Tag: Pakistan

  • Petrol price in Pakistan slashed by Rs40 to Rs283.38 per litre

    Petrol price in Pakistan slashed by Rs40 to Rs283.38 per litre

    In a move to ease the burden on masses dealing with high inflation, the caretaker government has decided to lower the cost of petrol by Rs40 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 for the next two weeks. 

    The new per litre rates are set at Rs283.38 for petrol and Rs303.18 for diesel. 

    This change comes as a response to fluctuations in international fuel prices and an improved exchange rate, leading the government to adjust consumer prices for petroleum products. 

    For the second time in a row, the interim government is taking steps to lower petroleum prices, following three consecutive bi-weekly increases.

    In the previous adjustment, petrol saw a reduction of Rs8 per litre, while high-speed diesel decreased by Rs11 per litre.

    Between August 15 and September 15, the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel had surged by Rs58.43 and Rs55.83 per litre, reaching historic highs at retail of Rs331-333 per litre.

    Earlier this week, it was anticipated that the prices of HSD and petrol would dip below Rs300 per litre in the upcoming review, thanks to a significant decline in global oil rates and the strengthening of the rupee.

  • Official Israel account attacks Rizwan for pro-Palestine tweet

    Official Israel account attacks Rizwan for pro-Palestine tweet

    After Pakistan lost to India in the cricket World Cup match yesterday, an official account associated with the government of Israel chose to demonstrate their pettiness with a tweet targeting cricket player Muhammad Rizwan, who, after a match-winning performance against Sri Lanka, dedicated his win to the people of Gaza.

    “We were really moved by Indian friends showing their solidarity with Israel. We are happy that India emerged victorious in the #INDvsPAK match at #CWC23 and that Pakistan was unable to attribute its victory to the terrorists of #Hamas.”

    Many Twitter users criticised the absurdity of how triggered a country has been over a simple tweet by a cricketer. Seriously, y’all lose sleep over anything?

    Truly a King

    Please make this happen PCT In Sha Allah

    Well done Rizwan for living rent free in the minds of an entire nation.

  • Instagram users say no views when people post pro Palestine content

    Instagram users say no views when people post pro Palestine content

    As the civilian death toll from Israel’s bombing of Gaza continues to rise Instagram users have complained that they are not getting views on pro Palestine content.

    While more than a 1000 Palestinians are dead, including more than 600 children, others are struggling to survive through Israel’s embargo on food, water, electricity, and other basic services.

    Israel’s atrocities in Gaza have resulted in people around the world raising their voice on social media and sharing footage.

    This also includes Pakistani influencers and Instagram users with a significant amount of following.

    They are now highlighting that the viewership on their Instagram stories has starkly decreased every since they started sharing pro-Palestinian content.

    This has not happened for the first time.

    Instagram (i.e. Meta) is known to deliberately restrict the outreach of content that is in support of Palestine or merely stating facts that put Israel in a bad light.

    Quds News Network, the largest Palestinian news outlet, has said that Meta has suspended it’s page on Israel’s complaint.

  • Gold price surges by Rs4,900 in a single day, reaches Rs202,000 per tola 

    Gold price surges by Rs4,900 in a single day, reaches Rs202,000 per tola 

    The price of gold in Pakistan has experienced a significant surge following an increase in the global market.  

    According to the All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA), the cost of 24-carat gold has risen by Rs4,900, reaching Rs202,000 per tola.  

    Meanwhile, the price of 10-gramme gold has also seen a substantial increase, going up by Rs4,201 to settle at Rs173,182. 

    In the international market, the price of gold saw a notable uptick, with a $46 increase, bringing it to $1,938 per ounce.  

    Concurrently, the US dollar (USD) weakened by Rs5.07 against the Pakistani rupee in the interbank market over the course of this week’s trading. In interbank trading, the USD declined from Rs282.69 to Rs277.62 this week. 

    Furthermore, the American currency witnessed a decrease of Rs4.50 in the open market at the end of the week, closing at Rs277, down from Rs281.50. 

  • Loss-making PIA announced bonuses for employees on their “good performance”

    Loss-making PIA announced bonuses for employees on their “good performance”

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), one of the biggest money-losing entities in the country, has ironically announced that they will pay their employees an increment for “good performance”.

    As reported by The News, PIA’s management announced the bonus for the performance of the employees over the last six months, from April to September. The bonus will be implemented by October 2023. The amount that was decided is tantamount to the bonus issued in 2022.

    PIA is going through a monthly loss of Rs 12 billion and a total loss of over Rs 740 billion but the bonus that was announced is Rs 915 million. The increment in salaries will be 5-10 percent paid on March 31, 2023. The employees who are told to leave on or before October were recruited recently or got a promotion or salary increase in these six months are not eligible for it.

    The airline has announced this expenditure while it is grappling with issues of fuel outages and financial loss. According to Caretaker Federal Minister for Privatization Fawad Hasan Fawad, 15 out of 34 PIA aircraft are grounded, the airline is operating with only 19 aircraft and some of them are also not fully operational. The gap between income (22 billion) and expense(34 billion) which is increasing with time.

    Amidst the ongoing debate of privatization, PIA has taken a loan of Rs260 billion from commercial banks on a government guarantee. It is not paying tax of Rs1.25 billion to the FBR and has not been able to pay more than Rs1 billion per month to Civil Aviation.

  • Pakistan team hailed by compatriots as India keeps fans away from match

    As the high-voltage World Cup 2023 Pakistan – India match plays out in Ahmedabad, there are no Pakistani fans at the Narendra Modi stadium.

    Pakistani fans were not given a visa by the Modi government but the Green Shirts have all the support off the ground from home with the public glued to the screen and politicians, along with celebrities, cheering for them on social media.

    Caretaker PM Anwar-ul-haq Kakkar extended his support to the team in a tweet saying, “Let’s bring it home”.

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also took to X to show his enthusiasm by saying that he is “Rooting for Team Green”.

    Asma Sherazi lamented the visas not being issued but wished the team well.

    Ex-cricketers seemed to be equally excited as Mohammad Hafeez posted about the “Match of the year” and expressed his wish for the team to win.

    Wasim Akram reminded the team that “at the end of the day it’s just a game, go out there and do what you do best”.

    Shaharyar Ejaz, a journalist tweeting live from the ground, wrote that he hoped to see the team win on Indian soil.

    Filmmaker Nabeel Qureshi hoped for team Pakistan to play out a “suprise”.

    Fahad Mustafa cheered the team with, “Let’s do this boys”.

    On the other side, there are people vehemently criticizing the Indian Government for not issuing visas to Pakistani fans.

    Professor Ashok Swain lambasted the Government by saying that “It’s not Cricket, It’s Low-life’s Politics”.

    Another user criticised the crowd for trampling the spirit of the game as videos of them booing Pakistan captain Babar Azam circulated on social media.

  • Pakistan is powerful enough to fight with TTP for 100 years, says PM Kakar

    Pakistan is powerful enough to fight with TTP for 100 years, says PM Kakar

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has firmly rejected the possibility of engaging in negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), emphasizing that Pakistan is powerful enough to fight them for the next 100 years.

    “Don’t you see that their people are being killed daily? Our people are also being martyred. So what kind of talks or impediments [you are talking about]? They are killing my children and I am killing them,” he told the media during his visit to Peshawar on Friday.

    “The state of Pakistan is powerful enough to fight the TTP, not just for one year, rather a 100 years,” the interim premier said.

    When questioned about the challenges in negotiations with the TTP, the Prime Minister emphasized that the primary hurdle was the absence of any willingness on their part to engage in dialogue. “We don’t want to talk to them. Who told you that we have any intention to talk with TTP,” he asked. Pakistan has witnessed a notable increase in terrorist activities, Kakar observed, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in recent months. This surge has seen TTP militants targeting both security forces and innocent civilians.

  • In pictures: Fawad Khan spotted at Mahira Khan’s wedding

    In pictures: Fawad Khan spotted at Mahira Khan’s wedding

    Mahira Khan has uploaded a video of the Qawali night held at PC Bhurban during her wedding celebrations. Among the star-studded celebrity guests was her Humsafar co-star Fawad Khan.

    Screenshots show Fawad Khan lounging among the celebrity guests as they enjoy a performance by Abida Parveen.

    Instagram users were overjoyed over the five second cameo of the heart throb, who co-starred opposite Mahira in the blockbuster ‘Maula Jatt’.

    Other celebrities spotted at Mahira’s wedding in the video were Sarmad Khoosat, Sheheryar Munawar and Momal Sheikh.

    READ MORE: Here are all the celebrities who were present at Mahira Khan, Salim Karim’s wedding

  • 12,000 fake passports recovered from Afghans in Saudi Arabia

    12,000 fake passports recovered from Afghans in Saudi Arabia

    The staggering number of 12,000 Pakistani passports have been found in the possession of Afghan nationals in Saudi Arabia, media reports have confirmed.

    The discovery comes as law enforcement agencies initiate a crackdown against people and groups involved in the issuance of fake citizen documents to illegal immigrants.

    According to reports by Geo News, the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh was informed of the passports by Saudi authorities.

    An investigation into the matter has been initiated by Director General Immigration and Passports Directorate Mustafa Kazi and the Federal Investigation Agency.

    The prime suspect, Umar Javed, has been arrested in Lahore for making fake passports.

    Earlier, a former officer and a serving grade-15 officer of the Passport Directorate were arrested and probed in regards to the issuance of fake documents.

    As reported by Azaz Syed on Geo news, an interior ministry official has asserted that a detailed investigation is underway and NADRA data is also being counterchecked.

  • Indian travel ad degrading Pakistani cricket fans faces criticism, backlash

    Indian travel ad degrading Pakistani cricket fans faces criticism, backlash

    The most-anticipated match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is being played on Saturday.

    Billions of cricket fans from around the world will tune in to watch great rivals, Pakistan and India, play at the biggest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium.

    The contest will mark the first instance of Pakistan and India playing a One-Day International against each other on Indian soil after 10 years. Their last bilateral meeting resulted in Pakistan defeating the hosts 2-1.

    In these exciting times, Make My Trip, an Indian travel company, has launched a newspaper ad campaign, mocking Pakistani cricket fans by promising discounts if Pakistan loses the match.

    Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag took to X (former Twitter) and wrote, “Na Ishq mein na Pyaar mein. Jo mazza hai Pakistan ki haar mein.”

    But let’s be honest here, the ad, published in Bangalore Times, Ahmedabad Times and other newspapers, would’ve made sense if the Modi Government had issued visas to Pakistani fans.

    Senior editor of CNN News 18, Pallavi Ghosh, believes that the ad is violating sporting spirit.

    Another X user, Rahul Fernandes, says that this ad doesn’t represent Indian values.

    Sumit also criticizes the campaign by saying, “We are terrible people. First, we deny them visas and then this.”

    It is pertinent to mention that Pakistani journalists got their visas on October 12 and 13, facing unexplained delays by the Indian government, and were not allowed to be in the media box throughout the World Cup.