Dar chairs austerity committee, calls for sustained follow-up on spending cuts
The Foreign Office says the committee reviewed progress on earlier decisions, and Dar separately ordered a restructuring roadmap for the national shipping corporation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, and called for sustained follow-up so that spending cuts already approved by the government are actually carried out.
According to a Foreign Office statement, the committee reviewed progress on decisions taken earlier, with attention to expenditure management and conservation of resources across ministries and divisions. Dar said close coordination between institutions and consistent follow-up were needed to meet the objectives of the austerity drive, and that all relevant institutions shared responsibility for turning the measures into lasting savings.
The meeting was attended by the minister for information technology and telecommunication, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, and the secretaries of the Cabinet, Law and Justice, Information and Broadcasting, and Federal Education and Professional Training. Senior representatives of the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan also attended, along with officials of relevant ministries.
The Express Tribune reported that Dar held a separate meeting the same day on the proposed restructuring of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC). Participants discussed turning the state-owned corporation into what the Foreign Office described as a competitive, commercially viable and globally recognised maritime entity, and reviewed proposals to improve operational efficiency and align corporate governance with international best practices.
Dar said the restructuring must be anchored in professionalism and aligned with global standards, and directed the authorities concerned to engage world-class shipping and financial consultants to prepare a roadmap. That roadmap, he said, should aim to maximise commercial returns, strengthen Pakistan's maritime trade logistics and safeguard the country's national economic interests.
The federal minister for maritime affairs, the maritime affairs secretary and senior officials from relevant ministries attended the PNSC meeting, along with Tariq Bajwa.
How the reports differ
Business Recorder reported only the austerity committee meeting, paraphrasing Dar's remarks as relayed in a Foreign Office statement. The Express Tribune covered the same meeting but led its report on a separate PNSC restructuring meeting held the same day, and carried Dar's remarks as direct quotations, including his direction to engage world-class shipping and financial consultants. Business Recorder's account did not mention the shipping corporation meeting.
Singapore foreign minister arrives in Islamabad for talks with Dar
The visit marks 60 years of Pakistan-Singapore diplomatic ties, precedes Singapore's 2027 ASEAN chairmanship and will see a disaster management MoU exchanged.
Pakistan, China hold third spokespersons' dialogue in Islamabad
The Foreign Office says talks covered media engagement, strategic communication and public diplomacy, and that Mao Ning also called on Ishaq Dar.
Overseas Pakistanis send $3.9bn in October as remittances rise 13.8pc
State Bank data show July-October inflows of $14.8 billion, 14 per cent up on last year, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE supplying more than 45 per cent.
Transsion plans phone component manufacturing in Pakistan
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Transsion founder George Zhu as the Tecno and Infinix parent set out plans to move beyond assembly into parts.
Army chief says Pakistan seeks long-term mineral investment
The prime minister told the same Islamabad forum that Pakistan would be among the world's major economies before 2050 and that Reko Diq is nearing its operational phase.
Aurangzeb seeks foreign buyers as sovereign Sukuk passes Rs10tr
Finance minister says issuance rose 113 percent to Rs4.4 trillion in 2026, with foreign investment in the Shariah-compliant paper still lagging T-bill and PIB inflows.
Supreme Court upholds Qaiser Ayub's death sentence in blasphemy case
The October 7 ruling is the first time the court has upheld a death sentence under Section 295-C, the ECLJ says; his brother Amoon was acquitted.
PTA bars licensed operators from supplying bandwidth to unlicensed providers
Regulator says LDI and FLL licensees may sell internet bandwidth, including configured packages, only to PTA-licensed operators, and points cable operators to the District Class Licence route.