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The Files Room, Islamabad (2025)

11/05/2024

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is gearing up to restore its flight operations to Paris next month.

Speaking to a delegation of the Council of Economic and Energy Journalists in Islamabad, PIA Chairman Abdullah Hafiz revealed that the national carrier is expected to receive the long-awaited safety approval from the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) this month.

“As soon as we get the clearance, we will initiate flights to Paris by June, followed by the resumption of direct flights from Pakistan to Britain’s Heathrow Airport on August 14,” Hafiz stated confidently.

In preparation for the European and British routes, PIA has expedited the maintenance and overhaul process for its Boeing 777 aircraft fleet. Currently, seven Boeing 777 aircraft are operational, and two more are expected to join the fleet within the next two months, enabling PIA to efficiently operate flights to Europe and Britain with a total of nine Boeing 777 planes.

11/05/2024

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators have agreed to block the mobile SIM cards of non-filers, with 5,000 SIMs to be blocked daily, ARY News reported.

According to FBR, the details of 5,000 non-filers have been shared with telecom operators today.

FBR stated that telecom operators will receive additional lists of non-filers on a daily basis, and have already started sending messages to non-filers warning them of SIM blocking.

The FBR believes that blocking SIMs of non-filers will increase tax revenue.

Moreover, the General Order under Income Tax Ordinance 2001, Section 114B, was issued after FBR meetings with PTA, and telecom operators. The purpose of the meetings was to proceed with SIM blocking of non-filers for tax year 2023.

11/05/2024

GILGIT: In a heart-wrenching incident, a PIA flight from Islamabad to Skardu left behind the body of a six-year-old boy at the capital’s airport on Friday, while his parents continued their journey, unaware of the shocking mistake.

The parents of the deceased boy were shocked and fainted at Skardu airport when they came to know that their son’s body had been left behind in Islamabad.

Mujtaba, a resident of Katshi village of Kharmang district, was diagnosed with a tumour at a hospital in Skardu and doctors referred him to Rawalpindi for treatment a month ago. His father Muhammad Askari and mother took him to Rawalpindi and he had been under treatment at Benazir Bhutto Hospital for weeks. Mujtaba lost his life in the hospital on Thursday.

The parents decided to transport the body of their child to their native village of Katshi for burial, through a PIA flight on Friday, as a 24-hour-long journey from Islamabad to Skardu by road with the body was not possible due to hot weather.

Shocked parents, relatives protest against airline management’s negligence at Skardu airport

The deceased boy’s parents and another relative confirmed their tickets at flight PK-451 from Islamabad to Skardu on Friday morning. They brought the body to Islamabad airport at 6am and completed cargo procedure for the body after fulfilling SOPs and airline’s rules and made the payment.

29/04/2024

PESHAWAR: Three persons were killed and 10 received injuries in roof collapse incidents in Bajaur and Swat districts as heavy rain lashed different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.

In Bajaur, two women were killed and five people including four children were wounded when roof of a house collapsed in the hilly Gielle area of the district due to heavy rain.

Officials of Rescue 1122 and district administration said that all seven people were sleeping in the same room when the house of Shah Wakeel Khan collapsed. They were buried under the debris.

Rescue 1122 officials retrieved them from the debris and shifted them to district headquarters hospital Khar for treatment after administering first aid to them on the spot. However, doctors declared two of them dead. The deceased were identified as 34-year-old wife of Shaukat Khan and 36-year-old wife of Luqman Khan.

Officials said that the injured, including 50-year-old wife of Shah Wakeel, Hamad Khan, 13, Fawad Khan, 10, Adnan Khan, 8, and Hina Bibi, 6, were being treated at the hospital.

28/04/2024

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed foreign minister Ishaq Dar as Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister with immediate effect.

The decision was announced through a notification released by the Cabinet Division. The development marks a strategic move within the government's leadership hierarchy.

The decision was announced while Shehbaz Sharif is on a visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum.

28/04/2024

KARACHI:
The Supreme Court has given the federal and provincial governments three days to remove encroachments from roads and footpaths nationwide.

A three-member bench, headed by SC Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, issued a written order, accentuating the urgent need to address the hindrances faced by pedestrians, particularly due to containers obstructing Karachi's roads.

The court ordered the immediate removal of these containers from footpaths.

Initially placed to block roads for some reasons, these containers were later shifted to footpaths or roadsides, causing problems for pedestrian, as per the written order.

Moreover, municipal authorities have been directed to prioritise tree plantation efforts, acknowledging trees as vital in combating climate change and providing essential oxygen.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the administration's neglect of existing trees, the apex court directed the local governments to improve their care and maintenance.

The apex court also underlined the importance of conducting a comprehensive survey to assess the state of tree planting initiatives and to prepare a detailed report for action.

Noting the effectiveness of trees in reducing pollution and enhancing oxygen levels, the bench underscored the significance of practical steps in tree plantation
efforts.

The attorney general has been tasked with disseminating the written order to all relevant government departments, while PEMRA has been instructed to broadcast a public service message regarding encroachment removal. Both federal and provincial governments have been given a three day deadline for encroachment removal, with costs to be borne by the responsible authorities.

The additional attorney general and the advocate general have been directed to submit a com- pliance report, with the court expressing anger at the encroachment mafia for unlawfully occupying especially the public properties. The written order highlighted the fundamental right of citizens to unrestricted movement and denounced the deprivation of taxpayers' rights by the government.

While acknowledging past challenges such as terrorist threats, the apex court stressed the unlawful nature of commercial establishments encroaching upon open spaces or green areas around buildings. Specific areas, including Gujjar, Orangi, and Mahmoodabad Nalahs were mentioned for encroachment removal operation.

27/04/2024

Ruling out any agreement, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he is ready to endure an additional nine years behind bars rather than engage in any negotiations with what he termed as the forces that have "enslaved" the nation.

In his message, Khan highlighted what he described as the imposition of the "worst dictatorship" on the country, warning of its detrimental effects on the economy, governance, democracy and the judiciary.
Having spent the past nine months in prison due to what he claimed are "fake and concocted cases," Khan affirmed his readiness to continue serving time if necessary. "I will remain in jail if I have to for nine more years, or more, but I will never strike a deal with those who have enslaved my nation”, Khan said in a statement.
Since his ouster from power through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, the 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has faced convictions in multiple cases, leading to his imprisonment at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has encountered challenges following his fall-out with the influential military, including arrests and defections, particularly after the unrest sparked by his arrest last year.

Khan's statement follows remarks by PTI leader Shehryar Afridi, who asserted the party's willingness to engage in dialogue excluding certain political factions. He dismissed the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as a "rejected lot" and reiterated the PTI's commitment to engaging with the army chief for Pakistan's future.
Addressing speculation regarding alleged negotiations, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan reaffirmed the party's disinterest in and denial of any talks with external entities.

Independent candidates supported by the PTI secured over 90 seats in the National Assembly during the February 8 general elections. However, a post-election alliance formed by the PML-N and the PPP sidelined the PTI, preventing it from forming a federal government.

27/04/2024

Proposals and amendments being considered to save poor consumers from further burden, says Power Division.

Refuting a report claiming the government plans to impose fixed tax on solar power, the Power Division on Saturday said there is no truth to the news.

Reports were circulating on social media platforms that a summary had been moved to introduce the fixed tax on solar electricity. The reports further said that the CPPA’s proposal suggests levying a tax of Rs2,000 per kilowatt on those installing solar panels for residential or commercial purposes.
In a statement, the division clarified: “The Central Power Purchasing Agency or Power Division has not sent any such summary to the government in this regard.”

Hinting at cutting tariff for solar net metering, the power division, however, said that the prevailing system is promoting unhealthy investment in the sector.

“The well-off people are massively installing solar panels.”

The power division statement came as the rates of solar panels plummeted by over 60% in recent weeks due to bulk imports from China.

The domestic, industrial consumers and the government have to bear the burden of Rs 1.90 per unit under the head of subsidy which resulted in 25 to 30 million consumes, as per the statement.

“If this trend continues, the bills of poor consumers would surge at least Rs 3.35 per unit," warned the power division.

It said the "Net Metering Policy 2017” was aimed at promoting alternative energy in the system.

The solarisation process witnessed a sharp increase after the policy, the division said, adding that the whole system was being reviewed.

“Now, there is a need to announce a new rate.”

The division further said that proposals and amendments were being considered to save the poor consumers from further burden.

27/04/2024

The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has sought a Rs2.94/unit hike in electricity tariff in terms of monthly fuel charge adjustment (FCA) for March 2024.

Electricity consumers are expected to bear another massive hike in tariffs in the coming days. The CPPA submitted a plea to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to approve a Rs2.94/unit hike in electricity tariff for March FCA.

The NEPRA’s approval would increase the financial burden worth Rs22.80 billion on the power consumers.

According to the CPPA, over 7 billion units were sold to consumers in March 2024. The recent hike includes adjustments of over Rs7 billion.

27/04/2024

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