ISLAMABAD: Russia’s embassy in Pakistan said Tuesday it is attempting to verify reports that one of its citizens was abducted in the South Asian nation’s troubled northwest.
The embassy provided no further details in a post on the social media platform X.
The announcement by the embassy came days after a small militant group headed by commander Gul Bahadur said it captured a Russian national in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The group released a photo showing a man sitting with two bearded men. Local police said they have not been approached by the Russian Embassy about the reported abduction.
Insurgents often attack Pakistani security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese working on Chinese-funded projects across the country, but Russians have not previously been targeted.
Most Russians who travel to Pakistan are climbers who scale mountains in the scenic north.
Russian embassy says verifying reports of citizen’s abduction in Pakistan’s northwest
https://arab.news/rkwy6
Russian embassy says verifying reports of citizen’s abduction in Pakistan’s northwest
- Statement comes after a militant group claimed it abducted a Russian national in Dera Ismail Khan
- Local police say they have not been approached by the Russian embassy about the reported abduction
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
