PESHAWAR: Will Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) block supplies to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) forces passing through the provinces after November 20 to retaliate against the US for killing Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan former chief Hakimullah Mehsud?
If it does so, what would be its fallout on overall politics in KP, and political repercussions for the PTI? These and some other burning questions are making rounds these days in the province’s political circles.
The joint opposition in the provincial assembly appears to be defensively offensive. Some charge PTI is playing ‘crying foul’ to take political advantage and hide its provincial government’s performance. Some are appearing jittery. The provincial legislature, added the Mufti, had just entered into the sixth months of its existence and PTI had brought it to the crossroads where it could go packing. ‘This is childish.’
IMF wants quick privatisation of PIA
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is pressing Pakistan to kick-start privatisation of state-owned Pakistan International Airline (PIA) by appointing a financial adviser by March and hand over the airlines to a buyer by December next year.
This is part of a condition accepted by Pakistan under the $6.67bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF), sources here say. Under structural benchmark criteria agreed by the IMF and Pakistani side during recently concluded talks between two sides, the privatisation of PIA would be accomplished till end December 2014.
The appointment of financial adviser for offloading 26 per cent shares of PIA will be accomplished till end March 2014. Earlier, both sides had agreed that the privatization of 26 percent shares of PIA would be done by June 2014 but now this deadline was extended up to December 2014.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka seek $1bn trade
COLOMBO: Pakistan has offered to set up sugar mills in Sri Lanka, the offer was made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in response to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s desire to invest in the sugar sector during their meeting in Colombo.
Officials at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo said yesterday that during the meeting, both the leaders agreed to further strengthen economic ties and stressed on increasing bilateral trade volume from the present $460m to $1bn in the next few years.
They also agreed that bilateral flow of investments could play an important role in boosting economic relations.
Internews
