On Wednesday, Shell Pakistan (SHEL.PSX) announced that its parent company’s subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Company, has entered into an agreement with Wafi Energy for the sale of its domestic operations.
The international branch of Shell (SHEL.L), known as Shell Petroleum Company, anticipates the completion of this sale by the fourth quarter of 2024, pending regulatory approvals.
Back in June, Shell Petroleum Company declared its intention to divest its 77 per cent ownership stake in Pakistan.
This decision follows a series of global operational updates by Shell and significant losses incurred by Shell Pakistan (SPL) in 2022.
These losses were primarily attributed to fluctuating exchange rates, the devaluation of the Pakistani rupee, delayed receivables, and the backdrop of a financial crisis and economic slowdown in the country.
According to Reuters, Wafi Energy, an entirely owned affiliate of Asyad Holding Group, a fuel retailer based in Saudi Arabia, is the acquiring party.
Shell Pakistan’s operations encompass more than 600 mobility sites, 10 fuel terminals, a lubricant oil blending plant, and a 26 per cent ownership interest in Pak-Arab Pipeline Company Limited.
In October, Pakistan witnessed a year-on-year headline inflation rate of 26.9 per cent, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Wednesday.
This figure represents a notable decrease from the previous month’s reading of 31.4 per cent in September. Additionally, the month-on-month inflation rate for October showed a 1.1 per cent increase.
When considering the average inflation from July to October, it amounted to 28.48 per cent, a contrast to the 25.48 per cent recorded during the same period the previous year.
In its most recent ‘Monthly Economic Update and Outlook’ report, the Ministry of Finance projected that consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation in Pakistan for October would fall within the range of 27 per cent to 29 per cent.
The ministry anticipated that inflation would exhibit a more contained trend compared to the elevated levels observed during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024.
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics further distinguished between urban and rural inflation rates. In urban areas, the year-on-year CPI inflation increased to 25.5 per cent in October 2023, marking a decline from the 29.7 per cent observed in the previous month and the 24.6 per cent recorded in October 2022.
On a month-on-month basis, urban inflation experienced a 1.1 per cent increase in October 2023, compared to a 1.7 per cent increase in the previous month and a 4.5 per cent increase in October 2022.
Similarly, in rural areas, the year-on-year CPI inflation rose to 28.9 per cent in October 2023, which represented a decrease from the 33.9 per cent recorded in the previous month and the 29.5 per cent in October 2022.
On a month-on-month basis, rural inflation increased by 1.1 per cent in October 2023, in contrast to a 2.5 per cent increase in the previous month and a 5.0 per cent increase in October 2022.
The government of Pakistan launched a crackdown against illegal foreigners on October 3 while a deadline of November 1 was announced for the immigrants to voluntarily leave the country or face deportation. The program has been given the name of IFRP-The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.
The interim federal Minister for Interior, Sarfraz Bugti, categorically announced that that there will be, “No compromise” after the deadline.
Stats reveal that 90,000 Afghans have left the country and a number of families are driving back home via Torkham and Chaman borders to avoid the hassle of the deadline.
Breakdown of the Afghan Population in Pakistan
The government has recognized that a total of three million Afghans are residing all over the country out of which 1.7 million are unregistered and undocumented. The rest are the ones who have Proof of Registration with UNHCR or hold Afghan Citizen Card. As per UNHCR, the population of Afghan refugees has grown to 3.7 million while only 1.3 million are officially registered. There was a particular rise in the influx of the population after the exodus of American and NATO forces from Afghanistan. Breaking down the figures, it’s observed that as of June 2023, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa hosts 52.6 percent (735,800) of Pakistan’s undocumented Afghan population, Balochistan accounts for 24.1 percent (321,677), Punjab has 14.3 percent (191,053), Sindh houses 5.5 percent (73,789), Islamabad accommodates 3.1 percent (41,520), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir hosts 0.3 percent (4,352).
Government’s Repatriation plan
After November 1, raids will be conducted to bring all to “holding centres” and carry out the deportation plan. The government’s deportation plan as laid out by the caretaker Interior Minister is divided into three phases. The plan was laid out in detail in an interview with journalist Shehzad Iqbal on Geo TV. He clearly mentioned that this plan is for “all the Afghans” present in Pakistan and goes on to explain the varying types of them.
In phase one, refugees without any evidence of authorisation or travel documents will be brought to the deportation centres and will be sent to the borders to go back to Afghanistan.
The second phase includes the immigrants who have infiltrated the system of citizenship via illegal means. In the words of the interim minister, they have “breached” the system of NADRA.
The last phase includes the repatriation of the ones who hold documents or are registered with UNHCR. The Government will track them down eventually as “geo-mapping” is completed, claimed the Minister. Meanwhile, they can fully avail the opportunity of open borders to leave peacefully. The holding centers will serve as a temporary home for those to be deported by the Government in a matter of days. Centers are reportedly established in all the provinces and state machinery has been activated to get the task done in time.
Government’s Crackdown
Even though the Government is pledging to take action after November 1, there are multiple reports of raids being made in different cities before the deadline. For instance, one raid in Islamabad Marriot made it to the headlines as the Government arrested UK, asylum seekers. They have been waiting for two years in Pakistan withheld by the UK government in hopes of immigrating to UK, since the Taliban’s takeover. British High Commission has sped up the process after the raid.
Stance of the Pakistan’s government
The motives of the Pakistani government are clear. “In the 24 blasts that took place in the year 2023, 14 were carried out by Afgan nationals,” claimed the Interior Minister. He also claims Afghan nationals are involved in the rising crime ratio of the country. The government strongly denies allegations that the move is reactionary.
Status of Afghans in Pakistan’s society and economy
Afghan nationals residing in the country have a significant contribution to the economy. Most of them started out with small jobs involving physical labour but are now well-established. One such account is narrated by the spokesman of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Balochistan Haji Allah Dad Tareen who sees Pakistan as his home country as younger generations have been born and raised here and they made a living from scratch. “We did not have much economic stability in Quetta before the Afghan Civil War when the people came here, they had lands, agriculture, livestock back at home which were all sold and they invested their money in Pakistan to make a living. This is how the past forty years passed and their young generation belongs to Pakistan, completely. They were born here, they’ve grown up and got educated and completely assimilated in the society just like other locals have,” he said. It is one of many examples. According to Humayun Khan, an economic expert, the PTI Government under Imran Khan offered citizenship to these Afghan Nationals because they realized that if these Afghans went back, this would cause a “revenue drain” on Pakistan’s economy.
Reception of the Repatriation Program
The decision has invited mixed reactions from civil society, activists, journalists, politicians, and netizens from different walks of life.
Afghan government’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid called the decision “unacceptable”.
He also denounced the involvement of Afghans in the terrorist attacks in Pakistan. This indicates an impending rift between the two states.
In an interview for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Hina Jillani, with journalist Rabia Mehmood, called the decision “Irrational, unreasonable, unauthorized and unlawful.”
Hina Jilani, chair @HRCP87 emphasised in @NewWaveGlobal_ discussion that Pak interim govt has no mandate to set policy on expulsion of Afghan refugees/asylumseekers a decision which is irrational, unreasonable, unauthorised & unlawful by Pk state. pic.twitter.com/HdlNTpD0Q8
Women’s Democratic Front exposed that the government is deporting the ones holding registration cards and is not allowing them to take their cattle and cash along with them.
The news that even the registered card holding refugees are being deported and are not being allowed to take their belongings especially cattle & cash is unjust and cruel. This further dispossesses an already marginalised people.
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) October 30, 2023
Moniza Kakar, a human rights lawyer vocal about the pleas of Afghan refugees, along with Aurat March Karachi, organized a peaceful protest to call out the government on the forceful deportation of the Afghan Refugees.
Participated in a protest organized by #AuratMarch against Pakistan’s unjust mass deportation of Afghan refugees. It was heartening to see a diverse group of civil society members from Karachi come together to raise their voices against this unjust policy. #RefugeeRightspic.twitter.com/4FsY8AAJhi
Shafiq Ahmed, an advocate on Twitter, highlighted the issue of forceful expulsion of a huge population to a land they have fled from.
A refugee shall not be deported to a State where his life or liberty would be threatend for reasons of race , colour, religion, political belief or membership of a particular social group.#RefugeesRights#AfghanRefugees#StopDeportingAfghanRefugees
In Geo TV’s show Report Card, journalist Mazhar Abbas questioned the capacity of NADRA to have complete information about all the illegal aliens countering the claims of Caretaker Interior Minister Bugti to have done complete geo-mapping.
Renowned Journalist Azaz Syed is critical of the decision and called it “emotional” in its spirit because many such attempts have been done before by UNHCR but it has turned out that they take the money and come back making use of the porous border.
پاکستان میں افغان مہاجرین کی وطن وآپسی پر بے جا جذباتی پن کا مظاہرہ کیا جارہا ہے۔ کاش ہم ہوش کے ناخن لیں۔ کینیڈا میں سلمی ا زاہد نامی پاکستانی نے 15 سال میں وہاں محنت کرکے اپنا مقام بنایا اور پارلیمینٹ کی رکن بنیں ہم اپنے ہم وطنوں کے لیے بیرون ممالک میں حقوق مانگتے ہیں مگر… pic.twitter.com/HHRRYDirr9
Irshad Bhatti, congratulated the Government and military leadership on this historic decision.
The government, however, has kept the decision intact and maintained that they are ready for the fallout if any because such hard decisions come with all the positives and negatives.
Hyderabad chapter of Aurat March refused to protest against the repatriation plan while the march was criticised by civil rights activist including Anis Haroon, retired Justice Majida Razvi and many others stating, “How long Sindh would bear the burden of illegal immigrants when it owns 37 percent of the rural population [that] lives below the poverty line?”
Bugti wants the move to be perceived as Pakistan’s change of image from a soft state to a “hardened” one. He asserted that Pakistani government is determined to send these foreigners to their homelands in a step-wise manner.
Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa gave an unexpected but strongly worded statement during the hearing of the Faizabad sit-in case, stating that he doesn’t recognize the late military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq as president, as per Neo News.
During the hearing of the Faizabad sit-in case, Justice Faiz Isa, addressing Ijaz-ul-Haq’s lawyer, said that he does not consider Zia-ul-Haq the President of Pakistan.
When the Attorney General revealed that Ijaz-ul-Haq’s lawyer had been asked to provide a written reply with an affidavit to withdraw the statement, the lawyer of countered the Attorney General’s statement, denying that he had been asked to retract the statement.
Ijaz-ul-Haq’s lawyer informed the court that his client had merely stated that his name should be removed from the verdict, to which Chief Justice Justice Faiz Isa remarked that Ijaz-ul-Haq’s name was only mentioned in the report by intelligence agencies, and it was not included in the verdict.
During the same conversation, when Chief Justice Justice Faiz Isa mentioned that Ijaz-ul-Haq is the son of former army chief Zia-ul-Haq, his lawyer replied that his father was also the President of Pakistan. In response, the Chief Justice stated, “I do not consider Zia-ul-Haq the President of Pakistan. No one can become the President by the force of arms. Do not call Zia the President again in this court.”
The lawyer of Ijaz-ul-Haq, the son of former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq, asserted that it is documented in the constitution that Zia-ul-Haq was the president. Chief Justice Justice Faiz Isa responded by remarking that Zia-ul-Haq had written in the constitution that he was the president for five years.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued summons for the chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) following allegations of “media coercion” during the 2017 Faizabad sit-in.
The summon was initiated by a three-member bench of the apex court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, and including Justice Aminuddin Khan, and Justice Athar Minallah.
The hearing, part of a series of nine review petitions against the Supreme Court’s February 6, 2019 verdict on the Faizabad sit-in case, was marked by significant developments.
Authored by Justice Isa years before he took oath as the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), the searing judgement had instructed the defence ministry and the tri-services chiefs to penalise personnel under their command who were found to have violated their oath.
Imran Khan has released another message for Pakistanis from jail via his family on Tuesday.
Talking about the responsibility of the judiciary, Imran Khan said, “It is the fiduciary duty of the judiciary and the lawyers to protect the Constitution, upon which rests the progress of our nation. Therefore, the legal fraternity must start and lead a movement for upholding the rights of the people of Pakistan, foremost their fundamental right to vote, to choose their leaders, and to define their future themselves.”
He also emphasised giving fundamental rights to Pakistanis and said that “whom they choose as their leader is secondary, but they must be given their basic and fundamental right enshrined in the constitution to choose their representatives.”
While encouraging people to struggle for the betterment of law in the country, Khan said, “Pakistan stands at the crossroads; it is a critical juncture where we are watching the steady destruction and dismantling of our justice system. We must, therefore, act immediately if we are to prevent its complete collapse.”
Imran Khan also mentioned in his message that “if we do not fight for justice and stand behind our judges, we will not be able to establish constitutional supremacy in this country or stand up against this rule of might, where only the fittest and the richest survive.”
Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti has declared that the operation against illegal foreigners will start from November 2 as the deadline given to them is ending today. The deportation will take place in different phases from here on.
According to the Afghan Commission, as many as 104,000 Afghan refugees living illegally in Pakistan have returned to Afghanistan so far. The undocumented refugees included 28,000 men and 19,000 women and 56,000 thousand children.
The caretaker federal cabinet approved that provinces will bear the expenses of the logistics. Caretaker Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar gave his nod to allocating Rs.4.5 billion to carry out the Repatriation plan from Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana divisions.
49 holding centres have been established all over the country.These illegal foreigners are being brought to holding centres after registration. A huge number has already reached the Chaman border to leave whereas the ones in the centers will be sent gradually according to the plan.
However, there are reports of a crackdown in different cities of the country like Karachi, Hyderabad, Sargodha, Mianwali and Khushab. Caretaker Information Minister Barrister Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel told the media that, “We’ve identified and mapped 52,000 illegal residents in various districts of our province for action.” “These [undocumented] foreigners will be temporarily kept in designated processing zones from where they will be deported to their respective countries,” he added on. Mr Kakakhel said that under the plans, the exercise would be executed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Friday and Saturday in Punjab, and on Wednesday and Thursday in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
He also announced that from Nov 1, the federal government would begin a “single-document” policy welcoming those entering Pakistan on passport and visas only.
Several prominent leaders from India’s opposition parties, including members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), have recently been alerted about potential security breaches concerning their Apple devices.
Indian National Congress’s Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Khera, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Moitra, and Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha are among those who received warning emails from Apple, highlighting the threat of state-sponsored attacks targeting their iPhones.
The news broke when The Wire, an online publication, revealed that even Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of The Wire, and Samir Saran from the Observer Research Foundation, were also on the list of individuals who received the warning emails.
Apple Warns at Least 3 Indian MPs, Political Leader, Senior Journalist About ‘State-Sponsored’ Attack on Phone https://t.co/KC5p2rr7iFDid Apple alert you on your iPhone recently about a state-sponsored attempt to target your device?
The situation prompted immediate action from various quarters, including the media, with several journalists and opposition leaders reportedly receiving similar notifications from Apple about potential state-sponsored attacks.
Was notified by Apple late last night that my iPhone linked to my Apple ID is being targeted … I have implemented the on-device remedial measures suggested by Apple and am reaching out to experts as well …. pic.twitter.com/x9KbvcV1ez
Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, Priyanka Chaturvedi, and Siddharth Varadarajan confirmed the receipt of the warning emails during the late hours of Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
Tharoor, who noticed the email on Tuesday morning, emphasized the importance of making these threats public, citing the necessity of transparency in safeguarding security. Expressing his concern, Tharoor highlighted the misuse of public funds and the urgent need to address more significant national security threats.
Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?@PMOIndia@INCIndia@kharge@RahulGandhipic.twitter.com/5zyuoFmaIa
The situation escalated further when The Wire alleged that the language used in the warning emails was similar to previous alerts from Apple, although this claim could not be independently verified by Newslaundry.
Tharoor took to Twitter, sharing that the emails were sent from “threat-notifications@apple.com”.
Mahua Moitra, a member of the Trinamool Congress, later added that individuals within Rahul Gandhi’s office had also been targeted.
In response to the unfolding events, Apar Gupta, the founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, provided a detailed analysis emphasizing the importance of not dismissing these alerts as false alarms.
Seeking clarification from Apple, Newslaundry contacted the company’s official spokesperson, seeking information about the origin of the alleged attacks and the number of affected users. Apple responded, stating that while they do not specifically attribute the notifications to any state-sponsored attackers, the detection process is complex and evolving.
Notably, the alerts were not limited to India alone, as it was discovered that individuals from nearly 150 countries had also received similar threat notifications from Apple.
These developments have emerged approximately two years after reports of India’s alleged use of Israeli spyware for targeted surveillance, indicating a continued focus on digital security concerns within the country.
Former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has lashed out at the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zaka Ashraf, while talking in program Zor Ka Jor on Samaa TV.
Shahid Afridi criticized PCB management committee for mishandling cricket affairs amid the Men in Green’s below-par performance in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
Afridi believes that Ashraf should focus on his job rather than giving pointless statements.
“Zaka Ashraf is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, not of a club. I’m surprised why is he calling owners of media houses about people who are talking against him,” Afridi said.
“For God’s sake, you are the chairman, just deliver results and do your job. People are only talking about you because you are giving them this opportunity. Zaka Ashraf Sahab, stick to what you are supposed to do. The team is playing a World Cup and you are giving one statement after the other. Sometimes it is about Babar and sometimes it is about someone else,” he added.
Social Media users took to X (formerly Twitter) and supported Shahid Afridi’s statement.
Senior Editor, ESPNCricinfo, Osman Samiuddin tweeted, “Don’t hold board elex, throw own team under bus, leak whatsapp messages from captain, live for junkets & photo ops, be in charge of absolute clown admin, get away with all of it.”
Don’t hold board elex, throw own team under bus, leak whatsapp messages from captain, live for junkets & photo ops, be in charge of absolute clown admin, get away with all of it.
Aspiring Cricket analyst Syed Ali Imran tweeted, “Media houses kay owners ko phone? Shahid Afridi hits back at Zaka Ashraf who most probably exerted pressure on him via Aleem Khan owner of SAMAA TV.”
Media houses kay owners ko phone?
Shahid Afridi hits back at Zaka Ashraf who most probably exerted pressure on him via Aleem Khan owner of SAMAA TV. pic.twitter.com/G0AkSblWuW
X user Maham Gillani tweeted, “A very clear message from Shahid Afridi to Zaka Ashraf. Lala is always behind Babar Azam. Off the field sixer from Boom Boom Afridi.”
The sectarian clashes between the two groups in Kurram have claimed six more lives taking the death toll to 55 in nine days. A total of 105 people are injured.
Despite the efforts made by the local jirgas of the ceasefire the clashes between different other groups have erupted, pushing the region to be blocked from the rest of the world with no services of communication and internet along with lack of law and order.
A ceasefire has been made between Sadda and Balish Khel while the fights between eight other group is still going on.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) held the interim government responsible for the current situation of smog in Lahore, directing authorities to impose an emergency in the city.
The LHC issued an order after reviewing applications demanding action.
Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhwa and other officers appeared before the court in today’s hearing.
The court ordered the caretaker government not to unseal factories that are emitting black smoke.
LHC judge Shahid Karim said that “previously, smog started to affect the city at the end of November and December, but now it has started in October.”
While ordering an imposition of an emergency in the city, he said, “The government is responsible for the current situation of smog.”
The judge directed officers to fulfil their responsibility as the owners of the city and to take care of Lahore.
The judge then adjourned the hearing till November 3.
