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Tag: Punjab

  • Number of 3G, 4G users in Pakistan increases to 113.89 million

    Number of 3G, 4G users in Pakistan increases to 113.89 million

    The latest data from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reveals that the number of 3G and 4G users grew by 1.14 million from 112.75 million in April 2022 to 113.89 million in May 2022.

    Pakistan’s cellular subscriber base grew by 0.25 million to 193 million by the end of May 2022, up from 192.75 million at the end of April, according to Brecorder.

    By the end of May, cellular mobile teledensity had risen from 87.6 per cent to 87.67 per cent. By the end of May, the total teledensity had risen to 88.81 per cent, up from 88.74 per cent in April.

    The monthly penetration of Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) at the end of April had risen to 51.73 per cent, up from 51.24 per cent.

    Network providers

    The total number of 3G users on Jazz fell from 6.222 million at the end of April to 6.068 million at the end of May, a reduction of 0.154 million. By the end of May, the number of Jazz 4G users had risen from 36.567 million to 37.168 million.

    Zong 3G subscribers fell from 3.357 million at the end of April to 3.272 million at the end of May, while 4G users grew from 27.952 million at the end of April to 28.317 million at the end of May.

    Telenor 3G subscribers fell from 3.696 million at the end of April to 3.613 million at the end of May, whereas Telenor 4G users enhanced from 21.216 million at the end of April to 21.494 million at the end of May.

    By the end of May, there were 3.576 million Ufone 3G users, up from 3.673 million at the end of April. Ufone’s 4G users increased from 8.761 million at the end of April to 9.052 million at the end of May, a 0.291 million increase over the previous month.

  • ‘Free and fair’ elections, demands Khan

    ‘Free and fair’ elections, demands Khan

    Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Sunday demanded free and fair election and revealed that he expects match-fixing in Punjab by-elections.

    PTI took out countrywide protests against rising inflation at Khan’s call on Sunday. Khan addressed his supporters via video-link.

    On Monday, Khan thanked his supporters for coming out across Pakistan yesterday, especially those “who braved difficulties & in some cities rain, to join our protest against massive inflation & clearly reject Imported Govt of crooks imposed by US regime change conspiracy”.

    No free lunch, warns Khan

    Imran Khan warned that Pakistan can become the next Sri Lanka. He said that Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has asked for the support of the United States (US) for the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. “I want to tell Miftah Ismail and Shehbaz Sharif that the Americans have a philosophy, which is that there is no free lunch. Everything has a price. The US will extract our sovereignty as a price.” Khan said that the new government seems ready to pay this price.

    Recognising Israel part of foreign conspiracy agenda: Khan

    Khan also mentioned Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Saleem Mandviwalla’s statement on the potential of Pakistan having diplomatic ties with Israel. “This is part of the same agenda due to which there was a regime change. The agenda is to follow what Israel, India and the US want,” said Khan.

    However, Mandviwalla clarified on Sunday that his words were being taken out of context. “I never wanted Pakistan to further ties with Israel or indulge in trade with it,” said Mandviwalla, adding that recognising Israel was not in Pakistan’s interests.

    Match-fixing in Punjab by-polls on the cards

    “We have to struggle together. Get ready. I will soon give another call for protest, which will continue until we are given a date for free and fair elections. Not just elections but free and fair elections,” said Khan.

    He reiterated that there is a plan of rigging by-elections in Punjab through ‘match-fixing’. By-polls in Punjab are set to take place next month in July.

    Imran Khan’s full address can be seen here:

  • An unusual day: two budget sessions to be held in Punjab today

    An unusual day: two budget sessions to be held in Punjab today

    Two separate budget sessions have been called in Punjab on Wednesday (today). Governor Punjab Balighur Rehman has called for a 2pm session at Aiwan-i-Iqbal while Speaker Punjab Assembly (PA) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has called for a 1pm session at the provincial assembly.

    The session at Aiwan-i-Iqbal will be presided over by PA Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari.

    According to news reports, Elahi has termed the session at Aiwan-i-Iqbal “illegal”.

    However, according to Geo News, legal experts say that session cannot be resumed when prorogued by the Governor, as he is the head of the province, and the Speaker cannot summon another session. Therefore, the session summoned by Governor Punjab is the legitimate one.

    Responding to the crisis, former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “Even in the martial law governments, it was never said that the assembly would be subordinate to the administration. The PML-N and PPP alliance has done a strange thing today; the Ordinance issued by the Governor is a martial law proclamation.”

    Delay of budget session for two days

    For two days, the Assembly was unable to present the budget for the new fiscal year (2022-23). On Tuesday, when the PA proceedings could not continue, Governor Rehman cancelled the ongoing session and summoned another one, which has started. However, despite the Governor’s orders, Speaker Elahi declared that the session would continue.

    At that point, Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz announced he would come up with another strategy to deal with the problem.

    On Monday, Speaker Elahi refused to conduct the budget session and demanded that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) should apologise to him for what took place on April 16 and withdraw all cases lodged against the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q) members.

  • Session delayed, middle-finger: Punjab budget session full of drama

    Session delayed, middle-finger: Punjab budget session full of drama

    A day-long drama was witnessed in the Punjab Assembly on Monday as Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi refused to conduct the session and allow the provincial budget to be presented. The Punjab Assembly’s budget session for the fiscal year 2022-23 was postponed till 1pm today. 

    Elahi demanded that the inspector general of police (IGP) first tender an apology to him and that all cases lodged against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) workers and parliamentarians be withdrawn.

    The provincial cabinet had earlier approved the Punjab government’s first budget of more than Rs3.226 trillion for the next fiscal year.

    The budget session was scheduled to begin at 2pm yesterday (June 13) but it started after several hours of delay. Once it started, the Opposition benches protested the presence of Punjab government spokesperson Attaullah Tarar in the assembly, as he is not an MPA. 

    “We will not let the budget be presented till [Chief Minister] Hamza Shehbaz is present in the House, while the inspector-general and chief secretary are sitting in the gallery,” the Opposition said.

    Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi demanded the guards escort Tarar out of the assembly and adjourned the session for 10 minutes.

    Elahi said that if Tarar was not out of the building within 10 minutes, he would adjourn the session till tomorrow.

    After the break, Tarar exited the assembly in “protest”. He also showed his middle finger before leaving the Punjab Assembly.

    He also ‘apologised’ for the incident on Twitter. “[The] speaker sent this force toward me to oust me from the house unconstitutionally. This attempt failed. I decided to leave the House in the interest of the public but as I was leaving expletives were used against me. In response, I turned to the opposition benches. If anyone was hurt by this, I am sorry. I was wrong,” he wrote.

  • Punjab cabinet approves annual budget 2022-23

    Punjab cabinet approves annual budget 2022-23

    On Monday, the provincial cabinet adopted the annual budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, as well as yearly development funds.

    The cabinet passed a Rs 3.226 trillion budget bill for 2022-23 with approval of amended estimates for 2021-22 at a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz.

    In addition to raising pensions, the meeting approved an increase in salary for provincial employees. Employees were also approved for a 15 per cent special allowance.

    A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for delivering free drugs to cancer patients across the province was approved at the session.

    The meeting also ratified the decisions made at the Punjab cabinet’s previous meeting.

    The chief minister praised the work of provincial ministers, the chairman of the planning and development committee, the secretary of finance, and other authorities in creating the best budget documents.

    He stated that the budget included concrete steps to provide true relief to the public.

    The cabinet has approved a Rs164.26 billion budget for infrastructure development projects. A total of 177 billion rupees has been set allocated for the development of roads.

    In the meantime, the cabinet authorised a planned allocation of Rs164.26 billion for infrastructure development projects. One hundred and seventy-seven billion rupees has been set aside for road construction.

    According to the records, Rs27.63 billion has been put aside for irrigation, Rs5 billion has been set aside for energy, and Rs41.4 billion has been set away for production.

    The provincial finance ministry has proposed allocating Rs29.5 billion for public buildings, as well as more than Rs21 billion for urban development.

    The government of Punjab has set aside Rs14.77 billion for agriculture, Rs4.5 billion for forests, approximately Rs1 billion each for wildlife and fisheries, and nearly Rs4 billion for the livestock and dairy sectors. While Rs6.2 billion has been set aside for governance and information technology (IT).

  • Govt announces Rs3 billion subsidy to provide ghee at discounted rate

    Govt announces Rs3 billion subsidy to provide ghee at discounted rate

    The Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Monday that the government would provide a Rs3 billion subsidy to lower the price of ghee to assist the masses.

    She told a press conference that the market price of ghee is currently Rs550 per kg, but it is being sold at Rs300 per kg in utility stores across the country, according to AAJ News

    “The government is bearing a cost of Rs250 per kg,” she added, adding that the price of ghee was Rs150 per kg when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) handed over the office to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2018.

    On the other hand, the government has increased the price of ghee and cooking oil at other retailers.

    She further stated that a 10 kg wheat bag could be purchased for Rs400 at any utility store in Pakistan.

    The minister said that on June 6, about one hundred mobile vans were added to the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) network, citing residents of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) having difficulty obtaining discounted items due to limited distribution of utility stores.

    9,500 new utility stores

    “In addition, on June 9, 500 new USC stationary stations were set up to deliver wheat, and 100 more items are being added today,” she stated. “Since June 6, the USC network has grown by 700 units”.

    Price control committees have also been established, according to her, to keep hoarding and reselling of USC materials under check. The availability of items at utility retailers, she said, was also being watched.

    The minister stated that Rs17 billion had been set aside to give the public with low-cost sugar, ghee, and wheat.

  • IMF remains concerned over Pakistan’s budget 2022-23

    IMF remains concerned over Pakistan’s budget 2022-23

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed concern regarding Pakistan’s newly announced budget, according to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, however the government is convinced it can implement adjustments to appease the lender.

    According to Miftah Ismail, Pakistan is expecting to sign a staff-level agreement with the IMF this month.

    The government officially launched a Rs9.5 trillion ($47.12 billion) budget for 2022-23 on Friday, striving to persuade the IMF to resume the crucial bailout payments.

    “The IMF still has some concerns regarding our budget,” Ismail said in an interview at his Islamabad office. If any alterations are mandated to bring them on board, we will consider them, he added.

    He stated that the IMF was displeased regarding fuel subsidies, a growing current account shortfall, and the need to enhance direct taxes.

    Fuel subsidies have been lowered in the last two weeks, and the remaining assistance is presumed to be phased out in the days ahead. Proposed budget estimates also aim to reduce the current account deficit, but direct tax revenues remain a concern.

    Ismail stated that Pakistan would try to alleviate the issues before the budget is approved by parliament. The fiscal year in Pakistan runs from July 1 to June 30. “If there are any changes that need to be made to bring them on board, we shall do so,” he said.

    Read more: Here are the latest income tax rates and slabs for salaried class

    Pakistan is halfway through a $6 billion, 39-month IMF programme that has been stalled due to the lender’s concerns about the status of some of its goals, including fiscal consolidation. It requires funds direly owing to the country’s shrinking foreign exchange reserves, which have reached $9.2 billion and are only sufficient for fewer than 45 days of imports.

  • ‘Why would I harm my family business’?: PM Shehbaz, CM Hamza get pre-arrest bails

    A special court in Lahore granted pre-arrest bails to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz in a Rs16 billion money laundering case registered against them by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

    The court asked both PM Shehbaz and CM Hamza to pay Rs1 million in surety bonds, each within seven days.

    Both the PM and his son CM Hamza appeared before the court on Saturday.

    During the hearing, the court asked Shehbaz if he has no ownership of Ashiana Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills, to which the PM replied, “I have no stake in either.”

    PM Shehbaz asked: “Why would I engage in corruption and money laundering and harm the family business?”

    He said the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) was provided with all the facts verbally. “I faced countless hearings and trials. The FIA was admonished for not presenting a challan. I believe the FIA was preparing for an arrest, hence the challan was delayed,” he added.

    “The entire case is built on lies and will be buried,” PM Shehbaz further said during the hearing.

    PM Shehbaz’s attorney Amjad Pervez stated that the fact that both of them [Shehbaz and Hamza] had previously been interrogated in jail by the FIA was sufficient proof for their bail.

    He said, “The case has been ongoing for more than a year and now we discover that the suspects were not made part of the inquiry.”

    Last year, the FIA submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to the special court for their alleged involvement in a money laundering case.

    The report said that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

  • Court orders police to stop harassing The Minor’s mother-in-law

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the police on Friday to not harass The Minor’s mother-in-law.

    The hearing was headed by Justice Tariq Saleem. A petition was filed by The Minor’s alleged husband Zaheer Ahmed’s mother Noor Munir and brother, seeking LHC to stop the police from harassing them.

    The Inspector general of police (IGP) Punjab, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Station House Officer (SHO) were made respondents in the petition.

    Munir said that the police is harassing her and their family. She requested the court to put an end to it.

    During the hearing today (Friday), both The Minor and her husband were produced before the LHC.

    Earlier, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had allowed The Minor to decide her fate. The court said that its The Minor’s choice to go with her husband or her parents.

    In a three-page written order, the court stated: “In light of all the evidence, this is not a case of kidnapping.”

    The Minor along with her alleged husband Zaheer was produced in the Sindh High Court on June 6.

    The Minor went missing on April 16 from Karachi. Three videos of The Minor also surfaced in which the girl can be heard saying that she married out of her own free will, and claimed that she is 18 years of age. However, her father claims that she is not 18.

    A medical report revealed that The Minor’s age is between 16-17 years old.

  • ‘Azadi March’: Anti-Terrorism Court grants interim bail to Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar, Yasmin Rashid

    ‘Azadi March’: Anti-Terrorism Court grants interim bail to Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar, Yasmin Rashid

    An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Friday approved interim bails of top leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Punjab after it issued non-bailable arrest warrants for them over alleged vandalism and damage of property on May 25, during the Azadi March.

    The ATC had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the PTI leaders earlier. According to the court order issued Thursday, investigating officer Muhammad Saleem had requested the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants for PTI leaders Mian Akram Usman, Muhammad Zubair Khan Niazi, Imtiaz Mehmood Sheikh, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Mian Shafqat Mahmood, Malik Nadeem Abbas, Murad Raas, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Yasir Gilani, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Hammad Azhar, Andleeb Abbas, and Ijaz Chaudhry.

    PTI leaders whose warrants had been issued reached out to the court for interim bails. The court, after accepting their pleas, directed each of the petitioners to submit Rs100,000 as the surety against bails.

    Former energy minister Hammad Azhar said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz want to make this country a “police fascist state”.

    “A criminal [lady] issues directives from PM House to include sections pertaining to terrorism. I ask: where are the law and Constitution?”

    Hammad warned that the country would become a “police fascist state” if the law and Constitution don’t raise their voice today.

    “All these people standing with me are respectable citizens of society. They are not terrorists,” said Hammad.

    Last month, the Punjab Police had registered a total of 42 criminal cases against PTI’s senior leaders and workers for alleged agitation in the aftermath of the Azadi March held on May 25.

    However, PTI Chairman Imran Khan admitted that during the Azadi March, PTI protesters were carrying weapons with them. 

    “Our people had pistols on them too. I was afraid that the country will now face riots,” Khan told anchorperson Moeed Pirzada while speaking on 92 News‘ political talk show ‘Hard Talk’.