The security forces have conducted effective operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan which have resulted in a steep drop in the number of terrorist strikes.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said in a new report that terrorist assaults had fallen by about sixty-six percent in a five week period.

The report claimed attacks reduced to 21 between October 16 and 22, from 61 registered between September 18 and 24.

There was also a week-on-week drop of 38 per cent in militant attacks from October 16-22. In such attacks, the number of people injured fell from 20 in the previous week to 11 in the same period, a fall of 45 percent.

PICSS said security forces have conducted 10 operations in which 33 insurgents were killed.

The research also looked at the effect of an internal leadership struggle in Fitna al-Hindustan and changes in the propaganda approach of Fitna al-Khawarij on the militant scene.

The data show that insurgent activity has gone down throughout the review period, but security challenges continue in regions of the country.

Gold prices in Pakistan continued to tumble on Saturday, recording a fifth straight day of losses as international bullion prices fell below the critical $4,000 per ounce threshold.

The All Sarafa Association said the continued decrease drove gold to a five-month low in both domestic and international markets.

In the local market, the price of 24-carat gold declined by Rs2,500 per tola to Rs422,036. The price of 10 grams also decreased by Rs2,144 to Rs361,686.

The current cut is the latest in a run of sustained deterioration in bullion prices with the domestic market mirroring the slide in foreign rates.

World prices

International gold prices also saw another downturn, dropping by $25 per ounce to $3,995. The move sent bullion below the psychologically important $4,000 barrier, boosting pressure on local prices.

Gold prices fell for the fifth consecutive day in global and domestic markets. The group said the latest numbers “show the scale of the recent retreat” with prices dropping to their lowest in five months.

The jewellery markets in Pakistan observe the international bullion movements closely as global price changes affect local rates, alongside currency fluctuations and other market considerations.

Silver drops

Also prices of silver also came down in domestic trade. Silver prices decreased by Rs7 per tola to Rs5,858.

The simultaneous fall in gold and silver is a reflection of the wider weakness seen across the local precious metals market.

Jio Platforms’ (JIOP.NS) $3.2 billion IPO launches on Wednesday, testing demand for India’s largest share sale to date and the first from billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance (RELI.NS) conglomerate in two decades.

The Jio Platforms IPO will be a crucial test of global appetite for fresh share offerings at a time when investors have tightened their examination of AI-related companies which some analysts think might see them shifting away from the technology.

Jio Platforms, the parent of India’s biggest telecom firm with over 500 million subscribers, backed by Meta, ​Google and institutional investors, is the world’s second-largest telecom operator in a single country behind China Mobile.

The IPO ​values Jio Platforms at up to $108.3 billion, possibly making it one of India’s biggest corporations by market valuation when ​trading kicks out on October 28. About a third of the shares on offer are allocated for retail investors.

Jio Platforms this week allocated $853 million worth of shares to global and local investors including Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and BlackRock, after the reserved part for such investors attracted bids of more than $25 billion.

LAUNCH DATES FESTIVE

Retail investors and Reliance’s employees and stockholders will get a chance to join in the offering that closes Friday and has a price range of 1,065 to 1,119 rupees a share.
The IPO is Reliance’s first since 2006 and is larger than previous huge offerings such as Hyundai Motor India (HYUN.NS), opens new tab, and National Stock Exchange (NSEI.BO).

The plans were also delayed in 2025, when Ambani first said he planned to list in five years in 2019. A filing in as early as March was stymied by the Iran war sapping IPO enthusiasm.

Ambani’s son Akash runs Jio Platforms’ telecom company, which started in 2016 with the gamble that Indians would use the internet a lot more if it cost virtually nothing. It quickly seized market share from rivals like Bharti Airtel (BRTI.NS), opens new tab and Vodafone Idea (VODA.NS), opens new tab with cheap data ​and free voice calls.

Jio Platforms is selling its IPO in the middle of a Hindu festive season, seen as a lucky time for buying, although Indian markets have been dull in recent weeks.

Reliance this month also paid pay cheques approximately 15 days early to its more than 400,000 employees and in recent weeks helped expedite share account opening services to people interested in applying for the IPO, said a person in the business with direct knowledge of the situation.

Reliance did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

For the year ending in March, Jio Platforms posted a profit of $3.2 billion on revenue of $15.5 billion. Its telecoms division alone accounted for over 90% of those figures.