Author: newsdesk

  • Why national cricket team have no doctor during Australia’s tour?

    Why national cricket team have no doctor during Australia’s tour?

    It has been revealed that there is no doctor with the national cricket team squad who can provide them with medical facilities. According to Geo, the national squad is currently in Australia under the leadership of Shan Masood and the players have to play a series of three-match test series, but the surprising thing is that the team does not have a doctor yet.

    Docter Salim was supposed to go with the team but visa issues came up and he is expected to join the team on December 14. The team is accompanied by physiotherapists and massage therapists. On the other hand, U-19 national team manager and former Test cricketer Shoaib Muhammad could not accompany him due to a passport issue.

    It should be noted that on the third day of the four-day match against Prime Minister XI in Canberra, the spinner Abrar Ahmed complained of pain in his right leg after 8 overs, after which he was sent for rest.

    In a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it was said that Abrar Ahmed has been sent for an MRI scan after a leg injury, the medical panel will inform the details after the cricketer’s reports come out. Abrar Ahmed has bowled a total of 27 overs so far in the match against Prime Minister XI, in which he has taken one wicket for 80 runs.

  • Five terrorists killed in an intelligence-based operation: ISPR

    Five terrorists killed in an intelligence-based operation: ISPR

    Security forces confirmed on Friday that an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district resulted in the elimination of five terrorists, as reported by the army’s media wing.

    A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that a military operation was carried out in the Mullazai area of Tank based on reported terrorist presence.

    During the operation, intense fire exchange took place between the troops and terrorists. As a result, five terrorists were “sent to hell”, the ISPR said.

    It stated that the terrorists who were killed continued to be actively engaged in various terrorist activities, including targeting law enforcement agencies, extortion, and the deliberate killing of innocent civilians.

    “A cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered during the operation,” said the military’s media wing.

    The statement additionally mentioned that the sanitisation operation aims to eradicate any remaining terrorists in the area, reflecting the unwavering commitment of Pakistan’s security forces to eliminate the threat of terrorism from the country.

    A day before, General Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), emphasised that the presence of illegal foreigners was having a significant impact on Pakistan’s security and economy.

  • Allocation of spaces for women in mosques across Sindh

    The Sindh government has announced that it will allocate a place for women to pray in all mosques in the province.

    A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Provincial Minister of Law and Awqaf, Umar Soomro, in which he asserted that a separate place should be allocated for women in 77 mosques.

    He has asked that the process of data collection of registered and unregistered mosques and madrassas should be speeded up.

    He also said that the Awqaf Department should initiate a dialogue with religious affairs and all stakeholders, further suggesting that technical skill programs and IT courses should also be introduced in madrassas in consultation with religious scholars.

    As per the briefing, 8,903 madrassas have been registered across Sindh while registration of more mosques and madrassas is underway.

  • Seat adjustment between PML-N and Jahangir Tareen’s party

    Seat adjustment between PML-N and Jahangir Tareen’s party

    As the political parties gear up for the upcoming elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made another political alliance with the Jahangir Tareen-led Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

    Geo News reported that a significant political development occurred following a meeting between PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and IPP patron-in-chief Tareen on Thursday at Shehbaz Sharif’s residence in Model Town, Lahore.

    At the meeting, which was also attended by PML-N members Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, and IPP’s Awn Chaudhry, both parties deliberated on the current political situation in the country and explored the possibilities of collaborating on seat adjustments for the forthcoming general elections.

    Sources said that the two parties have agreed on seat adjustments for the February 8 polls.

    However, details regarding the number of seats will be finalised in meetings later, a source claimed.

    The development comes after a political agreement between the PML-N and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), when PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif visited the residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Lahore after a 15 years.

  • Number of repatriated Afghans exceeds four lakh

    The deportation of illegally residing Afghans from across the country continues with another 2,473 Afghan citizens returning to Afghanistan yesterday alone.

    This included 232 families travelling in around 126 vehicles. Whereas on December 7, 2,473 Afghans were sent back, including 825 men, 523 women and 1,125 children.

    Samaa News reports an additional figure of 2,055 Afghan citizens who have returned among whom were 426 women and 1,045 children.

    Anadolu Agency reports that over 460,000 undocumented Afghan refugees left Pakistan last month while according to the latest UN figures, 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees and 880,000 have legal permission to stay in Pakistan.

  • A hero in town: Roshan Bibi saves children, husband from bullets

    A hero in town: Roshan Bibi saves children, husband from bullets

    Roshan Bibi, a 28-year-old woman from Ghazar, saved her husband and children in a firing incident on a bus in Chilas.

    On December 2, when terrorists fired at a bus in Chilas, Roshan Bibi laid her one-and-a-half-year-old son, four-year-old daughter and husband on the floor of the bus and she herself lied down on top of them to protect them. Six shots were fired.

    Roshan Bibi along with her husband Syed Ahmad Shah and two children were travelling to Karachi at the time.

    In the tragic incident of firing on the bus, nine people were killed and 26 people were injured.

    Roshan Bibi was injured and shifted to Gilgit, where three bullets were removed from her body during an operation while three are still reportedly in her body, which are yet to be removed.

    Roshan Bibi has been transferred to a private hospital in Karachi.

  • Pak vs Australia’s PM XI: Storm in Canberra leads to a draw

    Pak vs Australia’s PM XI: Storm in Canberra leads to a draw

    The practice match between Pakistan and Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra ended in a draw due to a massive electrical storm in Canberra, Australia.

    Pakistan declared on 391 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the first innings thanks to a double century by captain Shan Masood.

    In the second innings, Australia’s PM XI scored 367 runs for the loss of four wickets. PM XI’s Matt Runshaw scored 136 runs, Cameron Bancroft 53, Cameron Green 46, Marcus Harris 49, and Nathan McSweeney scored 40 runs.

    For Pakistan, Khurram Shehzad, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, and Imam-ul-Haq took one wicket each.

    This four-day match was a part of the preparation for the Test match series. The three-match Test series between Pakistan and Australia will be played from December 14 to January 7.

  • State Bank of Pakistan to announce monetary policy decision on December 12

    State Bank of Pakistan to announce monetary policy decision on December 12

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is set to unveil its monetary policy on Tuesday, December 12. A statement released by the central bank on Friday informed that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of SBP will convene in Karachi on December 12 to deliberate on monetary policy. 

    Subsequently, the central bank will issue the official monetary policy statement. In its preceding meeting on October 30, the MPC judiciously opted to uphold the policy rate at 22%, citing global market volatility. 

    The committee underscored the imperative of persisting with a stringent monetary policy stance to mitigate inflation.

    PKR ends another week in green

    The Pakistani currency is experiencing an upward trend against the US dollar for the past several sessions, concluding the week in positive territory on Friday. 

    According to the SBP, the Pakistani rupee gained 0.09 per cent, closing at Rs283.87 against the US dollar.

  • IMF board’s January meeting to shape future disbursements for Pakistan

    IMF board’s January meeting to shape future disbursements for Pakistan

    The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board is scheduled to convene on January 11 to endorse the Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) with Pakistan, marking the inaugural review of the $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).

    In June, the IMF Executive Board granted approval for a crucial nine-month arrangement with Pakistan, aimed at supporting its economic stabilisation programme.

    This approval facilitated an immediate disbursement of $1.2 billion, with the remaining funds to be disbursed over the programme’s timeline, contingent upon two quarterly evaluations.

    Following negotiations between IMF staff and Pakistani authorities on November 15 in Islamabad, the SLA was successfully reached, paving the way for Pakistan to access SDR 528 million (approximately $700 million).

    This latest disbursement brings the cumulative total under the nine-month $3 billion SBA to nearly $1.9 billion.

    While the initial plan had tentatively slated the IMF Board meeting for December 7 to approve the initial tranche, the confirmed date is now set for January 11.

  • Overseas workers’ remittances to Pakistan dip to $2.3 billion

    Overseas workers’ remittances to Pakistan dip to $2.3 billion

    In November 2023, overseas workers sent a total of $2.3 billion in remittances to Pakistan, reflecting an 8.6 per cent decrease from the $2.5 billion recorded in October 2023, as per data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). 

    However, on a yearly basis, there was a 3.6 per cent increase in the monthly inflow compared to the same month in the previous year.

    Remittances are a crucial element in supporting Pakistan’s external accounts and play a vital role in boosting the country’s economic activity while also supplementing the disposable incomes of households dependent on remittances.

    The recent rise in remittances was attributed to an improved exchange rate following a crackdown against currency smugglers and hoarders. 

    This crackdown resulted in a reduction of the rate gap between the open and interbank markets. However, despite this positive trend, remittances have observed a decline on a monthly basis again this November.

    In the first five months of the fiscal year 2024, remittances amounting to $11 billion have been recorded, in contrast to $12.3 billion in the same period of the previous year.

    Breaking down the remittances, it was noted that overseas Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia sent the highest amount in November 2023, totaling $540.3 million. 

    This amount represented a 12.5 per cent monthly decline but was 5.5 per cent higher than the remittances in the same month of the previous year. 

    Remittances from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also declined on a monthly basis by 13.6 per cent, from $473.9 million in October to $409.4 million in November. 

    However, there was a yearly improvement of 7.6 per cent. Remittances from the United Kingdom increased by 3.5 per cent to $341.7 million compared to October 2023.

    Conversely, remittances from the European Union declined by nearly 10 per cent on a monthly basis, amounting to $268.3 million in November 2023. Overseas Pakistanis in the US sent $261.5 million in November 2023, experiencing a month-on-month decrease of 7.7 per cent.