Tag: baluchistan

  • Another seven Punjabi labourers killed in Balochistan, 20 abducted

    Another seven Punjabi labourers killed in Balochistan, 20 abducted

    In another unfortunate incident, at least seven labourers hailing from Punjab were targeted and shot dead by militants in Balochistan’s Panjgur district on Saturday.

    According to the police, the labourers were residing in a house in the Khuda-i-Abadan area of Panjgur district where the fatal attack occurred, leaving seven dead.

    In a separate incident on Saturday, more than 20 labourers were abducted by armed men in the Musakhail district of Balochistan hours after seven innocent civilians were targeted in a different district.

    Balochistan’s security situation has deteriorated significantly as separatist elements continue to spread violence and often target civilians from Punjab.

    Last month, 23 passengers were identified and killed by the terrorist organisation Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

    President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incidents, saying, “Targeting innocent labourers and citizens is a very brutal and reprehensible act.”

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also offered condolences to the bereaved families.

  • FBR collects Rs5.15 trillion in taxes in less than eight months

    FBR collects Rs5.15 trillion in taxes in less than eight months

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has revealed that it has achieved a remarkable milestone by collecting revenue amounting to Rs5.15 trillion from July 2023 to mid-February 2024.

    This represents a substantial 30 per cent increase compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, according to an official press release.

    The report indicates that the growth in tax revenue is attributed to a comprehensive strategy employed by the FBR, with a keen focus on both domestic and import taxes.

    Tax refunds during this period witnessed a substantial 28 per cent growth, further contributing to the positive financial trajectory.

    A breakdown of the month-wise revenue collection for the period from July 2023 to January 2024 reveals that overall growth in domestic taxes reached an impressive 40 per cent. Concurrently, import duty and related taxes experienced a significant uptick of 16 per cent.

    The surge in revenue collection aligns with the revival of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and increased scrutiny of FBR’s collection processes.

    However, growth in import taxes faced challenges, primarily due to downward adjustments in import tariffs over the years and recent restrictions on import licences imposed by the State Bank of Pakistan to address balance of payments concerns amid foreign exchange constraints.

    The report acknowledges that revenue collection from imports incorporates the impact of improvements in import valuations, resulting in an additional Rs151 billion in collections.

    Additionally, the anti-smuggling drive witnessed a substantial 69 per cent growth in the fiscal year compared to the previous year (FY 22–23).

    Despite these achievements, concerns were raised regarding the decline in the growth of import taxes. This decline is attributed to two main factors: the gradual reduction in import tariffs and recent restrictions on import licenses.

    The need for continued efforts in anti-smuggling activities was emphasised, particularly in Baluchistan, where the customs force currently consists of only 378 personnel.

    Strengthening the enforcement efforts by increasing personnel in this region was suggested as a potential solution.

    The report concludes on a positive note, highlighting that the revenue mobilisation from domestic taxes now accounts for over 64 per cent of the total revenues collected in the current financial year.

    Simultaneously, the share of import taxes has decreased to 36 per cent, marking a significant shift from the 50 per cent share observed just three years ago. This indicates a positive trend in the diversification of revenue sources for the FBR.

  • 78% Pakistanis think women ‘not safe’ here: Survey

    78% Pakistanis think women ‘not safe’ here: Survey

    Almost 78% of Pakistanis believe that no woman is safe in Pakistan while only 20% believe that women are safe in the country, a survey conducted by Pulse Consultant has shown.

    At least 18,000 Pakistanis participated in the survey conducted by a Karachi-based marketing and social research company, Pulse Consultant. 

    Most of the Pakistanis who think women are unsafe in the country were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    The survey showed that 35% of citizens of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa consider women safe to some extent in Pakistan, while only 19% consider them completely safe.

    Similarly, 35% of people in Punjab saw women as unsafe in Pakistan, 41% saw them safe to some extent, and 21% saw them completely safe.

    The rate of people who consider women unsafe in Pakistan from Sindh was 26% in the survey, while the rate of those who consider them safe to some extent was 49%. Meanwhile, 24% of the survey respondents considered them to be completely safe in the country.

    The survey showed that most Pakistanis who see women safe to some extent in Pakistan are from Balochistan, where 74% of people vouched for it.

    Whereas, 19% of citizens of Balochistan saw women as unsafe in Pakistan. Only 7% of the respondents from the province saw them as completely safe.

    The statistics compiled in the survey based on social status suggested that 45% of people from the lower class believe that women are not safe in Pakistan.

    The rate of people who saw women as unsafe from the lower middle class was 35%, 30% from the middle class, 29% from the upper-middle class, while 34% from the upper class.

    Meanwhile, statistics based on gender showed that women were more positive than men when it came to their safety in Pakistan.

    As many as 29% of women believe that they are safe outside the home, while only 22% of men vouched for it. 

    The survey was conducted through CATI (Computer assisted telephonic interviews), a state-of-the-art technology where all calls are recorded.

    Overall Perception of Women Safety in Pakistan

    •  Only 20% of Pakistanis feel that women are ‘safe’ in Pakistan
    •  43% believe that women are ‘somewhat safe’ – it means their opinion is in between – neither they believe that Pakistani women are ‘unsafe’ nor do they believe that Pakistani women are ‘safe’
    •  35% of Pakistanis believe that Pakistani women are entirely not safe in Pakistan
    •  Highest perception of “unsafety” reported from KP (46%) followed by Punjab (35%)

    Women Safety – Outside the home – Women’s Perception

    •  29% of the Pakistani females feel that they are ‘safe’ when they go outside the home
    • However, 35% of females believe that they are “smewhat safe” and similar population (35%) believes that they are absolutely “unsafe” when they commute in society
    •  The highest perception of “unsafety” again reported from KP (46%) followed by Punjab (36%)
    •  Almost half (51%) of the female respondents from ‘Upper Class’ & one third (38%) from ‘Lowest Class’ have a concern about safety when commuting outside the home

    Women Safety – Outside the home – Male’s Perception

    •  Interestingly, males consider females less safe (22%) in Pakistan as compared to female respondents (29%)
    •  The majority 45% of males believes that their family female members are “somewhat safe” and 30% believe that their family females’ members are ‘unsafe’ outside the home
    •  Interestingly, contrary to females belonging to ‘Upper Class’ (Where 51% believe that they are unsafe), almost one-third of males belong to the same class have the opinion that their female family members are safe (36%) and only one-fourth (25%) have the opinion that females family members are ‘unsafe’