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Hey, *|MERGE1|*. It is April 4th.  The Ministry of Science and Technology has announced that Ramzan will begin from April 14 so we only have 10 days left. Coming Ramzan feels similar to the last one; we were in lockdown then and we are in lockdown again, but as the vaccination process is speeding up, we can see light at the end of the tunnel. This Ramzan along with religious obligations, I’m also going to focus on my own character development and work on my toxic traits, especially those that affect others, and ahem, also eat less fried items. What are your goals for this Ramzan?  ? It will by sunny and breezy in most cities of Pakistan, with a sandstorm expected in Quetta.  ? Happy Sunday!   Laila-The Current  MORNING MEME    No plan to privatise PIA The National Assembly (NA) was informed on Friday that there is no plan to privatise any of the assets of national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).   Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said this during the question hour while speaking on the floor of the House. He said that the present government is very keen to make the national flag carrier self-reliant and a profitable entity. Efforts are underway to improve the financial health of the airline by reducing its losses through various means. He also said that loss-making routes have been closed and flights on profitable routes have been added, which has resulted in reduction of losses.  Do you think PIA should be privatised?    Read On Incumbent government fails to control inflation ahead of Ramzan The Consumer Price Index (CPI) witnessed a new round of inflation (increase in prices of goods and services) up to 9.1 per cent from 8.7 per cent in February.  Inflation took place primarily due to price increase in food items, clothing and footwear, say the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).  Non-food items also witnessed a price hike due to higher energy rates in Pakistan. Due to the shortage of production, at the beginning of the current Fiscal Year (FY), inflation stood at 9.3pc in July that eased down to 8.2pc.  While all of this becomes super hard to understand, it basically means we can’t afford what we could. We’re all becoming more vegetable lovers now since meat is so expensive. Right? Read On  Metal objects from the sky? If 2021 could not get any stranger, metal objects fell from the sky in Karachi.   I just hope it has nothing to do with the aliens. According to details, eyewitnesses said that heavy objects fell at three different areas in Pak Colony and the Site area. A grave at Mayo Shah Cemetery and roofs of three houses were damaged by the metal pieces.   Authorities have sent the heavy iron objects for an analysis and the situation will be clear after they have been investigated.   Read On Sunday Super Star | Malaika Zahid?  Malaika Zahid, a teenage boxer from Balochistan, fought against all odds to chase her dreams. Malaika is the recipient of many national awards. Listen to this week’s Sunday Superstar’s story to know how she convinced her mother and other relatives, through her determination and hard work.  Watch  The Duke of Hastings will not be returning for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2  THIS broke our hearts! Regé-Jean Page will not return for the second season of record-breaking Regency romance Bridgerton, Netflix said Friday, prompting howls of despair from fans of the dashing Duke of Hastings.  Read On On this day: 4 April ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO’S EXECUTION  On this day, 38 years ago in 1979, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed after being deposed in a military coup by his appointed army chief Zia-ul-Haq. He was hanged before dawn at the Rawalpindi jail for the alleged murder of a political foe.  Current Baba’s prediction  An unexpected gift could arrive today HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE.    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam. Here’s how:  Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.” If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy. And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you  Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend   Copyright © 2020 Instant Morning Current, All rights reserved.

Yesterday there were 3,568 Covid-19 patients in critical care in Pakistan, tweeted Asad Umar.

“This is the highest number since covid started.”

The Sindh government has also decided to suspend physical classes till grade 8 of all schools — public and private— for 15 days starting from April 6.

Last month, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood had announced that all educational institutions will remain closed till April 11 in all districts where corona positivity and infectivity rate was high. According to a report in Dawn, a total of 19,367 under-18 children have tested positive for the coronavirus in Punjab so far. A large number of recent cases amongst minors and teenagers have contracted the UK-variant in the past three months.

The third wave of coronavirus in Pakistan is turning out to be extremely dangerous. It is indeed spreading like wildfire across the country. NCOC recently banned wedding functions — both indoor and outdoor — from April 5 onwards in areas with a three-day rolling average of an 8 per cent positivity ratio. Many cities now have a high positivity rate. The UK government has now banned entry of passengers from Pakistan from April 9.

The government’s vaccination programme for people above the age of 50 has been launched across the country. The Punjab government has launched a mobile vaccination service for senior citizens aged above 80 years and for differently-abled persons aged above 50 in four cities. Media reports say that while the government’s vaccination programme is going on smoothly, around 1,400 doses of the vaccine donated by China have either been administered to people out of turn or have went missing from three state-run hospitals in Lahore. Hopefully, such scams will stop now that private vaccines are also for sale.

Privately-imported Russian vaccine Sputnik V is now available in a few cities in the country, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The cost of the vaccine has been fixed at Rs 12,268 for two doses. Some facilities are charging an additional amount to administer the vaccine. Those who are above the age of 18 can get the private vaccine if they can afford it. We hope that those who can afford it will get the vaccine and others who qualify for the government’s vaccine programme will also get vaccinated at the earliest.

The pandemic is not going anywhere anytime soon. Despite this, we have seen how people are flouting SOPs. Markets are crowded with people who are not wearing masks and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SOPs violations. This can be dangerous. We must all act in a responsible manner and continue to follow SOPs — even after being vaccinated. This is the least that we can do.

A woman on Sunday asked Prime Minister Imran Khan the question that many have only been desiring too amid harsh economic conditions.

“Ghabrana nahi hai [do not panic],” the premier has time and again said since taking reins of the country, promising the nation of better days if they stay strong during the journey to “Naya Pakistan”.

However, people have been, for a long time now, being taking digs at the government and dragging the very popular phrase through the mud as they lose faith in the incumbent government’s ability to bring change.

“The situation is worsening by the minute. Inflation is out of control. Should we run our households or pay for our kids’ education?” a woman asked PM Imran on live call during an interactive session with the public.

She went on to say that Ramzan was just around the corner and rupee was also strengthening against the dollar but the people had been provider no relief.

“Please fulfil your promises or allow us to panic,” she said, leaving the premier cracking.

Seemingly controlling his laughter, PM Imran, in response, said that controlling inflation was the topmost priority of the government.

Addressing the caller by her name, he said, “Ambreen, you need not be frightened [over inflation] because the government is working towards tackling this problem.”

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When asked by another caller what the government plans to do in the light of rising incidents of rape and sexual violence, especially against children, he said there were some fights that governments and legislation alone couldn’t win and needed the society’s help.

He said it was important for societies to protect themselves against vulgarity and the situation was much worse than what made its way to media. He said when he went to the UK, during the ’70s to play cricket, the “sex, drugs and rock n roll” culture was taking off.

The premier added nowadays, divorce rates “have gone up by as much as 70% due to vulgarity in that society”.

He said the whole concept of modesty in Islam has a purpose to it which is to “keep temptation in check”.

The premier spoke about how Bollywood followed the trends of Hollywood and now, the “same is happening there”, explaining why he brought the show Ertugrul to Pakistani screens.

Earlier, he said prices of vegetables and other food items were on the rise as the farmers who supplied them wanted their products to be sold at high prices in the market.

“The middlemen are making a lot of money from this,” he said.

The PM said his government was working towards an ingenuous solution through which they are aiming to connect the primary producers of these items to the final consumers.

He said the masses will see the positive effects of the rupee strengthening against the US dollar, adding that the local currency’s performance had already led to a decline in prices of diesel.

The premier spoke against “hoarders and mafias”, saying they were responsible for the hoarding of necessary food items in the country.

“For the first time, we are going after mafias in Pakistan,” he said. “The FIA completed its inquiry for the first time to bring to everyone’s knowledge how a few people hoard basic food items so their prices skyrocket and they make profits out of it,” he said.

He also revealed the government was working towards revolutionising the agriculture sector so Pakistan is self-sufficient in basic food items and other products.

During the broadcast, the premier also spoke of his government’s determination to root out corruption, shared details of upcoming education and health sector reforms, besides lashing out at the opposition.