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UK announces 75 scholarships for Pakistanis

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The British High Commission, in collaboration with the British Council, has announced 75 scholarships for Pakistanis to study in the United Kingdom. 

The scholarships will provide future Pakistani leaders with the skills necessary to tackle global challenges.

The event took place on the same day that the UK announced an uplift in Pakistan flood relief funding, taking the total amount pledged to £16.5 million. 

UK Representative to Punjab, Alex Ballinger, acknowledged the significant contribution of Pakistan’s Chevening alumni in the flood relief efforts, from carrying out fundraising to the distribution of essential items. He also reiterated the UK’s commitment to supporting Pakistan.

“I’m pleased that on the same day the UK has pledged a total of £16.5 million in flood relief funding, we can also announce 75 new UK scholarships which will play a vital part in allowing Pakistan to rebuild by investing in its people,” he added. 

The UK will award 63 Chevening scholarships and fellowships along with 12 GREAT scholarships this year. The commission will aim for gender parity, with at least 50% of the scholarships being awarded to female candidates.

The application window for Chevening’s one-year master’s scholarship is open until November 1, 2022. 

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The Hajj Policy 2025 is formally announced by the federal government.

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The official announcement, which included important revisions from the Hajj Policy 2025, was reportedly given by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

The government and private programs will split the Hajj quota evenly, with each receiving 50%, according to Hajj Policy 2025. Furthermore, it is policy that minors under the age of twelve will not be permitted to perform the Hajj this year.

The Hajj Policy 2025 further states that if a pilgrim dies, their family will be reimbursed with Rs 2 million, and similarly, pilgrims who are hurt will also receive compensation.

The new installment-based Hajj fee payment scheme was adopted by the Hajj Policy 2025, giving first-time pilgrims preference. However, people with severe or communicable diseases will not be permitted to attend this year.

In introducing the proposal, Chaudhry Salik stressed that measures will be taken to avoid lowering the limit. General pilgrims will receive any quota that is left over from the sponsored program. Additionally, there is a specific quota of 5,000 for Pakistanis living abroad.

In accordance with the guideline, the cost of the Hajj will stay between Rs1.075 million and Rs1.175 million, and pilgrims will shortly receive their Rs100,000 back.

Three installments are available for the Hajj fee under the Hajj Policy 2025: Rs. 250,000 at the time of application, Rs. 480,000 following the lottery, and the remaining amount prior to Hajj departure.

He said that if money is taken out prior to the application deadline, there will be no deductions made in terms of returns. After the lottery, however, if the first installment is reimbursed, Rs50,000 will be deducted; if the third installment is not paid, Rs200,000 will be deducted.

If a pilgrim decides not to go after February 10th, the remaining payment will not be reimbursed; however, the deductions listed above will not be applicable if the applicant dies.

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Pakistan promises to fully implement the $7 billion loan program at a meeting with the IMF team.

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Pakistan’s progress on the $7 billion loan package was assessed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan during their second day of talks at the Ministry of Finance.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Finance and Revenue Minister, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, the governor of the State Bank, and the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) welcomed the IMF delegation, headed by mission commander Nathan Porter.

The discussion focused on the advancements made thus far in the execution of Pakistan’s $7 billion loan package.

Pakistan’s accomplishments in reaching the majority of the program’s goals for the first quarter of the current fiscal year were reported to the IMF delegation by Finance Minister Aurangzeb. He promised to pursue changes aimed at promoting economic stability and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to finishing the IMF program.

According to sources from the Finance Ministry, the IMF mission would stay in Pakistan until November 15 in order to carry out additional assessments.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) group landed in Pakistan on Monday and began talking about the country’s fiscal performance with representatives of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the team, headed by the chairman of the FBR, provided the IMF with a briefing on tax collection and revenue numbers.

Between July and September, tax income amounted to Rs2,625 billion, which covered 96.6% of the first three months’ objective, according to FBR officials. Nevertheless, a shortfall of Rs190 billion was incurred in fulfilling the entire tax objective during the four-month period from July to October.

In September, FBR raised an extra Rs8 billion, exceeding the Rs1,098 billion objective, the IMF delegation was told.

Officials told the IMF delegation that over 5.2 million people filed income tax returns this year, generating over Rs132 billion in revenue, a 76% increase over the previous year. Additionally, during the first quarter, the FBR collected Rs 10 billion in taxes from shops.

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Weather update: Lahore and other Punjabi cities are expected to have rain.

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According to the Met Department, Islamabad and the surrounding areas will get partly overcast weather with a risk of rain.

There will be a brief break from the dry weather in some places due to light rain, a representative said.

Parts of Punjab, however, are probably going to continue to have fog and pollution. Heavy haze and fog are predicted in Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan, while major towns impacted include Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sialkot, Hafizabad, Narowal, and Gujranwala.

Because visibility may be poor in some places, residents and travelers have been warned to exercise caution.

The prognosis also suggests that places like Lahore, Attock, Murree, and Rawalpindi may get overnight rain. Additionally, northern regions including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Peshawar, and Kohat are predicted to see rainfall.

With no notable change anticipated in the upcoming days, Sindh and Balochistan, on the other hand, are likely to continue to see hot and dry weather.

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