Digital Scoop (2025)

20/01/2023

Pakistan has only two days’ worth of raw material left for the production of medicines – an office bearer of the manufacturers’ association warned on Thursday, lambasting the governor of the central bank and finance minister for their callous attitude towards the grave situation.
In a Senate Standing Committee meeting on finance, Arshad Malik, who represented the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), said that the industry had a two-month inventory stock that is now almost finished.
After the pharmaceutical industry failed to get any support from the central bank, finance ministry and commercial banks, in opening new letters of credit (LC) for the import of raw material, the officials sought urgent help from parliamentarians to stop the breakup of the supply chain of medicines.
“The pharmaceutical industry is worth $6 billion and its reliance on import is around 93%,” said Malik, adding that several national banks have refused to issue LCs to the industry.

20/01/2023

As reported by management, MNA Asghar was enraged by the clothing rule and vehemently declared that the British had departed the country, but their legacies still followed them. Shalwar Kameez is the country’s national dress, and Dhoti is an article of cultural clothing, yet you don’t receive service at the club without wearing a suit.

The Islamabad Club’s Secretary indicated that the formal attire was applied in the formal dining hall and that the dress requirement was part of the club’s heritage. He explained that the administration did not serve and refused Sheikh Rohail Asghar service since the club is not a cultural club. Wearing a Dhoti, on the other hand, is proof of decency, according to Sheikh Rohail Asghar.

PAC directed the Islamabad Club administration to hold a board meeting to discuss the problem and examine the dress code.

20/01/2023

As the government scrambles to save every penny and introduce cost-cutting measures, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif added another special assistant to his cabinet.

The already hefty cabinet has now swelled to 77 with the induction of Fahd Haroon who was appointed special assistant to the prime minister.

“The Prime Minister … has been pleased to appoint Mr. Fahd Haroon, as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister with the status of Minister of State, with immediate effect,” reads a notification issued by the cabinet division.

Mr Haroon, a prominent media personality, has the distinction to work with two rivals: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

He was appointed former prime minister Imran Khan’s focal person for information in March 2020. In Dec 2022, he was appointed Sindh chief minister’s special assistant for media affairs.

19/01/2023

An Islamabad sessions court on Wednesday granted bail to Bol News journalist Shahid Aslam, who was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from Lahore last week for his alleged part in leaking personal tax data of former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In November, a report published by investigative news website FactFocus — which describes itself as a “Pakistan-based digital media news organisation working on data-based investigative news stories — accused the army chief and his family of amassing assets worth Rs12.7 billion over the past six years.

The report cited tax records and wealth statements of the Bajwa family to corroborate its claims about the alleged accumulation of assets by the family inside and outside Pakistan.

18/01/2023

Actress Minal Khan shared messages in which she was harassed by random strangers after Feroze Khan leaked her contact details in a post yesterday. Minal Khan vows to sue Feroze Khan for leaking her private information. Other actors such as Osman Khalid Butt, Sarwat Gillani and Yasir Hussain also came out against Feroze Khan for leaking private information.

18/01/2023

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) has arrested a person in Karachi who scammed hundreds of people of millions of rupees in a bitcoin trading fraud.

Zafar Rana, the suspect, used to trick people on YouTube by convincing them to invest in bitcoin in exchange for large profits. He took 10,000-50,000 Euros per person under the guise of investment and laundered the money in Dubai and Turkey.

Following the victims’ complaints, Zafar fled Pakistan, only to be apprehended by the FIA when he returned. FIA also confiscated two smartphones, a laptop, a passport, nine debit cards, Bittrex and Bitcoin cards, dubious transaction documents, and a luxury car, from his possession.

It also has registered an FIR against him, while further investigation is underway to nab his facilitators.

16/01/2023

India’s agricultural sector has usually not kept pace with new technology, relying largely on traditional methods.

But start-ups specialising in drone technology are trying to change that - one farm at a time.

These companies are encouraging farmers to use drones to monitor the health of crops and spray them with fertiliser and pesticides. The trend comes amid the federal government's ambitious plan to make India a hub for drones by 2030.

16/01/2023

One thing that caught the eyes of fans was that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not in the T20I team for the New Zealand series. This is the third consecutive series for India in the shortest format that the current captain and former skipper have not been picked for.

While the BCCI made it clear that KL Rahul and Axar Patel were missing the series due to family commitments, there was no statement on Kohli and Rohit's absence.

Many fans have taken this as a hint from the Indian cricket governing body that the duo have been dropped and not in India's future plans for the shortest format. In fact, there has been radio silence from the BCCI on the official front about whether the legendary duo have a place in India's plans going into the 2024 T20 World Cup.

16/01/2023

A Twitter user questioned actor Mehwish Hayat’s work ethic and commented on how he thinks that she has used political leaders as pawns for her gain in the industry and she is not staying quiet about it.

The tweet was in the context of the recent controversy regarding allegations levelled against female actors having intimate relationships with ex-army officers. It was under Hayat’s post on the bird-app about taking legal action against all false allegations maligning her name and character.

“It’s true our actresses get awards and roles because of having affairs with elite and high-class people or institutes. Why act all pure now? Just accept it and move on,” wrote the user. In 2019, Hayat received the prestigious national award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for her services in promoting Pakistani cinema by President Arif Alvi.

Replying to it, Hayat requested the user to remove the tweet immediately or she’d take legal action. “This post falls under the Sindh High Court rulings yesterday of harassment/defamation. Unless it is immediately removed, we will be reporting your account to the necessary authorities for appropriate legal action,” she wrote.

15/01/2023

Despite the government’s announcements claiming it has made enough arrangements for foreign exchange, the fear of a shortage of essential items looms over the country as export issues continue to aggregate.
“A dire dollar crunch is likely, which may also hurt the import of essential items in the coming months and lead to a shortage of several food items, healthcare supplies and even petroleum oil and lubricants (POL) products,” according to a research report released by Ta**us Securities
A shortage of raw material, and other supplies, is affecting large-scale industrial activities, resulting in non-production days as well as a substantial hike in product prices. This includes major industries like automobile, steel and textile.
According to the report, passenger car sales are down 38% year-on-year during the first six months of FY 2023, whereas, both long and flat, steel manufacturers have increased product prices by around Rs23,000 per tonne and Rs14,000 per tonne, respectively, in one month alone. Although the government has assured the public of a sufficient stock of wheat in the country, hoarding and smuggling have been affecting its supply causing a spike in the price for the commodity. Additionally, banks are hesitant to open letters of credit (LCs) for the oil and gas industry, which may result in a shortage of POL products.

15/01/2023

Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem who won a gold-medal in Javelin throw, celebrates his 26th birthday.

15/01/2023

Qasim Ali Shah, a known face for youth, recently shared a clip on his social media interviewing former premier Imran Khan in the provincial capital.

In the clip doing rounds on the internet, Qasim Ali Shah can be seen expressing his desire to contest the upcoming elections. When Shah asked Imran Khan about getting a ticket for upcoming elections, PTI chief responded positively, saying It will be your call to choose the constituency.

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