Current Final

Tag: Pakistan

  • Govt bans import of ‘luxury items’ to fight economic crisis

    Govt bans import of ‘luxury items’ to fight economic crisis

    For the first time in Pakistan, luxury or non-essential commodities have been completely banned in the country to help the nation emerge from its financial crisis. Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed the economic strategy established by the federal government on Thursday.

    The Information Minister stated that this is an emergency situation and Pakistanis will have to make sacrifices under the economic plan. This will have a quick impact on foreign reserves. The ban will have an impact of $6 billion.

    Aurangzeb went on to say that the government’s priority was to cut imports, thus it was going to implement an export-oriented policy that would help local industry and producers.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is working “day and night” to stabilise the economy, according to the information minister, and has decided to ban the import of all commodities that are not in common use.

    Food, decorating, and luxury automobiles were among the imports, according to Aurangzeb, who emphasised that the country was in a “difficult economic condition” as a result of the previous government’s policies.

    Here’s a detailed list of banned goods:

    1. Cars
    2. Mobile phones
    3. Home appliances
    4. Private weapons and ammunition
    5. Fruits and dry fruits (except Afghanistan)
    6. Crockery
    7. Shoes
    8. Chandeliers and lighting (except energy savers)
    9. Headphones and loudspeakers
    10. Sauces, ketchup etc.
    11. Doors and window frames
    12. Travelling bags and suitcases
    13. Sanitary ware
    14. Fish and frozen fish
    15. Carpets (except Afghanistan)
    16. Preserved fruits
    17. Tissue paper
    18. Furniture
    19. Shampoos
    20. Confectionary
    21. Luxury mattresses and sleeping bags
    22. Jams and jelly
    23. Cornflakes
    24. Bathroom ware/toiletries
    25. Heaters/blowers
    26. Sunglasses
    27. Kitchenware
    28. Aerated water
    29. Frozen meat
    30. Juices
    31. Pasta etc
    32. Ice cream
    33. Cigarettes
    34. Shaving goods
    35. Luxury leather apparel
    36. Musical instruments
    37. Saloon items like hairdryers etc.
    38. Chocolates

    The declaration, according to the information minister, is part of the present government’s fiscal plan to combat the PTI’s incompetent policies.

    Aurangzeb chastised the PTI for criticising the incumbent administration over the country’s economic woes, claiming that the Imran Khan-led government had raised inflation, taken historic debts, committed “economic terrorism,” and manipulated the economy by subsidising gasoline prices.

    By subsidising the price of petroleum goods, the PTI administration broke its agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to the Information Minister.

    Via: Geo

  • Economic crisis: Finance minister in Doha to hold talks with IMF

    Economic crisis: Finance minister in Doha to hold talks with IMF

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail along with his team left for Doha on Tuesday to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The ministry said that talks with the IMF mission started today (May 18).

    The review talks are expected to continue for a week and will focus on striking a staff-level agreement for the release of a $1 billion tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

    It has been reported that Pakistan will have to convince the IMF to revive the stalled $6 billion programme at a time when the government had not started eliminating the unfunded fuel subsidy after making a commitment with the forum.

    The dollar rate is at its peak in the country. Currently, the rupee touched 200 against the US dollar in the open market. This spell of the dollar’s persistent rise against the rupee began last week.

  • ‘Thanks for paying my fees’, Former PM Abbasi’s son responds to trolls on graduation

    ‘Thanks for paying my fees’, Former PM Abbasi’s son responds to trolls on graduation

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s son, Haider Abbasi, tweeted a picture of his graduation ceremony with his wife and father.

    His tweet got the attention of netizens who started trolling him instantly. Haider Abbasi had some befitting and hilarious replies to his trolls.

    A Twitter user questioned, “Hamare paiso se degree complete ki ha. Humne tumhari fee bhari ha. Shukria ada nai karoge hamara?” [You have went abroad to study on our money, we have paid for you. Wouldn’t you say thankyou to us?].

    To which Haider Abbasi replied, “Thanks for paying my fees. Much appreciated.”

    Another user said, “The ones whose children, money, wealth and they too will be leaving Pakistan soon…. Nation stands with #ImranKhanPTI.”

    To which the former premier’s son responded, “Sir, all my wealth and my PS4 is in Pakistan.”

    Haider also thanked the social media platform for increasing his followers on Twitter and said, “I gained nearly 2000 followers because of this tweet. Twitter privilege is real.”

  • Cabinet approves forming a committee to amend NAB law

    Cabinet approves forming a committee to amend NAB law

    A cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif approved the formation of a committee headed by the Law Minister to amend the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law.

    During the meeting, it was pointed out that “NAB’s black law” was used only for political revenge, harassment of government officials and the business community.

    The committee will also include personalities from the legal fraternity, banking sector, bureaucracy and other fields.

    Other than this, PM informed the cabinet that the country is facing a severe heatwave for which a special task force has been formed under the Ministry of Climate Change.

    This task force will also take steps to address climate change so that the threats to Pakistan can be addressed in a timely manner.

    Moreover, Rs 52 billion has been reserved for the Petroleum Division.

    




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    Fact Check: Sri Lankan ministers were not stripped and interrogated
    
			
    Fact Check: Sri Lankan ministers were not stripped and interrogated
    
			
    

    Claim: Sri Lankan ministers were stripped down, beaten and harassed by the public.
    




    Fact: This video shows Sri Lankan inmates of an open prison who are being interrogated for allegedly attacking protesters 
    




    On May 13, 2022 several social media users in Pakistan tweeted a video showing a group of half-naked men pleading a larger crowd as the people making the video seemed to be humiliating them. This video was shared extensively on WhatsApp. Some of these posts and tweets on social media can be seen here, here, here, here and here.
    




    However, The Current Check observed that this video was being used out of context, with the caption that it depicts Sri Lankan ministers being humiliated by the public for participating in widespread corruption. 
    




    Through a reverse image search of six different keyframes of the video, we discovered that it was first tweeted on May 10, 2022 by Sri Lankan Twitter users claiming that this was a video of prisoners who attacked the protesters at Gota Go Gama. Soon after the video was first posted on Twitter, several Sri Lankan news channels including Daily Mirror, News First and others such as NDTV also started covering it and reporting it to belong to an instance of interrogating prisoners who attacked protesters. According to a translation of the video shared by India Today it becomes clear that these prisoners were from Watareka Open Prison Camp and a jailer had taken them to the protest site. This was a protest against former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who along with his family is on the run as Sri Lanka slips deeper into economic downfall and political turmoil. 
    




    VERDICT: FALSE [OUT OF CONTEXT]
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Gas supply only three times a day?
    
			
    Gas supply only three times a day?
    
			
    

    A few days ago, the news was doing rounds on social media that gas will be supplied to consumers only at certain times in winter.  
    




    According to news shared on the Internet, Sui Northern Gas and the Ministry of Petroleum have planned to provide gas to consumers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa three times a day, during breakfast, lunch and dinner time.
    




    Ministry of energy took to Twitter to clarify that the news circulating is not true. 
    




    “Misleading news is being shared on different TV channels that gas will be provided to domestic consumers only three times a day. No such decision has been taken by the Ministry of Energy. However, the ministry has directed Sui Northern officials to ensure supply of gas to domestic consumers during the meal timings,” the ministry tweeted.
    




    


    




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    ‘Sindh police want to kidnap me, husband’: The Minor
    
			
    ‘Sindh police want to kidnap me, husband’: The Minor
    
			
    

    The Minor, an alleged 14-year-old girl, who claims she is 18-years-old, went missing in Karachi in April. She later revealed that she ran away from home to marry Zaheer Ahmed, 21. She has now stated that the couple’s lives are in danger.
    




    The Minor revealed in a video message that she had eloped with her husband and travelled to Lahore to marry him. “While the Constitution and the law of this country allow me to marry whomever I want and I can live wherever I want under the law, my life is in danger,” she said.
    




    




    The Minor went on to say that she is “happy married and lives a quiet life in Lahore,” and that her in-laws treat her well. “People on social media are calling my in-laws part of some gang, but that is a baseless allegation. They are respectable people and are even better than my parents,” she added.
    




    The Minor also revealed that before eloping, she wrote her parents a letter in which she “clearly stated the reasons for leaving her home.”
    




    The Minor, who went missing last month was found by the police. Her parents claim that their daughter has been forced into this marriage.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    PM Shehbaz condemns the killing of Sikh citizens in Peshawar
    
			
    PM Shehbaz condemns the killing of Sikh citizens in Peshawar
    
			
    

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the killing of two Sikh citizens in Peshawar.
    




    “Strongly condemn the killing of our Sikh citizens in Peshawar, KP. Pakistan belongs to all its people. Have ordered a high level inquiry to ascertain facts. The killers will be arrested & meted out exemplary punishment. My most sincere sympathies to the bereaved families,” PM said in a tweet. 
    




    


    




    Unknown assailants killed two persons of the Sikh community at Sarband area in Peshawar. According to the police, two persons riding on motorbike opened fire on two shopkeepers of the Sikh community selling spices at Bata Tal Bazaar. They succumbed to their injuries on the spot.
    




    The deceased were identified as Kanwaljeet Sigh and Ranjeet Singh. According to journalist Iftikhar Firdous, the Islamic States Khurasan (ISKP) chapter says it carried out the attack targeting two Sikhs. In October 2021, ISKP also claimed another such attack in Peshawar.
    




    


    




    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also condemned the killing of Sikh citizens.
    




    


    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Why give Aamir Liaquat so much attention?
    
			
    Why give Aamir Liaquat so much attention?
    
			
    

    Aamir Liaquat is a public personality known for being in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. The man, nearing his 50s, is revered by one segment of Pakistani society and utterly despised by the other. Liaquat has recently been a hot topic of discussion for his third possible divorce with Dania Malik, who allegedly leaked two videos of Liaquat: one, where he can be seen roaming stark naked around in his room, and another where he is allegedly taking drugs. The two viral videos surfaced days after Aamir’s allegedly underage wife, Dania Shah, claimed that the televangelist takes illegal substances. The recent turn of events has clearly sparked a debate around a society glorifying child-and-adult unions. Dania claims she is 15, and Aamir knew it but still forged documents to get married. There can be no defence for a predatory act that takes advantage of class difference, age gap, and fame to trap a young teenage girl from a small city. Similarly, there can be no defence against revenge porn, even when it is against a person who has repeatedly aggravated public sentiment with impunity while disrespecting the institution of marriage, and religion.
    




    Liaquat has announced to leave Pakistan for good, but what still remains a question is why Liaquat or men like him are given so much limelight or attention. Where are we heading as a society? What examples are we setting for younger boys? We can expect no less in a country where misogyny is peddled as soon as children are born, and underage marriage is glorified as some invaluable social norm. This is the sad reality of Pakistani discourse.
    




    We can only hope that our society learns for the better and rather than giving so much limelight to people who are habitual of committing such acts with no remorse. We need to make people aware of the legal age of marriage, the exploitation of impressionable young girls, of the absence of justice, law, and order, which have led to a glorification of such vile acts of abuse in our society.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Heatwave intensifies, Disaster Management Authorities on high alert
    
			
    Heatwave intensifies, Disaster Management Authorities on high alert
    
			
    

    Keeping in view the meteorological department’s prognosis of a heatwave for the coming week, the Punjab government issued an advisory on Friday, requesting that all relevant ministries in the province take steps to mitigate the effects of the heat.
    




    The provincial and district crisis management agencies have been activated across the province to avert health-related occurrences, according to Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, who issued an advisory to several ministries.
    




    Hospitals and the emergency service Rescue 1122 have also been placed on high alert, he said. For sensitive areas, temporary water-drinking sites and early reaction centers, according to the chief secretary, should be erected. He urged individuals to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from the heatwave and to heed the health department’s advice.
    




    The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has already issued a warning for severe heatwave conditions in upper, central, and southern Punjab during the next week.
    




    Read more: Rescue 1122 service to officially launch in Karachi this month
    




    From May 15, a high-pressure system is expected to hold the upper atmosphere, according to the Met Office.
    




    Day temperatures are expected to rise to 7-9 degrees Celsius above normal owing to the high pressure in upper Punjab, and 6-8 degrees Celsius beyond average in the central and south Punjab, during the heatwave.