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MQM-P warns of protest if Centre does not ensure implementation of 2022 agreement with PPP

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday warned of issuing a protest call if the Centre did not ensure that the party’s 2022 agreement with the PPP on various provincial issues was implemented. The MQM-P and PPP had signed an 18-point agreement on March 30, 2022 — just before the two joined hands with other parties to remove PTI’s Imran Khan as the prime minister. The MQM-P’s demands ranged from municipal government structure to future power-sharing formula and recruitment policy in Sindh to local policing system. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Farooq Sattar referred to that deal as the “last agreement between the MQM-P and PPP”. He stressed that his party had not demanded to be included in the provincial government or sought authority over Sindh’s resources. Sattar claimed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari held “no meeting despite repeated reminders from the MQM-P” on the agreement to implement a Supreme Court order regarding local governments...
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Ghotki resident arrested for forging letter claiming to be National Assembly employee

The National Assembly (NA) Secretariat said on Saturday that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested a resident of Ghotki who had forged an appointment letter and used it to “obtain undue privileges”. In a statement, the NA Secretariat said that a person named Abdul Wajid, a resident of Ghotki, falsely represented himself as a Grade-17 employee and used a forged appointment letter issued in the name of the secretariat, which also bore forged signatures of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. “According to reports, the said individual not only misled government officials and police authorities by claiming this fake status and allegedly obtained undue privileges and protocol, but was also reportedly involved in harassing and pressuring citizens through various means, causing concern and unrest among the public,” it said in the statement posted on the social media platform X. It clarified that the person in question had no connection with the ...
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Billboards, cologne and flowers: Turkye's capital Ankara gets Nato makeover

Along the highway from Ankara airport to the city centre, municipal workers have been planting flowers and installing giant billboards to shield views of dilapidated homes and poorer neighbourhoods. Ahead of a high-stakes Nato summit that begins on Tuesday, the Turkish capital has had a facelift to burnish its image for the 32 heads of state who will fly in, among them US President Donald Trump. But the makeover and the strict security measures put in place — which will shut down several major roads, forcing shops to close — will make life difficult for residents and business owners in this city of nearly six million people, drawing sharp criticism from locals and opposition politicians. Police officers on horses patrol the historical part of the city ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 3, 2026. —AFP “Ankara has practically become an open-air prison … The entire capital has been brought to a standstill to facilitate the movement of a few offi...
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Maryam tells parents to ensure childrens' safety, avoid leaving them 'unattended'

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday urged parents not to leave their children unattended and to ensure their safety when sending them out of the house. The statement comes after the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Sargodha and a roof collapse incident at a private tuition centre in Lahore, which claimed the lives of 14 children. The chief minister spoke about both incidents in a televised address to the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee on Friday. Citing the Sargodha incident, CM Maryam recalled that the child had gone to a shop alone, after which the shopkeeper murdered her and hid her body. “It was a spot of blood on the foot of her slipper which led to the identification of the murderer,” she recalled, adding that she had taken notice of the incident immediately and directed authorities to apprehend the suspect. “I can provide transport, health and other facilities; however, if you are not safe within your houses, then I believe I have not succeeded in my...
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Analysis: Agriculture tax reform stalls at the farm gate

Source: FBR THE first year of Pakistan’s unified agriculture income tax regime has exposed a stark gap between policy ambition and revenue collection, with provincial tax authorities collecting barely 2 per cent of the agricultural income declared by taxpayers during fiscal year 2025-26. The figures raise fresh questions about the effectiveness of the landmark reform introduced last year under a fiscal restructuring programme backed by the International Monetary Fund. Despite a harmonised legal framework and uniform tax rates across all four provinces, provisional data shows that around 445,000 taxpayers declared Rs306 billion in agricultural income in tax year 2025, while provincial governments provisionally collected only Rs5.62bn in agriculture income tax (AIT) during the outgoing fiscal year. Structural weaknesses, weak enforcement, political considerations and the influence of large landowners continue to undermine the provinces’ ability to collect A...
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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign agreement for construction of cricket stadium in Jeddah

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday that an agreement had been signed with Saudi Arabia for the construction of a modern cricket stadium in Jeddah. In a post on X, the cricket board said the agreement was signed by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) chief Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Mohammad Al Saud. Naqvi is currently in Saudi Arabia on an official visit. “For the first time in history, a strategic agreement has been signed between the PCB and the SACF for the construction of a modern cricket stadium in Jeddah,” he said. “The PCB will build a cricket stadium as per international standards and with state-of-the-art facilities. All the facilities will be according to the standards of the International Cricket Council (ICC),” the statement said. It further said that the two boards would jointly work on infrastructure development, technical expertise, stadium planning and operational standa...
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Hope fades, hunger grows a week after Venezuela quakes

Hope of finding more survivors faded on Wednesday as Venezuela marked a week since twin earthquakes killed almost 2,300 people, while many who lived through the disaster were running desperately short on food. As the death toll mounted, Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez declared seven days of mourning, saying the country’s “soul is torn apart by the human losses.” Tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for. This aerial view shows people holding lit candles and a Venezuelan flag during a vigil paying tribute to victims of earthquakes in Venezuela, with the word “VENEZUELA” formed with candles on the ground at Plaza Estado del Vaticano in Buenos Aires on July 1, 2026. — AFP The majority of collapsed buildings in the hardest-hit city of La Guaira, just north of Caracas, have been marked with the letter ‘D’ for ‘deceased’ — a sign they had been searched with no signs of life found. “Time isn’t wasted in a place where there is no expectat...
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