National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal has said the country will start conducting 50,000 coronavirus tests per day starting next week. NDMA chairman said that the virus detection kits would be provided to all the concerned departments in the country to enhance testing capacity.He added that earlier only those people underwent a test that showed symptoms of the virus; however, randomised testing will be done now.
Pakistan has received $1.39 billion by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to shore up economy, according to the State Bank of Pakistan’s tweet. This is a loan under the Rapid Financing Instrument. It was approved by the IMF on April 17 to bolster the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to meet urgent balance of payment needs that have arisen due to the pandemic.
There are 40 illegal housing societies in Islamabad, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) told the Islamabad High Court on Thursday. A bench, headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, was hearing a petition filed by a man challenging the CDA demolition notice of his farmhouse. Justice Minallah asked that CDA just issues notices to poor people but what about the illegal housing societies.
A Karachi court denied a group of traders bail in a case against them for violating the lockdown. District South judicial magistrate sent six traders to jail for 14 days on judicial remand. They were arrested for opening their markets without permission. One of the men who has been arrested is a traders’ representative. On Monday they appeared in court asking for bail but their request was denied.
Pakistan’s usage of petroleum products slumped 31% to 1.38 billion litres countrywide since the lockdown. The Federal Board of Revenue said this had the effect of eating into tax collection. Before the lockdown was enforced, Pakistan’s demand for petroleum products was 2 billion litres.
The FBR said that the global rout in oil prices will nonetheless benefit people here as oil products will be cheaper but tax collection targets may not be achieved.
The Punjab Food Authority disposed of vegetables grown in wastewater on Wednesday. The authority conducted tests of vegetables grown on 2,804 kanals of land in 14 districts. According to the test results vegetables on 96 kanals were being grown in wastewater from industries and municipals. These vegetables included onions, tomatoes, ladyfinger etc. being grown in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, among other areas.
The Balochistan government has extended province-wide lockdown till May 5 due to a spike in cases of the novel coronavirus. The Balochistan Home Department has issued a notification in this regard. Shops and industries that have been allowed to resume operations have been directed to adhere to the SOPs issued by the government to prevent the spread of the virus.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to launch an investigation into Pakistan’s flour and sugar crises. The approval for the investigation was granted during a meeting of the bureau’s executive board on Tuesday. All aspects of the flour and sugar crises will be investigated, the bureau said in a statement.
Pakistani truck drivers stuck in Afghanistan for more than 1.5 months were brought back into the country through the Pak-Afghan Chaman border on Monday. The drivers were allowed to cross the border under strict SOPs issued by the government. They will be shifted to the quarantine centre at the border and will be tested for the coronavirus there.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has agreed to the demand of Islamic clerics to defer the utility bills of all mosques, imambargahs, madrassas and other places of worship. It was announced by Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the special assistant to the PM for information and broadcasting. The decision was taken in the light of the coronavirus. She said the government was also aware of the academic loss of madrassa students amid coronavirus.