ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday Pakistan would take immediate steps to send qualified nurses to the United States for employment while holding a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly Phil Ramos in Islamabad.
New York’s health care system was severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a critically stretched workforce. Projections indicate the nursing shortage in New York could reach nearly 40,000 by 2030, prompting legislative measures to expedite the training and deployment of nurses.
Pakistan, known for producing a high number of qualified nursing professionals, has already sent many to countries like the United Kingdom and various Middle Eastern states to address similar shortages.
According to an official statement released by the interior ministry, the visiting US delegation discussed this issue with Naqvi as part of broader talks on collaboration in fields such as education and policing.
“An agreement was reached to send qualified Pakistani nurses to New York for employment after completing necessary processes,” the statement said. “The procedure for this will be finalized soon.”
It quoted Naqvi as saying “immediate necessary steps will be taken to send qualified Pakistani nurses to New York.”
The minister said during his visit to New York last month, there were positive discussions on increasing cooperation between Islamabad Police and the New York Police Department.
He added an Islamabad Police delegation would soon visit New York.
Naqvi went to the American city to participate in the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit where he also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the UN peacekeeping efforts.
Pakistan to send qualified nurses to address shortage of health care professionals in New York — minister
https://arab.news/mdpv6
Pakistan to send qualified nurses to address shortage of health care professionals in New York — minister
- New York’s health care system was severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a critically stretched workforce
- Mohsin Naqvi announced the decision after meeting the deputy speaker of the New York State Assembly in Islamabad
Pakistan, Azerbaijan sign 15 agreements in various fields including trade, minerals and tourism
- Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev arrives in Pakistan on two-day visit to bolster economic cooperation
- Visit takes place amid Pakistan’s push to increase trade and investment relations with allies to stabilize economy
ISLAMABAD: The governments of Pakistan and Azerbaijan on Thursday signed 15 agreements in various fields including transit trade, mineral resources and tourism during the ongoing visit of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
Aliyev arrived in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Thursday for a two-day official visit to bolster economic cooperation between the two countries. Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoy cordial ties and cooperation in various areas such as defense, trade and tourism.
“Pakistan and Azerbaijan have signed fifteen agreements and MoUs [memorandum of understandings] for cooperation in diverse fields,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report.
The video showed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Aliyev clapping as ministers from both sides shook hands and signed the MoUs.
Both sides signed agreements in various fields such as consular affairs, transit trade, preferential trade, privatization of state property, law and justice, mineral resources and geology.
According to Radio Pakistan, the two countries also signed agreements regarding culture exchange programs, cooperation in information technology and telecommunication, television production, scientific and technical cooperation, tourism, air services, and the establishment of twin cities of Baku and Islamabad.
Agreements relating to small and medium enterprises, literature and science were also inked between the two sides.
INVESTMENT PROJECTS WORTH $2 BILLION
While welcoming Azerbaijan’s president to Pakistan, PM Sharif urged both countries to enhance bilateral trade and cooperation, adding that the volume of trade between the two countries currently stood at a “minuscule” level of $100 million.
“If I may say with your permission, brother president, that we have discussed an initial figure of $2 billion of investments in areas of mutual beneficial projects,” Sharif said as the audience broke out in applause. “For that we had initial discussions today and tomorrow, a formal discussion will take place with the teams of the two countries.”
Sharif said he would undertake a visit to Azerbaijan in November this year, hoping the two countries would ink agreements worth $2 billion then.
“There is great potential in both sides to really enhance these figures to billions of dollars in years to come,” the Pakistani premier said.
Aliyev confirmed that delegations of the two countries would meet on Friday to discuss investment projects worth $2 billion.
“We have already reviewed several projects in the areas of energy, infrastructure, connectivity and many others, including defense industry where we are cooperating very successfully,” he said. “So, we will build a strong partnership not only on a political level which we already have but on economic level, trade and investment levels.”
Aliyev’s visit takes place as Pakistan increasingly seeks to position itself as a transit hub connecting landlocked Central Asian states to the Arabian Sea.
Islamabad has sought to bolster trade and investment relations with allies to stabilize its fragile $350 billion economy that faces an acute balance of payment crisis, soaring inflation and surging external debt.
Pakistan last year narrowly avoided a sovereign debt default when it secured a last-gasp $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Since April, Sharif has undertaken visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates while Pakistan has received important diplomatic and business delegations from Iran, China, Azerbaijan, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other countries to bolster trade and cut reliance on foreign aid.
FIFA uses Pakistan’s ‘Blockbuster’ song to showcase French football star Mbappe’s on-field skills
- FIFA posts Mbappe highlights on TikTok using Pakistani song “Blockbuster” as background music
- Groovy song has gone viral since its release in May, garnering over 19 million views on YouTube
ISLAMABAD: The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) this week paid tribute to French football star Kylian Mbappe, showcasing his on-field skills in a TikTok video that featured the hit Pakistani song “Blockbuster” as background music.
Mbappe, considered one of the greats of the game, failed to see France to the final of the ongoing Euro Cup 2024 after his side lost to Spain 2-1 in the semifinal of the tournament on Wednesday. France disappointed fans by completing fewer passes than Spain and keeping possession of the ball only 41 percent throughout the game.
On Tuesday, FIFA posted a video on TikTok highlighting Mbappe’s on-field heroics over the years. Pakistani TikTok users were delighted to see the football governing body used the hit Coke Studio song “Blockbuster” from their country as background music for the reel.
The groovy, upbeat song featuring singer Umair Butt, rapper Faris Sharif and a Lahore-based musical group “The Gharwi Group,” has gone viral since it was released last month. The hit song has garnered over 19 million views on YouTube since it was released in May.
“Mbappe’s “BLOCKBUSTER” entry,” FIFA wrote as the caption on the TikTok post, referencing the Pakistani song.
The song’s music producer Zulfiqar Khan or “Xulfi” as he is popularly known in Pakistan, shared the FIFA post on his social media handles.
“From Coke Studio Pakistan to FIFA’s global stage — our ‘Blockbuster’ just made an appearance with Mbappe on FIFA’s official TikTok page! This feels surreal,” Khan wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
“Our voice, our beats transcending boundaries, creating timelines once deemed improbable. Congratulations Pakistan. This is wonderful and this is huge.”
This is not the first time FIFA has used Pakistani songs in its social media posts. Last month, the football body used famed Pakistani folk singer Arif Lohar’s 2023 hit “Aa” to mark football icon Lionel Messi’s 37th birthday in a social media post.
FIFA AND PAKISTAN’S HASSAN ALI
On Sunday, FIFA referenced a viral video of Pakistani cricketer Hasan Ali as it paid tribute to English footballer Bukayo Ayoyinka Temidayo Saka.
A snippet from an interview featuring Ali went viral last year in which he praised Pakistan cricket captain Babar Azam. His sentence, “King karlega [the King will do it]” for Azam went viral, triggering thousands of memes and social media posts.
On Sunday, FIFA posted a photo of Saka on Instagram with the caption: “Saka karlega [Saka will do it]” in a reference to Ali’s famous dialogue.
Pakistani flour mills observe nationwide strike over withholding tax dispute
- Flour mills vow to continue indefinite strike until government reverses 5.5% withholding tax on flour
- Strike takes place as Pakistan navigates tricky path to economic recovery amid staggering inflation
ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of flour mills across Pakistan remained shut on Thursday as their owners announced an indefinite strike against the government’s move to impose a new withholding tax, exacerbating fears of a food shortage in many parts of the country.
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) says the government has imposed a 5.5 percent withholding tax on sales of flour mills in the national budget. Javed Yusuf, a former chairperson of the PFMA, said the government has also directed flour mills to collect another 2.5 percent withholding tax on the sale of essential commodities to retailers (non-filers) and 2 percent from wholesalers (non-filers). The association says it has been tasked to collect a 0.5 percent withholding tax on the sale of flour from retailers (filers) and a 0.10 percent tax from wholesalers (filers).
Pakistan’s president last month signed the tax-heavy controversial budget into law. The ambitious budget has a tax revenue target of 13 trillion rupees ($46.66 billion) for the current fiscal year, up about 40 percent from the previous one. Pakistan’s government took the unpopular measures amid negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a fresh loan program. The IMF has insisted the government undertake tax reforms to raise revenue and generate fiscal space.
“We are observing a nationwide strike against the government for imposing taxes and making flour millers the tax collection agents,” Yusuf told Arab News. “Our strike will continue till the government accepts our demand of withdrawal of all taxes levied in the budget.”
He said 1600 flour mills across the country remained shut on Thursday, adding that they employed over 4,000 people directly.
“We cannot collect taxes on behalf of the FBR, it’s not our job,” Yusuf said.
Speaking to a private news channel on Wednesday, PFMA Chairman Asim Raza criticized the government for taxing an essential commodity such as flour.
“If the government does not provide us this [tax] exemption like it did previously, then we won’t be able to run the industry,” Raza said. “Then it will be an addition of Rs200 [$0.72] to the price. The government will notify the prices and we will sell it at the inflated rate.”
The strike takes place as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery amid staggering inflation and a macroeconomic crisis. The South Asian country has been scrambling to secure foreign investment and external funding from allies in a bid to keep its fragile $350 billion economy stable.
Pakistan has been grappling with an acute balance of payments crisis, a weak currency and double-digit inflation that reached a record high of 38 percent in May 2023.
Torrential rains leave 4 dead, 31 wounded in northwestern Pakistan
- Deaths and injuries reported from Pakistan’s northwestern districts of Bannu, Battagram and North Waziristan
- Two men, a woman and a child among four dead while 31 injured includes seven men, 10 women and 14 children
PESHAWAR: Four people were killed while 31 were wounded in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province during the last 24 hours, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesperson said on Thursday, as the South Asian country braces for more downpours expected during the ongoing monsoon season.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned that several parts of the country, including KP province, will face landslides and flash floods due to heavy monsoon rains this month.
Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects. Large swathes of the South Asian nation were submerged in 2022 due to extremely heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers, a phenomenon linked to climate change that damaged crops and infrastructure and killed at least 1,700 people, displaced millions and inflicted billions of dollars in losses.
PDMA KP Spokesperson Anwar Shehzad said the province’s Bannu, Battagram and North Waziristan districts reported deaths and injuries during the last 24 hours after heavy rains lashed these areas.
“Heavy rains, thunderstorms and lightning caused roof collapse in the three districts,” he said, adding that the four dead included two men, a woman and a child while the 31 injured included seven men, ten women and 14 children.
“Five houses have also been damaged during the heavy downpours,” he added.
Earlier, the PDMA issued a separate statement saying that the authority, district administrations and relief teams were engaged in relief activities in KP’s affected districts.
“The PDMA has also directed district administrations of the affected districts to provide immediate financial support to the victims,” the authority said.
Earlier in April, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods in Pakistan, leaving 92 people dead and another 116 wounded. Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab also reported 21 deaths from lightning and roof collapses while the country’s southwestern Balochistan province reported at least 15 deaths from torrential rains.
Last week, the NDMA launched a community engagement app for Pakistanis ahead of the monsoon season. The ‘Pak NDMA Disaster Alert’ mobile app will generate alerts and update guidance for organizations and individual responders in national and provincial languages, Pakistan’s state media had said.
It said the alerts would help people and responders implement disaster management plans, keeping them ahead of the crises before they strike.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a high-level committee last week to deal with potential emergencies of the upcoming monsoon season. He stressed integrating advanced monsoon information into national broadcasts, emphasizing the importance of regular dissemination of weather updates to farmers and people living in areas vulnerable to floods.
The premier also said that farmers and residents living near rivers and canals should be updated daily through the media and other information sources about emergency situations.
Pakistan top court set to announce judgment tomorrow in reserved parliamentary seats case
- Ex-PM Khan-backed SIC party, ruling coalition parties both seek reserved seats for women and minorities in parliament
- Experts say verdict to impact judicial system, pave way for future matters related to elections and procedures to join parties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court will announce the judgment in a high-profile case regarding the allocation of reserved seats in parliament for women and religious minorities on Friday, the Supreme Court said in a notification, with legal experts saying the verdict would have “far-reaching” consequences for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition and opposition parties.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a set of petitions challenging the denial of reserved seats in parliament to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) party, backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
A 13-member full court bench began hearing the petitions last month, filed by the chairman of the SIC and challenging the denial of reserved seats to the party and their distribution to other parties that formed the ruling coalition after the Feb. 8 general elections. A supplementary cause list issued by the top court on Thursday said the verdict would be announced at 12:00 p.m. by a full court 13-member bench on July 12, Friday.
“This ruling will definitely have far-reaching consequences for the government, judicial system and the opposition,” Shafqat Abbas Tarar, an advocate and secretary of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, told Arab News.
Weeks before the national election, the PTI was stripped of its iconic election symbol of the cricket bat on technical grounds, and all its candidates had to contest polls as independents.
After the election in which Khan-backed independents won the most seats overall, they joined the SIC party to claim a share of reserved seats in parliament for women and religious minorities.
Under Pakistan’s election rules, political parties are allotted reserved seats in proportion to the number of parliamentary seats they win in the election. This completes the National Assembly’s total strength of 336 seats.
After the elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled in March that the Khan-backed SIC party was not eligible for extra reserved seats in the legislature, dealing a blow to the embattled group’s governing prospects and proving to be a major setback for Khan, who has been in jail since last August.
The ECP’s decision was upheld by the Peshawar High Court but the Supreme Court overruled the verdict, followed by the ECP suspending 77 lawmakers from Sharif’s ruling coalition. The government lost its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly as a result, with its numerical strength decreasing to 209 from 228. In the 336-member National Assembly, the figure to attain the two-thirds majority is 224, without which the government cannot push through constitutional amendments.
Intizar Hussain Panjutha, a focal person for former prime minister Imran Khan, hoped the top court would decide the case in the SIC’s favor.
“We deserve all these 77 seats as per law and the constitution and we hope the Supreme Court will decide in our favor,” Panjutha told Arab News.
He said there is no “ambiguity” over the matter as Pakistan’s constitution clearly states that reserved seats are allocated to parliamentary parties as per their proportional strength in the assemblies.
“There is no ambiguity in it and that’s why we are sure to clinch our share of the reserved seats in the parliament,” Panjutha said.
Sharafat Ali, an advocate of the high court, said the case of reserved seats was a “unique” one, adding that the apex court may seek constitutional interpretation on the matter rather than just allocate the reserved seats to the SIC or other political parties.
“This is a unique case and that’s why judges are taking their time to write the judgment,” Ali told Arab News. “This judgment will not only settle the current dispute of seats allocation but also pave the way for future matters related to elections, party symbols, candidates and procedures to join a party after polls.”
