In top commanders’ huddle, army vows to eliminate militants ‘without any distinction’

Pakistan’s army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, presides over the 254th Corps Com­manders Conference held at the General Head­qua­rters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on December 28, 2022. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)
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Updated 28 December 2022
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In top commanders’ huddle, army vows to eliminate militants ‘without any distinction’

  • Pakistan’s army chief General Syed Asim Munir presides over Corps Commanders Conference
  • Army issues statement amid an uptick in militant attacks by Pakistani Taliban in recent days

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army on Wednesday vowed to fight against militants “without any distinction,” the military’s media wing said, as the country grapples with a resurgence in militant attacks over the past couple of weeks. 

The statement by the military comes after a powerful car bomb detonated in a residential area in Islamabad last week. The Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks on security forces since November, when they unilaterally ended a months-long cease-fire with the country’s government.

Earlier this month, Pakistani Taliban detainees at a counterterrorism center in the northwestern town of Bannu overpowered guards, confiscated police weapons and took hostages before Pakistani commandos stormed the compound and retook the facility. 

Pakistan’s army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, on Wednesday presided over the 254th Corps Com­manders Conference held at the General Head­qua­rters in Rawalpindi. During the meeting, the army’s huddle held a “comprehensive review of professional & organizational matters of the Army,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. 

“It was resolved to fight against terrorists without any distinction & eliminate this menace as per aspirations of people of Pakistan,” the military’s media wing wrote on Twitter. 

This week, the embassies of Saudi Arabia, the United States and Australia have announced new security adviseries for their residents living and working in Islamabad, advising caution in light of the uptick in militant attacks. 

Militants have also increased attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province where last Sunday, multiple attacks killed six troops and wounded 17 civilians.


Pakistan sees retail payments surge to $592 billion in first quarter of FY26— report

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Pakistan sees retail payments surge to $592 billion in first quarter of FY26— report

  • Retail payment volumes rose to 2.8 billion transactions during the quarter, marking 10% increase
  • Expansion primarily driven by continued rise in mobile app-based banking, says Pakistan’s central bank

KARACHI: Pakistan saw retail payments surge to Rs166 trillion [$592 billion] during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, a report by the central bank said on Tuesday, registering an increase of six percent compared to the last quarter. 

In its quarterly report on payment systems, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said retail payment volumes rose to 2.8 billion transactions to mark a 10% quarterly growth. It said the value of the payments surged to $592 billion during the same period. 

“This expansion was primarily driven by the continued rise in mobile app-based banking,” the SBP report said. 

The report further said digital payment channels accounted for 2.5 billion transactions, representing 90% of total retail payments compared to 87% in the same quarter last year. 

The central bank said mobile app-based payments dominated the digital landscape, with 2 billion transactions carried out through apps offered by banks, branchless banking (BB) providers and EMIs [electronic money institutions]. 

“These transactions constituted 81% of all digital payments and amounted to PKR 33.7 trillion [$120.3 billion] in value,” the SBP report said.

Internet banking also saw a “steady expansion,” with the report stating that an increasing number of users conducted transactions through digital channels. Payment cards in circulation increased to 61.3 million, the SBP said, of which 90% are debit cards and four percent are credit cards.

The report also said that a network of 20,527 ATMs facilitated 267 million transactions across the country during the quarter that amounted to Rs4.5 trillion [$16.1 billion]. 

“These developments collectively reflect continued progress toward a more inclusive, efficient, and digitally enabled payments ecosystem in Pakistan,” the SBP said.