ISLAMABAD: Pakistani anti-corruption authorities ordered one of the leaders of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party to be confined to her residence on Friday as they continued an anti-graft crackdown that critics say is aimed at stifling dissent.
The National Accountability Board (NAB) ordered Faryal Talpur, sister of former President Asif Ali Zardari, to be confined to her residence in Islamabad in connection with a case of suspected money laundering through fake bank accounts.
A NAB spokesman said Faryal Talpur had been ordered to remain in her house. He said she would be attended by female police officers and her treatment should not be described as an arrest.
The move follows the arrest earlier this week of Zardari, widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a 2007 suicide attack and whose father, PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also served as president and prime minister.
The government has denied any role in the arrest of Zardari and says that NAB operates independently. But the crackdown has prompted an angry response from PPP officials, including Zardari’s son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
“We will have to go out into the streets and show people how their rights are being taken away,” Bhutto Zardari told a hastily called news conference. “We can see in these days that the rule of law is not being applied.”
As well as Zardari, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also in jail on corruption charges.
Sister of former Pakistani president ordered held in graft probe
Sister of former Pakistani president ordered held in graft probe
- Zardari’s female sibling Faryal Talpur has been ordered to remain in her house
- NAB spokesman says her treatment should not be described as an arrest
Pakistan terms climate change, demographic pressures as ‘pressing existential risks’
- Pakistan has suffered frequent climate change-induced disasters, including floods this year that killed over 1,000
- Pakistan finmin highlights stabilization measures at Doha Forum, discusses economic cooperation with Qatar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday described climate change and demographic pressures as “pressing existential risks” facing the country, calling for urgent climate financing.
The finance minister was speaking as a member of a high-level panel at the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum, which is being held from Dec. 6–7 in the Qatari capital. Aurangzeb was invited as a speaker on the discussion titled: ‘Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA.’
“He reaffirmed that while Pakistan remained vigilant in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, the more pressing existential risks were climate change and demographic pressures,” the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has suffered repeated climate disasters in recent years, most notably the 2022 super-floods that submerged one-third of the country, displaced millions and caused an estimated $30 billion in losses.
This year’s floods killed over 1,000 people and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure. Scientists say Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Aurangzeb has previously said climate change and Pakistan’s fast-rising population are the only two factors that can hinder the South Asian country’s efforts to become a $3 trillion economy in the future.
The finance minister noted that this year’s floods in Pakistan had shaved at least 0.5 percent off GDP growth, calling for urgent climate financing and investment in resilient infrastructure.
When asked about Pakistan’s fiscal resilience and capability to absorb external shocks, Aurangzeb said Islamabad had rebuilt fiscal buffers. He pointed out that both the primary fiscal balance and current account had returned to surplus, supported significantly by strong remittance inflows of $18–20 billion annually from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions.
Separately, Aurangzeb met his Qatari counterpart Ali Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari to discuss bilateral cooperation.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic ties, particularly by maximizing opportunities created through the newly concluded GCC–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, expanding trade flows, and deepening energy cooperation, including long-term LNG collaboration,” the finance ministry said.
The two also discussed collaboration on digital infrastructure, skills development and regulatory reform. They agreed to establish structured mechanisms to continue joint work in trade diversification, technology, climate resilience, and investment facilitation, the finance ministry said.
