The government is likely to hike power tariff by Rs3.30 per unit in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions to get the programme rolling that has been suspended since Feb 2020.
Daily Jang quoted a senior government official, saying the increase in the power prices will be made before the start of the next year and the government will take measures to take the masses into confidence over the move.
The IMF bailout was availed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2019 to provide crucial support to fast depleting foreign exchange reserves. But the package was suspended at the start of this year.
Pakistan has to return $4.4 billion on account of foreign commercial loans during the current fiscal year for which it desperately needs the money from the monetary fund. It has also already returned $2bn to Saudi Arabia and will return $1bn soon to clear the Saudi debt.
The deal provided a moratorium on debt payments for large swathes of the current fiscal year and help ease the cash-strapped country’s massive financial obligations.
“The Government of Pakistan has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris club,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement.
The governance system in Pakistan has become corrupt, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said Thursday.
He expressed the belief that people do not even have access to “cheap and speedy justice.”
According to Geo, he was hearing cases against the rising number of crime in Islamabad, obstacles in the delivery of justice, issues pertaining to naval farms and housing societies.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar also appeared before the court.
Pointing out the flaws in the justice system, Justice Minallah said district courts, which are meant to deal with the problems of the common man, had never been anyone’s priority.
In response, the PM’s adviser said he has already briefed Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the matter.”
You are the adviser on accountability, so I suggest you go to the accountability courts yourself and examine the conditions there,” Justice Minallah said.
“The judges in those courts do not even have the staff for dictation. There is a lot of work pressure on those courts, but there is an acute dearth of staff.”
The chief justice added that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has repeatedly stressed courts to hear cases on a daily basis, adding that judges are “ready to work day and night if the executives cooperate with them.”
“You should visit the accountability courts and brief the prime minister about the situation,” Justice Minallah told Akbar.
Responding to the judge’s remarks, Akbar said he has been appearing in the same courts for quite some time, adding that the situation in courts did not worsen overnight and it took 40 years of neglect to reach the current stage.
“Advisers do not have executive authority, we can only provide suggestions,” Akbar said. “We will do whatever we can to improve the conditions of special courts.”
Pakistani writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar reprimanded women writers for humiliating relationships in dramas.
In an interview when Khalil-ur-Rehman was asked what was the reason that people in showbiz are so afraid of him, he said: “People are afraid of me because I am honest with my work. They will be afraid of dishonesty.”
He added: “Female writers have stigmatised relationships like that of a sister-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law.” He said that there are 99.9 per cent women who are writing in the industry but they only write about family politics and stigmatise sacred relationships.
The Mere Paas Tum Ho writer spoke on a variety of topics. While giving his opinion on the friendship between males and females, he said that there is no such thing as a friendship between a girl and a boy. “This is the biggest lie in the world.”
Qamar has been involved in many controversies including a debate on Aurat March slogans with Marvi Sirmed. He said to Ms Sirmed that “no one would even spit on your body” and that she was a “cheap woman” who should “shut up”. He was criticised by politicians and prominent figures, while Geo TV suspended his contract. He said, he did not interrupt her but she interrupted him when he was talking.
COVID-19 has finally reached Antarctica, making it the last continent to be hit by the pandemic.
Thirty-six people on the continent tested positive for the novel virus. Of those infected, 26 are members of the Chilean army and 10 are civilian maintenance personnel.
According to Chile’s army and health ministry officials, infected patients were evacuated to the city of Punta Arenas where they have been put in isolation and are under “constant monitoring”.
Chilean officials are investigating how the virus reached there, said a spokesman for the Health Ministry. He said that so far none of the infected men have had severe symptoms.
Pakistan on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day deaths ever during the second wave of coronavirus, reporting 111 fatalities amid reports that a new strain of coronavirus, similar to the one wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom, has also surfaced in Karachi.
Geo reported Coronavirus Task Force head Dr Attaur Rehman as saying that the authorities have discovered a new strain of coronavirus in the port city that is similar to the one spreading in Europe.
With the latest surge, the death toll in the country has reached 9,668. As per the breakdown, Punjab reported 51 deaths; Sindh 40 deaths; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14 deaths; Islamabad four deaths; while Balochistan reported only two deaths.
This is the second time that the country has reported over 100 deaths during the second wave of the deadly infection. On Dec 15, it had reported 105 deaths. The highest number of deaths due to the coronavirus took place in June when 141 people lost their lives to the deadly contagion.
While, recoveries on the other hand have risen to 417,134 after 1,782 more people recovered, according to the government’s COVID-19 portal. The portal also showed that 2,361 virus patients are in critical condition.
Health experts see the ever-increasing coronavirus cases as a result of the poor compliance of the COVID-19 protocols. It is also feared that the health system might crash soon if the tally continues to surge at the current pace.
At least four people have died and over a dozen have been hospitalised after a toxic gas leak in Kemari area of Karachi over the past two days.
According to a hospital spokesperson, at least 22 patients were brought to the hospital in the last two days and all of them were complaining of breathing problems. 18 were discharged after they were given medical attention, while four died during the treatment.
The spokesperson of Ziauddin Hospital said that the deceased had the same symptoms as the people who were brought to the hospital in February after purported soybean dust in the area had caused many residents to fall ill.
The incident came under the spotlight after a release of a statement by the hospital that raised alarm over the worsening situation. The government authorities, on the other hand, are still clueless as to what was happening in the area, just like the last time when over 14 people lost their lives to to mysterious gas leak in the same area.
In February, alleged soybean dust had killed over 14 and affected 300 people.
A report compiled by the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at Karachi University had found aeroallergen from soybean dust in blood samples collected from the people who died.
The Sindh High Court has ordered the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Karachi Zoo administration to shift Rano from her 25-foot wide Victorian ‘grotto’ pit to another open cage, reportedly 500 times bigger than her current enclosure.
According to a report in Samaa News, the court ordered authorities to immediately shift the 20-year-old Syrian brown bear, who has been living a solitary life for the last three years. The instructions, recommended by a five-member team formed to evaluate the condition of the bear and the zoo, were passed on an interim basis until a final decision is taken.
It has been reported that the new cage is spread over 2,100 square feet and is on ground level, unlike her previous enclosure which was an underground pit. However, it too requires some improvisations.
@spar_pk speaking after court hearing on Rano. As an interim measure, while the lawyers from the Sindh Govt asked for more time, @spar_pk lawyers pushed and got an order to relocate Rano immediately to an adjacent space which is an above ground cage, pic.twitter.com/xwWBrSr9vE
Rano’s plight had sparked nationwide protests in the summer following which 38 people signed a petition filed in the Sindh High Court by Barrister Mohsin Shahwani on October 1, 2020. In the application, the petitioners had highlighted the animal’s plight and had alleged that the bear was not being well taken care of and was not being fed on time. The petition has demanded Rano be sent back to Skardu so that she can be among her own.
In the successive hearing on October 5, the court had instructed KMC to install an air-cooler inside Rano’s enclosure to provide her some relief. It also ordered authorities to present the zoo’s budget and details of details, expressing anger over the fact that there was only one doctor for all animals at the zoo.
According to animal experts, Rano is suffering from emotional and psychological distress which is why she is often seen panting heavily and roaming in circles. The Society for the Protection of Animal Rights (SPAR) is hopeful that Rano, in her new temporary cage, is able to move around easily, explore and play with items of an enrichment program, be able to see zoo activities, birds, trees and other animals and have a less lonely, stressed life.
For now.Till the next hearing.We will follow up with the Karachi Zoo management to ensure the new space is as per her needs,as defined in the report we submitted which was discussed in court today along with the reports of the previous court appointed committee. Source @spar_pk
Meanwhile, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo — which drew international condemnation for its treatment of lonely elephant Kaavan — shut down on December 16 after its final occupants Babloo and Suzie were relocated to a sanctuary inJordan.
As per details, the Himalayan brown bears suffer from psychological problems due to living in a substandard enclosure, with the female Suzie undergoing major surgery in the summer after a tumour was removed from her chest. Local vets were unable to stitch up seven inches open cut in the centre of her chest and she developed an infection. Four Paws vets, who arrived in August, operated on Suzie again and cleaned the infected wound. This was also the reason why sanctuaries within Pakistan refused to take them in.
“She is now recovering and healthy. Both bears are doing well physically now that we have put them on a better nutritional diet of fruits and vegetables. Suzie had diarrhoea all the time because she was mostly fed milk,” a spokesperson for Four Paws, Marion Lombard had told local media outlets.
Several celebrities including Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mehwish Hayat have called for zoos across the country to be shut down given the mistreatment of animals there.
Mahira Khan, who is currently in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, has revealed how she has been keeping herself busy during this time.
“I have listened to old songs, read lots, written and written and written, watched some amazing films, smiled while thinking of life and cried too, lit candles and then re-lit some more every night,” shared the actor.
She further said that she missed her son and loved ones dearly but “in my moments of pain and discomfort..I could only thank the universe for the life I have lived and continue to live. Every little thing – all the tender mercies and blessings.”
“Alhumdulillah,” added Mahira, before thanking her fans and followers for their birthday wishes once again.
Concluding her note, she said, “Here I am, sitting on top of a roof.. watching the sky in all its glory. Added Madam Noor Jehan’s Chaandni Raatein to it.”
“‘We only truly die when we are forgotten’ – She lives every day and forever,” wrote Mahira. Noor Jehan’s 20th death anniversary was observed on December 23.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Ali Butt shared a picture of himself with his grandmother on social media to remember her on her death anniversary.
“Always in our hearts,” wrote Ahmed in the caption.
Madam’s granddaughter, Natasha Ali Lakhani also gave tribute to her grandmother by dressing up like her in a white silk saree and similar makeup. She also shared a video of her mother and aunts talking about their late mother.
British online fashion group Boohoo is under fire for allegedly exploiting Pakistani workers. The brand said on Wednesday that it is investigating a Guardian report that its suppliers were underpaying workers in Pakistan.
The Guardian reported that employees at two factories in Faisalabad making clothes for Boohoo were earning Rs10,000, or £47 ($62) per month that is below the legal monthly minimum wage for unskilled labour of Rs17,500.
The report added that it had video and photographic evidence to support the claims of potential safety issues such as parking of the motorbikes in the indoor areas next to flammable materials. In the rush to produce clothes for the western market, insiders claimed workers would sometimes do 24-hour shifts.
Responding to the allegations, Boohoo said it had called upon inspection and compliance specialists Bureau Veritas to probe the claims on the ground in Faisalabad.
“As we have previously stated, we will not tolerate any instance of mistreatment or underpayment of garment workers,” Boohoo added in a statement.
Earlier this year, Boohoo has been accused that one of its suppliers in England paid workers much less than the national minimum wage.
“Any supplier who does not treat their workers with the respect they deserve has no place in the Boohoo supply chain,” its statement added.
Another factory whose working conditions are criticised in the report, Madina Gloves, strongly refuted the allegations.
“The situation on the ground is completely different. The reporter never visited my factory and I challenge him to bring forward a single quote from the workers of the factory. I am considering taking him to the court,” the owner Muhammad Saleem Shahzad told AFP.
Shahzad added that since the article had published, he had already received calls from three different UK clients to cancel orders.
“I want to ask what service this report has done to my employees who are going to lose their job now?”
The Guardian report comes after Boohoo in November appointed Brian Leveson to help “deliver long-lasting and meaningful change” to the group’s supply chain and its business practices.
Leveson is best known for heading a 2012 inquiry into UK media standards following the hacking of celebrities’ phones by the now-closed News of the World tabloid, which was owned by Rupert Murdoch.
