Pakistan gets first iPhone trade-in program

Apple iPhones displayed at an Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal in New York, October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 25 March 2025
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Pakistan gets first iPhone trade-in program

  • Jazz, leading digital conglomerate, and Mercantile, Apple’s authorized distributor, launch initiative 
  • Customers can trade in old PTA-approved iPhone 11, newer models for discount on iPhone 16 series

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s leading digital conglomerate Jazz has partnered with Mercantile, Apple’s authorized distributor, to introduce the country’s first-ever iPhone trade-in program, a press release said on Tuesday. 

Under the initiative, customers can trade in their old PTA-approved iPhone 11 or newer models to receive a discount on the latest iPhone 16 series. Jazz and Mercantile are also offering an additional subsidy bonus on top of the trade-in value.

“As a digital leader, Jazz is committed to bridging the digital divide in Pakistan. Our partnership with Mercantile to launch the first iPhone Trade-In Program reflects our focus on innovation and customer convenience,” Ali Fahd, Head of Marketing at Jazz, said. 

“By making premium devices more accessible, we are empowering customers to enhance their digital lifestyle with seamless connectivity and value-added services.”

Nauman Durrani, CEO of Mercantile Pakistan, said the launch would simplify how people in Pakistan could access latest iPhone models:

“By working with Jazz, we’re offering a clear, straightforward way for customers to upgrade from older devices and enjoy a better user experience.”

The program is currently available at Jazz Experience Centers in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. The trade-in offer applies to full-price purchases only and is not available on postpaid installment plans at this stage.

In addition to the trade-in program, Jazz has introduced an exclusive six-month bundle for customers purchasing a PTA-approved iPhone 16 through Jazz. This package includes 200GB of Internet, 6 months of free airtime, e-SIM activation, discount vouchers, and handset insurance worth up to Rs. 100,000 covering theft, loss, and damage for 6 months.

Jazz is also offering the iPhone 16 series on an 18-month installment plan for only postpaid customers, providing flexible payment options to suit varying needs.


Imran Khan not a ‘national security threat,’ ex-PM’s party responds to Pakistan military

Updated 06 December 2025
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Imran Khan not a ‘national security threat,’ ex-PM’s party responds to Pakistan military

  • Pakistan’s military spokesperson on Friday described Khan’s anti-army narrative as a “national security threat”
  • PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan says words used by military spokesperson for Khan were “not appropriate”

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Saturday responded to allegations by Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry from a day earlier, saying that he was not a “national security threat.”

Chaudhry, who heads the military’s media wing as director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), spoke to journalists on Friday, in which he referred to Khan as a “mentally ill” person several times during the press interaction. Chaudhry described Khan’s anti-army narrative as a “national security threat.”

The military spokesperson was responding to Khan’s social media post this week in which he accused Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir of being responsible for “the complete collapse of the constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.” 

“The people of Pakistan stand with Imran Khan, they stand with PTI,” the party’s secretary-general, Salman Akram Raja, told reporters during a news conference. 

“Imran Khan is not a national security threat. Imran Khan has kept the people of this country united.”

Raja said there were several narratives in the country, including those that created tensions along ethnic and sectarian lines, but Khan had rejected all of them and stood with one that the people of Pakistan supported. 

PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, flanked by Raja, criticized the military spokesperson as well, saying his press talk on Thursday had “severely disappointed” him. 

“The words that were used [by the military spokesperson] were not appropriate,” Gohar said. “Those words were wrong.”

NATURAL OUTCOME’

Speaking to reporters earlier on Saturday, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif defended the military spokesperson’s remarks against Khan.

“When this kind of language is used for individuals as well as for institutions, then a reaction is a natural outcome,” he said. 

“The same thing is happening on the Twitter accounts being run in his [Khan’s] name. If the DG ISPR has given any reaction to it, then I believe it was a very measured reaction.”

Khan, who was ousted after a parliamentary vote of confidence in April 2022, blames the country’s powerful military for removing him from power by colluding with his political opponents. Both deny the allegations. 

The former prime minister, who has been in prison since August 2023 on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated, also alleges his party was denied victory by the army and his political rivals in the 2024 general election through rigging. 

The army and the government both deny his allegations.