Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) announced on Sunday that customers may experience degraded internet service during the evenings between May 11 and May 18.

In a post on X, the company said maintenance is scheduled on one of its undersea submarine cables to repair a fault identified by the International Cable Consortium.

The maintenance will begin tomorrow (Monday) and could last up to seven days, so evening users should prepare for slower speeds or intermittent connectivity.

PTCL noted that it had first signaled this planned repair last month and said it is working with the consortium to restore full service as quickly as possible.

A solemn ceremony is underway at GHQ Rawalpindi to mark the completion of one year since the victory in the Battle for Truth.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is the special guest of honour. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf are also in attendance.

On this occasion, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir laid flowers at the Martyrs’ Memorial and offered Fateha.

Addressing the gathering, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said, ‘Today is a day of pride for all of us. One year ago, on this day, Pakistan achieved an unprecedented success.’ He described the Battle of Haq not as a conventional war between two countries but as a decisive clash between two ideologies in which Haq emerged victorious. From the midnight of May 7 to May 10, the enemy attempted to test our national dignity and failed.

Syed Asim Munir added that the May 2025 engagements were not sudden; they constituted a measured, resolute response to Indian aggression, and Pakistan’s adversary was defeated at every turn.

Across the country, people are observing a day of thanksgiving to commemorate the Pakistan Army’s historic victory in Operation Banyan Marsus against Indian aggression.

On the completion of one year of the Battle for Truth, President Asif Ali Zardari, in his message, described Field Marshal Asim Munir’s leadership and bold decisions as key to the success of the Battle for Truth, while the Prime Minister said that the Pakistani nation cannot be intimidated or cowed.

According to a statement issued by the Presidency, President Asif Ali Zardari appreciated the exceptional skills and professional capabilities of the Pakistan Air Force Chief and the Shaheens.

In a message issued on the occasion of the Battle of Truth, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the nation pays tribute to the martyrs and ghazis, who stood firm in the defense of the homeland by becoming a steel wall.

The federal government on Friday announced a sharp increase in fuel prices, raising the price of petrol by Rs14.92 and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 for the coming week, citing the fuel crisis triggered by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict between the United States and Iran.

According to a press release from the Petroleum Division, the revised retail price of petrol will be Rs414.78 per litre, while HSD will be Rs414.58 per litre.

The new rates will take effect from Friday at midnight.

This marks the second consecutive weekly increase since April 30, when petrol rose by Rs6.51 per litre and HSD by Rs19.39, as authorities contend with persistent supply disruptions caused by the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of the Armed Forces and Chief of Defence Staff, will make a very important announcement on national security and defence at a grand ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Battle of Haq in the federal capital on Sunday (May 10).

On this occasion, the Pakistan Air Force aircraft that played a pivotal role in that historic engagement — credited with single-handedly downing some of the world’s most advanced Indian fighters, including the high-value French-made Rafale a year ago — will take part in a stirring flypast.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, service chiefs, federal ministers and provincial chief ministers will also attend the Islamabad ceremony. The prime minister will deliver a national address.

Reliable government sources told News platform on Wednesday evening that the venue is being kept undisclosed for security reasons and will be transformed into a magnificent scene with martial anthems, national songs and other ceremonial music.

Addressing reporters in Islamabad on Thursday, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry declared that Pakistan was “prepared,” and he emphasized the nation’s homegrown military capabilities with firm and clear language.

The press conference coincided with a sombre national commemoration marking the first anniversary of “Marka-i-Haq.” Flanked by senior officers — Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali, deputy chief of naval staff (operations), and Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi, deputy chief of air staff (projects) — Lt Gen Chaudhry conveyed both resolve and calm.

The term “Marka-i-Haq” has been used by the state to describe last year’s confrontation with India, a confrontation that began with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and included Pakistan’s Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. A ceasefire on May 10 ended the military escalation and halted further open conflict.

Opening his briefing with a warm welcome, he told those present, “We welcome you to ISPR on this happy day,” and congratulated the nation on the first anniversary of Marka-i-Haq.

In a measured, proud tone he said the country’s armed forces had met the nation’s expectations, conducting effective multi-domain operations that overcame a numerically superior foe.

“We will not linger on past events today… instead, we will devote more time from May 2025 to May 2026,” he said, promising a detailed outline of the conflict’s “strategic consequences.”

He went on to say there were ten such consequences, the foremost being that the Indian narrative which had painted Pakistan as a source of terrorism had been decisively discredited.

He said an attempt had been made to portray, without evidence, that Pakistan had perpetrated terrorism in India — a narrative, he argued, woven from insinuation rather than fact. The claim, he said, was a contrived story offered with no supporting proof.

“It has been one year since the Pahalgam incident,” he continued, “yet the questions Pakistan raised remain unanswered.” He demanded, “Where is the evidence?” and dismissed the accusations with blunt contempt: “Nobody buys this … you are the biggest terrorist. Nobody listens to them, nobody believes them,” he said, underscoring the deep scepticism toward those charges.

He described the second consequence as the consolidation of Pakistan as the net security stabiliser in the region. He said “Marka-i-Haq” revealed who was controlling and dominating the escalation, asserting that India had escalated the conflict based on a lie. The DG ISPR went further, calling Pakistan and its leadership the “biggest ambassador of security in the region.”

Turning to the third strategic consequence of “Marka-i-Haq,” he warned of an alarming side-effect involving “our eastern neighbour, unfortunately”: the politicisation of Indian military leadership and the growing militarisation of Indian political leadership.

“This is what’s happening over there”, he said, adding that India’s military, which used to be professional, had “unfortunately been politicised”.

“You will come across several examples of this,” he added. “You heard their air chief marshal a few months after Marka-i-Haq … [saying] ‘I got to know today that even we downed some planes’ … That is politicisation of the military leadership … Why are you trying to make jokers out of your admirals, and generals and marshal? Don’t do that.”

On the other hand, the DG ISPR continued, “We have placed the facts as they are.”

Moreover, he said, Indian politicians appeared more like “warmongers”, going by their statements. The DG ISPR asserted that the politicisation of the military and militarisation of politics was “dangerous”.

Moving on to the fourth strategic consequence, he said it was the global acknowledgement of India’s efforts to externalise its internal problems and internalise its external problems while using terrorism as a state tool.

He said the fifth consequence was the “exposure of the true face of the Indian media and its discredited information operations”. The DG ISPR also noted that Indian authorities had started “shutting down Pakistani media” during Marka-i-Haq and this practice was still ongoing.

But that did not solve the problem, he said, adding that his advice to India was to speak the truth.

“That’s what Pakistan did … The only thing that can survive in today’s information domain is the truth. Tell people the truth. But somehow the Indians think they can work their [way] around lies. It doesn’t work anymore.”

He said the sixth consequence was the “transformed character of warfare”. Elaborating on this, he said this covered multi-domain operations, non-contact warfare, synergy, proxies and information.

The DG ISPR explained that warfare was not limited to borders anymore. “It’s [fought] on land, in the sea, in the air, in cyberspace … and in the minds. It’s cognitive as well.”

In reply to another question, DG ISPR said that the mutual defence pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was of great importance, as Pakistan had been “chosen” to guard the two holiest sites in Islam.

“We were chosen to protect Harmain Shareefain (Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and Masjid-i-Nabawi in Madinah), and protecting Harmain Shareefain is intrinsically linked to Saudi Arabia’s national security,” he explained.

“Any threat to Saudi Arabia is a threat to us, and Saudi Arabia values Pakistan’s security. It’s mutual,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said, adding that the pact was a “manifestation” of decades-old Pakistan-Saudi ties across multiple domains.

“We will fulfil our duty and follow what we promised.”

Asked about “political-military diplomacy” in the region after the end of the Middle East war, DG ISPR highlighted that the military is a “component” and that “it is for the political leadership to decide”, referring the question to the Foreign Office.

DG ISPR, in response to a question about the status of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in Afghanistan, stated that the operation is still ongoing.

“The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s press release talked about a time-specific temporary pause,” he said.

“Ghazab lil-Haq’s linkage is with the actions of the Afghan Taliban regime. We have got nothing against Afghanistan and especially the people of Afghanistan.”

Noting that Pakistan has been “the best of brothers” and hosts to Afghans, the military spokesperson said there was no better example of brotherhood and hospitality.

“Pakistan’s Ghazab lil-Haq is one part of the national response against terrorism,” he added.

Asked about whether Pakistan’s increased diplomatic standing can lead to a resolution of the Kashmir issue, the military spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s constant stance on Kashmir.

“You have heard it from the field marshal [Asim Munir]: Kashmir is and always will be Pakistan’s jugular vein, and that the people of Kashmir have to decide their future, as per the UN Security Council resolution and as per the right of self [determination] granted to them, they have to decide on their future,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.

“We believe that whenever the people of Kashmir make a choice, they will be absolutely clear, and that is Pakistan,” he added.

“The hearts of Kashmiris and Pakistanis beat as one.”

He noted that the world is recognising what is happening in India-occupied Kashmir, and that the salience of the Kashmir question rises as Pakistan’s stature increases.

“The fates of Pakistan and Kashmir are intertwined. Our intentions and thoughts on Kashmir will never change, nor will the Kashmiris’ intentions and thoughts about us. This is a journey which we need to complete; we have the same destination, which we will achieve through self-determination and values,” DG ISPR added.

He said Pakistan’s military and political leadership is working on the issue “day and night” to grant Kashmiris their rights through “diplomatic, political and legal means”.

“Pakistan doesn’t believe in what Indians are doing: repression, aggression and all sorts of nonsense which they have spread both inside and outside the region,” Lt Gen Chaudhry replied.

Towards the conclusion of the presser, DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan, as a “net regional stabiliser”, had dominated and controlled escalation during the conflict with India.

“On the other hand, there is a player with a hubristic mindset whose political rhetoric and vested interests initiated this, generating politicisation, Hindutva-isation and media frenzy,” he said, noting that the armed forces were “part of a larger choreography being carried out at the state level”.

“Terrorism is India’s default setting. When they are beaten on the battlefield, they will return to terrorism. It’s in their nature,” he added.

Lt Gen Chaudhry said that, in the event of another Indian military operation, Pakistan could “show them the reality in a matter of minutes”.

“Nothing gives us more pleasure than putting their minds to rest,” he said in response to a question.

“[Operation] Sindoor 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 — do what you want. You’re most welcome. I don’t have a problem, nor do my brothers in the navy and air force, nor does any child of Pakistan.”

Air Vice Marshal Ghazi also addressed the presser. He said the national leadership decided on a direction, and subsequently, the tri-service plans were coordinated under the guidance of the field marshal.

He said that the PAF had to do two things immediately: a strong defensive air posture and implement the highest alert level. He said that PAF integrated its multi-domain assets in preparation and added that the Indian Air Force initially carried out aggressive deployments and tried to conceal critical systems.

He said that the enemy, however, was forced to recompose its force composition, revealing “what we had been looking for”.

Talking about the armed forces’ preparation, he said, “The enemy remained oblivious of our preparations”.

He said that the PAF’s defensive posture meant that “our aerial sovereignty was impregnable”.

Air Vice Marshal Ghazi also said that after India attacked, PAF’s defensive posture transformed into an offensive posture.

“The killers embedded into PAF’s packages started targeting their topline fighters,” he said, adding that “we are now at eight-zero”.

The air force official elaborated that during the air battle, Pakistan fought “aggressively, but responsibly”.

“In that intense BVR vs BVR (beyond visual range) fight, with multi-domain interplay, we were able to curtail the enemy and its capability to apply itself as a network and integrated force package,” he explained.

AVM Ghazi said the “confirmed kills” included four Rafales, one Su-30, one MiG-29, one Mirage 2000 and an “expensive multi-role unmanned aerial system”.

The senior PAF official noted that a number of aircraft were also damaged and some of them remained unrecoverable.

Rear Admiral Ali then addressed the press conference, saying that Marka-i-Haq was a “historic and memorable” conflict. He said that prior to the conflict, the “enemy prided itself on its naval capability”.

“Their navy used to consume a big share of their defence budget, there were claims of ‘Made in India’; they were self-proclaimed net security providers and there was the status of blue water navy,” he said.

He said, however, that the question remained as to why their naval force was unable to “muster the courage against Pakistan”.

He added that the Indian navy tried to deploy its vessels in the northern Arabian Sea during Marka-i-Haq.

“And the only purpose behind this move was to target our naval assets and inflict economic harm on us by disrupting our naval trade and waterways.

“But due to the effective strategy of the Pakistan Navy, [traffic] in all our waterways remained uninterrupted, our instalments remained protected and ports remained operational,” he added.

Rear Admiral Ali said the Pakistan Navy continued to surveil the enemy’s activity through its modern system during Marka-i-Haq.

“The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were prepared to destroy Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant,” he recalled, adding that, however, the Indian navy did not move beyond its sanctuaries.

Commercial banks have shown limited interest in the prime minister’s plan to distribute subsidised electric bikes, approving just 4,075 applications (about 9% of those received). That low uptake prompted the government to announce major policy changes on Tuesday.

Because of the weak approval rate, the government is likely to miss its annual goal of distributing 116,000 electric bikes this fiscal year, even though it levies a Rs2.5 climate support charge on every litre of petrol and diesel used nationwide.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved revisions to the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) programme after the disappointing results. Launched with fanfare, PAVE aimed to encourage uptake of electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders via a targeted cost-sharing subsidy to help bridge the cost gap with conventional vehicles.

Responsibility for promoting electric vehicles has effectively been placed on petrol and diesel consumers, who pay the Rs2.5-per-litre levy; this levy will double from July as part of an IMF agreement. The scheme is financed by the levy under the New Energy Vehicles Adoption Levy Act, 2025. The Finance Division has allocated Rs9 billion for the current financial year, and the government set a distribution target of 119,170 electric bikes and rickshaws for this fiscal year.

Details show that despite a low target of 41,000 for the first phase, only 5,409 electric bikes have been distributed so far. Of these, banks approved 4,075 applications involving only Rs143 million in financing, the ECC was informed. Overall, 5,409 electric bikes and rickshaws have been approved, which is merely 4.5% of this fiscal year’s target, which ends on June 30.

Applicants had been given two options: receive a subsidised bike through a bank on instalments, with the equity payment and entire interest covered by the federal government, or receive a direct subsidy into their account after providing proof of purchase and registrationon the PAVE digital portal, followed by third?party validationof the transaction.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly condemned the missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates last night.

In his post on X, the prime minister expressed full solidarity with UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed.

“Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as with the Government of the United Arab Emirates at this difficult time,” he added.

“It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region,” the PMs remarked.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Monday said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is part of the federal government and asked them to raise the loadshedding issue in cabinet meetings.

Sharjeel Memon said that MQM-P has never raised the issue of loadshedding with the federal government in any meeting. He added that MQM-P should hold a press conference against the federal government and K-Electric.

Expressing his views in the Sindh Assembly, Sharjeel Memon said that power generating institutions have their own inefficiencies. He said that electricity companies are acting unconstitutionally. He stated that when government institutions fail to recover dues, they resort to collective punishment.

He further said that rural areas in Sindh are facing up to 18 hours loadshedding while there is up to 12 hours loadshedding in the urban area. He urged the federal government not to be unfair to Sindh on the issue of loadshedding.

Pakistan’s inflation surged to a near two-year high of 10.9% in April, driven by soaring fuel prices, global supply shocks, and higher taxes on petroleum products.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, this is the first time inflation has returned to double digits since July 2024, surpassing the government’s earlier forecast of 9%. The sharp rise is squeezing both urban and rural households, with steep price increases across energy, transport and food sectors.

The spike is largely linked to rising global fuel costs after geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran pushed Brent crude significantly higher. That international ripple effect has translated into much higher prices for petroleum products in Pakistan.

Fuel has been a main driver: motor fuel prices rose about 40% year-on-year, while diesel surged nearly 93%. The government reintroduced a levy on diesel and maintained a high levy on petrol, further pushing consumer prices upward.

Energy costs overall have climbed sharply — electricity is roughly 33% more expensive and liquefied hydrocarbons are up about 63% compared with last year. Urban energy inflation stands near 13.8%, with rural areas around 13.6%.

Food inflation has also accelerated, reaching 6.9% in urban areas and 7.3% in rural areas. Key staples saw steep increases: tomatoes up about 75%, onions 42%, and wheat and flour roughly 30–40%. Transport costs rose by approximately 38%, adding extra pressure on family budgets.

The government had set an annual inflation target of 7.5%, but officials now warn the target is likely to be missed if fuel prices continue to climb.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced a one-month extension of the fuel subsidy for motorcyclists, as well as for public and goods transport, aiming to provide immediate relief to households and drivers under economic strain.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier said the government will continue supporting economically vulnerable sections of society during the current crisis. He reiterated that the subsidy granted last month to motorcyclists, public transport and goods transporters will be extended for another month to help cushion the impact of rising global fuel costs.

Mr Sharif also directed transport operators not to raise passenger fares or freight charges, and ordered strict, effective monitoring of these relief measures to ensure they reach those in need. He pledged that providing relief to ordinary citizens remains the government’s top priority and assured the public that ‘the people will not be left alone under any circumstances.’ He expressed hope that regional tensions will ease soon so fuel prices can stabilise.

The statement noted that these subsidies form part of targeted relief announced earlier this month to soften the blow of global oil price shocks amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Measures include a subsidy of Rs100 per litre for two-wheeler users, capped at 20 litres per month for three months. Support for freight and public transport was specified as Rs70,000 per month for trucks carrying 80–85% of food items, Rs80,000 per month for large transport vehicles, and Rs100,000 per month for inter-city public service vehicles to help keep fares steady.