Tag: Pakistan

  • Four more children die of malnutrition in Tharparkar, death toll at 10

    Four more children die of malnutrition in Tharparkar, death toll at 10

    Four more children are reported to have died due to malnutrition within the last two days in Tharparkar. The death toll of children in January has climbed to ten.

    A report released by the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNCF) in April stated that Pakistan is among the countries with the highest infant mortality rates, with 22 infants dying before turning a month old.

    The number of children who have lost their lives during the current year due to malnutrition and other diseases in Tharparkar has reached 413.

    Earlier this month, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed asked for the filing of a petition in the Supreme Court for a resolution of the problems of the Thar region.

    The health department in order to avoid humiliation has directed staffers of concerned hospitals not to talk with the media, reports ARY News.

  • PM Khan writes about spirit of Riyasat-e-Madina, Twitter thinks govt selling ‘religious card’

    PM Khan writes about spirit of Riyasat-e-Madina, Twitter thinks govt selling ‘religious card’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan considers his government’s initiative [Ehsaas programme, health card scheme and establishment of the National  Rahmat-tulil-Aalameen Authority (NRA)] as their biggest initiative to transform Pakistan into a true Madina-like state.

    PM Khan in an article: “Spirit of Riyasat-i-Madina: Transforming Pakistan” which he had written for various newspapers. He said, “We have embarked on the road to the welfare state with some great initiatives. Despite tight financial means, we allocated an unprecedented amount of money to our initiatives such as the Ehsaas Programme which was a social safety and poverty alleviation programme necessary for the vulnerable groups in society.”

    While talking about the Ehsaas scholarship program he said that the initiative would ensure that unprivileged, talented students would get a chance to pursue an education.

    Moreover, in this piece, PM Khan wrote that the most urgent of all challenges facing the country was the struggle to establish the rule of law. “Over the last 75 years of Pakistan’s history. The country had suffered from elite capture, where the powerful and crooked politicians, cartels and mafias had become accustomed to being above the law in order to protect their privileges gained through a corrupt system.”

    The premier while giving examples of China, Japan and South Korea said if one looked at the world, one could easily witness that the most successful states also had the most robust application of the rule of law.

    “In Pakistan, not adhering to the rule of law has led to siphoning off of billions of US dollars which has imposed collective poverty on our public”, PM added.

    The article has come at a time when the government is already facing severe criticism due to unprecedented inflation. After the article, Twitter is flooded with mixed reactions. Some say the government is trying to sell religious cards while others are showing support.

    https://twitter.com/FaryalFKhan/status/1482999447084998657?s=20

  • Coke Studio, Ministry of Foreign Affairs partner to promote ‘cultural diplomacy’

    Coke Studio, Ministry of Foreign Affairs partner to promote ‘cultural diplomacy’

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a tweet has congratulated Coke Studio for a ‘sublime’ start.

    “Congratulate Coke Studio for a sublime start to 2022 with two powerhouses of Pakistan, Abida Parveen & Naseebo Lal. The Foreign Office is pleased to partner with the platform elevating Cultural Diplomacy footprint through our missions across the world,” the minister said in a tweet.

    Abida Parveen and Naseebo Lal have opened the 14th season of Coke Studio with an extravagant song “Tu Jhoom.” The song has sent excited fans on a listening spree.

    This year, Coke Studio is produced and curated by music composer Xulfi. Written by Adnan Dhool, “Tu Jhoom’s” music is arranged and produced by Xulfi and budding artist Abdullah Siddiqui.

  • Positivity rate 35% in KHI: Sindh announces Covid restrictions but no lockdown

    Positivity rate 35% in KHI: Sindh announces Covid restrictions but no lockdown

    Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has announced new Covid-19 restrictions in the province amid the sharp surge in infections of the deadly virus. The positivity rate in the city’s capital has reached 35 percent. Despite the high positivity rate, no lockdown will be imposed in the city.

    A meeting of The Sindh Task Force chaired by CM Sindh was held today in which the decision to not close the educational institutes in the province was made.

    However, new Covid-19 restrictions were decided in the meeting. The restrictions include:

    • Government employees flouting the SOPs, including the mask-wearing rule, will have to pay a fine to be deducted from their salary
    • Food at weddings to be distributed in boxes
    • Wearing mask has been made compulsory in all Public Places
    • Authorities to check vaccination cards
    • Only vaccinated people will be allowed in markets

    As per NCOC, Pakistan recorded 4286 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with four people losing their lives to the deadly virus.

  • Which 31 countries can you visit on Pakistani Passport?

    Which 31 countries can you visit on Pakistani Passport?

    A few days back, Henley Passport Index has released the list of world passport ranking in which Pakistan was ranked the 4th worst passport worldwide.

    Overall, the Pakistani passport ranks at 108th position in the world for a third consecutive year with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 31 destinations around the world.

    Here is the list of all 31 countries where you can travel with visa-on-arrival or visa-free destinations.

    * Visa On Arrival

    OCEANIA

    Cook Islands

    Micronesia

    Niue

    Palau Islands *

    Samoa *

    Tuvalu *

    Vanuatu

    MIDDLE EAST

    Qatar *

    CARIBBEAN

    Dominica

    Haiti

    Montserrat

    St. Vincent and the Grenadines

    Trinidad and Tobago

    ASIA

    Cambodia *

    Maldives *

    Nepal *

    Timor-Leste *

    AFRICA

    Cape Verde Islands *

    Comores Islands *

    Guinea-Bissau *

    Madagascar *

    Mauritania *

    Mozambique *

    Rwanda *

    Senegal *

    Seychelles *

    Sierra Leone *

    Somalia *

    Tanzania *

    Togo *

    Uganda *

    The passport ranking is done by doing a comparison between 199 different passports with free-visa access to 227 travel destinations. A score with a value of 1 is assigned for that passport with no visa requirement. The same score is applied if you can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.

    A score with a value of 0 is assigned where a visa is required or if a government-approved electronic vis (e-visa) before departure is needed by the passport holder. A similar requirement is applied if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival.

    The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).

  • Which vaccine has the lowest death rate?

    Which vaccine has the lowest death rate?

    Singapore has released a breakdown of the impact of different Covid-19 vaccines. The recipients of Moderna vaccine showed the lowest death rate.

    The country found 11 deaths per 100,000 among people who received Sinovac shots and 7.8 deaths among those with Sinopharm. This number went down to to 6.2 deaths for those with mRNA shots from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and only one fatality in those who were administered the vaccines from Moderna.

    Singapore’s Health minister Ong Ye Kung told parliament that out of the 802 people who lost their lives to Covid-19 last year in the city-state, 70% of them weren’t fully vaccinated.

    Singapore has fully immunized 87 per cent of its 5.7 million residents, with 47 per cent having also received booster doses. Singapore has the world’s highest vaccination rate.

  • PM Khan launches first-ever National Security Policy, original document remains classified

    PM Khan launches first-ever National Security Policy, original document remains classified

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan launched the public version of the country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) which aimed at addressing the external imbalance, socio-economic inequalities, and geographic disparities, reports Radio Pakistan.

    It is reported that the original version of the policy will remain classified.

    According to PM Khan, the nation is now headed in the right direction and added that national security was defined “in the right manner” in the new policy.

    Speaking about the International Monetary Fund (IMF), PM said, “We approach IMF under duress as in the end, only IMF is ready to help us and provide the cheapest loans. We have to abide by their conditions, and as a result, impose a burden on the people.”

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf also addressed the launching ceremony.

    He said, “We are not seeking hostility with India for the next 100 years. The new policy seeks peace with immediate neighbours.”

    The NSP will mainly secure Pakistan’s interest and position globally. Moreover, the document would provide for pursuing youth-focused policies, guaranteeing food security, improving preventive healthcare, and mainstreaming climate adaptation.

  • PCB to award cash incentives to 15 cricket players

    PCB to award cash incentives to 15 cricket players

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be giving cash incentives to 15 Pakistani cricket players in recognition of their outstanding performance throughout 2021.

    Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja is expected to present the cash prize of Rs1.5 million to each of the top 15 players who remained an integral part of the unit in all three formats of the game.

    Two Test specialists Abid Ali and Sajjid Khan have also been invited apart from 18 players (three reserves) for their exceptional show in the longer version of the game.

    “The reception to honour the top cricketers is meant to recognise the services of all those cricketers who have helped the team stand tall in almost all the formats of the game,” a PCB official said in a statement.

    “Barring some brief hiccups, the team members have given exceptional performance throughout the year. Be it T20 World Cup performance, Test matches performance at home and abroad, the team has shown exceptional courage in all the departments of the game.”

    “Beating South Africa at their own soil and later sweeping through Bangladesh in their own backyard were exceptional achievements that needed to be recognised,” the PCB official said.

    Pakistan won 20 of 29 T20Is during the year which also saw them putting up some resolute show in the T20 World Cup. The team that was unbeaten eventually lost to Australia in the semi-finals but not before winning many hearts for the competitive element that was on display.

    The reception which will only be attended by the PCB high-ups is supposed to improve morale of the team members in front of the hectic season that also incorporates some important series and T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in October/November.

    Pakistan may also host leading international outfits including Australia, England, New Zealand, and West Indies through the coming season.

    Every player in the 15-man squad would receive Rs1.5 million each as cash incentive while the rest of the five including three reserves and two Test specialists will also be awarded.

  • Arooj Aftab first Pakistani artist to perform at Coachella with mega stars

    Arooj Aftab first Pakistani artist to perform at Coachella with mega stars

    Grammy-nominated Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has announced that she will be performing on April 15 at the music festival Coachella in California.

    ‘Mohabbat’ singer is also going to be the first Pakistani artist to be performing at the American art and music festival. The news comes after she revealed that she will make her first Coke Studio appearance this season.

    Aftab shared a list of artists who will be performing on the first day of the festival on two weekends including Harry Styles, Lil baby, Daniel Caesar, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Sean.

    The music festival has returned after a three-year break due to Covid-19. Coachella is one of the largest, most famous, and most profitable music festivals in the world.

    After the announcement, Pakistan celebrities came forwards to congratulate the artist.

  • NCOC allows people over 18 to get booster shots starting tomorrow

    NCOC allows people over 18 to get booster shots starting tomorrow

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday has allowed booster shots for people over the age of 18 years as Covid-19 postivity rate increase around the country.

    “In Todays NCOC session, age limit for booster dose has been further reduced. From tomorrow onwards, citizens over 18 years will be eligible for free booster dose of their choice. Booster (one dose) will be administered after 6 months gap from complete vaccination,” NCOC said in a tweet.

    You can call on 1166 to get the details about the designated centers to get booster shots.

    As per NCOC, Pakistan recorded 3567 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with seven people losing their lives to the deadly virus.