A US-based defense weekly, Jane’s 360 has revealed that Pakistan now possesses a state-of-the-art radar system. The defense analysts have identified a JY-27A counter-very-low-observable (CVLO) radar at Mianwali Air Base of Pakistan Air Force. The jamming-resistant and highly mobile VHF radar uses an active phased array antenna capable of detecting stealth aircraft like F-22 from a distance of 500 km.
Sindh provincial cabinet has decided to bring back sales tax on cellular services in its recent meeting. The customers will have to pay sales tax on easy load and scratch cards. The government was restricted from collecting sales tax on cellular services previously and suffered a loss of Rs. 10 billion due to this ruling. Now, the verdict does not restrict the authorities so the government has decided to bring it back to increase revenues.
The local government in Gilgit-Baltistan has auctioned off the permits to hunt Pakistan’s national animal, Markhor for $83,500 in a recent ceremony where hunting enthusiasts placed their bids for 124 animals in the region. The permit for Markhor was sold off for $110,000 last year the reason why the locals were unhappy. Locals and the federal government share the earnings from selling off the permits, with the local community getting an 80% share.
Bykea, best known for its bike ride-hailing app has introduced a new feature that would help Bykea Driver Partners earn more while being effortlessly simple for the customer. Whenever a driver-partner spots a potential passenger waiting for a bus and/or a cab in the public, he can approach the person and give them a ride using this new Offline Rides feature even if the passenger is using an old feature phone.
PTCL and Ufone are working on merging their businesses for long, however, due to design and operations of both the operators, the process has remained very gradual. In a new development both the companies have further merged their sales and distribution, marketing, product and pricing, business operations and corporate strategy functions. According to PTCL the previously merged departments have shown significant improvement in terms of productivity.
An Indian couple accused of spying on Sikh and Kashmiri communities in Germany went on trial on charges that carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The suspects agreed to provide information about Germany’s Sikh community and Kashmir movement and their relatives to an employee of Indian foreign intelligence service Research & Analysis Wing and were paid 7,200 euros ($8,100) in return.
In a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Imran Khan, US President Donald Trump thanked the prime minister for Pakistan’s efforts in facilitating the release of two Western hostages. During the phone call, Prime Minister Imran termed the release of the hostages by the Taliban in Afghanistan as a “positive development”, saying Pakistan was happy that the duo was safe and free.
Uber has confirmed that it is working on a safety feature that will record audio in all rides. The feature will be piloted in some Brazilian and Mexican cities next month. The new audio-recording feature will allow drivers to automatically record all rides. Riders will also be able to activate the feature via the app’s safety toolkit before entering the car.
For providing swift and sure justice to common people, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has introduced a mobile application, and a helpline. Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa inaugurated the new services. The app and the helpline service will keep plaintiffs informed and updated about their cases and their hearing dates as well as the judgements.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to replace the existing General Sales Tax (GST) with Value Added Tax (VAT) across the board for all sectors under World Bank’s funded loan conditions. According to FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi, FBR will gradually move towards full implementation of VAT in order to ensure all sectors contribute to the country’s taxation system.