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Tag: Pakistan

  • IMF, Pakistan reach staff-level agreement on policies and reforms

    IMF, Pakistan reach staff-level agreement on policies and reforms

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan reached a staff-level agreement on policies and reforms needed to complete the sixth review under the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which has been ‘in recess’ since April, the Fund announced in a statement on Monday.

    The agreement is subject to approval by the Executive Board, following the implementation of prior actions, notably on fiscal and institutional reforms. The approval of the agreement will make available 750 million in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), equivalent to $1,059m, read the statement.

    The Fund acknowledged Pakistan’s progress in improving its anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. However, additional time was needed to strengthen its effectiveness, according to the statement.

    “Available data suggest that a strong economic recovery has gained hold, benefiting from the authorities’ multifaceted policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has helped contain its human and macroeconomic ramifications,” the IMF said.

    “At the same time, external pressures have started to emerge: a widening of the current account deficit and depreciation pressures on the exchange rate — mainly reflecting the compound effects of the stronger economic activity, an expansionary macroeconomic policy mix, and higher international commodity prices.”

    The IMF emphasised that the monetary policy needs to remain focused on curbing inflation, preserving exchange rate flexibility, and strengthening international reserves.

    The introduction of the Finance Bill in the National Assembly to increase taxes and approval of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill are pre-conditions for the revival of the IMF loan programme, Finance Adviser Shaukat Tarin said last week.

    The IMF said that despite a difficult environment, progress continues to be made in the implementation of the EFF-supported programme.

    “All quantitative performance criteria (PCs) for end-June were met with wide margins, except for that on the primary budget deficit”, said the IMF.

  • Pakistan wins T20 series in Bangladesh

    Pakistan wins T20 series in Bangladesh

    The Pakistan cricket team has won the T20 series in Bangladesh in a 109-run chase as Pakistan won the second T20I by eight wickets to secure a 2-0 series win with one match of the three-match T20I series to spare against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium Mirpur, Dhaka on Saturday.

    Player of the match Fakhar Zaman who scored 34 runs in yesterday’s four-wicket win at the same venue, top-scored with a blazing unbeaten 57 off 51 balls while Mohammad Rizwan contributed 39 off 45 balls as Pakistan went past the target in the 19th over with 11 balls to spare.

    Fakhar finished the match in the company of Haider Ali. Rizwan and Fakhar added 85 for the second-wicket after the tourists lost captain and opener Babar Azam for one in the third over of the innings.

    Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first scoring 108 runs.

    For Pakistan, Shaheen and Shadab took two wickets each, Wasim, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz took a wicket apiece.

    The third and final match of the series will be played at the same venue on Monday, 22 November.

  • Universal Children’s Day: President, PM share messages

    Universal Children’s Day: President, PM share messages

    World Children’s Day is being celebrated today around the world. President Dr. Arif Alvi on the occasion of Children’s day has said that the government Is striving to ensure that every child receives quality education and healthcare and none of them is discriminated on the basis of his or her ethnicity, religion or gender, Radio Pakistan has reported.

    He further said the government remains committed to protecting every child from poverty, violence, and abuse.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan in a separate message said the government is determined to ensure that every child’s rights, including development, education, healthcare, participation, dignity and security are upheld.

    PM Khan said that in order to ensure protection of children’s rights, the government established “National Commission of the Rights of Child” and the “Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Agency”.

    He said that Child Protection Institutes are being established and various legislations are being introduced to eliminate child labour.

    Thirty buildings across Pakistan will be turned blue to mark Children’s Day. The initiative has been taken by UNICEF Pakistan in collaboration with Ministry of Human Rights of Pakistan. Pakistan has set a world record in the number of buildings turning blue on November 20 since 2019. Since 2018, buildings, monuments and landmarks across the world have turned blue to mark World Children’s Day as part of a global initiative led by UNICEF.

    As per social research company, Pulse Consultant, there are 92 million children in Pakistan below the age of 14 years. There are 26.5 million children within the age group of 1 to 4 years, and 26.7 million within the age group of 5 to 8 years

  • Sitara-i-Imtiaz holder Zia Chishti steps down from multi-million dollar company after sexual abuse allegations

    Sitara-i-Imtiaz holder Zia Chishti steps down from multi-million dollar company after sexual abuse allegations

    Sitara-i-Imtiaz (third-highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan) holder and founder of a software company “Afiniti” Zia Chishti has been dismissed by his own software company following the allegations of sexual assault by a 23-year-old against him.

    The statement on the company’s website reads, “The Board of Directors of Afiniti announces that Mr. Zia Chishti has stepped down from his role as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Afiniti, effective immediately. The Board will make additional organisational announcements in the coming days.”

    Tatiana Spottiswoode, a former Afiniti employee and Zia’s friend’s daughter testified before a US (United States) congressional committee and accused Chishti of sexually abusing her.

    In her testimony, she said that she joined Afiniti on Chishti’s insistence in 2016 and told the committee her contract included an arbitration agreement with a “strong confidentiality clause” that had prevented her from speaking out about the alleged assaults.

    Spottiswoode said her body was “covered with scratches, cuts, and contusions”.

    “I had bruises around my neck that looked like I had been strangled, a large bump on my head, and a black eye. A nurse at the hospital said I had the symptoms of a concussion,” she added.

    However, the software company said it had “investigated Spottiswoode’s claims with independent counsel and concluded that the arbitral decision she references was erroneous”.

    The news also affected the Pakistan Stock Market on Thursday as Chishti is also the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of TRG (The Resource Group) Pakistan Limited, reports Dawn.


  • Smoking: ‘impermissible, undesirable, unlawful’, Islamic scholars issue fatwa

    Smoking: ‘impermissible, undesirable, unlawful’, Islamic scholars issue fatwa

    The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) assembled a group of Islamic experts on Thursday who issued a fatwa (ruling) declaring smoking impermissible, undesirable and unlawful due to its negative consequences of health, reports Dawn.

    The Islamic experts were gathered at a conference that was organised by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) in collaboration with (CII).

    It was noted that increasing lethal effects of smoking are increasing in the society.

    Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan said that in a youthful country like Pakistan, the impact of smoking will be magnified as the population ages and develops a variety of health problems linked to tobacco use, such as chronic lung and heart disease, as well as practically all cancers.

    He further said that in the absence of changes in tobacco taxation for years, policy planning to check tobacco consumption and meet international targets needs urgent revision.

    Chairman of CII Qibla Ayaz while addressing the audience talked about a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and added that smoking is not only a danger to oneself but to others as well, as cigarettes have proved to be a source of several diseases, both for smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke.

    He stated that, in light of the dangers of cigarettes, the CII and other major Islamic scholars present at the meeting agree that smoking falls into the category of behaviours that must be avoided under Islamic law.

  • Jamaat-e-Islami proposes law to ban gender reassignment surgeries, condemns current law

    Jamaat-e-Islami proposes law to ban gender reassignment surgeries, condemns current law

    Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) presented a bill in the upper house of Parliament Senate seeking an amendment in the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, for the creation of a medical board that would recommend “whether a person’s gender should change, instead of them seeking a reassignment on the basis of their personal identity”, reports Dawn.

    The bill was presented by JI’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad who recommended the formation of such boards at the district level comprising of a professor doctor, a psychologist, a male general surgeon, a female general surgeon, and a chief medical officer after the approval by the Prime Minister (PM) and provincial Chief Ministers (CM).

    The proposed law also seeks a ban of gender reassignment surgeries or any other treatment to change genital features on the basis of “any psychological disorder or gender dysphoria”. It also states that the law in its present form could lead to the “legalisation of homosexual marriages”.

    However, the present law states: “A person recognised as transgender shall have the right to get himself or herself registered as per self-perceived gender identity with all government departments including, but not limited to NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority).”

    According to the JI, under the current law, a person could get themselves registered as a man or a woman not on the basis of their biology but their “personal thoughts”.

    Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari strongly opposed the proposed bill which was presented by JI and said the proposed amendment was aimed at “victimising” transgenders. She defended the current law and argued that it gave Transgenders Persons the right to identity.

    “Till date, not a single complaint has been received regarding the misuse of this existing law,” she said.

    JI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) senators protested Mazari’s remarks, following which Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, sent the bill to the relevant standing committee for discussion.

    According to data shared with the house, 16,530 cases of gender change from male to female were processed, 12,154 cases of female to male, 21 cases of transgender to male, nine cases of male to transgender and as many cases of transgender to female.

  • Sitara-i-Imtiaz holder allegedly sexually abused a 23-year-old girl

    Zia Chishti, Sitara-i-Imtiaz (third-highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan) holder and founder of a multi-dollar company “Afiniti”, has been accused by a 23-year-old Tatiana Spottiswoode of sexually abusing her, reports The Guardian.

    Spottiswoode, who is a Columbia University law student and daughter of Chishti’s friend, told the United States (US) House of Representatives judiciary committee that Chishti had told her “he should have had sex with me when I was 13 years old”.

    The committee released images on Wednesday allegedly showing neck injuries sustained by Spottiswoode.

    Spottiswoode, who joined Afiniti on Chishti’s insistence in 2016, told the committee her contract included an arbitration agreement with a “strong confidentiality clause” that had prevented her from speaking out about the alleged assaults.

    Trigger Warning!

    She said, “Over the next 18 months he [Chishti] oscillated between pressuring me for sex and punishing me. When I rebuffed him he humiliated me in front of co-workers and then ignored me completely, causing me to fear for my job.”

    She said that on a work trip to Brazil she “began to worry that, in addition to wanting sex, Chishti wanted to hurt me and punish me for rejecting him”.

    “I felt completely trapped and hopeless. I was 23 and very far from home,” she told the committee. “I didn’t want to lose my job, I didn’t want him to get any angrier, I did not feel that anyone would protect me and I was too tired to argue with him anymore. I went to his room where he beat me while having sex with me.”

    Spottiswoode said her body was “covered with scratches, cuts, and contusions”.

    “I had bruises around my neck that looked like I had been strangled, a large bump on my head, and a black eye. A nurse at the hospital said I had the symptoms of a concussion,” she said.

    Afiniti, which also employs Princess Beatrice, said Chishti “strongly disputes all accusations against him” and termed Spottiswoode’s claims “wrong”.

    After a detailed string of allegations made against the Sitara-i-Imtiaz holder, former British Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron announced that he has quit his role at the software company.

    The former PM stood down as chair of its advisory board.

  • Stray dogs attack kills four deer in Sahiwal zoo

    Stray dogs attack kills four deer in Sahiwal zoo

    A total of four deer have been reported dead in a stray dog attack incident, reports Daily Times.

    Three of them reportedly died yesterday, while the fourth was found dead at the Sahiwal’s zoo today (Thursday). It has been learned that the deer were bitten by stray dogs in the zoo on which the residents have expressed their concern.

    The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) administration said that the deer died after being bitten by an animal as the wounds were found on the bodies of the dead animals.

    This is not the first time that animals have been reported dead at the zoos of Punjab.

  • Pakistan announces team for first T20I against Bangladesh

    Pakistan announces team for first T20I against Bangladesh

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 12-member team for the first T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh.

    Pakistan cricket team flew directly to Dhaka from Dubai for the bilateral series against Bangladesh after extremely good performance at the T20 World Cup 2021. Pakistan will be playing three T20 Internationals and Two Test matches in Bangladesh.

    The first T20I will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium on Friday, November 19. While the second and third T20Is will be played at the same venue on November 20 and 22.

    Pakistan’s T20I Squad:

    Babar Azam (Captain)

    Shadab Khan (Vice Captain)

    Fakhar Zaman

    Haider Ali

    Haris Rauf

    Hasan Ali

    Khushdil Shah

    Mohammad Nawaz

    Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper)

    Mohammad Wasim Jr.

    Shaheen Shah Afridi

    Shoaib Malik

  • ‘Pakistan, China, countries of particular concern for violating religious freedom’: US

    ‘Pakistan, China, countries of particular concern for violating religious freedom’: US

    United States (US) Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken “designated” Pakistan and China as countries of particular concern (CPC) for violating religious freedom, as per the official website of the US State Department.

    In a statement issued by Washington, Secretary Blinken stated, “I am designating Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom,” reports Dawn.

    “We will continue to press all governments to remedy shortcomings in their laws and practices and to promote accountability for those responsible for abuses,” he added.

    According to US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) official website, each year the US President designates CPC to countries in which governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

    Moreover, Washington has placed Taliban governed Afghanistan under a “special watch list”.