Xi Jinping’s US visit: Is the ice finally beginning to melt?

By Shamsul Haq Relations between the world’s two largest economic and military powers, China and the United States, have in recent years been marked by rivalry, mistrust and periodic confrontation. Against this backdrop, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25 carries considerable diplomatic significance. The central question,…

Read More

Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb Crisis: Rising Pressure on Global Energy Supplies and Pakistan’s Import Bill

By Riaz Hussain PESHAWAR: For Pakistan, a crisis thousands of kilometres away in the Middle East could eventually show up at petrol stations, on electricity bills and in the prices of everyday goods.Growing tensions around two of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints — the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — are…

Read More

Pakistan,s Politics: Long Marches, New Provinces and a Changing Regional Landscape

By Shamsul HaqAt a time when the country is witnessing growing anticipation over two major political movements — the Jamaat-e-Islami’s long march towards Islamabad on September 20, announced by its Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman against the petroleum levy, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s already announced September 27 long march demanding an end to its founder Imran…

Read More

سیلاب سے نمٹنے کے لیے جامع منصوبہ ناگزیر

پشاور: ریٹائرڈ سپرنٹنڈنگ انجینئر محکمہ آبپاشی خیبر پختونخوا اور سابق انچارج فلڈ وارننگ سیل انجینئر عبدالولی خان یوسفزئی نے پاکستان میں مون سون بارشوں کے دوران شہری سیلاب، سڑکوں کی تباہی اور نکاسی آب کے مسائل سے نمٹنے کے لیے جامع انجینئرنگ اور منصوبہ بندی پر مبنی حکمت عملی اختیار کرنے پر زور دیا ہے۔…

Read More

Displaced Children in Pakistan’s Khyber Pay the Price for a War They Didn’t Start

By Muhammad Younas and Islam Gul BARA, Khyber District, — Twice uprooted by conflict, tens of thousands of children from Pakistan’s Tirah Valley are now facing a growing health crisis in displacement, battling measles, malaria, skin infections and gastrointestinal illnesses as an overstretched health system struggles to cope. For families who fled their homes earlier…

Read More

Pakistan Faces Potential $4.5 Billion Export Loss as Afghan Border Closure Disrupts Trade

Riyaz Hussain ISLAMABAD — Pakistan could suffer an estimated $4.5 billion loss in exports because of the prolonged closure of its border and trade routes with Afghanistan, according to a new report by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). The report comes as trade between the two countries has faced serious disruptions since October…

Read More

Despite International Oil Price Drop, Pakistan Raises Petroleum Prices

Riaz HussainPeshawar: Despite a decline of more than two percent in international crude oil prices amid hopes of a possible US-Iran agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan has increased domestic petroleum prices, raising diesel by Rs2.40 and petrol by 39 paisa per litre with effect from Tuesday. Following the latest revision,…

Read More

Global Opioid Market Faces Major Shift After Afghanistan Opium Decline

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has reported a major transformation in global opioid markets following a dramatic decline in Afghanistan’s opium production. According to the 2026 World Drug Report, Afghanistan’s opium production has dropped by 95 percent since 2023, leading to a significant reduction in heroin supplies and rapidly shrinking existing…

Read More

KP Mines Minister Calls for Free and Transparent Elections in Gilgit-Baltistan

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Mines and Minerals, Arif Ahmadzai, has stressed the importance of holding free, fair, and transparent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying that a credible democratic process is essential for strengthening public confidence and ensuring regional stability.In a statement issued on Tuesday, the minister said that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have historically played…

Read More

Oil Surge and Middle East Tensions Shake Global Markets, PSX Falls Over 2,000 Points

Riaz Hussain Global oil prices climbed sharply on Monday as escalating tensions in the Middle East heightened fears of disruptions to energy supplies, while stock markets across Asia — including Pakistan — came under renewed pressure.Brent crude rose by $2.01, or 1.84 per cent, to reach $111.27 per barrel during early trading after touching its…

Read More