ISLAMABAD: (DNA) – Ishaq Dar’s days as minister of finance may be numbered as Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is about to replace him with Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal. “A notification in order to give additional charge of the finance ministry to Iqbal is expected to be issued shortly,” sources in the Prime Minister office told on the condition of anonymity. Iqbal already has a lot on his plate as he is the incumbent interior minister and is also at the helm of the Ministry of Planning and Development. Sources saidRead More

PARIS, (DNA) – Pakistan would welcome French cooperation and collaboration in the development of mass transit transport system in Pakistan to provide modern and efficient travelling facilities to its population of 207 million. This was stated by the Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque while talking to a group of French students of Paris Institute of Science and Technology, who called on him in the Embassy in Paris today. The Ambassador said that Pakistan was giving top priority to the development of public transport and mass transit systemRead More

ISLAMABAD, (DNA) – The National Security Committee (NSC) met on Wednesday and condemned the recent attacks on Pakistan Army post in Bajaur Agencyand police officials in Quetta, it also expressed concern over the “activities of hostile intelligence agencies to destabilise Pakistan”. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, discussed the security situation in Balochistan at length and appreciated the significant improvement brought by the security forces. The committee affirmed that the federal government will increase collaboration with the Balochistan government for the rapid socio-economic development of the province. The meetingRead More

BEIJING: (DNA) – The top priority of Chinese government is to increase people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and China, a senior Chinese official said on Wednesday. Chen Feng, director of South Asia division at Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Pakistan government is taking steps to improve the security of Chinese engineers and diplomats in the country. “But more can be done,” he said, and added that “we hope things improve”. The Chinese official expressed satisfaction at the pace of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said that the project wasRead More

KARACHI: (DNA) – President Mamnoon Hussain here on Wednesday called for turning the platform of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) effective through strong regional connectivity and people-to-people contact. Addressing a conference on Peace in South Asia, organised by Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA), he said the region, home to around 1.7 billion, representing 21 per cent of the world population, is in urgent need of peace. “South Asia is mired in several crisis and conflicts at the moment due to various unresolved political and geographical factors,” saidRead More