Tag: Pakistan

  • Cop martyred, eight injured in Khyber district blast

    Cop martyred, eight injured in Khyber district blast

    The police said on Thursday that a cop was martyred and eight others, including policemen, were injured in an explosion in the Bara Bazar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district.

    According to the initial police report, the explosion was suspected to be a suicide attack.

    The latest attack occurred at the tehsil compound, where police were checking people entering it. Other than that, there is a Bara Police Station, government offices, and a cell of the counter-terrorism department in the tehsil compound.

    The police said that the injured have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Dogra Khyber Agency. There is still no information about the nature of the blast.

    The KP police also suffered an attack last night in which two cops were martyred and two others injured.

  • Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

    Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

    A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and complained that the MQM was not being taken on board on important national issues.

    PM Shehbaz met an MQM delegation to discuss the process for the formation of a caretaker setup in the country, reported The News.

    MQM Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was heading the delegation, while Federal Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haq, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Dr Farooq Sattar, and Mustafa Kamal were other members of MQM in the delegation. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present in the meeting.

    In the meeting with the PM, the MQM delegation complained that the two major coalition partners planned the dissolution of assemblies. MQM was an important ally in the ruling coalition, but it was not being consulted on crucial issues.

    According to sources, MQM said that the next general elections should be held on the basis of the new census and not the 2017 census results. The delegation also demanded notification of the census results.

    The MQM leaders proposed the name of a former commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Siddiqui, as the Sindh caretaker chief minister. However, the decision will be taken after consultation between the leader of the House and the leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly.

  • Slow economic growth and inflation challenges persist in Pakistan: ADB Outlook Report

    Slow economic growth and inflation challenges persist in Pakistan: ADB Outlook Report

    During the last fiscal year, Pakistan faced the twin challenges of low economic growth and high inflation, in contrast to other South Asian countries.

    According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to foster economic improvement, Pakistan must continue implementing reforms under the new IMF programme.

    However, the ADB’s Outlook Report predicts that the economic growth rate in the upcoming financial year is expected to remain sluggish, similar to the performance observed in the previous fiscal period.

    The primary reasons for the slow economic growth were last year’s floods and the implementation of strict monetary and fiscal policies.

    The ADB’s report also highlights that inflation in Pakistan exceeded expectations during the past year. This inflationary pressure was further exacerbated by increased demand for commodities.

    In comparison, India is projected to experience a growth rate of 6.7 per cent, Sri Lanka 1.3 per cent, and Bangladesh at a rate of 6.5 per cent.

  • ‘More gripping than any drama on tv’, Khan promises to expose ‘cypher drama’

    ‘More gripping than any drama on tv’, Khan promises to expose ‘cypher drama’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has announced in a tweet that he will share “uncensored details” about cypher drama controversy on Thursday.
    “In their feverish attempts to implicate me in any case just to get me disqualified and jailed, this current assortment of incompetent crooks have again shot themselves in the foot. They have provided me with an opportunity to do a proper exposé of this whole Cypher drama”, Imran Khan tweeted on Wednesday.
    “Tomorrow I will share the uncensored details of how this conspiracy unfolded to overthrow a govt which had the best economic performance in the last 17 years and bring these money launderers and crooks into power who have run the country to the ground. I assure you it will be more gripping than any drama on tv,” he wrote.

    The remarks come as Khan’s former Principal Secretary, Azam Khan, reportedly made sensational revelations about how the US cypher was used to create a premeditated conspiracy by Imran and his close aides.

    Khan refused to believe that Azam Khan had given the statement, calling him an “honest man” and stating that he will believe the charge only if Azam Khan says it himself.

    On the other hand, the interior minister, Rana Sanaullah said that “The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman [Imran Khan] tarnished the reputation of state institutions through cypher conspiracy. He should be punished for staging the drama.”

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister coming to Pakistan on official trip

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister coming to Pakistan on official trip

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit Islamabad for a two-day official trip on July 20, the Foreign Office announced on Wednesday.

    On his official visit, the Ukrainian minister will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as well as his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

    “Pakistan and Ukraine enjoy close and cordial relations, particularly in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture, and higher education,” the Foreign Office has said in a statement.

    The official visit will begin on July 20 and conclude on July 21. It will be the first time since 1933 that a Ukrainian foreign minister will visit Pakistan.

    According to the sources of Geo News, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Ukraine will discuss the food crisis that came about in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

  • Govt commits to reconstructing 150-year-old Marie Mata Temple in Karachi

    Govt commits to reconstructing 150-year-old Marie Mata Temple in Karachi

    The Sindh government has committed to undertake the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the historic Marie Mata Temple in Soldier Bazaar of Karachi, Dawn has reported.

    During Question Hour in a session of the Sindh Assembly, the Minority Affairs Minister raised his concern, emphasizing that the demolition of any place of worship is strictly prohibited. Consequently, all construction activities on the temple site have been halted.

    The temple, which has a rich history of over 150 years, had undergone partial renovation around eight years ago, during which the temple deities were temporarily relocated to a nearby room located above a storm water drain. Unfortunately, last week, the structure on the temple’s premises was demolished by a builder who intended to construct a plaza in its place.

    A woman living on the property said that her ancestors gave the land for the temple, but now she’s building her house there.

    According to the minister, the minority affairs department will conduct a comprehensive survey to prepare a detailed report, and subsequently oversee the reconstruction of the temple on its original site.

  • Khan says won’t believe Azam called US cypher ‘Khan’s conspiracy’ until he hears Azam say it himself

    Khan says won’t believe Azam called US cypher ‘Khan’s conspiracy’ until he hears Azam say it himself

    Azam Khan, the former principal secretary of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s “cypher drama” was a preplanned conspiracy, Geo News has reported.

    Azam Khan has been ‘missing’ since last month, however, he recorded a statement under CrPC 164 before a magistrate on Wednesday, damaging Imran’s claims that he was ousted through a US orchestrated by Donald Lu, a senior officer of the Biden administration.

    PTI’s government was removed via a vote of no confidence last year in April. The then Prime Minister alleged on March 27, 2022, that Washington planned the movement to remove him from office and used the so-called cypher to back his claims. The US has repeated denied his accusations.

    Later, Khan changed his story, accusing former Chief of Army Staff, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of conspiring to remove him.

    Azam Khan also confessed that when he provided Imran with the cypher, he was very happy and labelled the language a “US blunder”.

    The ex-prime minister then said, according to Azam, that the cable could be used for “creating a narrative against the establishment and opposition”.

    It is also mentioned in the confession that Imran Khan told his principal secretary that the cypher could be used to divert the public’s attention towards “foreign involvement” in the no-confidence motion.

    Azam Khan states that when he told Imran Khan that the cypher had secret content and could not be disclosed in a public gathering, the former prime minister suggested a strategy.

    He said that Imran called a meeting, which included then-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and then-foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood, who would tell him the minutes of the meeting as the PTI chief had lost the original copy of the cable.

    Reacting to the sensational disclosure of his once most trusted officer, Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Azam Khan is an honest man and he will not believe any statement until he hears everything from Azam himself.

  • Gulistan-e-BTS: Karachi K-pop fan plasters neighborhood with Jung Kook pictures

    Gulistan-e-BTS: Karachi K-pop fan plasters neighborhood with Jung Kook pictures

    BTS army ftw!

    It warms our hearts to see kay aaj kal kay tidday kitnay jazbay say apnay shauq dikhatay hain. Particularly how popular Korean bands are among them.

    A BTS fan Alina, took her love for the Korean musicians to the streets when she promoted Jung Kook’s single ‘Seven’ across the streets of Karachi by posting images everywhere, and we must say this is the kind of planning and task execution even senior officials cannot show!

    Alina, whose Twitter account goes by kimtnam, shared pictures of the posters she had plastered in different areas of Karachi like Dar ul Sehat, Rufi Lake Drive Gate and Pedestal Bridge opposite Karachi University.

    Honestly we love how Twitter users are supporting Alina in expressing her love for Jung Kook rather than shutting her down.

    There was also a rickshaw in Lahore which was promoting Jung Kook’s single, we love how creative this fandom is!

    We love watching this kind of dedication, just as much as we’re loving ‘Seven’!

  • Wall collapse claims 11 lives amid heavy monsoon rains in Islamabad

    Wall collapse claims 11 lives amid heavy monsoon rains in Islamabad

    Islamabad’s Peshawar Road witnessed a devastating incident after heavy monsoon rains led to the collapse of a building’s wall, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of at least 11 individuals on Wednesday, reports Dawn.

    Rescue and police officials said six others were injured in the incident. The bodies of the deceased, believed to be laborers, were recovered from the rubble with the assistance of machinery.

    The bodies were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), while the injured individuals, one of whom was discharged after receiving first aid, were also brought to the hospital for treatment.

    Heavy rainfall in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has caused waterlogging in low-lying areas, causing disruptions and posing hazards to residents.

    According to an official statement by Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, the collapse occurred when the building’s wall fell onto a tent that the laborers had set up. Efforts were underway to rescue any individuals still trapped in the debris.

    As per details, the laborers were involved in the construction of an underpass on the Grand Trunk Road in the city, as instructed by the National Highway Authority (NHA). However, the NHA issued an official statement denying reports that the collapsed wall was part of the underpass structure.

    The NHA asserted that the underpass walls and construction site were safe and secure, expressing sorrow over the incident and offering prayers for the deceased and their families.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed deep grief and sorrow over the incident and extended prayers for the departed souls. He directed the district administration to remain vigilant in light of the heavy rains.

  • Pakistani passport is 4th weakest in the world

    Pakistani passport is 4th weakest in the world

    According to Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory company, the Pakistani passport is the fourth weakest passport in the world.

    Pakistan is at the 100th position among the 227 countries assessed on the index. The determination is based on the number of destinations where Pakistani citizens can visit without a visa.

    According to the report, Pakistani residents had access to 35 countries with an on-arrival visa until January this year. Now the number has decreased, and Pakistanis can visit only 33 countries with an on-arrival visa.

    On the other hand, Singapore has the most-coveted passport in the world, with Singaporeans being able to visit 193 destinations out of 227 with an on-arrival visa.

    Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria are the countries with the least travel privileges; the citizens of these countries can travel to 27, 29, and 30 destinations, respectively.