The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reportedly raised questions on Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s decision to grant huge financial awards to the officers of his office, as reported by Express Tribune.
The supplementary grants amounted to Rs. 24 billion, which the PM approved, amidst a severe economic crisis.
The global lending body IMF took up the issue, asking about the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet decisions to approve awards for the PM’s office staff.
The Express Tribune reported that the IMF questioned the source of funding for these awards.
IMF’s Resident Representative Esther Perez did not respond to a request for a comment on the matter even after two weeks, according to the news outlet.
However, despite IMF questioning, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb have not reversed this decision.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Rana Sanaullah proposed a ‘reconciliation offer’ to imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan. He said that together, all parties can steer the country out of crisis.
On Geo News’ show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, the senior PML-N leader urged the founder of PTI to join the political discussion, stressing that the weak economy ‘can’t handle more political tension’.
He asked Khan to, “take the matter to a logical conclusion.” The former interior minister said the PTI founder was not even “ready to sit or talk” with anyone.
Referring to the results of Sunday’s by-polls, the PML-N leader said, “PTI’s supporters and voters did not come out of their homes due to his [Imran Khan] stubbornness.”
The United States State Department on Tuesday warned, without naming Pakistan, against the “potential risk of sanctions” amidst the background of a recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and Iran, following the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Pakistan.
“We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” said a State Department spokesperson.
The spokesperson also mentioned the beneficial economic ties between Pakistan and the United States and said that the US remains Pakistan’s biggest export market.
“We have also been a leading investor in Pakistan for the past 20 years. Pakistan’s economic success is in both of our interests, and we look forward to continuing our partnership,” they added, stressing the significance of economic relations between both countries.
Previously, the US warned Pakistan of sanctions after it signalled that it would complete the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Raisi revealed that both Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase the trade volume to $10 billion in coming years.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday that security forces have eliminated 11 terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan districts.
During an operation in DI Khan, security officials killed 10 terrorists after a heavy exchange of fire. In North Waziristan, they killed another terrorist in a skirmish.
“The killed terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area against security forces as well as innocent civilians. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from them,” said the military’s media wing.
The ISPR also said that locals from the area appreciated the action of security forces against terrorism. However, security forces are determined to eliminate terrorism from the country.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will leave for a “personal visit” to China today, as per Geo News.
PML-N’s internal sources confirmed that the party head is going to China for a medical checkup.
Party sources also confirmed to Geo that the former prime minister will also hold meetings on development projects in Punjab, adding that the former premier will meet owners of Chinese companies there.
Nawaz will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
This will be the first international visit of Nawaz Sharif since his return to Pakistan in October last year after spending almost four years in self-imposed exile in London.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced on Saturday that the process of privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be completed by June this year. Islamabad airport might also be privatized shortly after.
“The government has no business being in business,” the minister declared at a Saturday afternoon news briefing, explaining the government’s plan to divest from state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
“We expect the bids for PIA to come in the next two to three weeks, and by the end of June or early July, we can move it to the investors,” he said. “The Islamabad airport would be the next,” he added, “followed by the airports in Karachi and Lahore.”
The finance minister didn’t respond on a question when asked if Pakistan is selling its skies to prospective buyers.
Mr Aurangzeb didn’t give an explanation when a journalist asked if the government will keep some shares in PIA after privatisation or sell all its shares.
The minister wrapped up his visit to Washington DC on Sunday with 62 meetings in a week. During these meetings, he explained decisions, made pledges, and sought understanding from both multilateral and bilateral donors.
On Saturday, three people, including two Customs officials, were murdered in an attack near Bannu Road when unknown gunmen opened fire targeting their vehicle at the Yarak toll plaza in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This is the second attack on Pakistan Customs officials in less than a week in Dera Ismail Khan.
Previously on April 18, seven people, including a child, were slain in an attack out of which five were Custom officials. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reiterating Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism.
The Khorasan Diary had reported that “Customs had tightened the noose around smuggling around this area as it was frequented by militant networks who were involved in smuggling weapons and vehicles used in attack in urban centres,” a senior customs official said.
The special situation report of the April 18 incident was released by the Deputy Commissioner
Moreover, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the heinous attack.
It should be noted that Dera Ismail Khan is an infamous route for illicit trade and smuggling as there have been many instances when the authorities have foiled bids to smuggle goods including arms, Iranian fuel and more.
As Pakistan navigates through tough economic waters, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered strict action against smugglers and urged law enforcement agencies to expedite their campaigns.
Illicit activities such as black market and smuggling cost Pakistan $23 billion per year, according to the report by ACE Money Transfer, a UK-based company.
Previously, the caretaker administration started the anti-smuggling drive in the country to protect the feeble foreign exchange and stop the devaluation of local currency (PKR).
The FBR released a statement offering condolences to the victims’ families.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated newly elected members of the national and provincial assemblies for winning the by-polls on Sunday.
He said that the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates in by-polls is a sign of people’s trust on the party. “We sincerely thank people who voted for the Muslim League-N in the by-election.”. The PM also assured Pakistanis that his party will do every possible things to server them.
He observed that along with clear signs of economic progress, people were starting to notice a shift in public opinion. The victories of PML-N candidates were seen as the public recognizing the government’s efforts in fixing the economy, lowering inflation, and enhancing foreign relations. He hoped that as the economy continued to improve and public satisfaction grew, people’s opinions would keep changing positively.
He also said international financial institutions, news agencies, and surveys covering economic improvement have a positive impact on public opinion.
The PM said that the non-political behaviour of the opposition after the February 8 elections had also left its supporters confused and disappointed.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Rana Sanaullah, commenting on the recent by-polls, said that the low voter turnout is a big message for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“PTI voters have not come out today [during by-elections],” Sanaullah claimed while speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan.
Sanaullah also said that any complaints regarding the election process should be brought before the relevant forums.
Stating that Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N used to raise complaints about the election results “within the system”, he said it was the former prime minister Imran Khan who always tried to “bulldoze” the system.
Rana Sanaullah expressed satisfaction over the by-polls and opined that voter turnout is usually low in by-polls.
Meanwhile, PTI’s leader Ali Muhammad Khan alleged that these by-polls were rigged the same way as the February 8 general elections.
Furthermore, the PTI member expressed satisfaction with the election results of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
A video emerged over the weekend on social media of a man, seemingly a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter, waving a poster with Imran Khan’s picture inside the holiest Muslim site- The Ka’ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The footage was shared by a user on X, formerly Twitter while condemning his actions.
Originally, the video was posted on Tiktok by a PTI supporter, Jameelrehmani24, himself displaying the poster at the holy site.
Social media reactions were mixed with some users saying there is nothing wrong with doing so and others condemning the move.
Interestingly in 2018, two Indian nationals were held by Saudi authorities for waving and taking pictures with the tri-colour Indian flag inside the Kaaba in Mecca.
Following the incident, the Consulate General of India in Jeddah released a statement that it is illegal to display flags in the area.
