Pakistan dispatches third aid consignment for Gaza

A handout photo released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan army's media wing, on January 1, 2024, shows humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip through Egypt being loaded into a military aircraft at Nur Khan Base in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (ISPR)
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Updated 01 January 2024
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Pakistan dispatches third aid consignment for Gaza

  • Special flight carrying relief goods to reach Al-Arish in Egypt from where they will be distributed in Gaza
  • Pakistan’s foreign minister says more foreign aid being arranged for Gaza, will be sent “very soon”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dispatched another consignment of relief items for the people of Gaza, the army’s media wing said, as Israel continues its ground and air assault on the Palestinian territory which has claimed over 21,000 Palestinian lives. 

This is the third batch of relief goods sent by the South Asian country for the people of Gaza, who have been under relentless bombing by Israeli warplanes in the densely populated area. Israel has killed at least 21,800 people in Palestine, mostly women and children, since Oct.7 as it ignores calls for cease-fire from several countries around the world. 

On Nov. 7, Pakistan sent a special flight with special winter tents, blankets, medicine and food packs for the people of Gaza. 

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmed Rabi, representatives of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the foreign ministry and senior officers of Pakistan’s armed forces attended the departure ceremony of a special flight at Nur Khan Base in Rawalpindi. The flight carried 20 tons of relief items.

“The third aid shipment contains about 20 tons of essential items including surgical/medical supplies, dry food items and gift bags for children as well as hygiene kits as per ground needs in Gaza,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. 

It said the special flight will reach Al-Arish city in Egypt where the Pakistani ambassador will receive the relief supplies, following which they would be sent to Gaza for distribution. 

“On this occasion, the Foreign Minister expressed his full support to the Palestinian people and condemned the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by Israel against civilians, especially women and children, in Gaza,” the ISPR said. 

Jilani called for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East and for upholding the basic principles of justice and human rights. 

“More humanitarian aid is also being arranged for Gaza, which will be sent by the people of Pakistan very soon,” he was quoted as saying by the ISPR. 


TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands

Updated 5 sec ago
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TikTok bandits terrorize, transfix Pakistan riverlands

  • The outlaws parade hostages in clips for ransom or exhibit arsenals of heavy weapons in musical TikToks
  • Sweeping police operations and even an army incursion in 2016 failed to impose law and order in the area

RAHIM YAR KHAN: With a showman’s flair and an outlaw’s moustache, the Pakistani gangster dials the hotline on his own most wanted notice — taunting the authorities who put a bounty on his head.
Staring down the lens in a social media clip, Shahid Lund Baloch challenges the official on the phone and his thousands of viewers: “Do you know my circumstances or my reasons for taking up arms?“
The 28-year-old is hiding out in riverine terrain in central Punjab which has long offered refuge to bandits — using the Internet to enthral citizens even as he preys on them, police say.
On TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram he fascinates tens of thousands with messages delivered gun-in-hand, romanticizing his rural lifestyle and cultivating a reputation as a champion of the people.
But he is wanted for 28 cases including murder, abduction and attacks on police — with a 10 million rupee ($36,000) price on his head.
“People who are sitting on the outside think he is a hero, but the people here know he is no hero,” said Javed Dhillon, a former lawmaker for Rahim Yar Khan district close to the hideouts of Baloch, and other bandits like him.
“They have been at the receiving end of his cruelty and violence.”
Baloch is said to dwell on a sandy island in the “Katcha lands” — roughly translating as “backwaters” — on the Indus River which skewers Pakistan from top to bottom.
High-standing crops provide cover for ambushes and the region is riven by shifting seasonal waterways that complicate pursuit over crimes ranging from kidnapping to highway robbery and smuggling.
At the intersection of three of Pakistan’s four provinces, gangs with hundreds of members have for decades capitalized on poor coordination between police forces by flitting across jurisdictions.
“The natural features of these lands support the criminals,” said senior police officer Naveed Wahla. “They’ll hide out in a water turbine, move in boats, or through sugarcane crops.”
Sweeping police operations and even an army incursion in 2016 failed to impose law and order. This August, a rocket attack on a police convoy killed 12 officers.
“In the current state of affairs here there is only fear and terror,” said Haq Nawaz, whose adult son was abducted late September for a five million rupee ransom he cannot afford.
“There is no one to look after our wellbeing,” he complains.
But the gangs are increasingly online.
Some use the web to lay “honey-traps” luring kidnap victims by impersonating romantic suitors, business partners and advertising cheap sales of tractors or cars.
Some parade hostages in clips for ransom or exhibit arsenals of heavy weapons in musical TikToks.
Baloch has by far the largest online profile — irking police with a combined 200,000 followers.
Rizwan Gondal, the head police officer of Rahim Yar Khan district, says that his detectives have a dossier proving his “heinous criminal activities.”
“Police have made multiple efforts to capture him however he escapes,” he added.
“He’s a very media savvy guy. Let him say, ‘I am going to surrender before the state to prove that I am innocent’ and let the media cover it.”
In his clips Baloch protests his innocence whilst casting himself as a vigilante in a lawless land, claiming he chose to fight only after family members were slain in tribal clashes.
“We couldn’t get justice from the courts so I decided to pick up arms and started fighting with my enemies,” Baloch told AFP. “They killed our people, we killed theirs.”
But he also plays off the cycle of state neglect which breeds banditry and in turn relegates the destitute farming communities further to society’s fringes.
“The villagers here are not viewed as human but as animals,” Baloch told AFP. “If they gave us schools, electricity, government hospitals and justice, why would anyone even think of taking up arms?“
In comments sections his viewers call him “beloved brother bandit” and a “real hero.” “You have won my heart,” claims another.
“He is popular in the mainstream because he is giving the police authorities a tough time,” said former lawmaker Dhillon.
“People like that he says the things they can’t say out loud against people they can’t speak out against.”
Police have proposed countering bandits by downgrading mobile phone towers to 2G in the Katcha lands, preventing social media apps from loading.
That has not yet happened and would risk cutting communities off further still.
But more low tech solutions have had some success.
An anti-honey trap police cell cautions citizens against the gangs with the help of billboards and loudspeakers at checkpoints entering the area, preventing 531 people from falling prey since last August, according to their data.
Baloch scoffs at police. But one problem plaguing his bid for online stardom has his attention.
Copycat social media accounts pretend to be him and share duplicates of his videos — earning thousands more followers and views than his legitimate accounts.
He feels robbed. “I don’t know what they are trying to achieve,” he complains.
But for police, his Internet hero status is at odds with the toll of his crimes.
“People will idealize Shahid Lund Baloch but when they ultimately get kidnapped by him, then they will realize who Shahid Lund Baloch really is,” said senior officer Wahla.


Pakistan revenue authority launches advanced system to boost tax collection

Updated 38 min ago
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Pakistan revenue authority launches advanced system to boost tax collection

  • Development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to prevent tax evasion worth billions of rupees
  • Islamabad has set a challenging tax revenue target of $46.66 billion for the new fiscal year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s tax regulator has launched an advanced Stock Register system to optimize tax administration and boost revenue collection, it said on Thursday, amid efforts to prevent tax evasion.

The development comes amid Pakistan’s desperate attempts at preventing tax evasion worth billions of rupees and meeting a challenging tax revenue target of Rs13 trillion ($46.66 billion) for the new fiscal year that started July 1, a near 40 percent jump from the last year. 

Pakistan last year came to the brink of a default as the economy shriveled amid political chaos, impact of 2022 floods, and decades of mismanagement. Last-minute loan rollovers from friendly countries as well as a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) saved the nation.

The situation prompted Islamabad to introduce institutional reforms, including the digitization of the FBR, to put the economy back on track as the South Asian country grappled shrinking foreign exchange reserves, high inflation, and staggering public debts.

“This robust digital infrastructure grants tax officers real-time, in-depth access to registered persons’ data, bolstering transparency and securing compliance with Income Tax (IT) and Sales Tax (ST) regulations,” the FBR said on X.

The Stock Register functions as a sophisticated information and reporting system, and empowers tax officers to make precise tax assessments and mitigate the risk of tax evasion, according to the revenue authority.

The FBR said it had also launched the Information Center 2.0 portal to enhance its capacity to strengthen the national exchequer.

“Accessible exclusively through the IRIS tax officers’ platform at FBR field formations, Information Center 2.0 features advanced filters and search functionalities, enabling swift data retrieval to support compliance and precise assessments,” it said.

“This initiative represents a pivotal advancement in tax collection efforts. It fosters robust reporting, minimizes tax evasion & strengthens resource & financial management across the business landscape, ensuring adherence to tax regulations through a centralized data ecosystem.”

Since avoiding default last year, Pakistan has reached an agreement with the IMF for a new $7 billion loan. The South Asian country is currently trying to boost trade and investment to revive its fragile $350 billion economy.


Pakistan increases price of petrol by Rs1.35 per liter till next fortnight

Updated 01 November 2024
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Pakistan increases price of petrol by Rs1.35 per liter till next fortnight

  • New price of petrol increases from Rs247.03 per liter to Rs248.38 per liter, says Finance Division 
  • Petroleum prices revised based on price variation in the international market, says notification international market, says notification 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have increased the price of petrol by Rs1.35 per liter till the next fortnight, the country’s Finance Division said in a notification late Thursday. 

As per the notification, the new price of petrol has been increased from Rs247.03 per liter to Rs248.38 per liter. 

“The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products, based on the price variation in the international market,” OGRA said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, the government also increased the price of high speed diesel by Rs3.85 per liter, increasing it from Rs251.29 per liter to Rs255.14 per liter. 

The price of kerosene was slashed by Rs1.48 per liter, decreasing it from Rs163.02 per liter to Rs161.54 per liter, and the price of light diesel oil was slashed by Rs2.61 per liter, bringing it down from Rs150.12 per liter to Rs147.51 per liter. 

Pakistan revises petroleum prices every fortnight. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers in Pakistan while any increase in the price of diesel is considered highly inflationary as it is mostly used to power heavy transport vehicles and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.

However, the negligible decrease in petrol and diesel prices is unlikely to provide much relief to the inflation-stricken Pakistanis.


Middle East burger chain Salt to begin operations in Pakistan ‘soon’

Updated 01 November 2024
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Middle East burger chain Salt to begin operations in Pakistan ‘soon’

  • ’Salt’ has branches in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UK and Hungary already 
  • Salt did not mention which Pakistani cities it plans on opening outlets in

ISLAMABAD: International fast food chain “Salt” announced on Wednesday that it will expand its operations into Pakistan, vowing to provide its customers in the South Asian country high quality food “soon.”

Salt is a Middle East fast food chain based in Qatar since 2005 that specializes in burgers containing wagyu beef — a type of high-quality beef that comes from the Wagyu cattle breed native to Japan. The company founded by Qatar-based Ali Ahmed Buhindi has been running branches in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and also Hungary. 

“Time to pass the salt, Pakistan! SALT, is coming in hot with all the good vibes and flavors to slide right into your cravings,” the burger joint Salt said in a post on Instagram with a picture titled “coming soon.”

Salt did not mention which Pakistani cities it plans on opening its branches in. 

The burger chain offers a wide range of beef burgers that include brisket, truffle, signature, hook and original sliders. 

Its chicken burgers include Cheetos, pine chicken and crispy chicken sliders flavors. 

International fast food restaurants are quite popular in Pakistan with the likes of McDonald’s, KFC and Hardees operating successfully in multiple cities for decades. 


Pakistan’s national airline attracts $36 million bid from real estate company

Updated 31 October 2024
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Pakistan’s national airline attracts $36 million bid from real estate company

  • Sole bidder Blue World City refuses to match government’s minimum price for Pakistan International Airlines
  • Pakistan plans to sell over 51 percent of its stake in loss-making PIA as envisaged under an IMF deal this year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national flag carrier received a Rs10 billion [$36 million] bid from real estate development company Blue World City on Thursday for sixty percent of its stakes during a televised auction, much below the minimum price for the airline set by the government.
Pakistan plans to sell more than 51 percent of its stake in the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as part of economic reforms Islamabad agreed to with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a critical 37-month $7 billion bailout deal approved in September.
Pakistan’s government had pre-qualified six groups in June, but only real estate development company Blue World City met a Tuesday deadline to submit final documents to participate in the auction.
The state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) broadcast the bidding process live, with Blue World City as the sole bidder. The bid for $36 million was read out in front of government officials and financial advisers. The government had set a minimum price of Rs85 billion [$305 million] for the airline.
“We have considered your match price option,” Blue World City Chairman Saad Nazir said during the event. “We have decided to stand with the price we have already submitted.”
 Nazir refused to match the government’s offer of Rs85 billion, saying that as per the company’s assessment, “this was the best decision.”
“If the government doesn’t privatize [PIA], we wish the government all the best,” he said.
 Pakistan’s privatization commission has allowed some time for potential bidders to see if any would outmatch Blue World City’s bid.
“The government couldn’t get the fair price of the PIA through the auction due to the single bidder,” Haroon Sharif, a former member of the cabinet committee on privatization, told Arab News.
“There was no competition to purchase stakes of the national carrier.”
The government’s initial plan was to finalize the deal to sell PIA on the country’s Independence Day, Aug. 14, but the plan was delayed following requests from bidders waiting for the airline’s latest audited accounts, aircraft lease agreements and clarity on flights to Europe, which are currently banned.
This auction was delayed to September and October but those also did not materialize.
Sharif said the government should have extended the auction’s deadline to involve more bidders in the process.
“Now it looks like the government is privatizing the PIA in desperation,” he noted.
Official data available with Arab News shows there are 88 commercially operated state-owned enterprises in Pakistan, with collective losses of up to Rs730.258 billion ($2.61 billion) in the fiscal year 2022 (FY22).
In its five-year privatization plan ending in 2029, the government has approved 24 state-owned enterprises for sale, including the PIA.
With a fleet of 34 aircraft comprising 17 Airbus A320s, 12 Boeing B777s and 5 ATRs, the PIA loses traffic to Middle Eastern carriers who have a market share of 60 percent, because of an absence of direct flights to destinations.
The carrier has air service pacts with 87 countries, and landing slots at key destinations such as London Heathrow.
The reorganization plan of the business will separate the aviation-related aspects from non-core components, so freeing the operating subsidiary of a large portion of legacy debt.