ISLAMABAD: The supply of petroleum products was partially disrupted in parts of Pakistan on Friday after petroleum dealers announced a nationwide strike to protest the government’s decision to impose an advance tax on turnover that they said would adversely impact their businesses already reeling from high taxes and inflation.
The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) gave the strike call this week, calling on the government to withdraw an advance income tax of 0.5 percent imposed in the recently passed federal budget 2024-25. As a result, a majority of privately-owned fuel stations remained closed on Friday, while outlets operated by oil marketing companies were supplying fuel to consumers, according to local media reports.
Pakistan’s tax-heavy $67.76 billion budget for the new fiscal year came into effect on Monday amid an annual inflation projection of up to 13.5 percent for June. The ambitious budget with a challenging tax revenue target of Rs13 trillion ($46.66 billion) has drawn the ire of the government’s allies and opposition alike. The revenue collection target for the new fiscal year is almost 40 percent higher than the last fiscal year.
The PPDA has said its business of selling petroleum products is already taking a hit due to staggering inflation and high taxes in Pakistan.
“We are going on a nationwide strike starting July 5 and plan to close petrol pumps across the country,” PPDA Chairman Abdul Sami Khan told Arab News on Wednesday. “Our demand is simple: the government should immediately withdraw the advance tax decision.”
Talks between the government and the association this week failed to break the deadlock between the two sides.
Khan warned that if the government does not reverse its decision, petroleum dealers would be forced to close their businesses for good.
“We are ready to discuss our concerns and possible solutions with the government,” he said. “We request the prime minister, petroleum minister and finance minister to immediately abolish this tax, otherwise we will be unable to continue running our businesses.”
‘BLACKMAILING TACTICS’
The government, however, says it will only listen to petroleum dealers’ “genuine concerns.”
Imran Ahmed, the director-general of oil at Pakistan’s petroleum ministry, rejected the strike call, saying the government would not entertain “blackmailing tactics.”
“We will not support the strike or such tactics,” he told Arab News on Wednesday. “This new advance tax applies to all traders, not only petroleum dealers.”
He said the ministry has instructed oil marketing companies to keep as many sites open as possible to ensure a smooth supply of petroleum products in the country.
“We have also instructed PSO [Pakistan State Oil] to ensure maximum supply and storage of petroleum products by keeping their sites open,” Ahmed said.
Pakistan fuel supply partially disrupted as dealers announce nationwide strike
https://arab.news/zkmjf
Pakistan fuel supply partially disrupted as dealers announce nationwide strike
- Petroleum dealers are protesting a government move to impose 0.5% advance tax on turnover
- Government says will not give in to ‘blackmail tactics,’ ensure smooth supply of fuel countrywide
Senior counter-terrorism official, passerby killed in Karachi gun attack — police
- Deputy Superintendent of Police Ali Raza was posted in investigation cell of Sindh counter-terrorism department
- The officer had been actively involved in operations against drug gangs, Pakistani Taliban and sectarian groups
KARACHI: A senior counter-terrorism official and a passerby were killed in a gun attack in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, police officials said on Sunday.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ali Raza was posted in investigation cell of counter-terrorism department (CTD) of Sindh provincial police.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Asif Ejaz Shaikh said two attackers had opened fire on the police officer in Karimabad area.
“It’s hard to say anything at this time, but all CTD officers have been receiving threats,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police surgeon Dr. Summayia Syed told Arab News that DSP Ali Raza had received multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and head.
“The bullets were removed,” she told Arab News. “The family didn’t allow a complete postmortem.”
A 38-year-old passerby, Waqar, who worked as a guard with a private security company, was also injured in the attack and succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Jinnah Hospital.
“Waqar had sustained serious gunshot injuries to the chest, flank and inguinal region,” Syed added.
DSP Raza had been actively involved in operations against drug gangs based in Karachi’s Lyari area, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and various sectarian groups, according to Raja Umar Khattab, a senior police officer and a longtime colleague of Raza.
“Ali Raza was a brilliant officer with several successful operations against outlawed groups to his credit,” Khattab told Arab News. “Today, the CTD has lost one of its key team members.”
Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial hub, has had a decades-long history of violence, especially against the law enforcers, by militant groups as well as political, drug and other mafias.
In 2013, the then government of three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif had sanctioned a joint operation against militants and violent criminals in the city, which significantly brought down the crime rate in the subsequent years.
However, sporadic incidents of targeted killings are still reported, while street crimes have continued unabated in the city of more than 20 million.
Army rescues ailing Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig from K2 base camp
- Baig was leading an international expedition, comprising Pakistani and Italian woman climbers
- She had to abandon the expedition on July 5 after her health condition deteriorated seriously
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army has rescued ailing Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig from the K2 base camp in the country’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, the Pakistani military said on Sunday.
Baig, a renowned Pakistani mountaineer, was leading an international K2 expedition, comprising Pakistani and Italian woman climbers.
She had to quit the expedition on July 5 after her health deteriorated seriously, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
An army aviation flight could not airlift Baig because of bad weather in the area and she was now being transferred to GB’s Skardu city via road.
“Samina Baig’s health has improved due to decrease in height, while a team of doctors of Pakistan Army is also ready at CMH (Combined Military Hospital) Skardu,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Samina Baig’s further transfer from Skardu will be decided after evaluating her health condition.”
Baig is the first Pakistani woman mountaineer to summit the world’s highest peak Everest and K2. She has also scaled Nanga Parbat and the Seven Summits in seven continents.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, which are known for their treacherous climbs.
These mountains attract climbers from all parts of the world. According to official figures, over 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023 where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.
Earlier this month, a 64-year-old Japanese climber, who summited the 7,027-meter high Spantik “Golden Peak” mountain, was found dead near Camp II of the mountain, according to Pakistani officials. The mountaineer, Onishi Hiroshi, fell into a crevasse, a deep crack formed in glaciers or ice sheets, while descending from the peak.
In June, Pakistan’s army rescued Estonian climber Saama Marie who injured her leg while attempting to scale Nanga Parbat.
As climate change threatens Pakistan mango exports, surge in Middle East demand offers some hope
- Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest mango producer and its export generates millions of dollars in revenue, according to exporters
- Additionally, mangoes serve as a cultural symbol and a diplomatic tool that help the government strengthen international connections
ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (APFVEA) said on Sunday that Pakistan might not meet its target of exporting 100,000 metric tons of mangoes this year due to adverse effects of climate change on its production, with officials pinning their hopes on a surge in demand from the Middle East.
Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest mango producer and the fruit export generates millions of dollars in revenue annually, according to the APFVEA. Additionally, mangoes serve as a cultural symbol and a diplomatic tool that help the government strengthen international connections.
Pakistan has faced mango export challenges in recent years due to adverse weather, and pest and fruit fly infestation, with production declining for the third consecutive year in 2024.
The country produces around 1,800,000 metric tons of mangoes annually, with 70 percent grown in Punjab, 29 percent in Sindh and one percent grown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“We had set a target of exporting 100,000 metric tons of mangoes this season, but it seems unachievable due to the pronounced negative impact of climate change on Pakistan’s mango orchards resulting in less production and a lack of export-quality mangoes,” Muhammad Shehzad Sheikh, the APFVEA chairman, told Arab News.
Due to the weather this year, he said, mango production was down by up to 40 percent in Punjab and 20 percent in Sindh, reducing the overall production by around 600,000 metric tons.
He said the APFVEA reduced this year’s target because it could not achieve the export target of 125,000 metric tons last year and exported only 100,000 metric tons of mangoes in 2023.
“With the export of 100,000 metric tons of mangoes during the current season, if achieved, a valuable foreign exchange of $90 million would be generated,” Sheikh said.
Expressing grave concerns, the APFVEA chairman said the effects of climate change on fruit cultivation, particularly mangoes, as well as on the larger agricultural sector were intensifying with each passing year.
“Extended winters, heavy rains, hailstorms and subsequent severe heatwaves have altered disease patterns throughout the seasons,” he explained, stressing an urgent need for research-based solutions to mitigate these effects and warning that failure to promptly do so could further jeopardize mango production and exports.
Besides climate change, the sector faces challenges like increased withholding tax and higher costs of electricity, gas, transportation, garden maintenance, pesticides and water management, which make it difficult to compete with other exporters, according to Sheikh.
On the contrary, officials said that despite production delays caused by climate change, there had been a surge in demand for Pakistani mangoes, particularly in the Middle East, that would not only make it possible to achieve the export target, but the country was also expected to exceed it.
“While the final figures will be clear by the end of the season in September, we expect around a 20 percent increase compared to last year,” Rashid Gillani, a deputy manager at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), told Arab News. “Our target is to exceed $120 million worth of [overall] mango exports.”
Last year, around 50 percent of all Pakistani mango exports went to the Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Iran, according to the APFVEA.
Gillani said operations were now running smoothly despite production delays and more fruit was ready to be shipped, noting that TDAP had organized several mango festivals in different countries with the assistance of Pakistani missions to increase the export of the fruit.
On Saturday, the Pakistani embassy in the UAE organized a mango festival event at the Pakistan Association Dubai, in collaboration with the Pakistan Business Council. The event was attended by diplomats, foreign dignitaries, community members and government officials.
Speaking to Arab News, Ali Zeb, commercial counselor at the Pakistani embassy, said the demand for Pakistani mangoes had been steadily increasing in the Emirates and it was expected to further enhance this year, following a positive response from visitors at the Dubai festival.
“In 2022, Pakistani mango exports to the UAE totaled 41,000 metric tons, valued at $27 million, marking a 16 percent increase from the previous year,” he said. “In 2023, exports grew to approximately 50,000 metric tons, worth $31 million.”
This upward trend in mango exports to the UAE was likely to continue this year as well, Zeb added.
New head coach Gillespie vows consistency in Pakistan Test side
- Gillespie will start two-year tenure with two-match series against Bangladesh next month followed by three against England in October
- Pakistan will also tour South Africa for two Tests in December before hosting the West Indies in as many Tests in January next year
KARACHI: Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie Sunday vowed to make Pakistan a consistent side after taking charge as red-ball coach with a hectic six-month schedule in focus.
The 49-year-old will start his two-year tenure with a two-match series against Bangladesh next month followed by three against England in October — both at home.
Pakistan will also tour South Africa for two Tests in December before hosting the West Indies in as many Tests in January next year.
Gillespie, who arrived early Sunday, said Pakistan are a “talented” side but need consistency.
“How can they be more consistent is one thing that I am hoping I can find some solutions for,” Gillespie told a news conference.
He hoped Pakistan can improve on their fifth position in the current World Test Championship cycle, competed by nine teams since 2019.
“Ultimately we want to win games of Test cricket,” said Gillespie.
“There are skillful cricketers here, how can we play as a team and perform well against good quality international oppositions and that’s going to be the key for us.”
Hailing from one of Australia’s best Test sides in 1990s and 2000s, Gillespie played 71 Tests, 91 one-day internationals and a solitary T20I in a successful career.
He coached Yorkshire to win the English County Championship in 2014 and 2015.
Gillespie was hired to improve Pakistan’s Test side that lost 1-0 to Australia in 2022 before suffering their first-ever 3-0 home white-wash at the hands of England the same year.
Pakistan were routed 3-0 in Australia last year — their sixth series white-wash in Australia since 1999 — which Gillespie believed was not one-sided.
“As an observer from outside, I think there were some moments in games where Pakistan were on top but could not finish well,” Gillespie reflected.
Pakistan squandered good positions in the second Test in Melbourne and the third in Sydney through crucial dropped catches, leaving them tagged as a poor fielding side.
He said Pakistan needed to be smart to counter what he termed England’s “very aggressive” style of playing Tests, dubbed as “Bazball” after their coach Brendon McCullum’s nickname.
“England will be a challenge, no doubt about that. But I think we are certainly up to it,” said. “We are going to play very smart.”
Smarting from a first round exit in both the ODI World Cup last year in India and Twenty20 in USA and the West Indies last month where South African Gary Kirsten was head coach, Pakistan will begin their Test series against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi from August 21-25.
The second Test is in Karachi from August 30 to September 3.
They face England in three Tests starting in Multan (October 7-11), Karachi (Oct 15-19) and Rawalpindi (October 24-28).
In Pakistan’s Quetta, traditional drinks are perfect cure for parched throats and scorching heat
- Locals turn to traditional sugarcane and apricot juices to beat the scorching heat in southwestern Pakistan
- Juice sellers say despite soaring inflation, number of customers have almost doubled due to the heat wave
QUETTA: Come summer season, Hajji Baz Khan is a busy man. Eager to beat the heat and satiate their parched throats, hundreds of customers throng his shop daily for a tall glass of sugarcane juice. Khan repeatedly directs the servers at his shop to take customers’ orders, as the sound of a machine crushing the sugarcane for juice fills the air.
This is usually the scene at “Quetta Juice” shop on Jinnah Road, a busy place during summers in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta. Pakistan has been in the grip of severe heat since May, with temperatures in the southern parts of the country soaring as high as 52 degrees Celsius. In Quetta, the temperature frequently crossed 40 degrees Celsius over the past few weeks.
And as the temperature rises, so does the number of customers at Quetta Juice to quench their thirst.
“Sometimes we face a shortage of glasses due to the large number of customers in the summer peak days,” Khan, 58, told Arab News. “Because people consider sugarcane juice as the source to beat the [high] temperature.”
Sugarcane juice is a popular drink in Pakistan during the summer season. The juice is extracted on the spot by feeding sugarcane stalks into a machine, which is freshly squeezed out and served with ice cubes.
Pakistan’s macroeconomic crisis and double-digit inflation have made life for businesses difficult. Khan, who has been running the famous sugarcane juice shop since 1985, said he has to buy 40kg of sugarcane for Rs2500 ($9). And to make matters worse, the government has approved a surge in power tariffs.
“But yet my business is doing well, we are selling a single glass of sugarcane juice for 90 rupees ($0.32),” Khan said. “During the summer season, we use more than 100kg of sugar cane regularly for the traditional drink.”
Iftikhar Parvez, who traveled from Pakistan’s eastern city of Faisalabad to meet relatives in Quetta, couldn’t help but stop for sugarcane juice after visiting the nearby bazaar.
“In the summer season, the throat remains dry hence people prefer to drink sugarcane juice,” he said.
Wakeel Ahmed, a 44-year-old resident of Balochistan’s Sibi city who was visiting Quetta, said he had stopped for a sugarcane juice drink as he was suffering from low blood sugar.
The drink, he said, refreshed his mind and soul.
“Medically, sugarcane juice is very healthy for the human body and doctors always suggest it for hepatitis B and C patients,” Ahmed said.
‘KUSHTA’
While yogurt-based lassi, lemon sodas, milkshakes and fresh juices are popular in summer, another drink “kushta,” prepared with dried apricots and a mixture of salt and sugar, is also a much-relished beverage in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Ikram Ullah, 21, has been selling the drink for the last five years every summer.
“The residents love to drink apricot juice which gives me an earning of Rs3000 ($10.80) a single day,” he told Arab News.
“When there is any public activity in the city, I sell two 35-liter jars of apricot juice. But normally, I sell one.”
Taj Muhammad, a resident of the city’s Sariab Road, said he was roaming through the bazaar when he came across a pushcart selling kushta. That was enough of a temptation for him to stop and drink a glass of fresh apricot juice.
“There are dozens of pushcarts in Quetta from the main city center to the end of Sariab Road selling this traditional drink because the demand for this beverage increases in the summer season.”
