The federal government on Friday reduced petrol and diesel prices by Rs5, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division.

According to the notification, the revised prices will take effect from May 16.

Following the decrease, the price of petrol stands at Rs409.78 per litre and that of HSD at Rs409.58.

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 peacetime.

Last week, the government approved a hike of Rs14.92 per litre in petrol and Rs15 on HSD prices.

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.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday witnessed a war of words over the health and treatment of PTI founder Imran Khan and the conditions of political prisoners, with opposition members demanding an independent committee to visit jails and the government advising legal recourse for any relief.

PTI Senator Azam Swati said the PTI founder had “lost sight in one eye” and called on the state to grant him and his wife their basic human rights as Pakistani citizens.

“We need to unite at this time. Inhumane treatment is never justified,” Swati said, urging the government to “change its decisions and try to improve the situation.”

Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Senate Opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said denying someone their rights was oppression, and that “one who is satisfied with the oppressor’s cruelty is also an oppressor.”

“By jailing political workers, we are shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said. Abbas proposed a committee of two to three senators, including government and opposition members, to meet the PTI founder and other political prisoners and submit a report to the House.

“Let everyone stand against whoever is stopping us from visiting jails,” he said, adding that the Senate should set an example by not tolerating excesses against politicians.

PTI Senator Faisal Javed said the party had no access to Adiala jail and questioned why treatment could be arranged — and even overseas medical care could be provided — for Nawaz Sharif but not for the PTI founder. He called for PTI leaders and family members to be granted access to Adiala jail, where the PTI founder is imprisoned.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said both Imran and his spouse Bushra Bibi were being provided the best medical treatment available in the country.

He said jail meetings were being regulated under court-approved procedures. A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had devised a mechanism allowing meetings twice a week, with separate days for lawyers and family members, he said.

Sanaullah said PTI leaders, including Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, had assured the court that meetings would not be used for political messaging or media campaigns. However, he said the understanding was repeatedly violated through press conferences and international media campaigns.

“Campaigns targeting state institutions and their heads were carried out abroad. Evidence regarding such activities can be presented whenever required,” he said.

He added that a five-member medical board formed on the recommendation of PTI’s own doctors had endorsed the treatment being provided. Sanaullah also said the parliamentary rules of business did not provide room for a committee to interfere in executive matters related to prison administration.

Noting that an “action” which succeeds is called a revolution, he said a failed attempt to bring about a revolution is treachery that entails consequences, adding that the May 9 violent protests were an example of this.

Imran’s arrest on May 9, 2023, triggered widespread riots across Pakistan, during which government buildings and military installations — including the GHQ in Rawalpindi — were stormed and vandalised. Following the unrest, a crackdown was launched against the PTI, with dozens of terrorism cases lodged against its leaders and supporters.

Sanaullah added that the events of May 9 were attacks on national institutions and those responsible will have to face the music.

He added that repeated attempts to march on the capital and confront the state had further complicated the political environment.

Over the past year, PTI leaders and Imran’s family have expressed growing concerns over his health.

The government and the opposition have been engaged in a blame game, with the latter accusing the former of a lack of transparency on the matter, of not ensuring appropriate treatment for Imran, and of not allowing his personal physicians access to him. The government denies these allegations.

The opposition has also demanded that the former premier be shifted to Shifa International Hospital.

PTI lawmakers blame Centre for Balochistan unrest

PTI Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) questioned the reasons behind the continuing terrorism and lawlessness in Balochistan, blaming the Centre for the situation.

PTI lawmaker Adil Khan Bazai, describing the situation in the province, said: “There is terrorism, and to control it, extraordinary security measures have been taken, along with additional powers granted to law enforcement agencies and the FC.

“The question is: where are we heading? We are heading nowhere except towards self-destruction,” he added.

Bazai countered statements made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in the House earlier this week, in which he had blamed the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for indirectly backing terrorists.

PTI MNAs asked the treasury benches that if terrorism in KP was due to the provincial government, “then what about Balochistan?”

“We do not have a government in Balochistan. Will you blame the leaders of that government?” Bazai asked.

Speaking after him, PTI’s Khushal Khan Kakar criticised the Centre over rising terrorism in Balochistan, narrating an incident involving a scuffle between a local cleric and the Coast Guards.

“Can you even count the number of checkposts in and around Quetta?” Kakar asked.

However, responding to the issues raised by PTI MNAs, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said the matters raised were provincial subjects.

“I will arrange a meeting between you and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, and if he is available, I will also accompany you to help resolve the local issues,” he said.

Parmenides May 8 th  Edited AI Class began with a point by Eldar who pointed out that  the dialogue's conclusion (166C) mirrors its opening which states Parmenides’ hypothesis. Historically, Pierre Grimes has noted in many talks that the final paragraph of the  Parmenides  is a summary of the ....

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The United States has canceled the planned deployment of 4,000 soldiers to Poland, US officials said Friday, as Washington reorganises its forces in Europe after announcing it would withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.

The head of US European Command “received the instructions on the force reduction,” General Christopher LaNeve, the acting chief of staff of the US Army, said during a congressional hearing when asked about the canceled deployment.

“I’ve worked with him in close consultation on what that force unit would be, and it… made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,” LaNeve said, referring to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.

Some elements of the unit had already been sent overseas and its equipment was in transit, the general said.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, testifying alongside LaNeve, said the unit’s planned deployment was canceled “a couple days ago.”

At the beginning of this month, the Pentagon announced that Washington would pull 5,000 troops from Germany, with spokesman Sean Parnell saying the withdrawal was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”

That announcement came during a heated dispute between Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the US-Israeli war against Iran, and the US president subsequently said the troop reduction would be “a lot further than 5,000,” without providing details.

Poland’s defense minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, suggested Friday that the cancellation of the deployment to his country could be related to the removal of troops from Germany.

“If a brigade other than the one originally planned is sent to Poland – maybe the one from Germany – and 5,000 soldiers leave Germany for Poland…there is no change to the security guarantees,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters.

Trump has threatened to slash US troop numbers in Germany and other European allies during both his White House terms, saying he wants Europe to take on greater responsibility for its defense rather than depending on Washington.

He now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the Middle East war or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, which Tehran’s forces have effectively closed.

A NATO official told AFP on Friday that “we know that the US is working to adjust its posture in Europe.”

“A focus on rotational forces would not impact NATO’s deterrence and defense plans. And we’re already seeing increasing presence on the eastern flank from Canada and Germany — all of which contributes to a stronger NATO overall,” the official added.

While Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were hailing their friendship for the cameras, it was less amicable for the rival Chinese and US security services.

From a standoff over a US Secret Service agent’s weapon to a US staffer trampled during a melee, tensions bubbled to the surface throughout Trump’s visit to Beijing.

The mutual distrust was underscored when US officials made the staffers and media, including an AFP reporter, board Air Force One, hand over all badges and pins given to them by the Chinese side.

Along with “burner” phones from the US delegation, the confiscated items were tossed in a trash can at the bottom of the stairs of the presidential jet.

For all Xi’s warm words about being “partners not rivals,” this was always a summit between two superpowers with a long history of suspicion.

As they vie for supremacy without tipping over into conflict, both sides are taking their espionage and counterintelligence efforts to new heights.

The result in Beijing verged at times towards collective paranoia.

US officials and journalists travelling to China to cover the summit were advised to use phones and laptops that could be wiped or disposed of back home to preserve cybersecurity.

The frictions also played out on the ground in Beijing as US and Chinese officials appeared to be having their own shadow superpower battle.

‘Don’t run over anybody’

Two incidents made headlines, including when Chinese officials blocked US officials and journalists in a room during Trump and Xi’s visit to the Temple of Heaven.

“We’re in the motorcade with the president. Do you not understand that?” said one journalist, in scenes witnessed by an AFP reporter.

A Chinese official replied, “The security of our side does not allow you.” Voices were raised and the US group ended up pushing past the Chinese team to get to their vans in Trump’s motorcade before it left.

“US press, we are going,” a US official said. “Be gentle but we are going. Don’t run over anybody, do not do what they did to us.”

That appeared to refer to an earlier incident at the Great Hall of the People, in which a US staffer fell and had her ankle trodden on as officials from both sides tried to corral journalists rushing to film the start of the Trump-Xi talks.

Earlier at the temple, US and Chinese officials had clashed over whether a US Secret Service agent should be allowed to bring his weapon into the complex.

For nearly half an hour under the sun on Beijing’s hottest day of the year, they had increasingly intense discussions as unyielding Chinese officials insisted the agent could not pass.

At almost every turn, there appeared to be diplomatic arm-wrestling between US and China over timings, positions and alleged last-minute schedule changes.

US and Chinese officials like to talk about the principle of “reciprocity” in their relationship, particularly when it comes to confidence-building measures.

But it can cut both ways — and Xi is now due to visit the White House in September.

At one point in the Temple of Heaven standoff, an official could be heard talking about what would happen on that trip.

Both sides are known for ensuring that when limitations are placed on numbers for officials or journalists, tit-for-tat measures are taken when the other country makes a return visit.

One senior US official in the administration of President Joe Biden was even reportedly denied breakfast after their counterpart did not get their morning meal.

With Trump and Xi eyeing three more meetings in 2026, it could be a long year for their staff.