BREAKING NEWS
Indian actor Pradeep Rawat dies at 74 after cancer battle • Mrunal Thakur warns of legal action over AI-generated deepfake content • Fazlur Rehman warns against politicizing debate over new provinces • Pakistan posts 387, secures first-innings lead over West Indies • Pakistan exempt from new US visa bond program • Trump voices concern over oil company profits amid Iran conflict • West Indies all out for 344 against Pakistan in first innings • Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly set to marry Georgina Rodriguez on Aug 8 • Trump says Gulf States backed diplomatic path with Iran • Fuel theft surges across UK as rising prices drive daily losses • Why ‘Inception’ remains one of Hollywood’s most rewatchable films • ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ opens with $355m worldwide • Secret wedding allegation involving Varma and Urmila resurfaces • Bilawal Bhutto alleges rigging in AJK elections • PM orders comprehensive performance review of federal ministries
Advertise with us >

Federal Government

PTI contacts JUI-F for joint movement against federal government

by
PTI contacts

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has initiated contacts with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) to launch a joint movement against the federal government, according to sources.

Sources said PTI leadership held meetings with JUI-F leaders and proposed a joint protest campaign against the government.

However, JUI-F has not yet agreed to support a joint protest movement, with the party maintaining that mutual trust between the two sides must be restored before any formal cooperation.

The sources added that PTI and JUI-F leaders also discussed the possibility of adopting a joint strategy for the upcoming elections.

JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Abdul Jalil Jan said that progress could be made if serious leadership from PTI comes forward. He added that it was still unclear who makes decisions within PTI.

He said PTI had been informed about JUI-F’s reservations and that the party would need to control its social media narrative.

Govt increases petrol, diesel prices for July 23

by
Govt increases

ISLAMABAD: The federal government increased the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel, with the revised rates taking effect for July 23.

According to an official notification, the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was increased by Rs7.83 per liter, raising the new price to Rs375.04 per liter.

The government also increased the price of petrol by Rs6.39 per liter, bringing the new rate to Rs327.12 per liter.

The revised prices will remain applicable for July 23, in line with the government’s latest notification.

Punjab ready to offer financial relief to federal government

by
Punjab ready

LAHORE: The Punjab provincial government is prepared to extend financial relief to the federal government, according to sources in the provincial assembly.

Officials said the Punjab government may provide up to 570 billion rupees in financial relief to help Islamabad reduce its fiscal deficit and meet International Monetary Fund targets.

They added that under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, Punjab is expected to receive more than 3.793 trillion rupees from the divisible pool of revenues.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has finalized the outline of its budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year, with the total volume set at 5.131 trillion rupees, sources said.

No official statement has yet been issued by the Punjab government confirming the reported financial arrangement.

On the other hand, Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said the province will not compromise on its share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award and will strongly defend its constitutional rights if any reduction is made.

Addressing a pre-budget roundtable conference in Lahore, he said Punjab is currently running more than 100 major development programs and requires adequate financial resources to sustain them.

He warned that if Punjab’s share in the NFC award is reduced, the province would “defend its rights,” adding that Punjab cannot transfer or surrender its financial resources under any circumstances.

The finance minister said the provincial government is working on establishing a unified tax collection system under one roof to improve efficiency and revenue collection. He added that efforts are also underway to promote agriculture and industry, along with the preparation of a major industrial package expected to involve billions of rupees over the next three years.

He said the government aims to reduce taxes rather than introduce new ones.

Maryam Nawaz, he said, is overseeing governance reforms and has resumed work after health improvement.

Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said Punjab has already presented two budgets and will now present its third budget on June 16.

Federal Government sets December 4 for key NFC meeting

by
Federal Government

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has scheduled the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting for December 4, bringing together federal and provincial representatives to review the country’s financial framework.

The session will be chaired by Federal Finance Minister Senator Aurangzeb and attended by the finance ministers of all four provinces along with private members.

According to the agenda, the federal secretary will brief participants on the financial position of the federal government, while provincial representatives will give 10-minute briefings on their respective fiscal situations.

The Finance Ministry stated that the December 4 meeting will finalize the schedule and timelines for subsequent sessions aimed at determining the National Finance Commission Award.