Author: newsdesk

  • Pakistan’s nuclear program not linked to loan negotiations, says IMF representative

    Pakistan’s nuclear program not linked to loan negotiations, says IMF representative

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has refuted allegations that it imposed any conditions on the revival of a loan program that had been suspended for several months despite ongoing discussions between the two parties.

    Pakistan has been in discussions with the IMF since early February to negotiate the terms of the deal, which includes the adoption of policies aimed at addressing its fiscal deficit ahead of the annual budget in June. The funds are part of a $6.5 billion bailout package that the IMF approved in 2019, and which experts believe is critical for Pakistan to avoid defaulting on its external debt obligations.

    The delay in reaching a staff-level agreement with the IMF had prompted veteran politicians, Senator Raza Rabbani and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, to express concerns about whether the delay was due to the country’s strategic assets, including its nuclear and missile programs. They have called on the government to clarify this issue.

    In response, IMF resident representative in Islamabad, Esther Perez Ruiz, released a statement on Sunday denying any involvement in Pakistan’s nuclear program, stating that there was “absolutely no truth” to the rumors that program discussions with the authorities may have covered the issue.

    Ruiz further clarified that the discussions had focused exclusively on economic policies aimed at resolving Pakistan’s economic and balance of payments problems, in line with the Fund’s mandate for promoting macroeconomic and financial stability.

  • Govt announces Rs50 per litre petrol subsidy for low-income individuals

    Govt announces Rs50 per litre petrol subsidy for low-income individuals

    The government has announced a relief package for low-income individuals in the form of a petroleum subsidy worth Rs50 per litre. This announcement was made during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday.

    The Prime Minister directed that consumers using small vehicles such as motorcycles, rickshaws, and 800-CC vehicles will be included in the subsidy scheme. He also instructed relevant authorities to finalise the scheme as soon as possible to ensure its effective implementation.

    The Prime Minister emphasized that this subsidy will provide much-needed relief to low-income individuals, as they are the primary users of small vehicles. Despite the severe economic difficulties faced by the country, the government is committed to assisting the poor in every way possible.

    During the meeting, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik briefed participants on the strategy for implementing the subsidy to low-income individuals.

  • PSL fever over but game on hai; Get ready for Pakistan Vs Afghanistan

    PSL fever over but game on hai; Get ready for Pakistan Vs Afghanistan

    On Saturday night Lahore Qalandars held their nerves in a thriller to lift the PSL 8 trophy and become the first team of Pakistan Super League (PSL) to defend their title. A nail biting finish saw
    Multan Sultans almost snatching away the dreams of Lahore Qalandars fans.

    Qalandars won by just 1 run, in a match that swung with every ball bowled, capping a memorable PSL season. What’s next for cricketing fans? Well, game on hai. Get ready for Pakistan Vs Afghanistan T20 series.

    The three-match T20I series will be played in Sharjah, starting March 24. Pakistan will be led by the young all-rounder Shadab Khan after regular captain Babar Azam along with several big names like Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, have decided to take rest and sit out the series.

    Pakistan have named a new-look squad for the Afghanistan T20Is. Several big names have been rested including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Performances in the PSL has mattered in selection with Saim Ayub and Ihsanullah being given maiden call-ups while Imad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf have been recalled.

    “The Afghanistan series is the training ground to test our youngsters,” Najam Sethi, the PCB chief, said in a press interaction on March 13. “I am not worried about winning or losing to Afghanistan – if we find few talented youngsters, it will serve the purpose. The series is largely about blooding our new talent and developing them.”

    Top order
    Pakistan have four opening options to choose from – Shan Masood, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, and Abdullah Shafique. Among them, Haris and Ayub were the most impressive in the PSL, with both scoring 180-plus runs at averages above 30 and strike rates above 180 as openers. Masood meanwhile scored 236 runs at an average of 26.22 and a strike rate of 124.87.

    Masood has been part of Pakistan’s T20 setup for a while now and has been playing the anchor role at No.3. With Babar and Rizwan not there, they would ideally want him to continue in his role and have Ayub and Haris open the innings. Shafique might have to wait his turn to get in the XI.

    Middle-order
    Iftikhar Ahmed should continue at his usual No.4 position, with Azam Khan slotting in as the wicketkeeper at No.5. Khan scored 282 runs in the PSL this year at a strike rate of 161.14, and would be looking to make an impact on his T20I comeback.

    All-rounders
    Shadab Khan will bat at No.6 and lead the spin attack. For No.7 and No.8, Pakistan will have three options to choose from – the incumbent Mohammad Nawaz, and two players making their comeback, Imad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf.

    While both Nawaz and Imad are similar commodities, bowling left-arm orthodox and batting left-handed, the generally low and slow Sharjah surface might force the Pakistan think-tank to pick both, with Ashraf sitting out. On the other hand, if they feel like the conditions on offer won’t be conducive to spin bowling, Ashraf will pip Imad with Nawaz retaining his spot.

    Bowlers
    For the last three slots, Pakistan have four pace bowlers to choose from – Ihsanullah, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, and Zaman Khan. Naseem and Wasim pick themselves as the regulars, while the young sensation Ihsanullah will in all probability make his international debut ahead of Zaman Khan, following his breakthrough PSL season.

    Pakistan likely XI for T20Is
    Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Ihsanullah

  • Gold price increases to Rs208,300 per tola as investors adopt cautious approach amid uncertainties

    Gold price increases to Rs208,300 per tola as investors adopt cautious approach amid uncertainties

    The price of gold in Pakistan soared by 2 per cent on Saturday, according to data from the All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association. The political unrest in the country has left investors uncertain about the economy, prompting them to seek safe-haven assets such as gold.

    The price of gold (24 carats) increased by Rs4,100 per tola and Rs3,516 per 10 grammes, reaching Rs208,300 and Rs178,584, respectively. In the week ending March 18, gold gained Rs9,600 per tola, or 4.8 per cent, as it rose during all six trading sessions, despite the little appreciation of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar.

    The precious metal is expected to remain attractive to investors as they adopt a cautious approach.

    The price of silver also rose by Rs100 per tola and Rs85.73 per 10 grammes to settle at Rs2,250 per tola and Rs1,929 per 10 grammes, respectively. Meanwhile, in the international market, gold prices surged by over 2 per cent due to banking crises shaking global markets, putting bullion on track for its biggest weekly rise in three years. The price per ounce settled at $1,989 after an increase of $53. This rise in gold prices was also driven by bets for a less aggressive Federal Reserve in its fight against inflation.

    Gold is currently Rs11,500 per tola “undercost” in Pakistan compared to the Dubai market, making it cheaper for investors to buy. According to experts, gold is surging on fears that more bad banking news could appear over the weekend and hopes that the FED will pause its rate hikes next week.

    With political and economic uncertainties looming in Pakistan, gold is likely to shine as investors seek a low-risk profile.

  • Trump says he will be arrested on Tuesday, urges supporters to protest on his behalf

    Trump says he will be arrested on Tuesday, urges supporters to protest on his behalf

    Former US President Donald J. Trump, who is facing possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, declared on his social media site that he would be arrested on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest on his behalf.

    The post was made on his site, Truth Social, on Saturday, and read, “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

    However, two hours later, a spokesman issued a statement clarifying that Mr. Trump had not written his post with direct knowledge of the timing of any arrest. A lawyer for Trump, Susan R. Necheles, claimed that the post was based on news reports, and accused the Manhattan district attorney’s office of conducting a “political prosecution.”

    Prosecutors working for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, have signaled that an indictment of Trump could be imminent. Still, they have not informed Trump’s lawyers when the charges would be sought or when an arrest would be made. People with knowledge of the matter said that at least one more witness is expected to testify in front of the grand jury, which could delay an indictment.

    Trump’s post urging his supporters to protest and reclaim the nation has raised concerns about a possible repeat of the violence that occurred on January 6, 2021, when supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Investigators later determined that far-right extremist groups, as well as ordinary Trump supporters, had read Trump’s tweets as a clear-cut invitation to the event.

  • Khan’s arrest warrants finally cancelled

    Khan’s arrest warrants finally cancelled

    After much chaos, drama in Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest warrants in Toshakhana case were cancelled on Saturday by the Islamabad sessions court.

    The hearing was adjourned till March 30 (Thursday) due to the turbulence and chaos witnessed today, with the judge ordering Imran to appear in personal capacity in the next hearing.

    Imran Khan allowed to mark attendance in car

    Prior to this, Khan arrived at the Islamabad Judicial Complex but didn’t go inside due to security concerns.

    Amid unruly crowds and security concerns, the judge gave permission that Khan can mark his attendance while sitting in the car which he did and then left for Lahore.

    After Lahore, clashes erupt in Islamabad

    PTI supporters started throwing stones at the Islamabad police in the capital when Imran Khan made his way to court for a hearing of the Toshakhana case.

    In the video, supporters carrying sticks can be seen attacking police cars.

    ‘Part of London plan’: Imran lashes out after police raids his Zaman Park residence

    Khan lashed out at Punjab police for raiding his house in Zaman Park, Lahore.

    “Meanwhile Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone,” he said in a tweet.

    “Under what law are they doing this? This is part of London Plan where commitments were made to bring absconder Nawaz Sharif to power as quid pro quo for agreeing to one appointment.”

    The operation is over, however, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah alleged that contraband was discovered at Khan’s residence

    Police broke into the house in Zaman Park, Lahore, after claiming that they were fired at from inside the house. Using heavy machinery, police smashed the entrance of the house and entered into the premises.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, in a tweet, accused Khan of using people as human shields.

    He said that “from using people as human shields to throwing petrol bombs at police to leading ‘jathas’ to intimidate judiciary, he has taken a leaf out of the RSS book.”

    Where is Bushra Bibi?

    Later in the evening, Khan’s sister came forward to give her side of the story of the unfolding situation after police raided her brother’s house in Zaman Park.

    She said that Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi is still inside the house in Zaman Park.

    Khan’s sister said that police aggressively broke into Khan’s house and they even took away some children who were present at home at the time.

    ‘Inhon ne pura plan banaya huva hai mujhe arrest karne ka’: Imran Khan

    Earlier in the day, when Imran was en route to Islamabad, he claimed that he is aware that the government will arrest him.

    “I am going to court despite knowing they’ll arrest me because I believe in the rule of law.”

    He mentioned being delayed due to an accident and claimed that a premeditated plan to arrest him is in place, alleging that it is part of a larger “London Plan” orchestrated by former PM Nawaz Sharif.

    In line with PTI’s insistence that Khan’s life is in danger and he needs security, Islamabad Chief Commissioner shifted the hearing from F-8 Court Complex to the Judicial Complex in G-11.

  • Sanitary pads, rifles, bullets: Here are the things that Punjab police found at Imran Khan’s house

    Sanitary pads, rifles, bullets: Here are the things that Punjab police found at Imran Khan’s house

    The Punjab Police on Saturday raided the house of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan shortly after he left for Islamabad to appear before a court in the Toshkhana case.

    Now, the police has left the area and the operation is reportedly over.

    According to media reports, several things have been discovered by the police at Khan’s residence.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that police found 16 rifles, arms, bombs and a bomb-making factory in Zaman Park.

    He said that Inspector General (IG) will bring all proofs before the nation.

    In a video, which is being shared on Twitter, police can be seen picking up sanitary pads.

    Moreover, the bottles that were used to make petrol bombs have been found along with marbles, slingshots, five kalashnikovs and bullets, reports Geo News.

    Reacting to this news, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry took a jibe at the police and said that “Cannon, tank shells, anti-aircraft and cocaine, and petrol bombs were recovered from Imran Khan’s residence. But Imran Khan took tanks and cannons with him.”

    To refute the claims made by the government, he in another tweet claimed “that the police has taken food and drinks from the fridge and not even left the biscuits.”

    According to him, a hundred thousand watches have been also taken from the pockets of the employees.

  • Pakistani-born businessman receives MBE from Prince William

    Pakistani-born British entrepreneur and restaurateur Suleman Raza was awarded the MBE by Prince William for his services to the business and philanthropy sector in Britain. Raza revealed on Twitter that he was happy to witness immigrants coming to Britain and becoming successful.

    According to his Medium article, Raza hails from Rawalpindi, but had moved to London where he started working as a chef in an eatery. He went on to open a restaurant in Tooting where he served Pakistani food.

    Raza also launched the project ‘No One Eats Alone’ in 2019 to provide meals to elderly and homeless communities during Christmas. He received public praise for his campaign “One Million Meals” to support National Health Service (NHS) workers in hospitals during the pandemic by providing them with hot meals.

  • Newark mayor duped into partnership with Hindu country that doesn’t exist

    Newark in New Jersey is gaining viral traction for all the wrong reasons. The town has become the brunt of many a jokes after it was revealed that mayor Ras Baraka had been duped into forming a sister city partnership with a delegation from the ‘country’ Kailasa, which was found out to be fake six days later.

    A signing ceremony was held on March 6 between the delegation from the fake country and city officials of Newark where Baraka had said:

     “I pray that our relationship helps us to understand cultural, social and political development and improves the lives of everybody in both places.”

    Last week, Newark officials admitted that they had been scammed by the Indian fugitive Swami Nithyananda, who was the head of the delegation from ‘Kailasa”, but said they were still committed to partnering with people from diverse cultures:

    “Although this was a regrettable incident, the city of Newark remains committed to partnering with people from diverse cultures in order to enrich each other with connectivity, support and mutual respect.”

    The partnership lasted for only six days, until it was dissolved for baseless.

    The head of Kailasa, Swami Nithyananda, is an Indian guru who is currently charged with rape and child abduction by the Indian government. He has denied the accusations.

    Nithyanananda writes that Kailasa was founded in order to ensure the “restoration, preservation and propagation of authentic Hindu culture and civilization after centuries of oppression and subjugation. It is the home and refuge for the international Hindu diaspora.”

    According to its website, Newark is not the first town to be duped into forming the partnership, as so had Virginia, Ohio and Florida.

    Residents of Newark found the incident to be shocking. Shakee Merritt spoke to CBS that he was suprised no one did a simple Google search on whether the country was real or not.

  • ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi is more than just being about clothes’: Amna Ilyas

    Actor Amna Ilyas was a guest on “The Talk Talk Show’ where she opened up about being a feminist, and clarified the misinformation around the Aurat March slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’.

    When the placcard was raised at the 2018 Aurat March, it caused outrage after many right-wing critics said that the chant supports promiscuity and challenges family values in Pakistan. Many religious clerics had used the placard as justification to call ‘Aurat March’ un-Islamic and accused it of promoting a Western agenda in Pakistan.

    Many feminist activists have defended the slogan for protecting women’s bodily autonomy, and now Ilyas has also done the same, as she explained that the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’ was more than about clothes, it’s about protecting the rights of women:

    “It’s about having body autonomy rights and consent. It’s about harassment, domestic violence, and concepts like, ‘No one has the right to touch me without my consent, even if I’m married to you’.”

    Ilyas went on to debunk the stereotype associated with feminism that women who support this ideology are promoting vulgarity, when in reality the ideology supports the rights of women to have the same opportunities as men:

    “Whenever I talk about feminism, people always object by saying ‘Oh, Amna is bold, of course, she will spread vulgarity as she’s from the industry, she wants all our daughters to be like her’. No, I don’t want that, I only do what I want to for myself.”

    “When we speak of equal rights, it’s about having the same opportunities to thrive in my career as the man beside me. If you’re a father of four children who excel in your profession, why can’t I do the same? Honestly, it’s not about whether you’re getting permission to wear jeans or not. What we truly need, is the space to work in a cerebral capacity,” she explained.

    Watch the complete interview here: