– Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has not yet forwarded the summary to the president for convening the National Assembly session, with the sitting now likely to be held next week.

According to parliamentary sources, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had sent a summary to the prime minister seeking to convene the National Assembly session on Monday at 5pm.

Sources said a decision to reschedule the session was taken during a meeting between the president and the prime minister.

Parliamentary sources added that the National Assembly session is now expected to be summoned next week.

China and the United States discussed tariff cuts, agricultural trade and other issues at their first trade council meeting on Friday, China’s Commerce Ministry said on Saturday, days ahead of a leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen next week.

The Ministry of Commerce said: “The two sides had open, in-depth and constructive exchanges on issues of common concern, such as the implementation of the results of the previous China-US economic and trade consultations, including tariffs, the “US$30 billion for US$30 billion” mutually beneficial tax reduction regime, and agricultural trade.” It did not disclose whether any agreement had been reached. The Ministry of Commerce added that both sides will continue to use the council to resolve trade issues, expand cooperation and reduce outstanding issues. After a summit between President Xi Jinping and President Trump in Washington in September, the two sides proposed a $60 billion plan to cut reciprocal tariffs that would cover $17 billion worth of Chinese imports of U.S. agricultural products by 2024, but the plan has not yet been finalized.

A Reuters analysis of customs data earlier this month showed that China’s purchases of U.S. agricultural products, excluding soybeans, will hit a seven-year low this year, despite an agreement for $17 billion a year through 2028, underscoring lingering uncertainty over the deal. Beijing has repeatedly called on Washington to implement a $60 billion tariff reduction deal, saying it is a prerequisite for increased purchases of US agricultural products.

The White House said Trump will meet with Xi Jinping on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Shenzhen.

A concerning shortage of healthcare facilities and medical staff has emerged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighting significant gaps in the province’s healthcare system.

Only 8,024 doctors are available to serve the province’s population of more than 40 million, meaning there is approximately one doctor for every 5,000 to 6,000 people. The media report that the situation of state medical facilities in the entire province is also unsatisfactory, as more than 200 different types of state medical centers are unable to function. Public hospitals are also facing a serious shortage of clinical places. The report said that the public hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have a total of 18,432 beds and require about 64,000 beds to meet the health needs of the people of the province. This makes the bed gap about 45,568.

The report further highlights that the current number of doctors in the province is extremely low relative to its population, potentially making it difficult for patients to access medical consultations and treatment facilities.

Moreover, the closure of a large number of government healthcare centres is also hindering the provision of basic medical services to the public.

Meanwhile, Provincial Health Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Nigar Johar said during a briefing that the provincial government had decided to introduce amendments to the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Act and conduct audits of government hospitals to improve the healthcare system.

She added that shortcomings in the Sehat Card programme would be addressed and the system further improved to ensure better access to healthcare services for the public. A shortage of doctors, non-functioning health centers and insufficient hospital beds remain major problems in the province, requiring government reforms and expansion of health facilities.