Ready for Review
A nine-member IMF mission has arrived in Pakistan for a 10-day review of the country’s compliance with the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) inked last year. The government is confident the review will not raise any red flags, maintaining that while some slippages to committed deadlines have occurred, they have been resolved within weeks or at most a month.
Curbing Smuggling
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has approved the establishment of 12 permanent intra-provincial and inter-provincial joint checkposts in Khyber, Malakand, South Waziristan, Nowshera, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, D.I. Khan and Peshawar to curb smuggling. For this purpose, the provincial government has requested Rs. 3.11 billion from the federal government.
Unity through Guarantees
The PTI’s efforts to gather a grand opposition alliance have yet to secure the support of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), as Maulana Fazlur Rehman waits for confirmation on certain guarantees. Among the JUIF’s demands is clarity on the PTI’s chain of command. According to the PTI, the process has slowed because the party cannot freely access the incarcerated Imran Khan for clarification.
Personal Responsibility
Interacting with students from various universities in Bahawalpur, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir has advised them to focus on their own duties and performance rather than indulging in “baseless criticism.” He also claimed that illicit activities support terrorism and spread false narratives against the state when it seeks to act against them.
Brief Suspension
The International Federation of Football Association has withdrawn a suspension it imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) less than a month ago. The decision follows tweaks to the PFF’s constitution, and allows Pakistan’s teams to once more participate in international football activities, including an upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Syria.
Ramzan Inflation
Despite government claims of tackling profiteering during Ramzan, trades across Pakistan reportedly overcharged consumers on the first day of the holy month with effective intervention. The highest discrepancies occurred in prices of fruits, vegetables and meat, which tend to see a rise in consumption for people breaking their fasts.
Seeking Accountability
The federal government has directed all state-owned enterprises to disclose their assets, beneficially owned investments to boost financial transparency of their operations. A recent report had found that an overwhelming majority of management and board directors were not disclosing their assets in violation of the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act, 2023.
Stability through Continuity
Adviser to the P.M. Rana Sanaullah has claimed the country can overcome its prevailing economic crises within two years if there isn’t another “Oct. 12”—a reference to the 1999 military coup that ousted Nawaz Sharif. Addressing a public event, he said efforts were underway to tackle inflation, grow the economy and achieve prosperity for all segments of society.
Torkham Crossing
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Afghan Consul General Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir have both called for the early reopening of the Torkham border crossing. Authorities closed the border last week over Afghanistan’s construction of an unauthorized checkpost in a disputed area. A key trade corridor, the closure has left thousands of trucks stranded on both sides of the border.
Overextended
In addition to his roles as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and federal interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi will soon assume the presidency of the Asian Cricket Council. The move has drawn criticism, as pundits have pointed to Naqvi’s dual roles as a reason for the national team’s failure to net any significant wins over the past year.