Author: Yanik Swati

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday advised the country’s president, Arif Alvi, to dissolve parliament, setting the stage for a general election as the world’s fifth-most populous country wrestles with deepening political and economic crises. When is the election likely to be held? Legally, an election should be held within 90 days of parliament’s dissolution, but the outgoing government has already warned that polling day is likely to be delayed. Speculation has lingered that there could be a delay to elections as the establishment contends with overlapping security, economic, and political crises. The unlikely coalition between Pakistan’s usually bickering dynastic parties, which combined forces to force Khan…

The public debt owed by the government amounts to more than Rs 2.221 trillion. According to the data released by the Public Debt Management Office, the government’s internal loans amount to more than Rs 1.1 trillion and external loans stand at Rs 1.093 trillion. In the fiscal year 2022/23, the size of public debt witnessed a significant increase of over Rs 200 billion. A year ago, the total public debt stood at Rs 2.012 trillion. However, during the last fiscal year, the internal debt rose by Rs 140 billion, and the external loan saw a substantial increase of Rs 675 billion,…

An interfaith coalition of civil society leaders gathered earlier this month in Kathmandu to discuss the state of religious freedom in Nepal and collaborate on next steps.   More than 200 people attended the seminar, including attorneys, human rights defenders, and religious leaders from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Kirat, and Muslim communities as well Dalits and members of many ethnic minority groups. Members of the Nepalese parliament, representatives from various government agencies dealing with human rights and social issues, attorneys, and officials from all seven of Nepal’s provinces also attended and even spoke. Speakers and attendees remarked on the strong turnout and…

Punjab’s interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed his displeasure at the recent police raid on the house of Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. The police had gone to Hussain’s house to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Parvez Elahi. Naqvi responded to a tweet by Hussain’s son, Chaudhry Saalik Hussain, stating that he was appalled by the police’s actions and would not tolerate any illegal actions by anyone. He also assured that he was receiving all the details about the matter. https://twitter.com/MohsinnaqviC42/status/1652497479282176008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1652497479282176008%7Ctwgr%5Ea19330c613883da1b6127589c5fad3fe5248d5a0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.dailypakistan.com.pk%2F30-Apr-2023%2Fraid-on-parvez-elahi-s-residence-mohsin-naqvi-says-illegal-action-won-t-be-allowed Earlier, Saalik had tweeted a video of the police trying to break into his house…

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir has arrived in the United Kingdom on a five-day visit, where he will attend the Wilton Park conference and interact with the defence officials. Gen Asim’s maiden visit to the Kingdom, saying the country’s top general will attend meetings on defense-related issues till February 9, reported Dawn. COAS will call on the country’s defence officials and chief of the general staff of the British army. In the British capital, the army chief will attend a conference at Wilton Park, which was formed to foster multi-nation dialogue. Hindustan Times also shared a report, saying…

Iraq halted crude exports from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and northern Kirkuk fields on Saturday, an oil official told Reuters, after the country won a longstanding arbitration case against Turkiye, Reuters reports. The decision to stop shipments of 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude relates to a case from 2014, when Baghdad claimed that Turkiye violated a joint agreement by allowing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to export oil through a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Baghdad deems KRG exports via Turkish Ceyhan port as illegal. The International Chamber of Commerce ruled in favour of Iraq on Thursday, Iraq’s oil ministry…

Energy is a critical resource necessary for a country’s economic development. Despite this, many nations struggle to generate enough energy to meet their economic goals. Nepal, on the other hand, faces a unique challenge: although it produces abundant green energy in the form of hydroelectricity, at least in the wet season, it struggles with its proper utilization. The country must increase its domestic consumption while simultaneously seeking to sell its excess hydroelectricity to neighboring South Asian countries, including India and Bangladesh. Nepal’s ability to fully exhaust its hydroelectric potential will be essential to realizing its economic aspirations. Building on its…

In the first half of the ongoing fiscal year, Nepal recorded 191 foreigners deported, informs the Department of Immigration. The visitors from 39 countries were deported after they were found to be involved in criminal activities, punished for various offences and overstaying in Nepal, according to the Department. China, the United Kingdom and the United States are the top three countries on the list of the nationalities of foreigners deported. In the six months, Nepal deported 85 Chinese, 12 Britishers and 12 Americans. After that on the list are Pakistan and Uzbekistan with the numbers 10 and nine respectively. Source:…

Some elements in Nepal are opposed to its construction and have been throwing stones on Indian workers to disrupt work at the site. Windscreens of four trucks were damaged here in Dharchula, a border town, and their drivers had to jump into Kali river to save themselves as they were attacked with stones from Nepal, officials said on Saturday. “Indian workers were attacked once again from the Nepal side on Friday,” SDO irrigation department Farhan Ahmad said. The attack had been one of the several such launched in the past few days from across the border against Indian workers engaged in the construction…