Tag: The Pakistan Times

Islamabad, June 8, 2026(Kamran Raja): President Asif Ali Zardari met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah were also present during the meeting. The participants exchanged views on national security, as well as the internal and regional situation. Discussions also covered the economy, the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, the recent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, law and order, and other matters of national importance. While discussing budget proposals and public relief measures, the President emphasiz...

Islamabad, 8th June 2026(Ghufran): Leading medical and patient associations in Pakistan have written to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and other policy makers, urging an increase in the federal excise duty on all sweetened beverages to minimum of 40 percent in the budget 2026-27. Organizations including the Pakistan National Heart Association, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan Youth Change Advocates, Heartfile, Pakistan Kidney Patients Association, Pakistan Association of Family Physicians, and Diabetic Association of Pakistan, among others, have called on parliamentarians and policymakers to strengthen taxation on all sweetened beverages, including juices, as part of a comprehensive strategy to address the country's rapidly growing burden of non-communicable di...

Islamabad, 1st June 2026(Ghufran): Protecting children from diseases risks associated with consumption of juices and sweetened beverages must remain a national fiscal priority. General Masud-ur-Rehman Kiani, a renowned cardiac surgeon, former commandant Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and President of the Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH), has reaffirmed the urgent need to maintain and strengthen fiscal measures on all sweetened beverages, including juices and related products, as a critical public health intervention during finance bill 2026-27. “Pakistan is facing a national health emergency that requires strong and sustained action,” he said. “Increasing taxes on all sweetened beverages including juices by 40% in the Finance Bill 2026–27 should be a cornerstone of the co...