Author: newsdesk

  • Afghan female athlete participating in Paris Olympics declared ineligible

    Afghan female athlete participating in Paris Olympics declared ineligible

    Manizah Talish, an Afghan woman breakdancer in the refugee Olympic team, has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024.

    She is the first athlete on a refugee Olympic team to compete at the Paris Olympics.

    During her break routine in the pre-qualifier of the competition, she wore a scarf-like cap with the words “Free Afghan Women” written on it, after which the management disqualified her from the event.

    According to Olympic rules, political slogans and statements are prohibited on the sports field and podiums.

    The federation has also confirmed her disqualification.

  • Man arrested for digging up grave, raping dead woman

    Man arrested for digging up grave, raping dead woman

    Karachi police on Friday arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of digging up the grave of a recently-buried woman and sexually abusing the body in a Korangi graveyard.

    DAWN has reported that the police registered a case against the suspect on the complaint of the son of the deceased woman against charges of trespassing of burial places and rape.

    The FIR states that the complainant had buried his mother in the graveyard on Thursday evening. Shortly after that, at around 10:30 pm, he came to know that the suspect dug up the body and raped it. However, he got caught, beaten up and handed over to the police.

    Korangi police confirmed in a statement that the suspect had been arrested “on the rape charge” in the Bagh-i-Korangi graveyard.

    During the investigation, the suspect told the police that he used to keep an eye out for recently buried women in the cemetery. He had dug up graves to commit heinous crimes against the dead.

    The police statement said he disclosed that he had sexually abused the corpses of four women in the past.

    Meanwhile, Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed told Dawn that the suspect had been brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a medical examination.

    She said that the relatives of the deceased woman had re-buried her body, but the police required permission from a judicial magistrate to exhume the body for further investigation.

  • Rashid Mahmood’s appointment as FBR chairman sparks controversy over overlooked senior officers

    Rashid Mahmood’s appointment as FBR chairman sparks controversy over overlooked senior officers

    The recent appointment of Rashid Mahmood as Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has ignited debate, as it appears that a number of senior FBR officers were bypassed for the role.

    According to sources, Mahmood’s appointment has overlooked 24 senior officers in the field and 6 at the FBR headquarters, highlighting concerns over the lack of a seniority-based appointment process at the FBR—a stark contrast to other key institutions.

    Further sources reveal that Members of Customs Operations are currently on extended leave, and many senior officers are absent, which points to potential inefficiencies within the department

    Notably, Mahmood’s predecessors, including Amjad Zubair Tawana, Asim Ahmed, and Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed, were also appointed despite more senior officers being available, raising questions about the appointment criteria.

    The timing of this appointment is particularly critical as the government faces a daunting tax target of Rs12.31 trillion for the coming 11 months. According to Mettis Global, if revenue collection falls short, even by a month or two, achieving this goal will be increasingly difficult.

    In addition to these challenges, the new chairman will need to navigate ambitious revenue collection targets and oversee essential system digitisation efforts.

  • IMF wants FBR to bring over 20 million Pakistanis into tax net in five years

    IMF wants FBR to bring over 20 million Pakistanis into tax net in five years

    To broaden the tax base, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has outlined its five-year objectives to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sources reveal.

    The FBR aims to include over 20 million individuals in the tax net over the next five years, as per the IMF’s requirements.

    To meet this goal, the FBR plans to register 3.72 million people and 23,500 associations of persons within the current year. Additionally, more than 9,500 companies will be incorporated into the tax system during this financial year.

    For the following fiscal year, the FBR’s target is to add 3.91 million individuals, associations, and companies to its records. By FY27, the board aims to enrol 4.1 million non-filers, with a further increase to 4.31 million individuals by FY28.

    The goal for the 2028-29 financial year is to incorporate 4.525 million people into the tax net.

    Sources indicate that the IMF has insisted on the strict implementation of this plan, starting from the current financial year.

  • Imran Khan hurt Pakistani sports, says Mansoor Ali Khan

    Imran Khan hurt Pakistani sports, says Mansoor Ali Khan

    Journalist Mansoor Ali Khan has taken exception towards political parties, particularly Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on his podcast, criticising them for trying to take credit for Arshad Nadeem’s big win at Olympics 2024.

    “Imran Khan closed down all the departments. Go and take a look to find out how many athletes left sports in Khan’s era,” exclaimed Mansoor when he recalled that PTI supporters were crediting Imran Khan for supporting Arshad.

    Mansoor stated that Khan hurt Pakistan’s sports industry at unprecedented levels. Meanwhile, the journalist also lashed out at the ruling PML-N for doing the same.

    He recalled the poor facilities of professional swimming sports in Punjab, underscoring that the government had done nothing to support the athletes.

  • SBP-held foreign exchange reserves climb to $9.153 billion with $51 million increase

    SBP-held foreign exchange reserves climb to $9.153 billion with $51 million increase

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has reported an increase of $51 million in its foreign exchange reserves, which reached $9.153 billion for the week ending August 2. The central bank has not disclosed the source of this inflow.

    This rise marks the second consecutive week of increases in the SBP’s reserves, which had previously declined significantly from $9.42 billion on July 12 to $9.027 billion on July 19.

    Overall, the country’s total foreign exchange reserves have risen to $14.472 billion, with $5.318 billion held by commercial banks.

    The SBP’s reserves are a key indicator of financial stability. By the end of the fiscal year 2024, reserves had increased to $9.389 billion, a substantial rise from $4.44 billion in June 2023. This increase has contributed to stabilising the exchange rate and boosting confidence among foreign investors.

    The exchange rate has remained stable for the past four months, attracting significant foreign investment. In this period, inflows into domestic bonds have reached their highest levels since before the Covid-19 pandemic, with $258 million received in July and $230 million in May.

    Looking ahead, financial analysts anticipate that the SBP’s reserves could reach up to $13 billion by the end of 2025, supported by new inflows from an IMF loan programme.

  • Pakistan govt releases postage stamp with an image of Arshad Nadeem for 14th August

    Pakistan govt releases postage stamp with an image of Arshad Nadeem for 14th August

    The Government of Pakistan has released a postage stamp with the title of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ and an image of Arshad Nadeem on the occasion of Independence Day on the instructions of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    The stamp has the image of Minar-e-Pakistan in the postage stamp and Pakistan’s freedom struggle and its symbolic importance are also highlighted.

    Arshad Nadeem defeated defending champion Neeraj Chopra in the Olympic men’s javelin title in Paris on Thursday to win Pakistan’s first medal after in 32 years after 1992.

    He made the country famous by throwing the javelin at 92.97 meters, breaking the Olympic record of more than 2.50 meters.

    Before his stunning victory, Pakistan had never won an individual gold medal at the Olympics. Pakistan won gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984. Before Arshad, only two Pakistani athletes had won individual medals, including a bronze medal in wrestling in 1960 and a bronze medal in boxing in 1988.

    Arshad will be back in Pakistan at 1AM on Sunday morning.

  • ‘Mai aaraha hoon’, Arshad Nadeem lands tonight to a khushi se pagal Pakistan

    ‘Mai aaraha hoon’, Arshad Nadeem lands tonight to a khushi se pagal Pakistan

    Olympics gold medalist Arshad Nadeem will return home tonight after his record breaking javelin gold medal. His success is being celebrated across the country, with Pakistanis eager to welcome their hero.

    The Olympic gold medalist will arrive from Istanbul at Lahore Airport at 1:00 am tonight. Apart from the Pakistan Olympics Association, government officials will also welcome him.

    He pulled off an Olympic record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters in the javelin competition, the first time in the 77-year history of Pakistan that a single man has won a gold medal for the country. Arshad is being showered with love, praise and monetary gifts.

  • July remittances post significant hike

    July remittances post significant hike

    The Pakistani diaspora has sent $3 billion back home in July, 48 percent higher than the previous year, The News has reported.
    State Bank Pakistan (SBP) data shows that remittances from Saudi Arabia increased by 56 percent to $761 million in July, while those from the United Arab Emirates increased by $611 million.
    The percentage reflected a 94 percent surge from the UAE compared to July 2023.

    Remittances from the United Kingdom totaled $443 million, a 45 percent increase from the previous year. Workers also sent $300 million from the United States, a 24 percent hike from last July.
    The research director at AKD Securities Limited, Awais Ashraf said, ‘’This increase is mainly due to the movement of worker remittance into the formal channel, spurred by the reduced rate difference between exchange companies and the interbank market’’.

    Throughout FY24, Pakistan posted a current account deficit of $681 million, equivalent to 0.2 percent of the gross domestic product.

  • ‘That person is going to hell,’ Mahira Khan addresses thief who stole from her

    ‘That person is going to hell,’ Mahira Khan addresses thief who stole from her

    Renowned actress Mahira Khan recently shared her favorite gift from her husband, Salim Karim, and it’s rather unexpected.

    In a video tour of her closet with her digital magazine, ‘Mashion,’ Mahira talked about the gifts she loves to give and receive. She said, “Even though I’m not a miser, I love giving people handwritten notes and letters instead of just material things.”

    When it comes to receiving gifts, Mahira said, “My husband gives me really nice presents, but I love all the beautiful bangles he gives me every week.” She also joked about losing her latest gift, saying, “I think someone stole it, and whoever did will go to hell because my husband thinks I lost it on purpose, but I didn’t.”

    Fans on social media are enjoying Mahira Khan’s fun side and wisecracks.