Tag: Pakistan

  • Bag full of expensive smartphones found at Peshawar airport

    A bag full of expensive mobile phones was found at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan Airport on Sunday, ARY News reported.

    An unidentified passenger who arrived at the airport from Dubai via Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, PK-284, left the bag and escaped.

    It is reported that the man left the bag out of fear of getting arrested for bringing a large number of smartphones into the country, they said.

    Read More: Teenager sells young wife to 55-year-old man to buy smartphone

    Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officials took the bag into their custody and later handed it over to customs officials. The bag contains 141 mobile phones.

    ARY’s sources said a search operation has been launched to trace the passenger with the help of CCTV footage.

  • Govt negotiating with Saad Rizvi to end banned TLP’s protest

    Govt negotiating with Saad Rizvi to end banned TLP’s protest

    In a press release by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), it is reported that the government is negotiating with the banned outfit head Saad Hussain Rizvi.

    The government delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Asad Qaiser, and Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ali Muhammad Khan.

    According to the press release, the final decision will be made later today.

    Prior to this, President Dr Arif Alvi reportedly asked for the Ulema’s help in addressing the ongoing chaos in the country due to TLP’s protests.

    In a meeting with a delegation of Ulema of Ahle-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, President Alvi stated that the Ulema have always played a significant role in providing moral and religious guidance to people besides standing with the state in difficult times.

    The meeting deliberated upon various options to address the current situation peacefully and emphasised resolving the matter through negotiations.

    At the meeting, the Ulema expressed concern over the reports of violence which have caused harm to the general public.

    The consultative meeting at the President’s House had taken place after a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting in Islamabad, which resolved to guard the sovereignty of the state from all internal and external threats.

  • Pakistan cricket fights back…hard

    Pakistanis are on a high these days after Pakistan cricket team’s three consecutive wins at the T20 World Cup. Pakistan is on the top in their group with three out of three wins against India, New Zealand and Afghanistan. We still have to play the remaining two matches against Namibia and Scotland next week (November 2 and 7) before the semi-finals.

    Pakistan cricket team broke its jinx by beating India for the first time in a World Cup match. And what a win it was! We restricted the India side to just 151 runs and we chased the score without losing a single wicket. The second match against New Zealand was even more special as this had come after the team pulled out of its tour to Pakistan last month.

    In September, cricket fans across Pakistan were heartbroken after New Zealand’s disappointing decision to abandon the Pakistan series over “security threats” just minutes before the first One-Day International (ODI) match was about to begin in Rawalpindi. Following New Zealand’s unilateral decision, England also decided to cancel their men’s and women’s teams’ tour to Pakistan in October. New Zealand was to play in Pakistan after almost 18 years while England’s men have not played an international match in Pakistan since 2005 and their women’s team were to visit the country for the first time.

    It was not just the cricket fans who were disappointed; apart from the huge financial loss to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) because of these cancellations, it must have affected the Pakistan cricket team as well. After the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009, Pakistan has had to play their ‘home series’ away from home for many years. Cricket came back to Pakistan due to the efforts of Najam Sethi and others at the PCB.

    We Pakistanis criticise our team a lot when they don’t perform well but we need to understand what our players have been through for more than a decade now. They have been away from their families for months on end due to home series in the UAE; they have had to rebuild the team after the 2010 spot-fixing scandal; Pakistanis are kept out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to political reasons; and they have had to face discrimination in cricket because of India’s influence at the International Cricket Council (ICC) – Pakistan does not get enough bilateral series and enough international matches to compete with other teams. Under such difficult circumstances, our team has won the ICC Champions Trophy, ruled the Test rankings, made the Pakistan Super League (PSL) a huge international success and much more. We are proud of our Men in Green. They have cheered us up in the most depressing of times. Pakistan Zindabad.

  • Another Rs8 hike in petroleum prices on the cards, again

    The government is likely to increase petroleum prices by up to Rs8 per litre for the next 15 days if it decides not to increase existing tax rates, reports Dawn.

    On the basis of existing tax rates, the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and Petroleum Division have worked out about Rs6 per litre increase in the price of petrol and of high speed diesel (HSD) by about Rs8 per litre. The increase for other products, which includes kerosene and light diesel oil, was also estimated to be in the same range.

    An official said the government was considering an increase of petroleum levy by Rs4 per litre, either on Sunday or November 16. This would depend on its engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the revival of its programme.

    However, no official decision has been made yet. The official announcement would be made after consultations with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday.

    Currently, the government is charging about Rs5.62 per litre petroleum levy on petrol and Rs5.14 per litre on HSD. In addition, it is also charging about Rs9.29 per litre and Rs8.81 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD respectively besides Rs9 and Rs13 per litre GST on these two products.

    Energy Minister Hammad Azhar had said that the government was coming under pressure for giving up taxes on petroleum products.

    At present, the price of petrol stands at Rs137.79 per litre and the price of HSD is at Rs134.48 per litre.

    Earlier, the Finance Ministry of Pakistan warned the public about increasing the prices and transportation costs in the country.

  • ‘Aik over main 25 bhi kar leinge’: Asif Ali to Shoaib Malik

    ‘Aik over main 25 bhi kar leinge’: Asif Ali to Shoaib Malik

    Asif Ali clinched the match for Pakistan, beating Afghanistan with five wickets.

    At the post-match ceremony Asif said: “The boundary was small from this end so I told Shoaib Malik that I’d go for it this over. Thank God we pulled it off.”

    He further said: “I look at the situation and what it demands and which bowler has overs remaining, and the field setting.”

    “I told Shoaib [Malik] that Naveen was bowling well, and from this end I could even score 25 in an over. So I planned for it,” he concluded.

    “The bowlers bowled brilliantly at the start, but I think we gave 10-15 runs too many away,” said Babar at the post-match ceremony.

    “We didn’t quite use the Powerplay as well as we hoped but Asif and Shoaib Malik at the death were brilliant. The way Asif has played many innings at the PSL, I was very confident he’d get us out of any trouble we find ourselves in,” he added.

    Babar also said: “I wanted to stay till the end but got out, unfortunately. So credit to Asif Ali.”

    Pakistan needed 24 runs in the last two overs. Hitting four sixes in the 19th over, Asif sealed the deal for Pakistan.

    Many notables, cricketers and Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to congratulate Pakistan and thank Asif for the win. Here are a few Tweets:

    https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan/status/1454144930318852096?t=tOzd5GoPIMRudKDQzXldbA&s=19

    While former Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif wants to make a flyover in Asif Ali’s name.

    England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes took to Twitter and wrote: “Remember the name @AasifAli2018.”

    Meanwhile, the power hitter took to Twitter and wrote: “Aur koi hukam Pakistan? Shukriya @isbunited aur woh sub log jinho ne mere per belief rakha mere mushkil waqt mai. #PakistanZindabad.”

  • Finance Ministry warns public of further increase in inflation

    Finance Ministry warns public of further increase in inflation

    The Finance Ministry of Pakistan has warned the public that the exchange rate, commodity supplies, and seasonality could increase the prices and transportation costs in the country, reports Dawn.

    The fiscal deficit in July-August was recorded at 0.9 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), same as the previous year.

    Economic Adviser’s Wing of the Ministry of Finance in its monthly Economic Update & Outlook states, “The effect of these impulses — surge in international oil prices, exchange rate depreciation and adjustments in administered prices — may intensify the magnitude of prices and transportation cost.”

    The ministry said the country had seen some improvement in economic activities but an unprecedented increase in international commodity prices was putting pressure on domestic prices as well as on the local currency. However, the government’s pro-growth initiative along with efficient monitoring of prices is expected to provide relief to the general public.

    The ministry further explained that the country’s inflation rate was mainly driven by monetary and supply-side factors, including domestic and international commodity prices, dollar exchange rate, seasonal factors.

    As per a report, petrol prices in Pakistan may go up by Rs7 per litre from November 1.

    Earlier, it was reported that inflation in Pakistan has broken a 70-year record in the last three years, with food prices doubling, while the prices of ghee, oil, sugar, flour, and poultry have reached historic levels.

    A couple of weeks ago, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin said that things are becoming more expensive all over the world and the reasons are unknown.

  • ‘Will not allow facts to be distorted’: TLP asks Sheikh Rasheed to reveal details of negotiations

    Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has asked the Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed to reveal the negotiations [between the government and the banned organisation] saying that they will “not allow the facts to be distorted”, reports Geo News.

    The banned outfit’s spokesman Saddam Bukhari said, “One side of the picture should not be shown regarding negotiations with the government. Our only demand from day one was that the French ambassador be deported.”

    Previously, Rasheed, rejecting this demand stated, “TLP’s demand of expelling the French Embassy and ambassador has a lot of complications attached to it. We are the largest nuclear force in the Islamic world. The world is conspiring to sanction us.”

    According to Bukhari, the rest of the demands were put forward by the group due to a clash with the law enforcement agencies and claimed that the talks between the state and TLP will continue in Islamabad. Moreover, he added that their caravan is on its way to Islamabad.

    A TLP activist claimed that the protests are the beauty of democracy and that ministers should avoid bullying. According to him, they always have been peaceful but the government has always used force.

    Bukhari blamed the government for creating difficulties for the public. He also alleged that militants are those who staged a sit-in in the capital Islamabad for 126 days and attacked the Pakistan Television (PTV) and Parliament buildings.

    As per the media outlet sources, earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had said that the government “will not allow violence for political purposes.”

    During the meeting, the premier was briefed on the march then the government decided not to allow protesters to march beyond Jhelum.

    Prior to this, the interior minister said that the Rangers were being called in Punjab for 60 days to maintain law and order in the province.

  • US issues its first passport with ‘X’ gender marker

    US issues its first passport with ‘X’ gender marker

    According to a statement from the United States (US) State Department, the first American passport with an “X” gender marking was issued on Wednesday, aiming to allow non-binary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people to mark themselves other than male or female on their travel document, Reuters has reported.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in June that the X marker would be offered as an option on passports, following other countries, including Canada, Germany, Australia and India, which already offer a third gender on documents.

    US Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that the US was moving toward adding the “X” gender marker as an option for those applying for US passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad.

  • Groom reaches bride’s home despite TLP protests

    Groom reaches bride’s home despite TLP protests

    Blocked roads and violent protests could not stop a groom in Punjab from going to his bride’s house. The groom crossed the River Jhelum on the shoulders of his relatives to reach the wedding venue, ARY News reported.

    The groom left to attend his wedding ceremony but had to stop at River Jhelum bridge owing to its closure due to the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan’s (TLP) ongoing protests in the province.

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

    The groom crossed the River Jhelum on the shoulders of his relatives. The wedding guests were able to reach the bride’s home after covering the distance on foot.

    Various roads, including the GT Road, are blocked to stop the violent protesters from marching towards Islamabad.