Day: July 9, 2026

Islamabad: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has lauded Pakistan’s security forces for the elimination of 54 militants belonging to “Fitna al-Hindustan” during operations carried out in Balochistan over the past three days.

In a statement, the interior minister commended the bravery, professionalism and operational capabilities of the security forces, saying their timely action had thwarted the “nefarious designs” of India-sponsored militants.

Naqvi also paid tribute to the 42 security personnel and civilians who lost their lives during the operations, describing them as martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against terrorism.

“The brave sons of the nation acted swiftly to foil the malicious intentions of India-backed terrorists,” he said.

The minister said the martyrs were the pride of the entire nation and that the people of Pakistan would always remain indebted to their sacrifices.

He added that the sacrifices of the martyrs reflected the nation’s unwavering resolve to eradicate terrorism and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining peace and security.

Naqvi concluded by saluting the martyrs and their families, acknowledging their courage, resilience and enduring contribution to the country’s fight against militancy.

Islamabad: The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, emphasized that regulators must maintain a balance between facilitating ease of doing business and ensuring effective enforcement of laws to promote a transparent and fair business environment.

He said a business-friendly regulatory framework is essential to encourage investment, support entrepreneurship, and strengthen market confidence.

He was chairing a meeting at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to review the Commission’s performance and discuss key reforms focused on deepening Pakistan’s capital markets and facilitating local and foreign investors, said a press release issued by the SECP on Wednesday.

SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, Commissioners Imtiaz Haider, Muhammad Ali Farid Khwaja, Muzzafar Ahmed Mirza and Zeeshan Rehman Khattak, along with senior officials, attended the meeting. Advisors to the Finance Minister, Mr. Khurram Schehzad and Mr. Omer M. Khan, were also present.

Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu briefed the minister on SECP’s key achievements, including registration of a record 18,057 new companies, issuance of 149 new licences to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), and successful implementation of third-party motor insurance in Sindh, which recorded 1,300 percent growth within three months.

He also highlighted the approval of 10 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and addition of 127,907 new investors at the Pakistan Stock Exchange during the last six months, increasing the total investor base to over 583,052.

The minister was briefed on SECP’s enhanced supervisory and enforcement actions, including completion of 75 inspection reports, 13 investigations, issuance of 534 show-cause notices, and actions against illegal deposit-taking activities. SECP also issued 397 adjudication orders, resulting in penalties of over Rs. 20.857 million deposited into the Federal Consolidated Fund.

Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb appreciated SECP’s measures against non-compliant State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and emphasized improving governance standards. He directed SECP to keep Principal Accounting Officers of relevant ministries informed about compliance issues for timely corrective measures.

The minister also directed SECP to further simplify registration, licensing, and public offering processes through digitalization and reduced human intervention to encourage business growth and new listings.

Dr. Sidhu said SECP’s reform agenda is focused on strengthening People, Processes, and Technology to make regulatory services efficient, transparent, and responsive. He highlighted key initiatives including IBAN-based KYC verification, CDC ‘Asaan Connect’ app, Broker Referral Program, KTrade-JazzCash partnership, restructuring of IFMP, a proposed Pakistan stock market-based ETF in China, and digital access to gold trading.

The Finance Minister appreciated SECP’s reform initiatives and emphasized continued innovation, digital transformation, and regulatory facilitation to strengthen Pakistan’s financial markets.

Islamabad: The 15th meeting of the Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs of the National Assembly was convened here at the Parliament House, under the Chairmanship of Member National Assembly (MNA) Abdul Qadir Patel.

The meeting commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by collective prayers in remembrance of the civilians and members of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies who embraced martyrdom or lost their lives in various tragic incidents across different parts of the country, said a press release.

At the very outset, the Chairman introduced Muhammad Rajpar, Chairman, Pakistan Ships Agents Association. He sought the consensus of the Committee to permit him to attend the meeting as a special invitee to assist and apprise the Committee with his views and expert opinion, as and when required during the proceedings.

With the Committee’s consent, he joined the meeting as a special invitee. Muhammad Rajpar appreciated the efforts of the Minister in addressing the longstanding issues confronting the maritime and shipping sector. He informed the Committee that several matters which had remained unresolved for many years had been taken up by the Minister and resolved within a period of one month. He also acknowledged and appreciated the Committee for its keen interest and proactive consideration of issues affecting the shipping industry.

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting and considered Agenda Item No. 2 regarding comprehensive reports on the implementation status of previous recommendations.

The Committee reviewed each recommendation individually. During the detailed deliberations, the Commissioner informed the Committee that, pursuant to its earlier recommendations, a case for the allotment of 300 acres of land for the proposed parking facility had been forwarded to the Board of Revenue for consideration.

The Minister said that, following the earlier site inspection and consultations between the Department and the Commissioner’s Office, an allotment of approximately 650 acres had originally been proposed.

The Committee observed that the proposed allotment of 300 acres would be inadequate to meet the existing and future parking requirements. Accordingly, it recommended that the adjoining land be earmarked and reserved for the future expansion of the parking facility.

The Committee further recommended that the case for the allotment of the earmarked land be processed on a priority basis and finalized expeditiously. It was also recommended that direction be issued to the Revenue Department to take up the matter on a priority basis.

During the detailed briefing, the Inspector General, Traffic Police, Sindh, informed the Committee that all its previous directions had been duly implemented and complied with. The Committee further recommended that the Traffic Police consider the deployment of 25 traffic personnel around Pakistan House and the premises of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic and reduce congestion in the area.

The Committee was informed that the KPT is ready to provide all necessary logistical and administrative support to facilitate the proposed deployment. The Committee also directed that the National Highway Authority (NHA) be invited to attend the next meeting to brief the Committee on the ongoing and proposed projects aimed at addressing traffic congestion in and around the Karachi Port area.

The Committee also constituted a Sub-Committee, under the convenership of Hassan Sabir, comprising Pullain Baloch and Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, MNAs, as members to consider the Karachi Port Trust (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the proposal for the allotment of the adjoining land in addition to the 300 acres already recommended for allotment for the Karachi Port Trust’s proposed parking facility, with a view to meeting its future expansion requirements.

The Committee considered the Gwadar Port Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Port Qasim Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025. After detailed deliberations, the Committee adopted minor amendments to both Bills and recommended that the Bills, as amended, be passed.

The Committee considered the Carriage Shipping Documents Bill, 2026 and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2026. After detailed deliberations, the Committee recommended that the Bills, as introduced, be passed by the National Assembly.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Minister briefed the Committee that, owing to the dedicated efforts and hard work of the Ministry and its affiliated organizations, Pakistan’s ports had achieved a significant improvement in their international rankings. He stated that the progress was tangible and reflected the Ministry’s sustained commitment to enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of the country’s maritime sector.

The Minister also expressed his gratitude to the Committee for its constructive guidance, continued oversight, and serious consideration of issues relating to the maritime sector, which had contributed to the Ministry’s improved performance.

The Chairman and the Committee appreciated the performance of the Hon. Minister, his team, the Chairmen and staff of all Port Authorities, the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), and the Fisheries Department for their dedicated efforts and valuable contributions towards improving the performance of Pakistan’s maritime sector.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Ahmad Atteeq Anwer, Ms Romina Khurshid Alam, Jam Abdual Karim Bijar, Syed Rafiullah, Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, Hassan Sabir, Muhammad Usman Badini, Pullain Baloch, the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, in addition to the officers and staff from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Wednesday invited Bahrain to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s food security, information technology and tourism sectors.

During a meeting with Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, on the sidelines of Geneva Digital Week and AI Week 2026, the minister highlighted the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as a dedicated platform to facilitate and support foreign investment in Pakistan.

The two ministers discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of information technology and telecommunications and agreed to further strengthen collaboration in these sectors.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to expanding cooperation and promoting stronger bilateral ties through partnerships in technology and telecommunications.

Islamabad: lamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have arrested 15 suspects and recovered 15 pistols and one gun during a 24-hour crackdown against illegal weapons.

An official told reporter on Wednesday that cases had been registered against all the arrested suspects, while targeted operations were carried out in different parts of the federal capital as part of the ongoing “Weapon-Free Islamabad” campaign.

The official said the operation was aimed at eliminating illegal weapons and ensuring a safer environment for residents of the capital.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muhammad Jawad Tariq said ICT Police remained fully committed to protecting the lives and property of citizens and would continue taking strict action against those involved in possessing or displaying illegal weapons.

He said special police teams were conducting targeted operations against individuals involved in keeping or displaying illegal weapons, adding that Islamabad Police had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against such offences.

The DIG Tariq also advised citizens possessing licensed weapons to ensure their firearms were duly registered with the relevant police stations in accordance with the law.

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives and widespread destruction caused by devastating storms, tornadoes, landslides and heavy rains in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as Hubei and Gansu provinces.

‘Deeply saddened by the devastating floods and heavy rains affecting our Chinese brothers and sisters. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and express Pakistan’s full solidarity with the people of China during this difficult time. Our ironclad friendship remains steadfast’, President Asif Zardari said in a statement.

The prime minister, in a separate statement extended, on behalf of the people of Pakistan, heartfelt condolences to President Xi Jinping, the Government and the people of China, especially the bereaved families.

“We stand in solidarity with our Chinese brothers and sisters during this difficult time and pray for the swift recovery of the injured and the success of ongoing rescue efforts,” the prime minister added.