The top International Monetary Fund (IMF) official in Islamabad has confirmed Pakistan had met the final precondition for the seventh and eighth review under a $6 billion loan program. Pakistan met the last condition by increasing the petroleum development levy (PDL) on July 31. The PDL was raised by Rs10 on petrol and by Rs5 each on HSD, kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO).
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, American President Joe Biden said on Monday. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. “Now justice has been delivered”, Biden said in remarks from the White House.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Tuesday the PTI had received “prohibited funds” as it announced a unanimous verdict in a years-long investigation into the funding sources of the entity. In its 70-page verdict, the ECP listed all individuals and entities, including the disgraced business tycoon Arif Naqvi, who sent the prohibited funds, saying Khan’s party “knowingly and willfully received these donations.”
Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has directed the Punjab government to restore Ehsaas programmes in the province. Khan has directed the newly elected Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi-led provincial government to restore Ehsaas programmes, including health cards and Panahgahs (shelter homes). The former prime minister will also announce the restoration of welfare projects in today’s address to the nation.
Pakistan’s two leading car assemblers, Toyota and Suzuki, plan partial plant shutdowns next month due to unavailability of raw material amid import restrictions and exchange rate volatility. The freefalling of rupee has had a cascading effect on industries that rely on imports to complete finished goods as the central bank delayed clearance of letters of credit with banks facing a shortage of dollars, affecting their ability to import materials.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday warned of imposing governor’s rule in Punjab if he was restricted from entering the province. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said he had already begun drafting a summary for the imposition of governor’s rule, which is moved by the interior ministry, because of the kind of statements opposition political leaders had been making.
Pakistani truck art has made waves globally many a times in the past. The popular form of art has inspired gallery exhibitions abroad and prompted stores in Western cities to sell miniatures, becoming one of Pakistan’s best-known cultural exports. Recently, a new video by Korean pop band Blitzers, has shone the spotlight on the potential of Pakistani culture.
District Police Officer (DPO) Gujrat, Atta-ur-Rehman, dismissed Station House Officer (SHO) Daulat Nagar, Sub Inspector Aslam Hunjra, from service for disguising a male officer as a female officer. According to details, Daulat Nagar Police had arrested three suspects, including a woman, for illegal possession of arms and drug peddling. As usual, a picture of the raiding team along with the arrested individuals was also shared on the social media accounts of the concerned Police Station.
A vlogger and social media activist from the United States, Arabela Urpi, 21, stated that she was raped by Muzmal Sipra and Shehzad of Rajanpur on the night of July 17 in a hotel room. The Border Military Police (BMP) has registered a rape case on the complaint of the vlogger. The complainant also said she had received threats from Sipra to not pursue legal proceedings.
A Pakistani-American photographer was gunned down by her husband in Chicago after he travelled to the state from his house in Georgia and later shot himself dead. The officials had arrived at the condominium of Sania Khan, 29, over the police’s request for a well-being check on the 36-year-old shooter, Raheel Ahmad, as his family had reported him missing.