ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan and Russia have reiterated their commitment to expanding trade and economic ties, along with enhancing regional connectivity, to strengthen bilateral relations. Both sides underscored the importance of fostering mutually beneficial cooperation in key sectors such as agriculture, food security, business, education, railways, science and technology, and promoting stronger people-to-people connections. This was discussed during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Mr Alexei Overchuk, who along with members of his delegation called on the President, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on Thursday. Welcoming the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, the President stressed the importance of exploring possibilities for barter trade, in addition to improving connectivity to strengthen economic relations between the two nations. He called for easing visa regulations and increasing connectivity through railways and direct flights to facilitate and enhance people…

Pakistan has been elected as Member of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors (BOG) for a two-year term (2024-26). Pakistan was elected by consensus at the 68th Session of the IAEA’s General Conference in Vienna, from the Middle East and South Asia region, for the term beginning this month. This is Pakistan’s 21st term on the IAEA’s BOG. The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan’s election is recognition of its long-standing commitment to the aims and objectives of the IAEA in promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy as well as its positive contribution to the formulation of the IAEA’s policies and programmes. Pakistan is a founding member of the IAEA and has enjoyed longstanding and mutually beneficial collaboration with the Agency on peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Pakistan hosts Anchor Centre for Cancer Care under IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative and four Collaboration Centres in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Nuclear…

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to amend the rules to prevent the misuse of tax registration in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), according to a report by Dunya News. It has been revealed that taxpayers in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan are misusing their tax registrations with the tax authorities to evade taxes. To address this issue, the FBR has decided to amend the Income Tax Rules 2001. The FBR has prepared a draft of amendments to the Income Tax Rules 2001 and has released it to relevant stakeholders for feedback. The stakeholders have been asked to submit their objections and suggestions regarding the proposed amendments within seven days. According to the FBR, suggestions and feedback received after the specified deadline will not be considered, and the amended Income Tax Rules will be enforced through a gazette notification.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk has reiterated Russia’s resolve to deepen relations with Pakistan. In a meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Thursday, the Russian deputy prime minister characterized Pakistan-Russia relations as constructive and mutually beneficial. Talking to the Russian delegation, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif conveyed that Pakistan considers strengthening relations with Russia as an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The prime minister said that Pakistan is keen to expand trade, economic, energy, connectivity and security cooperation with Russia and added that he looks forward to welcoming Russian Mikhail Mishustin to Islamabad next month. Shabaz Sharif recalled that he had a very fruitful discussion with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2024 and conveyed his thanks to President Putin for sending the high-level delegation to discuss expansion of bilateral cooperation. Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation…

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan is hosting over 20 million Afghans who were just three million 40 years ago when Pakistan invited them to Pakistan during Afghan-Russo Jihad. Pakistan allowed Afghans to buy lands, do business, and live in Pakistan with full civic rights a Pakistani enjoys. At the same time, other countries like Iran that also accommodated Afghan refugees did not allow Afghans to live outside refugee camps and this is the reason Iran did not become a victim of Afghan criminal activities like drugs, illegal weapon sale, smuggling, and money laundering. Now Iran is deporting two million Afghan migrants in six months, in one of the largest expulsion programs in recent history because the Iranian government believes that Afghans are involved in terrorism as well as almost every illegal business that could take place in Iran. Related Story: The clichés of Pak-Afghan Brotherhood and Economic Terrorism that Pakistan is facing today Police have already begun detaining migrants and dumping them back across…

The total liquid foreign reserves of Pakistan surged to US$ 14,826.5 million as of September 13, 2024 while the reserves held by the central bank added up to $ 9,509.6 million. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), in a statement issued here on Thursday, informed that liquid foreign reserves held by the central bank increased […]