Day: October 19, 2022

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Shell Pakistan announces financial results for Q3 2022

KARACHI: The Board of Directors of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) announced the Company’s 3rd quarter results on October 19th, 2022, the company informed on Wednesday.

The company posted a loss after tax of PKR 4,644 million for the quarter which translated into the cumulative profit after tax of PKR 2,863 million for the nine months as compared to last year’s profit after tax of PKR 297 million and PKR 2,447 million for the quarter and nine months respectively.

The oil sector felt the impact of macro-economic challenges such as unprecedented devaluation of the Rupee, continued volatility in the international oil prices as well as the impact of devastating floods, which resulted in a reduction in industry volumes. The Company was able to maintain its market share and remained focused on its strategic priorities, operational excellence, and fiscal prudence.

During the period, the Mobility business, with a strong supply and distribution network, delivered product in a safe and compliant manner at a time when most of the supply routes were severely challenged. The Company is also on track with its network expansion.

The Lubricants business was successful in increasing market share in the consumer channel, through consumer and influencer interventions; and the B2B channel has demonstrated agility to win new businesses.

Furthermore, a solar-powered milk refrigeration plant has been built in Basti Katimar, South Punjab, in collaboration with the National Rural Support Program (NRSP), giving 240 dairy farmers access to a milk refrigeration unit. This programme assists dairy farmers in increasing milk shelf life and increasing their own profitability.

Shell Tameer Awards 2022, a nationwide competition was launched to reward and recognize young Pakistani innovators who are working towards fuelling their entrepreneurial passion in the areas of Clean Energy Solutions, Technology Innovations, Empowering Women, Circular Economy, Transportation and Mobility and Bright Ideas. Winning entrepreneurs will get a chance to win seed capital, business mentoring, high value networking and local as well as global recognition through Shell. Campus drives and partner engagements were conducted to create awareness around the program and 253 innovative start-ups and prototype stage ideas were received from across Pakistan.

SPL remains focused and committed in ensuring that its financial position remains robust and a Goal-Zero approach to safety performance is maintained.

SPL is also thankful to the Government for timely settlement of the recent price differential claims and looks forward to a positive settlement of the remaining legacy receivables.

Going forward, SPL will actively work to minimize impact of current challenges and endeavour to capture opportunities to ensure that it plays a key role in developing Pakistan’s energy future.

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Paramedics boycott continues for risk allowance

LARKANA: Two separate protest demonstrations were held here on Wednesday for continuation of health risk allowance.

The first protest was by the paramedical staff of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) which was also joined by staff nurses and is continuing for the past third day at Civil Hospital Block after boycotting their government duties for which they are paid out of taxpayers money and the second by Lady Health Workers (LHWs) working under District Health Office which was held at Jinnah Bagh.

CMCH protesters including Shahi Khan Jagiran, Munwar Mangi and others who alleged that risk allowance was allowed during coronavirus to the medics and paramedics but it has suddenly been withdrawn which is highhandedness. They said that the emergency services of paramedics are still continuing in the shape of medical camps for the flood and rain affected people and coronavirus wards are still functional across Sindh where they are always deployed to perform their government duties.

On the other hand, LHWs’ Reshma Langah, Zuhra Solangi, Benazir Channa, Salma Tunio and others claimed that from polio drops administration to vaccination campaigns they are always deployed to perform their legal and moral duties and they carryout these duties without any hindrance in hot or sizzling cold weather.

They said closing suddenly risk allowance has created lot of problems for them despite the fact that they are performing their duties at various medical camps established for treatment of flood affected. They said that massive price hike has already added to their miseries as LHWs are the backbone of health department and low paid employees hence their issues have been multiplied which have been ignored by the provincial health department. Both the protesters demanded restoration of risk allowance or else warned to continue their protests.

Meanwhile, poverty-stricken patients of CMCH OPD suffered very seriously as they reached here from far-flung and remote areas of various districts after paying hire to get specialized medical treatment for various ailments after proper diagnostics but they returned homes empty handed and some of them turned to private clinics.

Poor patients Irshad Khatoon, Zulekha, Rani, Amna, Inayatan, Noshad, Suhrab Machi, Gulzar Shaikh and others said that they came from different districts to get medical treatment but nobody is examining them because of so called paramedics protest.

They said that protesters have no fear of their creator as they have reached here to save our precious lives. They demanded of the Chief Justices of Pakistan and Sindh to take immediate notice of the perturbing issues, punish the protesters so that nobody should dare in future to boycott their government duties specifically where health providers are involved.

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Hemoglobin A1C machine inaugurated for diabetes patients in Larkana

LARKANA: Special Secretary, Health Department, Government of Sindh, Muhammad Nawaz Sohoo, inaugurated Hemoglobin A1C machine at Teaching Block of the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) here on Wednesday.

Dr. Gulzar Ali Tunio, CMCH Medical Superintendent, told PPI that the machine worth Rs1 million was donated by an unknown donor. He said its sugar and other required tests would be free for indoor patients whereas its test costs Rs1200 in private sector while Aga Khan University Hospital charges Rs1800 per test. The test is said to be vital for sugar (diabetes) patients for further medical treatment to keep the sugar level under control.

It must be remembered here that the largest tertiarycare hospital of rural Sindh is already facing acute shortage of latest machinery, equipment and instruments which is evident from the above fact that a machine worth Rs one million was not available despite hundreds of diabetes patients. The residents have demanded fulfillment of all the requirements of the CMCH without further loss of time so that poor patients should not suffer for negligence of others.

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Dollar continues winning streak against PKR

KARACHI: The US dollar continues to gain ground against the Pakistani rupee on Wednesday after a fresh appreciation.

According to details, the local currency depreciated by 79 paisa against the greenback which was being traded around Rs220.5. The rupee had closed at Rs219.71 on Tuesday, according to Pakistan’s central bank data. However, despite the depreciation, the rupee has cumulatively recovered by Rs19.44 from its record low of Rs239.94 against the dollar.

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Match officials for Pakistan v Ireland women’s series announced

KARACHI: Ali Naqvi, who has represented Pakistan in five Tests and is a member of PCB Elite Panel of Match Referees and International Panel of ICC Match Referees, will lead the playing control team in the six limited-overs matches between the national women’s sides of Pakistan and Ireland in Lahore from 4 to 16 November.

The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 and will be played from 4-9 November at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Three T20Is will be played at the same venue from 12-16 November.

Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Afridi and Imran Jawed will form the umpiring panel. Asif and Faisal are part of PCB Elite Panel of Umpires and PCB match officials on the ICC International Panel. Imran is part of PCB Elite Panel of Umpires.

The ODIs and T20Is will begin at 1000, toss will take place at 0930 PKT.

Umpire and match referee appointments (Matches from 4 to 16 November)

4 November – First ODI. Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi (on-field umpires), Imran Jawed (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

6 November – Second ODI. Asif Yaqoob and Imran Jawed (on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

9 November – Third ODI. Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi (on-field umpires), Imran Jawed (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

12 November – First T20I. Asif Yaqoob and Imran Jawed (on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

14 November – Second T20I. Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi (on-field umpires), Imran Jawed (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

16 November – Third T20I. Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi (on-field umpires), Imran Jawed (reserve umpire); Ali Naqvi (match referee)

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SC to hear Presidential Reference on Reko Diq on Oct 25

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed a presidential reference hearing on the Reko Diq project on October 25.

A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial will hold the hearing of the Presidential Reference. The five-member larger bench includes Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial, Justice Ijaz ul Hasan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandukhel.

Yesterday, on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi filed a Reko Diq reference in the Supreme Court (SC) in which an opinion was sought from the apex court on the settlement agreement signed by the Government of Pakistan with an international mining company to dig out copper and gold reserves in the area.

The federal government had a few days ago approved contents of the reference. Earlier, the federal cabinet had approved sending a presidential reference on the Reko Diq case to the Supreme Court.

In March 2022, the-then finance minister Shaukat Tarin had announced that an agreement for the development of the Reko Diq mine had been reached with a foreign company Barrick Gold, according to which Balochistan would have a 25 per cent share.

Pakistan and Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) had agreed to divide shares with each side getting 50 per cent of them, contrary to 25 per cent shares for Pakistan in the previous deal.

In 2019, Pakistan had managed to get a reduced penalty from a massive $16 billion to $6 billion in the Reko Diq case. In a 700-page ruling, the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) had awarded a $4.08 billion penalty and $1.87 billion in interest to Pakistan. The amount will be paid to TCC.

The firm had been granted a license for gold and copper mining at Reko Diq, area of Balochistan, but the former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry had cancelled the agreement with the company.

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56 bodies found on Nishtar Hospital Multan’s rooftop buried

MULTAN: A welfare organization with the help of police buried 56 bodies found on the rooftop of the Nishtar Hospital in Multan, according to a report on Wednesday.

According to reports, the bodies were buried in a graveyard adjacent to the hospital. On October 13, the Punjab Chief Minister’s (CM) Adviser Chaudhry Zaman Gujjar spotted unclaimed bodies left abandoned on the roof of Nishtar Hospital in Multan.

The videos showed the horrors of Nishtar Hospital’s dead house packed with rotten bodies. In the videos and pictures, some bodies and old wooden cot were thrown on the floor. Following the discovery of unclaimed bodies, an inquiry committee was formed by the Punjab government to hold responsibly accountable.

Later, in the light of the inquiry report on Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi ordered the suspension of three doctors of Nishtar Hospital and two station house officers (SHOs) over their alleged negligence in the matter.

The statement further stated that the CM Punjab ordered action under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006 against those responsible for the “negligence”. “An inhuman act has been committed by throwing dead bodies on the rooftop and disrespect to corpses is intolerable,” CM Pervaiz Elahi said.