Author: Gulsah Dogar

ISLAMABAD: Key Western countries have conveyed to Pakistan that any delay in the parliamentary elections beyond a certain timeframe would trigger serious consequences for the country, including the potential downgrading of ties. Diplomatic sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday that the United States and the European Union had been closely following the developments in Pakistan with regard to the elections, these countries had always advocated democracy. The US and the EU, according to the sources, believed that elections were the essence of any progressive democratic society. But there were concerns in the Western capitals that elections might not take place in…

Kolkata (West Bengal): Ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner, Andalib Elias said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10.  Mr Elias further said, “We are also hoping that there will also be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Sheikh Hasina.” The G20 Summit is scheduled to be held in the national capital for two days–September 9 and September 10–at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan. Many heads of state and diplomats, including US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping,…

Strict censorship policies and conservative sections of society are some of the hindrances that don’t allow Pakistani filmmakers to express themselves with creative freedom. But change is taking place, albeit almost unnoticed. In 2012, filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Saving Face won the Academy Award in the best documentary category, making her the first Pakistani to win an Oscar for her country. Four years later, she earned her second Oscar for “A Girl in The River: The Price of Forgiveness.” These days, she is busy directing the next Star Wars film to be released in 2025, the first woman and person of color to do so. Asim Abbasi,…

One year after catastrophic floods devastated swathes of Pakistan, some 4 million children in the South Asian nation remain without access to safe water, the United Nations children’s agency has warned. In a news release Friday, UNICEF said it estimates that there are 8 million people in the country, around half of whom are children, who continue to live in flood-affected areas without clean water. “Vulnerable children living in flood-affected areas have endured a horrific year,” Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, said in the statement. “They lost their loved ones, their homes and schools. As the monsoon rains return, the…

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of capital, particularly financial and human, for driving growth. He noted that Sri Lanka’s historical capital formation efforts had been disrupted over the years, leading to current financial struggles. He pointed out that while the country had accumulated capital up to 2019, subsequent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn had led to a decline in financial strength. He drew parallels with other nations, pointing out how capital influx had fuelled their growth, and called for a focus on reorganizing and restructuring the financial system. President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the…

Teenager Amanullah Khan teeters on his tiptoes, daubing towering camels with festive henna patterns to entice Eid al-Adha customers at a market near the Pakistan capital. Hundreds of farmers have camped at livestock markets across Pakistan for weeks, hoping to sell animals before the annual holy festival, starting on Thursday. But with rampant inflation – reaching a record 38 percent in May – markets are attracting smaller crowds. The Muslim festival begins a day before the deadline for Pakistan to secure a $6.5bn bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expires on June 30. Local media reports on Wednesday said the Pakistani…

Adviser to US President Joe Biden on Arts, Shahid Ahmed Khan, said that America has nothing to do with the internal politics of Pakistan after the US senators wrote a general letter regarding human rights in the country. The letter is about Pakistan and not for Imran Khan, he said, adding that the former prime minister’s “cypher drama” had turned the country into a laughing stock around the globe. Pakistan remains a crucial nation for the US and is not ignored by Washington owing to its relationship with China, he said. If the letter of the American senators was so important, Pakistan would not…

After stirring in the Arabian Sea for over a week, Cyclone Biparjoy neared the coastline of western India and southern Pakistan in June 2023. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite acquired this natural-color image of the storm on June 14, a day before it was forecast to make landfall. The long-lived cyclone had wind speeds of 129 kilometers (80 miles) per hour on June 14, making it a category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. The storm had spent eight days in the Arabian Sea, generally moving slowly north, until it took a turn to the east on June…

Cash-strapped Pakistan has provided the IMF with a financing plan for external payments, in which it has informed the global lender that it will arrange USD 8 billion for the purpose instead of USD 6 billion, according to a media report on Saturday. The Pakistan government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a long-awaited staff-level agreement on June 29 to inject USD 3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) into the ailing economy after months-long negotiations that pushed the country to the brink of default. The Executive Board of the IMF will meet on July 12 to review the SBA for…

Pakistan’s failure to reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would increase the likelihood of default, Bloomberg reported. According to the report of Bloomberg Intelligence Unit, if Pakistan does not get the IMF programme, the economic conditions may deteriorate further. Pakistan can negotiate a new programme with the IMF in October and support from friendly countries is also needed to avoid default.As per the report, the absence of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will heighten the risks of Pakistan facing a potential default. This, in turn, could lead to further economic challenges for the country…