Pak got a "big" aid deal from China; not to reveal amount under instructions from Prez Xi:Imran Khan
Islamabad, Nov 16: Pakistan has received a "big" package of aid from its all-weather ally, China, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday, but will not reveal the quantum of financial support as President Xi Jinping has asked him not to reveal it, a media report said.
Prime Minister Khan made his maiden visit to Beijing earlier this month and met President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang and other Chinese leaders and sought aid to overcome the financial woes faced by his cash-strapped government.
The Pakistan government is facing grave economic challenges as it struggles to avoid a financial crisis and keep the economy afloat.
During an interaction with journalists at the PM House, Khan said that Pakistan has received a "big" package of aid from China but will not reveal it, Geo News quoted Khan as saying.
The prime minister said he did not want to reveal the quantum of aid from Beijing as other countries will start demanding more money from China, the report said.
Chinese President Xi has asked Khan not to announce the quantum of financial support, the Geo News report quoted the Pakistani prime minister as saying.
Unlike Saudi Arabia, which has announced a USD 6 billion aid package to Pakistan, Beijing has not revealed the quantum of its financial aid to Islamabad.
After his talks with Khan on November 3, Premier Li said China will provide the "necessary support" to Pakistan to tide over the present financial crisis.
Speaking about his recent trip to China, Khan said, "Concrete results of my visit are beginning to show. We are receiving all forms of aid from China and are satisfied."
"No other previous premiers' tours to China were as successful as mine was," he claimed.
Khan, whose government is currently negotiating a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund, appeared confident that Pakistan's economy will overcome the current difficulties by next year.
"The next three to six months are difficult but from next year onward our economic situation is going to improve significantly and we will be on the right track," he said.
Commenting on the ongoing money laundering probe and the foreign assets owned by Pakistanis, Imran said, "We have traced USD 15 billion that was sent to Dubai from Pakistan."
"Work is under way to bring back looted wealth," he added. "We have also signed agreements with Britain and Switzerland," he said.
While speaking about his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's decision to not give chairmanship of Public Accounts Committee to the Leader of the Opposition, Shehbaz Sharif, Khan said, "Those facing corruption cases cannot be appointed PAC chairperson."
"We will not appoint Shehbaz Sharif as PAC chairperson under any circumstances," he asserted.
Shehbaz, the younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and ex-chief minister of Punjab province, is currently in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau on charges of corruption linked to a housing scheme.
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Govt ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels, securing convictions against offenders: Amit Shah
New Delhi (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels and praised the NCB for securing convictions against 73 offenders in the first quarter of 2026.
Among the important convictions is one linked to a case involving the seizure of 2.75 kg of heroin at the Ahmedabad airport in 2021 and 4.23 kg of heroin at Fazilka (Punjab) along the India-Pakistan border in 2022.
In these cases, two foreign traffickers were sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, a home ministry statement said.
Shah took to X to say: "To protect our youth from the scourge of drugs, the Modi govt is ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels and is also ensuring their conviction."
"Under this mission, the NCB has made a breakthrough of getting 73 drug offenders convicted in the first three months of 2026, with harshest punishments. We are determined to shut every breathing space of drug rackets with entire might. Congratulations to NCB for this achievement," the home minister said.
According to official data, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) secured convictions for 73 drug offenders in 35 cases in the first three months of this year. Of the convicts, four were awarded the maximum sentence of 20 years, while 54 received sentences of 10 years or more.
The statement said a total fine of Rs 1.22 crore was also imposed on the convicts.
The statement also mentioned a conviction secured in the 2023 pseudoephedrine-diversion case (a controlled substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) involving a company named Alps Life Sciences Private Limited located in Sonipat, Haryana.
In this case, three accused, including the firm's director, were sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each. The company was also convicted and fined Rs 1.5 lakh. The permission granted to the company for manufacturing pseudoephedrine has also been withdrawn by the NCB, the statement said.
The federal anti-narcotics agency has also appealed to other central and state enforcement agencies to identify key undertrial cases involving drug kingpins and ensure effective prosecution, according to the statement.
