PHA marks Independence Day across Punjab

LAHORE: The fourth International Punjabi Conference will be held in Lahore from Nov 27 to 29, bringing together writers, academics, artists and other professionals from Pakistan and abroad, organisers announced at a press conference. The event is being organised by the Punjabi Parchar Organisation in collaboration with Punjabi Lehar and the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC), where the three-day conference will take place. Chief organiser Ahmed Raza Punjabi said the event would be held on a large scale, following the three previous editions of the conference. According to the organisers, thousands of participants from Pakistani Punjab and more than 50 foreign delegates from nine countries are expected to attend. The international participants will include writers, intellectuals, politicians, scientists, journalists, film artists, businesspeople and farmers. Mr Ahmed said the conference aimed to promote Punjabi language and literature while providing a platform to discuss issues facing Punjab and Punjabi communities around the world. He said prominent figures from Pakistani Punjab and successful members of the Punjabi diaspora would be invited to discuss those challenges and propose possible solutions. Conference focal person Dr Zaheer Wattoo said 10 panel discussions would be organised on Punjabi language and literature, the environment, agriculture, politics, sports, film and Punjabi nationalism. Academics from leading universities around the world would also present research papers during the three-day event, he added. Dr Wattoo said separate committees had been formed for different fields. These committees would select speakers from Pakistan and abroad for the panel discussions. The programme will also feature Punjabi cultural performances, live music and theatre. According to the organisers, nine Punjabi singers from different countries will perform during the conference. Several competitions aimed at connecting Punjabi with younger generations will also be held. These will cover public speaking, modern technology, short films, social media reels, singing, poetry and scientific innovation. Two Punjabi books will be launched on each day of the conference, including works by authors from Pakistan, the United States and Canada. On the final day, 16 awards across eight categories will be presented to individuals for their contributions to Punjab and Punjabi culture. Eight recipients will be from Pakistani Punjab, while the remaining awards will go to Punjabi personalities from the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. A number of Punjabi literary and cultural figures from Lahore attended the announcement and presented suggestions regarding the conference programme.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan needs to improve transparency in its public finances and give Parliament and citizens earlier access to key budget and debt information, according to a new US State Department assessment. The department’s 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report said Pakistan had made progress in making financial information publicly available but still faced important gaps, particularly in the timely release of its proposed budget and disclosure of government liabilities. The report noted that Pakistan’s approved budget and year-end financial reports were easily accessible to the public, including online. However, it found that the government did not release its executive budget proposal within a reasonable timeframe. According to the assessment, publishing the proposed budget earlier would give lawmakers and the public more time to examine the government’s spending and revenue priorities before the document is formally approved. The report also raised concerns over limited public information about government debt, especially liabilities linked to major state-owned enterprises. Greater disclosure, it said, would help provide a clearer picture of the country’s financial position and allow Parliament to better assess potential fiscal risks. Despite these shortcomings, the US assessment acknowledged that Pakistan’s publicly available budget documents contained substantial information on planned government revenues and expenditures, including income from natural resources. Pakistan’s auditing system also received a largely positive assessment. The report said financial information was generally reliable and subject to review by the country’s supreme audit institution, which it found to have an appropriate level of independence under international standards. Audit findings were also made available to the public within a reasonable period. The report found that Pakistan had established legal procedures for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licences and appeared to follow those rules in practice. It also noted that information on public procurement contracts was accessible and described the legal framework governing the country’s sovereign wealth fund as sound. The State Department identified three major areas where Pakistan could further strengthen fiscal transparency: releasing the executive budget proposal on time, providing more detailed information about government debt, including state-owned enterprise liabilities, and bringing military and intelligence budgets under adequate parliamentary or civilian oversight. Overall, the report did not portray Pakistan’s financial system as broadly opaque. Instead, it recognised several areas of progress while calling for stronger parliamentary scrutiny and greater disclosure of information that could help lawmakers and the public understand the country’s fiscal risks.