The government of Pakistan on Tuesday received $500 million from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday.
“Government of Pakistan has today received $500 million from AIIB. The funds are deposited with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and will augment our reserves,” the ministry said.
Govt of Pakistan has today received US$ 500 million from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The funds are deposited with SBP and will augment our reserves. @AIIB_Official@StateBank_Pak@MIshaqDar50
— Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan (@Financegovpk) November 29, 2022
The funds by AIIB are crucial for the cash-strapped country, which has seen its foreign exchange reserves dwindle in recent months. The country’s reserves stood at $7.8 billion as of November 18.
“During the week ended on November 18, 2022, SBP’s reserves decreased by $134 million to $7,825.7 million due to external debt repayment,” said the SBP on Friday.
It is important to note that on October 26, 2022, the SBP got $1.5 billion from ADB as a loan disbursement for the government of Pakistan.
An agreement between the ADB and Pakistan was inked last month to offer a $1.5 billion loan for budgetary support as well as assistance with flood-related repair and reconstruction efforts.
The government’s $2.3 billion countercyclical development spending programme, created to lessen the effects of external shocks like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was funded in part by a loan issued under the BRACE Program.
Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Pervaiz Elahi, taking a jibe at the Opposition, said on Tuesday, “No-confidence motion ka jisy shoq hai woh le aye” (whoever wants a no-confidence motion can bring it on).
Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) including its Chairman Shakeel Masood Hussain and others, Elahi reiterated that he and his party members were standing with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and that the Punjab Assembly would be dissolved immediately when Khan orders it.
He said that the Opposition can only raise slogans which is not enough for them to bring a no-confidence motion.
The nexus of PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) members in the Punjab Assembly stands at 191. The Opposition is in minority and would remain in minority, he predicted.
“If the assembly is in session, there can be no voting on the no-confidence motion and no vote of confidence. If the assembly is in session, governor’s rule cannot be imposed,” he explained and asserted that everything was being done within the limits of the Constitution and law.
On Monday, the PML-N’s parliamentary party held a meeting in which they decided in principle to use all ‘available tactics’ to prevent PTI’s proposed plan to have the provincial assembly dissolved.
The meeting discussed the prospects of tabling a no-trust move against CM Elahi, imposition of the governor’s rule and the governor seeking a vote of confidence from the CM.
Around Rs.80 to Rs.100 million would be required to conduct elections on one National Assembly (NA) seat, while the cost of polls on one provincial assembly seat would be approximately Rs.60 to Rs.70 million, reports Geo News.
In a statement Monday, an ECP spokesperson said that the Commission is bound to hold elections in 60 days in case a seat falls vacant.
The official said that an election on a National Assembly seat costs Rs.80 to Rs.100 million, while the estimated expenditure of an election on a provincial assembly seat is Rs.60 to 70 million.
“In case of dissolution of an assembly, elections will be held only for the respective assembly seat,” the spokesperson said.
Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced on Saturday that his party will quit all assemblies in its bid to pressurise the Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif-led government into early general elections.
However, PTI — which has called off the long march to Islamabad — is yet to make a final announcement on when it is quitting the assemblies.
Following Khan’s announcement, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that elections will be held on a total of 563 seats across Pakistan which include 123 seats in the National Assembly, 297 seats in Punjab, 115 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 26 seats each in Sindh and Balochistan.
Sindh government on Monday announced launching a mobile application for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening test, Samaa has reported.
Head of Communicable Disease Control Program of Sindh Health Department, Dr Ershad Kazmi, while addressing an awareness session on HIV at Karachi Press Club said that there are some people who want to get tested for HIV but want to keep their identity hidden.
He said that this application is being launched for such individuals to get tested without revealing their identity.
The UNAIDS research estimates that 0.21 million persons in Pakistan are HIV positive.
According to Dr. Ershad, 19,766 of the 90,300 HIV-positive individuals in the country are registered in Sindh and are receiving free medical care from the government.
1,500 transgender people were registered in Sindh through the UNDP HIV Program.
American reality television star Kim Kardashian is “re-evaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga after the luxury fashion brand was widely criticized for a campaign featuring children posing with teddy bears in what appeared to be bondage gear.
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” she said on Twitter. “The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.”
Last week, photos surfaced of a Balenciaga campaign that showed children holding teddy bears in leather gear resembling that used in BDSM, an abbreviation for bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism. One photo showed a child holding a bear that was dressed in wrist and ankle restraints with a lock and chain around its neck.
Fashion house Balenciaga has been heavily criticised over a photoshoot showing child models posing with fetish-themed teddy bears. The shoot went viral, especially in the US among users who object to what they see as “over-sexualising” young children.
As criticism built, a sarcastic tweet from YouTuber June Nicole Lapine gained a lot of traction and Balenciaga deleted all the images a short time later.
After this, some right-wing US media channels ran with the story, and accused the fashion house of “endorsing child pornography”. The accusation was fuelled by the campaign for its Adidas collaboration featuring the case notes referring to “virtual child porn”.
Balenciaga posted an apology to its 14 million Instagram followers and said its plush bear bags “should not have been featured with children”.
It said it had removed the items from sale and deleted the images from all web platforms.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to reduce expenses before talks on the ninth review of a $7 billion loan programme.
Discussions between Pakistan and the IMF are still underway, but no party has reached a broad agreement on a revised macroeconomic framework for the current fiscal year.
According to The News, the ninth review’s conclusion and the distribution of the $1 billion tranche might not happen until the following calendar year 2023 as a result of the ongoing negotiations.
The discussions went on for weeks, but the two parties were unable to agree to begin policy-level discussions to wrap up the approaching ninth review by the end of November.
Although both Pakistan and the international lender are keeping quiet and refusing to make any public statements, rumours in the background indicate that the talks broke down due to disagreements over the revised macroeconomic and fiscal framework that Islamabad had prepared and shared with the IMF.
Pakistan must now put in a lot of effort to finish the review by the first week of December 2022. If the negotiations are successful next month, the IMF will ultimately release the next tranche in January 2023 because the Christmas and New Year holidays start after that date. The Executive Board of the multilateral lender will meet the following year to approve Pakistan’s next tranche.
The News had approached both IMF and Finance Ministry officials to inquire about the exact schedule for the conclusion of the pending review. One close aide of Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar stated that “discussions were going on Zoom. Insha Allah soon (the review will be concluded).”
The new macroeconomic and fiscal framework for 2022–23 is being contested by the IMF because it thinks the goals are unattainable and at odds with actual conditions.
The government anticipated nominal growth in the range of 25 per cent, with real GDP growth of 2 per cent and an average inflation rate of 23 per cent, however, the other numbers did not line up with the revised nominal growth estimates.
The government has not revised the $7.47 trillion yearly objective set by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The IMF, however, thinks that the reduction of imports may result in a shortfall for the tax collector. Second, assuming FBR met its goal, the tax-to-GDP ratio would decline even lower because it did not equal the nominal growth statistics of 25 per cent. Third, the aim of Rs2 trillion in non-tax revenue also might not be met.
The government had set a target of Rs855 billion before the next budget, therefore the IMF highlighted that the petroleum development levy may not completely materialise. Because the government was unable to impose a fee of Rs50 per litre on diesel and because the consumption of petroleum products fell by 21 per cent, the levy target may now be reduced downward to Rs500 billion.
Another obstacle to reaching agreement was the government’s failure to pass legislation and reforms to the energy industry.
Given that the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) reserves currently stand at $7.8 billion, the delay in finalising the IMF agreement could exacerbate the economic problems already plaguing the nation.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa handed over the military’s command to General Asim Munir today at a General Headquarters (GHQ) ceremony in Rawalpindi, marking the end of his six-year extended tenure.
The change of command ceremony marks the time-honoured tradition that symbolises the seamless transition of military leadership. As the ceremony began with a GHQ military band performing national songs and a medley of folk tunes, former heads of the military could also be spotted among the guests.
Senior serving and retired officers, diplomats as well as government functionaries were in attendance.
Prior to the ceremony, both Gen Bajwa and Gen Munir laid a wreath at the Yadgar-i-Shuhada (Monument to Martyrs) in GHQ and offered fateha.
‘Mein gumnaami mein chala jaon gaa, lekin fauj kay saath rohaani raabta hamesha kayam rahay ga’: Gen Bajwa
Gen Bajwa congratulated Gen Munir on being appointed his successor and hoped his promotion would help the country and the army progress. He went on to say that his association with Gen Munir goes back 24 years.
“In addition to being a Hafiz-i-Quran, he is a professional, capable and principled officer. I am certain that under his leadership the army will reach new heights of success,” the outgoing Chief said while paying tribute to his successor.
Gen Bajwa hoped the appointment of Gen Munir as the military chief would prove to be positive for both the country and the army. He said he was handing over the army to an “expert and capable son”.
Reflecting on his military journey, Gen Bajwa said the journey which began several decades ago was now coming to an end.
“I am thankful to God that he gave me the opportunity to work for this great army and gave me the opportunity to lead it,” he said, reiterating that it was a “great honour” for him.
“Soon, I will walk into obscurity, but my spiritual relationship with the army will be forever,” he said in a rare moment of poignancy, ending his speech with prayers for the success of the new army chief and the Pakistan army.
The ceremony was also attended by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu.
Gen Munir was chosen to lead the country’s army by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on November 24. The summary of his appointment was ratified by President Arif Alvi the same day.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, held a meeting with Deputy PM of Interim Afghan Govt. Abdul Salam Hanafi. Bilateral trade, connectivity & people-to-people contacts were discussed during the meeting.
In the meeting matters of bilateral importance focused on political consultations between the two governments.
MoS @HinaRKhar held meeting with the Deputy PM of Interim Afghan Govt. Abdul Salam Hanafi. Minister for Mines & Petroleum Shahabuddin Delawar was also present. Bilateral trade, connectivity & people-to-people contacts were discussed#MoSinKabulpic.twitter.com/iHGNFhVDuE
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 29, 2022
She also held a meeting with Women Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting Pakistan expressed a keen interest in strengthening linkages between women entrepreneurs of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
MOS @HinaRKhar in meeting with Women Chamber of Comm.: -Underlined imp. role of women in society -Expressed ’s keen interest in strengthening linkages b/w women entrepreneurs of & -Announced to give preference to import of products by women run businesses#MoSinKabulpic.twitter.com/WDAfrHjF1v
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 29, 2022
This visit is being perceived as important because it is led by a female minister and that this is a top Pakistani official’s first visit since the April government transition.
Actor Iqra Aziz in an Instagram post announced last month that she is retracting from a project with Feroze Khan after he was accused of domestic violence.
“To stay silent in the face of injustice is to side with the oppressor.’ In lieu of the situation regarding domestic violence, I have made the difficult but necessary decision to retract my project with Feroze Khan as a sign of support for victims of domestic abuse. I support Aliza Sultan for seeking justice, more strength and power to you,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
After Iqra’s announcement, her sister Sidra took to her social media handle to share details of Iqra’s decision-making process while opting out of the project.
Now Iqra has opened up on her decision in a chat show, the Ranjha Ranjha Kardi diva said she simply was not comfortable working with him after he was accused of domestic violence by his wife Aliza Sultan. She said everyone has the right to choose how they want to work and who they want to work with.
Aziz appeared on The Talk Talk Show and talked about her retraction. “For me, it was a very personal decision. I did what I thought was right for me and [it was] what I wanted to do, what according to me was the right choice. I took a decision — I wasn’t comfortable working with him, so I said no. I wasn’t waiting for anything to be proved to take action because, before that, there was a time in which we worked together (Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3) and I wasn’t comfortable with him during that so I said no this time.” she said.
The host summarised her point saying that the bottom line is it’s okay for an actor to have the liberty to say no if they’re uncomfortable working with someone. “Of course!” Aziz responded. “I think that we live in an era where, whether it’s a woman or a man, working in this industry or anywhere, other than the choice of career, they have the right to say yes or no to however they want to work according to their comfort level and to who they’re comfortable working with.”
The interviewer then asked her if her take would be any different if in the future the allegations proved to be false in court. “I think we have to wait for that time then. We can only decide that then, we can’t decide before time thinking what if this happens, just based on assumptions,” replied the Suno Chanda actor.
When the host tried to dig into the matter some more, Aziz put a stop to it with an uncomfortable chuckle and asked him to leave it at that instead of delving deep into it.
Actor Osman Khalid Butt is always advocating for relevant topics, especially women rights and misogyny. The Baaji star came under scrutiny post his performance at LSA’22, where alleged domestic abuser Feroze Khan was awarded in the Best Actor category.
After his performance, he received a hefty amount of criticism for ‘siding with abusers’ about which, he has released a statement today that clears the air about his stance. He stated that he was contacted more than a week before the ceremony to perform and co-host a segment. At that time, nominations weren’t announced.
In response to those who still have questions, and those who passed judgment. Here’s what happened. pic.twitter.com/0rjwkHtHkd
‘My only reservation, which I made clear before agreeing was that I could not attend, let alone perform at the ceremony if Feroze was present there (which has nothing to do with his acting prowess, and everything to do with the very serious allegations levied by his ex-wife), and I was assured that he would not. That commitment was honored.” He wrote.
He further elaborated that he got his hosting segment freed of ‘controversial nominations’.
‘I will continue to raise my voice: feminism is not a brand I wear, it is ingrained in my very being.’ He concluded.
Earlier this year Osman clapped back to an age-shaming troll on his Instagram handle. The netizen took a dig at the Chupke Chupke star by stating that he has started to look like an “uncle.”
The Diyar-e-Dil hero replied by saying, “Catching up to you, aren’t I?”.
Last year, Butt shared a comment by Zahid Ahmed in which the latter said that Pakistani television is okay with showing violence but not intimacy, Butt received a message from a social media user who alleged that the actors use this as a “pathetic excuse to get physical with female actors”.
“We can slap women on TV but can’t show intimacy,” Zahid had said in a recent interview. Osman shared his colleague’s statement with the caption: “Strange indeed.”
Replying to Butt’s story, an Instagram user messaged: “Just a pathetic excuse to get physical with female actors. Not to mention the influence it has on society and especially on young children and teens.”
Instead of ignoring the comment, Osman decided to school the troll explaining that “intimacy is just not sex”.
“Yeah so reactions like this are wholly predictable,” said Butt.
Elaborating further, the actor said: “First off: intimacy is not just sex. Secondly, I’d rather my child see a healthy intimate relationship between fictional spouses than, you know, physical abuse being normalized.”
“The nerve to talk about ‘influence’,” he concluded.
In a separate interview, while sharing where the desire to speak about women-related issues comes from Butt said: “Artists have a responsibility [to speak out] because art is very socially relevant, and I think good art creates empathy and empathy is required to bring [social] change.”
