Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement for Hajj 2020, which will allow as many as 200,000 Pakistanis to perform the religious duty next year. The new agreement has seen an increase in Pakistan’s quota from the previous 184,210 to 200,000. The Saudi government has agreed to increase facilities for Pakistani pilgrims, including the expansion of Road to Makkah project to other Pakistani cities, provision of quality food, transport, and residential facilities under this agreement.
The United States Embassy in Islamabad has introduced home delivery facility for Pakistani visa applicants. According to the tweet by the embassy, intending applicants can avail this facility by selecting the ‘premium delivery’ service option while submitting an online application and receive their passport and visa at home. The charges for this service will be Rs. 700. In recent months, the ties between Pakistan and the US have significantly improved, which is now reflecting in other fields as well.
President Arif Alvi on Wednesday gave the approval for the appointment of Justice Gulzar Ahmed as the new chief justice of Pakistan (CJP). Justice Gulzar will assume charge as the 27th chief justice of Pakistan on December 21 after Justice Asif Saeed Khosa retires. Gulzar, who hails from Karachi has been serving as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since November 16, 2011.
In the The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) for 2019 Pakistan was ranked poor in terms of the efficiency of air transport services. Pakistan scored 52.9 points out of 100, securing 93rd place on the list which includes 141 countries. The country got a value of 4.2 on a scale of 1-7 with 7 being the best. (GCI) for 2019 was compiled based on a different factors including the efficiency of air transport services.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Pakistan will be installing three new air quality monitoring systems in Islamabad. In order to increase the capital’s capacity to accurately measure the air quality, the monitors will be installed in areas with the highest industrial and vehicular emissions like Peshawar Mor, Rawat, and Taramri Chowk. EPA has prepared the project concept-I in this regard which will be sent to the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) for final approval.
Punjab Finance Department announced the fare for Pakistan’s first modern mass transit system Orange Line Train. The initial proposal from the finance department suggests that the provincial government wants to keep the fare between Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 for a single trip. The train project still requires several tests before the official launch, according to Punjab Transport Secretary, Asad Rehman Gilani.
Bannu SP, Nisar Ahmed Khan, has registered a case at the Margalla Police Station in Islamabad after he and his wife were robbed by thieves impersonating as CIA officials. The two were robbed at Margalla Road in Islamabad in November when fake officials stopped their car and asked them for the documents. The document inspection then turned into an armed robbery, as the robbers stole 8 tolas of gold.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore issued orders to freeze immovable properties in Pakistan belonging to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif and his sons – Hamza and Suleman. The reason behind was an investigation pertaining to accumulating assets beyond means of income and money laundering. The order cites an investigation against accused Shehbaz Sharif, his sons and others for offence(s) of corruption and corrupt practices.
The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) government is going to make a second refund to the pilgrims who performed Hajj under the recent government scheme. As per details, the government has decided to distribute Rs. 800 million, saved from hajj expenses, among 53,000 Hajj pilgrims. The refund is being made from the savings on train fares and accommodation.
The government has decided to develop an indigenous LNG shipping facility, by building the operational capacity of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) in the next few years. As the import of LNG has been on the rise since the past couple of years to meet the local demand,, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs asked PNSC to make a joint-venture setup in the coming months with the private shipping service.