Pakistan

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority raised the prices of petroleum products on Thursday following a presidential ordinance. The hike came a day after the Supreme Court suspended a government-imposed carbon surcharge in an effort to keep the price of petroleum products low.  The price hike means that petrol will now be available at Rs 62.13 per litre while kerosene is now priced at Rs 59.35 per litre. Is the ongoing petroleum price see-saw a clash...

According to a senior official in the finance ministry, Pakistan’s inflation rate could be higher than indicated by government figures. Inflation is measured on the basis of consumption patterns, which are surveyed every five years. However, the government has delayed for at least one year a revision in consumption patterns, thereby concealing actual inflationary pressures. Currently, Pakistani inflation is measured on the basis of consumption...

The Pakistan Army is closing in on South Waziristan, the stalking ground of Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. In recent days, the military has been using airstrikes, artillery and blockades to attack suspected hide-outs and training camps in the tribal agency in an effort to weaken Mehsud’s position before launching a full-scale attack. The authorities also turned a blind eye to tribal infighting, in the hope that Mehsud’s rival...

Karachiites in many parts of the city continue to suffer without electricity, as power has yet to be fully restored after a fault developed on the main supply lines on Wednesday evening. In some areas, power has been returning sporadically on Thursday afternoon only for short intervals. At workplaces across the city, employees are yawning, complaining about the stifling, sleepless night they had to endure. People are comparing the longevity of their...

DawnNews’ Wired and Active show brings you this question of the week. Is the relief effort for internally displaced persons (IDPs) by the Pakistani state and international donors enough? In recent weeks, the Pakistani government has launched special financial packages for the IDPs and earmarked Rs 50 billion for their rehabilitation. Meanwhile, international donor agencies are stepping up relief efforts and launching innovative programmes to...

A 2.89-trillion-rupee budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year has been announced, bringing with it a projected deficit of a whopping five per cent of GDP. The government has promised much: reforming the existing tax structure to make it more equitable, moving towards taxing the agricultural sector and improving the tax-to-GDP ratio. The budget also calls for an end to subsidies to the power sector and brings in massive stimulus packages to prop up the...

Dawn.com invites its readers to discuss current affairs in this forum. Earlier this week, President Asif Ali Zardari urged India to resume the process of composite dialogue without any conditions to jointly address common problems, including Kashmir and terrorism. Now, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a peaceful partnership with Pakistan, which he argues is in his country’s vital interest. On Tuesday, Dr Singh said, ‘I have...

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has not only claimed the attack, but also made it clear that the spillover from the military operations in Swat and other tribal areas will not end in Lahore. ‘Residents should leave the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan,’ the purported aide of Baitullah Mehsud warned. Is the Pakistani state ready to deal with the emerging threat? What measures should the authorities take to ensure the...

President Asif Ali Zardari was one of the first few leaders to congratulate the Congress party on its election victory. The president said he was looking forward to resuming dialogue with India. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani too congratulated Dr Manmohan Singh after his re-election and stressed the need for peacefully resolving all outstanding issues between the two countries. Analysts believe Singh’s strengthened mandate after India’s general...

Chief of Army Staff Gen Kayani has called for ‘precision strikes to avoid collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks’ in Swat. But will this strategy work? Air raids, especially those conducted by coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan almost always cause widespread civilian casualties. Given the chequered history of precision strikes, can it be said that the Pakistan army will do any better? Also, the army chief has said that the...