Current Final

Tag: Pakistan

  • Anti-power theft measures lead to Rs46 billion in recoveries

    Anti-power theft measures lead to Rs46 billion in recoveries

    The government’s unyielding efforts against power theft have produced significant results, surpassing Rs46 billion in recoveries, as announced by Rashid Langrial, Secretary Power Division, Government of Pakistan, in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).


    It’s noteworthy that the anti-power theft campaign commenced on September 7, and the reported outcomes cover the period up to October 31.


    Langrial highlighted the government’s commitment, stating that they have undertaken unprecedented measures, including reshuffling, suspending, prosecuting, and even arresting their own staff.


    Approximately 470 individuals per day have been detained, marking a substantial increase in the rate of apprehension.


    The Secretary highlighted the government’s determination to eliminate external influences, thanks to the unwavering support of the Prime Minister, the Minister-in-Charge, and other segments of state power.


    While revealing the results for the initial two months (53 days), Langrial underscored the importance of placing the figures in context.

    The estimated annual losses across the national grid for the current year stand at Rs589 billion. Notably, around Rs199 billion of these losses are attributed to ex-FATA, Baluchistan tube wells, and AJK.

    However, Langrial clarified that these specific areas are not the primary focus of the campaign due to their unique circumstances. AJK, for instance, handles its own bills but disputes payments on contractual grounds.

    Ex-FATA, exempted from metres due to a policy of appeasement post-integration, and Baluchistan tube wells face enforcement challenges, among other factors.

    Langrial disclosed that efforts are concentrated on the remaining problem space of Rs390 billion, of which Rs46 billion has been recovered in 53 days, averaging Rs867 million per day.
    He cautiously acknowledged that maintaining

    the same level of state support and field effort is crucial for resolving 80 per cent of the problem space, albeit with some uncertainty.

  • Pakistan’s stock market surges above 56,500 for the first time in history

    Pakistan’s stock market surges above 56,500 for the first time in history

    The bullish momentum persisted in the Pakistan stock market today, propelling the key stock gauge to an unprecedented level above 56,000 for the first time in history.

    By the session’s close, the index had reached a historic high of 56,523.58, marking an impressive surge of 1,132.21 points, or 2.04 per cent day-on-day. Notably, the KSE-100 index had experienced a notable gain of 2,268.33 points, or 4.27 per cent, in the preceding week.

    Throughout the day, the index remained in positive territory, achieving an intraday high of 56,583.59 (+1,192.22) and a low of 55,644.68 (+253.31) points. The KSE-100 Index witnessed a total volume of 300.341 million shares traded.

    The prevailing positive sentiment is attributed to the recent PIB auction on November 8, which exhibited a substantial decline in yields.

    This decline may indicate market expectations of an earlier-than-anticipated reduction in interest rates.

    Additionally, investors are anticipating a higher weighting for Pakistan in the upcoming review by global index provider Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), scheduled for tomorrow.

    In today’s session, out of the 100 index companies, 57 closed higher, 23 closed lower, 1 remained unchanged, and 19 were untraded.

    The strength of the KSE-100 index was supported by sectors such as power generation and distribution, fertiliser, commercial banks, cement, and automobile assembly.

    Contributing positively to the index were companies like HUBC, EFERT, MTL, BAHL, and MCB, accumulating significant points.

    On the other hand, the KSE-100 Index faced a downturn primarily due to the refinery sector, Inv. Banks/Inv. Cos./Securities Cos., Transport, Leather & Tanneries, and Automobile Parts & Accessories.

    Companies exerting downward pressure on the index included MEBL, UPFL, KEL, OGDC, and NATF. The intricate dynamics of today’s market underscore the varied performances across different sectors and companies within the KSE-100 Index.

  • Arrest warrants issued for Imran Khan in two more cases

    Arrest warrants issued for Imran Khan in two more cases

    An Accountability Court in Islamabad on Monday issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in cases pertaining to the Toshakhana and 190-million-pound Al-Qadir Trust. 

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed an application to comply with the arrest warrants of Chairman PTI.

    Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing on the two cases where NABfiled an application seeking Khan’s arrest warrants.

    Judge Bashir approved the issuance of the warrants while directing the jail superintendent to take measures to ensure the warrants were complied with.

    Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, Prosecutor Irfan Bhola, Investigation Officers Mohsin, Waqarul Hasan, Mian Umar Nadeem, and others appeared before the court.

    The court asked the prosecutor what the High Court did in these cases.

    To which the prosecutor replied that the matter was pending, mentioning that the court neither suspended the order nor issued a standing order.

    The warrants are expected to be complied with in jail today. Imran Khan will be provided with a copy of the warrant as well as briefed about the reasons for his arrest.

    Sources said that the NAB has decided to immediately arrest Khan after the issuance of his arrest warrants, as per Aaj News.

    The anti-graft body is likely to arrest the PTI chief today from Adiala jail where a team including investigation officers of the Bureau will arrive to ensure compliance with the warrants, they added.

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Bushra Bibi in trouble

    Earlier today, former First Lady Bushra Bibi was summoned by NAB in a £190 million case, and as per media reports her arrest could be on the cards.

    Bushra was summoned at 2 pm to the NAB office in G-6 in Islamabad. Farhat Shahzadi, alias Farah Gogi, a former close aide of Bushra, has also been summoned in the same case today.

    Moreover, NAB also provided Bushra Bibi with an 11-point questionnaire in the Al-Qadir Trust case. 

    During her appearance in the NAB office, Bushra Bibi was questioned about Farah Gogi.

    The questionnaire given to her also included queries about her relations with Farah Gogi, the reasons for creating Al-Qadir Trust, whether she took any courses in jurisprudence or pedagogy, whether she continued to receive benefits from Al-Qadir Trust as a teacher, whether she was satisfied with Farah Gogi’s financial affairs and if Malik Riaz himself showed interest in Al-Qadir Trust or she contacted him. 

  • Lahore court orders closure of schools on Saturday, work-from-home twice a week

    Lahore court orders closure of schools on Saturday, work-from-home twice a week

    Justice Shahid Kareem of the Lahore High Court on Monday ordered the caretaker provincial government to close all educational institutions on Saturdays across the province. The judge also ordered that work-from-home-policy be enforced two days a week for offices. 

    The ruling was passed during a hearing of a petition pertaining to the measures taken by the Punjab government to control air pollution. “Commissioner Lahore has failed completely in controlling smog. He talks big but nothing happens on the ground. Just a notification is issued to shut everything,” he reprimanded the authorities of Lahore. 

    “Videos of crop residual burning being shared are very disappointing,” Justice Karim said, ordering the instant removal of deputy commissionaires in Sheikhupura, Jhang, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Nankana and Bahawalnagar, citing the deteriorating situation of smog in these districts. He ordered the Chief Secretary to immediately issue a notification to transfer the aforementioned officers. 

  • What is the ‘Farah Gogi fiasco’?

    What is the ‘Farah Gogi fiasco’?

    The disclosed assets of Farhat Shahzadi, also known as Farah Gogi, alleged to be the front person of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, surged by an astonishing Rs4.52 billion between 2017 and 2020, a report by Express News has stated. 

    The revelations, made public on Thursday, suggest widespread corruption involving Shahzadi, a close associate of Imran Khan and his wife, former First Lady Bushra Bibi. 

    The details of Farah Gogi’s assets were made public by journalist Zahid Gishkori in 2022, who was associated with Samaa News at that time.

    Farah Gogi, who confessed to owning assets worth Rs950 million in 2020, saw a staggering 420% increase in her declared assets during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. 

    The report alleges that she also possesses undisclosed assets amounting to Rs3.82 billion.

    The disclosed assets, as per the report, include agricultural land in Bahawalpur and Gujranwala, residential and commercial properties in Islamabad and Lahore, and 200 kanals of agricultural land in Chakri. 

    Furthermore, investigations revealed her involvement in crimes such as money laundering, with accusations of working as a fake doctor in the UK alongside her husband.

    The report claims that Gogi took advantage of the tax amnesty scheme in 2018, regularizing Rs489 million in black money collected through bribes for various postings, transfers, and government contracts. 

    The report further alleges that Gogi received 240 kanals of land as a bribe from a property tycoon involved in an out-of-court settlement with the UK’s National Crime Agency.

    According to the report, the number of Gogi’s bank accounts showed a significant abnormal increase from 2019 to 2021, with Rs426 million deposited in one account through 47 transactions from 2018 to 2022. 

    In total, 102 bank accounts linked to Gogi, her husband, and associates across the country were identified, with a sum of Rs14.5 billion.

    In response to these allegations, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Central Deputy General Secretary Ataullah Tarar held a press conference in Lahore, accusing Gogi and others of engaging in corruption. 

    He urged Gogi to return to Pakistan and testify about Imran Khan’s involvement.

    Imran Khan’s lawyer, Sher Afzal Marwat, dismissed the allegations as a new wave of propaganda against Bushra Bibi, Imran’s wife. 

    Marwat emphasized the need to avoid further political unrest in Pakistan.

    Secret foreign passport

    Recent developments indicate that Farah Gogi used a secret foreign passport to travel abroad for the alleged purpose of laundering wealth belonging to Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi as per Geo News.

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered a money-laundering and kickbacks case against Gogi in March, with her bank accounts reportedly holding over Rs14 billion.

    Meanwhile, Gogi sent a legal notice to the NAB chairman, FIA DG, Punjab IG, and Anti-Corruption Department (ACE) DG on the issue of leaking her property details.

    According to the fresh reports, Gogi used to travel abroad on the passport of Vanuatu, a string of more than 80 islands once known as the New Hebrides which is situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

    The sources also claimed that the son of a property tycoon had been given the task of arranging a secret international passport for Gogi. The property tycoon’s son paid $130,000 to a renowned trader to obtain the passport.

    On March 28, 2022, the secret passport was handed over to Gogi, the sources added.

    In order to get her escape from accountability, Gogi was sent abroad on a Pakistani passport just six days before the Khan-led government was toppled. 

    In a bid to dodge the investigation agencies, she travelled abroad on a foreign passport, except Dubai.

  • Rare fungal infection Histoplasmosis claims one life in Islamabad 

    Rare fungal infection Histoplasmosis claims one life in Islamabad 

    Head of the Infection and Disease department Dr Nasim Akhtar in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has cautioned that the rare and potentially fatal fungal infection Histoplasmosis may spread in Islamabad. Two cases have been reported in the capital city, with one patient dying of the fungal disease. The other is recovering slowly.

    It was previously believed that the fungus did not exist in Pakistan but the diagnosis has been confirmed after a detailed examination of the two patients. The deceased young man was admitted to the hospital six months ago, while medical staff managed to save the other patient by giving him anti-fungal medication. Professor Nasim stated that histoplasmosis, a fungal infection, thrives in soil with high levels of bird or bat droppings.

    No other case has been reported across the country but the presence of the fungus itself is worrisome, Dr.Nasim has said. Citing the lack of confirmed diagnosis, many patients remain untested, he added, stressing the need for the facility of Urinary Histoplasma Antigen Test to be made available in PIMS, Pakistan. 

    Histoplasmosis is a fungus commonly found in the soil. Although it may not afflict most people, those with compromised immune systems may suffer from fever, fatigue, and a cough, leading to severe complications like that of lung infection. 

  • ‘My married life is no one’s business’: Reham Khan shuts down divorce rumours

    ‘My married life is no one’s business’: Reham Khan shuts down divorce rumours

    British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan has addressed rumours that she has divorced her husband Mirza Bilal. Speaking in a six-minute video, Reham confirmed that the news is fake, criticising trolls for being invested in her personal life.

    “Whether I get married 12 times or get divorced 12 times, it’s none of your bloody business,” Reham said. “If you gave this much attention to your own life, career and your children, you would be so much better.”

    Her husband was seated next to her.

    “Whoever’s sleep got disturbed because of our marriage, first of all I want to tell them they can sleep now peacefully. Whoever was upset they don’t need to stay worried any longer, we have taken care of our issues.”

    Reham tied the knot with Mirza Bilal in an intimate ceremony in Seattle last year, and revealed the news on social media by calling it the happiest day of her life by marrying someone “who will be around me in my darkest hour”.

  • Angelina Jolie ‘saddened’ by forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

    Angelina Jolie ‘saddened’ by forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

    Angelina Jolie has always been one for speaking her mind. The Hollywood A-lister and UNHCR ambassador won hearts globally when she openly criticised the Israeli regime for air strikes on Gaza which has claimed countless innocent lives. Now, she has spoken out against the deportation of 1. (www.enov8.com) 4 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

    Reporters have said that they are banned from taking pictures of detention centres or to speak with any of the captives, and several families have reported that their children were being picked up despite having a birth certificate.

    Sharing clips of Afghan families and children stranded at the border, Angelina called this an example of “the backsliding in human rights globally,” on her Instagram.

    “Pakistan has been a supporter for many Afghan refugee families for decades. I am saddened they would so abruptly push back refugees who face the impossible realities of trying to survive in today’s Afghanistan, where women have again been deprived of all rights and the possibility of education, many are being imprisoned, and there is a deep humanitarian crisis.

    It is yet another example of the backsliding in human rights globally, and is a new tragedy in the long history of the suffering of Afghan people – who have experienced nothing but war and conflict and displacement for over forty years, and are being abandoned by the world after all the promises that were made of a better future for the Afghan people.”

  • Underage driver kills six of a family in Lahore

    Underage driver kills six of a family in Lahore

    Six members of a family in Lahore were killed when an underage driver crashed into their vehicle late on Saturday night. The accident took place in DHA Phase 7 when a family driving back to their residence in Shadab Colony on Ferozpur Road, was rammed into another vehicle being driven by a teenage boy, Afnan Shafqat.

    The victims were quickly moved to the Lahore General Hospital in severely injured condition but they could not survive. They were identified as Rukhsana, 52; Anabia, 3; Huzaifa, four months; Muhammad Hasnain, 28; Sajjad, 26; Ayesha, 22, as reported by The Nation.

    A case has been registered against the driver. According to witnesses, he was driving rashly and his speeding car hit the victims’ car from the left side. The collision was so bad that it overturned the latter’s car altogether, resulting in their death.

    Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi offered condolences over the incident and sought a report from senior police officers.

  • Murtaza Solangi says President Alvi undermining his credibility by speaking for one political party

    Murtaza Solangi says President Alvi undermining his credibility by speaking for one political party

    Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Solangi, has said that President Dr. Arif Alvi should represent all political parties in accordance with the law and the constitution, to foster unity in the country.

    Talking to the media on Sunday, Solangi said that the President’s role was not limited to one party, urging him to speak on behalf of all political parties.

    “If the president continues to speak for one political party, it would undermine his own credibility,” he said.

    Highlighting the essence of democracy as a platform for dialogue, Solangi dismissed concerns over complaints and grievances, stating that every party and individual had the right to voice their concerns at appropriate forums including courts and the election commission.

    As regards the upcoming elections, Solangi pledged the caretaker government’s full cooperation and assistance to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in accordance with the law and the constitution.

    He commended the competence and the sense of responsibility shown by the current ECP management, noting that they adhered to the action plan outlined for the elections.

    The people of Pakistan will determine the country’s future course on February 8, 2024, a date slated for the elections, he added.