In a historical move, yesterday the National Assembly passed the ‘Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill’ 2020, which has granted mothers the right to take up to six months paid maternity leave from their workplaces at their first birth, as well as leaves for three to four months during the birth of their second and third child as the bill states:
“Maternity leave shall in the prescribed manner be granted on full pay outside the leave account to a female employee on her option to the extent of one hundred and eighty days on first birth, one hundred and twenty days on second birth, ninety days on third birth.”
The bill also granted paternity leave for fathers, allowing men to take one month paid leaves from their work places on the birth of their child:
“A male employee expecting his wife to give birth to a child shall , at his option, be granted paternity leave on full pay not exceeding thirty days.”
The bill has been passed in federal territory, which means it will be made a legal priority for Islamabad workplaces to include paid paternity and maternity leave in their policies. But hopefully, this progressive step will soon encourage other cities to take note and follow to make inclusive policies that do not push women out of the workplace after their marriage.
The bill was presented at the National Assembly by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Quratulain Marri, who praised her colleagues support to prioritise social issues, which helped in making this landmark legislation possible.
Work becomes less difficult when your Party leadership consistently encourages you & prioritises social issues. So much work by so many people has made passing this landmark legislation possible. So grateful to every one of them. https://t.co/wsOFnWNeYv
Social media users have celebrated the legislation as a progressive step that will stop women from being forced to chose between motherhood and their jobs, and applauded Senator Marri for helping ensure this will happen.
Big news goes unnoticed! Pak’s Parliament passes a historic bill, a remarkable stride for women's welfare. This progressive legislation emphasizes the importance of family and work-life balance. Kudos to our lawmakers for prioritizing the well-being of families!#ProgressivePakhttps://t.co/7RCUDJiyAF
As a mother myself & having friends who are embarking on this amazing journey of parenthood, I feel this was so much needed in #Pakistan – esp since more & more couples are working! Maternity leaves / paternity leaves give a breathing space to them both! 👏 https://t.co/B5pos3xmHX
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has extended bail for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan till May 31.
The decision was made during a hearing of PTI’s plea to provide details of more than 100 cases in which Imran is booked.
The former Prime Minister was represented by Barrister Gohar in court today. The government’s attorney asked for extra time to disclose details regarding the charges brought against the PTI chief.
The court, while approving the request of the government’s attorney, postponed the hearing until May 31, passing orders not to arrest Imran Khan until then.
Earlier IHC, barred authorities from arresting Imran Khan till May 17 in any new case registered against him after May 9.
Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, the daughter of Shireen Mazari, appeared on Spot Light at AajTv with Munizae Jahangir on Tuesday, where she expressed her disappointment in PTI chief Imran Khan for not speaking up about the arrest, which she labels as an abduction.
During the show, the anchor asked Imaan if Imran Khan had shown any support to her upon her mother’s arrest. The human rights activist replied, “I’m very disappointed, even though my mother always stood by Imran Khan, he did not utter a single word at her abduction”.
During the show Imaan further revealed that instead of releasing her mother from Adiala Jail, the Islamabad police abducted her and took her to another police station.
She continued by saying that she reached the secretariat police station after she received unverified information about her mother’s location with her lawyer.
When she reached there, officials asked her to go to and meet G-11 Superintendent, but Imaan said that she entered the police station forcefully screaming her mother’s name and she then saw her mother behind prison shouting that she was being beaten. Imaan said that her mother advised her to leave the police station.
She told the anchor that officials dragged her out, adding that she is unsure of what really happened.
میری والدہ کو اڈیالہ جیل سے رہا کرنے کی بجائے اسلام آباد پولیس اغوا کرکے کسی اور تھانے لے گئی جب میں اپنی والدہ کی تلاش میں سیکرٹریٹ تھانہ پہنچی تو میری والدہ وہاں پر چیخ رہی تھی کہ مجھ پر تشدد کیا جا رہا ہے :ایمان مزاری@MunizaeJahangir .@ImaanZHazirpic.twitter.com/E41GzcjyR7
Shireen Mazari was arrested by the police in the early hours of the previous Friday. Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday deemed the detention of Shireen under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) as unlawful and ordered her immediate release. However, she was arrested again by police shortly after her release from Adiala Jail. In a tweet, Imaan Mazari said that she does not know about the whereabouts of her mother.
According to reliable sources, Pakistan has agreed to pay an annual profit of four per cent to Saudi Arabia on a deposit of $2 billion with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for a duration of one year.
This decision was made to fulfill one of the prerequisites set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which demanded that Pakistan secure external funding of approximately $6 billion, according to Brecorder.
Additionally, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also confirmed to the IMF that it will deposit $1 billion with the State Bank of Pakistan.
On May 10, 2023, the Finance Division presented an additional agenda item to the Federal Cabinet, informing them that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through its Ministry of Finance, had agreed to deposit $2 billion with the State Bank of Pakistan for a one-year period. The proposed annual profit rate was set at 4 per cent.
The draft Deposit Agreement, provided by the Saudi side, was sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Office of the Attorney General for Pakistan for examination and clearance in accordance with the Cabinet’s decision on May 14, 2019.
Upon approval by the Federal Cabinet, the Finance Division of the Government of Pakistan will authorize the State Bank of Pakistan to proceed with the Deposit Agreement. The Ministry of Law and Justice has given its clearance to the draft
Agreement, subject to the completion of all necessary formalities, while the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has granted its approval for tax exemption.
Anchor Muhammad Junaid made the country proud when he became the first ever Pakistani journalist to participate in the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon, a feat he completed in a week.
In the Boston Marathon, held on April 17 in Eastern Massachusetts, Junaid completed the run in 3 hours, 36 min and 38 seconds. He participated along side other Pakistani-Americans like Salman Khan, Hamid Butt, Prem Kumar, Aamad Butt and Shariq Samad. Dr Salman & Hamid Butt are Abbott 6 Start Finishers.
Whereas in the London Marathon, which Junaid finished in 3 hours, 21 minutes and 38 seconds, he ran alongside others Pakistani or Pakistani origin marathons runners. Sadiq Shah, Faisal Shafi, Semeena Khan, Danish Raza, Prem Kumar, Farrukh Sadiq, Dr Jehanzeb Mughal, Danish Elahe, Imran Aleem & Ammar Mumtaz were also among them.
Saqid Shah, a Quetta born and currently a Karachi resident made history at the London Marathon by completing the race in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 20 seconds, becoming the fastest Pakistani runner in London Marathon. He appeared on the Geo News show ‘Geo Pakistan’, along with Muhammad Junaid.
The Current reached out to Junaid to chat about his recent accomplishments, and how running become one of his favorite hobbies, and the Geo News anchor gave us some interesting insights.
Q. You mentioned in your bio that you previously participated in the Boston Marathon. Is running your passion?
Junaid: I started more organised and focused running a few years ago and ran marathons in Karachi and Istanbul. Women and men of the running community realised that the number of Pakistanis in International marathons is very limited and we decided to train to run them. Every marathon has its own value but running Boston marathon can be any runner’s biggest dream. I collaborated with Pakistani Americans & partnered with South Asian Circle of Hopkinton through Hopkinton Board in Massachusetts to run Boston Marathon and open paths for more South Asians in future. It’s an achievement for South Asians in USA and Pakistanis here.
Q. Winning this race seems like an impossible task, so how did you train for this marathon? Especially considering that you’re a Karachi food lover.
Junaid: The goal is to finish the marathon in a good time, preferably faster than your previous time, for any marathon runner 70 KM per week is considered a standard mileage. Per week can vary for everyone, but yes you have got be careful with food. Protein is most important in that because it helps make and repair cells, which are critical for growth and development. So yes chicken, yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese, seafood, nut butters and then good carbs like wholegrain items, sweet potato, brown rice, and lots and lots of water, in my experience anyone involved in sports should avoid carbonated drinks because of the amount of processed sugar in them.
Q. You met politicians like MP Zarah Sultana who congratulated you for your prestigious win! How did that feel?
Junaid: For the Boston Marathon, Pakistani-American Shahid Ahmed Khan, who is currently a member of US President Joe Biden’s prestigious President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts (PACA), Irfan Nasrullah, and the President of South Asian Circle Ruta Upalekar and her team’s role was significant in helping me prepare for the marathon. From Pakistan, it was nearly impossible without support of Geo News. London Marathon was a collaboration for me with the Pakistani-British Journalist Saima Mohsin to raise funds for Scope, a UK charity working mainly for people with disabilities and facing cost of living crises. In that collaboration, we met British Pakistani MPs Naz Shah and Zarah Sultana, who are an inspiration for many and they assured us of their support to work in order to send more Pakistanis of all genders in world sports specially London Marathon.
Q. These initiatives are wonderful but sadly such things have not taken place in Pakistan. Should Pakistani politicians also start setting up running marathons, now that petrol prices are soaring and we’re looking for cheaper ways to travel?
Junaid: Pakistan does not have any international standard running events so far but Shoaib Nizami and other partners are working to organise Pakistan’s first internationally recognised marathon, Karachi Marathon, this year, which can help people here to get first hand experience of running an official marathon.
Junaid revealed that currently he is gearing up along side other Pakistani marathon runners to participate in the upcoming Berlin Marathon being held on September 24, where 50 runners from Pakistan are expected to participate.
Besides the fact that Pakistanis are underrepresented at these races, the number of women runners is even less but the running community is trying to change that. Last year, at London Marathon, Kaukab Sarwar and Hira Diwan ran in the race for TCF with the help of a friend of Pakistan, Mike Nithavrianakis. It is expected that a bigger number of women will be participating in Berlin Marathon this year. Hira Diwan, who is a British Pakistani, has run four world major marathons including New York & Chicago.
Following the internet blackout in Pakistan, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin-ul-Haque distanced his ministry from the blockage, stating that they were not taken into confidence.
According to Geo, Haque revealed that mobile internet services were suspended without the Ministry of IT’s consultation. Since 2017, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not been under the Ministry of IT, and the PTA has been operating independently.
The minister explained that blocking social media websites or the internet was not the solution to any issue, and he urged people to be open-minded rather than resorting to using a VPN to access blocked sites.
Haque suggested that instead of completely blocking the internet, it could be blocked in specific areas. He emphasized that the IT sector suffered losses of billions of rupees due to internet blockages.
The suspension of mobile broadband and restricted access to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube occurred after violent protests arose in response to the Rangers personnel arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court. At least ten people died, and dozens sustained injuries during the days-long protests.
After almost a seven-day suspension, the government restored access to social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. The suspension was recommended by the interior ministry and is the longest continuous shutdown in a country that often suspends communication as a tool to quell unrest. Telecom operators suffered an approximate revenue loss of Rs820 million, which was a significant blow to the sector as the economy remained in a fragile state.
Additionally, the government blocked major social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, while YouTube services were slower to control the spread of disinformation.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Pakistani rupee (PKR) strengthened by Rs0.01 against the US dollar in the interbank market on Tuesday.
The local currency managed to recover and closed at Rs284.96.
In contrast, the dollar is being traded at Rs290 in the open market.
It’s worth noting that the rupee had reached a record low of Rs298.93 against the US dollar last week.
Market speculation suggests that the rupee’s gains were further supported by reduced demand for foreign currency, resulting from a significant import payment between May 9 and 11, coinciding with the period of heightened political drama in the country.
Reports indicate that the substantial dollar payment for imports had been arranged by the oil refineries. Oil imports constitute approximately one-fourth of the total import bill for a month.
Earlier, the rupee experienced a sharp decline of 4.71 per cent or Rs14.09 in just two days (May 10-11), hitting a record low of Rs298.93/$ due to worsening political turmoil and deteriorating law and order following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, the rupee managed to recover some of its losses after Khan’s release on May 12, as ordered by the court.
Pakistani female mountaineer Naila Kiani has summited Mount Lhotse just two days after scaling Mount Everest.
On Tuesday morning, Kiani became the first Pakistani woman to summit six 8000-meter mountains after she successfully scaled Mount Lhotse in Nepal.
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain in the world at 8,516 metres, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga.
Apart from Lhotse, the other five 8000 metre mountains Kiani has summited include Everest, K2, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II. Kiani’s expedition organisers in Nepal confirmed that she reached on top of Lhotse at 8:13 am local time today morning.
According to Karrar Haidri of Alpine Club of Pakistan, Kiani is the first Pakistani woman to climb Lhotse and the country’s fastest woman to ascend six peaks higher than 8,000 metres.
There have been several Pakistani mountaineers who have successfully summited Mount Lhotse and Mount Everest. Nazir Sabir, the first Pakistani to climb Mount Everest, also summited Mount Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world.
He achieved this feat in 2001. Ashraf Aman has also summited both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse.
Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, has also successfully summited Mount Lhotse. She accomplished the feat in 2014, becoming the first Pakistani woman to summit both peaks.
Mirza Ali is a Pakistani mountaineer who has climbed both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse. He achieved this double summit in 2019, becoming the first Pakistani to accomplish this feat within 24 hours.
These are some of the Pakistani mountaineers who have conquered both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse, two of the most challenging and renowned peaks in the world.
Their achievements reflect the determination and skill of Pakistani climbers in tackling the world’s highest mountains.
Inspector General Police Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar, announced that an estimated amount of Rs300 to 400 million will be allocated towards the healthcare welfare of the police force. This funding will cover all essential medical tests and treatments for conditions such as heart diseases, kidney ailments, and other vital organ disorders.
Dr Anwar conveyed this message through a video addressed to the police force on Monday, emphasizing the importance of health screening and the provision of medical facilities. He informed that 50 per cent of the constabulary has already undergone health screening, with certain districts achieving 100 per cent completion. The Inspector General commended the District Police Officers (DPOs) responsible for ensuring the health screening of the constabulary in their respective districts.
During the health screening process, employees were made aware of previously undetected diseases, including hepatitis B and C. Dr Anwar assured that a treatment for Hepatitis C has been discovered, and the department will provide free treatment to all affected employees suffering from the disease.
Regarding hepatitis B, he mentioned that a permanent cure has not yet been found, but supportive treatment options are available to benefit affected employees. In order to safeguard the remaining police force and their families from this disease, it has been decided to administer vaccinations. The police department will bear all expenses associated with this initiative.
Dr Anwar highlighted the safety of the vaccine, stating that he will personally receive the vaccination as a testament to its reliability. These measures are being taken to prioritize the health, well-being, and treatment of police personnel. He urged the police force to stand united as an impenetrable barrier against criminals, oppressors, and terrorists. The primary duty of the police force, as stated by the Inspector General, is to protect the lives, properties, and dignity of Pakistani citizens.
In a separate development, a sum of Rs200,000 has been allocated from the welfare fund of Punjab Police for the medical treatment of the mothers of two martyrs from the Lahore Police, Constable Ghulam Murtaza and Constable Ali Raza. Additionally, a medical grant of Rs100,000 has been approved for ASI Qadeer Akhtar of Multan Police to cover the expenses of his brain surgery.
Furthermore, the Inspector General has authorized an honorarium for the staff working in training colleges and schools throughout the province. An amount of Rs1.25 crore will be distributed among the staff members in training institutes located in Lahore, Sihala, Multan, Rawalpindi, Farooqabad, and Sargodha.
Culinary icon and lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has made history at age 81 as the first elderly person to pose for the front cover of the swimsuit magazine Sports Illustrated.
Gushing about her experience on the ‘TODAY’ show, Stewart opened up about how she at first felt she wasn’t the right person to pose for the cover, but then chose to do it with confidence:
“I like that picture,” Stewart said with a giggle on TODAY. “I’m sort of shaking because it’s odd to go to an island and then get changed into nine different bathing suits in one day in front of all those people … it turned out OK.”
“You know, that was kind of a request I have never had before,“ the food writer chuckled. “And to be on the cover at my age was a challenge. I think I met the challenge.”
In a statement, MJ Day, the editor in chief of Sports Illustrated, said that women like Martha Stewart were legends who had forged their own career, so it was important to have her as representation of the type of women shaping the future:
“Martha Stewart is a legend. The definition of a great female entrepreneur who built a dynasty against insurmountable odds. While the industry wavers on its arbitrary notion of beauty, our issue has stayed the course, showcasing the women of today, the women shaping the future. This year, we’re featuring an extremely diverse group of women starting with our cover models, who are collectively the most unapologetic women from different walks of life who continue to forge their own paths on their own terms.”
