The trade ties between Pakistan and the United States are set to witness a new record this year as U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan have reaffirmed their commitment for a stronger relationship, said the White House. Recalling their conversations in Washington and New York, the two leaders agreed to deepen bilateral collaboration, including at relevant multilateral fora.
Sindh provincial cabinet has decided to bring back sales tax on cellular services in its recent meeting. The customers will have to pay sales tax on easy load and scratch cards. The government was restricted from collecting sales tax on cellular services previously and suffered a loss of Rs. 10 billion due to this ruling. Now, the verdict does not restrict the authorities so the government has decided to bring it back to increase revenues.
The local government in Gilgit-Baltistan has auctioned off the permits to hunt Pakistan’s national animal, Markhor for $83,500 in a recent ceremony where hunting enthusiasts placed their bids for 124 animals in the region. The permit for Markhor was sold off for $110,000 last year the reason why the locals were unhappy. Locals and the federal government share the earnings from selling off the permits, with the local community getting an 80% share.
In a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Imran Khan, US President Donald Trump thanked the prime minister for Pakistan’s efforts in facilitating the release of two Western hostages. During the phone call, Prime Minister Imran termed the release of the hostages by the Taliban in Afghanistan as a “positive development”, saying Pakistan was happy that the duo was safe and free.
For providing swift and sure justice to common people, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has introduced a mobile application, and a helpline. Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa inaugurated the new services. The app and the helpline service will keep plaintiffs informed and updated about their cases and their hearing dates as well as the judgements.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to replace the existing General Sales Tax (GST) with Value Added Tax (VAT) across the board for all sectors under World Bank’s funded loan conditions. According to FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi, FBR will gradually move towards full implementation of VAT in order to ensure all sectors contribute to the country’s taxation system.
Police in Karachi claim to have arrested a suspected hitman associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) for his alleged involvement in killings of 96 persons. The anti-street crime squad and Soldier Bazaar police arrested Yusuf alias Thelewala and seized a TT pistol, grenade and a motorbike from him. Yusuf had been in hiding since 2003 and got directions from MQM leadership in London.
The government is studying a proposal to impose ban on social media sites and communication networks like Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube in the government offices fearing a risk of leakage of important data. Under a proposed plan by the National Information Technology Board (NITB), the government officials would also be banned from bringing storage devices like –USBs – to the offices.
A day before his departure to London with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif resigned from his position as Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chief. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president in his brief resignation to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, nominated party MNA from Sheikhupura Rana Tanvir Hussain as his replacement.
Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared five mineral water brands unsafe for drinking. After taking samples of water from different cities including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad PCRWR shared a report declaring TAJ Pure Water, Livon, Sunlay, MM Pure Drinking Water and Jami Water unsafe for consumption due to the presence of high levels of Sodium and not meeting the set standards by Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).