Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Floods can push up to 9 million people in poverty: World Bank

    Floods can push up to 9 million people in poverty: World Bank

    The World Bank has said that catastrophic monsoon flooding linked to climate change may push between six and nine million Pakistanis into poverty.


    Unprecedented monsoon rains that hit Pakistan this year resulting in 1,700 fatalities, two million destroyed homes, and a third of the country being under water.


    In shabby tent cities and dispersed settlements close to the still waters that devoured their possessions and way of life, eight million people are still without a home.

    “The recent floods are expected to have a substantial negative impact on Pakistan’s economy and on the poor, mostly through the disruption of agricultural production,” said Najy Benhassine, the World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan. “The Government must strike a balance in meeting extensive relief and recovery needs, while staying on track with overdue macroeconomic reforms. It will be more important than ever to carefully target relief to the poor, constrain the fiscal deficit within sustainable limits, maintain a tight monetary policy stance, ensure continued exchange rate flexibility, and make progress on critical structural reforms, especially those in the energy sector.”

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million South Asian nation have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

  • Inflation may drop to 5-7% by the next fiscal year: SBP deputy governor

    Inflation may drop to 5-7% by the next fiscal year: SBP deputy governor

    According to Dr Murtaza Syed, deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Pakistan would probably reach its 5-7 per cent inflation target by the start of the following fiscal year because of a positive base effect and ‘tighter’ macroeconomic regulations.

    According to Dawn, the SBP deputy head said that inflation in Pakistan quadrupled from 13–14 per cent to around 25–27 per cent since June as a result of an increase in POL costs during a Zoom session hosted by the World Bank.

    Although Pakistan does have an issue with inflation, it has lately started to decline and showed a “greater than expected” decline in the past month, he noted.

    Dr Syed claims that inflation has “kind of crested” and will begin to drop for the remainder of the year.

    The SBP deputy chief also referred to worries over Pakistan’s economic outlook as “exaggerated” and claimed that Pakistan was at least $10 billion over-financed as a result of inflows from friendly nations and pledges made by development partners in the wake of floods.

    According to a central bank official, Pakistan needed about $31 billion in external financing, but had $37 billion in accessible funding, which was $6 billion more than it needed. The recent floods, he said, “may have some effects on the current account deficit, but this is before taking into account the floods.”

  • Ex-policeman killed children at a nursery in Thailand

    Ex-policeman killed children at a nursery in Thailand

    An ex-policeman identified as Panya Kamrab has killed at least 37 people, most of them children, in a gun and knife attack at a childcare centre in north-east Thailand.

    Trigger warning

    At least 22 children were among the dead in the mass killing. Some victims, aged as young as two, were attacked as they slept.

    Police say that the attacker then killed himself, his wife and his son after the horrific incident. According to Thai police, the attacker mostly stabbed his victims before fleeing the scene.

    “The shooter came in around lunchtime and shot four or five officials at the childcare centre first,” a local official told Reuters.

    “After inspecting the crime scene, we found that the perpetrator tried to break in and he mainly used a knife to commit the crime by killing a number of small children,” said Police Chief.

    “Then he got out and started killing anyone he met along the way with a gun or the knife until he got home. We surrounded the house and then found that he committed suicide in his home.”

    The country’s Prime Minister (PM) Prayut Chan-o-cha described the incident as “a shocking event”.

    The attacker was a police lieutenant colonel before he was dismissed last year for drug use.

  • Outrage in India after video of Police beating Muslim men in public goes viral

    Outrage in India after video of Police beating Muslim men in public goes viral

    A video showing plainclothes police officers whipping Muslim men who are strapped to a pole has gone viral in India. The video shows large crowds of people present at the incident cheering and applauding police for the flogging.

    The crowd can also be heard chanting, “maro, maro” (beat them).


    The video footage is thought to have been shot on Tuesday in the Kheda area of western Gujarat. It surfaced on social media and spread like wildfire.

    A group of police officers in civilian attire can be seen beating a group of at least four or five men with sticks as they are each tied to an electricity pole. One of them is using a holstered pistol. The pistol is customary for Indian police officers.


    The muslim men were accused of attacking a garba celebration in Undhela hamlet in the district on Monday.
    Police arrested a dozen people and cases were registered against 150 people, including women.

  • President Alvi stresses on women empowerment in sparsely attended session

    President Alvi stresses on women empowerment in sparsely attended session

    Addressing a joint session of the parliament on Thursday, President Dr Arif Alvi stressed on empowerment of women in Pakistan, saying that opportunities should be made for them.

    Addressing a sparsely attended session, the President said that women should feel safe in public spaces and men in society can contribute to that. He pointed out that women in Pakistan can contribute a greatly to society.

    Moreover, the president said that women should be given chances to work in public offices and urged lawmakers to work on eliminating harassment.

    His remarks were addressed to a mostly empty hall, with legislators from both treasury and Opposition benches choosing to skip the session.

    Dr Alvi warned against neglecting youth as he called for the inclusion of children who were out of school and urged lawmakers to focus on it.

    “I have spoken to ulema that mosques should have sessions to provide school education. If you can’t provide education to children, give them skills,” he highlighted.

    Talking about the flood situation in Pakistan, the president, “I want to felicitate the Pakistan Army for helping victims while sacrificing their lives. The federal and provincial governments, PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority), and NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) all worked hard on the ground. I thank all of them.”

    He said that the recent floods had, once again, raised the demand for building dams. Furthermore, he pointed out that if the relief work is not done on time, human and economic losses from the floods would be higher.

    “The Netherlands is 19 times smaller than Pakistan but it has progressed in agriculture, and my country should have progressed more in this field. If we adopt a scientific approach, Pakistan can beat the world,” he stated.

    Talking about foreign affairs in his speech today, the president lauded the government for improving ties with the United States (US). On China, the president said, “I believe the Pakistan-China friendship is a real one and CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) is an example of it.”

    At one point during his address, the president also called for the continuation of the work on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), saying “We shouldn’t delay this”.

    President Alvi was set to address the joint session on August 14, but due to the apprehensions of the coalition government, the address was postponed.

  • ‘Imran Niazi lies day and night, he is a fraud’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Imran Niazi lies day and night, he is a fraud’: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif Thursday called out Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, terming him the “biggest fraudster”.

    “I can swear to God he [Khan] is a fraudster and has tried to create rifts in important institutions of Pakistan,” he said while addressing a press conference.

    “I’m finally saying this today that the entire Opposition has been vindicated by God. And Imran Khan — who lies day and night — is a fraudster […] he had isolated the nation and played with it. He attacked the army and tried to create divisions,” the Premier said, mincing no words.

    Shehbaz stated that the government wanted to show Imran’s “true face” to the nation. “The decision will be taken by you through the vote,” he reminded the public.

    Recalling the no-confidence motion

    Narrating the incidents that happened during the time of the no-confidence motion back in April, the premier said, “Let’s go back to April 3 when voting was to be held on the no-confidence motion and everybody knows the incidents that took place on that day. But I just want to narrate what exactly happened on that day.”

    “I just want to tell you what happened that day. Before the voting [of the no-trust vote], the information minister at that time (Fawad Chaudhry) stood up and read a statement saying that a conspiracy was devised against the government […] its links were with a foreign power and the Opposition has brought about this motion.”

    “On this, Suri sahab refused to allow the voting process to take place without even taking the Opposition into confidence,” PM Shehbaz went on to say, adding that the “hues and cries of the Opposition were ignored.”

    Within no time, Imran came on television and announced the dissolution of National Assembly (NA). “Twenty minutes later, the president approved the summary.”

    This was the basis of the conspiracy that Imran has been playing along with for the past five months and wasting the nation’s time, PM Shehbaz said. “Due to this game, Pakistan’s relations with the biggest powers of the world have been compromised,” he insisted.

    He recalled that “baseless allegations” were levelled at several government leaders during this time. “You can say whatever you want, but calling someone a traitor […] there is no bigger conspiracy than it.

    “On the floor of the NA, I said that if God forbid this conspiracy was proved against me or the coalition, then the nation has the right to hang me.”

    Taking a jibe at President Dr Arif Alvi, the premier said that the president who takes days and weeks to approve summaries, including the one regarding the appointment of governor Punjab, passed the summary regarding the dissolution of assemblies within 20 minutes.

    ‘Cipher can’t be decoded’

    The premier said that the cipher — which Imran claims contains details of a foreign conspiracy to oust him from power — can’t be decoded by the government.

    “If it is, then all the cables from all embassies can be leaked or stolen,” he reasoned.

    “Imran himself doesn’t know where it is.But his audio leaks have proven that there were four people behind the so-called conspiracy. What other evidence do you need,” he demanded.

    The PM also revealed that the cabinet had decided to probe the audio leaks, adding that an investigation into the matter had already begun. “We will tell the nation [the findings] with complete transparency.”

    Audio leaks have revealed Khan’s truth

    Referring to the recent audio leaks, the premier said, “He can be heard saying that this is a game […] they can be heard saying that minutes of the meeting should be made up according to their wish.

    “The country’s honour was sabotaged in such a manner that no such example is found in history […] this is nothing less than treason,” Shehbaz said, claiming that Imran played a “serious game with the country”.

    “Tell me, is there any doubt after this that who was behind the conspiracy,” he asked.

    Shehbaz said that two days after the PMO audio leaks, an ambassador from a friendly country came to meet him at the Prime Minister’s Office. “I had a discussion with him after which he highlighted that now no one would feel safe talking at the PMO.”

    This, he continued, was not just a huge loss for the government but a loss that the nation would have to bear for decades to come.

    Khan tried to divide the armed forces of Pakistan

    PM Shehbaz also alleged that Khan tried to divide the armed forces of Pakistan.

    “The army has rendered great and unparalleled sacrifices,” he said.

    Indirectly referring to a business deal worth £190 million, the premier termed it the “biggest robbery in the history of the country”.

    “A million pounds means around Rs5 billion have been robbed,” he added.

    ‘Army chief’s appointment as per Constitution’

    The prime minister asserted that the appointment of the next army chief in November,will be done as per the Constitution.

    “It [the appointment] has a process in the law and Constitution and the decision will be taken according to that.”

    Country will be destroyed if Khan comes to power again

    PM Shehbaz warned that if Khan once again comes into power, the “country will be destroyed”. The premier further added that the PTI chief has time and again defamed Pakistan.

    “Is telling lies, committing frauds, and hatching conspiracies his [Khan’s] patriotism and leadership?” he asked, adding that a person who says he is perfect dies his own death.

    “I am a sinner but I will never lie to the nation,” he said, adding that if he lies, the nation can hold him accountable.

    ‘Mian he will bring prosperity along with him’

    Shedding light on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return, he said: “When Mian will come, he will bring prosperity along with him.”

  • Confusion within Punjab govt regarding PTI long march

    Confusion within Punjab govt regarding PTI long march

    The final date for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march has not been announced yet by Chairman Imran Khan, however, contradictory statements have been issued by the Punjab government regarding the province’s support.

    Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar said on Wednesday that during the PTI long march, government resources will not be used and called Khan’s long march a “political matter”.

    In a tweet, he said, “Long march is our constitutional and legal right. When Imran Khan orders, we will come out as a party. This is a political matter, we have never used government resources and will not.”

    In another instance, Dogar, while talking to journalists on Wednesday said, “If Imran Khan announces a long march then the Punjab government will not become part of it. We will not facilitate the participants of the long march but security will be provided”, reports Geo News.

    On the contrary, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi— who is currently in London— said, “We will do everything that Imran Khan wants us to do”.

    Speaking to journalists, he said, “There is a PTI government in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir”, adding that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah wouldn’t be able to bear the PTI long march.

    Reacting to Dogar’s statement, Elahi said, “That is, as such, no matter”.

    The statement from the Punjab home minister and CM came after Khan directed his party’s officeholders to ensure that thousands of workers gather in Islamabad during the “Azadi March”.

    Earlier, Sanaullah said that PTI’s long march would not be allowed to enter the federal capital under any circumstances.

    On October 4, Khan asked his party leaders and workers to take an oath that they would participate in the long march, terming it a “jihad” for the country.

  • PM Shehbaz to take decision regarding changes in PCB soon

    PM Shehbaz to take decision regarding changes in PCB soon

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif says that he will take a decision regarding the changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after consultation, according to Geo Urdu.

    When asked about changes at the PCB during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s House, PM Shehbaz Sharif responded, “When our government took charge, Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja was new, thus we thought that he should be given a chance so that he may show his performance.”

    The Prime Minister said that five, or six months is not a long time, and we will take a decision on this issue after consultation.

    It should be noted that former Test cricketer Rameez Raja was elected unopposed as the chairman of PCB on September 13, 2021.

    After the change of government of Imran Khan, there were questions about the future of Rameez Raja, but later Rameez Raja appointed other officials to work.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIc-ifh0z1I&t=1s
  • ‘Fight your political battle outside court’: IHC tells PTI to go back to parliament

    ‘Fight your political battle outside court’: IHC tells PTI to go back to parliament

    Athar Minallah, Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), on Thursday has told legislators belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to go back to the National Assembly.

    The court was hearing a petition filed by PTI Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) pertaining to the matter of the acceptance of 11 of their resignations.

    On Wednesday, PTI filed the petition, stating that the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Raja Pervez Ashraf, “unlawfully” declared the members as having resigned because he “Accepted the resignation of 12 MNAs’ without calling them to ascertain the true picture and by not following the due process of law, committed an unconstitutional act.” The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) then notified them of de-seating.

    The party was of the view that the Speaker was under obligation to accept the resignations of all 123 MNAs however he only accepted 11 resignations.

    During the hearing, Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah remarked, “You must hold a dialogue with other political parties to resolve such disputes.”

    The IHC chief justice observed that members whose resignations hadn’t been accepted must rejoin parliament.

    “Go and fight your political battle outside the court,” Justice Minallah told the PTI counsel. He added that this plea couldn’t be admitted until respect for the parliament was expressed by the petitioners. “Go back to parliament tomorrow, this court will accept your plea,” he told the PTI counsel.

    PTI lawyer Senator Ali Zafar said the party has yet to take a decision on this matter. He said the decision to return to parliament or not was a political one and the court should stay “far away” from it.

    “No political party is above parliament. This mindset needs to be changed”, the IHC chief justice pointed out.

    Zafar asked him if the court wanted an assurance from the petitioners about representing their constituencies to which the judge said: “Not just an assurance, prove by your actions that parliament is supreme.”

    Zafar said the party should be given time for consultations on the affidavits.

    The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.

    PTI reaches court, says acceptance of its MNA’s resignations was ‘unconstitutional act’

    A petition, filed by 10 out of the 11 PTI lawmakers whose resignations have been accepted, states that the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Raja Pervez Ashraf, “unlawfully” declared the members as having resigned because he “Accepted the resignation of 12 MNAs’ without calling them to ascertain the true picture and by not following the due process of law, committed an unconstitutional act.” The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) then notified them of de-seating.

    The party was of the view that the speaker was under obligation to accept the resignations of all 123 MNAs however he only accepted 11 resignations.

    The party appealed to the court to declare the speaker and ECP’s orders “illegal, issued without lawful authority and of no legal effect.” They also stated that the orders were in violation of the Constitution.

    In July, Raja Pervez Ashraf accepted 11 resignations of PTI MNAs under Article 64(1) of the Constitution of Pakistan.

    The petitioners maintained that the PTI MNAs tendered their resignations as per party policy on political grounds with the objective of reaching an agreement with the then “Opposition parties for holding fresh elections so that a new government may be formed with a real mandate.”

    The petitioners requested the court to direct the NA speaker to summon 112 MNAs and petitioners for an inquiry on whether the resignations were “Voluntary and genuine”, and fulfilled the criteria laid out under Article 64 of the constitution.

    The PTI also requested the high court to hold an immediate hearing of their case. However, the request was turned down and the court decided to hold a hearing tomorrow (October 6). IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah will hear the plea.

    Moreover, the petitioners submitted the records and transcripts of the audio leaks in which Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and members of his cabinet can be heard seeking approval for accepting the resignations from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

  • ‘Took big risk by going into the bathroom with a Pathan’: Fawad’s comments land him in trouble

    ‘Took big risk by going into the bathroom with a Pathan’: Fawad’s comments land him in trouble

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry made a racist comment about Pathans on a television programme on Wednesday, inviting the ire of social media.

    During an interview on ARY News with Kashif Abbasi, Fawad was asked if Bashir Memon used abusive language during a meeting headed by then Prime Minister Imran Khan. Chaudhry Bashir Memon admitted that then-principle secretary, Azam Khan took him into the bathroom to “make him understand”.

    Taking a jab at Memon, the PTI leader said, “He took a big risk by going into the bathroom with a Pathan.”

    Reacting to Fawad’s remarks social media users expressed disgust over his racist comments.