Pakistan

Customs' directive aimed at ensuring transparent clearance of plant, machinery imports

Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) Chief Executive Officer Bilal Bin Saqib has stepped down as special assistant to the prime minister on blockchain and cryptocurrency, it emerged on Tuesday. He continues to serve as the chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA). A notification from the Cabinet Division, signed October 13, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted Saqib’s resignation from the position with effect from August 21. He was appointed to the role on May 26, with the status of a minister of state. Saqib was appointed the PVARA chairman with the status of a minister of state on a pro bono basis for three years on August 1. PVARA is an autonomous federal body governed by a multi-stakeholder board including the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue. Its mandate is to curb illicit finance, protect consumers and unlock opportunities in fintech, remittances and toke...

The Punjab chief minister’s office said on Tuesday that the provincial government had, in principle, decided to issue motorcycle licences and smart cards to 16-year-old motorists. The traffic police’s crackdown on traffic violations across the province left motorists in turmoil when they lodged over 4,600 cases and arrested around 3,100 citizens, including a large number of schoolchildren, during the last 72 hours, creating a criminal record for a majority of them. Parents lambasted the Punjab government for making criminal profiles of these children, saying it would have long-term consequences on their careers and declaring it an overreaction by the traffic police. According to a statement from the office, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her displeasure over minors being handcuffed for violating traffic rules. “A decision has been made in principle to issue smart cards and motorcycle licences to 16-year-olds,” the statement read. “Traffic police across the province will also host an aware...

Security forces killed seven terrorists in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two operations were carried out on the reported presence of khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “An intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted by the security forces in [the] general area [of] Mir Ali,” the statement read. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, six khawarij were sent to hell.” Another terrorist was killed in an IBO in Spinwam, the ISPR said, adding that weapons and ammunition were seized from the terrorists who “remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces, law enforcement agencies and target killing of innocent civilians”. “Sanitisation oper...

Affects over 250k residents; traders and labourers voice outrage over disruption

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Rs206m project will transform Chevra summit into major tourist hub

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Suspects were involved in mistreating Iman, forcibly cutting her hair while filming

Admin directs sealing and bulldozing of non-compliant kilns

Signs MoU to promote cooperation through literary, cultural exchange between both nations

Faculty members, students and research scholars attended session with keen interest

The ceremony, attended by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other rulers

At least seven people were injured in an explosion, caused by a gas leak, within the premises of Islamabad’s National University of Modern Languages (Numl) on Tuesday, according to the police. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IG) Ali Nasir Rizvi, speaking to the media, said the explosion occurred around 4pm and was caused by a gas leak ignited by a short circuit. “When summer ends, the university turns off its gas connection. They turned it on at 3:30pm, but there was an accumulation of gas and a short circuit somewhere,“ the IG said. “A gas leakage caused the explosion.” The IG outlined that the explosion occurred in a prayer room, which was near a clerk’s office. He stated that seven people were caught in the explosion. “Five students were there with a clerk and a junior assistant,” IG Rizvi explained. “The clerk sustained 60-65 per cent burn injuries, the clerical assistant was burned and the students suffered minor burn injuries. Seven people are under treatment; of those, six are out of danger as p...

Court stops additional fees on non-M-Tag vehicles

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India’s imports of Russian oil may decline for only “a brief period” as Moscow plans to boost supplies, using sophisticated technology to avert the impact of Western sanctions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. His remarks came ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to New Delhi from Thursday, looking to restore defence and energy ties as India is set to trim its Russian oil purchases this month to at least a three-year low. Russia’s top buyer of seaborne oil, India has cut crude imports from Moscow under pressure from Western sanctions, particularly by Washington, on Moscow’s top oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil. “There can be, for a very brief period of time, insignificant decreases in the volume of oil trade,” Peskov told Indian journalists, in response to a question about the impact of sanctions. Working to build the necessary environment for buyers Russia is the top oil supplier to India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer. Moscow is working to build the “nec...

Miranshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali and two cops were among four martyred after the official’s vehicle came under attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Tuesday. Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajjad Khan confirmed the number of casualties. “The attack was sudden, and after opening fire on the vehicle, the assailants also set it on fire,” he said. The DIG said the area was cordoned off after the incident and a search was underway to locate the attackers. “Security forces and police are conducting a joint operation. Security in the area has been put on high alert and investigations are being carried out from every angle,” he said. Meanwhile, Bilal Saqib, the assistant commissioner’s secretary, told the media that the incident took place at around 10am. He said the assistant commissioner was on his way to appear before a court when he was “ambushed” near Mamash Khel’s Masoomabad. Giving details about the deaths, he said that two constables and a civilian, who was working in the fields, were martyr...

JI stages demonstration, demands mayor to resign over death of three-year-old from falling in manhole