Tag: Pakistan

Pakistan: Karachi saw 140 street crimes in single day: Official

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Karachi: Karachi had witnessed 140 street crimes, including three murders and 36 incidents of cash snatching, ARY News reported.
Presenting a detailed copy of the criminal record in Karachi, Additional Inspector General (AIG) spokesperson said as many as 140 street crime incidents took place in the region in a single day.
The data was presented by AIG Javed Alam Odho to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The report further revealed that two vehicles and eight motorcycles were snatched, whereas, 9 vehicles including 85 motorcycles were stolen. Six shootouts took place between the criminals and police officials, reported ARY News.
As per ARY News, 10 criminals were arrested in wounded condition while six suspected criminals were caught red-handed.
In the last 24 hours, 129 suspects were arrested including 24 street criminals, 21 car lifters, three murderers and arms recovered from 15 suspects.
Moreover, the arrested persons included 23 drug peddlers and 155 others who were involved in different crimes. Police seized 25 illegal weapons, seven kilograms of charas, 13 stolen mobiles, and 25 vehicles, according to ARY News.
Pakistan is currently facing the worst time since its creation as the country is witnessing a food crisis, devaluation of the rupee, electricity shortage, and attacks.

Earlier, in the first week of January, Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho admitted that the number of street crimes increased in the year 2022 as compared to the previous year, according to The Express Tribune.
“Due to the increase in street crimes, we are witnessing a greater loss of human lives,” he said, adding that 109 people died in street crimes-related incidents during the outgoing year, whereas in 2021, only 75 people were killed by robbers.
The Karachi police chief claimed that from 2021 to 2022, the overall crime rate decreased by 15.4 per cent.
“In the year 2022, street crime increased by 7 percent, however, the city has the least number of murders compared to other cities,” he said.
Odho said that 8,866 suspects were arrested in the incidents of street crimes, 110 suspects were arrested for extortion and 5,420 were held in carjacking and theft cases.
Odhu said 129 suspects were killed in 889 police encounters in 2022 while a total of 38,286 accused were arrested. Additionally, Karachi police arrested 8,632 drug dealers during the year, The Express Tribune reported.
He said that drugs and illegal weapons have always been a big problem for the police. The accountability of the police officers is necessary, and encouragement for good performance could also be done through that.
Also, in 2022, 58 cases were registered against police personnel and officers involved in crimes. Moreover, 10 police personnel were martyred and 70 injured in the battle against criminals.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 4, 2023
January ‘deadliest’ month in Pakistan since July 2018

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Islamabad: Since July 2019, January 2023 has been the deadliest month in Pakistan as 134 people lost their lives, a 139 percent spike, and 254 others were injured in at least 44 terror attacks across the country, according to statistics.
The figures released by the Islamabad-based think-tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) revealed the pattern of terrorist attacks continued in the new year, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remaining one of the worst-hit regions, reports Dawn news.
Although the number of terror incidents slightly declined in January, the fatalities increased by 139 percent, mainly due to the January suicide blast at a mosque in Peshawar which resulted in the death of 101 people.
In January, two suicide bombings were recorded — one in Peshawar and the other one in the Khyber tribal district.
At the same time, the security forces foiled a number of attacks by arresting at least 52 suspected militants, mainly from Punjab, and killing 40 suspects, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa not only the militant attacks increased from 17 to 27, but the resultant deaths also increased from 17 to 116 compared to December 2022, Dawn news quoted the think-tank as saying.
At least 232 people were also injured in the province, most of them police officials wounded in the Peshawar blast.
However, militant attacks declined in Balochistan during January, where only nine militant attacks were reported compared to 17 attacks in December 2022.

The resultant deaths also dropped from 14 to 7 and the number of wounded declined from 48 to 20. Bolan, Panjgur, Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung, and Quetta were the affected districts during the month.
Meanwhile, in Punjab, four militant attacks were reported in which three security forces personnel were killed while two low-profile attacks were reported in Sindh in which one person died, Dawn news reported.
The most high-profile attack was carried out in Mianwali’s Makarwal police station by “around two dozen TTP militants” on January 31.
The attack was repulsed, but it showed the numerical strength and ability of banned outfits to mobilize armed militants across the KP and Punjab border.
One attack each was reported in Rawalpindi, DG Khan, and Khanewal, the report claimed.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 2, 2023
Pakistan releases 120 illegal Afghan nationals: Taliban

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Sindh: Amid the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan deteriorating, the Islamabad government released thousands of undocumented detained Afghan nationals from Sindh province, reported Khaama Press.
The Taliban-ruled Afghanistan embassy in Islamabad had announced the release of 120 Afghan nationals who had previously been imprisoned in Sindh. It tweeted that some 130 Afghan detainees were released on Tuesday. As per this announcement, more Afghan citizens will be released in the coming days.
Earlier the embassy had announced the release of 1300 Afghan refugees had been released from Pakistani prisons.
According to Pakistani officials, during a special operation, police detained more than 1200 Afghan nationals including women and children across Pakistan due to not having legal residential permits (visas), and put them behind bars in the recent past, the Khaama Press report said.
The Afghan Embassy in Pakistan have confirmed that nearly 1500 undocumented Afghan refugees are still in prisons in Pakistan, and efforts are underway for their release. The report quoted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, which said that some 1.3 million legal Afghan refugees are currently residing in Pakistan, however, it is estimated that thousands of illegal Afghan migrants are also living in different parts of Pakistan.
Notably, this comes after the charges affairs (diplomatic representative of state) of Taliban ruled Afghanistan embassy in Islamabad, Sardar Ahmad Shakib, has asked the Pakistani government to stop arresting Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan. More than 1,000 Afghans are imprisoned in Pakistan, Shakib said.
“1,050 Afghan citizens are in Pakistan’s prisons and efforts are underway to release them and we called on the Pakistan government to stop arresting Afghan citizens,” Shakib added. The relatives of those arrested said their family members are in bad condition in Pakistan’s prisons.
An Afghan national said: “It has been three months since the government of Pakistan arrested our family members. We ask the Pakistan government to release them.”

“It has been five months since the Pakistani government arrested my 17-year-old brother, and they didn’t release him,” another Afghan national said. “We ask Pakistan to release Afghan citizens immediately because according to international conventions, no country has the right to arrest refugees,” said Asifa Stanikzai, a refugees’ rights activist.
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, last year, several civilians fled to different countries in order to seek refuge.
Some of them also went to Pakistan for shelter but instead of giving attention, Pakistan took action against Afghani migrants.
Most of the immigrants were women and children. Among them, some women are sick and some women are expecting mothers. These medical facilities are inadequate. A few women have given birth to children in prison and cannot access medical care.
Meanwhile, in the Pakistan’s National Assembly, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah admitted the belief that the TTP, formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan-Pakistani border. would lay down their arms and submit to the law was mistaken, as per Geo News.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 2, 2023
Death toll in suicide bombing in Pakistan mosque reaches 72

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Islamabad: With the recovery of nine more bodies on Tuesday , the death toll in the suicide bombing in a mosque in Police Lines in Peshawar mounted to 72.
The explosion occurred in the central hall of the mosque leading to roof of the place of worship crashing down when devotees were offering prayers on Monday, Geo News quoted police as saying.
The suicide bomber who blew himself up was present in the first row, police said.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has taken the responsibility for the attack.
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#Death #toll #suicide #bombing #Pakistan #mosque #reaches
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Long queues at petrol pumps across Pakistan

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Islamabad: Rumours of a massive hike in petrol prices resulted in long queues at petrol pumps in many parts of Pakistan, local media reported.
According to reports being shared on social media, the prices of petrol and diesel are expected to go up by anywhere between Rs 45 to Rs 80 on February 1.
“We saw a report on social media that oil prices will go up due to the surge in the dollar’s value and international petroleum rates,” Hassan, who queued at a petrol pump said, Dawn reported.
According to media reports, a similar situation was experienced in other areas. Petrol was available at only 20 per cent of the pumps in Gujranwala, while severe shortages were also reported in Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Sialkot and Faisalabad, Geo News said.
However, an official told Dawn the rumours were unfounded and urged people to not take them seriously. He said a summary for a price revision for the next two weeks has not yet been prepared by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
“Under the ongoing mechanism a summary by OGRA is forwarded to the petroleum division which sends it to the finance ministry,” he said, adding the summary is forwarded on the day when price revisions are due.
He said if the impact of rupee devaluation and international oil prices is accounted for, it will be reflected in the calculations for fortnight starting from February 15.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 29, 2023
Pakistan raking up IWT violation without any reason: Jitendra Singh

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Kathua: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said Pakistan is habitual of making unnecessary noises alleging violations of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), even though there has been none and India has always stood by its end of the pact.
The statement of the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office comes on the heels of India issuing a notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the IWT in view of Islamabad’s “intransigence” in complying with the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact that was inked over six decades ago for sharing of waters of cross-border rivers.
The step comes around 10 months after the World Bank announced appointing a neutral expert and a chair of the Court of Arbitration under two separate processes to resolve the differences over the Kishenganga and Ratle Hydro Electric Projects following Islamabad’s refusal to address the matter through bilateral talks.
“IWT has a long history after it was signed in 1960, giving control of three rivers each to India and Pakistan. While Jhelum, Chenab and Indus were given to Pakistan, India was given the control of Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
“The first phase of Shahpur Kandi dam project on river Ravi is nearing completion. The project was in limbo for the last 40 years and our share of water was also flowing across the border.
“Similarly, the Ratle project in Kishtwar over Chenab was abandoned for eight years and the work on it started only last year under joint venture between the Centre and the UT administration,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kathua district.
He said Pakistan has raised an objection and is claiming violation of the IWT but India’s position is strong as there was no violation and the waters are allowed to flow into Pakistan as per the agreement, despite construction of dams and other projects.
“They are habitual of creating disturbances without any reason The concerned ministry has already taken up the issue with Pakistan,” the minister said, adding the government will do whatever is necessary in the national interest.

Earlier, the minister inaugurated a ‘Young Start-Up Conclave’ organised by CSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology, and called for a change of attitude of youth towards startups.
“The government job mind-set is proving an impediment to startup culture, mainly in north India. The youth of Jammu and Kashmir need not to miss the startup bus, which is playing a crucial role in India’s technological and economic journey to emerge as a frontline nation in the world,” he said.
The minister said J&K has a huge unexplored potential for agriculture and tech startups as the geography and climatic conditions here favour the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants.
The minister said a new wave of agri-tech startups has emerged in the country in the last few years, which are solving problems of supply chain management, cooling and refrigeration, seed management and distribution, and helping farmers access a wider range of markets.
“Jammu & Kashmir and several hill territories as well as the Himalayan states are going to make a significant value edition to build India’s future economy because these are the territories whose resources have remain under-utilised in the past,” he said.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving a focussed attention to these areas, they are going to play a pivotal role in placing India on the world pedestal by 2047, he said.
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#Pakistan #raking #IWT #violation #reason #Jitendra #Singh
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 28, 2023
Pakistan Finance Minister seeks divine intervention to rescue sinking economy

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Islamabad: As the Pakistan government struggles to arrest the worsening economic crisis, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar sought to allay concerns by invoking divine favor, saying that the country was the only country founded in the name of Islam “and Allah Almighty is responsible for its development and prosperity”.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Green Line Train in Islamabad, the Finance Minister said that he had full faith that Pakistan would progress because it was created in the name of Islam, The Express Tribune reported.
He said “if Allah can create Pakistan, then he can also protect, develop, and make it prosper”, adding that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government was trying its best to lift the country out of the quagmire.
Dar said that the government inherited several problems from the previous government, adding, the government was working day and night.
“The team is trying to improve the situation ahead of the elections.”
The Finance Minister further said that the economy of Pakistan was destroyed in five years, but the government of the coalition parties wants to improve it till the next elections.
He said the country is still suffering due to the “drama” that started five years ago and insisted that the economy was strengthening during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure from 2013-2017, The Express Tribune reported.
The Finance Minister added that Pakistan Stock Exchange was the best-performing capital market in South Asia and ranked fifth in the world during Nawaz’s era and the sights of the world institutions were set on it.

However, he regretted that the country was today paying the price for the “Panama drama”, the ouster of the PML-N government, and other issues it faced over the last five years.
“Pakistan was on the growth track during Nawaz’s tenure, but it was derailed,” he added.
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#Pakistan #Finance #Minister #seeks #divine #intervention #rescue #sinking #economy
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 28, 2023
IMF delegation to visit Pakistan next week for talks on 9th review: official

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Islamabad: An international Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will visit Pakistan next week to discuss the ninth review of the USD 7 billion Extended Fund Facility, Dawn reported citing the official.
According to the statement released by the IMF, the international fund organization Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz said: “At the request of the authorities, an in-person Fund mission is scheduled to visit Islamabad [from] January 31 – February 9 to continue the discussions under the ninth EFF review.”
The Pakistani rupee has dived to a historic low against the United States dollar after an exchange cap was lifted as the cash-strapped country seeks the help from IMF. Earlier, Pakistan entered a USD 6 billion programme in 2019 but later on, it increased to USD 7 billion.
If everything goes well then the international organization would release USD 1.8 billion, which is still pending, according to Dawn.
It had earlier been put off for two months due to the Pakistan Muslim League-N-led government’s unwillingness to accept certain conditions placed before it by the IMF, and the disagreements have yet to be resolved.
However, it is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated that the government is finally ready to swallow the bitter pill of the IMF’s “stringent” conditions to revive the loan programme.
In the statement, Ruiz said that the mission would focus on policies to restore domestic and external sustainability, including strengthening the fiscal position with durable and high-quality measures while supporting the vulnerable and those affected by the floods; restoring the viability of the power sector and reverse the continued accumulation of circular debt; and re-establish the proper functioning of the foreign exchange market, allowing the exchange rate to clear the forex shortage.
“Stronger policy efforts and reforms are critical to reduce the current elevated uncertainty that weighs on the outlook, strengthen Pakistan’s resilience, and obtain financing support from official partners and the markets that is vital for Pakistan’s sustainable development,” Dawn quoted her as saying.

The Financial Post recently reported that with Pakistan Finance Ministry being unable to furnish tenable answers for the IMF to commence formal negotiations on the 9th review, it may delay the release of funds from the IMF.
The IMF visit to Pakistan scheduled for October has been delayed amidst differences between Pakistan’s commitment to the IMF on fiscal consolidation.
“Pakistan and the global lender continued talks virtually but differences still persisted over tax collection targets, and non-starter energy reforms including hiking of gas tariff, rising circular debt, and expenditure overrun, making consensus harder to strike on a staff-level agreement for completion of the review,” according to the Financial Post report.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the government knows that it has no other option but to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and face humiliation and that their legs start shaking at the name of elections, reported The Express Tribune.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 27, 2023
Pakistan rupee reaches all-time low after devaluation

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Karachi: Following the rupee’s devaluation in the open and interbank markets, the benchmark index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rallied and gained by more than 1,000 points, as per media reports.
Commenting on the development, Arif Habib Limited’s Head of Research, Tahir Abbas, said that the rupee’s steep fall has triggered a positive sentiment in the market, Geo News reported.
“The driving factor behind the market is the rupee’s market-based exchange rate. This has helped clear the uncertainty that was surrounding the investors,” Abbas said.
The analyst said that the government’s steps are helping the market recover and increasing the confidence of the investors – who were in a difficult position due to the uncertainty over the revival of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) programme.
Abbas added that with a mini-budget expected within the next eight to 10 days, the tariffs of gas and electricity might also witness an increase and more taxes might be be imposed – also the global money lender’s conditions.
The Pak rupee posted its biggest single-day decline against the dollar in more than two decades, after rapidly depleting foreign exchange reserves and an unyielding IMF forcing the government to relax its grip on the currency, The News reported.
Following the government’s decision to end its control over the rupee-dollar exchange rate as part of the IMF condition, the Pak currency slid 9.61 per cent, or Rs 24.5, to a record low of Rs 255.43 against the US dollar compared to Wednesday’s close of Rs 230.89.
The over 9 per cent decline was its highest since October 30, 1999, when the currency had slumped 9.4 per cent.

“The State Bank of Pakistan is seemingly adjusting the exchange rate to the market rate – closer to open market to address the widening difference between the official and open market rate and to curb the flow of dollars through the informal market,” said Saad Ali, a capital market expert, The News reported.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 27, 2023
UAE hints at huge investment in Pakistan amid economic turmoil

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Islamabad: United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has dropped clues that his government is planning to broaden its investment footprint in Pakistan as the country drastically needs foreign inflows to prop up its deteriorating economy.
The royal dignitary arrived in Pakistan on a private visit and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who received the UAE President at the Chandna Airport along with other government functionaries, Geo News reported.
“Be prepared, the UAE will make a huge investment in Pakistan,” the sources quoted the UAE president as saying during a cordial meeting with the premier at the airport.
Shehbaz recalled his recent visit to the gulf country and emphasised that both countries would work on the understanding reached between the two leaders in various fields, during his visit to the UAE.
The UAE President said that the brotherly relations between the two countries went back many decades and his father, who had immense love for Pakistan and its people, laid the foundation of their bilateral ties.
The President also assured the Prime Minister that the UAE would always stand by Pakistan, Geo News reported.
Taking to Twitter, the premier wrote: “Extremely delighted to receive my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed on his arrival in Pakistan, which is his second home. Building on our last meeting, we discussed ways (and) means to further strengthen our brotherly relations.”
The President expressed warm affection towards the prime minister on his arrival in Pakistan and took the premier to his personal jet, sources told Geo News.

The premier also met the family members of the president and held conversations with his children in the English and Arabic language, the sources added.
The UAE, on January 12, agreed to lend $1 billion to Pakistan and roll over an existing $2 billion loan, the country’s information minister had said, as the country’s central bank foreign reserves fell to just three weeks’ worth of imports.
The UAE’s financial support offered some respite to the country that is still reeling from devastating nationwide floods that have caused more than $30 billion of damage, Geo News reported.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 26, 2023