Pakistan

Senator urges Pakistan to review policy towards Afghanistan

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Senate panel receives briefing from Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed.
Secretary briefs senators on Kabul Embassy attack.
Says eight sniper shots, and 100 rounds of bullets fired at embassy.

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs Farooq H Naek, while expressing reservation about the attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, called Islamabad to review its policy towards Afghanistan.

The senator expressed his reservations during a briefing given by Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed on the attack on the Pakistan embassy in Kabul.

The secretary informed the Senate committee that Afghanistan had conveyed to Pakistan that they had arrested one sniper involved in the recent assassination attempt on the Pakistani envoy in Kabul and an investigation into the incident was underway.

Majeed said the Pakistani envoy was walking in the embassy yard when he came under attack. He explained that eight sniper shots and 100 rounds of bullets were fired from the eighth floor of a building that is close to 100 metres from the embassy.

“Thankfully, it was not a physical intrusion, and miraculously, the Pakistani ambassador remained safe,” he said, adding that the Afghan government had promised that the perpetrators of the crime would not be spared.

“The IS Khorasan has claimed responsibility for the incident,” he said, adding that Pakistan wanted peace in Afghanistan as peace and stability in Afghanistan were indispensable for Pakistan.

However, Senator Naek expressed reservations about the attack and said there was a dire need for Pakistan to revisit its policy towards Afghanistan.

“We are functioning as the spokesperson for Afghanistan, not India, in the world, but on the contrary, the Afghan government often opposes Pakistan and uses guns against us, which is unfortunate,” said the Pakistan Peoples Party senator.

FIA slammed for harassment of Pakistanis

Meanwhile, the additional director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) briefed the committee on the problems being faced by the Pakistani community living in Rwanda.

Senator Naek questioned the FIA official about the harassment of the Pakistani community living in Rwanda by officials at airports during visits to Pakistan.

“The Pakistani community, on their way back to Rwanda, is being harassed by FIA officials at airports, contrary to the fact that Pakistanis have a visa-on-arrival facility. Such an attitude of the FIA is regrettable,” he said.

He handed over written complaints received from the Pakistani High Commission in Rwanda to the FIA and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and asked for a detailed written reply to all the complaints in the next meeting.

The matter about the details of the number of Pakistani embassies, consulates, and missions presently working abroad and the grade-wise details of each staff, including ambassadors and consulars working therein with the break-up belonging to minorities with particular reference to Balochistan domicile, raised by Senator Danesh Kumar was disposed of.

Business

Price of LPG “slashed” by Rs. 20 per kilogram

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

Sources claim that LPG rates have been lowered by Rs 20, making the cost per kilogram drop from Rs 280 to Rs 260.

It is noteworthy to remark that the costs of LPG were reduced by Rs 20 per kilogram earlier, resulting in a total reduction of Rs 40 per kilogram within a few weeks.

The price of liquefied petroleum gas for the month of May 2024 was lowered by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on April 30.

The LPG tariffs were lowered by Rs 11.88 to Rs 238.46 per kilogram in accordance with the OGRA’s notice. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the new rates will go into effect.

In April of last year, the price per kilogram of LPG was Rs 250.34. pricing reduction of Rs 140.18 has resulted in a new pricing for home LPG cylinders set for May 2024 of Rs 2813.85.

The OGRA reported a drop in liquefied petroleum gas pricing in April. The price of LPG is now Rs 250.34 per kg instead of Rs 256.78 due to a reduction of Rs 6.44 per kg.

The price of the household cylinder was fixed at Rs 2954.03 for the month of April, down from Rs 3030.12, a decrease of Rs 76.9.

Business

ADB delegation stops by FBR headquarters

Published

8 hours ago

Farwa

Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi oversaw the expedition, which also involved Sana Masood, Farzana Noshab, and Senior Public Sector Management Specialist Laisiasa Tora. The meeting included presentations from economists as well, according to an FBR press release.

The officers focused on structural and policy adjustments as they discussed the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program’s implementation at the meeting.

$300 million was given to the Pakistani government by ADB in December 2023 as a result of the hard work and dedication of FBR. Better laws, regulations, and institutional capability for the FBR were established by Sub-Program I.

With the $300 million in funding provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of Pakistan in December 2023, the delegation conveyed satisfaction with the program’s effective launch.

The FBR also underlined how crucial digitization is to recording the economy and boosting productivity in a sustainable way.

In order to promote the Government of Pakistan’s Digital Tax Administration Project, both parties decided to look into measures to improve their cooperation.

Latest News

Off-duty police in Islamabad are prohibited from donning uniforms.

Published

8 hours ago

Farwa

The new directives, according to specifics, were sent via wireless by the federal capital police and state that no officer may wear a uniform when reporting for duty or leaving it.

According to the police official, uniforms will only be worn when on duty; otherwise, two policemen will accompany each other during duty hours and will always be required to carry guns.

A different development was the earlier release of an app by the Islamabad Police with the goal of improving crime prevention and public safety.

Launched on the orders of former Interior Minister Sarfraz Akbar Bugti, the recently released ICT-15 app aims to empower the people of the capital city by giving them the ability to actively engage in the battle against crime and protect their areas.

Residents of Islamabad can now easily download and utilize the ICT-15 app because it is easily accessible on the Google Play Store.

Citizens can report a variety of issues with this easy-to-use application, such as incidents, unlawful behavior, complaints against law enforcement, the presence of undocumented people, or any suspicious criminal activity.

The police promise quick reaction times as soon as information is reported using the app, so assistance will be provided as quickly as feasible.