Tag: Pakistan

  • National Institute of Health urges citizens to wear masks amid rise in Covid-19

    As Covid-19 cases has begun rising in Pakistan once more, the National Institute of Health (NIC) tweeted yesterday that according the guidelines sent by the National Command And Operation Center (NCOC) citizens are advised to take safety precautions like wearing masks to keep themselves safe from the disease.

    Amid the current COVID-19 disease trends across the country, NCOC recommended following guidelines for the period up to 30 April 2023. “Mask wearing is recommended at crowded tightly enclosed spaces including healthcare facilities”

    The alert has arrived after the countrywide Covid-19 positivity rate rose to 2.7%, with positive patients adding up to 133 in total, and at least 15 under critical care, as per the tweet released by NIH.

  • Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    On Thursday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the assurance of funding from “friendly countries” was the final obstacle to securing an IMF deal that would provide critical support to Pakistan’s struggling economy and prevent an economic crisis.

    During a session of the country’s upper house of parliament, Dar revealed that several countries had previously made commitments to support Pakistan during IMF reviews, and the IMF was now requesting that these commitments be fulfilled.

    The delay in securing the deal, which involves a $1.1 billion bailout package from the IMF, has been ongoing since November due to issues surrounding fiscal policy adjustments. The package is part of a larger $6.5 billion bailout approved by the IMF in 2019, which is crucial for Pakistan to avoid defaulting on external payment obligations.

    The deal would also allow Pakistan to access other financing avenues to bolster its foreign exchange reserves, which currently only cover four weeks’ worth of imports.

    The IMF has asked Pakistan to secure assurance of up to $7 billion to cover this year’s balance of payments gap, while Dar believes that $5 billion would suffice.

    An IMF mission has been present in Islamabad since February to negotiate a set of policy measures for Pakistan’s struggling economy, ahead of the annual budget due in June.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that all of the IMF’s conditions had been met, and expressed hope that a staff level agreement would be reached soon.

  • ‘Sharam karo’: Aima Baig slams FHM magazine for misinformation

    ‘Sharam karo’: Aima Baig slams FHM magazine for misinformation

    Aima Baig called out FHM, an online celebrity magazine, for spreading incorrect information about her and lectured them on the importance of fact checking before publishing stories.

    FHM had published a story about a re-surfaced interiview in which they claimed Baig had said that she had a crush on her elder brother, who was seven years senior to her.

    Baig commented underneath the post, stating that she was horrified because she had never said such a thing.

    “What in the actual f**k is that????
    I never said anything stupid like that wth!
    Kuch to sharam kar lo yaaar. Like seriously is this really something we should be talking about, clearly not knowing how sensitive is this topic.”

    On her own Instagram page, Baig revealed that her publicist had sent her the FHM post. She said she was dissapointed by ‘yellow journalism’.

    “Usually I don’t come forward to clarify my statement but this post caught my attention when my publicist sent this post. I am utterly disguisted by this yellow journalism by @fhmpakistan. What creepy, shameless ideology they are sharing across. I don’t know if they are spreading some shameless agenda but atleast don’t make me a part of this. I literally wanna throw up…like seriously..kuch bhi for views. I mean seriously WORK HARD OR LEAVE ME ALONE. Shame on you guys. Like big time.”

    Baig also clarified that the story was not true, and shared the link to the interview where she had actually said that her crush was her elder brother’s best friend, when she was ten years old.

    Baig also demanded an apology from the online website for spreading degrading information about her:

    “I demand a public apology for such heinous and vile accusation on me. And erase all these unwanted, peevish posts about this unprofitable and absurd news.”

  • Pakistani family sets world record for having same birthdays

    Pakistani family sets world record for having same birthdays

    A Pakistani family hailing from Larkana made history after they set a Guinness World Record for “most family members born on the same day” category.

    All nine family members share the same birthday, August 1.

    The family surpassed the record of an American family of five members, who had held the Guinness record since 1966.

    The record-holder family consists of Amir Azad Mangi, his wife Khadija, and their seven children, including two sets of twins.

    Mangi was born on Aug. 1, 1968, his wife on Aug. 1, 1973, their first daughter Sindhu on Aug. 1, 1992, twin daughters Sassi and Sapna on Aug. 1, 1998, first son Amir on Aug. 1, 2001, second son Ambar on Aug. 1, 2002, and twin sons Amar and Ahmer on Aug. 1, 2003.

    Interestingly, Mangi’s wedding anniversary falls on the same day, making it a significant date for the entire family.

    The world record was added to the list in 2019.

  • Trans activist Shahzadi Rai shares video of extremists stalking her home

    Trans activist Shahzadi Rai shares video of extremists stalking her home

    Prominent Karachi-based transgender activist Shehzadi Rai shared a triggering video on her Twitter page of two men stalking her home. In the clip the men be seen turning away when they spot the camera. Rai wrote in a tweet that she was terrified for her life, because the men were threatening her with bottles of acid.

    People tagged the Sindh police in replies to help Rai.

    The Current reached out to Rai for a statement, and she revealed that she did not know why the men were stalking her. Rai also shared that this was the fourth time these men had appeared outside her house, and that she was going to the police to get them arrested.

    Member of the Provincial Assembly Sindh Sharjeel Memon condemned the incodent on Twitter and asked Rai to send him relevant details.

    Rai later revealed in a video uploaded to her Twitter account that she was present at the Shahar E Faisal police station and called for better protection of the khwajasara community by the police.

    Rai also shared a picture of the police case filed against her stalkers and thanked the Sindh Govt for understanding the sensitivity of the situation by deploying police forces outside her home

  • Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    During a session of the Senate on Thursday, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated unequivocally that there would be no compromise on the country’s nuclear and missile programs. The assurance came in response to questions posed by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, who had raised concerns about the delay in Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rabbani had suggested that the delay might be due to pressure being exerted on Pakistan’s nuclear program.

    In response to Rabbani’s questions, Dar stated that the delay was not due to any action by the current government, but rather to the fact that the IMF had requested that certain friendly countries fulfill commitments they had made to support Pakistan. According to Geo, Dar promised that once the staff-level agreement and the Extended Fund Facility program were finalized, the details would be posted on the finance ministry’s website.

    Dar also expressed his belief that Pakistan’s nuclear program was a matter of national security and emphasized that no one had the right to tell Pakistan what range of missiles or nuclear weapons it could have. He argued that the country’s nuclear and missile programs were essential for deterrence and for guarding Pakistan’s national interests.

    The delay in the IMF agreement has been a cause for concern, as it is seen as critical to taming a balance-of-payments crisis. The agreement, which was approved by the IMF in 2019 and is worth $6.5 billion, includes $1.1 billion that would be released once the agreement is signed. Dar had previously blamed the delay on the previous government, which he said had failed to meet commitments and created a trust deficit. Despite the delay, Dar stated that Pakistan was “very close” to signing the agreement.

  • Pakistan faces second-highest food price inflation in South Asia: World Bank report

    Pakistan faces second-highest food price inflation in South Asia: World Bank report

    According to the World Bank’s “Food Security Update,” the consumer price inflation for food items in Pakistan in February 2023 on a year-on-year basis was 45.1 per cent, which is the highest in South Asia after Sri Lanka, which experienced 54.4 per cent inflation.

    The report further states that domestic grain and wheat flour prices remained volatile across South Asia at the beginning of 2023, and were well above their year-earlier levels. Specifically, in Pakistan, wheat flour prices in January 2023 reached record highs and were 20 to 140 per cent higher year on year.

    The high prices of food items have been attributed to several factors, including generally stagnant production since 2018, stock losses and disrupted trade flows due to the 2022 floods, high agricultural input and transportation costs, and high headline inflation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

    The report noted that India, Bangladesh, and Nepal experienced year-on-year consumer price inflation for food prices of 6.2 per cent, 7.8 per cent, and 5.6 per cent, respectively, in January 2023. Rice production increased in 2022 in several countries, including India, despite reductions in Pakistan and Tanzania, according to the report.

    The US Department of Agriculture predicts a 4.5 per cent contraction in rice shipments due to a decrease in exports from Pakistan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam, which will more than offset an increase from India. Moreover, domestic food price inflation remains high around the world.

    According to Brecorder, the latest month between October 2022 and February 2023, for which food price inflation data are available, shows high inflation in almost all low- and middle-income countries, with inflation levels above 5 per cent in 94.1 per cent of low-income countries, 86 per cent of lower-middle-income countries, and 87 per cent of upper-middle-income countries, with many experiencing double-digit inflation.

    Furthermore, about 87.3 per cent of high-income countries are experiencing high food price inflation, and the countries affected most are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia, according to the report.

  • Lahore High Court extends halt on Zaman Park police operation till tomorrow

    Lahore High Court extends halt on Zaman Park police operation till tomorrow

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended the injunction on the police operation to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Zaman Park till tomorrow.

    Yesterday, the court had ordered the police to stop the operation to arrest Imran Khan till 10 am today.

    At the hearing of the petition against the police operation at LHC today, the court said that on Thursday all parties should sit together and find a solution. Stating that we are being dishonored as a nation, the judge said, “Move your rally; for God’s sake, let people live their routine lives.”

    LHC also stopped PTI from holding a rally this Sunday at Iqbal Park (Minar-e-Pakistan) and asked the party to let citizens live their routine lives.

    The party was planning to hold a “historic” public rally at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan on March 19 and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was set to lead it — despite “security threats”.

    PTI workers clashed for nearly 24 hours with the law enforcers trying to get through the party supporters and arrest Khan.

  • Mira Sethi meets boy who stood up to misogynist reporter at Aurat March

    At this year’s Aurat March, a boy went viral on Twitter when he was seen schooling a reporter by explaining to him why marching for women’s rights is incredibly important.

    Actress and writer Mira Sethi revealed yesterday that she had met the boy by tracing him down on Twitter, and described him as her ‘hero’.

    “Remember the kid who stood up to that vile reporter at Aurat March Lahore?” she wrote, “I found him on Twitter, asked if I could come over to express my gratitude and met his whole family. Muhammad Ali is only 20, but he radiates clarity and courage. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure his light is never dimmed. So full of gratitude today.”

    Syed Aly Jaffery also shared the interaction on his Twitter page and called her a ‘nice and amazing person’

  • Chinese bank to provide Pakistan with another $500 million loan soon

    Chinese bank to provide Pakistan with another $500 million loan soon

    A Chinese bank has committed to provide Pakistan with another refinanced $500 million loan within the next few days. This brings the total of commercial loans to $1.7 billion out of the committed amount of $2 billion.

    Pakistani authorities are currently seeking 100 per cent confirmation from friendly donor countries and multilateral creditors before moving towards an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF has set an unwritten condition that Pakistan must secure refinancing of commercial loans and a rollover on deposits from China during the program period, which is set to expire in June 2023.

    A top official from the Finance Division confirmed that another $500 million commercial loan from a Chinese bank is on its way and will be completed soon. Chinese banks have already provided refinancing of $1.2 billion in commercial loans in the past few weeks, and Beijing has given assurance on another $500 million in loan refinancing in the next few days. Pakistan has also requested a rollover on the Chinese SAFE deposit of $2 billion within the ongoing month.

    All these factors are prerequisites for moving towards the signing of a staff-level agreement between the IMF and Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities are waiting for confirmation from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, as well as from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to fulfill the external financing needs of $6 billion until the end of June 2023. The guarantees for securing external financing are crucial for the sustainability of the IMF program.

    Brent crude and WTI are both down in the international market, which is good news for Pakistan’s economy. However, the IMF has secretly launched “Inclusive growth in the MENA region” at NUST. The IMF high-ups argued that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) possessing a major footprint resulted in the crowding out of the private sector. Pakistan’s budget makers have also assured the IMF that they will prepare gender-based budgeting in the next financial year.

    To meet the IMF’s demands, the CPI-based and SPI-based inflations have risen to unprecedented levels of 31.5 per cent every month and 42.3 per cent every week. The development budget of the federal government, known as the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), has been slashed by 50 per cent for the current fiscal year in line with the Fund’s demand to curtail the budget deficit target.