Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday said that the country has entered the current period of global uncertainty with strengthened policy buffers, having learned important lessons from past external shocks, including the devastating floods in recent years. While speaking at a meeting on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026 in Washington DC, the finance minister characterized the ongoing Middle East crisis as one of the most significant supply shocks in recent history.&nbsp; According to a statement issued by the finance ministry on X, Aurangzeb outlined the immediate measures undertaken by the government &ldquo;to address its first-order effects, including adjustments in procurement strategies, pricing frameworks, and logistics chains.&rdquo; He underscored the government&rsquo;s commitment to transitioning from broad-based subsidies to well-targeted support mechanisms to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population. The government was conducting a comprehensive assessment of the second and third-order effects of the crisis across key macroeconomic indicators, including inflation, economic growth, exports, remittances, and the current account, the finance minister said.&nbsp; While reaffirming the government&rsquo;s commitment to the &nbsp;structural reform agenda, Minister Aurangzeb emphasized that &quot;any necessary policy recalibration would be undertaken in a responsible manner, without compromising the hard-won gains in macroeconomic stability.&rdquo; Pakistan&rsquo;s emergence as constructive force in global affairsSeparately, while addressing the Atlantic Council on Pakistan&rsquo;s Reform and Resilience Agenda, the finance minister underscored Pakistan&rsquo;s emergence as a constructive force in global affairs, including its role in brokering a ceasefire between the United States and Iran. He reaffirmed that the country had achieved meaningful macroeconomic stabilization, underpinned by the ongoing program with the International Monetary Fund, and supported by strong performance across both fiscal and external accounts While talking about Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s commitment of an additional $3 billion in deposits to Pakistan, the minister noted that the meeting with the Saudi government had yielded positive outcomes, including agreement on extended maturities and additional financial support to help offset repayment pressures.

Economy

Finance Minister Aurangzeb says ongoing Middle East crisis one of the most significant supply shocks in recent history; outlines offset measures undertaken by the government, including adjustments in procurement strategies, pricing frameworks, and logistics chains.

Pakistan's policy buffers strengthened ahead of global uncertainty: Finance minister

LAS VEGAS: The first images of late American film star Val Kilmer returning to the big screen courtesy of artificial intelligence were unveiled Wednesday in Las Vegas, in what will likely stir debate over the technology&#39;s role in Hollywood. A youthful, digital version of Kilmer appears in the trailer for &quot;As Deep as the Grave&quot;, telling another character: &quot;Don&#39;t fear the dead and don&#39;t fear me.&quot; The footage premiered at CinemaCon, the annual conference where studios present upcoming releases to movie theater owners. Brothers Coerte and John Voorhees, director and producer of the film, said they hope to release the historical drama by the end of the year. Kilmer, best known for his roles in &quot;Top Gun,&quot; &quot;Batman Forever&quot; and &quot;The Doors,&quot; died of pneumonia in April 2025 at the age of 65. The project drew headlines last month when the filmmakers revealed they had recreated the actor using AI with the consent of his family. The use of artificial intelligence remains one of the most sensitive issues in the entertainment industry and was central to the 2023 strikes that shut down Hollywood, as actors and writers warned that unchecked technology threatened their livelihoods. &quot;As Deep as the Grave&quot; follows pioneering archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, the latter credited by some with helping inspire the fictional Indiana Jones and originally cast Kilmer before the coronavirus pandemic to play a Catholic priest. Health problems forced Kilmer, who was battling cancer, to step away from the role. But after pandemic delays, the Voorheeses revisited the project as AI technology advanced. They recast Kilmer digitally as Father Fintan, an early Catholic missionary suffering from tuberculosis who, like many at the time, traveled to the US southwest for the dry climate and opened missions in the Four Corners region. &quot;It was a very dark time,&quot; Coerte said, adding that the character was central to the story. The filmmakers said they approached Kilmer&#39;s children, Mercedes and Jack, after concluding the role could still be realized. The family gave its approval and granted access to Kilmer&#39;s video archives, which were used to recreate the actor at multiple stages of his life. Val Kilmer had spoken to his children before his death about his legacy and what he wished he could still accomplish as an actor, the brothers said. &quot;We were so glad they were excited and so supportive of the idea,&quot; Coerte added. &#39;Painstaking&#39; The Voorheeses did not detail the technical process behind their film, but said digitally reviving Kilmer was a &quot;painstaking process.&quot; &quot;Just like any artistic endeavor, you spend a lot of time drafting and redrafting,&quot; John Voorhees said, so the performance feels faithful to how he might have done it. They conceded the project could unsettle some people, but stressed that they followed SAG-AFTRA guidelines, which rest on what the union calls the three Cs: consent, compensation and collaboration. &quot;Following this process, working with the family we can actually demonstrate the right way to do it,&quot; Coerte told AFP. &quot;We believe artists will galvanize around that and take control back, because it&#39;s not in the hands of the artists right now. It&#39;s actually a free-for-all,&quot; he added.

US actress Camila Mendes, British actor Nicholas Galitzine and US director Travis Knight promote the upcoming film "Masters of the Universe" during the Amazon MGM Studios presentation at CinemaCon at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 15, 2026 in La

Artificial Intelligence

A new film, “As Deep as the Grave,” uses AI with family consent to digitally recreate Val Kilmer, reigniting debate over artificial intelligence’s role in Hollywood.

Val Kilmer returns via AI as filmmakers test Hollywood's red line

WASHINGTON: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will &quot;for sure&quot; participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war. &quot;Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,&quot; Infantino told an economic conference organized by broadcaster CNBC. &quot;But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play,&quot; he said of the team&#39;s upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June. Infantino had made similar comments in March, when he attended an Iran-Costa Rica friendly in Antalya, Turkey, even though US President Donald Trump had previously suggested that Iranian players might not be &quot;safe&quot; in the United States. Iran is scheduled to play its three Group G matches in the United States, two in Los Angeles, one in Seattle with their base for the tournament in Tucson, Arizona. &#39;Outside of politics&#39; Iran&#39;s participation in the global tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico had been thrown into doubt by the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. Iran raised the prospect of a &quot;boycott&quot; of the competition before asking FIFA to move its matches from the United States to Mexico, a request the world governing body rejected. After several weeks of air strikes on Iran and Iranian reprisals against Israel and other countries in the region, a fragile truce came into effect on April 8. But Tehran has sealed off the strategic Strait of Hormuz and since Monday Washington has imposed a blockade on ships coming from or heading to Iranian ports. &quot;Sports should be outside of politics,&quot; Infantino said on Wednesday. &quot;If there&#39;s nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job,&quot; he said. The World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, starts on June 11.

Football players take part in a training session of the Bicentini Foundation football school in the Fuik neighborhood, east of Willemstad, in the Dutch Caribbean, on April 11, 2026.

Football

Gianni Infantino says Iran will definitely play in the 2026 World Cup despite ongoing regional tensions, emphasizing that football should remain separate from politics.

Iran participating in World Cup, FIFA president confirms

Web Desk/AFP

Americas

Middle East

Iran’s state news agency reports that they will conduct a formal evaluation to determine whether it will participate in the next round of negotiations with US after a scheduled high-level meeting between Iranian officials, Pakistani delegation; Amnesty International’s says Israel continues to "defy international law” through a series of systematic violations across the region; calls for immediate end to military cooperation with Israel.



LIVE: Iran weighs US talks after Pakistan mediation amid rising Hormuz tensions

A 14-year-old armed with five guns opened fire at a Turkish school on Wednesday, killing nine people, wounding 13, and sparking scenes of mayhem as students jumped out of windows to escape. The attack in the southern province of Kahramanmaras was Turkiye&#39;s second such incident in as many days, shocking a country where school shootings are a rare occurrence. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed nine deaths, with 13 wounded &mdash; six in intensive care, three of them in a critical condition. The minister described the attacker as an &quot;eighth-grade student aged 14.&quot; &quot;A student came to school with guns that we believe belonged to his father in his backpack. He entered two classrooms and opened fire randomly, causing injuries and deaths,&quot; Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer told reporters earlier in the day. Dramatic video footage filmed by a resident of a nearby building and verified by AFP shows students jumping from a first-floor window of the school to escape the gunfire, while dozens of others flee through the courtyard. About 15 gunshots can be heard in the one-and-a-half-minute video. Unluer said the attacker was the son of a former police officer, armed with five guns and seven magazines. He died during the incident. &quot;He shot himself. It is not yet clear whether this was suicide or happened amid the chaos,&quot; he said. Police detained the shooter&#39;s father, Ugur Mersinli, and his mother, the official Anadolu news agency reported. Footage released by DHA private news agency showed a victim in a body bag, as well as parents of students rushing to the scene, some in tears, in the southern province&#39;s main city, Kahramanmaras. The interior and education ministers travelled to the city, while Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors had launched an immediate investigation into the shooting. &#39;I am worried&#39;&nbsp;&quot;My child witnessed the scene and said, &#39;Dad, my friend got hurt.&#39; He didn&#39;t see the other children. There was a lot of blood inside. Thank God, I managed to get my child out of there,&quot; Omer Erdag, a parent, told AFP. &quot;Of course, I&#39;m worried. How am I going to bring my kids to this school again?&quot; he asked. &quot;My God help us. It&#39;s terrible,&quot; local resident Zuleyha Bosca said. &quot;Do these violent video games cause psychological problems in children? What exactly is the issue? We don&#39;t know.&quot; Dozens of teachers&#39; unions members rallied outside the education ministry in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, carrying banners that read: &quot;We will not surrender our schools to violence&quot;. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: &quot;In this tragic attack, we unfortunately lost our bright young children and a devoted educator&quot;. He said the incident would be &quot;thoroughly clarified in all its aspects,&quot; in a message on X, while warning that the pain from this attack should &quot;not be politicized.&quot; &#39;Vulnerability&#39;&nbsp;The shooting came a day after an ex-student opened fire with a shotgun at his former high school in Siverek district of Sanliurfa province, in the southeast of the country. That gunman wounded 16 people before killing himself in a showdown with police. Ten students were among the casualties. Police detained one suspect after Tuesday&#39;s attack and suspended four officials from duty. The school was ordered closed for four days. Main opposition CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called for broader security measures. &quot;At this point, it is clearly evident that violence in schools can no longer be explained by isolated incidents,&quot; he wrote on X. &quot;This issue has turned into a growing and deepening security vulnerability,&quot; he said. Measures such as ensuring full control at school entrances and exits, increasing the number of security personnel, strengthening camera systems, intensifying police patrols around schools, and keeping emergency crisis plans ready are now essential, he added. &quot;The security of schools is entrusted to our state. No negligence or deficiency in this regard can be excused anymore,&quot; Ozel said. School shootings in Turkiye had been rare until this week. In May 2024, a former student killed a private high school principal in Istanbul with a firearm five months after he was expelled. Turkiye&nbsp;has strict gun laws that require licensing, registration, mental and criminal background checks, and severe penalties for illegal possession.

Europe

The attack in the southern province of Kahramanmaras province was Turkiye's second such incident in as many days, shocking a country where school shootings are a rare occurrence.

Teenager kills nine, wounds 13 in Turkiye school shooting

ISLAMABAD: The United States is considering a second round of negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, with the White House expressing optimism about a potential agreement and praising Islamabad&rsquo;s central role in mediating the process.&nbsp;White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said discussions were ongoing about further engagement, noting that talks &ldquo;would very likely be in the same place as they were last time,&rdquo; referring to Islamabad.&nbsp;&ldquo;Those discussions are being had&hellip; and we feel good about the prospects of a deal,&rdquo; she told reporters.&nbsp;The remarks come after an initial round of more than 20 hours of negotiations in Islamabad, brokered through Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic efforts following a fragile two-week ceasefire that paused weeks of conflict. While US Vice President JD Vance said no agreement was reached, both Washington and Tehran signaled that diplomacy would continue, with Iranian officials stressing that progress depends on &ldquo;seriousness and good faith.&rdquo;&nbsp;Leavitt underscored Pakistan&rsquo;s role as the sole channel for mediation, describing Islamabad as &ldquo;the only mediator in this negotiation.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The Pakistanis have been incredible mediators throughout this process&hellip; and we really appreciate their friendship and their efforts to bring this deal to a close,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;She added that while discussions remain ongoing, no formal request has been made to extend the ceasefire, emphasizing that negotiations are still in progress.

White House says a second round of US-Iran talks is being discussed in Islamabad, expressing optimism about a deal and praising Pakistan’s mediation, as diplomacy continues following initial negotiations held after a fragile ceasefire.

US eyes second Iran talks in Islamabad, praises Pakistan mediation

ISLAMABAD: Pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Lebanon intensified on Tuesday, as Italy suspended defense ties, Spain issued a blunt legal rebuke, and China called for respect for Lebanese sovereignty. In Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the suspension of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel. The pact, in place since 2006, covers military training, industrial cooperation, &nbsp;and technology sharing. According to AFP, Italian officials said the move followed reports that Israeli forces fired warning shots at a United Nations peacekeeping convoy in southern Lebanon that included Italian personnel, an incident that drew strong backlash in Italy, a key contributor to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). &ldquo;In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,&rdquo; Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI. In Beijing, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez delivered a sharp condemnation, accusing Israel of violating international law and describing its conduct as &ldquo;intolerable,&rdquo; AFP reported. Speaking during an official visit, S&aacute;nchez said the war had been a &ldquo;mistake&rdquo; from the outset and called for the European Union to suspend its cooperation framework with Israel. He also urged accountability, warning that there should be &ldquo;no impunity&rdquo; for what he described as criminal acts, and said Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire arrangement. Separately, Iran&rsquo;s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X that &ldquo;the essence of civilizations reveals itself at critical historical junctures,&rdquo; adding that positions taken by countries including Spain, China, Russia, T&uuml;rkiye, Italy, and Egypt against what he described as &ldquo;warmongering and crimes&rdquo; reflect their deep cultural and historical roots.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044063688584507580&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=3362cbd2995e2849f5202d296d2c5f703c1a9990&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div> China&rsquo;s response included Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying Lebanon&rsquo;s sovereignty &ldquo;should not be violated&rdquo; and stressed the need to protect civilian lives, urging all parties to de-escalate. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to the remarks.

A photograph taken from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon shows Israeli soldiers driving along a road running beside destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Asia

Italy suspends defense ties, Spain condemns Israel, and China urges restraint as global pressure mounts over Lebanon strikes. Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian also criticizes Israel, highlighting the widening international backlash.

Global pressure grows on Israel as Italy, Spain, China criticize Lebanon strikes

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that China does not recognize the &ldquo;so-called &lsquo;Arunachal Pradesh&rsquo; illegally set up by India.&rdquo;&nbsp;He made the remarks at the ministry&rsquo;s regular press conference in Beijing. China&rsquo;s newly announced standardized names for places in Zangnan are &ldquo;fully within China&rsquo;s sovereign rights,&rdquo; he said, using the Chinese name for the region, adding that&nbsp;&ldquo;Zangnan region is China&rsquo;s territory.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044256901417054517&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=59cf929660b953b1a57fd64f6b4703305659807c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 640px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>The statement followed the publication by China&rsquo;s Ministry of Civil Affairs of a sixth batch of standardized names for places in Zangnan on April 10, according to Guo&rsquo;s remarks at the briefing. At the same press conference, Guo said China-India relations are &ldquo;generally stable at the moment,&rdquo; adding that&nbsp;China&rsquo;s commitment to improving and growing relations with India &ldquo;has not changed.&rdquo; India has rejected China&#39;s decision to assign new names to places in the region India calls Arunachal Pradesh. The foreign ministry statement was China&rsquo;s response to India&rsquo;s criticism. The English-language&nbsp;China Daily, in a report, quoted Guo as saying that both countries should &ldquo;move toward each other&rdquo; and take more steps conducive to bilateral relations. It reported that India said the move detracted from efforts to stabilize bilateral ties.

China

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun has said that China’s latest standardized place names in Zangnan are within its sovereign rights, and that Beijing rejects Indian occupation of Arunachal Pradesh.

China says it has never recognized Arunachal Pradesh as part of India

RAIPUR: The death toll from a boiler blast at a power plant in central India has risen to 19, a police officer said Wednesday, noting that 17 others were injured. The explosion occurred Tuesday at a facility operated by Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of London-listed Vedanta Resources, in Chhattisgarh state&#39;s Sakti district. &quot;The death toll in the power plant blast has reached 19 whereas 17 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals,&quot; district police chief Praful Thakur told AFP. The explosion likely occurred after a pipeline burst, spewing &quot;superheated steam&quot; onto people having lunch at the time, the Indian Express newspaper said. Indian-born billionaire Anil Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Resources, said he was &quot;distressed by the extremely tragic accident&quot;. &quot;A high-level investigation into this incident has been initiated. We will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of this matter,&quot; he said in a statement. Chhattisgarh state authorities have also launched a probe, with chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai vowing the &quot;strictest possible action&quot; against those found guilty. Industrial accidents are common in India, often due to poor adherence to safety regulations and weak enforcement. A fire at a fireworks factory in western India last month killed 17 people.

India

A boiler explosion at a Vedanta power plant in central India kills 19 people and injures 17, prompting investigations into the cause.

India power plant blast death toll climbs to 19: Police

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has granted a license to Alibaba-backed Koko Tech Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. to operate a &quot;Buy Now Pay Later&quot; business in Pakistan. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the SECP said the development marked a significant step for Pakistan&rsquo;s digital financial ecosystem.&nbsp; Koko Tech is owned by Alibaba, making the move a notable entry by a major global technology company into Pakistan&rsquo;s fintech space. The regulator said Alibaba&rsquo;s move reflected growing international confidence in Pakistan&rsquo;s large consumer base, expanding digital economy and untapped financial services market.&nbsp; It added that Koko Tech was expected to introduce innovative, data-driven lending solutions in the Buy Now Pay Later segment by using advanced AI-driven credit assessment systems and globally tested digital infrastructure. According to the SECP, the company&rsquo;s entry would help expand access to consumer financing, particularly for young users, freelancers and small businesses that remain underserved by traditional banking channels.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044020211641397593&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=59cf929660b953b1a57fd64f6b4703305659807c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>The commission said the new license could also help support small and medium-sized enterprises, increase e-commerce activity and accelerate the shift toward a more inclusive, technology-led financial system. The SECP described the development as a direct inflow of foreign investment into Pakistan&rsquo;s financial sector.&nbsp; In the press release, SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu said the entry of Alibaba Group would boost competition and innovation in Pakistan&rsquo;s fintech market.&nbsp; He added that Pakistan remains an attractive destination for international investment because of its large population, growing digital adoption and an improving regulatory framework. The licensing of KTPL comes as Pakistan seeks to deepen financial inclusion and broaden the use of digital financial services across the economy.&nbsp; Buy Now Pay Later services, which allow consumers to pay for purchases in installments, have expanded rapidly in many markets as an alternative form of short-term consumer credit, especially in online retail. The move is likely to be closely watched by Pakistan&rsquo;s banking, fintech and e-commerce sectors, as Alibaba&rsquo;s entry in the Buy Now Pay Later segment could intensify competition and spur further innovation in consumer lending and digital payments. Alibaba Group has a significant and growing presence in Pakistan. Its operations span e-commerce, digital payments, logistics, and cloud computing, including platforms such as Daraz and AliExpress.

Pakistan’s SECP grants a 'Buy Now Pay Later' license to Alibaba-backed Koko Tech Pakistan, signaling the growing confidence of foreign companies in its digital financial market.

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