The Ministry of Religious Affairs has suggested that Hajj costs may increase this year by over one hundred thousand rupees because of hike in the US dollar’s exchange rate and rising airfares. After this hike the total cost of government Hajj package would become around Rs550,000. A total of 179,000 people are going to perform Hajj this year.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) “is really helping” the country, while labelling all criticisms of the project ‘nonsense’. During an interview to a US news channel CNBC, when asked if CPEC was a debt-trap for Pakistan, Mr Khan said that the Chinese came to help Pakistan when the country was “at the rock bottom.”
Schools in Lahore will close at 11am on January 24 and 25 due to T20 matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Gaddafi Stadium, according to a spokesperson for the Punjab Education Department. The Bangladesh cricket team arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday to play a three-match T20I series that starts Friday. Lahore will be hosting all the three T20I games of the series at Gaddafi Stadium on January 24, 25 and 27.
In a recent public interaction, Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that he barely manages expenses in his current salary as it is less than the salary of his ministers. According to an official salary slip issued from the Prime Minister House, Prime Minister Khan’s salary is indeed less than what his cabinet’s ministers earn as well as the chief ministers. The gross salary amount of PM is Rs. 201,574, which further reduces to Rs. 196,979 after tax and other deductions.
Policemen with body cameras and special tablets have been posted at five different checkposts across the capital city, according to the Islamabad police. They said these cameras linked to the safe city system will record conversation between citizens and officials at pickets. The move is aimed at addressing complaints of alleged police officials’ misbehaviour with people or vice versa at checkposts and to upgrade and bring the force up to international standards.
Pakistani team, headed by Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, has “defended country’s compliance report during the joint group of FATF meeting held at Beijing, China” and reportedly satisfied the global watchdog. The Indian side had to face embarrassment as the US and European countries did not extend their support to their “tough but mostly irrelevant questions” during the joint group meeting.
Pakistan Army’s strategic forces conducted a successful training launch of the 290-kilometre range Ghaznavi ballistic missile, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Last year, the Army successfully carried out night training launch of the Ghaznavi surface-to-surface ballistic missile. The latest missile test by the Pakistan Army comes days after India test-launched the submarine-launched K-4 ballistic missile.
The health ministry in Pakistan has directed concerned authorities to remain alert following the spread of deadly Corona virus in China. Special Assistant to the PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza established a operation cell to monitor the emergency situation.The virus has spread to five countries including the US and has taken 17 lives so far.
Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has decided to increase the license fee from Rs 35 to Rs 100 and add to the electricity bills of the consumers. This will be done in order to overcome its annual financial losses of Rs 17 billion. The board of directors has approved a financial plan finalizing the increase in the license fee. The proposal now awaits Prime Minister Imran Khan’s approval.
466 employees of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have been found guilty of submitting fake and tampered-with degrees and educational certificates to the national carrier in the last five years. The Ministry of Aviation has given a detailed list of employees to the Senate Secretariat. It told the Senate that any person found with a fake degree would not be able to escape from their liability as PIA is devising a policy for early verfication of credentials.