WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s new finance minister estimated that it could take “close to three years’’ for the south Asian country to recover from devastating floods that killed more than 1,700 people and displaced another 7.9 million.
Ishaq Dar, who last month took the finance post for the fourth time in his career, told The Associated Press Friday that losses from the floods were estimated to surpass $32 billion and that the cost of rebuilding damaged infrastructure will exceed $16 billion.
Monsoon rains, likely made worse by climate change, hammered Pakistan for months starting in mid-June, damaging or washing away 2 million homes.
Rebuilding, Dar said, “can’t be done overnight” and will take ” maybe close to three years’’ though he acknowledged that he was “not an engineer.” The World Bank last month pledged $2 billion in flood aid.
Dar is returning to the finance ministry at a difficult time for Pakistan. Moody’s Investors Service, citing Pakistan’s decreased foreign currency reserves, this month downgraded the country’s government debt. With inflation running at more than 20 percent year-over-year, Pakistan’s currency, the rupee, has fallen 19 percent against the US dollar this year.
But Dar, who earned a reputation for supporting a strong rupee during his earlier tenure as finance minister, noted that the currency rallied upon his return to the job; it’s up nearly 10 percent against the dollar since late September.
Dar was in Washington this week for the fall meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
The visit got off to a rocky start.
He was heckled and called “a thief’’ by an unidentified individual upon arrival Thursday at Dulles International Airport.
On Friday, he shrugged off the incident, which was captured on video and shared online, as the act of a political opponent of the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. “Obviously, this is domestic politics which has gone cross border,’’ Dar said. “That shouldn’t be.’’
Pakistani finance minister sees gradual recovery from floods
https://arab.news/5epa7
Pakistani finance minister sees gradual recovery from floods
- Ishaq Dar was in Washington this week for the fall meetings IMF and World Bank
- Losses from the floods were estimated to surpass $32 billion, finance minister says
Cricket, travel, entertainment dominate Pakistan’s TikTok searches in 2025
- TikTok releases annual review of most searched items in Pakistan ranging from sports to movies and music
- Pakistan cricketer Babar Azam’s century was the most searched moment on TikTok this year, reveals platform
ISLAMABAD: TikTok this week released its annual review of the most searched topics in Pakistan in 2025, with travel, food, sports and entertainment driving digital searches, the video platform said.
In a press release, TikTok said its search patterns depicted that people use the platform as a “discovery tool for real life” where they explore destinations and find relatable guidance from influencers on various topics.
“Whether it’s tracking the latest cricket moment, planning a weekend trip, learning something new, or checking reviews before buying, Pakistanis are turning to TikTok to make everyday decisions,” Umais Naveed, content operations lead South Asia at TikTok, said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to TikTok, among places, the most searched were Islamabad, Altit Fort in Hunza, Chenab River and Pakistani cities of Lahore and Karachi.
In the “Most Searched News and Moments” category, former Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s century against Sri Lanka dominated the searches, followed by Pakistan’s cricket matches against South Africa and Sri Lanka. “Floods” was also a popular search item in this category.
“Jhol,” a Pakistani song by singers Maanu and Annural Khalid dominated the category of “Most Searched Soundtracks” while “Supreme” by Indian artist Shubh and “Pal Pal” by Afusic were also among the most searched songs this year.
“Lava burger” and “Dubai Chocolate” were among the most searched food items this year on TikTok while Azam was the most searched sportsperson in the country, followed by Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma.
Alina Amir, Jannat Mirza, Khizar Umer and Kanwal Aftab were among the most searched TikTok creators in 2025 while Imran Ashraf, Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan were among the most searched celebrities on the social media platform.
TikTok said searches linked to the hashtag #TravelTok increased by 53 percent this year while those with #FoodTok rose by 52 percent. Another popular hashtag #StudyTok searches were up by 60 percent while #FitnessTok recorded the largest jump of the year, growing by 66 percent year-on-year.
“TikTok remains committed to supporting a vibrant creative community in Pakistan and to making discoveries simpler, more joyful, and more meaningful for everyone who comes to TikTok to find their next inspiration,” the platform said.
