Author: Asghar Ali Mubarak

By Asghar Ali Mubarak RAWALPINDI: Sri Lanka edged past Pakistan by six runs in the final league match of the T20 Tri-Nation Series to secure a place in the tournament final this Saturday. At Rawalpindi, Pakistan won the toss and invited Sri Lanka to bat first. The visitors’ innings got off to a shaky start as opener Pathum Nissanka fell for eight, but a 66-run partnership between Kusal Mendis and Kamal Mishara steadied the innings. Mendis contributed 40 before being dismissed, while Mishara remained unbeaten on 76. Bhanuka Liyanage added a quick 24 not out, helping Sri Lanka post a…

By Asghar Ali Mubarak ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy Owais Leghari has highlighted the urgent need for reforms in Pakistan’s solar net-metering system, noting that the country is witnessing one of the fastest expansions in solar energy globally. Renewable sources now account for 55 percent of Pakistan’s energy mix, he said. Leghari underlined that while the net-metering framework requires improvement, reform efforts are already underway, with results expected soon. The country’s solar journey, which began almost from scratch in 2015, is projected to supply up to 20 percent of total electricity generation by 2026. According to the World Resources Institute,…

By Asghar Ali Mubarak ISLAMABAD: Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said that Iran had fulfilled its obligations under the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline agreement, and the line had been completed up to the border. “If there had been no obstacles, Pakistani homes would be using Iranian gas today,” he told reporters in Islamabad, expressing hope for a swift resolution to the project. Speaking at a press conference, Larijani said Iran was ready to play any role needed to resolve issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Whenever Pakistan requests our cooperation, we will assist. Pakistan stood by Iran during…

By Asghar Ali Mubarak ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, warned that lasting peace in the region could not be achieved while militant groups such as the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continued to operate with impunity, urging Afghanistan to take a clear stance against extremism. Speaking at the opening of the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers Conference in Islamabad, Sharif emphasized that Pakistan had repeatedly faced hostile actions from forces opposed to peace, but that its armed forces had successfully thwarted attempts to destabilize the country. He described the gathering of parliamentary leaders from across the world to discuss security, peace, and development…

Pakistani leader uses address in Jahaniyan to praise armed forces and tout economic progress, while offering rare praise for his niece, Maryam Nawaz By Asghar Ali Mubarak ISLAMABAD: In a sweeping address that blended assertions of military triumph with pledges of economic renewal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that a rival nation could “never until Judgment Day recover from the defeat in the battle of truth.” The speech, delivered to a gathering of party loyalists, positioned national security and domestic prosperity as the twin pillars of his government’s agenda. The Prime Minister credited the nation’s armed forces with securing a resounding…