RPO Alpa chairs RPCC meeting; assesses policing effectiveness & coordination

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:52 PM

RAWALPINDI, Dec 31 (APP): Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi Babar Sarfraz Alpa on Wednesday presided over the monthly meeting of the Regional Police Coordination Committee (RPCC) to review performance, enhance institutional coordination and improve policing standards across the region.

According to an RPO spokesperson, the meeting held in accordance with the directives of Inspector General of Police Punjab Dr Usman Anwar, was attended by City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Syed Khalid Hamdani, District Police Officers (DPOs) of Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal and Murree, Regional Officers of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch, SP and SSP Operations, SP Legal Rawalpindi Region, Chief Traffic Officer, SSPU Regional Officer, and other relevant unit heads.

During the session, the participants reviewed the current law and order situation across the region, preparations for New Year night, the snowfall season in Murree, crime prevention, policing effectiveness, and security arrangements for Chinese citizens and other foreigners deployed on CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and non-CPEC projects.

Sensitive locations, operational challenges in various police units, and proposed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for First Information Report (FIR) registration were also discussed.

RPO Alpa directed all districts and units to maintain effective coordination, enhance operational readiness, upgrade policing standards in line with modern requirements, and ensure prompt investigation and prosecution of registered cases.

He emphasised taking action against illegally residing foreigners and responding promptly to complaints submitted through the police complaint portal.

Special security arrangements were also planned for the upcoming 13th Rajab processions and gatherings marking the birth anniversary of Hazrat Ali (AS).

Ahead of the New Year night and possible snowfall in Murree, the RPO instructed the implementation of a special security plan, traffic management, tourist guidance, deployment of additional personnel, coordination with rescue services, and continuous monitoring of major highways. He stressed that the safety of citizens and tourists remains the top priority, and the police will remain fully alert to handle any untoward incidents.

The RPO noted that the establishment of the RPCC had significantly improved coordination among all departments, which was crucial for effective policing and maintaining law and order. Recommendations presented during the meeting were used to determine future actions.

N-25 highway to be completed in two years: Aleem Khan

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Asif Jalal

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:49 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (APP): Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Wednesday announced that the Karachi–Quetta–Chaman Highway (N-25) will be completed within two years and constructed in line with international standards, reaffirming the government’s commitment to improving connectivity and infrastructure development in Balochistan.

He expressed these views while talking to the former Chairman Senate and Member of the Provincial Assembly from Balochistan, Mir Muhammad Sadiq Khan Sanjrani, who called on him today in his office, said a press release.

Abdul Aleem Khan said that instructions have been issued to the National Highway Authority (NHA) to commence work at the earliest on the Dalbandin–Chaghi Road in Balochistan. He emphasized that the development of Balochistan is the government’s top priority and a comprehensive network of roads will be laid across the province to achieve this objective.

Abdul Aleem Khan further stated that the NHA is working on a special road package for Balochistan, as the largest province of the country by area, Balochistan requires a modern and high-standard road network to facilitate trade and tourism with Afghanistan, Iran and other countries.

He assured that he is personally ensuring the best performance of the NHA in the province. During the meeting, former Chairman Senate and MPA Mir Muhammad Sadiq Khan Sanjrani thanked Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan and said that the NHA’s special initiatives for Balochistan would prove to be a valuable gift for the people of the province.

He added that these projects would significantly improve transportation facilities and provide much-needed relief from existing difficulties.

Funeral prayers of Sub-Inspector Zakir Hussain, Constable Muhammad Asif held with full honours

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Asif Jalal

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:44 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (APP): Funeral prayers of late Sub-Inspector Zakir Hussain and Constable Muhammad Asif of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police were held with full honours at the Police Lines Headquarters on Wednesday.

A police spokesperson told APP that Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, along with senior police officers and a large number of police personnel, attended the funeral prayers to pay rich tribute to the fallen officers.

Funeral prayers of Sub-Inspector Zakir Hussain, Constable Muhammad Asif held with full honours

A smartly turned-out police contingent presented a guard of honour, while the IGP Islamabad and senior officers laid floral wreaths on the coffins and offered Fateha for the departed souls.

The spokesperson said that Sub-Inspector Zakir Hussain and Constable Muhammad Asif were serving in the Operations and Logistics divisions of Islamabad Police and had rendered valuable services to the force.

After the funeral prayers, the bodies were sent to their native areas for burial with full official honours.

IGP Rizvi directed officers to ensure complete support and welfare for the bereaved families, saying that every police officer and official was a valuable asset of the force.

He said Islamabad Police would stand by the families of the martyrs and extend all possible assistance to them in this difficult time.

PM launches Economic Governance Reforms, citing inflation drop to 4.5%, reserves above $21bn

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Asif Jalal

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:39 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday launched the government’s Economic Governance Reforms, declaring that Pakistan has exited the phase of economic firefighting after two years of politically difficult but structurally necessary decisions that restored macroeconomic stability and credibility with a record drop in inflation to 4.5 per cent and a substantial surge in the foreign exchange reserves of upto $21 billion.

Addressing the launching ceremony of the Prime Minister’s Economic Governance Reforms, the prime minister said the government inherited an economy in early 2024 marked by nearly 30 per cent inflation, critically low foreign exchange reserves, weakened state institutions and Pakistan’s marginalisation from global economic engagement. He said the scale of the crisis left no room for shortcuts or populism.

“Restoring the economy required hard choices that spared no political constituency,” the prime minister said, adding that unsustainable subsidies were withdrawn, fiscal discipline restored, public financial management strengthened and long-delayed privatisation reforms initiated. “These were not cosmetic fixes but unavoidable structural reforms,” he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said inflation had fallen sharply from 29.2 per cent to 4.5 per cent, while foreign exchange reserves more than doubled from $9.2 billion to over $21 billion. He said the current account position improved from a $3.3 billion deficit to a $1.9 billion surplus, with Pakistan also moving from a primary deficit to a primary surplus and narrowing its overall fiscal deficit.

The prime minister said revenue reforms had begun to correct long-standing distortions, with the tax-to-GDP ratio rising from around 8 per cent to over 10 per cent and more than one million new taxpayers brought into the formal economy. Tax collection grew by 26 per cent in 2025, supported by large-scale digitisation of government systems. He highlighted that the e-procurement platform, ePADS, now covers over 1,000 federal agencies and more than half a million contracts, integrated in real time with FBR, NADRA and SECP.

PM Shehbaz said the successful privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines and First Women Bank marked a break from decades of inaction, with further state-owned enterprise reforms underway. He said Pakistan’s stabilisation and reform momentum had been acknowledged by international credit rating agencies and development partners.

“With macroeconomic indicators stabilised, our focus now shifts to accelerating growth, expanding exports and making Pakistan a far easier place to do business,” he said, adding that the reform agenda represented a shift from crisis management to institution building.

The prime minister underscored that the Economic Governance Reforms comprised 142 actions, including 59 priority reforms and 83 complementary measures to be implemented by 58 institutions within defined timelines. Key focus areas include taxation, energy, privatisation, SOEs, pensions, tariff rationalisation, regulatory simplification, rightsizing of the federal government and digital governance.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the reforms were a home-grown, irreversible agenda aimed at embedding stability into institutions and enabling sustainable, private-sector-led growth. “The people of Pakistan have paid a heavy price,” he said. “We cannot return to business as usual, and we will not look back.”

Earlier, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb presented a detailed overview of the reform framework and economic performance indicators. He said GDP growth reached 3.1 per cent in FY25 and accelerated to 3.71 per cent in the first quarter of FY26, while inflation remained contained at around 5 per cent in the first five months of FY26 despite climate-related shocks.

The finance minister said fiscal discipline had been reinforced through consecutive primary surpluses, including a 2.7 per cent surplus of GDP, while the tax-to-GDP ratio rose to 10.2 per cent in FY25, the highest in 25 years. Public debt declined to about 70 per cent of GDP from 75 per cent in FY23, while early debt repayments generated interest savings of Rs3.5 trillion. He noted that the policy rate had been reduced to 10.5 per cent from 22 per cent in June 2024.

On the external front, Senator Aurangzeb said State Bank reserves had reached $15.9 billion, a four-year high, with import cover improving to 2.6 months. The current account deficit stood at $812 million in the first five months of FY26, well within targets, while remittances reached $38 billion in FY25 and Roshan Digital Account inflows rose to $11.5 billion.

He said renewed investor confidence was reflected in a stable exchange rate, expanding private sector credit, a 52 per cent rise in the Pakistan Stock Exchange in dollar terms during 2025, a surge in IPOs and near-complete digitalisation of company registrations.

2025 sounded alarm on climate, governance failures: Piyass Int’l

By

Asif Jalal

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:36 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (APP): Piyass International, a human rights and social justice organization, on Wednesday termed 2025 as a “year of warnings,” saying a series of devastating floods, wildfires, earthquakes and air crashes across the world exposed humanity’s growing vulnerability to natural disasters, compounded by poor governance and human negligence.

In a year-end assessment, the organization said climate change emerged as the primary driver behind the escalating frequency and intensity of disasters, with rising global temperatures, rapid glacier melt and erratic weather patterns pushing natural systems toward dangerous imbalance. It noted that while disasters were natural in origin, their destructive impact was significantly magnified by weak planning, lack of preparedness and failure to protect the environment.

Focusing on floods in Asia, particularly Pakistan, Piyass International said millions were displaced as heavy rains turned into humanitarian crises, illegal encroachments on natural waterways, deforestation and inadequate drainage systems. It said similar governance gaps were evident in wildfire-hit regions, where large swathes of land were destroyed, air pollution surged and ecosystems suffered long-term damage, while earthquakes revealed the deadly consequences of weak infrastructure and non-enforcement of building standards.

The report also raised serious concerns over aviation safety following multiple air crashes during 2025, calling for stricter technical oversight and improved training to ensure passenger safety. Highlighting Pakistan as one of the severely affected countries, the organization said more than 1,000 lives were lost in floods, millions were impacted, and over 1.3 million acres of agricultural land in Punjab were damaged, posing serious threats to food security and rural livelihoods, alongside a surge in post-flood diseases such as dengue and malaria.

Piyass International urged governments to declare climate protection a national priority, enforce building and safety laws, adopt sustainable urban planning and strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response systems.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan calls on by Ex -Chairman Senate & MPA Sadiq Sanjrani.

By

Wajid

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:31 PM

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Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan calls on by Ex -Chairman Senate & MPA Sadiq Sanjrani. — APP06-311225
ISLAMABAD: December 31 –

PSX sheds 418 points to close at 174,054 points

By

Asif Jalal

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Wed, 31 Dec 2025, 6:30 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (APP): The benchmark KSE-100 Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday closed bearish, losing 418.47 points, a negative change of 0.24 percent, to settle at 174,054.32 points compared to 174,472.80 points on the previous trading day, according to PSX data.

During the session, the ready market witnessed a trading volume of 957.239 million shares with a traded value of Rs 44.231 billion, against 851.044 million shares valuing Rs 44.903 billion in the previous session. Market capitalization declined to Rs 19.690 trillion from Rs 19.693 trillion a day earlier.

Out of 481 active companies in the ready market, 221 advanced, 223 declined, while 37 remained unchanged.

K-Electric Limited topped the volume chart with 95.896 million shares, followed by PIA Holding Company Limited with 61.811 million shares and Pak International Bulk with 47.666 million shares.

The top gainers included PIA Holding Company LimitedB, which rose by Rs 1,776.42 to close at Rs 19,540.58, and Rafhan Maize Products Company Limited, increasing by Rs 119.76 to settle at Rs 10,058.37.

On the losing side, Hafiz Limited declined by Rs 48.23 to close at Rs 483.27, while Premium Textile Mills Limited fell by Rs 43.04 to close at Rs 450.23.

In the futures market, turnover stood at 206.329 million shares with a traded value of Rs 11.811 billion, compared to 194.799 million shares worth Rs 12.447 billion in the previous session.

Out of 313 futures-market companies, 133 recorded gains, 176 declined, while four remained unchanged.

Among futures contracts, PIAHCLA-JAN led with 42.818 million shares, followed by KEL-JAN with 20.578 million shares and WTL-JAN with 13.053 million shares.