ZEESHAN AFZAL

‘Short of structural, bold reforms’: Finance experts unpack 2025-26 budget. "This is exactly the budget one can expect under the IMF programmed," says Sajid Amin; Ali Hasnain terms budget relatively disciplined but within status quo. In a rather noisy National Assembly session on Tuesday, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026, with a total outlay of Rs17.573 trillion and an ambitious 4.2 per cent growth target. In his speech, Aurangzeb said the budget was being presented at a “historic moment”, referring to the recent Pakistan-India escalation. He stressed the need for ensuring the country’s financial security in the same way that national sovereignty was protected. “Pakistan has now achieved economic stability and is moving towards a Pakistan that is prosperous,” he said. Dawn.com  reached out to leading economists and analysts for their key takeaways from the budget. Here’s what they had to say: ‘An anomaly’ Economist Adi...

Israel, Iran trade fire as conflict rages into 9th day; diplomatic efforts urged to promote talks. The exchange of fire between Israel and Iran has entered its ninth day, with both sides reportedly launching new waves of attacks against each other.  Al Jazeera reported on Saturday morning that Israel's air force had "begun a wave of strikes against missile storage and launch infrastructure in central Iran," citing Israel's military statement.  Earlier on Saturday, Israel's military released two separate statements. The first claimed that several rockets were launched from Iranian territory, with initial estimates putting the number at around 10 projectiles heading toward Israel.  The second statement, issued shortly after, said that sirens were sounding in several parts of the country but primarily centered on the central part of Israel and in Tel Aviv, where explosions were heard in the skies. In a statement released on Friday evening, Iran's Islamic Revoluti...

.مفروضوں کی دنیا سے نکلیں ....................................... Get out of the world of assumptions. (قاسم علی شاہ) ڈاکٹر مارٹن سیلگ مین ایک ممتاز ماہر نفسیات، مصنف اور محقق ہیں۔ انہیں "مثبت نفسیات" کا بانی سمجھا جاتا ہے۔ انسانی رویے اور جذبات پر ان کی تحقیق کو بین الاقوامی سطح پر پذیرائی ملی ہے۔ 1967 میں، اس نے " سیکھی ہوئی بے بسی" کا نظریہ پیش کیا۔ اس فلسفے کے مطابق جب کوئی فرد بار بار ناکام ہوجائے تو ایک وقت کے بعدوہ کوشش کرنا چھوڑ دیتا ہے اگرچہ حالات سازگار کیوں نہ ہو جائیں۔ اس بنیاد پر انھوں نے ایک تجربہ کیا۔ انھوں نے چند کتوں کو ایک پنجرے میں بند کیا اور انھیں بجلی کے ہلکے جھٹکے دیے۔ کتوں نے نکلنا چاہا لیکن باہر جانے کاراستہ نہیں تھا۔ دوسری مرتبہ انھی کتوں کو پنجرے میں بندکرکے ان پر بجلی چھوڑدی گئی، اس بار باہر جانے کاراستہ کھلا چھوڑ دیا گیا تھا لیکن حیرت انگیز طورپر کتے باہر نہیں گئے اور بجلی کے جھٹکے برداشت کرتے رہے۔ اس تجربے نے انسانی نفسیات کے میدان میں تہلکہ مچا دیا۔ ڈاکٹر سیلگ مین نے اپنے نظریے کو انسانوں پر لاگو کیا تو انھیں معلوم ہوا کہ مسلسل نا...

ISPR | Inter-Services Public Relations |  Pakistan Rawalpindi, 19 June 2025: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, met with President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, at the White House. The high-level engagement was scheduled at the Cabinet Room over Luncheon followed by a visit to the Oval Office. President Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio, and Mr. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs. Field Marshal Asim Munir was joined in by Pakistan’s National Security Advisor. During the meeting, the Chief of Army Staff conveyed the deep appreciation of the Government and people of Pakistan for President Trump’s constructive and result-oriented role in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in the recent regional crisis. The COAS acknowledged President Trump’s statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community. P...

AMMAN: Israel’s expanded offensive on Iran is a threat to everyone, said Jordan’s King Abduallah II to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday. “There is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end… the attacks on Iran threaten a dangerous escalation in our region and beyond,” he said. “If our global community fails to act decisively, we become complicit in rewriting what it means to be human. If Israeli bulldozers continue to illegally demolish Palestinian homes, olive trees and infrastructure, so too will they flatten the rails that defy moral grounds,” he added. He reiterated the need for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state and the importance of granting Palestinians the right to freedom and statehood. “Global security won’t be assured until the global community acts to end the three-year war in Ukraine and the world’s longest and most destructive flashpoint, the eight-decade-long Palestinian Israeli conflict,” said AlHussein. The King cite...