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  • Cash-strapped PIA promotes 1,000 officers while even fuel supply remains terminated

    Cash-strapped PIA promotes 1,000 officers while even fuel supply remains terminated

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has promoted 1,000 officers to the next grades amid a halt in flight operations after PSO terminated fuel supply to the national carrier due to the non-payment of impending dues, The News International reported.

    According to the details, out of the total 1,000 crew members, almost 750 have been promoted from group 4 to 5, and 121 from group 5 to 6. Similarly, 84 out of 280 flight pursers working in group 6 have been promoted to group 7 as senior pursers.

    The top management of PIA, mostly on deputation from Pakistan Air Force (PAF) believes the promotions will motivate the already demoralised staff to perform well and get the PIA out of this financial quagmire.

    The reports, however, claim that the management has promoted such a large number of employees from group 4 so that it could get the maximum number of officials out of the PIA unions.

    The employees from group 1 to 4 can become a member of PIA unions because from group 4 onwards ‘officer category’ starts, which restricts them from being a member of the PIA unions.

    Adding to the already piled up problems of PIA, a disturbance in the flight operation at Allama Iqbal International Airport was caused when flights PK-305 (Lahore-Karachi) and PK-652 (Lahore-Islamabad) were canceled due to non-availability of fuel.

    PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar has said that the flights were stopped due to non-provision of oil, adding that both national organizations are holding talks to resolve the conflict.

  • Govt announces action against Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding platoon

    Govt announces action against Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding platoon

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced initiating legal action against Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding army, the constitution of which it says is in “violation of both the law of the land and the National Action Plan (NAP)”.

    Volunteers of the religio-political party’s Salar Force earlier this week presented a guard of honour to Fazl, taking an oath to safeguard their leadership even at the cost of their lives.

    The demo came as the JUI-F gears up to take on the federal government as part of its Azadi March to Islamabad on October 31; with plans of locking down the capital in protest against the “fake” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Reacting to the march and the creation of the force, KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai on Wednesday warned the JUI-F against stick-wielding, uniformed workers marching on the roads.

    “When you are marching on roads in uniforms it means that you are erecting a force. This is a violation of the NAP and will not be tolerated,” Yousufzai said.

    “I know who is pushing [Fazlur] Rehman; money is pushing him. He is threatening institutions, he is trying to use seminary students,” the minister said.

    The information minister added that the JUI-F chief was struggling to get incarcerated former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari out of jail.

  • VIDEO: Journalist trolls Imran Khan for ‘another broken promise’

    VIDEO: Journalist trolls Imran Khan for ‘another broken promise’

    Journalist and anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada has tolled Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over “another broken promise”, and it’s hilarious.

    Khanzada, in his show last night, aired an old video of PM Imran promising that he will create such opportunities in Pakistan that people from foreign countries will be seeking jobs in the country.

    He also said that former Finance Minister Asad Umar had earlier claimed that people from foreign countries were already seeking executive positions in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), but in reality, the positions were still vacant and PSM was still inoperational.

    Continuing his brutal trolling of premier and his aides, Khanzada also aired a video of Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Sheikh saying, “Our government’s target is to increase foreign employment of Pakistani citizens”.

    He was heard as adding that this year from January to August, the government had sent around 373,000 people from Pakistan to foreign countries for employment.

    Shahzeb then said that the government instead of providing job opportunities was now taking credit for sending people abroad for jobs.

  • Celebrities rub shoulders with the royal couple at grand reception

    Celebrities rub shoulders with the royal couple at grand reception

    The grand Royal reception hosted for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew and his wife saw the who’s who in Pakistan in attendance. From politicians to celebrities to sportsmen to entrepreneurs – it was a star-studded event and one we wish we also had a chance to attend. But since that didn’t happen, we were glued to our phones for all the live updates from the event.

    While a lot of celebrities were in attendance at the event, not everyone got a chance to snap a picture with the royal couple.

    King of Couture, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin was among the few lucky ones who were introduced to William and Kate. He not only got a picture but also got a chance to interact with them. We hear that Kate will be donning an outfit by the designer on the visit.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pj4EdBvUq/

    Maheen Khan, whose creation the Duchess wore for her first royal engagement also interacted with the couple.

    Mehwish Hayat said that it was a “real pleasure” to meet the royal visitors.

    Mahira Khan and Masarrat Misbah also got a moment with the Prince.

    As did Shehzad Roy.

    Others who attended the event included Atif Aslam, Hareem Farooq, Momina Mustehsan, Yousaf Sallahuddin, Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly, Wasim and Shaniera Akram and Shaan Shahid.

    Atif looked dapper in a sherwani by Mohsin Naveed Ranjha while Mahira looked lovely in Misha Lakhani.

    While the celebrities have not yet shared high-quality pictures yet, UK-based DJ Noreen Khan who was the red carpet host, shared pictures with the celebrities.

  • Who did Princess Diana wear on her Pakistan tour?

    Who did Princess Diana wear on her Pakistan tour?

    Jemima Khan called the designer and asked to design a dress for a celebrity whose name she yet reveals in 1996. Rizwan Beyg shares the story behind dressing the most famous and most photographed woman: Diana, Princess of Wales.

    Princess Diana visited Pakistan in 1996 on Imran Khan’s invitation to help raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. Diana was accompanied by Lady Annabel Goldsmith, the mother of Khan’s wife at the time, Jemima Khan, and Jemima’s cousin Cosima Somerse.

  • Fawad Chaudhry tells nation not to look towards government for jobs

    Fawad Chaudhry tells nation not to look towards government for jobs

    Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry created a stir once again when he said that the nation should not look towards the government for jobs.

    Addressing a conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, the minister said that the government is, in fact, going to disband 400 departments.

    “If you start looking towards the government for jobs, our economy will collapse,” he stated.

    Chaudhry explained that his statement was taken out of context and was being misinterpreted. In a tweet, he explained that jobs are provided by the private sector while the government’s responsibility is to create an environment where jobs are created. But the government cannot accommodate everyone in government departments.

    Meanwhile, PTI’s manifesto states otherwise:

    Create 10 million jobs and strengthen the labour market

    PTI will strengthen the labour market and create 10 million jobs over 5 years in key sectors: SME, housing, ICT, health, education, green economy and tourism.

    Article 38 of the constitution states that the “state shall provide for all citizens, within the available resources of the country, facilities for work and adequate livelihood”. Approximately two million additional youth enter the labour force each year, which totals to 10 million over the next 5 years. We believe Pakistan’s youth can become its biggest asset. However, if we do not take action, the youth dividend can also become our biggest challenge and lead to drastic economic and social consequences.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Water and Resources, Faisal Vawda, in early April had said that there will be a burst of jobs in Pakistan in the coming weeks.

    Six months later we have seen no burst. Is the PTI going back on its promises?

  • Royal Visit Pakistan Day 1: Kate & William arrive in a rickshaw for grand reception

    Royal Visit Pakistan Day 1: Kate & William arrive in a rickshaw for grand reception

    Prince William and Kate Middleton’s maiden tour of Pakistan is in full swing and the two won the hearts of all the countrymen by arriving in a brightly-painted rickshaw for an event hosted by British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and his wife.

    While Kate shimmered in a dress by Jenny Packham, William looked absolutely dapper in a sherwani by Karachi-based designer Naushemian. Kate accessorised her look with bespoke earrings by Onitaa, which were sourced from Pakistan.

    Prince William also addressed the event which had Pakistan’s who’s who – from politicians to entrepreneurs – in attendance.

    He started his speech, which he had penned himself, with a “Shukriya” to the people of the country for a warm welcome, adding that he was enjoying the delicious food here.

    He then said: “For a country so young, Pakistan has endured many hardships, with countless lives lost to terror and hatred. Tonight I want to pay tribute to all those who have endured such sacrifice and helped to build the country that we see today.”

    “The challenges ahead are great. But we cannot be daunted, nor distracted.”

    He continued: “Instead we should draw strength from our shared bonds and heed the words of Muhammed Ali Jinnah as we do so. My message to you all is of hope, courage, and confidence.”

    The royal reception was the last event in their jam-packed schedule.

    The royal couple commenced their trip with a visit to Islamabad Model College for Girls where they interacted with the staff and students and visited classrooms.

    Kate looked stunning in a beautiful custom Periwinkle Silk outfit by designer Maheen Khan. Her nude court shoes were from British high-street brand New Look.

    Following their visit to the school, they went to Trail 5, Margalla to attend an event regarding environmental protection. They also set a leopard camera trap with children.

    After a change in outfit, Kate and William visited Aiwan-e-Sadr where they met with President Arif Alvi and his wife as well as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his wife.

    Following that, they arrived at the Prime Minister House for a lunch hosted by PM Imran Khan in their honour.

    Kate is wearing trousers by Maheen Khan and a tunic by Catherine Walker, with a scarf by Satrangi and earrings by Zeen.

    Several members of PM Imran’s cabinet were present on the occasion including Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood, Special Assistant to the PM for Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari and Special Advisor to PM for Information and Broadcasting.

  • ‘60% of recent railways appointments from minister, his nephew’s own constituencies’

    ‘60% of recent railways appointments from minister, his nephew’s own constituencies’

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued a stay order on 845 recent appointments in Pakis­tan Railways (PR) through “balloting” — a move that had earlier been challenged by PR Employees (PREM) Union, journalist Asad Malik tweeted Tuesday.

    According to Dawn, the PREM Union had last week pointed out that a majority of the newly appointed staff belonged to the two Rawalpindi constituencies of Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and his nephew Sheikh Rasheed Shafiq.

    Filing the petition before the Rawal­pindi bench of the LHC through its counsel Imran Shafique, the union had requested the court to set aside the inductions.

    PR authorities had advertised 322 posts of different categories in BS-1 to BS-5 in October 2018, according to the petition. Another advertisement was published only a month later, with the number of vacant positions being increased from 323 to 845, the court was informed.

    The petition said thousands of people had applied for the posts, but the appointments were made through balloting rather than on the basis of merit.

    “The candidates who secured highest marks in the skill/written test and proved their mettle in the interviews deserved to be appointed on the basis of open merit, but the railways authorities, while changing the criteria, placed all successful candidates in the same position and decided their fate on the basis of draws/balloting,” it added.

    Informing the court that more than half of the so-called successful candidates belonged to the constituency of the incumbent railways minister and his nephew, MNA Shafiq, the petition said it was unfortunate how “secret balloting was staged to select the blue-eyed ones”.

    The LHC was informed that 58 per cent seats were to be filled on the basis of open merit, 20 per cent quota was reserved for the children of railways employees, 10 per cent was reserved for ex-employees, 5 per cent for orphans and handicapped, and 2 per cent for disabled persons.

    However, the petition maintained, even those quotas were not taken into consideration during the induction through balloting.

    When approached, PR Chairperson Sikandar Sultan Raja told Dawn that the directions to fill the vacancies from BS-1 to BS-4 through balloting were issued by the federal government.

  • Happy Birthday Babar Azam: Lord’s wishes ‘one of the finest in the world’

    Happy Birthday Babar Azam: Lord’s wishes ‘one of the finest in the world’

    It’s Pakistani Cricketer Babar Azam’s birthday today and with all of the wishes pouring in for the batsman, Lord’s, which is considered as the “Home of Cricket”, has also forwarded its greetings to the vice-captain of the men-in-green.

    Lord’s Cricket ground from its Twitter handle has posted a video of Babar Azam playing in a Test match and wrote, “One of the finest in the world at the moment Wishing Babar Azam a very happy birthday!”.

    The video shows right-handed batsman playing during a test match in Lord’s cricket ground between Pakistan and England in 2018.

    A day earlier, Lord’s cricket ground from its account had also wished Pakistan’s former cricketer and right-arm off-spin bowler, in which they wrote, “Here’s a throwback to his battle with Adam Gilchrist in the Lord’s Bicentenary Match in 2014”.

  • Buzdar-led Punjab govt’s tax collection jumps 44%

    Buzdar-led Punjab govt’s tax collection jumps 44%

    Chief Miniter (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar-led Punjab government has registered a 44% growth to Rs77 billion of tax collection in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, the Finance Department on Monday held a review meeting during which Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht briefed the members about the performance of the provincial government.

    The meeting was told that despite the financial backlog left by the previous government, the incumbent government gave a surplus budget of Rs233 billion in order to meet financial requirements of the federal government to comply with conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme.

    Meeting participants also noted that a revenue collection target of Rs388 billion was fixed for Punjab for the fiscal year 2019-20, which was 44% higher than the previous fiscal year.