Pakistan’s former finance minister Dr Hafeez Pasha has said that under an ongoing deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government will impose taxes worth Rs900 billion in the upcoming budget, The Express Tribune reported.
“The government has assured the IMF that it will impose Rs700 billion in additional taxes in the first year, Rs900 billion in the second year and Rs1,200 billion in the third year. We don’t have an option but to renegotiate with the IMF since our team was not able to prepare things properly,” Pasha said.
“It is high time to bring radical tax reforms through tough decisions in the upcoming budget and those who can bear taxes should now take the burden since Pakistan has to pay Rs2 trillion in debt servicing this year; this amount will further increase to Rs3 trillion next year,”
Economist Dr Qais Aslam said that Pakistan could not enter the 21st century “while having a mindset and policies of the 19th century”. “We have to uplift our institutions with a clear message to our bureaucracy that things will no longer materialise with their mindset.”
He pointed out that the small-scale industry accounted for only 1% of Pakistan’s economy whereas in the modern world it was considered the backbone of any country. “We have to fix these issues, or else it will be impossible to give employment to the people.”
“The country has lost one million jobs in the past one year and during the same period about two million youngsters have qualified for jobs… we have to create employment opportunities for them,” he said.
NADRA, PTA spokespersons reject claims against their respective departmentsas data leakmakes headlines
In a massive breach of privacy, personal and sensitive data of millions — if not hundreds of millions of Pakistanis — has been leaked over the internet as blame game continues between the authorities concerned with none of them willing to take the fall for the divulgence.
According to the details, multiple smartphone applications and websites, one of which is Sim Database Online, are hosting millions of Pakistani telecom users’ sensitive data such as their Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers, names and even residential addresses, all of which can be accessed by simply entering the victim’s mobile number.
Not only does the web-based application further goes on to reveal other mobile numbers registered in the name of the privacy breach victim, but also claims to be providing services such as mobile phone tracking.
A screen grab of ‘Sim Database Online’
“Such applications have been around for quite some time now and most probably are the reason behind the recent spike in number of identity theft incidents in Pakistan,” sources told The Current, adding that leaks of government-held databases remain the biggest contributor to identity theft-related crimes in the country, around 50,000 of which were reported in 2019 alone.
Some groups on Facebook are also offering information regarding driving licences, current location, call details and even criminal records associated with any CNIC numbers if you pay them, sources claimed. “You can even dig out the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) family trees associated with a CNIC for a few hundred rupees.”
They went on to claim it wasn’t just Pakistanis’ confidential data that was being hosted by such web applications. “Sensitive personal information of Afghans and Indians can also easily be accessed through these websites, but there appears to be no urgency among authorities of the three countries to protect their citizens,” they claimed.
When asked if NADRA or the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) were to be held responsible for the leak, they blamed the latter, saying the watchdog had failed to keep an eye on what the country’s telecommunication companies were doing with sensitive data of their customers.
“How else do you the inboxes of so many people get flooded with text advertisements?” sources questioned, alleging that a data archive of registered telecom users was leaked online in August 2017.
“The archive contains information about registered mobiles users of Pakistan categorised by their telecom companies. It is publicly available and contains personal information recorded to verify SIM cards. Despite the leaked information being brought to light by many, the data remains available.”
Speaking to The Current, an information technology (IT) expert said that e-governance came with a set of standards across the world. “If you give access to someone, you have to follow these standards and maintain a certain security level. But unlike the rest of the world… where they have emergency response teams to investigate such issues, Pakistan has had no such probes I know of.”
“Instead of having teams that react to such incidents, we need certain proactive measures,” the IT expert said, adding that privacy over the internet was a right of the users, and most identity theft-related crimes could be linked to data leaks associated with government bodies over the years.
NADRA & PTA:
When approached, NADRA spokesperson Faik Ali told The Current that there was no truth to the claims being made regarding the role of the authority in the data leak as it very carefully managed the sensitive registration database of all citizens.
“NADRA has nothing to do with it,” he said and also rubbished claims regarding a data breach from two years ago.
“We had in 2018 also denied accusations of leakage of voters’ data ahead of the general election,” he said, adding that it was also clarified by the authority in a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “There has never been a data breach in the history of NADRA and we have never shared any citizen’s data with anyone.”
Faik also reiterated NADRA’s commitment to protect sensitive data of all citizens come what may.
PTA Public Relations Director Khurram Mehran, on the other hand, rejected all claims regarding the watchdog’s alleged inability to protect the data of telecom networks’ customers, saying that no telecommunication companies were involved in releasing confidential information of their customers.
He, however, said that action would be taken against any company if evidence to support such claims is there.
To a query, the PTA spokesperson further said if there were any such cases, they were to be dealt under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) provisions by the agency concerned, as they were cybercrime cases.
Repeated attempts were made to contact the chairperson of Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication, Rubina Khalid, but she was unavailable.
The government is planning to impose new rules that could radically redefine the digital landscape of Pakistan, ProPakistani reported Wednesday.
According to reports, the government wants to curb blasphemous content for social media and the new rules would allow institutions to control all online content in the country.
The new rules — named the Citizens Protection Against Online Harm Rules — are a sort of extension of legislation like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and would allow the government to bypass industry stakeholders following approval of the federal cabinet.
While the document (available here courtesy of Digital Rights Monitor) talks about social media companies, the definition for “social media companies” is broad enough to bring any company with an online presence under its ambit. If companies don’t abide by any of the rules in the 14-page document, they’ll be blocked in Pakistan.
The move comes days after a Senate panel rejected a proposed move to be initiated by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for regulating web TV and over-the-top (OTT) media service in the country following the authority failed to establish its jurisdiction for doing so before the house’s body.
The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights which met with Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar in the chair held a detailed discussion on PEMRA’s proposal of regulating web TV and OTT content.
Minister for Planning and Development and PTI stalwart Asad Umar recently set the dance floor on his son’s wedding and internet on fire with his bhangra on Abrarul Haq’s Billo. The clip of him dancing was widely shared and people absolutely loved his swag.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6fUzrxh72z/
In a recent interview, when the minister was asked if compromising in marriage was easier or when in government with “razor-thin” majority, Asad said, “There is a actually strong analogous behaviour in both.”
“Just like in a marriage, if you’ve married the person for who he or she is and what they stand for, then you’ll go through the highs and lows, the ups and downs, the difficulties which will come – you’ll make compromises because you’re clear of why you are with that particular person in this big wide universe and not with somebody else.”
He continued, “The same is true with being in government. If you have clarity, if you have conviction of what you want, what you stand for, what you want to achieve, then you know where you want to compromise and where compromise is actually taking you away from what you stand for and why you’re in that government. It also helps you give clarity of when you should stay to continue to be in government and when you should say there are options which are better.”
While the origin of the spellings has not yet been determined, here’s how ‘Chrismas’ is being wished over the micro-blogging website, all across the globe.
Don’t be a part of communal politics, don’t cheer for alienating our own people based on religion! Spread love, not hate. Say NO to CAA! protest in Kozhikode, Kerala.#MerryChrismas everyone pic.twitter.com/ORFZh9zjrL
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to launch an Online Sabzi Mandi with free home delivery option to ensure the provision of quality household commodities at citizens’ doorsteps, a private media outlet has reported.
According to the details, the KP government is developing a mobile app which according to the Directorate General Information of KP, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan in January.
The citizens with the help of this app will be able to order groceries and fruits online at government notified rates without any delivery charges and it will be available on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
In the first phase, the online service will be launched in four districts of the province including, Mardan, Abbottabad, Peshawar, and Dera Ismail Khan.
This online platform will provide all household items such as vegetables, fruits, grains and other food items on government applied rates.
British national Usman Khan who attacked people on London Bridge was laid to rest in his family’s ancestral village in a southern district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday, Dawn reported.
According to the details, the body of the 28-year-old Usman was brought by his family from Islamabad airport to Kijlani village in district Kotli where the funeral took place at 4pm, following which he was buried in a local graveyard.
Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) General Manager Public Relations Abdul Hafeez has said that Usman Khan’s body was shifted to Islamabad from London aboard a PIA flight PK-792, which was later handed over to his family.
Abdul Hafeez said that it was the PIA’s policy that it carried bodies on the basis of genuine documentation, including foreign-origin card of the deceased and Pakistan High Commission’s letter.
The body was handed over to his relatives after passing through the immigration and customs process.
Usman’s relatives drove the body to the town of Kotli for burial as his family didn’t want to bury him in the United Kingdom (UK). His funeral prayers were earlier offered in a Birmingham mosque.
After Usman’s funeral people, on social media have pointed out that the government had earlier tried to cover up the fact that the London Bridge attacker was a Pakistani and now they have allowed him burial in the country.
Person with no connection to Pakistan brought to Pakistan through “PIA’s policy that it carries bodies on the basis of genuine documentation, including foreign-origin card of the deceased and Pakistan High Commission’s letter.” https://t.co/3puLl4LZjC
If Dawn was wrong to identify the terrorist Usman Khan as being of Pakistani origin, how should the authorities that allowed his body to be flown to our country be described? https://t.co/ZXnXptAFii
Usman Khan had earlier stabbed two people to death and left three others injured in an attack in London. He had been residing in the Staffordshire area of UK.
According to reports, Khan was part of a gang of nine extremists, mostly of Bangladeshi origin, who were sentenced in February 2012 after being convicted. However, he was released in December 2018, but was required to wear a GPS [an electronic tag].
After the London Bridge attack, Usman was shot dead by security personnel.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s office has again confirmed the three-year extension given to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently, saying a notification pertaining to the extension in the general’s tenure has already been issued on August 19, Pakistan Today reported.
According to the details, the statement came after a meeting between PM Imran and Gen Bajwa amid reports of an alleged rift between the civilian government and the military establishment. This was the second meeting of the two bigwigs in a week.
During this meeting, the top leaders discussed matters pertaining to national security, said the statement issued by the PM House.
In the earlier meeting, Gen Bajwa met Imran in an apparent attempt to allay the latter’s concerns over the recent political developments in the country. The statement further said that the two sides discussed the prevailing situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) and at the western border, and internal security issues were discussed.
The PM’s meeting with the army chief was followed by a meeting with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed on Tuesday.
However, media reports dub these meeting as an attempt to assuage Imran’s concerns by the military. “The government and army are not on the same page due to disagreement on certain points, especially the exit of former PM Nawaz Sharif from the country on health grounds,” reports had earlier stated.
After these statements, military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor refuted claims of an alleged divide between the country’s civilian and military leadership, reiterating that both sides are on the same page.
“This is baseless gossip. There is absolutely nothing of the sort,” said ISPR director general as he dismissed speculations of a rift.
“The army is supporting a democratically elected government as per the constitution. There will be no let-up in this [support] as it is a must for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan”, he added.
Continuing to desperately look for potential taxpayers, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has dispatched letters to parents paying Rs200,000 or more as their children’s annual school fee, The Express Tribune reported.
Aggressively digging the records of citizens who, at some stage, have come under prominent sections of the Income Tax Ordinance, the FBR has asked the parents to declare their hidden assets and become tax return filers.
“Data available with the FBR reveals that advance tax under Section 2361 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 has been collected from you and deposited in the government treasury, meaning thereby that you are paying an annual fee exceeding Rs200,000 per child (student) to educational institutions,” said the letter sent by the FBR’s Corporate Regional Tax Office (RTO) in Lahore.
According to Section 2361, every educational institution is required to collect advance income tax at the rate of 5% on the fee paid. The person responsible for preparing monthly, bimonthly or quarterly fee vouchers shall also charge withholding tax in case the fee exceeds Rs200,000 annually.
“Please note that the FBR intends to register all those persons who are earning taxable income and are liable to file returns under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, but have failed to do so,” it stated, adding the registration drive also included the persons who were liable to be registered under the Sales Tax Act 1990 or Federal Excise Act 2005.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who was sacked by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as the information minister in April, has broken silence on the alleged rift widening within the government.
“At times, some important decisions are taken and we don’t even know. I still believe that we have some political weaknesses in decision-making,” he said during an interview to a private media outlet.
Earlier, sources had informed The Current that tensions are about to reach the boiling point within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a cold war continues between elected and non-elected people in the government.
Fawad too was replaced by non-elected Firdous Ashiq Awan, who was handed the reins of the Information Ministry in the capacity of special assistant to the PM (SAPM) on information and broadcasting.
WATCH VIDEO:
The former information minister, however, wasn’t the only one to be sacked as part of the major cabinet reshuffle. The then finance minister Asad Umar was also replaced by another non-elected member, SAPM for Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
Hinting at the war going on within the ruling party, Fawad said that “non-elected people had the power to change portfolios of ministers”.
“As I have maintained before, there were too many people trying to manage it [Information Ministry],” he said and added that one can’t do much when so many people are involved.
“Your real strength is the parliament and the elected people, and you cannot leave them,” Fawad said. “You’re not going to redo the party and hand it over to those who have not even been a councillor.”
