A new immigration policy in Qatar has allowed Pakistani nationals to enter the country with a visa upon arrival. The concerned authorities have issued directives regarding a new immigration policy. Pakistani citizens can obtain a 30-day visitor visa for QAR 100 upon arrival at the airport. Moreover, the visitor’s visa is valid for 30 days and can be extended for the same period.
Foreign exchange reserves in Pakistan have risen by over $25 billion following fresh Eurobond investments. The State Bank of Pakistan has received US$1.0bn from the government’s tap offering of its recently issued Euro Bond. Pakistan’s foreign exchange market saw handsome inflows last week as it received separate tranches of loans. These included $1 billion from China and $440 million from the World Bank.
A top European Court rules companies may ban Muslim women employees from wearing headscarves if certain conditions are met. The EU court ruled Thursday in two cases brought by Muslim women in Germany who had been fired after they started wearing Islamic clothing. Consequently, the court said that employers may restrict the wearing of visible forms of political or religious expression at work.
Babar Azam became the first Pakistani cricketer to score an ODI century since 1983 by breaking Imran Khan’s record. Azam, meanwhile, has already crossed the landmark in 14 ODIs, making him the fastest batsman. He set many records in the final ODI against England, played on Tuesday at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
Pakistan is soon to have one of the most modern jails in the country, one modeled after those in the United States. Initially, the Punjab government began planning to build a modern prison for women and children in Lahore. Moreover, prison authorities stated that there would be a capacity of 1,502 minor children and 300 women.
The Afghan Taliban claimed to have taken control over key Afghan-Pakistan border crossings. Pakistan has closed its Friendship Gate crossing at the Chaman border with Afghanistan. The Taliban released video footage of a white flag fluttering above the Friendship Gate in the Afghan town of Wesh. Additionally, it connects Chaman, Balochistan, with Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing point.
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Sohail Shaheen said: Our countries share cultural, historical, and religious values with Pakistan. The Taliban will not allow any country to use Afghan soil against another country. The spokesperson said no meeting between India and the Taliban had taken place. In addition, he said that no one will be allowed to impose their decision on us.
The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab country to establish an embassy in Israel. Both countries praised the investment and trade opportunities that will facilitate better relations. The president of Israel also attended the flag-raising ceremony. The UAE and Bahrain normalized their relations with Tel Aviv last year.
In an effort to empower women, Karachi for the first time introduced female traffic wardens patrolling the roads. Traffic police officials have reported that four female officers have been assigned to the Sharah-e-Faisal and Clifton areas. In addition, the four female wardens are all motorcyclists and perform duties to spread awareness among motorcyclists.
A US-based threat intelligence firm, Black Lotus Labs, claims that hackers have targeted India’s most critical installations and power sectors. The firm also alleges that the cyber attack was coordinated by a Pakistan-based advanced persistent threat (APT) group. The group is so advanced that it can gather any type of sensitive data from any affected system, including keystrokes, files, and screenshots.