafficking in fentanyl, which President Donald Trump has designated as a “weapon of mass destruction”, the State Department said.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid used for pain relief, but it is tightly restricted in the United States because of its high potency and its role in a surge in overdose deaths linked to illicit use.

“Illicit fentanyl is killing too many Americans. Those complicit in poisoning Americans will be denied entry to the United States,” State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in a statement.

This is not the first time that the US government has pulled up KS International Traders.

The online pharmacy, along with two Indian nationals, was sanctioned last year for supplying counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills.

The company sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing illicit fentanyl to people in the US, harming families and communities nationwide, the State Department said on Tuesday.

The US last year announced a new visa restriction policy aimed at stopping the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the country.

Bangladesh’s once-praised family planning system is buckling under severe contraceptive shortages, raising fears of a rise in unplanned pregnancies in one of the world’s most densely populated countries.

For decades, the South Asian nation was hailed as a success for slashing birth rates through an expansive state-backed family planning programme that sent field workers door to door with pills, condoms and advice on birth spacing.

But that system is now faltering, with government clinics across the country of 170 million people running out of basic contraceptives after procurement failures and administrative disruption left supplies depleted in nearly a third of districts.

“We haven’t had supplies of condoms for the last four to five months,” said Ahmed Bin Sultan, 33, a family planning officer at the Savar Upazila Health Complex in Dhaka.

“We are continuously requesting service seekers to buy them from dispensaries.”

The centre is barely functioning, like most government-run facilities that have offered nearly free family planning services to underprivileged people for decades.

Bin Sultan oversees a population of 100,000 in Savar, many of them workers in the country’s key garment manufacturing sector.

Condoms, oral pills, emergency contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and injectables were unavailable at around a third of the country’s 64 districts, according to government figures for May.

Stocks in other districts are also running low.

Tamanna, 22, a mother of two, comes to the Savar centre for pills — but must return every month.

“They used to give three to four sachets of pills, but that has been reduced,” said the domestic worker, who gave only one name.

“And taking time off work on weekdays is difficult.”

‘Mismanagement’

Public health expert Be-Nazir Ahmed said the impact was wider than contraception alone, pointing to an ongoing measles outbreak due to a failure to vaccinate. Some 400 children have died since mid-March.

“The measles outbreak, shortages of rabies vaccines and now the family planning commodity crisis are all results of mismanagement,” he said.

Officials and researchers warn that the crisis could reverse decades of progress.

Bangladesh’s fertility rate recently began rising for the first time in years, in what insiders describe as a stagnating family planning programme.

Family planning was once taboo in the Muslim-majority country. But beginning in the 1970s, thousands of field workers went door to door discussing marital health, birth spacing and contraceptive options.

“Family planning in Bangladesh was once almost like a social movement,” said Tahmina, 54, a family welfare official who uses one name.

“When I started in 1992, people would secretly come to collect pills and condoms.”

In 1975, the total fertility rate was 6.3 children per woman. Within 30 years, it had dropped to 3.0, and by 2022, it stood at 2.3.

It has now risen to 2.4, according to UN data.

Officials blame shifting priorities and procurement delays, which increased during and after the chaos of a 2024 uprising that overthrew the country’s autocratic government.

“We failed to procure birth control commodities in 2024 due to administrative setbacks,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity.

“From 2024 to 2026, we also failed to convince the government that the shortage had reached a critical level.”

Lost momentum

Part of the rise also resulted from the suspension of family planning activities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Mohammad Bellal Hossain, population science professor at the University of Dhaka, also pointed to years of declining political attention to population policy under ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“It seemed to lose momentum when we saw Sheikh Hasina attend the population council meeting only once in 17 years,” Hossain said.

A new government was elected in February, but continued shortages have forced clinics to turn away couples or steer them towards whatever methods remain available.

Abortion pills require a prescription, but many pharmacies often sell them without one, contributing to widespread use without proper medical guidance.

“We are receiving patients with post-abortion complications,” said Kishwar Imdad, country director of Marie Stopes Bangladesh.

He said the charity’s family planning programme in remote areas “was halted in 2024 due to the shortage of commodities”, and that “the supply chain has still not been restored”.

Mohammad Abdul Kalam, the director of family planning in Bangladesh’s health ministry, sought to allay fears over supplies.

“We have secured supplies of oral pills and condoms, and they will start reaching the centres by June,” Kalam told AFP.

“However, restoring the supply chain will take some more time. By August, there should be no shortage.”

Header image: This photograph taken on April 27, 2026 shows Tahmina, a family welfare officer preparing a birth control injection at the Savar Upazila Health Complex in Dhaka. —AFP

US President Donald Trump said he would ask Xi Jinping to “open up” China to American firms as he headed to Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that will also bring up the conflict in the Middle East.

In a sign of Trump’s focus on business, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang boarded Air Force One during a stopover in Alaska, with Tesla’s Elon Musk also travelling on the presidential plane to China.

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level!” Trump wrote on social media after departing Washington.

A host of other top CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, will also be in Beijing for the visit, the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade.

But Trump’s ambitions to ramp up trade will have to contend with political frictions over Taiwan and the war in the Middle East, which already delayed the trip from March.

As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China.

But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” from China and that Xi had been “relatively good” on the topic.

Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with China’s foreign minister urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.

‘Big deal’

This week’s trip — the first since Trump visited Beijing in 2017 — will involve highly anticipated talks with Xi on Thursday and Friday, as well as lavish pomp and ceremony.

The packed itinerary includes a state banquet in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People and a tea reception.

Trump said on Monday he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by China — a departure from historic US insistence that it will not consult Beijing on its support to the island.

China’s controls on rare earth exports, AI rivalry and the countries’ raucous trade relationship are also among the topics expected to be taken up by the heads of the world’s top two economies.

The two sides are set to discuss extending a one-year truce in their tariff war, which Trump and Xi reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October.

The tense buildup to the superpower summit was already visible on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump’s visit.

“Some progress will certainly be made,” she said, noting that she hopes China and the United States can ensure “lasting peace” despite “recent instability in the global situation”.

‘Very good relationship’

The United States and China have long sought to stabilise their relationship despite increasingly seeing each other as adversaries in trade and geopolitics.

Trump has repeatedly touted a strong personal relationship with Xi, which he insisted on Monday would prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.

“I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi.

He knows I don’t want that to happen,” he said.

Trump’s trip will be closely scrutinised by Taiwan and Asian allies for any sign of weakening US support.

Beijing has grown more confident and assertive since Trump’s 2017 trip and the US president finds himself in a weakened position as he seeks a way out of his Iran war.

But the summit also comes at an uncertain time for China’s economy, which has struggled in recent years with sluggish domestic spending and a protracted debt crisis in the once-booming property sector.

India has boosted its import tariffs on gold and silver in an effort to shore up the sagging value of the rupee and bolster foreign currency reserves hit by war in the Middle East.

Gold imports are financed through dollars, which means buyers have to spend down foreign reserves or convert rupees to make purchases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already appealed days ago to the public to avoid buying gold for a year as the rupee’s year-long slide against the dollar has worsened during the Iran war.

The government more than doubled import taxes on gold and silver to about 15 per cent from the existing 6pc, according to two official orders issued late Tuesday.

The energy supply crisis caused by the Mideast war’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s crude passed — has hit India hard.

India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and the spiking cost of petroleum has hit its foreign currency reserves.

Elevated crude oil prices have increased India’s import bill, putting additional strain on the country’s balance of payments and foreign exchange reserves.

Modi on Sunday urged the people of India to cut down on petrol and diesel consumption in response to the supply disruptions due to the Middle East war.

Gold, seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity and widely used during weddings as well as festivals, ranks second among India’s imports, after crude oil.