ISLAMABAD: The provincial administration of Punjab on Monday decided to shut down schools and private offices in Lahore for three days a week until January 15 to deal with the worsening smog situation in the city.
Lahore was recently declared as one of the world’s most polluted places by an international air quality monitoring platform, as the residents of the eastern Pakistani city complained of health issues and breathing difficulties.
An official notification circulated by the provincial authorities acknowledged the deteriorating air quality in Lahore, saying there was “sufficient ground” to proceed under The Punjab National Calamities (Prevention & Relief) Act 1958 to ensure public safety.
“All private offices being operated by companies, private sector entities and other individuals, within the territorial limits of Lahore Metropolitan Corporation, shall remain closed on every Monday, in addition to Saturday and Sunday, with effect from 27.11.2021 until 15.1.2022,” the notification read. “However, their staff may work from home.”
The provincial administration issued a similar directive for all “public and private educational institutions” in the city, instructing them not ask their students to come on Saturday, Sunday and Monday while allowing these institutes to “arrange virtual classes.”
Smog begins to engulf Lahore and its adjoining settlements every year during winter season.
Pakistan’s top climate change official Malik Amin Aslam recently told a private news channel that 40 percent of it was caused by the transportation sector, as he emphasized the need to move toward better quality fuel and electric vehicles.
He also mentioned crop burning that has become a norm during the season, though he noted that 90 percent of such cases were taking place in India.
Aslam hinted at the possibility of relying on artificial rain to address the challenge of smog in the coming years, adding that Pakistani authorities were already studying the cloud-seeding technology developed in the United Arab Emirates for that purpose.
Punjab orders closure of schools, private workplaces on Mondays as smog situation worsens in Lahore
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Punjab orders closure of schools, private workplaces on Mondays as smog situation worsens in Lahore
- An official notification circulated by the provincial administration acknowledge the deteriorating air quality in the eastern Pakistani city
- The notification says there is ‘sufficient ground’ to proceed under The Punjab National Calamities Act to ensure public safety by taking appropriate measures
Pakistan face Korea in Azlan Shah field hockey tournament today
- Pakistan began tournament on winning note after beating Malaysia 5-4 on Saturday
- The 30th edition of the prestigious tournament is being played in Malaysia’s Ipoh city
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face Korea in the Sultan Azlan Shah field hockey cup today, Sunday, after beginning the tournament on a winning note a day earlier by beating hosts Malaysia, state-run media reported.
The 30th edition of the prestigious field hockey tournament is being played in Ipoh, Malaysia from 4-11 May. The cup will be contested between six teams, namely Canada, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Korea.
Pakistan’s national hockey team made a triumphant start to the tournament on Saturday, defeating hosts Malaysia by 5-4 in a thrilling match.
“The Pakistan hockey team would face Korea in their second match on Sunday (May 5),” state-run media Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
Pakistan have the upper hand against Korea as far as the head-to-head record is concerned. The South Asian country has won 14 matches in total against Korea while the latter has won eight. Both teams have drawn with each other six times.
Pakistan’s hockey team came from behind on Saturday to down Malaysia 5-4 to win the contest. Sufiyan Khan, Pakistan’s drag flicker, scored a hat-trick while Zakriya Hayat and Abu Bakar Mahmood contributed one goal each to the team’s victory.
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 will see a round-robin stage at first where all six teams will play each other once, followed by positional playoffs.
The teams finishing in the bottom two places of the league stage will contest in a fifth-place classification match. Teams finishing in third and fourth place in the pool stage will compete for bronze, while the top two teams will play in the final for the title.
The match is scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
Saudi business delegation to arrive in Pakistan today to explore investment opportunities
- Saudi deputy investment minister, representatives of 30-35 Saudi companies part of delegation, says Pakistani minister
- Saudi Arabia recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite investment package for Pakistan worth $5 billion
ISLAMABAD: A high-level Saudi business delegation led by the Kingdom’s deputy investment minister will arrive in Pakistan today, Sunday, to explore investment opportunities in various economic sectors, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik confirmed a day earlier.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who enjoy fraternal ties rooted deep in shared culture, religion and economic cooperation, have witnessed a flurry of official visits in recent weeks. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan traveled to Islamabad earlier in April before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two-day visit to the Kingdom to attend a World Economic Forum meeting where he met Saudi officials.
“The Saudi Deputy Investment Minister is visiting Pakistan tomorrow,” Malik, who is also the focal person for Saudi-Pak bilateral collaboration, told reporters at a news conference in Lahore on Saturday.
“He is bringing representatives from 30 to 35 companies whose CEOs are coming here.”
The Pakistani minister maintained his country had always cherished cordial ties with the Kingdom, though it had not managed to turn this “relationship of friendship into a relationship of stability and progress.”
He said Pakistan mostly discussed its financial concerns with the Saudi authorities and requested their support. However, the present government wanted to change that by focusing its bilateral conversations on mutually beneficial progress and development, not aid and assistance.
The minister said the two sides discussed a new refinery project during the recent engagements that would be used for export purposes to earn foreign revenue. Additionally, food security was also discussed to further strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
He informed that Prime Minister Sharif wanted the country’s “private sector to take the lead on this path to progress.”
“That is why Saudi investors have been invited to come here,” he continued. “They will sit with Pakistani companies and figure out ways to connect the Pakistani talent with the capital and investment needed at the international level for the IT revolution.”
Malik said the bilateral collaboration would primarily benefit small businesses, particularly the technology companies established by young students who were likely to get a significant amount of investment from Saudi entrepreneurs.
He expressed optimism that chemical, energy and agricultural companies would also gain an advantage from the ongoing bilateral collaboration between the two sides.
Apart from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s fraternal ties, the Kingdom is particularly important to Islamabad as it is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.
Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to get vaccinated five days before departure to Saudi Arabia
- Pakistani pilgrims require to vaccinate themselves against meningitis, seasonal influenza and polio
- The vaccinations are done at Hajji camps during the day in all major cities around the country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry on Saturday asked Hajj pilgrims to get themselves vaccinated at least five days before departure to Saudi Arabia to avoid inconvenience.
Hajj pilgrims must comply with strict vaccination requirements set by the Saudi Ministry of Health to ensure public safety during one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.
Mandatory vaccines include the meningitis shot, with additional recommendations for the seasonal influenza vaccine, while travelers from regions prone to yellow fever and polio must also provide corresponding immunization certificates.
These precautions are vital to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among millions of pilgrims converging in the kingdom from across the globe.
“The intending pilgrims are advised to visit their respective Hajji camps five days (from 9 am to 5 pm) before their flight to receive vaccination against meningitis, seasonal influenza and polio, besides obtaining a yellow card,” the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency quoted a statement issued by the ministry.
“This is a mandatory requirement,” it added.
Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which include the core beliefs and practices every Muslim is expected to follow.
The pilgrimage is required to be performed at least once in a lifetime by all adult Muslims who meet the necessary conditions of health and financial stability to travel to and perform the rituals in Makkah.
Pakistan plans to launch the special Hajj flight operation from May 9 that will continue until June 10.
Security forces kill six militants in northwest Pakistan
- The intelligence-based operation was carried out in North Waziristan that led to an intense exchange of fire
- The targeted militants were involved in violent attacks against security forces and civilians in the volatile area
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan tribal district in the early hours of Saturday, killing six militants after a heavy exchange of fire.
Located in the tribal belt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, North Waziristan has historically been known as a volatile region with significant militant activity.
The Pakistani military carried out several major operations in the area to dismantle militant networks and had success in reducing violence.
However, there have been reports of renewed militant activities in the region, prompting the Pakistani security forces to once again increase its focus on these challenges.
“On night 3/4 May 2024, security forces conducted an intelligence based operation in North Waziristan District, on reported presence of terrorists,” the military’s media wing, ISPR, said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and the terrorists,” it continued, adding that six militants were killed as a result.
The statement informed that the security forces also destroyed militant hideout during the operation and launched a “sanitization operation” in the area while trying to locate any remnants of the militant group.
“The killed terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as target killings of innocent civilians in the area,” the ISPR added.
Pakistan telecom authority seeks review of tax agency directive to block SIMs of non-filers
- Federal Board of Revenue issued a list of over half a million people who did not file tax returns in 2023
- Reports indicate that telecom companies showed reluctance to block the SIMs of so many subscribers
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday showed reluctance to implement the instructions of the country’s tax collection body to block the SIMs of non-filers, while asking the authority to review its decision.
The development came after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued a list of over half a million people who did not file income tax returns for 2023, instructing the PTA to block their cellphone SIMs as a penalty.
However, media reports indicated that telecom companies were reluctant to carry out the directives affecting so many subscribers, prompting an official meeting on Friday in which the government decided to act against anyone opposing FBR’s orders.
Still, the PTA circulated a brief notification on Saturday, seeking a review of the FBR’s decision.
“On the issue of blocking of mobile phone SIMs under section 114-B of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has communicated to FBR that the Income Tax General Order (ITGO) in the manner as referred to the Authority needs review before its execution by the concerned entity/entities,” the notification said.
“In the meanwhile, PTA has also initiated consultation with stakeholders on the subject issue,” it added.
Pakistan has traditionally faced the challenge of convincing people to file their tax returns.
However, the government has decided now to implement stringent measures to address the problem, particularly in the context of negotiations for a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
The IMF has frequently urged Pakistan to enhance its revenue collection from non-filers as part of broader economic reforms to support social and development initiatives.
In response, the FBR is taking steps like blocking the SIM cards of non-filers and considering other punitive measures to enforce tax compliance and widen the tax net.
