ISLAMABAD, June 04(ABC): The federal government has authorised Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to act as the Special Vetting Agency (SVA) for verifying and screening all public officials before they are inducted, posted, appointed, or promoted. The notification No. F. No. 5/2021-CP-VI issued on June 2, 2022 stated: “In exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 25 of the Civil …

ISLAMABAD, June 03(ABC): A day after hiking the prices of petroleum products by Rs30, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday decided to slash the petrol quota of the federal cabinet members and government employees, sources privy to the matter said. The government announced increasing the petrol price to Rs209.86 per litre. The price of petrol, diesel, and light diesel were hiked …

BUNER, June 03(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday warned the government against filing a treason case against him after reports emerged that key officials were mulling over the idea. Top federal government officials deliberated over going ahead with filing treason charges against Khan and the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, respectively, over PTI’s May 25 “Azadi March” during a special …

ISLAMABAD, Jun 03 (ABC): Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail Friday said that the upcoming budget 2022-23 will focus on the better livelihood of the poor people and small traders as the government will present a pro people and business friendly budget. “Government was taking measures to find out pathways for the poor people to get them out of extreme poverty …

ISLAMABAD, June 03(ABC): Key federal government officials deliberated over going ahead with filing treason charges against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan over PTI’s May 25 ‘Azadi March’ during a special committee meeting of the cabinet, reported Friday. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, the cabinet’s special committee meeting …

ISLAMABAD, June 03(ABC): Pakistan’s trade deficit crossed $43 billion in the first 11 months (July-May) of the outgoing fiscal year 2021-22, as the pace of increase in imports was more than the surge in exports due to the sky-high oil import bill,  reported Friday, citing data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Analysts fear that a record-high trade deficit may …

ISLAMABAD, June 02(ABC): Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced Thursday that the price of petrol has been moved up by Rs30 to Rs209.86, a few days after increasing the rate of the commodity by the same amount. Ismail, in a press conference, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved hiking the price of petrol, diesel, and light diesel by Rs30 per …

ISLAMABAD, June 02(ABC): Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said Thursday that Chinese banks have agreed to refinance Pakistan with $2.3 billion worth of funds which will “shore up Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves.” Taking to his Twitter handle, Miftah wrote: “Good news. The terms and conditions for refinancing of RMB 15 billion deposit by Chinese banks (about $2.3 billion) have been agreed.” …

ISLAMABAD, June 02(ABC): The Supreme Court Thursday returned the PTI’s plea seeking protection from the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) as the Imran Khan-led party planned on holding a second long march — after the first one ended abruptly last week. The Supreme Court’s registrar raised objections to the petition, noting that the top court had already issued an order on …

ISLAMABAD, June 02(ABC): The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Thursday raised the basic power tariff by Rs7.9078/kWh for the next fiscal year 2022-23 increasing the burden of inflation on the people of Pakistan. The decision has been taken in line with the International Monetary Fund’s demands and the power distribution companies’ requests. Currently, the basic power tariff is Rs16.91 …