The country’s biggest industrial complex – the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) – has laid off over 4,500 of its employees. The employees – 4,544 in total – were fired in the wake of an emergency meeting chaired by the PSM chief executive officer (CEO) at the CEO Secretariat. The management has started the process of sending termination letters to the residential addresses of the sacked employees.
Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, has called the newly-announced chemical castration as punishment for rapists “un-Islamic”. While speaking with a local news channel, the Chairman said that instead of enforcing Islamic laws, the government has adopted a policy of enacting new laws. He stated that Allah had prescribed stoning and flogging as the punishments for adultery and rape.
The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has become the only one university from Pakistan which has made it to the top 100 QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Asia University Ranking for 2021. NUST secured a spot on the list at 76. This year’s ranking of the top Asian universities features 650 institutions, making it the biggest Asia ranking ever published.
Renowned pop star and animal rights activist Cher will be visiting Pakistan later this week to see off Kaavan the elephant, who is set to be relocated to Cambodia. After years of campaigning by animal rights advocates and Cher to rescue him from grim conditions with no companion, Kaavan is to be airlifted to an elephant sanctuary on Sunday.
The model Halima Aden has said she is quitting runway shows because working in fashion has forced her to compromise her religious beliefs. Aden, who was hailed as a trailblazer for being one of the first models to wear a hijab, posted a series of images on social media that illustrated the times she had lost touch with who she is.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is planning to lay off 3,000 employees through a voluntary retirement scheme this year to reduce its annual losses by Rs4.5 billion ($28.26 million). The Pakistani government approved the national flag carrier’s voluntary separation scheme (VSS) to remove the employees from service. PIA management is now seeking about Rs12.7 billion from the government to compensate them.
Young architect from Lahore, Faiqa Asghar, has made Pakistan proud by representing the nation globally with a ‘Top Talents under 25’ award. Faiqa, 21, was awarded under the category of Innovation by the global body and is the first Pakistan ever to have received this accolade. Faiqa was titled as the ambitious future youngest degree holder Architect of Pakistan by them.
Recruitment agencies fear Pakistani nationals will lose job opportunities to Indians after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended issuance of work or employment visas to 13 Muslim-majority countries including Pakistan. In fact, since the ban came into effect on 18 of November, one recruitment agency alone in Rawalpindi has lost 3,000 jobs which have now been diverted to India by its client.
Six members of the Pakistan cricket squad, which is currently on a tour to New Zealand, have tested positive for the coronavirus. The team also received a “final warning” for flouting quarantine rules. New Zealand health authorities revoked the players’ ability to train while in isolation, making clear they would not tolerate risky behaviour in a country that has largely eradicated the virus.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced that it will not recognize two-year bachelors’ degrees issued to students enrolled in such programmes after the 2018 academic year. The notification stated that despite the HEC’s decision to phase out two-year BA/BSc programmes after the academic year 2018, it had been noted that the programmes are still being offered by universities, the DAIs and their affiliated colleges.