Hashtag Nation, Lahore (2025)

10/12/2022

Police was found to be on the top rung of the corruption ladder in Pakistan, Transparency International Pakistan’s (TIP) National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) said on Friday.

Meanwhile, tendering and contracting ranked second most corrupt, the judiciary was found to be third most corrupt and education climbed to the fourth position in terms of graft.

In Sindh, the education sector was declared the most corrupt, followed by the police and tendering and contracting. Meanwhile, in Punjab, the police was found to be the most corrupt sector, tendering and contracting was seen as the second most corrupt, while the judiciary was the third most corrupt.

Similarly, judiciary topped the list in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), tendering and contracting and police ranked second and third respectively.

In Balochistan, tendering and contracting remained the most corrupt sector, police was seen as the second most corrupt, while judiciary was the third most corrupt.

The survey identified delayed decisions in corruption cases (31 per cent), use of state institutions by governments for their personal gain (26 per cent) and incompetence of the government (19 per cent) as the three most important causes of corruption

In Sindh (43 per cent) and Punjab (29 per cent) citizens consider the “use of state institutions by governments for their personal gain” as the primary reason for corruption in Pakistan. While people in K-P (43 per cent) and Balochistan (32 per cent) consider “delay in decisions of corruption cases” as the main reason for corruption in Pakistan.

The survey also pointed out the need for transparency and accountability in the utilisation of funds and response to recent floods. At the national level, about 62 per cent of Pakistanis considered the role of local NGOs as effective and better during devastating floods.

However, 70 per cent of Pakistanis believed that the funds were not distributed transparently during the recent floods in Pakistan and 60 per cent of Pakistanis believe that the donations and relief operations of the NGOs working in flood relief activities should be more transparent.

09/12/2022

Google has registered itself as a company with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) – a move that will help the tech giant to establish its operations in the country.

The company had been registered under Section 435 of the Companies Act 2017. The development was confirmed by Federal IT Minister Aminul Haque.

He said opening an office of Google in Pakistan would make data of the country more secure.

Earlier this year, Pakistan asked the tech giants, including Google, Facebook and TikTok, to open their liaison offices in Pakistan.

23/11/2022

A new Twitter policy requires newly created accounts to wait 90 days before subscribing to Twitter Blue and getting verified. The policy is aimed to avoid impersonation and spam for new users on the social platform.

According to the FAQ page, new accounts created after November 9 won't be able to purchase the $8 subscription. The new subscription plan caused chaos on Twitter as verified accounts emerged impersonating other people, including brands, celebrities, and athletes,

Just this week, Musk tweeted that paid accounts will lose the verified checkmark until the platform confirmed the user's personal background and information. However, despite implementing a secondary "official" checkmark for public figures and organizations, Musk removed the new system a few hours later.

22/11/2022

A viral video showing a Tesla Model Y electric car that lost control on a busy street has gone viral on social media. The incident reportedly took place in the southern province of China’s Guangdong. Reports suggest that the Model Y started malfunctioning after the driver tried to park, the EV’s parking button did not work, instead it started accelerating and the brakes allegedly stopped working. The incident occurred on November 5 and two people have been reported killed.

In CCTV footage captured from the spot, the Model Y can be seen slowing down for a parking manoeuvre before suddenly picking up pace and flying down the street. The car can be seen nearly missing several pedestrians and vehicles before hitting a cyclist and crashing into a three-wheeler and building. As per reports, a motorcyclist and a high school girl were killed in the accident.

The driver has alleged that the brakes of the Model Y were unresponsive at the time and the police in China are investigating the matter. Meanwhile, as per a Reuters report, Tesla claims that its data shows that no brake input was recorded during the accident. Police are currently seeking a third-party appraisal of the accident and the matter is under investigation.

22/11/2022

Before the start of the 2022 World Cup, Qatari captain Hassan Al-Haidous wore Palestinian flag armband.

21/11/2022

In a striking act of solidarity with protesters in Iran, the men’s national football team decided not to sing the national anthem in its opening World Cup game against England.

The unrest in Iran began in September when a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the morality police. Protests have since spread across the nation, challenging the authority of the government even as security forces have cracked down. Hundreds of people have died in the violence.

Before flying out to Doha for the World Cup, the team met with President Ebrahim Raisi. The meeting didn’t go down well with protesters, and banners of the team were burned on the eve of the tournament.

Iran’s beach football, water polo and basketball teams have also recently refused to sing the national anthem. At a news conference on Wednesday, the captain of Iran’s football team, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, refused to confirm if his team would sing the anthem.

“That’s something that also has to be decided about in the team, which we already talked about and obviously everybody’s talking about,” he said.

Ahead of Monday’s game, some Iran fans in Qatar also signalled support for the protesters back home. They wore T-shirts saying, “Women, life, freedom”, which is the popular chant of the movement that has arisen since Amini’s death.

The decision by the football team to remain silent during the anthem on the sport’s biggest stage represents the boldest move so far from the country’s athletic stars. It is unclear whether players will face any consequences.

On Sunday, defender Ehsan Hajsafi became the first Iranian player at the World Cup to publicly speak out in support of the protests.

“They should know that we are with them and we support them and we sympathise with them regarding the conditions,” he said.

19/11/2022

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday assured that Pakistan would not default and would be able to meet its upcoming $1 billion dollar bond payments in December.

Addressing a press conference through video-link, the finance czar maintained that he was aware of rumours that the country would be unable to pay $1 billion in the first week of December against the maturity of the five-year Sukuk (Islamic) bonds.

“We have never defaulted before. We will never even be close to default,” he stated, categorically saying that there will be no delay in the payment and that arrangements have already been made for upcoming payments in 2023.

He added that no one should be concerned regarding the payments.

Commenting on another “political” rumour regarding Pakistan’s credit default swap, he said that the country’s international bonds had very minor transactions and should remain unimpacted.

The finance minister said that people should desist from speculation about increased risk, saying that such “irresponsible statements” would hurt the country and should be avoided.

He maintained that it would be cruel to Pakistan if those in positions of responsibility used “speculative calculations” to their advantage and spread them across electronic media.

shortage in the next few days, and stated that reserves were at the level they needed to be and that there is no need for worry.

Dar urged people to not worry and to avoid spreading rumours as it leads to concern from the nation, as well as local and international organisations.

Discussing the rumour that the current account deficit had peaked, Dar stated that nothing akin to the rumour had happened, and the situation was being observed carefully and was being monitored and managed.

18/11/2022

Officials of Pakistan Customs have detained 500 kilograms (kg) of pork meat at the Islamabad International Airport.

The passenger, Juping Liao, was coming from Sharjah on flight PA213, and scanning his baggage revealed suspicious goods. Pork meat did not qualify as bona fide baggage, whereas it is prohibited or restricted under Pakistan’s law.

In this particular incident, Customs officials told their higher-ups that a Chinese lady named Lily brought cartons of pork meat from a Dubai flight, while the actual passenger was Juping Liao, who frequently visits Pakistan with banned items.

18/11/2022

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday visited Bahawalpur and Okara as part of farewell visits, the military said in a statement.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief laid a floral wreath at the martyrs’ monument in Bahawalpur and interacted with officers and troops of formations in Bahawalpur and Okara.

The army chief also witnessed Integrated Fire Power Manoeuvre Exercise at Khairpur Tamewali (KPT) where troops of Bahawalpur Corps along with PAF JF-17 thunder aircraft, cobra gunship helicopters and mechanised elements displayed coordinated firepower in battlefield conditions.

The COAS appreciated the training standards, operational preparedness and high morale of officers and troops. He also directed troops to keep serving the nation with traditional zeal and passion under all circumstances.

On Tuesday, General Bajwa visited the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul and Baloch Regimental Centre Abbottabad.

Upon his arrival at the PMA, the army chief was received by Commander Rawalpindi Corps Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the ISPR said in a statement.

Gen Bajwa laid a floral wreath at the Martyrs' Monument and offered fateha. He also interacted with the cadets and officers of the PMA.

While addressing, the COAS appreciated the exceptionally high standards of Pakistan Army’s premier training institution and its efforts towards grooming future leaders.

Gen Bajwa also advised cadets to focus their energies on pursuit of professional excellence.

Later on, he visited Baloch Regimental Centre. After laying a floral wreath at the Shuhada monument, he interacted with serving and retired officers and troops of the illustrious Baloch Regiment. The COAS paid rich tribute to their supreme sacrifices.

Earlier on arrival at Baloch Regimental Centre, the COAS was received by Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Azhar Abbas.

18/11/2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said taking back Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, as well as the country’s long-occupied eastern Donbas region are conditions for bringing the nine-month war to an end.

“A simple ceasefire won’t do the trick,” Zelenskiy said in a video interview in Singapore. “Unless we liberate our whole territory, we will not bring peace.

Seizing back all of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory would entail ambitions that stretch beyond Russian military gains since its invasion launched in February. After Russia took over Crimea eight years ago, the Kremlin supported separatist forces in Donbas in a conflict that simmered despite a Franco-German-led peace initiative, effectively occupying much of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive since the summer has pushed back Russian forces in the northeastern Kharkiv region and, most recently, in the southern Kherson region after Moscow ordered a retreat across the Dnipro River.

Despite the Ukrainian military’s recapture of more than half of the territory it had lost to Russia since February, Russia still occupies large swathes of the south and east of the country, in addition to the Black Sea peninsula.

Crimea “is not just a state within a state, it’s part of our country and part of our sovereignty,” Zelenskiy said. “Therefore, indeed the de-occupation of Crimea and Donbas will bring an end to the war.”

17/11/2022

Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has announced the elevation of Sukkur and Dera Ismail (DI) Khan airports to international status, ARY News reported on Thursday.

According to details, the aviation minister announced the development while speaking at the National Assembly (NA) floor today. “The preliminary work for the upgradation of both Sukkur and DI Khan airports has been completed”, Saad Rafique said.

While announcing the elevation of Sukkur and Dera Ismail (DI) Khan airports to international status, he informed that the upgradation of runway of Karachi Airport will be carried out soon.

17/11/2022

The lawyer representing the Balochistan government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the province would receive $32 billion in 47 years from the Reqo Dik project.

Salahuuddin Ahmed further told a five-judge larger bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial -- hearing a presidential reference on the project -- that 25% of the proceeds gained from the gold mine project belonged to the provincial government.

Of this 25% share, 15% would be held by a holding and offshore company of Balochistan, he added.

Salahuuddin further told the court that the Balochistan government would receive 25% capital, 5% in royalty as well as facilities of corporate social responsibility and jobs.

CJP Bandial inquired when the project would be completed.

To this, the lawyer replied that 2.5 years would be spent on preparing the feasibility studies of the project.

Work on the Reko Diq project would be kicked off in the next five years after that, he added.

The lawyer informed the court that companies from China, Japan and Russia also approached for the country for the Reko Diq project. However, he added that these companies were not willing to pay the $9 billion fine imposed on Pakistan.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan inquired what was the case against Pakistan in the International Centre for Dispute Resolution and International Criminal Court.

Salahuuddin replied that the International Center for Dispute Resolution had a case against the Pakistani government for breach of contract.

In the International Criminal Court, he added, the Balochistan government faced a case for violation of agreement.

The lawyer warned that If Pakistan did not sign an agreement by December 15, the affected company would take legal action against the country.

Justice Yahya Afridi inquired about the lease of other minerals that would be extracted from Reqo Dik apart from gold and copper.

The lawyer responded that the lease for all the minerals extracted from Reqo Dik apart from gold and copper was held by the Barrick Gold Corporation as well.

The CJP inquired asked whether or not the financial transactions involved in the Reko Diq agreement would be international in nature.

The lawyer replied that the financial transactions for the project would be carried out through offshore companies.

17/11/2022

China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences (CPJRC) has signed a strategic agreement with Tianqi Lithium, a Chinese mining and manufacturing company, at a global event on the lithium battery industry held in Sichuan, China.

The move was taken to further research and explore Pakistan’s Lithium reserves, as per a statement from the CPJRC.

According to the strategic agreement, both firms will work together on lithium resource research and application in Pakistan.

Additionally, professional training and intellectual exchanges will also be prioritized in order to establish a cooperative study on the country’s lithium resources.

Lithium reserves have become a major factor in the electronic vehicle (EV) sector across the globe, including Pakistan, because they constitute the key raw material of EV batteries, which account for a significant amount of EV production costs.

As per Volza’s lithium import statistics in Pakistan, the majority of Pakistan’s lithium goods, including lithium core batteries and cells are imported from China, Germany, and the US.

Pakistan developed the Automotive Industry Development and Export Plan (AIDEP 2021-26) last year with the goal of boosting the local EV industry, bringing associated manufacturing locally, and reducing the consumption of fossil fuels.

Tianqi Lithium, headquartered in China’s southwestern region of Sichuan, is an international leader in the production of lithium goods, particularly lithium-ion battery technology for EVs.

17/11/2022

According to a survey conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, more than half of people (57%) did not spend any time watching TV in the past few days.

A nationally representative sample of adult men and women from across the country was asked the following question regarding, “Keeping in mind the past few days, can you please tell me how much time did you spend watching TV?” 57% said that they had not spent any time watching TV, 17% spent 1 hour, 18% spent 2 hours, 3% spent 3 hours, 2% spent 4 hours, 1% spent 5 hours and 2% said that they spent more than 5 hours watching TV in the past few days.

On average, people spend two hours watching TV. When looking at the age-breakdown of the respondents, it was observed that 25% of 19-23 year old’s, 22% of 24-30 year old’s, 35% of 31-50 year old’s and 19% of people over the age of 50 watch the average amount of 2 hours of TV per day.

12/11/2022

Later Twitter account has been taken down, but billions of dollars in Eli's stock were wiped off by then.

12/11/2022

According to a survey conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, majority of Pakistani businesses (88%) think that the country is going in the ‘wrong direction’. Compared to earlier in the year, 32% more businesses opine that the country is going in the wrong direction.

A nationally representative sample of businesses from across the country was asked the following question regarding, “What is your opinion on the direction of the country? Are we headed in the right direction or wrong direction?” 12% said good direction while 88% said that the country is going in the wrong direction.

12/11/2022

Turkish foreign minister says Palestinian movement is not a terror group, as Netanyahu election win threatens recent reconciliation

Turkey refused to comply with Israeli demands requesting the deportation of Hamas leaders living in the country during bilateral talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday at a parliamentary proceeding.

Responding to a question from MPs, Cavusoglu said Ankara does not view Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement that rules the Gaza Strip, as a terror group and refused to expel them.

“We didn’t satisfy any [Israeli] request on Hamas, because we don’t perceive Hamas as a terror group,” Cavusoglu said. “We are always leading efforts to unify them with Fatah,” he added, referring to Hamas' political rival, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA).

In late October, Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to expel Hamas leaders residing in the country during a visit to Ankara, according to Israeli news website Ynet.

The visit came two months after Turkey and Israel restored full diplomatic relations following years of tensions.

Since 2020, Israeli officials have demanded concrete Turkish steps to address the presence of Hamas leaders in Turkey before launching reconciliation talks. Turkey refused, however, while maintaining relations with the group and continuing to host some of its leaders in Istanbul.

10/11/2022

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