Pakistani currency weakened to a record low of Rs156 to the US dollar at the inter-bank market on Friday. The currency freshly lost Rs3.10 from yesterday’s close. A long list of import orders, which were not processed by banks due to Eid holidays, and external debt and interest payment in June end, are the cause of this latest devaluation.
Hasan Zaidi, an editor for Dawn magazine, had complained to the bank to take strict action against an employee who had been repeatedly using abusive language on Twitter. However, social media users were particularly not happy with the bank’s decision to terminate an employee based upon his personal actions.
The facility of registration of one mobile phone on one international passport will soon be revoked by the government. The decision has been taken to generate additional revenue as well as to stop the misuse of the baggage rule after the DIRBS system, that aims to curtail smuggling of mobile phones failed to achieve the desired results.
While meeting Chairman of Pakistan Tourism Board, Zulfiqar Bukhari, the Chairman of The Virdee Foundation, Peter Virdee, stated that over 500 million GBP (Rs. 96.5b) will be donated to Pakistan by Sikh businessmen to develop religious tourism. The meeting was organised between the two sides at Rembrandt Hotel, London, to discuss religious tourism and establishment of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
The government, in order tighten the grip around offshore tax-evaders, have proposed that concealment of offshore assets worth above Rs100,000 would be deemed an offence punishable with imprisonment up to seven years or fine up to 200% of tax evaded amount or both. Names of individuals, who have evaded tax worth above Rs. 2.5m, will also be published in media.
Baluchistan has a huge potential for solar energy generation, and to tap this unexplored potential, the Government of Pakistan is in talks with Saudi Arabia for investment in the solar energy sector in Baluchistan. According to Power and Petroleum Minister, Omer Ayub Khan, talks are underway to attract investment worth $4 billion to uplift the energy sector in Baluchistan.
High Commissioner of Malaysia, Ikram Muhammad Ibrahim, has said Malaysia and Pakistan have reached an understanding to issue visas on arrival to officials of both the countries. The purpose of this is to further boost bilateral relations and promote and intensify exchange of official delegations. From April 15, 2019, both countries have started visa-on-arrival for their respective diplomatic and official passport holders.
Officials from Amazon U.S. have reached out to enablers.pk to initiate the process of getting Pakistan listed on Amazon’s approved country list. Amazon wants to facilitate and on-board Pakistani manufacturers, especially, in home, bed linen and furnishing category. Officials also disclosed that Amazon.pk is certainly on the cards and expansion similar to Indian market is being planned for Pakistan.
Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai has announced at Masjid Qasim Ali Khan that the moon of Shawwal has been sighted in Peshawar and Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. The Federal Government has already announced that Met office predicted that the moon will be sighted in the country on Tuesday, June 4 and Eid will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.
As 240 passengers on board the British Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner, holding Pakistani and British flags, are set to land at the Islamabad airport on Monday, June 3 at 9:25am, the British High Commissioner Thomas Drew has recorded a message for travellers from both countries by saying that the airline’s resuming operations is a testament to Pakistan’s improving security situation.