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. ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recovered a record Rs11.5 trillion in just three years, the country’s premier anti-corruption body told the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice in its full report on recoveries and reforms on Wednesday. According to the report, NAB saved Rs11 trillion by reclaiming 4.85 million acres of government land. It also returned Rs213 billion to 129,000 victims of housing society frauds, while freezing assets worth Rs85.4 billion in anti-money laundering operations. “For every rupee spent on the institution, Rs629 has been recovered,” the report stated. It noted that restrictions preventing NAB from pursuing…

Benchmark index rises 287.51 points to close at 44,186.96. PHOTO: FILE KARACHI: Investor sentiment remained firmly upbeat at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday as sustained buying powered the benchmark KSE-100 index, which closed sharply higher by nearly 4,300 points, or 2.85%. During the day, the index climbed to the intra-day high of 154,684 and touched the low of 150,284. By around 1:00pm, gains stood at approximately 2.49%, reflecting steady investor confidence. Notable buying interest was observed in sectors such as auto assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration, oil marketing companies, power generation and refineries, indicating…

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC), setting aside its earlier order allowing former federal minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to travel abroad for Umrah, ruled that the freedom of movement enshrined in Article 15 of the Constitution is not absolute. “Although the Constitution guarantees freedom of movement as a fundamental right, the same is not absolute in nature. The framers of the Constitution have expressly qualified this right by making it ‘subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the public interest.’ “The constitutional scheme, therefore, recognizes that the right of an individual to move freely must sometimes yield to the…

Supreme leader says ‘murderers’ must pay for killing Larijani; US finds Tehran not rebuilding nuclear enrichmentIsraeli security forces and rescue workers gather at a train station that was hit by shrapnel after an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv. Photo: AFP WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/TEHRAN: Israel killed another top Iranian official, intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, and declared on Wednesday that its military is authorised to kill any senior Islamic republic figure it gets in its sights as new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message that the killers of security chief Ali Larijani, who died in an Israeli strike, “will have to…

KARACHI: Pakistan’s international aviation sector has witnessed an unprecedented contraction in early March 2026, with international departures falling by nearly half compared to the previous month, reflecting the impact of escalating regional tensions linked to the Iran conflict and the vulnerability of Pakistan’s air travel networks to regional geopolitical shocks. Data from the Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics Aviation Dashboard shows that international departures dropped from 1,127 flights during February 1-10, 2026, to 572 flights in the same period of March, marking a steep 49.3% decline within a matter of weeks. Such a decline is highly unusual and exceeds typical aviation…

Miley Cyrus reveals ‘terrible’ habit she learned from Dolly Parton Miley Cyrus has revealed that advice from her grandmother, Dolly Parton played a key role in Hannah Montana comeback. In an interview with Variety, Cyrus revealed that Parton encouraged her to adopt what she jokingly described as a “terrible habit.” She told the outlet, “I learned this terrible habit — but I actually think it was good advice — from Dolly.” “She told me that if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists. Then no one can say no,” Cyrus added. Therefore, Cyrus began promoting “something special”…

.Tahir Andrabi speaking at the weekly Foreign Office press briefing Photo file: X/FO ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday rejected what it said were “baseless, misleading, and unwarranted” remarks by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Pakistan’s ongoing action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been conducting air strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan as part of the now temporarily paused Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. On Tuesday, the Taliban regime’s deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat claimed in a post on X that an airstrike had hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, killing up to 400 people in the Afghan…

A worker walks past inside the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila. PHOTO: REUTERS ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank has unanimously approved a five-year indicative lending strategy of $10-$12 billion, which includes allocations for financing the exploration of critical minerals and dilapidated Main Line-I project of Pakistan Railways. Indian Executive Director also supported the strategy in the ADB’s board meeting, although he made certain observations about Pakistan’s governance and debt related issues. The ADB on Wednesday launched a new country partnership strategy (CPS) for Pakistan, 2026-2030, setting out a roadmap to support the country’s transition to sustainable and inclusive…

. LAHORE: The Ministry of Commerce has formally sought the intervention of aviation authorities over complaints from meat exporters regarding additional logistics charges imposed on export consignments, marking a significant development in an ongoing dispute that industry representatives warn could disrupt Pakistan’s meat exports. In an official letter dated March 17, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce asked the director general of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) in Karachi to look into the issue of “unauthorised additional charges” reportedly being levied by cargo handling company Gerry’s Dnata on meat export shipments. The communication followed a complaint submitted by the All…

Tarar says Qatar, KSA & Turkiye requested ceasefire; Says Ghazab Lil Haq will resume if attacks continueInformation Minister Attaullah Tarar. Photo: File ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday announced a temporary pause in hostilities ahead of Eidul Fitr, in what appears to be a rare de-escalation following days of heightened cross-border tensions. The ceasefire, announced separately by Islamabad and Kabul, will remain in effect from midnight March 18/19 until midnight March 23/24, with both sides warning that any violation could trigger an immediate resumption of military operations. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the decision was taken in view of the…