ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said Pakistan’s economy is recovering, even as a second wave of the coronavirus has affected businesses.
Pakistan has so far recorded 432,327 infections and 8,653 deaths, with over 3,000 cases recorded in the last 24 hours.
“Pakistan’s economy is recovering, particularly in manufacturing and construction, supported by government emergency relief,” the ADB said in its Outlook 2020 Supplement, Paths Diverge in Recovery from the Pandemic.
After a peak of over 6,800 daily infections in June, the numbers in Pakistan fell to a low of 213 in August, and remained below 700 for most of the last three months.
The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out a complete lockdown and decided to continue the “smart lockdown” policy with strict implementation of safety guidelines.
The country’s last comprehensive lockdown was lifted in May.
Despite the persistent spread of COVID-19, most economies in Asia have continued to relax containment measures, having deemed strict lockdowns to be economically unsustainable.
“Containment remains relatively stringent in Central, South, and Southeast Asia, where outbreaks have continued in some economies and reemerged in others,” the ADB said. “Containment is less stringent in East Asia and the Pacific where outbreaks are under control or absent. Consequently, mobility and economic activity have improved in these subregions in recent months.”
Pakistan’s economy recovering, particularly in manufacturing and construction — ADB
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Pakistan’s economy recovering, particularly in manufacturing and construction — ADB
- Pakistan has so far recorded 432,327 infections and 8,653 deaths, with over 3,000 cases recorded in last 24 hours
- Despite persistent spread of COVID-19, most economies in Asia have continued to relax containment measures
Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says
- Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency
- The Balochistan government has recently established a threat assessment center to strengthen early warning, prevent ‘terrorism’ incidents
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces gunned down four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat district on reports about the presence of militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
The “Indian-sponsored militants” were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency involving Baloch separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
Pakistan accuses India of supporting these separatist militant groups and describes them as “Fitna Al-Hindustan.” New Delhi denies the allegation.
The government in Balochistan has also established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said this week.
“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur,” Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X.
The development follows a steep rise in militancy-related deaths in Pakistan in 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.
These included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the think tank said.
