Tag: Pakistan

  • PIA earns Rs7-8bn from Hajj operations, 50% less than anticipated figure

    PIA earns Rs7-8bn from Hajj operations, 50% less than anticipated figure

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has earned a revenue of Rs7-8 billion from Hajj operations against the anticipated figure of Rs25 billion, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to reports, around 250,000 people went to perform Hajj from Pakistan this year. Out of the total number of pilgrims, PIA flew more than 82,000 pilgrims, which is 20% more than previous year’s 68,000.

    PIA and Saudi Airlines, being major services, covered around 100,000 Pakistani pilgrims, while the remaining pilgrims were carried by Airblue, Etihad, Emirates and others.

    Further details reveal that the Hajj package offered by the government this year cost around Rs400,000 while privately undertaken pilgrimage has no upper limit and can go up to Rs3 million.

    Meanwhile, the ticket prices from Lahore, Islamabad ranged from Rs110,000 to Rs150,000 and tickets from Karachi airport cost between Rs100,000-Rs105,000.

  • Islamabad responds to Indian hint at ‘using nukes against Pakistan’

    Islamabad responds to Indian hint at ‘using nukes against Pakistan’

    Pakistan has taken exception to Indian defence minister’s statement on the use of nuclear weapons, saying the “substance and timing of the statement was highly unfortunate and reflective of India’s irresponsible and belligerent behaviour”.

    Rajnath Singh had on Friday said that New Delhi may see a major shift in its nuclear weapons doctrine by doing away with the ‘no first use’ policy in the future. ‘No first use’ is a pledge to not use nuclear weapons as a means of warfare unless first attacked by an opposition using its nuclear arms.

    “Till today, our nuclear policy is ‘no first use’. What happens in future depends on the circumstances,” the Indian defence minister had said while addressing a gathering in Pokhran, the site of India’s nuclear tests in 1998.

    In a subsequent tweet, Singh had added:

    “It further exposes the pretense of their no first use policy, to which we have never accorded any credence,” Pakistan Foreign Office said while reacting to the Indian defence minister’s statement.

    “No first use pledge is non-verifiable and cannot be taken at face value, especially when the development of offensive capabilities and force postures belie such claims,” the statement read and added that Pakistan always proposed measures relating to nuclear restraint in South Asia.

    “Pakistan will continue to maintain a credible minimum deterrence posture.”

  • Misbah likely to become both chief selector, head coach

    Misbah likely to become both chief selector, head coach

    Former skipper Misbahul Haq has been tipped to play a dual role as both the chief selector and head coach of the Pakistan cricket team under the new model developed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Dawn News reported Friday.

    According to reports, the selectors and the team management would previously start a blame-game to avoid taking responsibility for any poor show. However, this development is expected to help the board hold a specific authority/person accountable in case of any defeats.

    In this regard, PCB has also appointed Misbah as the camp-commandant for the pre-season training camp being held at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore from August 22 to September 7.

    The former captain reportedly selected the players for the camp himself and will also coach them during the training session, which will further prove his skills for the dual role that he is likely to be assigned soon.

    PCB Cricket Committee had earlier sacked head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden over the national cricket team’s poor performance at the 2019 World Cup.

  • Indian tennis captain seeks ‘safety guarantee’ before travelling to Pakistan

    Indian tennis captain seeks ‘safety guarantee’ before travelling to Pakistan

    Indian tennis captain, Mahesh Bhupathi, has demanded a “safety guarantee” before travelling to Islamabad for next month’s Davis Cup clash against Pakistan.

    The unusual demand comes days after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) responded to another Indian request for the second round of security assessment by a green signal to the safety plan in place.

    “We just want guarantees on safety,” Bhupathi was quoted as saying by reports.

    The All India Tennis Association (AITA) said on Wednesday they had written to the sport’s governing body once again asking them to shift the tie to a neutral venue or to postpone it for a couple of months until tensions simmer down.

    In reaction to New Delhi’s unilateral action to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution and strip occupied Kashmir of its special status, Pakistan last week asked Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria to leave, suspended bilateral trade and all public transport links with India.

    Tensions are soaring on both sides of the border ever since.

    ITF has already responded to a previous AITA request, saying they were satisfied with the current safety plan in place in Islamabad.

    The AITA has named a six-member squad under Bhupathi for the September 14-15 tie. The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men’s tennis. It is run by the ITF and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format.

  • Abhinandan to be awarded one of India’s highest bravery awards

    Abhinandan to be awarded one of India’s highest bravery awards

    Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the Indian Air Force (IAF), who was arrested after being shot down by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over intrusion in February 2019, will be conferred with the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime medal.

    According to media reports, Abhinandan’s name was recommended by the IAF for the gallantry awards annually conferred upon on India’s Independence Day.

    Meanwhile, Indian media has claimed that the IAF pilot was shot down because he could not hear instructions asking him to turn back after his communications system was jammed by Pakistan.

    “If his MiG-21 Bison had been equipped with anti-jamming technology, Abhinandan may have turned around when instructed to,” a report claimed, adding that it would have prevented him from being shot down and taken captive by Pakistan.

    Abhinandan was shot down during a dogfight with PAF jets on February 27 as tensions soared following the February 14 Pulwama attack. He was handed over by Pakistan to India at the Wagah-Attari border crossing on March 1 as a peace gesture.

  • Kashmir crisis: Taliban urge Pakistan, India to choose peace over violence

    Kashmir crisis: Taliban urge Pakistan, India to choose peace over violence

    As tensions soar after India revoked the special status of held Kashmir, Taliban have urged both Islamabad and New Delhi to refrain from taking any steps that could pave way for violence in the region.

    Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties with India and also suspended bilateral trade after the Indian parliament approved abrogating Article 370 of its constitution.

    The move that takes away autonomy from Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), can lead to Muslim genocide in the disputed territory as people from all over India can now purchase properties there — resulting in major demographic changes.

    In a statement issued Thursday, Afghan Taliban expressed deep sadness over IoK’s special status being revoked and advised Pakistan and India to choose peace, stating that they themselves have gained bitter experiences from war and conflict.

    “Taliban have gained bitter experiences from war and conflict and urges peace and use of rational pathways to solve regional issues,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahed said.

    The statement further said that linking the issue of Kashmir with that of Afghanistan by some parties will not aid in improving the crisis at hand because the issue of Afghanistan is not related nor should Afghanistan be turned into the theater of competition between other countries.

    It came after the leader of the opposition in National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, compared Kashmir and Afghanistan in the parliament.

    “What kind of a deal is this that the Afghans enjoy and celebrate peace in Kabul, but in Kashmir, blood is shed? No, this is not acceptable for us,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader had said.

    However, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul has clarified that the Kashmir crisis would not affect the peace drive in Afghanistan.

  • Italy to invest Rs3.6 billion in Gilgit-Baltistan

    Italy to invest Rs3.6 billion in Gilgit-Baltistan

    The government has signed with Italy an agreement under which the latter would invest 20.5 million euros (Rs3.63 billion) for economic development in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the country, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) has reported.

    According to reports, the investment will be used for infrastructural support, capacity building and technical assistance to benefit rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The objective of the Economic Transformation Initiatives (ETI) is the growth of irrigated crop areas, production and improved connectivity with markets through investments in economic infrastructure.

    It will improve incomes and reduce poverty, malnutrition in rural areas of the region while benefitting around 100,000 rural households.

    The Italian government has also joined hands with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) under the initiative, which is providing $76 million over a period of seven years.

  • Pakistan makes its first move, ‘to close airspace for India again’

    Pakistan makes its first move, ‘to close airspace for India again’

    As tensions soar on either side of the border ever since India abrogated Article 370 of its constitution, which makes way for ethnic cleansing in Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), Pakistan has reportedly finally made its first move.

    According to local media reports, Islamabad is set to close its airspace for Indian flights for the second time this year, a decision that earlier cost India a whopping $80.1 million (Rs12,800,000,000).

    Pakistan opened its air space for all types of civil traffic in July. It had been fully closed since February when Pakistan shot down two intruding Indian Air Force (IAF) jets.

    Over 800 flights use the Pakistani and Indian airspace to transport passengers from South Asia, South East Asia to Europe and North America.

  • PCB sacks Mickey Arthur as head coach

    PCB sacks Mickey Arthur as head coach

    The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced its decision to not renew the contracts of head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden.

    The board’s decision to end its association with the team’s coaching staff comes following a review process undertaken in the aftermath of the 2019 World Cup, where Pakistan even failed to reach the semi-finals.

    “I am thankful to the PCB Cricket Committee for submitting their recommendations following an exhaustive and detailed review process. The committee comprised of individuals who possess tremendous acumen, experience and knowledge,” PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, who approved the changes, was quoted as saying.

    “The unanimous recommendation of the committee was that it was time for new leadership and a fresh approach. I am happy to accept their strong recommendations.”

    “On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower, Grant Luden and Azhar Mahmood for their hard work and unwavering commitment during their tenures with the national men’s team. We wish them every success in their future endeavors,” the press release read.

    According to BBC, Mickey Arthur is one of the names being considered as a replacement for England team coach Trevor Bayliss when the latter leaves at the end of summer.

  • VIDEO: 23yo Pakistani’s sajda after ‘World’s Best Tekken Player’ title will give you goosebumps

    VIDEO: 23yo Pakistani’s sajda after ‘World’s Best Tekken Player’ title will give you goosebumps

    A 23-year-old youngster from Lahore has been crowned the world’s best Tekken 7 player at 2019 Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in Las Vegas.

    According to the details, Arslan Siddiqui aka Arslan Ash, who was relatively unknown in the competitive circuit a year ago, has edged out Jae-Min Bae aka Knee in the grand finals of one of, if not the biggest, fighting game tournament series in the world.

    He was also awarded a cash prize of around $14,000.

    According to VICE, it’s the third time Siddiqui has bested South Korea’s Jae-Min, who many from the gaming community considered a “god” of the game. It’s a monumental win, considering the former was virtually unheard of a year ago.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The 23-year-old had previously also won the second Evo Japan in February, becoming the first-ever unified EVO champion.

    EVO hosted nine official fighting games this year, including Tekken 7, whose competitive scene is centered around a few countries: Japan, the United States (US), and South Korea.

    This year’s top eight consists of players from those very same countries: four players from Japan, two players from South Korea and one player from the US, however, Siddiqui is the exception.