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Author: News Desk

  • Jahangir Tareen announces selling 20,000 tonnes of sugar for Rs67 per kg

    Jahangir Tareen announces selling 20,000 tonnes of sugar for Rs67 per kg

    As sugar prices skyrocket following a severe shortage in major parts of the country, senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and owner of JDW Sugar Mills Limited — the largest white sugar producer in the country –, Jahangir Khan Tareen, has announced to sell whopping 20,000 tonnes of the commodity for just Rs67 per kilogramme (kg).

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Tareen said that Sugar Mills Association, in a bid to control inflating prices of sugar, had decided to provide Utility Stores with 100,000 tonnes of the same at Rs70 per kg. “Out of my share, I will sell 20,000 tonnes at Rs67 per kg,” he added.

    It merits a mention that according to reports, JDW Sugar Mills Limited in January announced its financial results for the first quarter that ended on December 31, 2019, which showed that its revenue went up by 61.45% to Rs13.19 billion during the first quarter as compared to Rs8.17 billion recorded in the same period last year.

    The sugar division comprises three sugar mills units, JDW Unit-I, JDW Unit-II and JDW Unit-III in Rahim Yar Khan and Ghotki districts. It is one of the largest groups in the sugar sector and contributes approximately 15-17% of the country’s sugar production. It is also managing Sugarcane Corporate Farms over an area of 24,000 acres in Punjab and Sindh.

    While people allege that the government had a role to play in scoring Tareen these profits, as of last month, a serious case of sugar shortage emerged as the country already stumbled amid a wheat crisis.

    During the PTI government’s 15 months, sugar prices have shot up to as high as Rs64 a kilogram (kg). However, over the past week, the wholesale rate rose from Rs64 to Rs74 per kg and an acute shortage surfaced in the country. Last year, Pakistan produced 600,000 tonnes of sugar. Now, however, the wholesale rate of sugar is expected to reach Rs80 per kg, The News reported.

    Meanwhile, the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led PTI government has banned export of sugar and turned down a proposal to import the commodity in order to maintain prices in the domestic market.

  • Rs10 billion subsidy approved to control inflating food prices

    Rs10 billion subsidy approved to control inflating food prices

    To counter the effects of inflating food prices, the federal cabinet on Tuesday approved a detailed package of Rs10 billion subsidies for Utility Stores, Dawn reported.

    According to reports, the government will open thousands of stores in Pakistan, moreover, consumer items at subsidised rates will be supplied to 50,000 tandoors and dhabas.

    To address the sugar crisis in Pakistan, the cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan also decided to lift the ban on sugar import and regulatory duty on it. Also, the cabinet in its meeting decided to establish five “free zones” along the Pak-Afghan border, where Utility Store Cooperation will set up its stores to curb smuggling.

    RATES:

    Under Rs10bn subsidy, a 20 kg bag of wheat flour will be sold for Rs800, sugar will be priced at Rs70 per kg, ghee at Rs175, pulses at Rs15 and rice will be available at Rs20 per kg at Utility Stores.

    In the meeting, the cabinet agreed that rupee devaluation against the dollar and the increase in gas and electricity tariffs were some of the reasons for the increase in food items prices. Cabinet also agreed that there would be no further increase in gas and electricity rates.

    Advisor to PM on Information and Broadcast Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan. addressing a press conference, said, “The government would provide Rs2bn monthly subsidy to the USC for wheat flour, rice, sugar, pulses and ghee. She said the basic objective to give Rs10 billion subsidy was to ensure a sufficient supply of food items through Utility Stores.

    The also meeting decided that the government would use Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation as a reservoir to store sufficient quantity of essential items so that in times of crisis these reserves could be utilised.

  • PTI to reintroduce patwari system in Punjab experiment

    PTI to reintroduce patwari system in Punjab experiment

    After vilifying it over the past couple of years and turning the term ‘patwari’ into a slur for leaders and supporters of its rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, in what is being called another “U-turn”, has decided to reintroduce patwari system in land revenue departments.

    A patwari is one of the most resourceful persons in any area or town despite having the lowest grade in official ranking. The reason for his immense power lies in the fact that he is responsible for land records and related issues. He is also responsible for many social, political and administrative tasks, including the record-keeping of weather and crop harvest, reporting village crimes and updating voters’ registers.

    While the PTI had risen to power after promises of getting done with patwari system, which it had back then accused of facilitating PML-N in making Punjab its stronghold, according to Dawn, a senior Punjab Land Revenue Authority (PLRA) has said that the Punjab Board of Revenue has asked divisional commissioners to allocate two revenue circles — known as kanungoi — in each district that will be controlled by a tehsildar and patwaris and serve as a model.

    In Rawalpindi, Mandra and Chakri were chosen in response to a letter from the Punjab Board of Revenue to the divisional commissioner at the end of January, and the PTI-led Punjab government’s reforms will be introduced there on an experimental basis in these two circles.

    The official said that the manual land records system had burdened the entire legal system because it could be altered by patwaris and field revenue officials, which was brought to an end by the computerised system. He said the Punjab bureaucracy is trying to persuade the government that the manual system was better than the computerised alternative.

    The report also quoted Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat as saying that reviving the patwari system had been proposed, but the government had not made a decision yet.

    He said they were completing their homework on the proposal, which would create parallel systems of manual and computerised land records systems in the province. However, he added, it would not be possible to run two parallel systems for land revenue records, and praised the project to digitise land records.

  • Groom takes baraat to the police station

    Groom takes baraat to the police station

    A groom, hailing from Sialkot, took his baraat to the police station where he spent his wedding day filing a report against his bride-to-be and her family.

    According to the Express Tribune, 24-year-old Zeeshan Shaukat from Daska, Sialkot, arrived along with his wedding party in Sargodha only to find the bride’s house locked and the family nowhere in sight.

    Dressed in traditional wedding attire, including a sehra and garland, Zeeshan spent his wedding day filing a complaint against his bride-to-be Kausar and her mother Mumtaz Bibi.

    “The bride’s mother took Rs250,000 from us on the pretext of dowry,” he told the police.

    Zeeshan also said that upon arrival, they found the bride’s house locked. “When we asked women in the neighbourhood regarding their whereabouts, they expressed ignorance.”

    He added that they found out that Kausar and Mumtaz were tenants at the house which had been locked for over three days. “Even the ladies who were involved in the matchmaking are no longer available and their phones are switched off,” he said.

    According to the groom-to-be’s father Shaukat, the girl’s family had promised a wedding and instead they scammed. “Get my son his bride or recover the money,” demanded Shaukat while failing to hold back tears.

    Zeeshan went on to say that he is a poor farmer and his family had worked really hard to save the money for his wedding.

    “What will I tell people in my hometown when I return without a bride,” he added.

    According to police, a complaint has been filed and authorities are taking action as per the law to bring to justice the women responsible for the scam.

  • Dr Firdous reveals her favourite makeup brand

    Dr Firdous reveals her favourite makeup brand

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has a tough schedule. Apart from attending various meetings throughout the day with the Prime Minister, Dr Firdous also has to address press conferences to brief the media and public about daily happenings. For all this, Dr Firdous maintains an impeccable appearance and is always on top of her game.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, when asked about her favourite makeup brand, Dr Firdous revealed that it is Clinique.

    “Because my skin remains in painting all day, Clinique is good at all this denting-painting,” the SAPM had said.

    Apart from that, Dr Firdous also revealed the one thing she admired about her predecessor, former federal minister for information Fawad Chaudhry. She said that she liked his “struggle to always stay in headlines”.

    According to the details, with cracks continuing to emerge within the ranks of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and rumour having it that both Awan and Chaudhry are not the best of friends ever since the latter was sacked and replaced by the former, the SAPM when asked what she liked the most about Chaudhry, she said, “His [Fawad Chaudhry’s] struggle to always stay in headlines.”

    To another question, Awan, who is not an elected member of the parliament, said that election defeat under Imran was not a defeat. “It’s a victory for my ideology,” she said.

    “Social media is an unguided missile with warheads but no target,” the SAPM said when asked what was that she disliked the most about social media.

    Awan also said that she was not a misogynist — her verbal attacks “were for people and not genders” and those who criticised her for not being an elected representative, “lacked sense”.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Sajjad Ali’s son debuts in father’s new single

    Sajjad Ali’s son debuts in father’s new single

    Renowned singer Sajjad Ali’s son Khubi made his debut in his father’s latest romantic medley Baarish.

    The video also stars Reema and a newcomer Merub. In the music video, Ali looks back at his first love. The video shows the story of two young lovers, played by Khubi and Merub, who part ways on a rainy afternoon. 

    The Teri Yaad singer has not only sung the song but he also directed the video. Sajjad Ali has also done composition and lyrics.

    A few years ago, Khubi and his brother Shabi, had launched a band called SK Champs. Their first song was We Are The Guys.

    Listen to the song here:

  • Mystery shrouds Feroze Khan’s sudden disappearance from Instagram

    Mystery shrouds Feroze Khan’s sudden disappearance from Instagram

    Heartthrob Feroze Khan left fans and followers in a frenzy after he suddenly disappeared from Instagram. Apart from an Instagram story on wife Alizey Feroze’s account, there was radio silence from the actor on the matter. The move was unexpected given the teaser of his upcoming film Tich Button dropped on Saturday and his latest drama serial Ishqiya’s first episode aired last Monday.

    Read more – ‘Tich Button’s teaser is full of action and colour

    According to Alizey’s Instagram story, Feroze is embarking on a spiritual journey and his sister Dua Malick confirmed the news telling a local media outlet that Feroze is spending time away from social media at the moment to connect with his faith, adding that Feroze doesn’t really care about social media.

    Soon after, fans and followers began to speculate that the actor is quitting the showbiz industry and will be following a path similar to that of Hamza Ali Abbasi. However, this is not the first time that the actor has deactivated his Instagram account. Feroze has deactivated his account on various occasions only to come back later.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Feroze’s Twitter account is still active, though there is no activity on it.

  • Israeli PM’s election app leaks personal data of 6.5 million people

    Israeli PM’s election app leaks personal data of 6.5 million people

    Threats of electoral manipulation and identity theft are rising in Israel after a critical flaw in a voting app used by Israeli Primer Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu leaked personal data of 6.5 million voters.

    The app was used to communicate with voters and it also allowed their personals to be viewed without the need for any technical skills. The leaked data includes voters’ full names, addresses, identity card numbers and phone numbers.

    Read more – Windows 7 is officially out of support from Microsoft

    As for how the cyberattack was inflicted, the source code of the app was available on the website and even included the personal data of administrators in charge of the app’s database. While Israel’s Privacy Protection Authority has denied the accusation and is looking into the matter, the cause of the breach still remains uncertain.

    A petition has been filed against the Israeli PM’s political party after a programmer said that it was one of the largest and most compromising leaks of Israelis’ personal information in the nation’s history.

    Read more – New survey reveals Pakistani businesses positive about future

    The party is being accused of violating privacy laws for creating and sharing their database with access to all of the government’s voting registry.

    While the flaw in the app has been fixed, it goes to show how electoral apps aren’t being tested thoroughly and aren’t ready to carry sensitive information.

  • Did coronavirus reach China from Pakistan?

    Did coronavirus reach China from Pakistan?

    With Chinese scientists saying the endangered pangolin could be the potential link that facilitated the spread of coronavirus across China, a report in Independent Urdu has argued if the novel virus could have reached the neighbouring country from Pakistan, where the scaly anteater is quite commonly found.

    According to the report, the rather expensive pangolin meat is widely consumed by the Chinese, and to meet its demand, China imports the animal from other countries, including Pakistan.

    Although pangolin is found all across the country, its largest population is there in the Potohar region — northern parts of Punjab bordering the western parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the southern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    While it is an environment-friendly animal, there’s been a 90%, 80% and 50% decrease in its population in KP and Sindh, Punjab, and AJK, respectively, amid a spike in pangolin trafficking.

    The pangolin is considered the most trafficked animal on the planet and more than one million have been snatched from Asian and African forests in the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

    According to a report in DAWN, some officials say that pangolin meat is being sold in the local market, as people coming from China like it. A large number of Chinese people are staying in Karachi, working on projects related to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). But these allegations have never been formally investigated or proven.

    China in January ordered a temporary ban on the trade in wild animals until the epidemic is under control. The country has long been accused by conservationists of tolerating a shadowy trade in endangered animals for food or as ingredients in traditional medicines.

    “If we want to do everything in our power to prevent deadly disease outbreaks such as coronavirus, then a permanent ban on wildlife trade, in China, and around the world, is the only solution,” said Neil D’Cruze, global head of wildlife research at World Animal Protection.

    A price list that circulated on China’s internet for business at the Wuhan market showed a menagerie of animals or animal-based products including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, rats, peacocks, porcupines, camel meat and other game — 112 items in all.

    The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus that killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in 2002-03 also has been traced to wild animals, with scientists saying it likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets.

  • Irfan Junejo quits vlogging

    Irfan Junejo quits vlogging

    Pakistani YouTuber Irfan Junejo bid goodbye to vlogging as he no longer likes the format. The vlogger made the announcement in a video titled ‘I Quit‘.

    Junejo said that from now on he will make videos on his terms and on his own time implying that he won’t be uploading them with the same regularity as before.

    The reason behind his decision is that he got lost along the way and forgot the reason he started vlogging.

    “Mein ab kisi bhi event pay nahi jata, mein kisi award ceremony pay nahi jaata ,mujhe kisi bhi podcast kee invitation aati hai mein nahi jaata, mein ney Twitter chor dia hai, aur mein ney camera use karna bohat kam kardia hai ( I don’t go to any events anymore, I don’t respond to any podcast requests, I’ve left Twitter and I have stopped using the camera regularly),” said Junejo in the video.

    Junejo has hidden/removed all his tweets and his Twitter bio reads, “I don’t use Twitter anymore. It’s a dark scary place.”

    Junejo supported his decision by giving examples of superstars Will Smith and Anurag Kashyap, who gave up lucrative opportunities at the peak of their careers to achieve their personal goals.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=EoFTr8439yQ&feature=emb_title

    All that said and done, Junejo said that he is glad that by choosing this career, he had fulfilled his wildest dreams from meeting Ronaldinho to purchasing his dream bike.