As a stifling heatwave gains strength across Pakistan, the Punjab government has decided to shut down all schools across the province for a week while Sindh has decided to postpone matric exams.
A notification issued by the Government of Punjab states that due to the heat wave, a seven-day-long holiday has been announced in schools. Therefore, schools will remain closed from May 25 to May 31. However, schools that are carrying out exams will be allowed to continue.
PDMA Punjab had issued alerts earlier that the heat wave will span across Punjab from May 21 to 27.
Karachi
Class 9th and 10th exams have been postponed in Karachi due to a possible heat wave.
The Board of Secondary Education has announced that there will be no matriculation board papers between May 21 and 27.
On the orders of the Minister for Education Boards and Universities, the Matriculation Board Karachi exams have been postponed and now the Matriculation Board exams will be held from May 28 as per the schedule.
Although the Intermediate exams were postponed earlier, now the Inter exams will start from May 27 instead of May 22.
The plains of Punjab and Sindh are in the grip of intense heat and a heatwave alert has also been issued by the Meteorological Department.
Over 350 Pakistani students have landed in Lahore and Islamabad from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Two of the three special flights landed at the Islamabad and Lahore airports on Sunday night, with 180 students on board each plane. The third plane was also expected to land later in the night.
At the Islamabad airport, the students who arrived were welcomed by federal minister Musadik Malik while in Lahore, the students were greeted by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
The Civil Aviation Authority had set up an immigration desk and provided transport to the students on arrival.
As per the instructions of the PM, the federal government will bear the expenses for these special flights.
Ishaq Dar downplayed mob violence
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar — who put off his trip to Kyrgyzstan — downplayed the mob violence saying the situation in Bishkek was normal and there was no need to panic.
According to Ishaq Dar, 16 foreign students, including “four or five” Pakistanis, were injured in the violence.
FM Dar said that the government would cover the expenses of Pakistani students wishing to return home as 540 students would take three flights to return on Sunday. He said as many as 11,000 Pakistani students were studying in Bishkek, and those returning would be fully facilitated.
He quoted the Kyrgyz foreign minister as saying that the incident in Bishkek was due to a “misunderstanding”.
Students say all is not well
Many students on social media said that the embassy was not providing any help and that the situation in Bishkek was still bad. They said that the foreign students were attacked by Kyrgyz students and locals, adding that they were not even safe on the roads.
Balochistan students ‘ignored’
In Balochistan, Sajid Hussain, an educationist, claimed that the government had taken no steps to bring back at least 300 students from Balochistan stranded in Bishkek.
“Over 300 students from Balochistan are also studying in Kyrgyzstan but they have not been brought back,” Mr Hussain said.
His son and daughter are studying at the Asian International University in Kyrgyzstan along with five other students enrolled there.“I am in contact with my children,” he said, adding that no steps had been taken for the return of Baloch students.
He claimed that the federal government was repatriating students from other provinces and that parents of students from Balochistan were being asked to pay Rs100,000 for each student.
He appealed to Balochistan’s government officials to take notice of the situation and make special arrangements for the province’s students. CM Bugti has reportedly established a special desk in this regard, reported Dawn.
“To reach the students, the foreign ministry is in contact with the embassy of Kyrgyzstan,” the CM said, assuring “every possible assistance” for the students.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on May 19 condemned a political party, a thinly veiled reference to PTI, for spreading disinformation and negative propaganda online regarding the Kyrgyzstan incident in which mobs attacked Pakistani students.
The minister exclaimed that “wrong news” was being spread on social media by a single political party to “humiliate the government” and it is utterly condemnable.
It should be noted that social media was flooded with news of deaths and rapes of Pakistani students which has turned out to be not true.
“I believe that such shameful act should not be done in politics,” he stressed.
Tarar said there was a clash between local students and Arab students, after which this incident took place. He added that the government is helping the students who want to come back.
“Kyrgyz foreign minister has said that no deaths have occurred in the incident and that the situation is peaceful,” said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during a press conference.
Pakistan men’s team, including captain Babar Azam, Senior Manager Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Afridi and others met the Pakistan women’s team to offer them encouragement in England tour.
Pakistan’s men’s team is also in Leeds to play a four-match T20 series against England. The first T20 match of the series will be played at Headingley, Leeds on May 22.
England women’s cricket team defeated Pakistan by 34 runs and won the 3-match series by 3-0.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, and his foreign minister Hossein Amr-Abdollahian, have been killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday night in the north of the country near the border with Azerbaijan, State Television has confirmed.
Rescue teams finally reached the site of the helicopter crash where dense fog and adverse weather conditions impeded rescue and recovery efforts.
“Upon finding the helicopter, there was no sign of the helicopter passengers being alive as of yet,” state TV reported. The helicopter carrying the head of the state crashed during President Raisi’s return flight to Tabriz after he and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the Qiz Qalasi Dam on the border.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged calm and assured his people that there would be no disruption in the country’s governance.
Vice President Mohammad Mokhbar is expected to become the new President now, Al Jazeera has reported.
The federal government has announced plans to revise Pakistan’s solar net metering policy, aiming to reduce losses within the power sector. This announcement was made by Federal Minister for Energy, Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari, during a press conference where he highlighted current issues surrounding solar net metering.
Minister Leghari noted that citizens installing solar systems initially expected to recover their investments within three years. However, due to recent advancements, this period has been significantly reduced to just one to one and a half years. This rapid return on investment underscores the growing efficiency and popularity of solar energy solutions.
The PML-N-led government had initially promoted solarisation in 2017, resulting in 113,000 connections currently operating under the net metering scheme. Leghari reassured that while the government is open to revising the solar net metering policy if necessary, it remains committed to sustaining the programme.
“We will take effective measures to eliminate power theft and thereby reduce the financial burden on the national exchequer,” he stated, emphasising the government’s dual focus on promoting clean energy and maintaining economic stability.
The government is also assessing the impacts of the increasing trend towards rooftop-generated electricity. Minister Leghari explained that this assessment would help determine the rate of return on investments in solar equipment and understand the broader implications of this shift.
He highlighted the need to analyse whether the growing reliance on solar panels is leading to inflated electricity prices for local households. “We will be involved in analysing and balancing the solar net metering,” Leghari added, indicating a comprehensive approach to ensuring the policy benefits all stakeholders.
Net metering, a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid, remains a pivotal aspect of the government’s strategy to encourage renewable energy adoption. This revision aims to optimise its benefits and address emerging challenges within the power sector.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed that it is in discussions with Pakistan regarding a 24th bailout programme under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), signalling a significant development in the country’s ongoing economic negotiations.
IMF Communication Director Julie Kozack, during a press briefing, refrained from commenting directly on the status of a staff-level agreement, suggesting that the talks are still in progress.
She stated, “A mission team led by Nathan Porter is currently meeting with Pakistani authorities to discuss the next phase of our engagement.”
Kozack elaborated on recent IMF activities in Pakistan, noting that on April 29th, the IMF Executive Board completed the second review of the stand-by arrangement for Pakistan, enabling a disbursement of approximately $1.1 billion.
“The completion of this review reflects the authorities’ robust policy efforts during the stand-by arrangement, which contributed to stabilising the economy,” she explained.
Addressing further queries, Kozack indicated that the mission is actively working on the ground and that their findings would be communicated upon the mission’s completion.
Pakistan is seeking a substantial $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the IMF over a three- to four-year period to address its financial difficulties.
The IMF’s technical team arrived in Pakistan on May 10 to engage in discussions regarding the new loan programme and budget preparations.
These talks come at a critical time for Pakistan, which is grappling with considerable economic challenges, including the failure of a tax amnesty scheme proposed by the IMF. The outcome of these negotiations will be pivotal in determining Pakistan’s economic stability and future financial policies.
Actor Shahroz Sabzwari has credited his newfound style to his wife, Sadaf Kanwal.
Sabwari recently participated in the HUM Style Award where he received the Best Style Hero of the Year award.When a journalist asked Sadaf if she was surprised when Shahroz Sabzwari was nominated for Style Hero of the Year,
she replied: “I wasn’t surprised; I hoped he would win the award and I’m very happy about it.”Meanwhile, Shehroz further said ,”I wasn’t stylish at all until my wife came into my life. She taught me how to dress and style myself. I owe my stylish looks to her.”
Muneeb Butt, a beloved actor in Pakistan known for his versatile roles and self-made journey, recently had a memorable meeting with renowned Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee in Dubai.
The younger actor expressed his long-standing admiration for Manoj’s craft and his desire to meet him. Manoj responded warmly, and they both had a pleasant interaction.
Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Rana Sanaullah has stated that Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur considers himself a “Tees Mar Khan but he fires only empty shots.”
Talking to the media in Lahore, Prime Minister’s advisor Rana Sanaullah said that if it (PTI) wants to talk to the establishment or the establishment wants to talk to them, then absolutely do it.
The PML-N stalwart said that when the establishment did not support Imran, he said that it is Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq. “Their dispute is that the establishment should interfere in politics and the system of the country,” he opined.
Talking about the founder PTI, the leader of Muslim League-N said that Imran Khan is getting everything in jail.
