Author: newsdesk

  • ‘DG ISI told NSC meeting he sees no conspiracy’: Asad Umar

    Former Planning Minister Asad Umar said that the Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum told the National Security Committee (NSC) that he did not see a conspiracy against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    “DG did not produce any document in the meeting to support his claim. It was all verbal,” said Umar while speaking on Dunya News programme, ‘On The Front with Kamran Shahid’.

    He was responding to a question about DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major-General Babar Iftikhar’s presser denying a conspiracy to oust Khan, saying the army spokesman had only said that the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) and all services chiefs were present in the meeting and he did not say what their opinion was.

    The former minister also said the ISPR chief had said the ISI DG told the meeting he did not see a conspiracy and it was true that he had said that. But, he said, he did not present any detailed report or document to verify his findings in the NSC meeting.

    He said there had been no document other than the cipher presented in the meeting.

    No conspiracy or evidence of any kind against the then government: DG ISPR

    The military’s spokesperson on June 14 expressed regret over the propaganda initiated against the army and the military leadership on social media.

    DG ISPR once again reiterated that no conspiracy was hatched to oust Khan. He said that the military leadership was present in the NSC meeting and the participants were clearly briefed by the intelligence agencies.

    “[They were] briefed that there was no conspiracy or evidence of any kind [against the then government], nothing like that happened. Participants were told in detail that there was no evidence of any conspiracy,” said the DG ISPR.

    Did not issue political statements

    Later on June 15, Major-Gen Iftikhar said that he “did not issue political statements” when he commented on the outcome of the NSC meeting.

    DG ISPR said he did not make any “political statements”, rather it was a clarification on behalf of the services chiefs of the Pakistan armed forces.

    DG ISPR further said that the services chiefs had provided detailed input in the meeting and they had presented information based on intelligence reports, not mere speculation or opinion.

    “This cannot be considered as someone’s opinion; it was a proper briefing based on intelligence reports,” he said.

  • Positivity rate in Karachi doubles in the last 24 hours

    Positivity rate in Karachi doubles in the last 24 hours

    Karachi recorded a doubling of its Covid-19 positivity ratio from 10.69 per cent to 21.23 per cent within the last 24 hours.

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that 268 new cases were reported in the country today (June 23). The positivity rate in the country is currently at 2.14 per cent, which is the highest it has been since March 5, 2022.

    Pakistan also saw a surge in the positivity rate in the last few days. There has been an increase in hospitalisations due to Covid-19, primarily among older and unvaccinated patients.

    In the last 24 hours, one person has lost their life to the virus.

  • PTA temporarily unblocks non-compliant smartphones

    PTA temporarily unblocks non-compliant smartphones

    A number of Pakistani users have regained cellular connectivity on smartphones that are not PTA compliant. This led many customers and sellers to believe that the PTA had unblocked all non-PTA-approved phones.

    Unfortunately, all of the reports claiming that the PTA has unblocked non-tax compliant phones are false as the majority of imported phones with unpaid taxes, are still blocked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and cannot work with any cellular networks in the country.

    They can, however, continue to use Wi-Fi connections like before. Some people with unapproved phones had their phones unblocked at random in recent weeks, allowing them to reconnect to cellular networks.

    The telecommunications authority has made clear that it has unblocked an undefined number of non-approved phones solely to motivate people to pay taxes and have their phones properly unblocked.

    According to PTA spokesperson Khurram Ali Mehran, this was just a persuasive drill to get people to authenticate their phones and pay taxes, no matter how expensive they are.

    He stated that the PTA chose to unblock the phones at random and that they will all be blocked again within two months.

  • Twitter is testing 2,500 word limit ‘Notes’ feature

    Twitter is testing 2,500 word limit ‘Notes’ feature

    Twitter announced on Wednesday that it is testing a new feature called ‘Notes’ that will allow users to create long-form content utilising rich formatting and uploaded media.

    The new feature allows users to share ‘Notes’ up to 2,500 words long. Presently, posts on the social media platform are limited to 280 characters.

    Once published, these notes can be tweeted and shared with followers. It will include embedded photos, GIFs, videos, tweets, etc.

    https://twitter.com/TwitterWrite/status/1539640956915290112

    According to Dr Laura Toogood, a social media specialist, the trial was an important step for Twitter. She stated that this feature would encourage users to stay on the platform rather than linking to other websites that could host long-format content.

    “Adding this extra capability means that Twitter is now in a position to compete with some of the popular blogging platforms and potentially attract a new audience and a different type of user,” she added.

    The two-month test will include a small group of authors from Canada, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

  • ‘Establishment is a political player in Pakistan’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘Establishment is a political player in Pakistan’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said that the neutral (military) establishment in Pakistan is a political player. He asked how it can be neutral, as it is either on ‘this’ side or ‘that’.

    “They are political players in Pakistan. They have to decide for themselves. The military and the judiciary have been political players in Pakistan’s 75-year history,” said Fawad.

    Speaking on ARY news programme, ‘Off The Record’, Fawad said, “The monopoly on information, which belonged to the intelligence agencies previously, has been ended by social media now. The military and judiciary are powerful institutions, we can’t dictate them. Therefore, now they have to make this decision whether to keep on moving this way or adopt the path of modern institutions.”

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1539655765908066304?s=20&t=9no6LbXJEsbbmC-zlDEqcw

    Talking about neutrals and neutrality, Fawad said that there is a context to being neutral.

    On the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments, Fawad said the neutrals let the NAB laws to be amended. “If this is how the institutions have to remain neutral, then it will be a disaster.”

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1539647626517155842?s=20&t=9no6LbXJEsbbmC-zlDEqcw

    Fawad said that even he was shocked that Shehbaz Sharif was being considered to become prime minister of Pakistan.

    During a seminar on “Regime Change Conspiracy and Pakistan’s Destabilization” on June 22, Imran Khan said, “People ask me if I knew about it, then why didn’t I do anything? Well, I never imagined that they would appoint Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister.”

  • Brother in Rajanpur sells sister for Rs400,000

    Brother in Rajanpur sells sister for Rs400,000

    A man in Rajanpur sold his sister for Rs400,000. According to the police, a man named Bilal sold his sister with the help of his friends. A case has been registered on the complaint of the woman.

    The police have arrested two people, including Bilal who is the prime suspect. The police are currently investigating the case and raids are being conducted to arrest the other accused who were involved in the crime.

    Read more- Woman escapes rape attempt in Swat

    Last year, the police in Karachi rescued a woman who had been raped by her brother and was being held hostage by him for two years.

    Read more- Man arrested for raping daughter with friends, kept her in chains

  • ‘Yoga, kick-boxing, pearl millet flour, ghee’: Alia Bhatt’s fitness secrets revealed

    ‘Yoga, kick-boxing, pearl millet flour, ghee’: Alia Bhatt’s fitness secrets revealed

    Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt, who debuted with Karan Johar’s Student of The Year in 2012, is now the number one actress in Bollywood.

    While Alia has proved her acting chops in various films, she sets the screen on fire with her toned body. The actress maintains her svelte figure with a high-intensity workout and nutritious diet.

    As per her nutritionist Rutuja Diwekar, Alia eats jowar in the summers, bajra in the winters, and naachni-raagi during the monsoons. She also includes seasonal fruits, herbal tea, eggs, and some healthy snacking as part of her daily diet. Organic milk, lassi, and chhaas are also her favorites.

    The Raazi star keeps herself fit by doing Pilates, yoga, weight training, core-strengthening exercises, Kick-boxing, and more at the gym.

    The Dear Zindagi diva never fails to mix things up in her workout routine. She also inspires her Instagram followers to do the same by sharing her journey on social media platforms.

    Bhatt had to undergo a tremendous weight loss journey to bag a role in Student of the Year back in 2011.

    Bollywood Transformation: Sara Ali Khan To Alia Bhatt, Actors Who Shed Kilos To Look Like Perfect Diva!

    She lost nearly 20 KGs for her role. Her trainer Sohrab Khushrushahi once shared a glimpse of her workout regime.

    Gangubai Kathiawadi actor did a total of five exercises. Her trainer revealed their names and the number of sets and repetitions (reps). As per Sohrab Khushrushahi, Alia did 4 sets of 6-8 reps of HBT (Hanging Band Technique) Back Squats, 4 sets of 6-8 reps of Jefferson Curls, 4 sets of 6–8 reps of Elevated Sumo Squats + Sumo Deadlifts, 4 sets of 10-15 reps of Wall Sit Calf Raises, and 4 sets of 6-8 reps of Elevated Front Foot Banded Split Squats (each leg).

    Alia hits the gym at least five times a week in spite of her busy schedules.

    Bhatt likes to eat khichdi, dal-chawal, and curd rice with a tablespoon of ghee as well as other home-cooked dishes.

  • Official PML-N Twitter account replaces Miftah with Ishaq Dar

    Official PML-N Twitter account replaces Miftah with Ishaq Dar

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb addressed a press conference in Islamabad today (June 23) about the economy.

    When the press conference started, the official Twitter account of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) shared the live stream link but replaced the current finance minister’s name with PML-N’s former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

    “Federal minister Information Marriyum Aurangzeb and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s press conference,” tweeted PML-N.

    However, the tweet was deleted after users pointed out the faux pas. A new tweet with Miftah’s name was then shared.

    In a joint press conference, the finance minister expressed hopes of the economy getting better with the expected Chinese loan and the ongoing dialogue with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Miftah Ismail revealed that they have reached an understanding with the IMF over the budget’s measures. The details of the discussion on the federal budget for the fiscal year 2023 would be revealed in the National Assembly and then they will close the budget, he added.

    “It is a historic budget as we have neither increased indirect taxes not imposed taxes on commodities or consumption,” said Miftah.

  • Pak Suzuki records 62 per cent increase in sales

    Pak Suzuki records 62 per cent increase in sales

    Following the launch of multiple new models in the local auto market, the demand for cars has increased significantly since COVID-19.

    According to a Business Recorder report, volumetric sales in the auto industry have increased significantly Year Over Year (YOY) through the eleventh month of the fiscal year 2022 (11MFY2022).

    According to the data, around 270,000 auto sales were made in the 11MFY2022. It also notes that Kia, Changan, and other new automakers’ sales are not included in these numbers. When their sales are taken into consideration, the total rises to almost 300,000 units.

    With over 130,000 units sold and YoY growth of 62 percent, Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) continues to be in the lead. With almost 60,000 units sold and a YoY growth rate of 59 per cent, Toyota comes in second. Honda ranks third with over 30,000 units sold and YoY growth of 37 per cent.

    Despite the fact that sales have been steady over the previous year, they are projected to start declining in the second quarter (Q2) of FY2023. The automakers also forecast a drop in sales of up to 25 per cent, citing escalating shipping, gasoline, and raw material costs as well as the consequent pricing hikes.

    Conversely, many experts predict that pre-booked orders would help sales stay robust through Q1 FY2023. It would be fascinating to observe how the sales perform in Q3 FY2023 or Q4 FY2023, according to experts, as that is when the rise in automobile and gasoline prices will really start to have an impact on demand.

  • Pakistani rupee fell by 34 per cent in FY 2021-22: Report

    Pakistani rupee fell by 34 per cent in FY 2021-22: Report

    Pakistan’s fiscal year starts on July 1st and ends on June 30th. The rupee to US dollar exchange rate was Rs158.06 at the beginning of fiscal year 2021-2022, and it reached an all-time high of Rs212.103 in the inter-bank market on June 21, 2022. This represents a depreciation of more than 34 per cent in less than a year.

    The graph below demonstrates how the PKR to USD exchange rate varied over time:

    During the fiscal year 2020-2021, the local currency plunged 17.47 per cent from Rs158.062 to Rs184.159 in 9 months, from July 1, 2022 to April 11, 2022, under the PTI regime. Since PDM took over, the rupee has lost nearly 14.31 per cent of its value in just three months.

    The table below compares PKR to dollar values over time, as well as the government in power at the time:

      PKR to Dollar Government
    July 2021 158.062 PTI
    August 2021 162.571 PTI
    September 2021 166.872 PTI
    October 2021 170.997 PTI
    November 2021 170.92 PTI
    December 2021 176.042 PTI
    January 2022 176.214 PTI
    February 2022 176.736 PTI
    March 2022 177.573 PTI
    April 2022 184.159 PTI and PDM
    May 2022 185.794 PDM
    June 2022 197.744 PDM
    June 23 2022 207.516 PDM

    Dollar demand remains strong in the market, pushing the greenback’s value higher against the rupee. The local currency is likely to remain volatile until the IMF agrees to disburse the next tranche of loans to Pakistan.