ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economic activities have been restored following the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the successful implementation of reforms, Federal Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Dr Shamshad Akhtar said on Thursday. After the staff-level agreement, Pakistan will receive about 70 million US dollars, after which the amount of assistance to Pakistan under the IMF programme will reach about 1.9 billion dollars. The Finance Minister said that Pakistan had entered into a standby agreement with the IMF to receive $3 billion in July 2023. The finance minister said that “we have steadfastly implemented the budget for the fiscal year 2024 as adjustments were made in energy prices. The Finance Minister said that under the stand-by agreement, it has been agreed to reduce costs in the energy sector and restore efficiency in the sector.

The reluctance of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to settle the issue of Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is pushing the relationship towards sourness. Initially supportive of the Taliban regime, the TTP issue has led Pakistan’s top officials and diplomats to criticise Afghanistan’s Taliban regime more openly. Apart from seeking resolution of such irritants, Pakistan’s foreign policy seeks a balance between its relations with China and the US. A balanced foreign policy is Pakistan’s best bet in a world of complex alliances and multilateralism. A lot of criticism is often raised on some foreign policy decisions of the past.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday called on the public to give someone new a chance in the February 8 general election instead of choosing the same prime minister for the “second or 14th time”. The former foreign minister said “new politics” would have to be pursued to transform Pakistan into a modern nation. “I am only looking at the public, I want to become the laadla (favourite) of the public,” Bilawal said. Bilawal said if the PPP was given a chance again, it would increase the amount allocated to the Benazair Income Support Programme and would also introduce new social welfare programmes. He said “old politics” destroyed the country in 2018 and vowed to not accept the same again.

Airline tickets are becoming costlier by the day, with airlines telling everyone it is owing to government taxes/fees or charges. As a routine practice, airlines mention various amounts against codes which people take as taxes. It is paradoxical that double charges are being recovered from passengers for the development of two different airports under differing codes. The national airline, for instance, charges the passengers travelling to Toronto for infrastructure development under code YD, and it also recovers a fee as Canadian airport improvement charges under code SQ. Also of interest are codes YQ and YR.

On Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif, the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), passionately committed to addressing the challenges faced by the masses, guided by the wisdom of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. During a meeting, Salim Saifullah Khan, a distinguished political figure from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, engaged in a thoughtful discussion with Shehbaz Sharif. In a reciprocal gesture, Shehbaz Sharif extended warm wishes to Salim Saifullah Khan. Former lawmakers convened with Shehbaz Sharif, and notable figures present at the meeting included Iftikhar Nazir, Rana Ishtiaq, Sajid Mehdi, Qamarul Islam, and Ahsan Raza Khan. Shehbaz Sharif commended the party’s leaders and workers for their pivotal roles in orchestrating the public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan on October 21, a momentous event marking the return of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Bilawal asserted the PPP's commitment to represent the marginalised sections of society, citing the party's enduring influence over three generations. Taking credit for the initiation of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Bilawal highlighted its role in alleviating the hardships faced by the impoverished population. Bilawal said that he did not treat PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as his adversaries but rather exorbitant inflation and poverty. Bilawal asserted that solving the country's problems and serving the people is not difficult if approached with the right intention and a cohesive manifesto. While expressing readiness to serve if given the opportunity, Bilawal emphasised that the decision ultimately lies in the hands of the people.

The Foreign Office informed on Thursday that at least 228,574 illegal Afghan citizens had been repatriated so far. In a media briefing, spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the evacuation of illegal Afghan immigrants has been ongoing since the October 31 deadline. The government has taken practical steps to ensure the illegal foreigners are safely deported, Mumtaz added. On a daily basis thousands of Afghan citizens return to their homeland through the Torkham and Chaman borders, the spokeswoman added. Pakistan had issued a deadline for undocumented immigrants living in the country to voluntarily leave, or face crackdown, from November 1.

Much like her husband actor Yasir Hussain, Iqra Aziz isn't one to shy away from saying what she wants to say. Iqra Aziz emphasised her love for children and her family-oriented nature, expressing her excitement about becoming a mother despite the discouraging comments she received. As the discussion delved deeper into her character Mannat, Aziz revealed her personal connection to the role. Responding to rumors on social media about her taking a back seat in her career after Kabir's birth, Aziz clarified, "I did not want to make the peak of my career an overly ambitious thing. She expressed her desire to savor the moments with her first child, prioritising personal happiness over career milestones.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has recently revealed that the company is testing out a new tagging feature for Threads that's similar to hashtags but not quite exactly the same. Though users will create a hashtag to add a topic conversation, Threads will convert it to a blue-text hyperlink, instead of showing up as a hashtagged word. Threads users when typing a “#” into the post text field will bring up a card with the topic they're tagging or other, similar ones. Underneath the list of relevant topics, will be the number of posts made on the platform, similar to Instagram. The company is still working on the feature and might change certain functions about it later.

The dossier says that dozens of historical mosques in India are under threat and over 1,600 mosques are facing a media campaign. Speaking at the occasion, Kakar said that India was promoting instability in the region. The caretaker prime minister on November 11 strongly condemned Israeli aggression and inhumane blockade of Gaza at the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit, held in Riyadh, Suadi Arabia. Speaking to the audience, Kakar further said that Pakistan is looking to the east to boost trade. The prime minister further added that building infrastructure is the need of the hour for the country’s growth.

Raddysh’s Value, Allan and Del Mastro Developing Together, Calgary Selling? But Pope flipped the script and looked at the next wave on the blue line — specifically Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro. They’re roommates off the ice and they’ve been skating together on it; Allan continues to play his off-side well. Del Mastro playing the left side might see him spend some time eventually with Wyatt Kaiser (who would be on his off-side as well). There, Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro are developing simultaneously as D partners and roommates.

The students of Government Girls Degree College Turbat, hailing from remote areas, cur­rently face a petrol crisis affecting transportation availability to the college. With only four buses on campus, none can be utilised due to the petrol shortage. Despite multiple appeals to the principal urging funding for petrol purchase, the students’ pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Expressing their frustration, they state, “Now we are forced to convince the ad­ministration.” This ongoing issue hampers their academic journeys, impeding regular class attendance. It is imperative that the caretak­er government acknowledges the seriousness of this problem and takes prompt steps to address it.

Watch: 2024 New Hampshire presidential primary will still be first in the nationConcord, New Hampshire — New Hampshire's Secretary of State David Scanlan on Wednesday announced New Hampshire's 2024 primary will be Jan. 23, 2024, ending monthslong speculation and controversy involving President Biden, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and state officials. It stripped New Hampshire of its esteemed "first-in-the-nation" primary status, and elevated South Carolina to the first primary slot. DNC chair Jamie Harrison said in February that the new primary calendar "expands the number of voices that can be heard," pointing to the diversity of the new primary states and the number of women voters in those states. At a press conference shortly after filing for the New Hampshire primary ballot, Phillips pledged to return New Hampshire's "first-in-the-nation" status. In 1968, then-President Lyndon Johnson won the New Hampshire primary as a write-in candidate, though he dropped out of the race weeks later.

PHOTO: AFPA dedicated Pakistani educator from Gujranwala, recognised for her unwavering commitment to education, has received the prestigious Global Teacher Award at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Confronting challenges such as insufficient funding, lack of infrastructure, and teacher shortages, Sister Zeph's determination shone through. Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar also extended congratulations to the Pakistani teacher, stating, "A great moment of pride for Pakistan. Our very own Sister Zeph has won the Global Teacher Prize 2023." Our very own sister Zeph has won the Global Teacher Prize 2023.

Khan said that the country had promised to make an investment of $25 billion through its sovereign fund but it would take time before the investment could materialise. The $70 billion investment would mostly come from private investors and the foreign governments-led investment would be through sovereign wealth funds, he elaborated. Pakistan has hoped for receiving $6 billion to $7 billion in Saudi investment in the Reko Diq project but so far no tangible progress has been made. Reko Diq investmentKhan said that financial advisers had almost finalised the valuation of gold and copper mines. Read: Investment in Reko Diq soughtRight now, according to Khan, Saudi Arabia is reviewing the green field investment policy and once the Saudis clear it, it will be easy to bring investment in the oil refinery.