The sum is the final tranche of a $3 billion rescue-package Islamabad had secured last summer. The newly-elected administration of the South Asian cash-strapped country is already seeking another IMF loan. The International Monetary Fund initially approved on Wednesday the disbursement of $1.1 billion (approximately €1 billion) for indebted Pakistan, pending a final board approval. The sum constitutes the final tranche of a $3 billion rescue package which Pakistan had secured last summer. The package helped the South Asian country avert sovereign debt default. What do we know about the agreement? The staff-level agreement is due to be reviewed by the board in April, the IMF said. It follows a five-day IMF mission in Pakistan to review the fiscal consolidation benchmarks set for the loan. "Pakistan's economic and financial position has improved in the months since the first review, with growth and confidence continuing to recover on the back of prudent policy management and the resumption of inflows from multilateral and bilateral partners," the IMF said. However, the fund expected modest growth this year, with inflation still well above target. It stressed that Islamabad still needed more policy reforms to address its "economic vulnerabilities." Pakistan had already met several IMF conditions before the stand-by arrangement. They included a budget revision, an interest rate hike and an increase in taxes, electricity and gas prices to generate revenues. The IMF called for broadening the tax base and adjusting power and gas tariffs. Pakistan seeking new bailout Meanwhile, Islamabad has already started seeking a new long-term bailout from the fund. Newly appointed Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced the plans, without officially stating the size of the loan. In its Wednesday statement, the IMF said discussions around such a loan would start in the coming months. However, it said objectives would include strengthening public finances, restoring the energy sector's viability, returning inflation to target and promoting private-led activity. The newly-elected government blames its economic woes on the previous government of Imran Khan.Pakistan: How the Supreme Court thwarted a 'civilian coup' Khan was arrested and faced with a slew of charges since a no-confidence vote in parliament ousted him in 2022. He was thus prevented from competing in the country's elections last month.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has announced it would hold countrywide protests against the ‘theft’ of the public's mandate. The party had on Saturday urged the election commission to announce complete results by midnight or face protests. However, within hours of issuing the statement, party workers in Peshawar and Karachi embarked on protests complete with sloganeering and waving of party flags.    The polling was held on Thursday but the results were not yet declared and the country appeared headed to a hung Parliament or a coalition government. As per the updates, Independents backed by PTI won the highest 101 seats in the National Assembly, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 73 seats and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54 seats. Section 144 in Islamabad while water cannon and heavy police force have been deployed at Liberty Chowk in Lahore. In a tweet, the Islamabad Police said some people were inciting illegal gatherings around the election commission and other government institutions. "It should be noted that inciting to gather is also a crime."   Meanwhile, the Election Commission has ordered re-polling in some polling stations of NA-88 (Khushab II), PS-18 (Ghotki I), and PK-90 (Kohat I) following rigging charges, Dawn reported. The ECP spokesperson announced re-polling at 26 polling stations of NA-88 after a mob reportedly set fire to polling material at the returning officer’s office. The re-polling is scheduled for February 15.  Re-polling in PS-18, attributed to the reported confiscation of polling material by unidentified people, is also slated for February 15. Likewise, re-polling will be conducted at 25 polling stations of PK-90 due to damage caused to polling material by terrorists, the ECP said.   Parties are making efforts to cobble up an alliance to form the government since no party has secured a majority. Former premier Nawaz Sharif has also invited political parties, except for the PTI, to come together and form a coalition government, claiming that the PML-N has emerged as the "single-largest party" during the elections. Dawn reported that a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to bind the elected independent candidates to join a political party within three days of the official notification of their victory.    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has said the nation needs "stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation." He said political leadership and their workers should rise above self-interests and synergise efforts in governing and serving the people, "which is perhaps the only way to make democracy functional and purposeful".

The delayed final results from Pakistan's national elections on Thursday show that independent candidates backed by ex-PM Imran Khan won the most seats. Independent candidates linked to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in the country's national election, a final tally by the election commission showed Sunday. Khan-backing independents won 101 of the 264 seats, while the party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, won 75 seats. The Pakistan's People's Party (PPP) which backed ex-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came third with 54 seats. Eleven other parties received a total of 34 seats in the National Assembly. Khan — who is currently in prison — and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were blocked from running in the election, so the supporters of Khan had to run as independents. Both Khan's PTI and Sharif's party, the Muslim League (PML-N) have claimed victory. But as the PML-N becomes the single largest party in parliament, it is likely to have the best chance at forming a coalition. It has already started to seek partners. Internet shut down over post-election clashes The final tally was released over 60 hours after voting concluded in Thursday's national elections, a delay that has raised questions about the process. The vote was overshadowed by a shutdown of internet services due to several bouts of organized violence in the country as well as allegations of manipulation. There were initially no results from two constituencies; in one of the cases, there was no vote because of the murder of a candidate. Khan set for decades in jail The former cricket star was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in 2022. He has since faced over 150 court cases he claims to be politically motivated and endorsed by his rivals in the current government. Khan has so far been sentenced to three years in jail for corruption, followed by another sentence of 10 years for charges relating to leaking state secrets, then another 14 years for corruption, and, most recently both Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years in prison each after a court decided their marriage violated the Pakistani law that states that a woman must wait three months after divorcing to marry again. In another heavy blow to Khan's supporters, a Pakistani court ruled that his party was not allowed to use a cricket bat as their symbol. PTI officials have pointed out that many voters in Pakistan are illiterate, and that not using the bat symbol would negatively affect their numbers. The party has accused the government of conducting a targeted clampdown against Khan and the PTI. Military urges 'unity' Ahead of the final results, Pakistan's powerful military called on politicians to show "political maturity and unity" amid questions regarding the election. "Elections are not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing but an exercise to determine the mandate of the people," army chief General Syed Asim Munir said in a statement. "The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization," the statement added. Khan has accused the military of acting against him, but the military leaders deny those claims.

The preliminary election results show no political party has achieved a simple majority in parliament, and any indications of support from the country's powerful military are being closely monitored. Pakistan needs "stable hands" and must move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarization," the Chief of Army Staff said Saturday. General Syed Asim Munir's statement came after no party was able to gain a simple majority in parliament in Thursday's general election. "The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization," Munir said.  Pakistan's powerful military wields massive political influence, with generals having run the country for nearly half its history.   Votes still being counted Independent candidates linked to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won most seats. The PTI's main rival three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-M), took the second-highest number of seats. Both declared victory victory on Friday. Munir said elections were "not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing."  Complicating matters, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), headed by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has outperformed expectations by securing enough seats to play kingmaker.  With most votes counted on Saturday independents had won at least 99 seats, 88 of them loyal to Khan. Sharif's PML-N took 71 and the PPP snapped up 53. Only 15 of the elected 266-seat National Assembly were still to be announced. On Saturday, the Army chief said he "wishes that these elections bring in political and economic stability and prove to be the harbinger of peace and prosperity for our beloved Pakistan."   Parties begin coalition talks Khan was barred from contesting the election after being handed several lengthy prison sentences in the days leading up to the vote. He was ousted from government in April 2022 by a no-confidence vote that Khan said the military had orchestrated. The United States, Britain, and the European Union expressed concerns about the vote, urging a probe into reported irregularities. However, Pakistan's foreign office said on Saturday that international comments on the nation's elections ignore the "undeniable fact" that Pakistan had conducted elections successfully. Coalition talks between Sharif's party and other groups were reportedly underway.  "We don't have enough of a majority to form a government without the support of others, and we invite allies to join the coalition so we can make joint efforts to pull Pakistan out of its problems," Sharif told supporters. Khan's party chief, Gohar Ali Khan, meanwhile said the PTI would try to form a government. He also said if complete results were not released by Saturday night, the party would hold a peaceful protest on Sunday.  

Over 100 million people were eligible to vote, but the country is still reeling from a deadly bomb blast in Balochistan on the eve of the election. DW has the latest.   More than 128 million voters were registered  Key issues included the economic crisis, security issues and the power of the military The projected front-runner is former Premier Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was barred from running At least 26 people were killed in a bomb blast in Balochistan on the eve of the election   Pakistan counts votes, electoral commission demands results Pakistan's vote count following their national election on Thursday was marred by delays, leading the Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday moring to order returning officers to speed up the release of results. By 3 a.m. local time (2200 GMT, Thursday), more than 10 hours after polls closed, only four provincial assembly results had been announced. The delay has been blamed on "internet problems" after the closure by authorities of internet and phone access during the day. The Interior Ministry said communications outages were "to maintain law and order" after two explosions on Wednesday by the "Islamic State" killed 28 people.  Polls predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters.   

The former prime minister and cricket legend has been fighting legal battles since being removed from power in 2022. The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of having exposed official state secrets, his party said on Tuesday. "Former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) vice-president [Shah Mahmood] Qureshi have been sentenced to 10 years each inside prison in the cypher case," a PTI spokesperson told AFP.   The sentencing comes as Pakistan approaches elections slated for February 8.    Imran Khan's legal troubles "We will challenge today's court proceedings before the Supreme Court," PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said. Khan was sentenced to three years in August after being convicted of corruption, but a court suspended that jail term. Khan and Qureshi have pleaded not guilty ever since being indicted for exposing state secrets in October. Khan was granted bail in the case in December. But he remained behind bars due to the various other legal troubles he was facing since being ousted from his position as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The 71-year-old cricket star-turned-politician has claimed that the charges against him were intended to stop him from running in the upcoming election. He also said he had been targeted by a US-backed conspiracy over his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Osama Malik, a legal expert in Islamabad, called the verdict "excessive, [but] not entirely unexpected," telling DW that "Imran Khan had admitted on television about misplacing the encrypted diplomatic cables."   'No free and fair elections' "We foresee that the sentence will have a positive impact on us and strengthen us. We will ensure to increase the number of voters reaching polling stations to vote for PTI and we will fight for the free political participation of the people in this process," PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan told DW.   "We believe that there will be no free and fair elections," he added, pointing out that many PTI leaders have either been jailed or are threatened with arrest. "We have not been allowed to campaign freely and carry out political activities." Qamar Cheema, an Islamabad-based political analyst, said the verdict will put Khan's party in a "disadvantageous position." "The political environment seems to favor Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto, as voters seem to believe that Khan's party cannot win the elections. Swing voters will shift to parties which have clear chances of winning the elections," he told DW.   What role does the military play in Pakistan's elections? Khan remains one of the most popular politicians in Pakistan and despite being behind bars — and thus blocked from standing in the election — he still wields huge political power. His supporters have regularly protested in the street, but the PTI party has also faced its own crackdown. In mid-January, a Pakistani court ruled that the party must drop its cricket bat symbol, effectively forcing the candidates to run as independents without their famous symbol that had helped the many illiterate voters identify the party. The key player in Pakistani politics is the powerful military that has held the reigns of power for decades — sometimes doing away with elections entirely.  Khan's fate has been tied to his relationship with the generals who once favored him but with whom he has since fallen out. The experience of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was previously removed from power and who fled into exile, has been somewhat reversed as he is now considered the favorite in February's vote and his past falling out with the military appears to have been forgiven.  

After Pakistan fired at targets on Iranian territory in retaliation for attacks carried out by Iran on Pakistani territory, both states now say they want to defuse the situation. The military response was followed by a warning. On January 18, senior security sources in Pakistan said that the armed forces were on "extremely" high alert and that any further "misadventure" from the Iranian side would be met "forcefully." Pakistan fired at targets on Iranian territory, particularly in the border town of Saravan, after Iran targeted militants on Pakistani territory two days before. Iranian state television said that three women and four children, who were reportedly not Iranian nationals, had been killed in a village near the border. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said it had carried out a "series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes" against "terrorist hideouts" in Sistan and Baluchistan, a province in southeastern Iran. It said the strikes were carried out "in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities" and that several "terrorists" had been killed. Iranian state media reported the deaths of nine people. 'Diversionary maneuver by Islamic Republic' Iran, for its part, not only conducted attacks on Pakistani territory, but earlier this week also attacked targets in Syria and Iraq. Several Iranian missiles hit Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.   IRNA, Iran's state news agency, reported that Revolutionary Guards paramilitary units had attacked "a spy headquarters" of Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, as well as a "gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups." According to Iraqi reports, at least four civilians were killed and six injured in the attack. The Revolutionary Guards said that in occupied Syria they had "identified and destroyed" the gathering places of commanders of the so-called Islamic State (IS) terror group, by firing a series of ballistic missiles.  Domestic and regional motives Sara Bazoobandi from the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) said the strikes were linked to blasts that occured in early January in the Iranian city of Kerman, near the grave of the former Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by the US in 2020. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the January attack, which killed approximately 90 people. "The government has barely commented on the attack so far," said Bazoobandi, who added that little was known as to why. "In particular, the government and security authorities cannot explain why they were unable to prevent such an attack." Bazoobandi said Israel's deadly late December airstrike on Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a Revolutionary Guards general in Syria, also caused considerable consternation among the Iranian regime's supporters. She said that if the regime was now attacking targets beyond its borders in an unsystematic way, it was to demonstrate that it is still strong. "This would also fit in with the explanation that the Kurdish businessman killed in the attack in Syria was a spy working for Israel. Ultimately, the regime's aim is to keep its supporters happy with random attacks." Political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad, the director of the Center for Middle East and Global Order (CMEG), a Berlin-based think tank, had a similar view. On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote that Iran's attacks were "primarily a diversionary maneuver by the Islamic Republic, motivated by domestic and regional concerns."  "But this Iranian strategy is not succeeding. […] Instead, this is now turning into a diplomatic fiasco."   'Pakistani sovereignty was violated' However, the motives behind the attack on Pakistan remain unclear. Mola Bakhsh Dashti, a local in Koh-e-Sabz in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, said that there had long been tension: "This is not the first incident. We are used to attacks by Iranian forces. The only difference is that people died, so Pakistan retaliated, and people came to know about the incident. If it had been like one of the usual attacks, where people remain unharmed, no-one would have been bothered." According to a former spokesman for the militant separatist organization Jaish al-Adl, which wants independence for the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan and has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on the Iranian military in the past, the government in Tehran did not originally plan to shell Pakistani territory. "The government tried to target us in Iran, and I assume by mistake they misfired the missiles," he told DW on condition of anonymity.   Pakistani security expert Raashid Wali Janjua told DW that his country had to react. "Pakistani sovereignty was violated, and Pakistan was under pressure to respond as civilians were targeted," he said, adding that now the aim was not to escalate but to "defuse" the situation. "Iran's response will play an important role in [terms of] further clarity. […] We hope that now they will act as a responsible country. And, after these two sad incidents, they will stop the escalation."   Tehran plays down situation For their part, Iranian authorities and state media have tried to play down the significance of Pakistan's counterattack. The Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, published a video in which Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokeswoman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, insisted that Pakistan had great respect for the people of Iran. At a news conference in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, she stated: "Pakistan considers people of Iran as our friends and brothers and we have no interest in escalating any situation. […] We also believe that dialog and cooperation is essential for confronting common challenges, including the menace of terrorism and we would like to continue to engage with all neighbors including Iran." On Thursday morning, the Iranian interior minister spoke to the press about what had happened in the Iranian city of Saravan. He mentioned "explosions" but avoided using the term "attack." Sistan and Baluchistan, the southeastern Iranian province where Saravan is located, is the poorest in the country. There have been numerous social media comments by Iranians who are angry about the Iranian government's response. Khalil Balouch, an activist from Sistan and Baluchistan, wrote on X that the damage caused by Pakistan's missile attacks on Saravan was considerable: "Buildings have been destroyed, the pictures are heart-breaking. And on TV they are brazen enough to say that no Iranians were killed in the attack." 

Islamabad has condemned the "unprovoked violation" of its airspace after an Iranian attack killed two children and injured three people. Iran says it struck a Sunni militant group. Iran claimed it struck bases belonging to Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group in Pakistan, in a cross-border attack Tuesday. It comes after Iran launched similar attacks on Syria and Iraq over the past several days.   What do we know about the reported Iranian attacks on Pakistan? Iranian state media reported that drones and missiles were used in the operation. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack, condemning it as an "unprovoked violation" of its airspace. It said that two children were killed in the incident and three people injured. "This violation of Pakistan's sovereignty is completely unacceptable and could have serious consequences," a Foreign Ministry statement read.   Why is there tension between Pakistan and Iran? Beyond fears that the incident could further inflame the already tense situation growing around the conflict in Gaza, it rings ominous for relations between nuclear-armed Pakistan and nuclear-ambitious Iran. The two have long eyed one another warily while at the same time seeking to maintain diplomatic relations. Though Iran has engaged Jaish al-Adl militants in border skirmishes in the past, the execution of cross-border missile attacks had never taken place.

Pace bowler Adam Milne claimed four wickets as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 21 runs in the second Twenty20 international Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead. The tourists threw away a strong position in their run chase after Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman scored half-centuries as they were dismissed for 173 in the final over, in response to New Zealand's 194-8. Victory came at a cost for the Black Caps, whose captain Kane Williamson retired hurt with a hamstring injury while batting, placing him in doubt for the remainder of the five-match series.   The match bore similarities to New Zealand's 46-run win in the opening match in Auckland on Friday, with another aggressive batting approach led from the top by Finn Allen. His 70 off 41 balls continued a run of form which the hard-hitting opener attributed to a change of approach. "I've been working hard on assessing conditions and choosing when to pull the trigger," Allen said.   "I'm always looking to score boundaries and be positive but it's situational. It's when to take a higher-risk option or a lower risk." The target looked within sight for Pakistan before Fakhar was bowled by Milne for a power-packed 50 off 25 balls in the 10th over, leaving Pakistan 97-3. They struggled from that point, with only Babar looking a threat until he was caught off Ben Sears for 66.   Milne finished with 4-33, having earlier removed the dangerous Mohammadm Rizwan as Pakistan lost both openers with just 10 runs on the board. New Zealand were again asked to bat first and Allen immediately took on the visitors' attack, blasting five sixes and seven fours. Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said he and the rest of his attack didn't bowl well enough to capitalise on winning the toss. "With fast bowling, you go for swing and you know you need a wicket early on," he said.   "Unfortunately we missed that. If we take those one or two wickets, their score would be 170-180. But the start wasn't very good, not the way we want." The Black Caps were well placed at 111 for one at the midway point but suffered a major setback soon afterwards when Williamson was forced to retire hurt for 26. There will be concern it is a continuation of the spate of injuries the veteran skipper has suffered in the last year.   A long-standing knee problem ruled the 33-year-old out of both white-ball series at home to Bangladesh in December. New Zealand's middle and lower order struggled, with pace bowler Haris Rauf particularly adept over the closing overs, finishing with 3-38.

Pakistan, known for sponsoring cross-border terrorism, witnessed the highest number of suicide attacks this year after 2014, with nearly half of them targeting the security forces, Dawn News reported. Citing the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), Dawn reported, "A staggering 29 suicide attacks were reported, resulting in the tragic loss of 329 lives and leaving 582 individuals injured." "As many as 48 per cent of deaths and 58 per cent of injuries were inflicted upon security personnel. This marks the highest death toll since 2013 when 683 people lost their lives in 47 suicide bombings," it stated. Comparing the data to the preceding year, 2022, the report revealed a distressing 93 pc increase in the number of suicide attacks, a shocking 226 pc rise in resultant deaths, and a troubling 101 pc surge in the number of injured individuals. Furthermore, the share of suicide attacks in the total number of attacks escalated from 3.9 pc in 2022 to 4.7 pc in 2023, underscoring the severity of the situation. The most attacks occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with 23 instances that resulted in 254 deaths and 512 injuries. Within KP, newly merged districts or erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) experienced 13 suicide attacks, leading to 85 deaths and 206 injuries.  Balochistan faced five attacks, causing 67 deaths and 52 injuries, while Sindh witnessed one suicide attack, resulting in eight deaths and 18 injuries. A visual representation in the form of pie charts illustrates that 48 per cent of deaths and 58 per cent of injuries were inflicted upon security forces personnel. Examining the historical trajectory, PICSS's militancy database indicates a notable decline in suicide attacks, from 30 in 2014 to a mere three in 2019. There was no significant surge in 2020 and 2021, as both years witnessed only four attacks each. The year 2022 witnessed a sudden and significant surge, recording 15 attacks resulting in 101 deaths and 290 injuries and this worrisome trend persisted into 2023. Source: Business Standard