Punjab authorities decide the fares of Orange Line train, Metro and Speedo buses. As per the reports, a meeting was held, in which Punjab’s Mass Transit Transport Authority decided the fares. Sources said that under the suggestions, the fare for the OLMT will be up to Rs. 40-50, and in case of Metro and Speedo it will be retained at Rs. 30.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has tasked Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi with visiting Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States, in an attempt to help de-escalate the Middle East situation. He also asked General Qamar Javed Bajwa “to contact relevant military leaders to convey a clear message: Pakistan is ready to play its role for peace but it can never again be [a] part of any war.”
Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry slapped anchorperson Mubashir Luqman during the wedding ceremony of Punjab Irrigation Minister Mohisn Laghari’s son in Lahore. A heated exchange took place between Chaudhry and Luqman during a conversation which led to the minister slapping the anchorperson, according to the sources. However, PTI leaders at the ceremony intervened and took them aside.
Two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilots have been martyred after their plane crashed near Mianwali, according to a spokesperson of the air force. The pilots have been identified as Squadron Leader Haris Bin Khalid and Flying Officer Ibaadur Rehman. The plane, FT-7, was on a routine operational training mission when the crash occurred. A board of inquiry has been ordered by the Air Headquarters to determine the cause of the accident.
Foreign Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, has invited Tesla’s owner, Elon Musk, to establish a car plant in Pakistan. Chaudhry invited Elon after the billionaire’s company shared its goal of producing half a million electric vehicles in its upcoming factory near Berlin. The minister in his attempt to convince the company’s owner mentioned some benefits regarding exports as well as customs.
The Flour Mills Association (FMA) on Saturday increased the price of flour to Rs64 per kg in the whole Punjab after an increase of Rs4. The price was increased after a surge in wheat price by Rs7 per kg, according to a FMA spokesperson, adding that the situation had gone from bad to worse after the government hiked electricity and gas tariffs.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said that Pakistan will only play the role of a peacemaker and not take sides in the ongoing conflict between the United States and neighbouring Iran. He also added that Pakistan has defeated terrorism on its territory and will not allow its soil to be used against any other country.
Shia organisations are holding a rally in Karachi today (Sunday) against the killing of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general and the chief of the IRGC’s Quds Force, and and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a leader of Hashd al-Shaabi. The protest will begin at the Karachi Press Club at 3pm and demonstrators will march to the US Consulate on Mai Kolachi. Roads leading to the US Consulate have been closed ahead of the rally.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has inaugurated its JF-17 Integration Facility in a bid to achieve self-reliance. Working under the Avionics Production Factory, the facility is located at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra. With the first phase of trial tests already done in China, now Pakistan will be able to assemble, install, test and qualify advanced weapon packages and electronics subsystems at its own facilities.
A Karachi anti-terrorism court sentenced journalist Nasarullah Chaudhry to five years in prison for possessing “material against Pakistan” and “spreading religious hatred”. He has been sentenced to jail under Section 11 W(a) of the ATA. Nasarullah, who was working for Nai Baat, has been convicted of possessing literature about Jihad and books which were critical of the “Pakistan army and the government”.