Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Thursday announced that the federal government has decided to raise the prices of all petroleum products barring one by another Rs30 — just a week after making a similar increase. After the latest round of hikes, petrol will be priced at Rs209.86, diesel at Rs204.15, kerosene oil at Rs181.94 and light diesel at Rs178.31.
Security agencies picked up a man from the hostel of the Punjab University on Wednesday, purportedly in connection with the Karachi University (KU) suicide blast case. Bebgar Imdad, a student of the seventh semester of English Literature in Numl, Islamabad, and a native of Kech, was visiting his relative in Hostel No 7.
Four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed while several others sustained injuries in a car explosion on the premises of the University of Karachi. Several rangers officials have also reportedly sustained injuries. The explosion was initially reported to have been caused by a gas cylinder. However, the police later said that the blast could have been a suicide attack.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will land in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah along with 16 members of the Sharif family. In this regard, the Foreign Office has directed the Pakistani Embassy in Saudi Arabia to make preparations. PM Shehbaz Sharif will also be accompanied by 16 coalition members, including party leaders.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name has been removed from the exit control list (ECL) and he has finally been issued a green passport by the government, led by his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif. The former prime minister’s new passport with a 10-year validity was processed in the urgent category. As of now, the passport’s status in the immigration and passports department’s system is “active”.
Dua Zehra, who mysteriously went missing from Karachi over a week ago, is now married to Zaheer Ahmed- whom she found through PUBG three years ago. Dua who allegedly married out of her own will, says she is 18 as opposed to 14, like her parents claimed. Dua has filed a case against her father Mehdi Ali Kazmi and a cousin in a Lahore court.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have quietly exchanged letters, expressing desire to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The letters were exchanged after the election of Shehbaz as prime minister but both the sides kept development away from the media glare in what seemed to be a move aimed at avoiding any public attention.
The Punjab police have put on guard nearly 450 armed police personnel besides Elite Force commandos at the five residences and offices of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz in Lahore. The security has been enhanced after Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz have been elected prime minister and chief minister, respectively. Shehbaz has declared his residence at Model Town “PM’s Camp Office”.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that the whereabouts of Dua Zehra, a teenage girl allegedly kidnapped from Karachi’s Al Falah area last week, have been traced. Shah did not provide further details as he said the matter was “sensitive”. Meanwhile, Lahore DIG Dr Mohammad Abid Khan said Karachi police had provided Lahore police with a copy of the girl’s nikahnama (marriage certificate).
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on Friday said that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was not visiting the country on US government-sponsored travel. Omar, who made history as one of the first two Muslim women elected to the US Congress, arrived in Islamabad earlier this week on a visit to Pakistan. The Congresswoman will stay in Pakistan till April 24.