09/01/2021 - 10/01/2021
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9/30/2021

The Sindh High Court (SHC) granted an interim stay order on Wednesday against cancellation of order to buy school furniture.

The order came after a joint petition was filed by the four companies which secured the Sindh education department’s tender.

The Sindh government had earlier backtracked from the purchase of the desks at an exorbitant price when SAMAA TV run an exclusive story.

The petitioners contended that the tender had been secured in competitive bidding at lowest price. If the order was cancelled at this point in time, they would suffer a loss amounting to millions of rupees.

The SHC ordered to stay the possible cancellation until October 14 and issued notices to the Sindh government, its central procurement committee and SPRA to file responses.

While the Sindh government was keen to cancel the tender, the Sindh education minister, Saeed Ghani, insisted that he was satisfied with the transparency of the process and if there had been any corruption, the guilty parties should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

He said that the quality of material used was key to determine the price of furniture.

According to him, the value of desks, which the committee had demanded, came to the same value.



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9/30/2021

All available resources should be used to protect people from various hazards and problem during the current rains, the Karachi administrator, Murtaza Wahab, said on Wednesday.

He was chairing a meeting of all heads of departments concerned, including district administrations, KMC, DMCs, SSWMB and KWSB. The meeting was held at the Old KMC Building.

During the meeting, the Karachi administrator reviewed rain emergency arrangements. The progress on work in relation with cleaning storm water drains and potential choke points were also reviewed.

Arrangements for preventing flooding in low-lying areas were reviewed too.

The Karachi administrator ordered heads of all departments to remain vigilant during the upcoming monsoon rains.

KWSB’s managing director Asadullah Khan briefed the Karachi administrator on the arrangements for removing rain water from roads.

Wahab advised the KWSB managing director to immediately install machinery for draining out rainwater in all Karachi districts.

“A rain emergency has been declared in Karachi and heads of all departments concerned must utilise all available resources to protect public from rain-related issues,” Wahab said.

He said the KMC and DMC officials should ensure availability of fuel and operators for their machinery, adding that deputy commissioners should take immediate steps to clear all choke points in smaller storm water drains.

He directed deputy commissioners to ensure proper monitoring of storm water cleaning. He said that deputy commissioner of the district concern would be held responsible if rain water persisted on roads for longer periods. 



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9/30/2021

At least 5% of husbands in Saudi Arabia face physical abuse by their wives, head of a committee working for eliminating domestic abuse Dr Hamid AlShayji said on Wednesday.

According to Sabaq website, husbands in Saudi Arabia also faced extreme violence and physical abuse at the hands of their wives. It cited a case in which a husband had endured beatings with electric wire.

While cases of verbal abuse abounded, where Saudi husbands had to endure humiliation on a daily basis.

The website said that the root cause of such cases was a visible difference in ages of both husbands and wives. “Mostly, such cases of domestic abuse occur when husbands are elderly and wives are still of younger age,” the website said.

It also detailed cases in which wives even resorted to use “talismans, amulets, charms and sorcery to influence their husbands”.

The basic responsibility of the committee is protection of families in addition to giving useful advice.

“Almost 90% of those who contact us are women who are eager to safeguard their households,” Dr Shayji said.



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9/30/2021

Export of foodstuff, especially perishable items, will be banned for the next three months, this was decided at a meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee held under Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday.

Ministry of trade should consult with the food security ministry for the prospective restrictions, Tarin told officials concerned.

According to the finance ministry, the decision had been made in view of the seasonal increase in prices of commodities and the emerging situation in Afghanistan.

The secretary finance said that week-on-week inflation declined by 0.7%.

Governments of Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were told to release wheat in a timely manner to flour mills.

Fertilizers and oil

In the National Assembly, the finance minister informed lawmakers that the government would provide a massive subsidy on DAP fertilizer.

Responding to a question during Question Hour in the House on Wednesday evening, Shaukat Tarin said that the government was trying to provide relief to farmers to boost farm yields.

Answering another question, he said the economy was growing “after a long time and that is why imports are on the rise”.

Shaukat Tarin said that Saudi Arabia was considering extending oil facility to Pakistan. 

In response to a question, the parliamentary secretary for commerce, Aliya Hamza Malik, said that textile exports witnessed a growth of 23%, engineering goods 30% and carpets, footwear and surgical goods 14% each.

Responding to another question, the parliamentary secretary for planning, development and reform, Kanwal Shauzab, said that textile sector was working at its full capacity by availing the government’s withdrawal of duties and taxes on raw cotton import. She said almost half a million jobs had been created in the textile industry.



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9/30/2021

All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz and batter Haider Ali starred as Northern defeated Southern Punjab by five wickets in National T20 Wednesday.

In replay to Southern’s respectable 175-run target, the Shadab Khan-led unit was comfortably home with five balls to spare in Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Nawaz showed promising form with the bat as he struck an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls with the help of six boundaries and two maximums.

He was well supported by young batter Haider Ali, who scored 40 off 27. Captain Shabab also contributed with the bat as he scored a valuable 30 off 20 balls.

Hassan Khan’s economical spell, where he claimed figures of two for 13 in his three overs, wasn’t enough to save Sohaib Maqsood’s men from defeat.

Omer Khan and Mohammad Ilyas also picked a wicket each for the losing side.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, Southern posted a decent 176-run total courtesy of a brilliant inning from captain Sohaib.

The right-hander, who was struggling for form in the first three games of the tournament, smashed 75 off 47 balls. He struck eight fours and four sixes in the innings.

Agha Salman and Khushdil Shah contributed with 24 and 20 runs respectively. Aamer Yamin once again played a fine cameo of 23 off just nine balls to guide the team to 175-6 in their allotted overs.

Mohammad Musa was the pick among the bowlers for Shadab’s side, where he claimed figures of three for 40 in his four-over spell.

Mohammad Nawaz was declared the man of the match for his splendid performance in the game.  



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9/30/2021

At least six Pakistanis involved in at least 15 incidents of trespassing and looting various firms and warehouses have been arrested, a spokesman for Riyadh police announced on Wednesday.

According to Aajil website, Major Khaled al-Kraidis said that the police acted after receiving a number of complaint. He said that a special team was formed who traced and identified men involved in these crimes, including theft of cash and various expensive items.

He said that the accused had been handed over the public prosecution department after conducting initial legal processing.



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9/30/2021

Trade has been suspended at the Pakistan-Iran border in Gwadar district of Balochistan, prompting fears among traders that truckloads of fresh fruit will go bad.

Hundreds of container-laden trailers and other vehicles were stopped on both sides of the border due to the closure of the Rimdan border crossing, the second most important border checkpoint between Pakistan and Iran after Taftan.

The Rimdan border crossing was opened in December 2020.

Traders claim a recently deputed FIA inspector has stopped hundreds of vehicles at the border by making passports and visas mandatory for drivers on both sides. However, they say, drivers from Chaman, Mand, and Panjgur are exempt from carrying passports and visas under the Pakistan-Iran trade agreement.

The FBR collects more than 500 million rupees a month in taxes from the Rimdan border crossing, according to a report released by the FBR last year.

There is also a risk of fresh fruits and vegetable worth tens of millions of rupees being wasted, traders say.

Trucks carrying mangoes, grapes, apples and other fresh fruits and vegetables have been stranded on the both sides of the border.

Not only the traders will face losses running into tens of millions of rupees but the government will also incur heavy losses in terms of foreign exchange, say the traders.

The business community has appealed to the Director General FIA and Deputy Commissioner Gwadar to take notice of the situation and reopen the border crossing.



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9/30/2021

An anti-encroachment drive will be carried out in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Blocks 1, 2 and 3 on Thursday (September 30) in a bid to free land from illegal occupancy.

The drive will be conducted by the Estate and Enforcement Department of KDA.

Ahead of the operation against land grabbers, KDA officials specially asked Rangers and Police for providing security to the KDA personnel.

Requesting the presence of women constables on this occasion, the KDA officials told law-enforcement agencies that it was necessary to avert the possibility of any untoward incident during the operation.

Land grabbers have built permanent structure on government owned land where their wives and children also live.

In the past, they used women and children as human shield to stop the authorities from evicting them.

KDA officials reminded that the anti-encroachment drive was being carried out to free amenity plots on the orders of the Supreme Court.

During previous attempts to get plots vacated in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Blocks 1, 6 and 10, KDA officials had faced stiff resistance some time ago.

During these operations, baton-charge, tear-gas shelling and incidents of aerial firing were reported in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

The KDA has more than 100 amenity plots in different categories in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Of the total, 20 plots have so far been freed of illegal occupation by the authority.    



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9/29/2021

Four ‘commanders’ of a terrorist outfit were among 10 killed in an operation conducted by the security forces in South Waziristan, an ISPR media release stated on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, an FC jawan was martyred and another was injured after firing commenced from across the boder with Iran.

According to the ISPR, security forces besieged a terrorist hideout. Intense firing ensued and at least 10 terrorist, among them four ‘commanders’, were killed during the exchange of firing.

A large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized from the hideout.

ISPR stated that all of the terrorist killed in the incident were involved in mounting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), arson and targeted killings of innocent civilians. It stated that they were planning to carry out terrorist attacks in South Waziristan.

In Balochistan, an FC post in the Chokab area was fired upon from across the Iranian border.

An FC soldier embraced martyrdom while another was injured during the firing. ISPR stated that Pakistani border officials had informed their Iranian counterparts about the incident.



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9/29/2021

The use of force or hurting children in educational institutions could soon become a criminal offense as the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights approved on Tuesday the prohibition of corporal punishment act.

This act, once passed by the Senate, will initially be implemented in Islamabad while provinces will be required to take it as model legislation.

It will become a law after Senate passes it and the president signs it.

“The Senate committee for human rights has approved the bill after proposed changes by the NA,” said Senator Waleed Iqbal.

The bill prohibits all forms of corporal punishment of children in the following places:

  • Work
  • Schools and educational institutions
  • Madrassas
  • Child care institutions
  • Rehabilitation centres
  • Any other alternative care setting

According to the bill, “any punishments in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however, light it may be, which may involve hitting (smacking, slapping, spanking)” will be subject to criminal proceedings against the violator.

Disciplinary measures concerning the child may only be taken in accordance with the child’s dignity and under no circumstances shall the infliction of any kind of corporal punishment on a child be allowed, the proposed bill reads.

The violators shall be liable to the punishments prescribed for the related offenses in the Pakistan Penal Code that include Sections 351 (assault), 332 (hurt) and 350 (criminal force) of the PPC.

Those found guilty can appeal against the conviction with the federal ombudsman.

The bill proposes that the ministry of education and Wifaqul Madaris to form committees for schools and madrassas. Each committee will have three members and one of them have to be a woman.

The committees will have to decide on a complaint within 30 days.

The bill was initially passed by the National Assembly in February this year. It was tabled by PML-N MNA Mehnaz Akbar Aziz. The new law would also cancel provisions of Section 89 of the PPC that allow teachers and guardians to administer physical punishment “in good faith” and “for the benefit” of the child. It allows the authorities to sack or suspend those violating the law.

‘Law not enough to protect children’

Aziz said the new law alone won’t be enough to protect children. “The mindset that legitimizes corporal punishment needs to be changed through informative awareness campaigns,” she said.

Various human rights organizations and rights activists have long been advocating for a law to criminalize corporal punishment.

Renowned singer and founder of Zindagi Trust Shehzad Roy had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court against corporal punishment in educational institutions. On his petition, the court had banned such punishments.

“When a child gets physical punishment, society is telling them – and an entire generation – that violence is a valid means of resolving a problem,” Roy said after the assembly passed the bill. “This law will not just protect our children but also lay the foundation for a safer, kinder and more peaceful Pakistan.”

There is a need to launch a mass awareness campaign to tell educators and caretakers that corporal punishment is harmful for children and there are other healthy ways to discipline them, he added.



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9/29/2021

Wajid Shamsul Hasan, former high commissioner to Britain, passed away on Tuesday, several People’s Party leaders confirmed.

Government-run APP news agency also reported that Hasan passed away in London after a prolonged illness.

Ill for more than two years, he was admitted to a hospital in London two weeks ago after his health deteriorated.

He served as an envoy to the UK in two separate stints: one during 1994-96 by Benazir Bhutto herself and then in 2008 till April 2014 during the previous PPP tenure.

Hasan was a journalist who started his career as soon as he completed his masters in international relations in 1962. In 1969, he joined Daily News newspaper as its editor. He also served as the editor of English-language magazine Mag.

Also in 1969, he was appointed as the chairman of the National Press Trust (NPT), a government-run entity that controlled as many as 14 daily newspapers and magazines in both Urdu and English, including Pakistan Times, Morning News and Imrooz.

A close confidant of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and later Asif Ali Zardari and a diehard PPP supporter, he was part of the presidential entourage at the Simla Summit in 1972. He also accompanied Bhutto on his official tour to the United States and Canada in February 1976 as part of the official media team.

He was an avid reader, prolific writer and sought-after commentator on various issues. In his later years, he wrote a personal memoir titled: Bhutto Khandan Meri Yaadon Mein (The Bhutto Family Through My Memories).

Wajid Shamsul Hasan was revered for his secular and liberal views and commitment to the cause of democracy and empowering people, especially women and minorities.

Condoling his death,  Senator Shery Rehman said that she was saddened by the news of Wajid Shamsul Hasan’s death.

Terming his death a great loss, she stated in a tweet: “He spent a lifetime of devotion to democracy, human rights, free press and the PPP.”

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also expressed grief and sorrow over his demise.

“Journalist, diplomat, democrat, family friend … Good bye uncle Wajid … (An) Immense source of strength and guidance (has) left us today. Nothing will be the same without you,” the PPP chairman said in a tweet along with a few memorable photographs.

The central information secretary of PPP, Shazia Atta Marri, also expressed grief and sorrow over his death. Marri said that Wajid Shamsul Hasan would always be remembered for services rendered as a journalist and diplomat.



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9/28/2021

Billion of rupees were found to have been transferred in accounts of 57 fictitious persons, unrelated business entities and 20 employees of the Hudaibia and Ramzan Sugar Mills, documents deposited by FIA in a banking court showed on Monday.

The documents filling five boxes were submitted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to persuade the court to cancel the bail of Shehbaz Sharif in the money laundering case.

FIA had earlier accused leader of the opposition Shehbaz Sharif of “not cooperating” with its investogators.

Documents deposited by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also declared that transactions amounting to Rs8 billion had been conducted by various unrelated persons.

According to the documents, a tea and ghee vendors had transferred Rs70 and a Rs40 million, respectively. While, a dry fruit seller deposited Rs4.5 million.

FIA also claimed that monies were transferred by fruit, vegetable, cloth traders into various accounts owned by PML-N leaders. Other persons, completely unrelated with sugar industry, like tyre shops, PCOs, toy shops, furniture makers and medical stores, made similar deposits too.

At the time of the transaction, Hamza Shehbaz was the chief executive of the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The documents, FIA maintained, also contained evidence that several wheat flour, cotton and rice mills had also made several deposits into accounts of the sugar mills.



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9/27/2021

A senior member of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has revealed that people running businesses from home would be made to pay additional tax on their electricity bills.

FBR Internal Revenue Operations Member Qaiser Iqbal made the revelation as he tried to alleviate fears among traders.

Iqbal held talks with Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajiran Pakistan leaders on Sunday to ward off the September 27 strike announced by the traders’ body.

After the talks, Kashif Chaudhry-led Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajiran has postponed Monday’s strike but All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran, another group of traders led by Ajmal Baloch, has rejected the talks and called for a protest at the FBR office in Islamabad on September 29.

Additional tax

In an attempt to palliate traders, Iqbal said it was a misconception that an additional tax would be levied on the electricity bills for small traders. “There are people who run businesses from home. They are getting a double benefit. They don’t pay for electricity charges at the commercial rate and they are not registered” with the FBR to pay taxes, he said.

The FBR official said the additional tax would be levied on the electricity bills for such individuals. Traders already using commercial meteres would not be burdened, he said.

Qaiser Iqbal said the FBR was speaking to small traders and commissioners have been asked to listen to their concerns.

Kashif Chaudhry said that the point of sales will not be applicable to small traders. It has been clarified that the sales tax of small traders is deducted from the electricity bill.



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9/27/2021

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Taliban government, has claimed that some countries would soon recognize the Taliban regime in Kabul as the legitimate Afghan government.

He said talks were under way with several nations.

Mujahid said the recognition was the right of Afghans and that officials from the Islamic Emirate Afghanistan had met with the representatives of many countries.

“Officials from many countries have visited Afghanistan and we have also visited them. We have also sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Anthony Guterres in this regard,” the spokesman said according to Afghanistan Pashto language websites.

Mujahid did not name the countries, but representatives from China, Russia, Qatar, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and other countries have been to Kabul to hold talks with the officials from the Taliban government.

The Taliban have assured many countries, in addition to its neighbours and regional states, that it wanted good relations with the international community based on mutual respect, says Nunn Takki Asia.

Mujahid said Afghanistan needed foreign aid, reconstruction and strong governance, and this required active diplomacy with the international community, the website said.

The Taliban spokesman said that the international community had also realized that in order to interact with Afghanistan, it has to have relations with the Islamic Emirate.

Taliban to support Kashmiris

Meanwhile, speaking to Pakistan Television (PTV) Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban have condemned the ongoing atrocities in occupied Kashmir.

Whether it is Kashmir, Palestine or Myanmar, aggression against Muslims is not acceptable anywhere, he said.

Mujahid said the Afghan government will launch political and diplomatic efforts to ensure rights for oppressed Muslims.

He said the Taliban wanted to depute Sohail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations.



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