Tag: Punjab

  • ‘I will not do it’: Punjab CM refuses to take vote of confidence

    ‘I will not do it’: Punjab CM refuses to take vote of confidence

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Thursday ruled out following Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman’s orders for taking a vote of confidence and termed the directions “illegal”.

    “I don’t accept the governor’s letter for the vote of confidence. If I take the vote of confidence, then it means that I am accepting the letter,” he told the media.

    “The governor wants me to follow his illegal order, but I will not do it,” the chief minister said, as the ruling coalition in Punjab scrambles to ensure he maintains his seat.

    Lahore High Court (LHC) reinstated Elahi as CM Punjab following his de-notification by the governor.

    The court reinstated Elahi on December 23 and adjourned the next hearing till January 11. Although it restricted the CM from dissolving the assembly, the court said its order would not stop Elahi from taking a vote of confidence.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry had told media on January 4, that the ruling coalition would go for a vote of confidence before January 11, the day when an LHC bench resumes hearing into a petition by Pervaiz Elahi challenging the governor’s move.

  • Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs187,200 per tola

    Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs187,200 per tola

    For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the price of gold passed Rs187,000 per tola.

    On Monday, the price of 24-carat gold per tola increased by Rs3,300, reaching an all-time high of Rs187,200 compared to the last trading day’s sale of Rs183,900.

    According to the All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA), the price of gold increased by Rs3,300 per tola and Rs2,829 per 10 grammes, respectively, to settle at Rs187,200 and Rs160,494.

    From Rs126,000 per tola on December 31, 2021, the yellow metal has increased by Rs57,900, or 45.95 per cent .

    According to the group, the price of gold in Pakistan has been “overcost” by Rs6,500 per tola when compared to pricing in Dubai. This indicates that the price of gold in Pakistan is currently higher than it is on the global market.

    The discrepancy between the official price of gold and the price it is being sold for is growing. The official price in the Sarafa market, as announced by the association, is Rs187,200 per tola. But the price at which it is being sold is reportedly higher.

    According to Geo, due to the rupee’s depreciation against the US dollar during the present cycle, financial experts and goldsmiths predict that the price of gold may increase to Rs200,000 per tola.

  • Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has released its annual performance report for 2022.

    The 15 Emergency Helpline received 2,73,61,000 calls, 32,80,141 cases involving grave concerns, and cases for further action were generated by the dispatch control centre. 1,65,25,000 calls were surprisingly deemed irrelevant.

    Police investigators and the Court of Law received 2,004 pieces of audio and video evidence from the Electronic Data Analysis Center.

    According to The News, police in Lahore reported 2,34,000 suspicious observations from PSCA’s Operations and Monitoring Center. In addition to recovering 1,230 motorcycles, 30 vehicles, and 27 auto rickshaws and returning them to their owners, the PSCA Lost & Found centre assisted in the recovery of 109 missing people. 3,736 social media pages were reported to LEAs by the Media Management Center.

    Additionally, 2,790 campaign messages about road safety, effective use of the 15 emergency helplines, and other topics were carried on official social media pages and radio by MMC, PSCA WebTV, and Radio Safe City 88.6. PSCA is committed to extending its assistance and collaboration to LEAs and any other parties in need as needed. 15 helplines are available for residents to call in case of an emergency or to report criminal activities in the city.

    The Safe Cities Authority was crucial to the orderly execution of Ashura, international cricket, and other security tasks in Pakistan this year. This fiscal year, the Safe Cities Authority is attempting to create contemporary centres in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in addition to Lahore and Kasur.

  • Politics edition: Five things Pakistanis don’t want to see in 2023

    Politics edition: Five things Pakistanis don’t want to see in 2023

    In 2022, we collectively experienced episodes that turned Pakistan upside down. Many incidents shook the entire nation, some of them worth condemnation. Significant happenings shook the world of politics, from Prime Minister Imran Khan getting removed through a no-confidence motion to the ugly fight between Pervaiz Elahi and Hamza Shehbaz for Punjab’s Chief Minister (CM) seat.

    After a year full of constitutional crises in Pakistan, we hope that we don’t witness another year full of drama.

    Another Prime Minister not completing his constitutional term

    For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a sitting prime minister was removed through a no-confidence motion. In April, PM Imran Khan was removed after being the head of government for more than three years. In the 75-year-long history of Pakistan, not a single Premier stayed for their full term. We hope that next time when the public chooses their leader, he or she gets to keep their promise and serve their full term.

    Politicians not getting harassed

    Right after the formation of a new government, in April, a group of Pakistani pilgrims accosted, heckled and chanted slogans against incumbent PM Shehbaz and his entourage at the Masjid-e-Nabwi in Madina during their three-day visit to Saudi Arabia. Such incidents continued happening throughout the year. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was heckled at a coffee shop in London. Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was harassed by PTI supporters at a restaurant while Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was heckled by unidentified people in Washington DC. It was observed that a particular party was being targeted. Whether these incidents happened because of a false narrative or not, no one has the right to harass someone.

    Not making public figures a target of gun

    This year, we also saw how some of our public figures remain targeted. In the second half of the year, two unfortunate incidents took place. On October 23, senior anchorperson Arshad Sharif was shot dead near Nairobi, Kenya, by the local police. The local law enforcing authorities termed the killing, calling it a case of ‘mistaken identity’. However, some termed it an assassination. Till now, authorities are unable to find the real culprits. Almost a week later, on November 3, Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt on day seven of PTI’s ‘Haqeeqi Long March’ as his container moved through Punjab’s Wazirabad. Salman Taseer, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, Shahbaz Bhatti; how many assassinations do we have to witness?

    No more constitutional crisis

    We saw legislators getting into a brawl in Punjab Assembly over the CM seat. The beginning of summer wasn’t good for Pakistan as in April a scuffle between treasury and opposition benches in Punjab Assembly took place, resulting in PML-Q leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi getting injured. The same day, PML-N’s nominee Hamza Shehbaz was elected as CM, however, later the Supreme Court struck down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on the election. Later, Pervaiz Elahi took over the CM seat, however, he doesn’t enjoy a great majority in the Assembly.

    Terrorism wave in Pakistan

    Just when we thought that terrorism has finally ended, attacks started escalating. Currently, the capital is on high alert because of extreme threats. In late November, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said that they had called off a ceasefire with the federal government and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country. On December 23, a suicide bomb shocked the residents of Islamabad— which is considered one of the safest cities in Pakistan. After dealing with terrorism for decades, Pakistanis dont want to start living again in fear.

  • Flour prices hit record high in Punjab due to inter-provincial smuggling

    Flour prices hit record high in Punjab due to inter-provincial smuggling

    Owing to increased smuggling of wheat and subsidised flour bags to other provinces, the price of flour in the Punjabi capital increased by Rs5 per kilogramme to Rs140. 

    Smuggling has exacerbated Punjab’s flour problem, increasing open-market prices to an all-time high. According to sources, the subsidised flour bags were being smuggled into Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkwa at a cost of Rs2,400 each bag.

    Prices for 10-kg and 20-kg flour sacks in Lahore have risen to Rs1,400 and Rs2,800, respectively, while Chakki flour has risen to Rs140 per kilogramme, according to Dunya News.

    Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the local administration in Jhang stopped an attempt to smuggle flour bags from a local flour factory, seizing nearly 1,000 20 kg bags from a truck.

    According to wheat dealers, the open market price of wheat has risen to Rs4,700 per 40 kg. Furthermore, the rate for a commercial unit of power from 6 pm to 10 pm has risen to a staggering Rs70 to Rs80, severely hurting the economics of grain trading.

    Lahore Atta Chakki Owners Association has requested the government to immediately prohibit the inter-provincial movement of wheat and its products in order to halt the ongoing rise in wheat prices.

  • LHC extends winter vacations for Lahore’s schools and colleges due to smog

    LHC extends winter vacations for Lahore’s schools and colleges due to smog

    Due to rising smog, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday ordered the government to extend the winter break for all schools and colleges in the capital of Punjab by one week.

    The order was given by the high court as it heard a petition calling for action to reduce smog in the city. It stated that the government was in charge of implementing preventative measures after the smog.

    The Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) director general has also been called before the LHC for the next hearing.

    The change occurs while Lahore consistently ranks first among the top 10 most polluted cities in the world.

    All public and private schools in the province will be closed from December 24 to December 31 due to the earlier announcement made by the Punjab School Education Department. The reopening day for the schools was January 2, 2023. Now, on January 9, schools and universities will reopen.

    As low-grade diesel emissions, smoke from seasonal agricultural burnoff, and colder winter temperatures combine to form stagnant clouds of smog, air pollution has gotten worse in Pakistan recently.

  • ‘No action can be taken against any CM over speaker’s actions’: Elahi challenges governor’s denotification order in LHC

    ‘No action can be taken against any CM over speaker’s actions’: Elahi challenges governor’s denotification order in LHC

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi on Friday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging Governor Balighur Rehman’s de-notification from chief minister’s office.

    In the petition, Elahi has appealed to the court to declare the governor’s move illegal.

    “No action can be taken against any chief minister over speaker’s actions,” maintains the petition.

    Governor Rehman denotified Elahi in the late hours of Friday, citing a failure to take the vote of confidence from the provincial assembly as political turmoil in Pakistan’s largest province reached breaking point.

    “Since the CM has refrained from obtaining the vote of confidence at the appointed day and time, he ceases to hold office. Orders issued this evening,” Governor Rehman stated.

    Following the governor’s instruction, Chief Secretary of Punjab Abdullah Khan Sumbal, also notified the dissolution of the provincial cabinet. “Mr Pervaiz Elahi has ceased to hold office of the Chief Minister Punjab with immediate effect,” reads the notification. 

  • Pervaiz Elahi no longer Punjab CM after skipping confidence vote says Rana Sanaullah

    Pervaiz Elahi no longer Punjab CM after skipping confidence vote says Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that constitutionally Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi is no longer the Chief Minister of Punjab.

    “The Governor of Punjab had asked the Chief Minister to take a vote of confidence by yesterday, but he did not take it, so according to the constitution, Pervaiz Elahi is no longer the chief minister,” said Sanaullah.

    Governor Punjab Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman directed Chief Minister Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence from the house on December 21.

    Sanaullah said that Governor Rehman is using his powers under the Constitution, adding that whenever he issues the orders [of de-notifying Elahi as chief minister], they will be implemented.

    “The governor’s order de-notifying Elahi as the chief minister is now just a formality,” he said. “I think it will be issued today.”

    The minister also said that Elahi cannot advise dissolving the assembly now, terming it “illegal and unconstitutional” and against the rules of the assembly.

    “If this constitutional decision is resisted and its implementation is stopped, the governor can write to the federal government,” Sanaullah said. “After the cabinet’s approval, the federal government can send his advice to the president to approve the imposition of governor’s rule in the province.”

    The interior minister asserted that the president is bound to follow the advice of the prime minister.

    “The second option we have is that parliament can pass a resolution and then governor’s rule will be imposed for two months,” he added. “After two months, another resolution can be passed and the governor’s rule can be extended for six months.”

  • Father of two commits suicide due to poverty

    Father of two commits suicide due to poverty

    A 30-year-old married man who was upset over his poverty and inability to pay back a loan hung himself on Tuesday in the Kahna area, near Lahore.

    According to The News, the victim, identified as Fayaz, was depressed owing to his poor financial situation. Additionally, he had taken on a debt that he was unable to pay back.

    He hung himself in a closed room inside his home on the day of the incident. The father also requested an apology from his kids in a message that he penned.

    Rising inflation

    The growing inflation rate in Pakistan is having an impact on many low-income individuals who are unable to pay for basic essentials including food. Meanwhile, even those with good incomes are struggling to cover their expenses.

    Pakistan’s inflation rate has increased to 26.6 per cent in October 2022 from 23.2 per cent in September, placing it along with Ukraine at the 19th rank out of 184 countries where levels of deflation have been measured by institutions specialising in gathering and tabulating economic data.

  • ‘No difference between Hamza Shehbaz and Bilawal for me’: Zardari

    ‘No difference between Hamza Shehbaz and Bilawal for me’: Zardari

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that he does not see any difference between his son, Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz.

    In a statement, he said that after Pervaiz Elahi is removed from the post of chief minister of Punjab, the next chief minister of the province should be elected from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rather than the PPP.

    Zardari explained that he would not like to select the next Punjab CM from his party because the seat deserves a candidate from the PML-N due to its majority across the province.

    The statement comes as the combined Opposition of PPP and PML-N in Punjab seek to oust CM Pervaiz Elahi after he didn’t seek a confidence vote today (Wednesday).

    Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) might give the post of CM to PPP after Zardari was said to be campaigning in Lahore to get the seat.