Tag: Pakistan

  • Direct, face-to-face talks between govt and TTP for temporary truce

    Direct, face-to-face talks between govt and TTP for temporary truce

    Pakistani officials have reached a temporary understanding with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to seek a broader peace agreement to end nearly two decades of militancy in the country, reports Dawn.

    The news report reveals that the “direct, face-to-face” talks between the two sides being held in Afghanistan’s south-western Khost province for nearly two weeks had resulted in a tentative understanding to declare a countrywide truce, conditional to the release of some TTP foot soldiers as part of confidence-building measures.

    It was not confirmed as to how many militants in Pakistan’s custody would be allowed to go free, but sources said the number was not more than two dozen people. “These are foot soldiers, not senior or mid-level commanders,” the sources said. “We are testing the ground. We are cautious,” they added.

    “The truce will come into effect once the prisoners are released,” these sources said.

    “The tentative month-long truce shall be extendable, depending on how these negotiations go forward,” a source said.

  • Petroleum prices increased by up to Rs8.14 per litre

    Petroleum prices increased by up to Rs8.14 per litre

    The government increased the petroleum prices again by up to Rs 8.14 per litre early in the morning on Friday.

    For the first time in the country’s history, the prices of all the petroleum products are above Rs110 per litre, reported Dawn.

    The announcement was made by the Ministry of Finance on Friday with immediate effect to ensure the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

    The government increased the price of petrol and high speed diesel by Rs 8.03 and Rs 8.14 per litre, respectively. Similarly, the prices of kerosene and light diesel oil were increased by Rs 6.27 and Rs 5.72 per litre, respectively.

    Under the notification, the new price of petrol is Rs145.82 per litre The price of High Speed Diesel (HSD) is now Rs142.62 per litre.

    The price of kerosene is set at Rs116.53 per litre. Likewise, the rate of light diesel oil (LDO) has increased to Rs114.07.

    The news came forward after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s announcement of the “biggest” relief package worth Rs120 billion. However, he cautioned that there will be an increase in fuel prices in the coming days.

  • Pakistan to appoint new US envoy soon

    Pakistan to appoint new US envoy soon

    Pakistan may soon send a new envoy to the United States (US) as the country’s current ambassador, Asad Majeed Khan, will soon complete his tenure, reports Dawn.

    Former Azad Jammu Kashmir President Masood Khan tops the list of candidates.

    Masood was appointed as the 27th president of Azad Kashmir by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2016.

    Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden also nominated a new ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Armin Blome, an expert on Middle East affairs. He is currently the US ambassador to Tunisia.

  • ‘A party with 2.5 million voters cannot be banned’: PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan

    Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan while referring to the ban put by the government on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) said that we cannot afford to ban a party that has a 2.5 million vote bank in Punjab.

    Speaking on Geo News‘ talk show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Ali argued, “Shouldn’t they be a given chance to come into politics?”

    Moreover, he claimed that he met with TLP’s members two days ago along with other government representatives and will welcome the banned organisation into the national mainstream.

    He revealed that the proscribed organisation will accept Parliament’s decision on the issue of the French ambassador’s expulsion from the country.

    While talking about the agreement between TLP and the government the minister said that details of the agreement will come to light within seven to 10 days and hinted at the release of TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi in a few days.

    Anchorperson questioned, “Does Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan know about the details of the agreement?” In response, the minister didn’t answer and remained silent.

    “The state struck a deal with its people to restore peace in the country,” he stressed.

    When asked about the involvement of Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi in this matter Ali Muhammad “ignored” the question.

    The minister added that anti-Pakistan elements did not want peace in the country. He said that they wanted bloodshed and another incident of “Lal Masjid” in the country.

    Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government released more than 800 supporters of the party arrested across Punjab under the agreement which details haven’t been disclosed yet.

    Previously, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said, “TLP will be treated as a militant party and not a political party in Pakistan.”

  • Chinese man arrested for nine days for sharing a meme

    Chinese man arrested for nine days for sharing a meme

    A man in China was detained for nine days after sharing a meme to a group chat that local police deemed offensive. His arrest has gone viral on Chinese social media, CNN reported.

    The man, identified only by his surname Li, allegedly shared the meme on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, complaining about local coronavirus prevention and control measures late last month, the report said citing authorities and state media.

    Police in Qingtongxia city in the Ningxia region posted a screenshot of Li’s text exchange on Chinese social media but later removed the post.
    State-run outlet The Paper reported more details of the incident that has shocked people in China, with a related hashtag garnering 170 million views.

    Many protested against Li’s punishment, arguing that a meme hardly justified arrest by the police, a CNN report said.

    According to The Paper, Li sent a meme showing a dog in a police hat, holding a police badge and pointing at the camera. It’s a common image that has been used widely online before, with different variations, sometimes including a cat or cartoon character in police hat.

  • VIDEO: Pak cricket team visit Namibian dressing room to congratulate them

    VIDEO: Pak cricket team visit Namibian dressing room to congratulate them

    Pakistani team on Wednesday cheered up the Namibian squad and congratulated them over their journey in the Twenty20 World Cup.

    As a heartwarming gesture, the Men in Green visited the dressing room of Namibia after a comfortable win by the formers in the Super 12 stage clash in Abu Dhabi of the ICC tournament being held in the UAE.

    Pakistan on Tuesday cruised to the semi-finals of the major cricketing event after they sealed a 45-run win against Namibia with confident half-centuries, a brilliant 50-ball 79 not out from Mohammad Rizwan and 49-ball 70 from skipper Babar Azam.

    Namibia lost the match but they continued fighting till the end of the match, disallowing Pakistan to have any walkover. But, a heavy target of 190 proved way too high for them to chase.

    The official Twitter handle of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a video of their cricketers and a team official visiting the Namibian team’s dressing room to applaud their undaunted competitiveness.

    In the video, the Pakistan cricketers, along with an official, can be seen entering the dressing room and bucking up the Namibian players, saying, “Guys, congratulations for qualifying and playing in this World Cup.”

    The Pakistani official told the Namibian team they have done a great job so far by playing brilliant cricket. Pakistani cricketers, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Hassan Ali, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, were seen interacting with the Namibian players.

    The players of the two teams exchanged smiles and good words, especially Afridi who hugged David Wiese and wished him good luck. Hafeez was seen sharing some useful tips with the Namibian side. David Wiese was earlier also photographed sharing light moments with the Green Shirts, especially Haris Rauf during the match.

    Pakistan have won all four matches so far while Namibia have one win from three matches. They beat Scotland by four wickets but lost to Afghanistan.

    Taking to Twitter, Babar Azam wrote: “A proud moment for Pakistan team for qualifying for the semis; but the job is not done yet.”

    “This is all setting up for more efforts, more focus, more team performances and more determination. One game at a time, In shaa’Allah,” he added.

  • Barat sent back for coming with the wrong older groom

    Barat sent back for coming with the wrong older groom

    A bride’s parents have filed a case of fraud at a local police station, Geo News reported.

    The parents claim that the boy who was shown before the wedding did not come with the barat. The person who came with the barat was older.

    Read More: Newly-wed bride asks groom to bring water, runs away with cash, jewellery

    The girl’s family said that we took a loan for the wedding arrangements and the food. We have been deceived and we are receiving threats after sending back the barat.

    Police say they have received a request from the girl’s parents and an investigation is underway.

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    VIDEO: Wasim Akram, Misbahul Haq make fun of Waqar Younis’ ‘disability’
    
			
    VIDEO: Wasim Akram, Misbahul Haq make fun of Waqar Younis’ ‘disability’
    
			
    Former cricketers Wasim Akram and Misbah-ul-Haq made fun of Waqar Younis for having four fingers during a break of the sports show, ‘Ask the Pavilion’, which airs on A sports.
    

    The sportsmen were playing with a magic ball when Waqar Younis missed a catch and replied to the anchor, Fakhr-e-Alam, “Chaar unglian naal main ki karda (What could I have done with four fingers).”
    

    Wasim, cracking a joke, said, “Ai aye vi nayi keh sakda keh main panj minute ich aya. (He cannot even say this that I will be back in five minutes).”
    

    Read More: Wasim Akram reunites with daughter after 10 months
    

    Waqar, during a lighter conversation with the players said, “Main ai vi nayi keh sakda keh 10 minute thehro (I cannot even say wait for 10 minutes).”
    

    Misbah recalled an incident when Waqar was asking the team to win the match with 10 wickets and Saeed Ajmal did not hold back and said, “Payyian 9 ney ai (Bro, this is nine).”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Waqar retweeted the video with the caption, “Guys please stop laughing on my disability” with emojis.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘Agreement will be signed this week with IMF’ : Shaukat Tarin
    
			
    ‘Agreement will be signed this week with IMF’ : Shaukat Tarin
    
			
    Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has stated that all issues have been settled with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and an agreement will be signed this week.
    

    While addressing the launch ceremony of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) Tarin said, “We are giving targeted subsidies to control inflation. It is a global problem and prices in the international market are out of my control,” assuring that there will be no delay in the salaries of government employees.
    

    He said that the world economy is recovering and business activities would not only resume but also grow at a much faster pace.
    

    “The worst seems to be over and as economies begin to recover globally, we expect business activity to resume and in fact grow at a much faster pace. Pakistan and Pakistani businesses have to be ready to take advantage of new opportunities,” he added.
    

    According to the advisor, PSW would help accelerate the digital transformation of the public sector agencies connected to international trade.
    

    Moreover, he said that it is a priority of the government to facilitate businesses, including small and medium-sized ones, by providing a suitable enabling environment for growth and innovation.
    

    Talking about the recent cyberattack on the National Bank server, he said that the enemy is ‘sitting in our neighbourhood’.
    

    Earlier, it was reported that an official said the government was considering an increase of petroleum levy by Rs4 per litre. This would depend on its engagements with the IMF for the revival of its programme.
    

    Last month, Saudi Arabia agreed to revive its financial support to Pakistan which includes about three billion dollars in safe deposits.
    

    Tarin was in Washington last month to lead the Pakistani delegation in talks with the IMF for the revival of the 6 billion dollars Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Twitter demands govt to disclose agreement made with TLP
    
			
    Various people on Twitter have demanded and questioned the government following the state’s claim about reaching an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in order to end the nearly two-week-long protests.
    

    The details of the negotiations have yet not been made public.
    

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted: “The people of this country have a right to know about the agreement made with a proscribed group, which caused loss of life and property and disrupted citizens’ lives for weeks.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    While recalling the Hazara community’s protest, he demanded to know whether the martyrdom of Punjab police officials was in vain and if the perpetrators will be punished.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman questioned the decision to disclose details at an appropriate time. “Peace with the state on what terms?” she tweeted.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Former Member of National Assembly (MNA) and rights activist Bushra Gohar said: “Yet another surrender agreement to be signed with the alleged Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) funded banned religious extremist group TLP,” with hashtag #GayaPakistan.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir asked the media and all stakeholders to question the government why TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was not formally arrested.
    

    He expressed his concerns on Twitter and said, “TLP is being kept alive and will be kept alive to be the political nuisance it was intended to be, a variable in Punjab used as a when establishment wants it to.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists, Reema Omer tweeted: “Nothing in this press conference inspired confidence, least of all the ‘secret’ agreement”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Journalist Yusra Askari mocked the government and labelled the agreement between the state and banned outfit as “horrors of this Halloween” that will haunt us forever.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    The protests by the banned outfit led to the deaths of five police officials and injured more than 250 others.