Tag: national

Posted on

Dharejo says ‘selected’ rulers should go home

KARACHI:Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce and Anti-Corruption and Cooperative Department Jam Ikramullah Dharejo has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government came to power through rigging in the general elections.

 

He said this while talking to media persons at his residence here Tuesday. He said that the selected rulers should go home as those who came to power through rigging have no right to rule over the people.

 

Dharejo, in response to a question, said that opposition parties have the right to hold public gatherings. Is the Corona virus only for opposition parties? Federal ministers are holding public gatherings at various places. He said that the federal government had adopted a dual policy on corona virus. In the markets, in the cinemas, nowhere precautionary measures are not being taken regarding Corona virus. All efforts are being made to disrupt the meetings of the opposition parties.

 

He said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had asked the people to wear masks and take other precautionary measures in the public meetings of the opposition parties. Participate and express their displeasure to the selected federal government. He said that high prices had made the lives of the people miserable and the selected rulers had no tension of common man woes.

 

Posted on

Entry test result for admission to BMC will be challenged: Rind

QUETTA:Bushra Rind Parliamentary Secretary for Information has said that novel coronavirus does not make distinction between rich and poor.

 

Addressing a press conference at officers club here on Tuesday, she said, “Kalsoom Perveen Magsi died of COVID-19 while Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, also contracted COVID-19.”

 

In order to remain protected from novel coronavirus, leaving of homes without any cogent reasons should be avoided, said Rind, adding, “The statement of Moulana Muhammad Khan Sherani shows that dissension in Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) exists.”

 

She remarked that Sherani confessed that Moulana Fazal-ur-Rehman himself was selected. She said the notion of resignation by the opposition parties was nothing but to hoodwink the people.

 

She said the result of the entry test for admission to Bolan Medical College would be challenged before the court of law. She added that what they wanted was to conduct entry test afresh.

 

Rind said that all girls as well as boys high schools of the province would be upgraded to the level of degree colleges. She said all would have to play their due role for the progress and prosperity of Balochistan. She remarked, “Gwadar is being fenced for the protection of the lives and properties of the people as well as to provide security to the foreign investors.”

Posted on

Fed govt deprived people of Sindh of natural gas: CM Murad

KARACHI:Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that he doesn’t know if back door contacts between Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the Establishment have been established.

 

“This is purely a matter of the PDM leadership and I don’t know what is happening there,” he said while talking to the media here at Sindh Assembly Building on Tuesday.

 

To a question about the back door contact between the PDM and the Establishment, Murad Ali Shah said, he had no knowledge of such contacts. The PDM leadership was capable enough to answer the media about this question.

 

To another question about the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF), the CM said that the WWF, under the 18th constitutional amendment, was devolved to the provinces. He added that the provincial assembly has passed a bill to collect WWF and engaged the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) to collect the fund on behalf of the Workers Welfare Board.

 

The federal government which has bitterly failed to achieve its revenue collection targets has now come up with the decision to centralize WWF collection. “I don’t remember when the WWF collection agenda was taken up in the CCI meeting,” he said and added he would check it with the minutes and other document then he’ll brief the media about the provincial government stance on the matter but this is very clear that the CCI could not supersede the provincial law,” he said

 

Replying to a question about acute shortage of natural gas in Sindh, Mr Shah said that the province of Sindh was the largest gas producer in the country and its people have the first and foremost right to use it. “I strongly condemn the act of depriving people of Sindh from their constitutional right for using the gas,” he said and added that his government would take up the issue with the federal government.

 

To another question, Murad Ali Shah said that PPP was organizing a public meeting on December 27 at Garhi Khuda Bux to observe the death anniversary of Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto. “Our public meeting would be held in open space and it is not a closed door gathering that COVID-19 would spread,” he said.

 

Replying to a question about Shahbaz Gill’s statement, the chief minister said that his [Mr Gill’s] statement was a pack of lies. “I went to America for a private visit and behind me some `talking machines’ started running the ‘rumor mills’,” he said and added he had no need to respond to the baseless statements of such people.

 

Talking about his resignation from the provincial assembly, Shah said he and other PPP MPAs, except one member have handed over their resignations [from the provincial assembly] to the party leadership. “This is a minor thing and there is no need to worry about it,” he said and added the party has given us the assembly seat and they have the right to take it back whenever they want.

 

COVID-19 Situation: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in a statement issued from CM House, disclosed that unfortunately stemming from COVID-19 we have 27 more deaths overnight and 1005 new cases emerged when 10,914 tests were conducted.

 

He said that 27 more patients lost their lives overnight lifting the death toll to 3,379 that constituted 1.6 percent death rate.

 

Mr Shah said that 10,914 tests were conducted against which 1005 cases were detected that came to 0.2 percent current detection rate. He added that so far 2,252,876 samples have been tested which diagnosed 206,489 cases, of the 89 percent or 184,192 [patients] have recovered, including 2590 overnight.

 

The CM said that currently 18,918 patients were under treatment, of them 18,079 were in home isolation, 13 at isolation centers and 826 in different hospitals. He added that the condition of 731 patients was stated to be critical, including 86 shifted to ventilators.

 

According to the statement, out of 1005 new cases, 742 have been detected from Karachi, including 325 from East, 176 South, 97 Central, 58 Korangi, 50 Malir, and 36 West. Hyderabad has 37 cases, Jacobabad 27, Sanghar 22, Dadu 13, Jamshoro, Naushehroferoze and Tando Allahyar 11 each, Tando Mohammad Khan and Thatta eight each, Sujawal and Ghotki seven each, Umerkot and Kashmore three each, Khairpur two, Mirpurkhas and Badin one each.

 

Law and Order: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a meeting on law and order has directed provincial police to start snap checking and start extensive patrolling to improve further law and order in the province.

 

The meeting was attended by Minister Local Government Nasir Shah, Advisor Murtaza Wahab, Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Maher, PSCM Sajif Jamal Abro, ACS Home Usman Chachar. Adl IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon.

 

IG Police Mushtaq Maher gave a detailed overall briefing about law and order situation in the province to the chief minister while the briefing of the Adl IG Karachi was city- specific.

 

Murad Ali Shah directed the IG Police to ensure proper and extensive police patrolling in the city and in other districts. The targeted and intelligence-based operation launched against drug mafia, terrorists, out laws and the street criminals should continue.

 

He said that the responsibility of the police department was to ensure proper protection of the public and their property. “Alhamdullah, the overall law and order situation in the province is satisfactory but we have made it an exemplary,” he said.

 

ACS Home Usman Chahar briefed the chief minister about the measures taken to implement Standard Operational Procedure (SOPs) in the city.

Posted on

Majority of Pakistanis more positive about shopping online: Study

ISLAMABAD:COVID-19 has seen consumers across the world ditch cash and in-person shopping in favour of online spending, according to Standard Chartered’s latest global survey. Almost three-quarters of survey respondents in Pakistan (72 per cent) agree that COVID-19 has made them more positive about online shopping, but they are also more careful with their spending and want new ways to track their money digitally.

 

The study of 12,000 adults across 12 markets – Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mainland China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, UAE, the UK and the US – is the second in a three-part series, looking at how COVID-19 has transformed consumers’ way of life, and what changes could be here to stay. While the first survey focused on the pandemic’s impact on earnings, the second offers new insights into the way the global health crisis is changing consumer spending habits.

 

Respondents in all 12 markets anticipate doing more of their shopping online from now on. In Pakistan, 76 per cent preferred to shop in-person prior to the pandemic compared to 24 per cent online. But this has shifted, with more than one-third (37%) now preferring online payments to in-person card or cash payments for future purchases. This increase in preference for online payments is true across a range of purchases, from groceries and travel to digital devices.

 

As a result, almost three-quarters of Pakistanis are now more positive about shopping online. However, despite the increased enthusiasm for shopping online, only 39 per cent of Pakistanis expect their country to go fully cashless in the future, the lowest of all the countries surveyed.

 

The shift online is supported by Standard Chartered’s ATM withdrawals data. Across the ten surveyed markets, where Standard Chartered offers retail banking (all except the UK and US), COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated the decline in ATM usage. Cash withdrawals from ATMs are now half what they were two years ago.

 

Meanwhile, as spending begins to creep up with lockdowns easing globally – 57 per cent of those in Pakistan reported increased spending in July (46 per cent globally) – more than three quarters (79 per cent) of people in Pakistan say the pandemic has made them more careful with their expenditure.

 

Reflecting this increased caution, 62 per cent of survey respondents in Pakistan said that the economic impact of COVID-19 has made them more likely to track their spending, with 77 per cent either using or wanting to use budgeting tools.

 

Consumers around the world, including in Pakistan, are now spending more on basics – such as groceries and healthcare – and digital devices than they did prior to the pandemic, and they expect this increase to continue in the future. Out of all the countries surveyed, Pakistan has reported the greatest increase in spending on healthcare (58 per cent) and charitable donations (37 per cent) compared to before the pandemic.

 

Meanwhile, 66 per cent of people in Pakistan say they have spent less on travel/holidays than they did before the pandemic, while 57 per cent have spent less on clothes. This trend is expected to continue in Pakistan with 31 per cent saying they anticipate spending less on travel/holidays and 27 per cent on clothes in the future.

 

As well as being increasingly careful with their spending, consumers are becoming more conscientious. This is good news for small businesses and those producing locally made goods, particularly those making and selling sustainably sourced products. In Pakistan, more than half of people say they are now more likely to shop locally (66 per cent), more sustainably (56 per cent) and with small businesses (63 per cent).

 

Mr. Syed Mujtaba Abbas, Country Head Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan said, “In the current extraordinary and uncertain times, people are being more cautious with their spending. Keeping track of where your money goes has never been so important. As per our data, Online payments have increased but there is more banks can do to help. With three-quarters of people either using or wanting to use budgeting of financial control tools, it’s imperative that banks continue to innovate digitally so that clients can easily transact, track and manage their spending in a safe and secure way.”

 

Posted on

(NATIONAL): Sindh workers demand minimum wages at Rs 30,000

KARACHI:Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) and other labour organizations from Sindh have expressed their solidarity with workers of Punjab who are struggling for their rights. They demanded provision of all rights under the Constitution and laws.

 

In a statement here on Tuesday, PILER Executive Director Karamat Ali, senior trade union leaders Habibuddin Junaidi, Liaqat Sahi, Nasir Mansoor, Farhat Perveen, Zehra Khan and others supported the Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) for holding Punjab Labour Conference in Faisalabad on Wednesday.

 

They said Punjab Government has once again suspended labour inspection, which is illegal and unconstitutional. The government has failed to provide fundamental right of association to all workers. Collective Bargaining does not exist in the country. All workers should be provided right to form country-wide trade unions.

 

Minimum wages laws are ineffective in the country, and in most of industries and commercial establishments it is not implement. “We demand to fix minimum wages for unskilled workers at Rs. 30,000 per month.”

Posted on

Pakistan issues visas to 47 Hindu pilgrims

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to two groups of Indian Hindu Yatrees in December 2020 for visit to their revered sites in Pakistan.

 

According to a statement of Press Information Department issued on Tuesday, a group of 47 Indian Hindu Yatrees has been issued visas yesterday. They would visit Shree Katas Raj Temples, also known as Qila Katas or complex of Katas Temples in Chakwal district of Punjab, Pakistan from 23-29 December 2020.

 

The Katas Raj temples surround a sacred pond to Hindu devotees. Another group of 44 Indian Hindu Yatrees returned yesterday from Pakistan where they participated in the 312th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib, at Sukkur, Sindh from 15-21 December 2020.

 

More than three centuries old temple, Shadani Darbar, is a holy place for devotees from across the world. The temple was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708.

 

Thousands of Indian Sikh and Hindu pilgrims visit Pakistan under the bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, to observe several religious festivals/occasions every year. The visas issued from New Delhi are in addition to the visas granted to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims participating in these events from other countries. The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims is part of the Government of Pakistan’s endeavors to facilitate their visits to religious shrines. Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places and extending all possible facilitation for the visiting pilgrims of all faiths.

Posted on

(NATIONAL): Maryam to address Larkana bar

LARKANA:Central Vice President, PML-Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz Sharif will be given a befitting welcome from Sukkur to Larkana and the entire route will be decorated with party flags and large portraits of our leaders.

 

This was announced by PML-N District President advocate Nisar Ahmed Abro while addressing a news conference at local press club Tuesday. He said she will also address Larkana Bar on December 27th or 28th December, adding the program is yet to be finalized.

 

He said the majority of the lawyers community had agreed to her address to the bar which would be a pride for them. He said Nawaz Sharif and his family were loyal to the country and they could not even think of treachery within the country.

 

He said: “Nawaz Sharif is the leader who made the country an atomic country. Due to security reasons, the visit program of Maryam Nawaz Sharif has not yet been made public.” He said that they don’t like to answer those using unparliamentary language against Nawaz Sharif and his family.

 

He was accompanied by Ahmed Bux Korai, Aftab Ahmed Ansari, Ghulam Raza Kolachi, advocates Raja Imran Umrani, Kainat Kalhoro, Ali Waqas Abro and others.