Pakistan News & Discussions

[Khafee]

Sugar mills owners’ intra-court appeal rejected by IHC
August 18, 2020

The IHC reserved its judgment on an appeal of the Sugar Mills Association against the constitution of the sugar inquiry commission.

ISLAMABAD: A day after the Sindh High High quashed the Sugar Inquiry Commission (SIC) as unlawful, a two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected the intra-court appeal filed by sugar mill owners against the formation of the commission.

The SIC report released in July had laid bare startling revelations about how the prices of sugar are fixed, how exports of the commodity are faked to avail rebates on sales taxes, and how billions of rupees are overcharged by sugar mills owners.

The IHC announced its verdict in the case today (Tuesday) which it had reserved on July 24.

Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervez, in the verdict, rejected the appeal by the owners, upholding the earlier decision of the single bench.

On July 24, the IHC reserved its judgment on an appeal of the Sugar Mills Association against the constitution of the sugar inquiry commission.
The petitioners had called for the sugar inquiry report released on May 21 to be declared void and the actions ordered by the prime minister in this regard suspended.

The plea, filed by Advocate Salman Akram Raja, stated: "The scope of the Impugned report clearly exceeds the constitutional mandate and limitations of a Federal Commission of Inquiry constituted under the 2017 Act, as it trespasses into matters within the exclusive legislative and executive domains of the Provinces. The entire inquiry has been carried out in a completely illegal, unlawful, opaque, biased and discriminatory manner."

"It has been conducted in complete contravention to the requirements of the 2017 Act and the relevant terms of reference. The principle of natural justice as well as the Fundamental Rights of the petitioners including the right to due process, fair trial and non-discrimination have been violated," read the petition.

It was filed after the government’s announcement that it is forwarding cases to the National Accountability Bureau, FIA and other federal agencies to take punitive actions against those involved in the scandal.

 

[Khafee]

Cabinet presents two-year performance report
August 18, 2020

Federal Minister for information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, along with Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umar, Adviser to PM on Finance and Revenue, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Muhammad Hammad Azhar and SAPM Dr Sania Nishtar addressing a press conference in Islamabad, on August 18, 2020. — PID

ISLAMABAD: The government highlighted achievements of the PTI government on Tuesday in a press briefing as it marked two years since the party took reins of the country in 2018.

Speaking after information minister Shibli Faraz, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Indian government had failed to isolate Pakistan internationally, adding that the "narrative has shifted on Kashmir" and that the people of the occupied territory will get the right to self-determination.

The foreign minister pointed out how Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his first speech as Pakistan's premier, had highlighted the issue of occupied Kashmir.
"You can compare the speeches of Nawaz Sharif and before that, Asif Zardari at the UN and see for yourself how often the word Kashmir was used in their speeches," he said.

Govt brought down current account deficit: Shaikh
Highlighting the performance of the finance ministry, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that Pakistan was faced with a mountain of challenges when the government came to power.

He stated that Pakistan was faced with a huge current account deficit which the incumbent government had reduced drastically due to its sound fiscal policies.

The finance adviser said that the government of Pakistan, civil and military leadership both, had reduced their budgets in its bid to practice austerity in times of crisis.

Shaikh said that the government had not borrowed from the State Bank of Pakistan throughout the current year.
"The biggest point of the prime minister's package was that cash was given to ordinary people who were impacted [by the coronavirus]," he said, referring to the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.

Shaikh said that for the first time in Pakistan's history, Rs250bn were provided to the people of Pakistan "in every city and goth". "This money was provided to 100 million people," he said.

He said that the government had not imposed any new tax in budget 2020-21, adding that the first month of the fiscal year brought about good news.

Shaikh disclosed that Pakistan's exports grew by 6% in July, adding that these were a result of the government's policies and budget measures.
"The FBR collected Rs300bn [the amount] was 23 times more than their internal estimates," he said.

He spoke about the performance of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) stating that international publications such as Bloomberg were praising it.

Pakistan received 'wide recognition' from global community on FATF targets, says Azhar.
Federal Minister of Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that the government brought about a construction package which was unique of its kind. He said that its results were already being felt in the country's economy, adding that construction in the country would speed up after the monsoon region.

He said that the government had cut down smuggling of phones in the country through technological means. "Seventy percent of the phones in our country used to be smuggled. We cut that through technological means," he added.

Referring to the Pakistan Steel Mills, among other institutions, Azhar said that a lot of sectors had been "kept in the morgue" by previous governments.

"The Pakistan Steel Mills was given Rs35bn in salaries over the past five years and bailout packages worth Rs80bn were given as well. It went from recording profits to losses and currently owes Rs236bn," he said.

Azhar added that the government had tackled the problem "head on" by taking big decisions and had taken the decision to involve a joint stakeholder from the private sector to manage the institution.

He spoke about the Financial Action Task Force's action items list, saying that Pakistan was put on the grey list during the previous government's tenure. "We were given a 27-point strict action item by a joint group, which wasn't previously given to any other country, in such a short span of time" he said.

Azhar said that the government had completed 14 of the 27 action items and out of the remaining 13, 11 had been 'partially completed'.

The minister said that Pakistan used to be previously criticised at the FATF forum for not doing enough to tackle money laundering and crimes. However, he said during the past one year, the country had received "wide recognition" from the global community.

 

[Khafee]

Pakistani start-up Milkar spreads awareness about education
August 18, 2020

Milkar has partnered with The Citizen’s Foundation (TCF), SOS Children’s Villages Pakistan, Health and Education Development Organization (HAEDO) among others for the message of education. — Geo.tv/Files

Milkar, a Pakistani start-up company, is taking concrete steps to spread awareness on the importance of education among the masses.
What the platform does is simple — it connects social welfare organisations to young volunteers across the country, who in turn, serve the masses by spreading the message of education and volunteer to teach those in need.

Milkar.com has partnered up with national and international organizations such as The Citizen’s Foundation (TCF), SOS Children’s Villages Pakistan, Health and Education Development Organization (HAEDO), Preventive Education Health Oriented Foundation (PEHO), Teach for Pakistan (TFP) and more. Their goal is to address the immediate need of education for all.

Jo tanha nahi wo milkar mumkin hai (what is not possible to do alone can be done together) — that is the message that Milkar has for the society. "Mil Kar is a collective effort by organizations and volunteers to bring positive change to the society," read a statement from the start-up.
Milkar provides flexible opportunities to people who want to do good and also carry out virtual activities when physical ones are difficult to conduct.

It makes it easy for people spread across the country to gather on one platform from where they can reach out to each other. Verified organizations looking to hire volunteers can also register to MilKar.com.

 

[Khafee]

 

[baqai]

Zartaj is a class idiot

 

[Nightfox]

Wonder who it could be

 

[Khafee]

View attachment 16197
Wonder who it could be

Pvt charter a/c owned by NASJET

 

[Nightfox]

Pvt charter a/c owned by NASJET

That part i found out myself.Got a bit curious as it moves alot between certain RSAF airbases.

 

[Khafee]

No respite: Met issues urban flooding alert for Karachi as heavy rain lashes city yet again​

Qazi Hassan | Imtiaz Ali​

Updated 24 Aug 2020

Heavy rain lashed parts of Karachi yet again on Monday, claiming the lives of at least two citizens and injuring four others, as the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted another monsoon spell and warned of urban flooding in the metropolis.

According to data from the Met department, the highest amount of rainfall, 66mm, was recorded at Gulshan-i-Hadeed. Meanwhile, Karachi (MOS) recorded 1.1mm of rainfall, Landhi 32mm and Jinnah Terminal 0.6mm.

Two people died while four others were injured in the Sukhan area of the city on Monday, according to police and hospital officials.

According to SHO Adeel, the incident occurred when the awning of a gaming zone collapsed due to heavy rainfall at KMC flats near Bhains Colony, injuring six persons.

Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali said that the injured were brought to the hospital, where doctors pronounced one of them, 25-year-old Mohammad Imran, dead on arrival.

Another patient who was injured in the incident, and brought to the facility in critical condition, also died shortly after, she added.

The remaining four, identified as 40-year-old Usman, 26-year-old Hamid, 30-year-old Kamran and 55-year-old Mohammad Akbar, were admitted to the hospital for treatment.

PMD warns of more rainfall, chances of urban flooding​

Earlier today, the Met dept said that another spell of rain was expected in Karachi and parts of Sindh from August 24 (today) to August 26 (Wednesday), warning that there was danger of urban flooding yet again.​

"Rain/wind thundershowers, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Tharparker, Nagarparker, Mirpurkhas, Islam Kot, Umar Kot, Sanghar, Sukkur and Larkana from Monday to Wednesday," a weather advisory by the department said.

"Heavy rainfall may generate urban flooding/water logging in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin from Monday to Tuesday. Heavy downpour may generate flash flooding in hill torrents of Kalat, Khuzdar and Lasbela during the period," it said.

The Met office also predicted rain-thundershowers with isolated heavy falls in Lasbela, Khuzdar, Awaran, Barkhan, Zhob, Musa Khel, Loralai, Kohlu and Sibi during Monday and Tuesday.

"Widespread rain/wind-thundershowers (with few heavy falls) are expected in Kashmir, Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa and Gilgit-Baltistan from Tuesday to Thursday.

"Heavy rainfall may generate urban flooding in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Haripur, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Jhelum, Sialkot, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Lahore and Faisalabad on Wednesday and Thursday and may trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Kashmir, GB and KP," the department said, urging all authorities concerned to remain alert.

"There is a prediction of rain because of the system present in Sindh and Rajasthan and the humidity in the Arabian Gulf," Met director Abdul Qayyum Bhutto said.

He forecast heavy winds and rain in the provincial capital, Karachi, for the next three days, adding that the metropolis, in particular, could experience thunder and heavy rains today and tomorrow.

"There is a danger of urban flooding in Sindh and Karachi," he said, adding that the province could see between 100–150mm of rain combined during this period.

Last week's monsoon spell, the fifth one of the season, brought devastation to Karachi once again, claiming the lives of at least seven citizens and inundating roads in various parts of the city.

According to the Met department, the highest amount of rainfall, 185.7mm, was recorded in Surjani Town where people had to be evacuated after the rainwater flooded their homes.

The movement of traffic came to a grinding halt due to roads being submerged by rainwater while the power supply system showed no improvement as many areas were deprived of electricity till late in the night.

During the fourth spell earlier this month, at least nine people died in separate incidents in the city. Seven of the deceased lost their lives due to electrocution, while two minor boys died from drowning while swimming in accumulated rainwater, according to officials and rescue services.

Karachi has a network of 550 storm-water drains which zig-zag through the metropolis and flow out into the Arabian Sea, but many are obstructed by illegal construction, waste and sludge.

The city's infrastructure is struggling to cope with heavy monsoon rains, as seen this year.

Sardar Sarfaraz, Karachi head of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, said rainfall of as little as 50mm (two inches) could cause urban flooding in some of Karachi's low-lying areas, with the most recent downpour easily exceeding that across the city.

Meanwhile, the coordination committee comprising representatives of the federal and Sindh governments in its first formal meeting on Saturday decided to remove ‘soft encroachments’ from Karachi’s major stormwater drains.

Federal minister Asad Umar told Dawn after the meeting. “It was decided that the Karachi commissioner and NDMA [National Disaster Management Authority] will jointly launch an operation to remove all soft encroachments from storm-water drains and make it clean.”

Read: Monsoon floods expose blockages in Karachi's drains — and politics

 

[Khafee]

Locust threat forces farmers in Thar desert to keep land fallow​

Manesh Kumar
Published 3 days ago

Good rainfall has turned the desert in Pakistan green, but a new generation of locusts has robbed farmers of joy.

Sitting in a tyre repair shop covered with a thatching of fresh grass, Thanwar Kolhi, 53, wanted to be updated on the heavy rains expected to hit Sindh. “I pray it won’t rain here,” he muttered.

Kolhi has been farming for 30 years. During the monsoons, he ploughs land in order to stock grains and raise animal feed. For the rest of the year, he herds sheep.

Over the past few years, he has started repairing tyres near his village of Jamhaar in Tharparkar district. Due to continuous droughts, farming did not pay enough to feed a family of nine and take care of his herd of 15 sheep.

This year his farm received two good spells of rain — in mid-July and early August. But, like many other residents of the Thar desert, he has not ploughed his fields because of the locust threat.

Last year, the first time the Thar desert had received adequate rainfall after more than five years of drought, he planted crops. “I spent PKR 35,000 (USD 210) on my land. At the end of the day the yield was less than my investment; about half the crops were devoured by locust swarms,” said Kolhi.
He had planted millet, beans, lentils and other crops. But when it was time to harvest them, the locust swarms arrived. “Normally, millet takes three rounds of reaping. The more we cut, the more it grows. But I had hardly finished the first round when the locusts came, clearing lush green crops and pastures. They even devoured leaves and straw [for animal feed].”
He has lost the opportunity to farm this year, but hopes that at least the grass will be spared from the locust swarms. Otherwise, he said, “Our animals will die of hunger.”

Nymphs (baby locusts that cannot fly) on a tree in the Thar desert. — Photo by Ravi Tohani

Jaiso Bheel, a resident of Chaho Rahumaan in the district of Islamkot, stood in his denuded farm. The locust swarms had already irreparably damaged his crops, especially millet, leaving behind millions of nymphs (baby locusts) in the sandy soil. To protect his crops from further damage, he started digging a three-foot-deep trench around his farm. He was only halfway done, but the nymphs had already started to mature into locusts.

There have been three spells of rain in and around his village. Most of the residents did not plough their lands. Bheel was one of the few who did. “I was aware of the situation, and had heard the government’s advice to avoid ploughing because of the locust threat. But I’m skilled only in farming. This land feeds not only us humans but also our livestock. We humans can beg; where would the animals go? These very animals come handy in droughts; they feed my family.”

Jaiso Bheel stands in his denuded farm. — Photo by Ravi Tohani

The farm’s average annual yield is 1,000 maund (a maund is around 40 kilogrammes) of millet, beans and other cash crops. Not this year. “I’ve worked days and nights, shooing [locusts] away from crops. I’ve killed them in the millions. But the more we kill, the more they emerge from the soil. Now I don’t want to commit more sin [kill the locusts]. And I’m tired.”

Tharparkar district is home to 1.6 million people; 96 per cent live in villages and depend on farming and animal husbandry. Of the 1,014,000 hectares in the Thar, half is cultivable, but apart from some areas of Nagarparkar Tahseel, where land is cultivated by groundwater drawn through tubewells, the majority of the area depends on rain.

Climate change affects rainfall​

Due to climate change, rainfall patterns have changed. Droughts have become more frequent; so have erratic and scattered rainfall. Since last year, locusts have worsened the situation manifold. People are now afraid to invest in their farms.

This year different areas of the Thar desert have already received two to four spells of rainfall. Ali Akbar Rahmoon — an environment expert and head of NGO the Association for Water, Applied Education and Renewable Energy (AWARE) — pointed out that for sowing, timeliness of rainfall is more important than total rainfall during the monsoon. If a farm gets as much as 1,100 millimetres of rain at the start of the monsoon but nothing after that, it is effectively a drought for the farmer. “The Thar desert requires three to four spells of rainfall intermittently; 300 to 350 mm rainfall would be sufficient to have good crops,” he said.

By desert standards, it has rained well this year. But the rainfall has also been good for a new generation of locusts. Bharu Mal Amrani — former coordinator of the Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment — said, “The locusts have been present since last year. They’ve laid eggs in the desert sand that are now hatching and a new generation is taking wing.”

The farmers say they have been advised by officials not to plant crops this year. But an official from the agriculture department — who spoke on the condition of anonymity — said the government has not barred farmers from sowing their crops. “We have developed a strategy to save crops from [locust] damage. The department of plant protection is doing spray work where locusts are present.”

Many farms in the Thar desert remain uncultivated due to the threat of locusts. — Photo by Ravi Tohani

“We’ve carried out spraying on 30,000 hectares of land in Tharparkar district,” he added. “Out of that, 500 hectares are cropping areas. We have also carried out aerial spray on 400 hectares in Islamkot tehsil (sub-district). All these areas are breeding grounds of locusts.”

Residents are unimpressed. “First, some lands [where locusts breed] are behind the sand dunes, where even [the agriculture department’s] off-road vehicles can’t reach. Second, their spray doesn’t kill locusts. If we insist on using stronger doses, it burns grass and crops,” complained Bheel.

The officer admitted that they have faced resistance from villagers who don’t want their farms sprayed. But, he said, there are others who understand the situation. He rejected villagers’ perception about the spray. “We are using two different doses of lambda-cyhalothrin [an insecticide] for cropped areas and grazing fields,” he explained.

This is one year when the rain has turned the desert green, but it has not brought hope. “This time the rain has brought locusts,” Kolhi said. “They are just 30 kilometres away. But for the locusts, which Thari [resident of Thar] wouldn’t want more rain?”

 

[capricorn5192]

Pakistan's economy rebounds despite pandemic | The Express Tribune​

Strong turnaround into surplus from deficit result of a continuing recovery in exports, says PM Imran​

---

Salman SiddiquiAugust 25, 2020

PHOTO: REUTERS

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KARACHI:
Pakistan's economy has made an excellent start despite the coronavirus pandemic challenges as the country’s current account balance swung into surplus in July – the first month of the current fiscal year 2021.
The government's foreign income remained higher than the expenditures with receipt of record-high workers' remittances, notable growth in export earnings, and no major growth in import payments.
“After current account balance posted deficit of $613 million in July 2019 and a deficit of $100 million in June 2020, in July 2020 the current account balance swung upwards into a surplus of $424 million," Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
He said the strong turnaround into surplus from a deficit is a result of a continuing recovery in exports, which rose by 20% compared to June 2020 and record remittances. “"Masha Allah Pakistan's economy is on the right track,” he said.

MashaAllah Pakistan's economy is on the right track. After current account balance posted deficit of $613 mn in July 2019 & a deficit of $100 mn in June 2020, in July 2020 current account balance swung upwards to a surplus of $424 mn.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 24, 2020​

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) elaborated on its Twitter handle that the strong turnaround in the remittances and exports is achieved "with support from several policy and administrative initiatives taken by the SBP and the federal government.
"This is the fourth monthly surplus since last October," the central bank said in its second tweet.
The export of goods increased to $1.89billion in July compared to $1.58billion in June. It was, however, 14% lower than $2.22billion export in July 2019, according to the bank.
The remittances hit a record high of $2.77billion in the single month of July compared to $2.47 billion in June and $2.03 billion in July 2019.
The import of goods enhanced by 2% to $3.63 billion in the month compared to $3.56 billion in the previous month. It was, however, 13% lower than $4.18 billion import of July 2019.
"The balance of the current account in surplus is in line with the market expectations," Next Capital Managing Director Muzammil Aslam said. "The growth in workers' remittances was, however, surprising [in the month of July 2020]."
"Now the question is whether the balance in the current account would be maintained in surplus, going forward," Aslam questioned.
He said the encouraging number –the balance in surplus – would at least help the economy to absorb shocks if it encounters any due to unexpected higher import payments in the remaining 11 months of the fiscal year. "The account in surplus has created a buffer to absorb the shocks."
The government has targeted to record the current account balance in deficit in the range of 1-1.25% ($3-3.5 billion) in the year 2020-21 compared to 1.1% (around $3 billion) in the previous fiscal year 2019-2020. "The surplus in July has made it easier to achieve the set target of the current account deficit," he said.
Earlier, International financial institutions and global credit rating agencies have anticipated widening of the current account deficit to 1.6-2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the fiscal year 2021.
They foresaw a drop in inflow of remittances and export earnings during the year due to COVID impact, going forward. Besides, imports may increase with the reopening of the domestic economy from the four-month-long lockdown.
S&P Global Ratings said last week: "We expect the current account deficit to remain below 2% of the GDP over the next few years as the economy continues to rebalance, although higher capital imports associated with the restart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects could widen the deficit again."
"Gross external financing needs remain elevated, at approximately 140% of current account receipts and usable foreign exchange reserves at the end of fiscal 2020.
“We expect this figure to gradually decline to nearly 119% by the end of fiscal 2023, but a rekindling of import demand or higher commodity prices would challenge that trend," it added.
Several foreign and local experts doubt whether Pakistan would maintain the remittances on the higher side after achieving record high in the past two consecutive months; June and July.
Many believe this was single-time growth since Pakistani expatriates coming back home after losing jobs in foreign countries are transferring their savings to the homeland. Several others, however, believe otherwise. Pakistan received record-high remittances at $23.10 billion in FY20 as well.
Aslam said the growth in remittances – a key component in the current account in surplus – is seen due to inflow of remittances through official channels, mostly via banks.
He said people relied on official channels after the collapse of illegal channels like hundi/hawala under the global lockdown and suspension of international flights.
"The SBP is introducing Roshan Digital Accounts. This would help to sustain the remittances on the higher side and keeping the current account deficit manageable in FY21," he said.
Sustaining higher export earnings may remain a challenge under the Covid-19 impact. Exporters, however, reporting receipt of new orders as well, he said.

 

[BATMAN]

Pakistani regime is BS-ing Pakistanis on economy as they know they are addressing ignorant.
All facts & figures revolve around remittances, gross current account figures were ought to improve with increased remittances.
Irrespective, inflation is on the up indicates massive money laundering, out side banking channels.

 

[Nightfox]

Are you even aware of the political tussle going on in Karachi, and the havoc record breaking rains have caused? It's a disaster zone!

Anyways, if the powers that be, are quiet, there is a very solid reason for that.

i wanted to give another example apart from the BLK52 when it comes to military purchases without derailing the other thread.

Historically speaking purchases of jets and specifically jets has gone very comfortably with the public with everyone behind it.The airforce is a source of pride for the nation and people have a soft spot for PAF compared to the other services.So its odd that this time opinions/reactions would be against any such purchase.

 

[Khafee]

i wanted to give another example apart from the BLK52 when it comes to military purchases without derailing the other thread.

Historically speaking purchases of jets and specifically jets has gone very comfortably with the public with everyone behind it.The airforce is a source of pride for the nation and people have a soft spot for PAF compared to the other services.So its odd that this time opinions/reactions would be against any such purchase.

I concour, but this time, for some reason they seem to be dragging their feet.

 

[Nightfox]

I concour, but this time, for some reason they seem to be dragging their feet.

The domestic ground issues should be separated from such things otherwise nothing would go forward.