Tag: Pakistan

  • 466 people are dying each day in Pakistan due to tobacco consumption

    466 people die daily in Pakistan due to tobacco use related diseases, Dr Ziauddin Islam, a former technical leader of the Health Ministry’s Tobacco Control Cell, has disclosed during a discussion hosted by SPARC, Ikram Junaidi has reported for Dawn.

    He also said that the number of smokers in Pakistan has reached 31 million people. Dr. Ziauddin also revealed that every day, 1,200 Pakistani kids between the ages of six and fifteen begin smoking.

    The Tobacco Health Levy Bill, which has been on hold since 2019, needs to be approved right away in order to stop the loss of life and healthcare resources, he added.
    “Evidence suggests that higher cigarette taxes deter smoking initiation, reduce cigarette consumption, and even lead smokers to quit. Last year, Pakistan raised tobacco taxes for the first time since 2019 however we are still far off from the 30pc increase suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said Country head of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) Malik Imran Ahmed.

  • Four skills that are in super high demand in future workplaces

    Researchers have identified the four abilities that are most in demand in evolving workplaces by analysing hundreds of millions of recent job listings in the US.
    The report How Skills are Disrupting Work was developed in collaboration with the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), education publisher Wiley, and the Burning Glass Institute.

    • Artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)
    • Cloud computing.
    • Product management.
    • Social media.

    One of these skill sets was included as a necessity in one out of every eight job listings, according to the researchers.
    The report states that, “AI/ML, Cloud Computing, Product Management, and Social Media together exemplify skills disruption and serve as a laboratory for understanding the broader trend. The five-year growth rate for these four skill sets was 122% in 2021, compared with a 10% growth rate for the average skill over the same period.”

  • Unverified allegations against Babar Azam: Australian news outlet deletes story after PCB’s criticism

    An Australian news outlet posted an unverified and baseless story about Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam. The publication accused the skipper of sexting to his teammate’s girlfriend. However, Fox cricket has now deleted the story after PCB slammed the news outlet for posting baseless stories.

     “As our media partner, you might have considered ignoring such unsubstantiated personal allegations which Babar Azam has not deemed worthy of a response,” the board tweeted from its official account.

    The story alleged that Babar Azam had sexted one of his teammate’s girlfriends and promised her that her boyfriend won’t be out of the team if she continues in that streak.

    However, the Pakistan cricket team captain has not commented on the allegations yet.

    Fox Cricket’s report stated “the account, which is a parody page, then removed the original tweet and explicitly apologized to Babar”.

    It should be mentioned here that a woman made severe accusations against the batter in November 2020 and requested that he be persecuted on suspicion of fraud and sexual harassment.

    A Lahore session court instructed the police to file a complaint against Babar. The Lahore High Court, however, suspended the order of the session court in 2021.

  • Bilawal blames PTI policies for TTP attacks

    Bilawal blames PTI policies for TTP attacks

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari— who is currently in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting— has spoken to Al Jazeera about the recently held conference in Geneva for Pakistan’s devasting flood losses, a looming economic crisis and the soaring threats of terrorism.

    In his interview, the 34-year-old minister blamed the previous government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its wrong approach and “policy of appeasement” towards the Taliban.

    He said, “I believe that the previous government had the wrong approach. Its policy of appeasement towards the Taliban has created problems for the people of Pakistan”, adding that this approach has been ended by the incumbent government.

    He said that recently the government also had a national security meeting and it was decided then that Pakistan would adopt a zero-tolerance policy against terrorist groups.

    Talking about the oppressive Taliban reign in Afghanistan, Bilawal urged the world to continue engaging with Afghanistan as it is the only solution. He said, “We [Pakistan] are neighbours, we couldn’t separate if we wanted to. The only way to enhance leverage on both sides is to continue to engage with them.”

    “I do not think turning our back and disengaging is an option. And it’s certainly not an option for Pakistan which shares such a long and porous border with Afghanistan”, he said, highlighting that both “Pakistanis and Afghanis are victims of terrorism”.

    About the economic and food crisis back home, the minister pointed out that Pakistan is not alone in facing the economic crisis as the world is also suffering and these all are the result of post-covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    However, he hoped that the situation will get better in the coming days. `

    Terming the Geneva conference “resilient”, he thanked the international community for pledging more than $9 billion for Pakistan’s flood rehabilitation and climate resilience building.

  • Here are 20 bottled water brands not suitable for consumption

    The federal government on Tuesday declared 20 bottled water brands unfit for human consumption, Jamal Shahid reports for Dawn.

    The Pakistani government had asked the Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) to evaluate bottled and mineral water brands every quarter and to report the findings to raise public health awareness.

    Twenty-two cities provided 168 samples of mineral/bottled water brands for the quarter from October to December of the year 2022.

    Twenty brands were found to be dangerous for human consumption due to microbiological, chemical, or both types of contamination when test results were compared to the bottled water quality criteria of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

    Here are the bottled water brands

    Best Natural
    Klear
    Pinar
    Neno
    Ice Drop
    Premium Safa
    Orwell
    Indus
    Minwa Kashaf
    Barsay
    Nayab Pure Life
    Excellent Natural

    Aqua One
    Alfa Premium
    Isberg
    Aqua pack
    Sip up
    Ever pure
    Noble
    Asha

  • Pasha warns inflation may increase to 70% if Pakistan defaults

    Pasha warns inflation may increase to 70% if Pakistan defaults

    Former finance minister Dr Hafiz Pasha on Tuesday warned that inflation in Pakistan may soar to 70 per cent in the event of a default.

    Pasha predicted that Pakistan’s general economy would likely continue to experience severe stagflation in 2023. He was speaking to members of the Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF).

    Due to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stringent requirements, inflation will still increase to at least 35 per cent even if the loan from international lender is restored, according to Express Tribune.

     “If the government implements the key reforms agreed with the IMF, including a Rs50 levy per litre on POL, an electricity tariff hike of 40 per cent, doubling of the gas tariff, and shift to market-based exchange rate policy, the inflation rate could exceed 35 per cent,” Pasha cautioned.

    If the government does not implement the agreed reforms, he said, “It will lead to a termination of the IMF programme and will virtually dry-up the country’s capital.”

    According to Pasha, Pakistan’s reliance on pricey foreign loans has been disastrous. The nation’s debt in the first 65 years was $65 billion. In the following seven years, as we increased our reliance on costly loans with high interest rates, this amount increased to approximately $130 billion.

  • ‘Rethink and reimagine Pakistan’: Politicians, bureaucrats call for political consensus

    Former Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has announced that he along with a group of politicians and bureaucrats, will be organising a series of seminars across Pakistan aimed at bringing about a “political consensus for restructuring the governance structures of Pakistan”.

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Asad Ali Shah, Haji Lashkari Raisini, Mir Humayun Kurd, Khawaja Mohammad Hoti, along with others, will be part of this effort to create political consensus.

    Khokhar tweeted, “In a nonpartisan effort, I have been talking to friends & colleagues about the current economic, political and social crisis of Pakistan which are now striking at the core foundations of the state and the society.”

    “At the same time individual and collective rights are under severe stress causing a widespread dissatisfaction of people across the regional and ethnic divides in Pakistan. These trying times require us to “rethink” or “reimagine” Pakistan.”

    Talking to The News, Khokar said, “From political uncertainty to economic meltdown to polarisation in society that has reached dangerous levels of intolerance, Pakistan is not facing just one crisis but multiple crises at the same time. Today we are at a juncture where we are actually at a ‘naazuk morr’ — a phrase that we always hear but only when powerful quarters don’t want something to be talked about”.

    Ismail too took to Twitter and said, ” I and many other colleagues are trying to bring about a national consensus on major issues. Thus we are starting with holding seminars across Pakistan.”

  • Most infectious XBB.1.5 Covid subvariant detected in Pakistan through genome sequencing: AKU

    Most infectious XBB.1.5 Covid subvariant detected in Pakistan through genome sequencing: AKU

    The most contagious COVID subvariant, XBB.1.5, has been found in Pakistan through genome sequencing, according to the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), The News has reported.

    “Yes, we have found the XBB.1.5 sub-variant of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) through genome sequencing of the virus from an infected patient”, The News has stated while quoting an expert associated with AKU.

    A very small number of COVID-19 cases were reported from the country, the expert, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed. The expert also believed that the majority of those infected with the new sub-variant of the Coronavirus were not getting themselves tested despite having upper respiratory tract infections.

    Infectious diseases expert Dr Rana Jawad Asghar while talking to The News said that genome sequencing of only 0.5 per cent of COVID-19 positive cases was being carried out in Pakistan, which is a relatively small and adhoc proportion when compared to the rest of the globe.

  • Huge surge in malaria, TB in Pakistan after floods

    Huge surge in malaria, TB in Pakistan after floods

    The devastating floods of 2022 have caused a significant increase in the number of cases of malaria and tuberculosis in Pakistan among the poorest people of the nation.
    The executive director of the largest health fund in the world revealed the report on Monday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual conference in Davos, Switzerland.

    According to Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, climate change is increasing the number of the mosquito borne infections. He also said that there has been a rise in malaria infections, following the recent floods in Pakistan and storms in Mozambique in 2021.

    Poorer communities are more vulnerable as a result of the rise in extreme weather occurrences and the stagnant water that persist after such events.

    He said that mosquito habitats were shifting as a result of climate change. A change in the low temperatures that historically rendered the region unsustainable for mosquitoes has led to malaria becoming more prevalent in the highlands of Africa, particularly in Kenya and Ethiopia.

    In some of the world’s poorest countries, Sands oversees the largest global fund, which provides aid in the fight against tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

    He said that mosquito habitats were shifting as a result of climate change. A change in the low temperatures that historically rendered the region unsustainable for mosquitoes has led to malaria becoming more prevalent in the highlands of Africa, particularly in Kenya and Ethiopia.
    In some of the world’s poorest countries, Sands oversees the largest global fund, which provides aid in the fight against tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

  • UN rights experts urge Pakistani authorities to end forced child marriage

    UN rights experts urge Pakistani authorities to end forced child marriage

    On Monday the United Nations’ rights experts condemned an increase in forced marriages, conversions, and kidnappings of girls from Pakistan’s religious minority and urged the government to immediately put an end to such practices.

    “The group of around a dozen independent United Nations rights experts includes the UN special rapporteurs on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, contemporary forms of slavery, violence against women, and minority issues,” the statement read.

    “We are deeply troubled to hear that girls as young as 13 are being kidnapped from their families, trafficked to locations far from their homes, made to marry men sometimes twice their age, and coerced to convert to Islam,” the experts said. They pointed out that abductors often “force their victims to sign documents which falsely attest to their being of legal age for marriage as well as marrying and converting of free will”.

    The experts demanded that the Pakistani government act right away to stop and fully examine these activities.