Tag: Pakistan

  • Pakistan’s inflation soars to 29.2% in November, exceeding October figures

    Pakistan’s inflation soars to 29.2% in November, exceeding October figures

    In November, Pakistan’s headline inflation surged to 29.2 per cent year-on-year, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, surpassing the October figure of 26.9 per cent. 

    On a monthly basis, there was a 2.7 per cent increase. The average inflation for July-November reached 28.62 per cent, up from 25.14 per cent in the same period the previous year.

    CPI inflation in urban areas rose to 30.44 per cent in November 2023, compared to 25.5 per cent in the previous month and 21.6 per cent in November 2022. On a monthly basis, it increased to 4.34 per cent, reflecting a substantial jump from the previous month and November 2022.

    Conversely, rural CPI inflation stood at 27.53 per cent year-on-year in November 2023, showing a slight decrease from the previous month but an increase from November 2022.

    Anticipated by several brokerage houses, the November inflation spike, driven partly by a rise in gas tariffs, aligns with predictions. 

    JS Global and Arif Habib Limited had forecasted CPI-based inflation to be around 28.26 per cent and 28.2 per cent, respectively.

    Beyond inflation, Pakistan faces economic challenges. A recent staff-level agreement with the IMF, subject to board approval in December, will provide access to SDR 528 million. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects inflation to decrease in the coming months due to improved supply conditions.

    Despite maintaining a key policy rate of 22 per cent, the State Bank of Pakistan projects a downward trajectory for inflation, citing fiscal consolidation, commodity availability, and exchange rate alignment as offsetting factors against risks like global oil price volatility and increased gas tariffs.

    Caretaker Finance Minister Dr Shamshad Akhtar expressed optimism about gradual inflation reduction, attributing it to improved financial management. The government believes effective policies will contribute to an overall improvement in economic conditions.

  • PML-N says Nawaz hasn’t decided to become PM for fourth time

    PML-N says Nawaz hasn’t decided to become PM for fourth time

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head and former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has not yet decided to become prime minister for the fourth time, if his party wins the forthcoming elections, sources have disclosed to The News.

    A PML-N leader and close friend of Nawaz Sharif told The News that the PML-N supremo has not expressed any intention yet to become a fourth-time prime minister, adding that if the idea is being discussed within the Sharif family, most of PML-N leadership are not aware of it.

    The party itself wants to see Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister of Pakistan. According to a source within PML-N, the party has adopted the slogan of making Nawaz Sharif premier for the fourth time.

    “It will be a sweet revenge of democracy from those who removed Nawaz Sharif as prime minister in 2017,” said the source.

    PML-N president and senior vice president, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, are currently under consideration for the position of prime minister, with some expressing concerns about Maryam’s potential candidature due to her perceived lack of experience and potential unacceptability in certain circles. Maryam may be given an important position in Punjab instead.

    Shehbaz Sharif also has the advantage that he has a good relationship with the establishment and prefers to work with all stakeholders. On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif has a history of bad relations with the establishment.

  • Indian woman who came to marry Pakistani man goes back to her country

    Indian woman who came to marry Pakistani man goes back to her country

    Indian national Anju — now Fatima — who made headlines around the world after travelling to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and marrying Facebook friend Nasrullah, her left Pakistan to reunite with her two children.

    34-year-old Anju met and married Nasrullah five months after their Facebook friendship began, arriving in Upper Dir on July 22 this year. Nasrullah said that Anju had been missing her two children since she came to Pakistan. “I said goodbye to Anju (Fatima) at the Wagah border and she entered her country at two o’clock on Wednesday,” he said.

    He added that Anju’s one-month visa had already expired, adding that they had applied to the Ministry of Interior to extend the period, but due to difficulties, it could not be completed as the formal process is expected to take four months to one year.

    Anju was granted a one-year extension to her visa by the Pakistani authorities earlier in August.

    Nasrullah said that despite repeated pleas by Anju, the visa was not extended so she decided to go back through a 15-day departure letter and cancelled the visa extension application.

    The couple were given a farewell party by several friends in Lahore. Nasrullah maintained that Anju would come to Pakistan again after three months. He said that if her visa had been extended for one year, it would have been better.

    “If I get a visa for India, then I will take Anju back myself,” he said, adding that she is fighting a divorce case from her first husband in India and she wished to meet her children. He said that Anju had got a lot of love and respect from everyone in Pakistan.

    Anju had previously undergone a court marriage with Nasrullah after converting to Islam in Upper Dir. The couple received attention from all across the world. Several companies and business organisations showed generosity by offering gifts to couple in various parts of the country.

    Upon arrival in India, she was asked questions by the media but she denied answers altogether.

    To read more: Indian bride Anju’s cross-border love story earns her a year-long stay in Pakistan

  • Corruption reference filed against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi

    Corruption reference filed against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a corruption reference against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and other suspects in the £190 million settlement case.

    The reference was submitted by NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor General Muzafar Abbasi and investigative officer Umar Nadeem in an accountability court in Islamabad, with the registrar’s office currently examining the document.

    Besides former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former First Lady Bushra Bibi, the reference names several other suspects, including Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI) leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Shahzad Akbar, lawyer Barrister Zia-ul-Mustafa Nazeer, and three others, totaling eight individuals.

    The filing of the reference comes days after the federal cabinet gave the go-ahead to conduct the jail trial of the PTI chairman in corruption cases.

    According to The News, the cabinet summary, moved by the Ministry of Law and Justice, was approved via circulation.

    The anti-graft watchdog had requested the ministry to allow the trial to be held in Adiala jail considering the law and order situation.
    The ministry had already issued a notification on the trial of the PTI chairman in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA), UK, and Toshakhana case in prison.

    According to the notification issued by the ministry on Nov 28, the concerned accountability court will sit at and conduct the trial of the suspects in the Central Prison, Adiala.

    “The federal government is pleased to accord approval that the accountability court concerned shall sit and conduct the trial of the accused (PTI chairman and former PM) and others in Central Prison, Adiala, with reference to the case regarding misuse of authority/ illegal sale of gifted state assets, etc. under Section 16(b) of NAB Ordinance, 1999,” the notification said.

    The case

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is currently embroiled in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry linked to a settlement between the PTI government and a prominent property tycoon, Malik Riaz. The case involves allegations of corruption amounting to billions of rupees and reportedly resulted in a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer.

    Adjustment of Funds:

    Imran Khan and other accused are charged with adjusting Rs50 billion (£190 million at the time) sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government. This fund adjustment is said to be part of an agreement with Malik Riaz.

    Undue Benefit and Land Acquisition:

    Khan and Bushra are accused of receiving undue benefits, including over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa. This land was allegedly obtained to establish Al Qadir University.

    Seizure of Assets in the UK:

    During the PTI government, the NCA seized assets worth £190 million from Malik Riaz in Britain. The NCA stated that these assets would be passed to the government of Pakistan.

    Approval of Settlement:

    Then-Prime Minister Imran Khan sought approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement. It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of Malik Riaz.

    Establishment of Al-Qadir Trust:

    Subsequently, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad a few weeks after the PTI-led government approved the agreement with Malik Riaz. Notable figures such as Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi, and her close friend Farah Khan were appointed as members of the trust.

    Land Transfer and Trust Ownership:

    Two to three months after the cabinet’s approval, Malik Riaz transferred 458 canals of land to Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide of the PTI chief, who later transferred it to the trust. Bukhari and Awan eventually opted out as trustees, and the trust is now registered in the names of Khan, Bushra Bibi, and Farah.

    NAB Investigation:

    NAB officials were initially probing the alleged misuse of powers in the recovery of “dirty money” received from the UK crime agency. Following the emergence of “irrefutable evidence,” the inquiry was converted into a full-fledged investigation.

  • Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa nay Mercedes neelami pay lagga dee

    Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa nay Mercedes neelami pay lagga dee

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, has ordered that two luxury vehicles, allocated for his use by both the federal and Punjab governments, should be auctioned, as per Geo News.

    The decision comes as Chief Justice Isa deems the allocation an “inappropriate splurge of scarce public resources.”

    The Supreme Court registrar communicated the Chief Justice’s decision through a letter addressed to the federal government, cabinet secretary and Punjab chief secretary.

    The letter revealed that in September 2020, the apex court purchased a new Mercedes Benz, 2996 CC sedan for the Chief Justice at the cost of Rs61 million.

    Furthermore, the Government of Punjab provided a brand new bullet-proof Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number LEG-S00 for the use of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

    The vehicle is currently stationed at the Supreme Court Rest House in the Government Officers Residence (GOR), Lahore.

    The communication emphasized that, by established rules, every judge of the apex court is entitled to two vehicles.

    “Justice Isa has not used the said Mercedes sedan nor the Toyota Land Cruiser,” said the letter. It further stated that it is an “inappropriate splurge of scarce public resources to buy imported luxury vehicles for the use of constitutional and public office holders”.

    “Therefore, these vehicles may be collected and auctioned and the money realised from the sale be spent on much needed public transport,” said the letter.

    Justice Isa took oath as the 29th CJP in September of this year after his predecessor Umar Ata Bandial hung up his robes.

    Justice Isa’s tenure as the country’s chief justice, however, will be quite brief, as he is set to retire from the position on October 25, 2024.

    He took oath as the apex court’s judge on September 5, 2014.

  • World AIDS Day: More than 9,000 new HIV cases reported in Pakistan this year

    World AIDS Day: More than 9,000 new HIV cases reported in Pakistan this year

    December 1 is marked as World AIDS Day with people and communities around the globe showing solidarity with those living with HIV, raising awareness, while also remembering the ones who lost their lives battling the illness.

    According to the Ministry of Health, 9,284 new HIV patients have been diagnosed in Pakistan in 2023.

    About 900 to 1,000 new cases of HIV are reported every month, whereas earlier in 2022, more than 10,000 cases of HIV were reported.

    Most of the cases are reportedly documented in Punjab and Sindh, while people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are also diagnosed positive for HIV.

    Additionally, around 40 to 50 new cases are being reported every month from Islamabad and surrounding areas, including Kashmir.

    Most cases of HIV infections are found accidentally during routine tests, indicating that Pakistan needs to increase specific HIV testing.

  • 19 children arrested on blasphemy charges in Punjab in 2023

    19 children arrested on blasphemy charges in Punjab in 2023

    Nineteen children have been arrested on charges of blasphemy across Punjab between January 1, 2023 and October 16, 2023.

    In an appeal submitted to the Punjab Information Commission by the director of Legal Awareness Watch, Sarmad Ali, it was revealed by the Inspectorate General of Punjab Prisons that 19 minors were arrested out of whom six are in prison while the rest have been released, The News has reported.

    Sarmad Ali explained to The News that several children in the country are facing charges carrying severe punishment. Some of these children are not even allowed to maintain their juvenility as explained by the law. Under Section 8 of the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018, he explained, “Thus, owing to inadequate and effective implementation of [the] cited law which was promulgated in May 2018, many children have been [held] without fair trial or [have been] sentenced to severe punishment in sheer ignorance of the international standards and conventions which the state of Pakistan is signatory to.”

    The law also explains that children-even if dangerous-must be given their due rights. Sarmad added, “Children that are accused of having infringed any penal law must not be treated as adults as they cannot foresee the consequences of their actions.”

  • Rifts in PTI over ‘selection’ of new Chairman

    Rifts in PTI over ‘selection’ of new Chairman

    In a dramatic turn of events within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), founding member and dissenter Akbar S. Babar has raised concerns over the nomination of Barrister Gohar Ali Khan for the party chairman’s position.

    Accusing the move of being more of a “selection than an election,” Babar, who previously filed the foreign funding case against the PTI, expressed doubts about the transparency and credibility of the intra-party election process.

    He said, “This must be a first that elections for the party’s central leadership have been announced without its electoral college in place as the electoral college of PTI’s central leadership is an elected provincial leadership which does not exist.”

    According to Babar, the prolonged intra-party election process, initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic with a one-year extension granted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), has failed to live up to the party’s commitment to transparent and fair elections.

    Babar proposed that the Commission should appoint ‘obervers’ to monitor the PTI intra-party elections as it is already discussing the matter.

    Babar, who served as the party’s central information secretary and vice-president in the past, claimed that it appears that the PTI has learnt hardly any lesson from its past history of holding rigged intra-party elections.

    The decision to nominate Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, described as a ‘newcomer,’ has sparked internal discord within the party.

    Some party leaders drew parallels between this nomination and the controversial appointment of Usman Buzdar as the Punjab chief minister, a move that faced criticism for its perceived lack of merit.

    The selection of Barrister Gohar Ali Khan over other loyalists within the party, such as Ali Muhammad Khan, Senator Humayun Mohmand, and Advocate Hamid Khan, has raised eyebrows among insiders.

    One party leader, speaking anonymously to Dawn, voiced apprehensions about Khan’s association with PPP leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, considering it an unwise move given the sensitive nature of the party chairman position.

    “Unfortunately, Imran Khan has again done an experiment, just like Usman Buzdar, who left him when his difficult time started. The position of the party chairman is very sensitive and it could be used against the party,” he feared.

  • How many seats will be in the National Assembly in upcoming elections?

    How many seats will be in the National Assembly in upcoming elections?

    Amid rumours of delay in the elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the final list of delimitation of constituencies in the national and four provincial assemblies.

    This progress paves the roads for the election schedule, which is more likely to be announced in the first week of December, as per the electoral body.

    Previously, the ECP had said that the final list of delimitations for constituencies would be published on December 15, but it was later revised to November 30.

    According to the notification issued by the ECP, the National Assembly (NA) has a total of 266 seats; 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities.

    Balochistan has a total of 20 NA seats, including 16 general and four reserved seats for women; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 45 general NA seats and 10 reserved seats for women; Sindh has a total of 75 NA seats, of which 61 are general and the remaining 14 are reserved for women.

    On the other hand, considering population, Punjab is a big province, and it has 141 NA seats, of which 32 are reserved for women. The federal capital has three general NA seats, with no reserved seat for women.

    Article 106 pertains to the constituencies of the four provincial legislatures. According to this article, Balochistan comprises 51 general seats, with 11 reserved for women and three for non-Muslims, making a total of 65 seats.

    In the case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are 115 general seats, along with 26 reserved for women and four for non-Muslims, bringing the total number of seats in the legislature to 145.

  • Harassment of Pakhtuns in Punjab unacceptable; Aimal Wali Khan warns government

    Harassment of Pakhtuns in Punjab unacceptable; Aimal Wali Khan warns government

    Aimal Wali Khan, the President of Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has accused Punjab authorities of engaging in harassment against Pakhtuns in the province.

    “The Punjab government has initiated a crackdown on Pakhtuns from KP and Balochistan, who live there for work, trade, and business. If it doesn’t stop harassing Pakhtuns, we won’t allow the presence of non-locals in our province even if they’re government employees,” the ANP leader told a public meeting in the Titwalan area of Martung tehsil on Thursday.

    Highlighting the right of individuals with national identity cards issued by NADRA to live or work anywhere in the country, Khan emphasized that Pakhtuns should enjoy the same rights as people from other ethnic backgrounds.

    He urged the central government to release due funds to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa promptly.

    Khan further addressed economic disparities, stating that while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produced 6,000 megawatts of electricity and sold it to the center at a nominal rate, its residents were compelled to purchase the same electricity at a significantly higher cost.

    The ANP leader said the people shouldn’t sell votes for “plastic pipes, water tanks and electricity poles” and should instead vote for the ANP for their and next generations’ development.

    He regretted that many coal miners from Shangla lost their lives due to a lack of safety measures at work. He blamed the issue on “bad governance and the corrupt system.”

    He said coal mine workers significantly contributed to economic development but the state and government had neglected their welfare and development.

    “As a lawmaker, I’ll strive for the workplace protection and welfare of miners,” he said.

    The ANP leader said in the upcoming elections, the people should reject those, who had been making false promises to them for the last over a decade, and should vote for the ANP for their development.

    ANP candidates Aurangzeb Khan (NA-11), Faisal Zeb Khan (PK-30), Altaf Khan (PK-29), district president Azam Khan and leader Gulab Shahpuri also addressed the meeting.