Current Final

Blog

  • CPEC energy debt reprofiling: Economic relief at a billion-dollar price tag

    CPEC energy debt reprofiling: Economic relief at a billion-dollar price tag

    Pakistanis look on with weary eyes as lawmakers in Islamabad plan to celebrate a possible extension of a $15.4 billion loan. The debt reprofiling for energy-based projects attached to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will increase the debt amount by approximately eight per cent, which is huge given that it amounts to $1.22 billion.

    What exactly is debt reprofiling in this context?

    Simply put, Pakistan will get five more years to pay back the loan – all the while, interest will keep racking up on the principal loan amount.

    The repayments of this additional sum exceeding one billion dollars will come from taxpayer funds at the end of the day as Pakistan seeks to climb out of the quagmire of the circular debt problem it finds itself in.

    Since the government has planned not to pay this amount by incurring further debt, this reprofiling will translate into higher tariffs on electric bills – an ugly sight Pakistanis are all too familiar with.

    The hike in tariffs is bound to accelerate the existing trend of installing solar panels on residential properties in urban centres. According to a survey by Gallup Pakistan, over 15 per cent of households have some sort of solar panel system installed. This makes sense as it’s a great return on investment, at just PKR 1.5 million for a decent sized plant.

    With prices for a single solar panel listed under PKR 16 thousand, it is possible that the business community linked with solar panels will see astronomical profits once the tariffs are increased.

    However, this can prove disastrous for the FBR and the Chinese power companies operating in Pakistan under the CPEC project. This will be because revenues may decline when people resort to using grid electricity for their electricity.

    Rumours are circulating that in the wake of the extension of the loan, lawmakers might introduce taxes on green meters linked to home-based solar systems. This will be done in an attempt to expand the energy sector tax net once again – as many have found respite in solar power.

    The rumour, however, maybe just that: A rumour.

    This is because Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz favours a transition towards sustainability, as proven by her scheme to equip 50,000 households with solar power systems.

    Introducing taxes on solar panels will set her sustainability goals back.

    The arrival of the Prime Minister of China Li Qiang, ahead of the high profile SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) meetings will indeed provide relief to the economy. But can the same be said for citizens when the debt burden gets passed off to the taxpayers? Time will tell.

  • Did Barrister Saif slap Imran Riaz Khan?

    Did Barrister Saif slap Imran Riaz Khan?

    Rumours have been spreading on social media that Advisor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Barrister Muhammad Saif slapped YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan over his misconduct with Chief Minister (CM) KP Ali Amin Gandapur.

    Netizens claimed that Imran Riaz Khan met with CM Ali Amin Gandapur in Peshawar and misbehaved with him.

    Journalist Murtaza Solangi claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that when Ali Amin Gandapur reached CM House, YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan was also present there with the provincial cabinet.

    Imran misbehaved with Ali Amin Gandapur, upon which Barrister Saif slapped Riaz twice and pushed him out from there, Solangi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) without taking names.

    Veteran journalist Umar Cheema, on his Youtube channel, claimed that Barrister Saif denied the allegation of slapping Imran Riaz Khan over his misbehaviour with Ali Amin Gandapur.

    “Advisor KP acted like an illiterate person during the incident,” Cheema stated.

    However. Imran Riaz informed Umar Cheema that there was a confrontation with Barrister Saif regarding Saif’s recent statement about inviting Indian External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to address the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad and clarified that they were not involved in a physical altercation.

    Cheema concluded by saying that later, CM KP mediated between Barrister Saif and Imran Riaz Khan.

  • Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    US star Taylor Swift got a special police escort for her London concerts after an alleged suicide attack plot led to the cancellation of three performances in Vienna.

    Culture Minister Lisa Nandy denied the singer was given preferential treatment, after reports she had a motorbike escort usually reserved for senior members of the royal family and politicians.

    Her denial comes with the new Labour government under attack for accepting free gifts, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was given six tickets to the Swift concert.

    Starmer, who attended the concert with his wife Victoria, announced last week that he had repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts including the concert tickets.

    But Nandy said the police escort, first reported by The Sun newspaper, was not the result of pressure from senior politicians.

    “I utterly reject that there’s been any kind of wrongdoing or undue influence in this case,” she told Sky News television.

    The interior minister, Yvette Cooper, would not have insisted “any individual got the top level of private security arrangements. That is an operational matter for the police, not for the government,” she said.

    Other Labour politicians who enjoyed free tickets for the “Eras” tour shows included Education Minister Bridget Phillipson, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Nandy herself.

    The Swift tour wrapped up its European leg in August in London following dates across a dozen countries.

    The last month of the Europe tour, however, was marred by the thwarted Austria attack, with authorities there revealing that an Islamic State sympathiser was planning a deadly attack at a concert in Vienna.

    Three suspects were detained and all three August concert dates in Vienna were cancelled after an investigation conducted with the help of US intelligence.

    According to The Sun report, Swift’s mother and manager threatened to axe the London shows in August unless she received the police escort.

    It alleged that the Met Police agreed after “personal interventions from Cooper and Khan”, stressing that any cancellation would be “economically damaging and embarrassing”.

    The Swift tour had been forecast to boost the UK economy by almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion), Barclays bank said in a study entitled “Swiftonomics”.

    London’s Metropolitan Police told AFP the force was “operationally independent” with decisions taken on the basis of a “thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and the circumstances of each case”.

  • Ayaz Samoo welcomes baby girl

    Ayaz Samoo welcomes baby girl

    Actor and television host Ayaz Samoo has become a father once again with the birth of his daughter.

    He announced the news by posting a picture of his daughter on his Instagram account with the caption, “ALHAMDULILLAH! I am really happy to announce the arrival of our little princess & M.Amaz’s younger sister. May ALLAH bless her with all the health, good luck, joy and happiness. Aameen.”

    A number of fellow actors and fans have sent him their congratulatory wishes.

    Ayaz tied the knot with his wife, Amna, in December 2017 in Karachi. The couple was blessed with their first child, Amaz Samoo, in May 2019

    Ayaz last starred in the reality show Tamasha in season 3.

  • Bushra Ansari defends Firdous Jamal over controversial statements

    Bushra Ansari defends Firdous Jamal over controversial statements

    Senior actress Bushra Ansari recently shared that a few weeks back, Firdous Jamal was asked about past statements on a TV show.

    The actress appeared on the comedy show ‘Gup Shab,’ where she discussed various issues.

    During the program, she also expressed her frustration, saying she often has to deal with negative comments related to her age, particularly when using social media. Bushra Ansari remarked that because her acting and career have been remarkable, “people resort to age-related taunts when they cannot criticise anything else.”

    She condemned such behaviour, saying, “No one should be insulted for their age, height, complexion, or clothing.”
    “Perhaps those who taunt me about my age think I will either hide from their comments or somehow be young again,” she pointed out.

    She also noted that a senior actor like Firdous Jamal was confronted with past remarks during a recent TV program. Without mentioning Firdous Jamal’s name directly, she said, “He is a very talented and senior actor who has done great work, but old things were brought up against him in the program.”

    She explained, “Even if Firdous Jamal had made a mistake in the past, it was unnecessary to revisit those remarks,” adding that “the controversy surrounding him resurfaced intentionally to create a stir and gain attention.”

    Previously, Firdous Jamal openly criticised Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed in a TV program when asked by the host.

    He commented that Khan had grown older, and while some might still find her beautiful, it was not her fault. He suggested that she should no longer play main roles but rather take on other characters. Similarly, when asked about Humayun Saeed, he referred to the actor as someone who “blocks the way for new talent by using his resources.”

    When Jamal was told that Saeed is one of the highest-paid actors, he controversially replied, “Even prostitutes make money.”

  • Next target is Shehbaz Sharif’s bedroom if Khan allows: Ali Amin Gandapur

    Next target is Shehbaz Sharif’s bedroom if Khan allows: Ali Amin Gandapur

    Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur addressed lawmakers in the KP Assembly yesterday, claiming, “If Imran Khan allows, we will reach Shehbaz Sharif’s bedroom next time.”

    Gandapur has recently come under fire from his party members and supporters for his mysterious role in last week’s PTI rally when he disappeared on October 5 in Islamabad, only to resurface in the KP Assembly a day later.

    “However, Imran Khan has ordered us to remain peaceful and follow the law, and we proved that last week in our protest,” said Gandapur told the KP Assembly.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Talal Chaudhry, while speaking on Geo News, stated: “This isn’t a Bani Gala bedroom where anyone can enter and exit. We know how to protect our state institutions, our leaders and most of all our country.”

  • Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing

    Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing

    A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the Turkish national carrier to make an emergency landing in New York, the airline said on Wednesday.

    The plane had taken off from the western US coastal city of Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

    “The pilot of our Airbus 350… flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight,” he wrote.

    “After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing.”

    The 59-year-old pilot, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had passed a medical examination in March, which gave no indication of any health problems, Ustun wrote.

  • Why a picture of Zainab Abbas and Amir Sohail being criticised?

    Why a picture of Zainab Abbas and Amir Sohail being criticised?

    Former Test captains Amir Sohail and English cricketer Nasser Hussain are commentators in the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and England, with Zainab Abbas serving as the presenter; but both Pakistanis are facing criticism for a viral picture.

    A picture of both is circulating on social media, in which Nasser is sitting and holding an umbrella to avoid the hot sun while the helpers are lifting the umbrellas of Amir Sohail and Zainab Abbas.

    When this picture went viral on social media, users started criticizing it.

    A user wrote that it is a shame that a British man, Nasir Hussain, can hold his umbrella, but these two Pakistanis need help.

    Here are some other reactions.

    In the first match of the Test series between the teams of Pakistan and England, the third day’s play is going on, and three players of England have completed half-centuries. The first match of the 3-match Test series is being played in Multan; on the second day, the entire Pakistan team was bowled out for 556 runs.

  • What warning did Sidhu Moosewala ignore days before his death?

    What warning did Sidhu Moosewala ignore days before his death?

    The sudden murder of Indian Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 on May 29 shocked his fans all over the world.

    Recently, Tajinder Bagga, contestant of Big Boss 18 and a BJP leader, shared a shocking claim.

    Bagga claimed that an astrologer had warned Sidhu Moosewala before his death and suggested to him that he should leave the country.

    Tajinder said, “Sidhu had listened to the astrologer and had planned to leave the country, but eight days after the prediction, Sidhu Moosewala was killed.”

    “I too informed Sidhu about the threat, after this incident, we contacted the astrologer again and asked for advice”, Tajinder added.

    On May 29, 2022, Sidhu Moose Wala was brutally murdered by gunfire in Jawaharke village of Mansa district on May 29, 2022. Over 30 bullets were fired at him.

    Lawrence Bishnoi, a renowned mobster, was later identified as the murder’s facilitator. The singer, a political activist who ran for office in the last election from Mansa on a Congress ticket but was unsuccessful, was the target of the attackers’ long-standing anger.

  • ‘Pakistan to have two Chief Justices after new constitutional court,’ says Farooq H. Naek

    ‘Pakistan to have two Chief Justices after new constitutional court,’ says Farooq H. Naek

    Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), renowned lawyer Farooq Hamid Naek said on Wednesday that there will be two Chief Justices in Pakistan after the formation of the new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).

    Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council from Islamabad claimed that one Chief Justice will head the Federal Constitutional Court while the other will lead the Supreme Court of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

    He further stated that constitutional court judges’ performance will be recorded, and they could be removed through the Judicial Commission based on recommendations, adding that the Committee will propose names for the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.

    Naek further said that the Federal Constitutional Court will have representation from all four provinces of Pakistan.

    Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto, has been campaigning to win the confidence of lawyers nationwide for the formation of a Constitutional Court.

    Addressing the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, the PPP Chairman stated, “If you don’t accept the constitutional courts, you should leave the practice.”

    Meanwhile, some lawyers have rejected the formation of a new constitutional court.

    Speaking at the All Pakistan Lawyers Convention (APLC) organised by the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) on Monday, lawyers condemned the judicial package and declared it a tactic by anti-democratic forces to control the independence of the judiciary.