Pakistan Affairs

Tag: Times

  • Pakistan govt halts clearance of bills, salaries amidst economic crisis: Report – Times of India

    اسلام آباد: نقدی کی کمی پاکستان ہفتہ کو ایک میڈیا رپورٹ کے مطابق، حکومت نے اکاؤنٹنٹ جنرل کو ہدایت کی ہے کہ وہ موجودہ معاشی بحران کی وجہ سے تنخواہوں سمیت بلوں کی ادائیگی بند کر دیں۔ دی نیوز انٹرنیشنل نے سرکاری ذرائع کے حوالے سے بتایا کہ وزارت خزانہ اور محصولات نے اکائونٹنٹ جنرل آف پاکستان ریونیو (AGPR) کو وفاقی وزارتوں/ ڈویژنوں اور منسلک محکموں کے تمام بلوں کی کلیئرنگ کو اگلے نوٹس تک روکنے کی ہدایت بھی کی ہے۔ اخبار نے رپورٹ کیا کہ آپریشنل لاگت سے متعلق ریلیز کو مشکلات کا سامنا کرنا پڑا بنیادی طور پر ملک کو درپیش معاشی مشکلات کی وجہ سے۔ پاکستان کے زرمبادلہ کے ذخائر، جو چند ہفتے قبل 2.9 بلین امریکی ڈالر کی انتہائی کم سطح پر گر گئے تھے، اب بڑھ کر 4 بلین امریکی ڈالر کے قریب پہنچ چکے ہیں، یہاں تک کہ ملک بین الاقوامی مالیاتی فنڈ (آئی ایم ایف) سے 1.1 بلین ڈالر کی فنڈنگ ​​کا بے صبری سے انتظار کر رہا ہے۔ آئی ایم ایف)۔ وزیر خزانہ اسحاق ڈار، جن سے اخبار کے تبصرے کے لیے رابطہ کیا گیا، نے کہا کہ یہ غلط ہو سکتا ہے لیکن تصدیق کے بعد واپس آنے کا وعدہ کیا۔ ذرائع کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ اپنے بقایا بلوں کی منظوری کے لیے اے جی پی آر کے دفتر گئے لیکن انہیں بتایا گیا کہ وزارت خزانہ نے انہیں موجودہ مشکل مالی پوزیشن کی وجہ سے تنخواہوں سمیت تمام بلوں کو کلیئر کرنے سے روکنے کی ہدایت کی ہے۔ بلوں کی منظوری فوری بنیادوں پر کیوں روکی گئی اس کی صحیح وجوہات کا پتہ نہیں چل سکا۔ ذرائع نے بتایا کہ دفاع سے متعلقہ اداروں کی تنخواہیں اور پنشن اگلے ماہ کے لیے پہلے ہی کلیئر کر دی گئی ہیں۔ وزیر خزانہ ڈار نے 22 فروری کو Rothschild and Co کے ایک وفد سے ملاقات کرتے ہوئے کہا تھا کہ \”حکومت معیشت کو استحکام اور ترقی کی طرف لے جا رہی ہے\”۔ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ \”حکومت آئی ایم ایف پروگرام کو مکمل کرنے اور تمام بین الاقوامی ذمہ داریوں کو پورا کرنے کے لیے پرعزم ہے\”۔ آئی ایم ایف کی قسط کو کھولنے کے لیے ڈار کی وابستگی 20 فروری کو اس وقت نظر آئی جب قومی اسمبلی نے متفقہ طور پر فنانس (ضمنی) بل 2023 یا \”منی بجٹ\” کی منظوری دی تھی – یہ اقدام فنڈنگ ​​کے حصول کے لیے لازمی ہے۔ یہ بل کاروں اور گھریلو آلات سے لے کر چاکلیٹ اور کاسمیٹکس تک کی درآمدات پر سیلز ٹیکس کو 17 سے بڑھا کر 25 فیصد کر دیتا ہے۔ جنرل سیلز ٹیکس 17 سے بڑھا کر 18 فیصد کر دیا گیا۔ وزیر نے پارلیمنٹ کے ایوان زیریں کو بتایا کہ بل کی منظوری کے بعد وزیر اعظم آئندہ چند دنوں میں کفایت شعاری کے اقدامات کی بھی نقاب کشائی کریں گے، انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ \”ہمیں مشکل فیصلے کرنے ہوں گے\”۔ جمعہ کو سرکاری اعداد و شمار کے مطابق ملک کی ہفتہ وار افراط زر 23 فروری کو ختم ہونے والے سات دنوں کی مدت کے دوران 2.78 فیصد ہفتہ وار اور 41.54 فیصد سال بہ سال پر سختی سے بلند رہی۔ یہ اس وقت سامنے آیا ہے جب حکومت پاکستان نے توسیعی فنڈ سہولت کے تحت 6.5 بلین امریکی ڈالر کے بیل آؤٹ پیکج میں سے 1.1 بلین ڈالر کی قسطوں کے لیے آئی ایم ایف کی منظوری حاصل کرنے کے لیے گیس چارجز کو 147.57 روپے سے بڑھا کر 295 روپے کر دیا ہے۔ تجزیہ کاروں نے گزشتہ ہفتے کہا تھا کہ مہنگائی کے دباؤ میں شدت آئے گی کیونکہ حکومت نے ٹیکس کے اقدامات کیے اور آئی ایم ایف پروگرام کو غیر مقفل کرنے کے لیے بجلی، پیٹرولیم اور گیس کی قیمتوں میں ایڈجسٹمنٹ کی۔ اشیائے ضروریہ بالخصوص کھانے پینے کی اشیاء کی بڑھتی ہوئی قیمتوں کے بوجھ تلے صارفین پریشان ہیں۔

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  • Imf: Pakistan will unwillingly accept IMF terms: PM – Times of India

    On Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to security officials in Islamabad and said that the country has to accept the strict conditions of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to provide a lifeline for its economy in turmoil. The deal is still a week or 10 days away, and the IMF has been negotiating with Islamabad since February over policy framework issues. Once the agreement is signed, the IMF will disburse an over $1 billion tranche from the $6.5 billion bailout agreed in 2019.

    To generate revenue to bridge the fiscal deficit, Pakistan has taken a string of measures, such as adopting a market-based exchange rate, hiking fuel and power tariffs, withdrawing subsidies, and more taxation. The IMF is still negotiating with Islamabad over power sector debt, as well as a potential rise in the policy rate, which stands at 17%. The strict measures are likely to further cool the economy and stoke inflation. Currently, the country\’s foreign exchange reserves are at a low $3 billion, barely enough for three weeks\’ worth of imports.



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  • Pakistan austerity drive strips ministers, staff of pay, perks – Times of India

    On Wednesday, the cash-strapped Pakistan government announced new austerity measures in order to secure a staff-level agreement with the IMF for the release of $1.2 billion in aid. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his federal ministerial colleagues, advisers and special assistants have agreed to forego their salaries and generous perks. Furthermore, government support staff will no longer be allowed to go on state visits and cabinet members and officers will not stay in five-star hotels during foreign trips. The government will also sell off all government residences in city centres and no officer will be allotted more than one plot. Additionally, data pertaining to the Toshakhana (state depository) and the gifts received to date will be made public on the website. Any minister, including the PM, will not be allowed to retain gifts valued above $300. The cabinet also decided that until June 2024, there will be a complete ban on purchase of luxury items and all types of new cars. Minister for climate change, Sherry Rehman, stated that these measures are only “optics” and that the size of the cabinet must go down. Prime Minister Sharif acknowledged that the measures of entrenchment and simplicity will not reduce the burden of inflation, but they will reduce the resentment “that is accumulated in the people because of what has been happening for the past 75 years”.

    Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his federal ministerial colleagues have agreed to forego their salaries and generous perks in an effort to secure a staff-level agreement with the IMF for the release of $1.2 billion in aid. As part of the austerity measures, government support staff will no longer be allowed to go on state visits and cabinet members and officers will not stay in five-star hotels during foreign trips. Additionally, all government residences in city centres will be sold off and no officer will be allotted more than one plot. Until June 2024, there will be a complete ban on purchase of luxury items and all types of new cars. Furthermore, data pertaining to the Toshakhana (state depository) and the gifts received to date will be made public on the website and any minister, including the PM, will not be allowed to retain gifts valued above $300. Minister for climate change, Sherry Rehman, said that these measures are only “optics” and that the size of the cabinet must go down. Prime Minister Sharif believes that while these measures of entrenchment and simplicity will not reduce the burden of inflation, they will reduce the resentment “that is accumulated in the people because of what has been happening for the past 75 years”.



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  • Imran Khan\’s party files petition in court, seeks release of detained leaders – Times of India

    On Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) began a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against what it called the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The PTI is now fearing a similar situation in the case of these arrested senior leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has launched a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.



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  • Imran Khan\’s party files petition in court, seeks release of detained leaders – Times of India

    On Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) began a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against what it called the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The PTI is now fearing a similar situation in the case of these arrested senior leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has launched a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.



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  • Imran Khan\’s party files petition in court, seeks release of detained leaders – Times of India

    On Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) began a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against what it called the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The PTI is now fearing a similar situation in the case of these arrested senior leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has launched a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.



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  • Imran Khan\’s party files petition in court, seeks release of detained leaders – Times of India

    On Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) began a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against what it called the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The PTI is now fearing a similar situation in the case of these arrested senior leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has launched a mass court arrest movement from Lahore to protest against the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown. As a result, 81 PTI activists, including senior party leaders, were arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. Fearing torture by the notorious intelligence agencies, the party filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the safe recovery/release of the arrested leaders. Imran Khan, the ousted Prime Minister, has urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”. The petitioners said that the lives of PTI leaders are at stake in the hands of the government and police. The party has alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on Senator Azam Swati while he was in police custody. The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced.



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  • If Pakistan has to rise like an \’economic tiger\’, lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes: PM Sharif – Times of India

    At a high-level National Apex Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he urged lawmakers to rise above personal likes and dislikes for the country to rise like an \”economic tiger\”. The meeting was attended by several prominent members from the political and military establishment.

    The Prime Minister criticised Imran Khan\’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for not attending the meeting held last month. He also called for a resolution through dialogue and not through the streets. This Apex Committee meeting was held in response to the Peshawar incident on January 30th, where a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200.

    The National Action Plan (NAP) was devised by the then governors of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in response to the Army Public School attack in Peshawar in 2014. The Defence Minister and the Director General of the country\’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) met the top brass of the Afghanistan Taliban regime in Kabul to discuss the rise in terror attacks in Pakistan masterminded by the TTP.

    The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, called off a ceasefire with the federal government and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country. Prime Minister Sharif said for the sake of the country’s prosperity, all stakeholders must sit down and resolve the matter amicably. He urged all to rise above personal likes and dislikes for the country to become an economic tiger.



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  • If Pakistan has to rise like an \’economic tiger\’, lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes: PM Sharif – Times of India

    At a high-level National Apex Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he urged lawmakers to rise above personal likes and dislikes for the country to rise like an \”economic tiger\”. The meeting was attended by several prominent members from the political and military establishment.

    The Prime Minister criticised Imran Khan\’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for not attending the meeting held last month. He also called for a resolution through dialogue and not through the streets. This Apex Committee meeting was held in response to the Peshawar incident on January 30th, where a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200.

    The National Action Plan (NAP) was devised by the then governors of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in response to the Army Public School attack in Peshawar in 2014. The Defence Minister and the Director General of the country\’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) met the top brass of the Afghanistan Taliban regime in Kabul to discuss the rise in terror attacks in Pakistan masterminded by the TTP.

    The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, called off a ceasefire with the federal government and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country. Prime Minister Sharif said for the sake of the country’s prosperity, all stakeholders must sit down and resolve the matter amicably. He urged all to rise above personal likes and dislikes for the country to become an economic tiger.



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  • If Pakistan has to rise like an \’economic tiger\’, lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes: PM Sharif – Times of India

    At a high-level National Apex Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he urged lawmakers to rise above personal likes and dislikes for the country to rise like an \”economic tiger\”. The meeting was attended by several prominent members from the political and military establishment.

    The Prime Minister criticised Imran Khan\’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for not attending the meeting held last month. He also called for a resolution through dialogue and not through the streets. This Apex Committee meeting was held in response to the Peshawar incident on January 30th, where a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200.

    The National Action Plan (NAP) was devised by the then governors of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in response to the Army Public School attack in Peshawar in 2014. The Defence Minister and the Director General of the country\’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) met the top brass of the Afghanistan Taliban regime in Kabul to discuss the rise in terror attacks in Pakistan masterminded by the TTP.

    The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, called off a ceasefire with the federal government and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country. Prime Minister Sharif said for the sake of the country’s prosperity, all stakeholders must sit down and resolve the matter amicably. He urged all to rise above personal likes and dislikes for the country to become an economic tiger.



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