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  • PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    For the first time in its history, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would charge Hajj pilgrims flying on a private programme in US dollars.

    Airfares for pilgrims from the Southern and Northern regions are expected to stay in the $810 to $1,100 and $860 to $1,150 ranges, respectively.

    As tickets are also purchased abroad, the airline stated that fares in dollars would minimise the disparity. The PIA, on the other hand, would charge a fixed fee of Rs181,000 for return tickets for pilgrims travelling under the government scheme.

    During the Hajj season, the airline expects to transport roughly 14,000 government-sponsored pilgrims and around 16,000 private pilgrims. Pakistan has an 81,000 pilgrim quota, with the government typically taking 60 per cent of the quota and allocating the rest to private operators.

    According to sources, the government has received few applications this year and would only accept 37,000 pilgrims through the official plan, with the remainder of the quota going to private operators.

    Flights from Pakistan to Madinah and Jeddah for the Hajj were originally scheduled to run from May 31 to July 3. The Hajj has been postponed for a week because the government has yet to announce its Hajj strategy. From July 14 to August 13, the post-Hajj surgery would take place.

    The strength of people who go through government programmes or commercial operators is determined by the government’s Hajj strategy. It also establishes pilgrim quotas for airlines and private Hajj operators from each city.

  • ‘Rubbish,’ General Bajwa speaks out against claim made by journalist about him

    ‘Rubbish,’ General Bajwa speaks out against claim made by journalist about him

    “Rubbish, totally rubbish,” said General Bajwa in response to an ARY News anchorperson’s claim about China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that was attributed to the army chief, reports Ansar Abbasi for The News and Jang.

    ARY News anchorperson Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain claimed that he was told by the army chief, in the presence of a couple of other people, that out of the initial Chinese investment of $19 billion for CPEC projects during the PML-N government, $10 billion were spent on the ground while $9 billion was stolen by contractors, government officials and political governments at the Centre and in Punjab. Ghulam Hussain said that when he asked why no action was taken, he was told by the army chief that the Chinese said they “don’t want to agitate these things in public” and that they will take action against their own people privately after investigating.

    Abbasi reports that whenThe News shared the video clip of the anchor’s claim with a defence source close to army chief General Bajwa, the source said Bajwa responded to ARY’s claim by saying, “Rubbish, totally rubbish.”

  • PTI women wing leaders use wrong video to criticise the government

    PTI women wing leaders use wrong video to criticise the government

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s women wing held a press conference on Monday at the KPK House, Islamabad. During this press conference, while criticising the current government, PTI women wing president Kanwal Shauzab and Maleeka Bokhari announced that Imran Khan did not go to D-Chowk on May 25 because the government had allegedly planned to kill a large number of protesters. To back up this conspiracy, they also showed a video clip to the audience which showed tear gas attack.

    While they claimed that the video shows Shehbaz Sharif government attacking PTI’s women political workers. When someone in the audience pointed out that this is an old video, Kanwal Shauzab replied that because it is old, there is not as much smoke.

    The shared video clip is from 2021 when during Imran Khan’s government, the law enforcement attacked the civil servants’ protest at D Chowk and subjected the protesters to severe teargas shelling.

    Several PTI workers and supporters shared a video clip on Twitter and have been corrected by journalists, politicians belonging to the Opposition and other social media users, some examples can be seen here, here, here, here and here.

  • Anti-polio infrastructure collapsing in Waziristan, 6th case registered

    Anti-polio infrastructure collapsing in Waziristan, 6th case registered

    On May 27, the Government of Pakistan issued a press release on the Pakistan Polio Erradication Programme’s website. In this report, it was confirmed that on May 26, two new cases of polio were confirmed by the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

    This marks the 5th and 6th cases of polio, reported in Pakistan this year. The two news cases are associated with two 18 months old children born in Mir Ali Tehsil, a girl and a boy, who both started experiencing the onset of paralysis as early as May 10 and May 11, respectively.

    All six children who have contracted polio are from North Waziristan, where more cases are expected through the year due to a high rate of refusal to give the vaccine and the illegal but process of finger-marking without vaccinations. Considering that the only endemic countries at this point in the whole world are Pakistan and Afghanistan, it must be noted that there is great significance to exploring the causes of this reoccurrence of the disease in the context of polio campaigns and their efficacy in KPK and FATA.

    Polio scam

    The problems with Pakistan’s polio vaccination programme are complex and multifold. On May 28, The News reported that only recently around 8,000 children from 22 union councils, up to the age of five have been identified as never been vaccinated with the oral dose of the polio vaccine. Vaccinators, refusing parents and area incharges colluded to carry out the scam. This was immediately revealed after the two new cases in North Waziristan were registered. Reportedly, so far the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has been relying on fake reports which claimed that 95% children were being vaccinated during each campaign. This leads to a gross underestimation of the number of children still unvaccinated.

    Abduction of Dr Zeeshan

    Journalists working on Waziristan also tweeted on May 26, reported the abduction of Dr Zeeshan, who was serving as a Polio N-STOP officer in Waziristan, who had been working effortlessly on the polio campaign there. He was kidnapped while still on duty. Dawn reported that Dr Zeeshan had come from Swat to specially oversee an anti-polio drive. After involving the law enforcement alongside jirga negotiations, Bannu commissioner Arshad Khan managed to recover Dr Zeeshan.

    The political atmosphere in Waziristan actively creates the strongest hurdle in Pakistan’s journey towards a polio-free nation. 260,000 workers are deployed across the nation to vaccinate children under the age of five. Considering the perceptual concerns of people of Waziristan, it seems unlikely that the situation would improve radically unless some really necessary steps are taken to tackle the perception regarding the vaccine. Access to children in security-compromised areas, attacks on health care workers coupled with governance and operational failures continues to elongate this problem for Pakistan.

    KPK govt failure

    In 2014, Imran Khan government launched the Sehat ka Insaf campaign in KPK where the aim was to target all 9 vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. This program was restricted to the provincial government and sought to undo completely any international involvement. Although it may seem like this is a good strategy to gain people’s trust to vaccinate, this utter lack of oversight has heavily contributed to the fake markings. This is apparent from the fact that the kids who developed polio were marked in the national record as having been vaccinated six or even seven times.

  • Khan denies contacting Malik Riaz to patch up with Asif Zardari

    Khan denies contacting Malik Riaz to patch up with Asif Zardari

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan denied contacting property tycoon Malik Riaz for reconciliation with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

    Khan’s comments come in relevance to an alleged telephonic conversation that was leaked on social media. In the audio conversation, Malik Riaz can be heard saying that Khan wants a patch up with Zardari. Riaz said, “Aaj usnay bohot hee message kiye hain mujhe. [He sent many texts to me today.]” Zardari responds that it is “impossible” now.

    Khan’s denial came while speaking to digital journalists in Peshawar.

    Pressure to recognise Israel

    Khan revealed that when he was in power, there was “a lot of pressure” on his government to accept Isreal as a sovereign state.

    “We were sent a message that you should think about your country but at this time, I cannot reveal who had sent the message to us,” said Khan.

    Khan criticised the government and alleged that it was going to recognise Israel after a Pakistani expatriate delegation living in the United States (US) visited Israel.

    No need for PTI MNAs to verify their resignations

    On the matter of PTI members of the National Assembly’s (MNAs) resignations, Khan said they have resigned from their posts, and there was no need for them to verify their resignations.

    “We had announced in front of the National Assembly’s speaker that we have resigned. There is no need for a member to verify their resignation individually […] the day we come back to the assembly, it will mean that we have accepted this imported government,” said Khan.

    Only the army and the PTI can keep Pakistan intact

    Speaking about the appointment of the army chief, Khan said he did not know about the candidates nor did he think about the procedure. He claimed there were “individuals within institutions” who had “opinions on certain issues”. However, he did not name the individuals.

    “Only the army and the PTI can keep Pakistan intact,” he said.

  • Pakistani rupee gains ground for the third consecutive day

    Pakistani rupee gains ground for the third consecutive day

    Pakistani rupee (PKR) gained 60 paisas after closing in the inter-bank market on May 31, as a return of clarity on the economic front and a reduction in domestic political turmoil boosted it for the third consecutive day.

    According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the local currency closed at Rs198.46 after gaining 60 paisas (0.30 per cent) in the day. The local currency concluded at Rs199.06 on Monday, up 70 paisas, or 0.35 per cent, from its previous closing.

    On the other hand, oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, rose on Tuesday as the EU decided to cut Russian oil imports, fueling fears of a tighter market already stressed for supply ahead of the peak summer driving season in the US and Europe.

    The appreciation arrived as European Union leaders decided to slash 90 per cent of Russian oil imports by the end of this year, breaking a deadlock with Hungary over the bloc’s heaviest sanctions against Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine.

    The rise in oil prices is another bad news for Pakistan, which has seen its import bill increase, putting strain on external payments while increasing market demand for dollars.

  • ‘Never offered him drugs, he lied’: Ananya Pandey slams Aryan Khan at Narcotics Bureau

    ‘Never offered him drugs, he lied’: Ananya Pandey slams Aryan Khan at Narcotics Bureau

    Bollywood star Ananya Pandey, in a detailed reply to the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB), said that Aryan Khan has lied about her giving him weed. In her statement, she spoke at length about her friendship with actor Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan and the WhatsApp chats between them in 2019.

    Aryan, in his statement to the NCB, had alleged that Ananya gave him weed after taking it from her younger sister. However, the Gehraiyaan diva called Aryan’s statement false and said, “I am unaware as to why he is lying about this.”

    Whatsapp Chats Reveal That Ananya Pandey Agrees To Buy Drugs For Aryan And Much More!

    Aryan had said in his statement to NCB last year, “Ananya has a younger sister who was caught by Ananya with weed. She was about 15-16 years old at the time. She was not a regular smoker and was misled. When Ananya found out, she did not want their parents to know, so she gave me the weed to dispose of, and I did.”

    Pandey said that she and Aryan had been friends since childhood as their parents had been friends too. She said, “We were close friends until 2019, but after that, we both got involved in our work and drifted apart. However, we are still in touch and talk occasionally.”

    “I want to state that I have never given any drug/contraband to anyone. I have never offered to give drugs/contraband to anyone. I have never even offered to pay anyone for drugs or contraband. I am not in the business of drug delivery or peddling. I do not know any drug dealer,” she said in her statement.

    She added that her sister was into smoking loose tobacco until 2020. However, she is not into drugs. Ananya added that her sister does visit a psychologist for her eating disorder and such issues.

    Aryan was taken to the NCB office after a cruise party was raided. On Sunday, the star kid was sent into custody in October 2021.

  • ‘How the hell was I supposed to know?’, Khan defends Russia visit

    ‘How the hell was I supposed to know?’, Khan defends Russia visit

    In an interview with Journalist Mark Austin on Sky News, former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan defended his visit to Russia and said that he didn’t know that Russia was going to invade Ukraine when he landed in Moscow. Khan visited Moscow on February 23, a trip that landed him directly into a hotbed of criticism in the international community.

    Khan during the interview said, “How the hell was I supposed to know, the day I landed in Moscow, Putin is going to attack Ukraine? My statement in Moscow was that I have never believed in military solutions so I never endorsed that [Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Ours was a bilateral meeting, it was planned long before. How could you have punished me like that?”

    “I am against all military operations. I was against Iraq War, the Americans going to Afghanistan consistently and I am against military solutions in Ukraine”, he replied when asked about Russia’s aggressive acts in Ukraine.

    Khan once again reiterated that he was removed by the United States (US) and he has a cipher to prove it. The former premier, talking about what was written in the cipher, said, “Unless you remove PM through no-confidence motion there will be consequences for Pakistan, and if you remove him all will be forgiven.”

    ‘I was not elected to correct all the wrongs in the world’: Khan

    During the interview, Khan was asked why he was on friendly terms with countries like China and Russia when they had committed alleged human rights violations. Khan replied and said, “I was elected by 220 million. My first priority was that there are 50 million people in Pakistan below the poverty line, I was not elected to correct all the wrongs that are going on in the world.”

    “My responsibility was to my country and so all my relationships, whether it was with China, with the US, with Russia, were for the benefits of our own people,” he added.

    He, further pointed out that there are atrocities going on in Kashmir, and 100,000 people in Kashmir have died. “Has anyone condemned India for that? No, because India is an ally, allow us to be neutral too so we can look after our people.”

    ‘I am not a spokesperson for Taliban’: Khan

    Answering a question about the concerning situation of women in Taliban-led Afghanistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman said Pakistan has never supported the Taliban. He stated: “I am not responsible or a spokesman for the Taliban, if there was any other solution after 20 years of war, you should have found some solution.”

    Twitterati praised Khan for his interview.

  • ICC Women’s cricket championship cycle to begin with Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match in Karachi

    ICC Women’s cricket championship cycle to begin with Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match in Karachi

    The first one day international between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will mark the beginning of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-2025 cycle. The first match will be played tomorrow, June 1. The remaining two matches will also be also played in Karachi.

    In the championship, each team will play eight three-match series (four home and four away) over the next three years.

    Pakistan will play against South Africa, Ireland, Sri Lanka, West Indies in Pakistan, and will then play against England, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh on international grounds.

    “After a dominating performance in the T20Is against Sri Lanka, we are now focused on delivering our best in the ODI series which is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship. I am pleased that two more teams have been added to the new cycle of the championship,” said Pakistani captain Bismah Maroof.

    “This step from the ICC will help promote the women’s game in Bangladesh and Ireland besides providing them direct qualification opportunities,” she added.

    “Our aim, like the rest of the sides, would be to earn a direct spot in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. In the qualification format, each and every series matters, hence our goal would be to start on a positive note by securing a series win against Sri Lanka while accumulating maximum points.”

    The teams also did a training session on May 30.

    Pakistan won all the three T20I matches against Sri Lanka.

  • Pakistan, TTP extend ceasefire indefinitely, agree to continue negotiations

    Pakistan, TTP extend ceasefire indefinitely, agree to continue negotiations

    The Government of Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have agreed to extend a ceasefire, reportedly indefinitely and continue negotiations to end the conflict that has resulted in the killings of thousands of people, reports Dawn.

    The agreement was made after both the government of Pakistan delegation and the TTP delegation met and held separate meetings with the Acting Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund in Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid and TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani had earlier announced the extension of the ceasefire till May 30.

    From the TTP’s side, disbandment of the faction being termed as an armed militant group and the reversal of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were key demands.

    However, the government didn’t accept the demands, saying that some demands were acceptable whereas others were not going to be accepted by Pakistan.

    The government’s delegation also made it clear that no armed group would be allowed to enter Pakistan territory.

    The next round of negotiations is expected to take place in the second week of June, in which a tribal jirga will hold direct talks with the TTP in Kabul.