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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The farmers arrested during a protest at D-Chowk in the federal capital have been released over orders of the interior minister. 
    Around 180 farmers were arrested during the protest that led to a clash between police and the demonstrators.
    The police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, while the latter pelted stones in retaliation. Subsequently, police personnel as well as the protesting farmers were injured and taken to Polyclinic hospital of the city for treatment. 
    The farmers belonging to Pakistan Kissan Ittehad had gathered to press the government for their 'due rights'. The protest and the subsequent clash had taken place hours before the federal budget was presented in the National Assembly.
    Leaders from the opposition parties had chided the incumbent government, saying farmers are the backbone of the economy and hold the right to protest for their just demands. 


  2. Waqas Dar
    Continental air prevails over most parts of the country on Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stated.
    Explore: 7 easy hacks to beat the heat
    Very hot and dry weather is expected in most plain areas of the country today according to the PMD, however, rain and thunderstorm are expected at a few places in Hazara division, Kashmir, and its adjoining hilly areas.
    Past weather
    The weather remained very hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, rain and thunderstorm occurred at isolated places in Malakand division & Gigit-Baltistan.
    Rainfall in the last 24 Hours (mm)
    KP: Kalam 07, Gilgit-Baltistan: Astore 01.
    Yesterday's highest temperatures
    Jacobabad, Sibbi 51°C, Dadu, , Larkana, Turbat 50°C, Noorpurthal, Bhakkar, Sukkur, Moen-jo-daro, Sakrund 49°C, R.Y.Khan 48°C.


  3. Waqas Dar
    Balloons released in the air after a vigil for victims of the Manchester concert attack. Photo: Reuters A 44-year-old man was arrested in connection with the suicide attack on a concert in Manchester.
    According to Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, "immense" progress had been made in the investigation into Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people, seven of them children, at a pop concert in Manchester on May 22.
    "They're very significant, these arrests. We're very happy we've got our hands around some of the key players that we are concerned about. But as I say, there is still a little bit more to do," Rowley told broadcasters.
    Since the attack, police backed up by the army have been patrolling cities and trains. The interior minister, Amber Rudd, said the official threat risk remained at its highest level, "critical", meaning another attack is expected imminently.
    Hospitals have been warned to be ready. However, Security Minister Ben Wallace said there was no evidence of a specific threat over Britain's holiday weekend, when major events will take place including Saturday's soccer FA Cup final in London, where extra armed officers will be on duty.
    As campaigning for a national election on June 8 resumed after it was suspended following the attack, the opposition Labour Party, emboldened by its rise in opinion polls, charged that Britain's foreign policy had increased the risk of attacks.
    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also chided Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May for cutting spending on policing. "We must be brave enough to admit the 'war on terror' is not working," he said.
    May hit back. "Jeremy Corbyn has said that terror attacks are our own fault," she said. "I want to make one thing very clear to Jeremy Corbyn and to you, and it is that there can never, ever be an excuse for terrorism."
    She was speaking to reporters at a summit of Group of Seven leaders in Sicily where she won support for action to prevent militants from using the internet to spread propaganda.


  4. Waqas Dar
    PTI MPA Fazal Elahi restored electricity of more than 100 nearby places. Photo: file   PESHAWAR: The city?s main electricity supplier, Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO), registered on Saturday a case against PTI MPA Fazal Elahi for barging into a grid station.
    On Friday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers barged into Rehman Baba grid station. The workers, under the leadership of PTI MPA Fazal Elahi, entered the station and opened the closed feeders on their own, which led to restoration of electricity more than 100 nearby places.
    Load shedding woes: PTI workers barge into grid station in Peshawar
    The workers, led by MPA Fazal Elahi, also chanted slogans of ?Go Nawaz Go? inside the PESCO facility
    Speaking over the matter, Elahi remarked that PESCO had assured the protesters earlier that the electricity crisis will be resolved soon, but lamented that people are still facing 20-hours-long load shedding.


  5. Waqas Dar
    PTI MPA Fazal Elahi restored electricity of more than 100 nearby places. Photo: file   PESHAWAR: The city?s main electricity supplier, Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO), registered on Saturday a case against PTI MPA Fazal Elahi for barging into a grid station.
    On Friday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers barged into Rehman Baba grid station. The workers, under the leadership of PTI MPA Fazal Elahi, entered the station and opened the closed feeders on their own, which led to restoration of electricity more than 100 nearby places.
    Load shedding woes: PTI workers barge into grid station in Peshawar
    The workers, led by MPA Fazal Elahi, also chanted slogans of ?Go Nawaz Go? inside the PESCO facility
    Speaking over the matter, Elahi remarked that the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) had assured the protesters earlier that the electricity crisis will be resolved soon, but lamented that people are still facing 20-hours-long load shedding.


  6. Waqas Dar
    As many as 42 suspects were arrested in search operations in Karachi and Multan.
    Multan police conducted search operation in Jamilabad in Fatima Colony. Around 38 suspects, including 18 drug peddlers and others wanted for heinous crimes, were arrested.   
    Five suspects were arrested for illegal possession of weapons. 
    186 litres of illicit liquor and a large stash of contraband was recovered by the police. 
    About 155 houses were searched and biometric verification of 190 people was performed. 
    Raids in Karachi
    Four suspects were taken into custody late Friday night during search operations in the metropolis? various areas, the police said.
    During a raid in Gulbahar's Baloch Para, a drug peddler, identified as Abdul Shakoor Baloch, was arrested near Anjuman Hall, security officials stated, adding that contraband was recovered from the suspect. 
    A case has subsequently been filed against Abdul Shakoor Baloch, police mentioned.
    Another suspect, Usman, was detained by police for peddling drugs in an operation conducted near Paposh?s Khilafat Chowk area. While contraband was recovered from the suspect and a case was registered. His accomplice, however, managed to escape.
    Two street criminals, Saqib and Ghulam Haidar, were arrested during a search operation in Baldia Town. Weapons, cash, stolen motorcycles, and mobile phones were recovered from the suspects' possession. 
    Fire doused in Nazimabad 
    Moreover, fire erupted in a pad-mounted transformer in Nazimabad No 1, according to the fire department. 
    One fire truck was dispatch to the site to douse the fire. The area faced power outage due to the fire, the officials added. 




  7. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Four suspects were taken into custody late Friday night during search operations carried out in the metropolis? various areas, police said.
    During a raid in Gulbahar, Baloch Para, drug seller Abdul Shakoor Baloch was arrested near Anjuman Hall, security officials stated, adding that contraband was recovered from the suspect. A case has subsequently been filed against Baloch, police mentioned.
    Suspect Usman was detained by police for dealing drugs, in an operation conducted near Paposh?s Khilafat Chowk area. While contraband was recovered from the arrestee and a case was registered, his accomplice managed to escape arrest.
    Two street criminals Saqib and Ghulam Haidar were arrested during a search operation in Baldia Town here. Weapons, cash, and stolen bikes and mobile phones were recovered from the suspects, police explained.


  8. Waqas Dar
    Pop star Ariana Grande promised Friday to return to Manchester to play a charity concert following a suicide attack at her show, as she urged fans to respond to the tragedy with love.
    In her first substantive comments since Monday's tragedy, the singer said she felt "uplift" by seeing fans' compassion after the blast which killed 22 people and was claimed by the Daesh group.
    The 23-year-old, who suspended her tour and returned to her Florida home to rest, said she planned a concert as "an expression of love for Manchester."
    She said that the concert would raise money for the victims of the attack and their families. The date has not yet been set.
    "Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before," she said in an essay posted on her social media accounts.

    "We won't let this divide us. We won't let hate win," she said.
    Grande, whose fan base is dominated by girls and young women, said she had seen a "beautiful, diverse, pure, happy crowd."
    She said that she viewed her concerts as places for her fans "to escape, to celebrate, to heal, to feel safe and to be themselves."
    "This will not change," she said.
    'Everyone on Earth can share' music

    Grande wrote that her concert, by bringing people from varied backgrounds into the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena, showed the power of music to unite.
    "Music is something that everyone on Earth can share," she wrote.
    "Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy," she said.
    In the wake of the attack, Grande had faced criticism from some commentators in Britain, notably Piers Morgan, who said she should have stayed and visited hospitalised survivors rather than return home.
    Grande in her statement said she has been focused "non-stop" on the victims and that "I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life."
    Grande canceled two weeks of concerts, including two shows in London, after the attacks. She flew home on Tuesday after releasing a brief message saying she felt "broken."
    She plans to resume her "Dangerous Woman" tour in Paris on June 7.
    Despite the name of her tour and accompanying album, the former television child star turned bubblegum pop singer has rarely triggered controversy.
    She has only occasionally shared personal views, including criticising double-standards for women in entertainment, voicing support for gay rights and advocating a vegan diet to prevent animal cruelty.
    Grande is not the only artist who plans a charity gig. Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, a Manchester native, said he will perform his first-ever solo show on Tuesday to support a Red Cross-backed appeal.


  9. Waqas Dar
    Data collectors sit at screens in new the Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology as they wait for a tour by US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to commence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst  Images of US President Donald Trump placing his hands on a glowing orb has set alight the internet, prompting comparisons to science fiction and fantasy villains.
    The pictures were taken while Trump ? on a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe ? along with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited a new Saudi centre for combating extremism.
    Saudi King presents Trump with top civilian honour
    Dogged by controversy at home, Donald Trump opened his first presidential foreign trip in Saudi Arabia on Saturday
    A glance at Trump family?s visit to Saudi Arabia
    The US president during his trip was accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump








    The trio placed their hands on the orb to formally open the centre and set a welcome film in motion. Social media users were swift to let their imaginations run wild.
    "Oh my god. Trump has obtained the Bajoran Orb of Time," tweeted games developer and US congressional candidate Brianna Wu, in a reference to a mythical object from the Star Trek universe.
    "I am gone from Twitter for like a few hours, and now Trump is a holding a Palantír!" Twitter user chrisError wrote, a reference to one of the magical crystal balls used by characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings" series, notably the evil wizard Saruman, to see across time and space.
    Many users also referenced Hydra, the fictional villains in several Marvel comics properties, with some posting pictures of the event along with the group's catchphrase, "Hail Hydra".


    Trump son-in-law Kushner a focus in Russia probe: US media
    The activities of President Donald Trump´s son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner have come under FBI scrutiny as part of the probe of Russian interference in last year´s presidential election


    Some hilariously hinted at time travel.
    A few talked about how 'The Orb' changed Trump.
    Illuminati references popped up.
    Harry Potter was mentioned






    Others took a different approach to poking fun at the US president. The Church of Satan posted a picture of the event on its official Twitter account with the comment, "For clarification, this is not a satanic ritual".

    Trump, a famously prolific user of Twitter, has thus far not made reference to the activity on his personal or official Twitter accounts.

    While one question remains...
    ...this seems to be a good idea.




  10. Waqas Dar
    US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (C) shakes hands with a participant as he attends a signing ceremony between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo  WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has declined a request to host an event to mark Islam's holy month of Ramadan, two US officials said, apparently breaking with a bipartisan tradition in place with few exceptions for nearly 20 years.
    Since 1999, Republican and Democratic secretaries of state have nearly always hosted either an iftar dinner to break the day's fast during Ramadan or a reception marking the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the month, at the State Department.
    Tillerson turned down a request from the State Department's Office of Religion and Global Affairs to host an Eid al-Fitr reception as part of Ramadan celebrations, two US officials, who declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said.
    According to an April 6 memo seen by Reuters, the office ? which typically initiates such events ? recommended that Tillerson hold an Eid al-Fitr reception.
    His rejection of the request suggests there are no plans this year for any high-profile Ramadan function at the State Department. The month of fasting and prayer for Muslims gets under way in many countries on Saturday.
    When asked by Reuters to comment on Tillerson declining a request to host an Eid al-Fitr event in July for Ramadan, a State Department spokesperson said, "We are still exploring possible options for observance of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan. US ambassadors are encouraged to celebrate Ramadan through a variety of activities, which are held annually at missions around the world."
    Muslim activists have accused President Donald Trump's administration of having an unfriendly attitude toward Islam, encapsulated by its attempts to ban citizens of several Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
    The administration says that while it strongly opposes militants, it has no quarrel with Islam. Aides point to Trump's visit this month to Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam where he addressed the leaders of more than 50 Muslim countries, as evidence of that.
    Members of Congress, Muslim civil society and community leaders, diplomats from Muslim countries and senior US officials usually attend the State Department Ramadan event, a symbol of the US government's diplomatic efforts with Muslim countries and people.
    If Tillerson avoids hosting one this year, that could send a message "that it is not as important to this administration to engage with Muslims", said former US diplomat Farah Pandith, who served in the Bush and Obama administrations and helped plan Ramadan events at the White House and State Department.
    Tillerson issued a statement on Friday to mark the start of Ramadan, which he called "a month of reverence, generosity, and self-reflection".
    "Most importantly, it is a cherished time for family and friends to gather and give charity to those who are less fortunate," he said.
    Past Ramadans
    Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright started the tradition 18 years ago of America's top diplomat hosting a public event for Ramadan, a lunar month.
    The secretary of state of the time usually gives remarks there on the meaning of Ramadan.
    In April, the State Department's Office of Religion and Global Affairs made a request to Tillerson's office that he deliver remarks at an Eid al-Fitr reception this year, and suggested a two-week range of dates in July. The event would serve to "highlight State Department initiatives and the importance of Muslim engagement", the memo said.
    It noted that by hosting a reception just after Ramadan, rather than an iftar ? an often sumptuous dinner at sunset ? a State Department event could be held any time of the day, thus preventing "a very late evening for the Secretary".
    Several weeks later, that office and other offices at the State Department were alerted that Tillerson declined the request, the officials said.
    Reuters was told of the request being declined but did not see Tillerson's reply. An official with the Office of Religion and Global Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.
    Several prominent Muslim-American groups in the Washington area who are normally invited to the Ramadan event told Reuters this week that they had yet to receive an invitation from the State Department, which they said was unusual.
    "If they're having one, we haven't been invited," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington. A representative for her group has been invited to the State Department event in the past, she said.
    Fraught relationship
    Trump's administration has had a fraught relationship with Muslims. As a presidential candidate, the Republican urged a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, called for more surveillance of mosques and warned that radical Muslims were "trying to take over our children".
    Trump has since toned down his rhetoric and courts have halted his temporary travel ban on people from six mostly Muslim countries.
    White House officials did not respond to a request for comment on whether they would continue the tradition this year of hosting a Ramadan-related event at the White House.
    The State Department celebrates other religious traditions though some of those commemorations are not as well-established as the State Department's Ramadan event. In 2014, then-secretary of state John Kerry hosted the first ever celebration at the State Department marking Diwali, the Hindu festival.
    The White House also traditionally hosts annual Christmas and Easter events as well as a Seder dinner to mark the Jewish Passover.
    The top US diplomat has personally hosted a Ramadan event every year since 1999, often in the State Department's grand Benjamin Franklin room, apart from three years.
    In 2006 and 2015, deputies of the secretary of state at the time hosted either an iftar dinner or an Eid al-Fitr reception. In 2014, Kerry hosted a reception for Eid al-Adha, another important Muslim holiday.


  11. Waqas Dar
    SEOUL: After successful missile launches, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un often exchanges smiles and hugs with the same three men and shares a celebratory smoke with them.

    The three, shown with Kim in photographs and TV footage in North Korean media, are of great interest to Western security and intelligence agencies since they are the top people in the secretive country's rapidly accelerating missile program.
    They include former top air force general Ri Pyong Chol, Jang Chang Ha, the head of a weapons development and procurement centre, and Kim Jong Sik ? a veteran rocket scientist.
    The photographs and TV footage show that the three are clearly Kim's favourites. Their behaviour with him is sharply at variance with the obsequiousness of other senior aides, most of whom bow and hold their hands over their mouths when speaking to the young leader.
    Unlike most other officials, two of them have flown with Kim in his private plane Goshawk-1, named after North Korea's national bird, state TV has shown.
    UN Security Council vows sanctions over North Korea missile test
    North Korea´s long-term bid to develop a credible nuclear attack threat to the US mainland saw it launch Sunday what appeared to be its longest-range missile yet
    North Korea test-fires ballistic missile
    The missile flew about 700 kilometres (435 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, South Korea´s Joint Chiefs of Staff says










    With their ruling Workers Party and military and scientific credentials, the trio is indispensable to North Korea's rapidly developing weapons programs ? the isolated nation has conducted two nuclear tests and dozens of missile launches since the beginning of last year, all in violation of UN resolutions.
    "Rather than going through bureaucrats, Kim Jong Un is keeping these technocrats right by his side, so that he can contact them directly and urge them to move fast. It reflects his urgency about missile development," said An Chan-il, a former North Korean military officer who has defected to the South and runs a think-tank in Seoul.
    Kim Jong Sik and Jang are not from elite families, unlike many other senior figures in North Korea's ruling class, North Korean leadership experts say. They said Ri, the former air force commander, has been to one of the better-regarded schools in North Korea, but he and the other two were hand-picked by Kim Jong Un.
    "Kim Jong Un is raising a new generation of people separate from his father's key aides," said a South Korean official with knowledge of the matter, referring to Kim Jong Il, who died in late 2011 leaving the younger Kim in charge.
    The official requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
    The 'Big Potato'
    Ri Pyong Chol stands on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's side as he observes the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) test launch in this undated photo released by North Korea´s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo/Reuters is unable to independently verify this image.  The most prominent of the three is Ri, according to leadership experts.
    Always shown smiling in photographs, he is now deputy director of the Workers' Party Munitions Industry Department, which oversees the development of North Korea's ballistic missile program, according to the South Korean government and US Treasury.
    The department was blacklisted by the US Treasury in 2010 and Ri was named by the South Korean government last year for activities related to the country's weapons programs.
    "The big potato in that trio of people is Ri Pyong Chol," said Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership. "He's been around since before Kim Jong Un was even talked about with any seriousness".
    Born in 1948, Ri was partly educated in Russia and promoted when Kim Jong Un started to rise through the ranks in the late 2000s, Madden and the South Korean government official said.
    Ri has visited China once and Russia twice. He met China's defence minister in 2008 as the air force commander and accompanied Kim Jong Il on a visit to a Russian fighter jet factory in 2011, according to state media.
    "Ri looks like the party's guy in the missile program," said Kim Jin-moo, an expert on North Korea's elite and former government think-tank analyst in Seoul.
    The Rocket Scientist
    Kim Jong Sik stands on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's side as he observes the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) test launch in this undated photo released by North Korea´s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo/Reuters is unable to independently verify this image.  The rocket scientist in the trio is Kim Jong Sik.
    He started his career as a civilian aeronautics technician, but now wears the uniform of a military general at the Munitions Industry Department, according to experts and the South Korean government.
    But it was his role in the North Korea's first successful launch of a rocket in 2012 that really helped him earn recognition, Madden said.
    "When that thing went off and entered into a lower earth orbit, he got credit for that," said Madden. "The nuclear and missile guys under Kim Jong Un are getting their jobs based on merit".
    Last year, Kim Jong Sik was at the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA), North Korea's official space agency, where he escorted Kim Jong Un through the mission control room ahead of a successful long-range rocket launch in February.
    State TV footage showed him riding to a launch site in Kim Jong Un's private plane. Upon arrival, he accompanied the young leader down the red carpet and received flowers from other senior officials.
    Most other details, including his age, are not known.
    The Mystery Man
    Jang Chang Ha stands on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's side as he observes the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) test launch in this undated photo released by North Korea´s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo/Reuters is unable to independently verify this image.  Of the three men, the least is known about Jang Chang Ha, president of the Academy of the National Defence Science, previously called the Second Academy of Natural Sciences.
    The body is in charge of the secretive country's research and development of its advanced weapons systems, "including missiles and probably nuclear weapons", the US Treasury said in 2010 in its decision to blacklist the group.
    The organisation obtains technology, equipment, and information from overseas for use in weapons programs, the Treasury said. Jang was added to the Treasury blacklist in December 2016.
    Under Jang's leadership, the academy has around 15,000 staff, including some 3,000 missile engineers, according to South Korean media reports, citing unnamed sources.
    Read more: What is North Korea's viewpoint of the US?
    North Korea's banned weapons program began in the early 2000s with a similar trio of men close to the leadership who specialised in procurement, science, and military affairs.
    Of them, logistician Jon Pyong Ho has died. The others ? scientist So Sang Guk and military coordinator O Kuk Ryol ? are elderly and no longer in the public eye.
    Their place, Madden said, has been taken by Kim Jong Un's hand-picked men.
    "These are the men bringing North Korea's missile program into the 21st Century," he said.


  12. Waqas Dar
    The United States issued about 50 percent fewer visitor visas in April to citizens of seven countries covered by President Donald Trump?s temporary travel bans than it did in an average month last year, according to a Reuters analysis of preliminary government data released on Thursday.

    The total number of US non-immigrant visas issued to people from all countries was about 15 per cent lower in April compared with the 2016 monthly average. The April data shows the continuation of a trend identified in data for the month of March, which the State Department released last month.
    That data showed that citizens of the seven Muslim-majority countries under the bans ? Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen ? received about 40 percent fewer visitor visas in March than in an average month last year. Trump?s travel bans have been blocked by the courts.
    Citizens of the seven countries received about 2,800 non-immigrant visas in April 2017, compared with about 5,700 on average per month during the 2016 fiscal year and more than 6,000 on average per month in 2015 and 2014. Data from previous years is only available in aggregate by fiscal year, rather than month-by-month.
    The State Department released the data to comply with a directive from Trump asking it to publish monthly breakdowns of the number of visas issued around the world. The agency did not release data on the number of visa applications, so it is unclear whether the lower number of visas is because of a higher rate of rejections or other factors, such as fewer applicants or slower processing times.
    ?Visa demand is cyclical, not uniform throughout the year, and affected by various factors at the local and international level,? said William Cocks, a spokesman for the State Department?s Bureau of Consular Affairs.
    Executive Orders
    Trump, who has said the travel bans were intended to make Americans safer from attacks, signed an executive order on January 27 barring people from the seven countries from entering the US for 90 days. After the order was blocked by federal courts, the Trump administration replaced it with a revised, narrower ban which dropped Iraq from the list.
    Courts have also halted parts of the second order. On Thursday, a US appeals court refused to reinstate the travel ban, calling it discriminatory and setting the stage for a showdown in the Supreme Court.
    Although visitor visas were down across the board for the seven targeted countries compared with last years? averages, Iraqis in April received 349 immigrant visas, which are typically given to those with jobs or family members in the US, compared with 305 in an average month in 2016.
    Syrians also received more immigrant visas in April ? 268 versus an average of 219 per month last year. All other countries targeted by one of Trump?s bans received fewer immigrant visas in April than in an average month last year.


  13. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that political party should keep politics aside when it comes to the economy of the country.
    Speaking in Geo News' program 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath', he said: "It doesn't matter if it is our government or not. Pakistan is for everyone. There should be an economic charter for political parties for the years 2018-23, this is an opportunity."
    "International institutions are saying that Pakistan will enter the economy of G20s," further claiming "by 2050, economies of Italy, South Korea and Canada will be behind us. How can we loose such opportunity."
    Responding to a question, he said that PIA's privatisation was politicised.
    "Two of our people were martyred during the fiasco. I was outside Pakistan - when I was informed about it. It was really painful. Then we had to take PIA's case in joint session."
    Without naming Sindh government, he said that: "It's on record one of the provinces claimed that they can run Steel Mill on RS10bn profit. We replied take it on one rupee and run it. It has been more than one and half year since the response."
    The Pakistan Muslim League ? Nawaz (PML-N) government on Friday presented it's fifth and possibly last budget before general elections in 2018, earmarking a total of Rs 4,757 billion in expenditures for the next fiscal year.last budget before general elections in 2018, earmarking a total of Rs 4,757 billion in expenditures for the next fiscal year.
    "For the first time in Pakistan's history, an elected prime minister and finance minister are presenting their fifth budget. This shows the strengthening of democracy in the country," the minister said as he began presenting budget on the floor of the National Assembly.
    Pakistan was on the verge of defaulting in 2013 and the economy was declared unstable on the basis of macroeconomic indicators, recalled Dar.
    "Today, the country's foreign exchange reserves are adequate enough for four months of imports. The supply of gas has improved, and load shedding has been completely halted for the industries. Inshallah, load shedding will end for good come next year," he added.
    The finance minister claimed the PML-N government had turned the economy around since it came to power in 2013.
    "Today, reputable organisations like PricewaterhouseCoopers are saying that Pakistan will enter the G-20 group of nations in the near future," claimed Dar.
    The GDP growth rate was 5.3% in the outgoing fiscal year ? the highest in ten years, he stated, adding that it was for the first time that Pakistan's economy had grown to over $300 billion. "This shows the strengthening of the economy," said Dar.


  14. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: Citizens in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will observe first Ramazan-ul-Mubarak tomorrow on Saturday, according to an announcement by Peshawar's Masjid Qasim Ali Khan.

    The announcement by prayer leader of the mosque, Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, was made shortly after the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced that the Ramazan moon was not sighted anywhere in the country on Friday.
    Moon not sighted, Ramazan to start from Sunday
    Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf states to observe first day of fasting on Saturday
    Mufti Popalzai contended that they received 13 testimonies, including one from a woman, of sighting of Ramazan moon.

    Prior to him, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, led by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, announced that Ramazan moon was not sighted anywhere in the country, therefore, Sunday would be observed as the first of Ramazan.
    Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department also predicted that there were very little chances of the moon sighting on Friday.


  15. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: The Pakistani-American father of a soldier killed in Iraq who eviscerated Donald Trump during last year?s election campaign will publish a children?s book about the Constitution in November, his publishers announced.

    Harvard-educated lawyer Khizr Khan shot to fame in the United States for delivering a damning indictment of Trump at the Democratic National Convention, accusing him of sacrificing nothing for the country and stressing the importance of an inclusive America.
    Trump hit back hard, saying Khan had "viciously attacked" him and refused to apologise for suggesting that Khan?s wife Ghazala had stood silently at his side because she was not allowed to speak, triggering uproar within his party.
    "This Is Our Constitution" will be a non-fiction hardcover suitable for children aged 10 and over and be released simultaneously with Khan?s adult memoir, "An American Family," on November 14, Random House Children?s Books said Thursday.
    Khan grew up in Pakistan, before immigrating with his wife to the United States in 1980. Their son, Captain Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004 and posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
    He delivered one of the most memorable speeches of the Democratic convention, in which he honoured his son?s sacrifice, accused Trump of smearing the character of Muslims and questioned whether the Republican candidate had even read the Constitution.
    His publishers said the book would introduce young readers to the history and contents of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and why they are important.
    "This book is my humble effort to pay tribute to our future leaders, the true custodians of our Constitution, and to all of the human dignities enshrined in our Bill of Rights, as the making of our republic continues," Khan said.
    Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers acquired world rights for the book, said Barbara Marcus, President and Publisher of Random House Children?s Books.


  16. Waqas Dar
    The Pakistan Muslim League ? Nawaz (PML-N) government on Friday presented its fifth and possibly last budget before general elections in 2018, earmarking a total of Rs 4,757 billion in expenditures for the next fiscal year.

    Presenting the budget on the floor of the National Assembly, Dar claimed the PML-N government had turned the economy around in its past four years, and announced its ambitions to include Pakistan among the top 20 strongest economies in the world in the future.
    But, apart from all the rhetoric and tall claims, here's a closer look at possibly the final budget and the measures and initiatives introduced by the PML-N before the party goes back into the public's court for general elections in 2018.
    Relief measures 

    ? Proposal for 10% increase on the pay of all officers and soldiers as special allowance. In budget 2016-17, three allowances were merged. However, the 2008 adhoc relief allowance to the Army and the 2010 adhoc relief allowance for the civilians was not merged. A 10% adhoc relief allowance on the merged salary to all civilian and armed forces employees is proposed

    ? 10% increase also proposed in pensions
    ? Up to BPS-5 employees to be exempted from paying house-rent charges at the rate of 5%
    ? Daily allowance ? domestic ? to be increased by 60%
    ? Orderly allowance revised from Rs.12,000 to Rs.14,000
    ? Rate for transportation of dead bodies and local burial revised from Rs.1,600 to Rs.4,800 and Rs.5,000 to Rs.15,000 respectively
    ? Constant attendant allowance admissible to Armed Forces and CAF to be increased from Rs.3,000 to Rs.7,000
    ? Different allowances for offices and sailors of Pakistan Navy to be revised including; hard-lying pay, compensation for batman, uniform allowance and ration allowance
    ? Design allowance to be increased by 50%
    ? For employees of Pakistan Post, certain rates of allowances are being revised
    ? Soldiers of Frontier Constabulary to be given a Rs.8,000 per month fixed allowance. One-third of that allowance to go into effect from 1st March 2017; the one-third of it will be allowed from 1st July 2017 and the balance one-third from 1st July 2018
    ? Minimum wage: On the pattern of increase in the pay of Government employees the minimum wage of labour for their benefit is being increased from Rs.14,000 to Rs.15,000 per month
    Budget 2017-18 at a glance

    New initiatives introduced in the budget:

    WELFARE
    ? Welfare scheme for family of Shuhadah (Martyrs) - CDNS - preferred profits will be offered
    ? Scheme for disabled persons - CDNS - preferred profits will be offered
    ? Loan write-off of widows - HBFC - upto Rs.500,000
    ? Facilitating elderly, widows and pensioners - CDNS - IT, on-line connectivity, and alternative service delivery mechanisms - ATMs, mobile, etc.
    The numbers game: Pakistan's federal budget at a glance
    Visual comparison of budgets announced by the PML-N government over the past four years
    ? Overseas Pakistanis - non-convertible bond, an exclusive sector in Islamabad by CDA
    ? BISP Beneficiary Graduation Program - Grants to willing self-employed individuals - Rs.50,000 grant per family will be provided to 250,000 families in the first phase
    ? Provision of off-grid solar solutions in sparsely populated areas especially Balochistan
    AGRICULTURE
    ? Continuation of subsidized electricity for agri-tube wells
    ? Single-digit (9.9%) mark-up rate for farmers utilizing loans up-to Rs.50,000
    ? Continuation of subsidy on electricity to low-income and low-usage customers
    ? Credit to agriculture sector ? increased from Rs.700 billion target of the current year to Rs.1,001 billion
    FINANCIAL INCLUSION
    ? Financial inclusion - loans to low-income segments through micro-finance banks, exemption from WHT on branchless banking agents
    INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
    ? Setting up of an IT Park
    ? IT export houses/ companies shall be allowed to open Foreign Exchange Accounts in Pakistan
    Govt reduces taxes, duties on mobile telephony
    Withholding income tax on cell phone calls and federal excise duty reduced to 12.5% and 17% respectively
    ? Reduction of the withholding income tax on cell phone call from 14% to 12.5% and Federal Excise Duty from 18.5% to 17%
    ? Smartphones ? custom duty to be reduced from Rs.1,000 to Rs.650
    ? Import duty is being reduced on mobile telecom products
    ? The start-up software houses shall be exempted from Income Tax for the first 3 years
    ? Exports of IT services from Islamabad and other Federal territories shall be exempted from Sales Tax
    OTHERS
    ? Minimum wage of labour increased from Rs.14,000 per month to Rs.15,000 per month
    ? Bait al Maal allocation increased by 50% from Rs.4 billion to Rs.6 billion
    ? Risk sharing guarantee scheme - house building finance
    TEXTILES
    ? To stabilize cotton prices in the country, a system of cotton hedge trading for the domestic cotton will be initiated
    ? Launch of Brand Development fund for textile sector
    ? The approval process of establishment of 1,000 stitching units has been completed and its implementation will start during FY 2017-18 and shall be completed in three years;
    ? Online textile business/trade portal for textiles using B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) mode
    INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE
    ? Establishment of Pakistan Infrastructure Bank
    FINANCIAL INCLUSION STRATEGY
    ? A Rs.8 billion fund will be created at the State Bank of Pakistan to provide loans to low-income segments through microfinance banks;
    ? In order to facilitate transactions through mobile banking, e-gateway systems, mobile banking, the Government is establishing a state-of-the-art e-gateway systems at the State Bank of Pakistan at a cost of Rs.200 million. Technical training and handholding of the service delivery organisations shall also be undertaken through this project;
    ? Exemption from withholding tax on Cash Withdrawals by Branchless Banking Agents- exemptions on withholding tax will be given on withdrawal of cash from branchless banking;
    ? Pakistan Micro Finance Investment Company: The Government of Pakistan in 2016 launched Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company (PMIC) jointly with DFID and KFW to augment the availability of capital for Micro Finance institutions. It is estimated that this will lead to doubling of small loans;
    Federal government allocates Rs1,001 billion development budget
    Allocation increases over 37% from last year?s revised budget
    SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
    ? Establishment of Risk Management Facility
    ? Innovation Challenge Fund
    ? Secure Transaction for moveable property
    SALES TAX REFUND
    ? Sales tax refunds: All the pending sales tax refunds whose RPOs have been sanctioned by 30th April 2017 shall be paid in two parts. RPOs upto the value of Rs.1 million will be paid till 15 July, and the remaining RPOs will be paid till 14th August 2017






  17. Waqas Dar
    TAORMINA: Washington will not ease sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine and may even get tougher on Moscow, the White House said Friday, ending uncertainty over the US position on the thorny issue.
    "We are not lowering our sanctions on Russia," Gary Cohn, US President Donald Trump´s top economic advisor, told reporters at the G7 summit of leading industrialised nations in Sicily.
    "If anything we would probably look to get tougher on Russia."
    The EU and United States under then president Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Moscow over its 2014 annexation of Crimea and fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russia rebels.
    But it has been unclear whether Obama´s successor Donald Trump, who is under fire domestically over allegations that Russia meddled to aid his election campaign last year, would maintain these sanctions.
    Just Thursday evening, Cohn had said the United States did not yet "have a position" on the issue.
    The affirmation of the US stance came as US media reported that the FBI was looking into the activities of Trump´s son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner, as part of the probe into possible Russian interference -- drawing his family into the crisis.
    Trump son-in-law Kushner a focus in Russia probe: US media
    The activities of President Donald Trump´s son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner have come under FBI scrutiny as part of the probe of Russian interference in last year´s presidential election
    European Union President Donald Tusk had earlier called on G7 leaders to maintain Russia sanctions.
    "Since our last G7 summit in Japan, we haven´t seen anything that would justify a change in our sanctions policy towards Russia," Tusk, who coordinates policy for the EU´s 28 leaders, told reporters.
    "I will appeal to the other G7 leaders to reconfirm this policy," he added before the latest summit of seven leading industrialised nations kicked off in the town of Taormina, with Trump one of four leaders new to the G7 party.


  18. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to provide relief to common man by reducing taxes and duties on mobile phone and cellular services.

    The development came on Friday as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government unveiled its fifth and possibly last budget before general elections in 2018, earmarking a total of Rs4,757 billion in expenditures for the next fiscal year.

    The government reduced various taxes and duties on the heavily taxed mobile telephony, according to budget documents available with Geo News.
    The withholding income tax on cell phone calls has been decreased to 12.5% from 14% and the federal excise duty from 18.5% to 17%.
    With this, the provincial governments are also expected to cut the rate of sales tax on mobile telephony.
    In order to encourage use of smart phones, the government also reduced custom duty on cellular phones from Rs1000 to Rs650, the documents revealed.
    Moreover, import duty is also being reduced on mobile telecom products. However, the reduction has yet to be notified in this regard.


  19. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday described the federal budget for the fiscal year 2017-18 as very balanced and good, and said it would have sound impact on the country's economy.

    Talking to newsmen here after the presentation of federal budget in the National Assembly, he said special emphasis had been laid on the poor in the preparation of the budget, and they have been provided relief.
    He said appropriate funds have been allocated for various ongoing and proposed power generation projects to address the electricity crisis on a permanent basis.
    PML-N govt presents fifth budget with Rs5.1 trillion outlay
    Finance minister began speech after opposition leader's remarks criticising the government
    Budget 2017-18: Govt employees, pensioners get 10% increase
    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also announced 10% increase in the pension of retired employees, adding that ad-hoc allowance will also be given on basic salary of government employees








    Measures have also been proposed for the betterment of agriculture and growers, he added.

    To a question, the Prime Minister said, the next budget would also be presented by the PML-N government.
    Earlier, the Pakistan Muslim League ? Nawaz (PML-N) government presented its fifth and possibly last budget before general elections in 2018, earmarking a total of Rs 4,757 billion in expenditures for the next fiscal year.
    The GDP growth rate was 5.3% in the last fiscal year ? highest in ten years, he stated, adding that it is for the first time that Pakistan's economy has grown to over $300 billion. "This shows the strengthening of the economy," said the finance minister.


  20. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting led by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman announced that the Ramazan moon was not sighted anywhere in the country, therefore, Sunday would be the first day of the fasting month.
    Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted that there are very little chances of the moon being sighted today.
    ?Some areas of Pakistan were cloudy and some were clear. From any area of the country, no reliable testimony of moon sighting was received,? adding, ?Pakistan Meteorological Department and SUPARCO also gave us the same report.?
    Mufti Muneeb further informed that clerics from Hazara Division have also given the testimonies that they have not seen the moon.
    ?It is a consensus decision that the holy month of Ramzan will start from Sunday, May 28.?
    Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf states, and several other countries will be observing the first day of Ramazan from Saturday as the moon was not sighted there on Thursday night. 


  21. Waqas Dar
    The latest news about Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh does not come with glad tidings. The famous actor sustained an injury to his head on the sets of ?Padmavati? and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
    The actor, who is playing 'Allauddin Khilji' in Sanjay Leela Bhansali?s movie, was injured during the shoot of the climax scene of the movie.
    Ranveer, at first, took the wound lightly and remained engrossed in the shoot, it was after a while everyone noticed that he was hurt badly and bleeding profusely from the head.
    According to a close source, which was quoted by Indian Express, the actor received basic treatment at a hospital and came back to complete the scene.
    The actor is known for his steely commitment to his work. Earlier in 2015, he was wounded during the shoot of ?Baji Rao Mastani?. Ranveer bounced back from the injury quit quickly and did not let the matter hinder his work.


  22. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition in the Senate on Friday staged a token walkout in protest over torture of farmers in Islamabad, soon after Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented budget documents in the upper house.

    The farmers belonging to the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad gathered at Islamabad's D-Chowk on Friday afternoon to protest against the government for not providing them "due rights."
    The agitated peasants pelted stones at policemen, who had assembled to stop them from venturing further. Subsequently, the police used tear gas and water canon to disperse the protesters.
    The issue echoed in the Senate with opposition lawmakers staging a token walkout from the upper house, while presentation of budget documents by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Members of the opposition chanted 'Go Nawaz Go' as they walked out of the hall.
    They, however, returned to the house after a brief period.
    Speaking on the floor of Senate, Ishaq Dar said he felt disappointed with opposition's behaviour, adding, "This isn't mine or PML-N's budget. At least, this should not be politicised."
    "Previously, it was being said that Pakistan is heading towards bankruptcy, but now it is said that Pakistan would be one of major world economies in next 12 years," he said, urging that there should be no politics on economy and everyone should be united on it.
    He was responded to by Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani, who termed opposition's walkout a parliamentary tradition.
    Senator Taj Haider said today the farmers protesting in Islamabad were subjected to cruel treatment. Accusing the government of manhandling protesting kisans, Azam Swati vowed countrywide protests by his party (PTI) against torture of peasants.
    Senator Sirajul Haq lambasted the government saying that "it took their blood instead of giving them water". He demanded the government to apologise the farmers for its mistreatment of them.
    Senator Aajiz Dhamrah said the government, instead of terrorists, has been taking action against peasants.
    Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said nearly hundred peasants are currently detained and urged Leader of the House to facilitate their release.


  23. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League ? Nawaz (PML-N) government on Friday presented its fifth and possibly last budget before general elections in 2018, earmarking a total of Rs 4,757 billion in expenditures for the next fiscal year.
    "For the first time in Pakistan's history, an elected prime minister and finance minister are presenting their fifth budget. This shows the strengthening of democracy in the country," the minister said as he began presenting budget on the floor of the National Assembly.
    Pakistan was on the verge of defaulting in 2013 and the economy was declared unstable on the basis of macroeconomic indicators, recalled Dar.
    "Today, the country's foreign exchange reserves are adequate enough for four months of imports. The supply of gas has improved, and load shedding has been completely halted for the industries. Inshallah, load shedding will end for good come next year," he added.
    The finance minister claimed the PML-N government had turned the economy around since it came to power in 2013.
    "Today, reputable organisations like PricewaterhouseCoopers are saying that Pakistan will enter the G-20 group of nations in the near future," claimed Dar.
    The GDP growth rate was 5.3% in the outgoing fiscal year ? the highest in ten years, he stated, adding that it was for the first time that Pakistan's economy had grown to over $300 billion. "This shows the strengthening of the economy," said Dar.
    Govt to keep inflation under 6%, budget deficit at 4.1%
    Announcing details of the budget strategy, the finance minister said the government was aiming to keep inflations rate under six percent, and budget deficit at four percent.
    "The government followed a policy of fiscal consolidation because of which fiscal deficit reduced from 8.2% to the current year's 4.2%. This was achieved through higher revenue collection through improved administration and broadening of the tax base, undoing decades-old concessionary SRO and curtailing non-development expenditure of the government," said Dar.
    "In fiscal year 2012-13, FBR collection was Rs.1,946 billion. For the current year the target is Rs.3,521 billion. This represents a historic increase of 81% in the last 4 years with average annual growth of 20%.
    "Tax to GDP ratio, which was 10.1% in fiscal year 2012-13, is likely to increase to 13.2% this year," said Dar, adding the government was targeting tax to GDP ratio of 13.7% in the year 2017-18.
    He said the PML-N administration was targeting increase in real GDP growth to 6%, taking investment to GDP ratio to 17%, net public debt to GDP ratio below 60% of GDP, and keeping foreign exchange reserve levels adequate enough to cover a minimum of 4 months of imports.
    The foreign exchange reserves stand today at $16 billion, which come up to $21 billion after adding the bank reserves, he stated.
    Tax collection target for the upcoming fiscal year has been set at Rs3,521 billion, he added.
    Announcing further measures in the budget, the finance minister said the minimum wage for unskilled workers would be raised from Rs14,000 to Rs15,000.
    The minister said that Rs121 billion will be allocated for the Benazir Income Support Programme, which is three times its allocation in the 2013 budget.
    The minister said an investment of Rs97 billion is being undertaken in the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
    He also said that women will be given representation in listed companies as well as representation in boards of governors.
    The government is aiming to achieve a tax revenue target of Rs4,330 billion, with Rs4,013 billion in taxes collected by the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR), and Rs317 billion in other taxes. The non-tax revenue is targeted at Rs979.9 billion.
    On the expenses side, the government allocated Rs3,477 billion for ?current expenditure?, and Rs1,275 billion for development expenditure.
    The budgeted current expenditure includes Rs1,363 billion in interest payments, Rs248 billion in pensions, Rs920 billion for defence affairs and services, Rs430 billion for grants and transfers, Rs138 billion in subsidies, and Rs378.8 billion for the running of the government.
    Talking about the exports sector, which has showed a negative growth, the minister revealed that the customs duty on the export of raw hides has been suspended. He announced similar measures for stamping foil.
    The minister also informed the House that the present housing shortage in the country is one million, and increasing annually by 0.3 million units. He thus announced a 40% government guarantee on loans up to Rs10,000 from banks and other financial institutions for housing purposes.
    The sales tax on the commercial import of fabric will be set at 6%. 
    The minister also announced the setting up of an Information Technology Park in Islamabad in collaboration with South Korea. 
    Majority of population is under 20 years of age, thus our focus is on them, said the minister.
    An allocation of Rs49 billion has been made for the health sector. 
    Highlighting the energy sector reforms, Dar said 10,000MW will be added to the national grid by 2018. "Load shedding will be history," he claimed.
    The minister added that 15000MW will be added to the grid in later years. 
    An amount of Rs180 billion has been earmarked for CPEC-related development projects in the country. 
    The Karachi Operation which began on the premier's orders in 2013 has borne fruit, said the minister, adding that the nation is proud of the army for defeating the enemy after the government launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb in June 2014. "No army has sacrificed against terrorism as much as the Pakistan Army has," he stated.
    In recognition of these sacrifices, a special raise of 10% allowance apart from salaries will be provided for them, he declared. The minister also announced a special welfare package for the families of martyrs from the armed forces, police and other security agencies. 
    Moreover, an increase of 10% in the salaries of government employees and as much increase in pension of retired employees has been announced. 
    The minister also declared a decrease in the withholding tax for registration of vehicles for filers of tax returns. Registrations of 850cc vehicles will now cost Rs7,500, 1,000cc vehicles will now cost Rs15,000 and that of 1,300cc will cost Rs25,000. There has obviously been no decrease for non-filers, the minister commented. 

    Talking about the corporate tax, Dar said it has been brought down from 35% to 30% as promised by the government. 

    The minister also presented the proposal to raise the customs duty on electronic cigarettes from 3% to 20%.
    A raise in the regulatory duty on betel nut from 10% to 25% has been proposed along with a Rs200/kilogramme regulatory duty on the import of paan.
    The minister also presented a recommendation to end the 5% regulatory duty on the import of raw materials related to the poultry industry. He also informed of a reduction in customs duty in the poultry business from 11% to 3%. 
    Special persons will get a 2% job quota in listed companies as per the newly passed companies act, the minister announced. 
    The minister also proposed a uniform regulatory tax of 9% on the telecommunications sector and announced relief package on duty for electric cars.

    The budget of the Pakistan Baitul Maal is to be raised from Rs4 billion to Rs6 billion. 
    The government is also set to launch a scheme for the payment of HBFC loans for widows. The scheme is valid for widows who have not remarried.
    Session begins with ruckus 
    The assembly session formally started with prayers at the Parliament House around 4:45pm for the presentation of the federal budget.
    The National Assembly was already in session from May 23. 
    Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah addressing the Parliament before the budget speech After being allowed to address the House by the speaker, Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah referred to the incident in the capital?s Red Zone earlier in the day when farmers from various areas of Punjab gathered to protest the ?unfair? policies of the budget.
    Shah said that he was speaking on behalf of all opposition members and claimed that they intend to walk out in protest of the treatment meted out to the farmers.
    The opposition leader said that the farmers were only asking for their rights and should not have been shelled or baton-charged by the police.
    ?This is injustice to the most important class of the society, they fill our food basket,? he said.
    Shah further said that several ruling party members with a background in agriculture also do not agree with the government?s policies on agriculture but they are bound not to speak.
    ?What?s the difference between a democratic government and a dictatorship?? said Shah, adding that it is the tactic of authoritarian regimes to suppress voices demanding their rights.
    Economic survey

    Presenting the Economic Survey 2016-17 on Thursday, the finance minister had forecast a growth rate of 6% for the next fiscal year.
    According to government sources, the PML-N's fifth budget is expected to lend further focus towards improvement in economic growth, maintaining fiscal discipline, reducing on-development expenditures and boosting exports besides providing relief to the masses, promoting investment for job creation, treading the people's friendly policies for overarching socio-economic prosperity.
    The key focus in the budget would be on infrastructure and human resource development while the government is likely to enhance allocations for the social safety net for providing maximum relief to the vulnerable segment of the society, sources said.

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presenting the PML-N government's first budget in 2013. Photo: File/AFP
    It would also focus on social sector development and revenue enhancement measures, besides introducing reforms for improving governance and boosting private sector investment.

    On the revenue side, the government would introduce measures for bringing improvement in the system of tax collection, broadening the tax base, and facilitation to taxpayers, they said and argued that strong revenue generation will play a crucial role in achieving the targets for economic growth.
    From the growth perspective, the federal budget would focus on generating 6% gross domestic product growth (GDP), and for this purpose, the government would introduce some fiscal measures and policy initiatives.
    The National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on May 19, had already approved the GDP growth target at 6% for the financial year 2017-18 while the government achieved a GDP growth rate of 5.3% in the outgoing fiscal year.
    The NEC also approved country's consolidated development budget of Rs2.5 trillion for the upcoming financial year (2017-18), showing the highest-ever increase in the overall national outlay.
    This included Rs1,001 billion Federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), Rs1,112 billion provincial PSDP while Rs400 billion would be spent by various corporations from their own resources to carry out their development projects.
    The development financing for Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming PSDP has been enhanced from Rs12 billion to Rs22 billion, for Gilgit-Baltistan it has been increased from Rs9 billion to Rs12 billion, while an additional package of Rs3 billion for GB, hence taking the total funding to Rs15 billion for the region.
    Development funding for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas has also been increased from Rs21 billion to Rs24.5 billion.
    The social sector was given importance in the development budget, financing for which has been increased from Rs90 billion to Rs153 billion.
    In order to promote higher education and lead the country towards development, the budget for the Higher Education Commission(HEC) has been increased from Rs21 billion in 2016-17 to Rs35.5 billion in 2017-18. The government would announce growth targets for the upcoming fiscal year.
    According to official sources, the agriculture growth target would be fixed at 3.5%, manufacturing at 6.4%, services sector at 6.4%, while inflation would be curtailed at 6%.
    The investments are expected to go up from the current 15.8% to 17.2% percent, while exports are projected to reach $23.1 billion. 
    During the outgoing fiscal year, the agriculture sector posted a growth of 3.46%, large scale manufacturing grew by 5.06% compared to 4.64% last year, while the headline inflation consumer price index averaged at 4.1% during July-April 2017 against a target of 6%, showing that inflation will remain below the target.


  24. Waqas Dar
    Ambulances and medics outside Maghagha Hospital in Minya Province, Egypt in this screen grab take on May 26, 2017. REUTERS TV Gunmen attacked a group of Coptic Christians travelling to a monastery in southern Egypt on Friday, killing 28 people and wounding 25 others, and many children were among the victims, Health Ministry officials said.
    Eyewitnesses said masked men opened fire after stopping the Christians, who were travelling in a bus and other vehicles.
    Local television channels showed a bus apparently raked by gunfire and smeared with blood. Clothes and shoes could be seen lying in and around the bus.
    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan. It followed a series of church bombings claimed by Daesh.
    President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called a meeting of security officials, the state news agency said, and the cabinet said the attackers would not succeed in dividing the nation.
    Muslim leaders condemned the killings. The grand imam of al-Azhar, Egypt's 1,000-year-old centre of Islamic learning, said the attack was intended to destabilise the country.
    "I call on Egyptians to unite in the face of this brutal terrorism," Ahmed al-Tayeb said from Germany, where he was on a visit. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawki Allam, condemned the perpetrators as traitors.
    The Coptic church said it had received news of the killing of its "martyrs" with pain and sorrow.
    The attack took place on a road leading to the monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Minya province, which is home to a sizeable Christian minority. An Interior Ministry spokesman said the unidentified gunmen had arrived in three four-wheel-drive vehicles.
    Security forces launched a hunt for the attackers, setting up dozens of checkpoints and patrols on the desert road.
    Coptic Christians, whose church dates back nearly 2,000 years, make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 92 million.
    They say they have long suffered from persecution, but in recent months the frequency of deadly attacks against them has increased. About 70 have been killed since December in bombings claimed by Daesh at churches in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Tanta.
    A Daesh campaign of murders in North Sinai prompted hundreds of Christians to flee in February and March.
    Copts fear they will face the same fate as brethren in Iraq and Syria, where Christian communities have been decimated by wars and Daesh persecution.
    The government is fighting insurgents affiliated to Daesh who have killed hundreds of police and soldiers in the Sinai peninsula, while also carrying out attacks elsewhere in the country.


  25. Waqas Dar
    BEIRUT: Dozens of relatives of Daesh fighters were killed on Friday in new US-led strikes on Syria, just hours after the UN urged nations striking the militants to protect civilians.

    Bombing raids by the US-led coalition have pounded Daesh positions across Iraq and Syria since the militant group claimed responsibility for the devastating bombing of a concert in Manchester on Monday.
    Scores of civilians, many of them families of Daesh members, have been killed in bombing raids in recent days on the eastern Syrian town of Mayadeen, held by Daesh since 2014.
    Early Friday, at least 80 relatives of Daesh fighters were killed in US-led coalition bombardment, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
    "The toll includes 33 children. They were families seeking refuge in the town?s municipal building," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
    "This is the highest toll for relatives of IS (Daesh) members in Syria," he told AFP.
    Coalition strikes on the town killed 37 civilians on Thursday night after 15 had been killed on Wednesday, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
    The US military on Friday confirmed that it had struck "near Mayadeen" on May 25 and 26, but said it was "still assessing the results of those strikes", according to Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon.
    The US military insists that it takes every precaution to avoid hitting civilians, but the United Nations on Friday urged parties bombing Daesh to do more.
    Army seizes strategic route
    UN human rights chief Zeid Ra?ad Al Hussein said "all states" whose air forces are active in the anti-Daesh missions needed "to take much greater care to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilians".
    The Observatory gathered its information from civilian and medical sources on the ground in Daesh-held Mayadeen.
    The town has seen an influx of displaced families from Daesh-held territory in Iraq and Syria, including its bastion Raqa.
    It is in Syria?s oil-rich east near the border with Iraq -- a region considered a prize by many of Daesh?s enemies including the Syrian army.
    Troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been waging a multi-pronged offensive east to reach the strategic border territory.
    They scored a key victory this week by linking the capital Damascus to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Palmyra in central Syria.
    It was the first time the government was in full control of the Damascus-Palmyra highway since 2014, according to Abdel Rahman.
    With backing from Russian air strikes, regime fighters "pushed IS fighters out of desert territory amounting to more than 1,000 square kilometres (390 square miles)," he said on Friday.
    A decades-old ally of Damascus, Moscow has been carrying out air strikes in support of Assad?s troops since September 2015 -- a year after the American-led coalition began targeting Daesh in Syria.
    The coalition is now backing twin ground offensives against Daesh?s last main bastion cities -- Raqa in northern Syria and Mosul in neighbouring Iraq.
    ?Annihilate? Daesh
    The 68-member coalition began bombing Daesh in Iraq in the summer of 2014, and expanded operations to Syria on September 23 that year.
    On Thursday, a Pentagon investigation concluded that at least 105 civilians died in an anti-militant air strike on an Daesh weapons cache in Mosul in March.
    Before the new revelation, the US military had said coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria had "unintentionally" killed 352 civilians since 2014.
    Rights groups put the number much higher, and the Observatory this week reported the highest monthly civilian death toll for the coalition?s operations in Syria.
    It said between April 23 and May 23, coalition strikes killed 225 civilians in Syria, including dozens of children.
    Reports of civilian casualties in the air campaign have swelled in recent days.
    On May 20, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said US President Donald Trump had instructed the Pentagon to "annihilate" Daesh in Syria in a bid to prevent escaped foreign fighters from returning home.
    The president has "directed a tactical shift from shoving Daesh out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate Daesh," Mattis said.
    But the Pentagon has denied that its rules of engagement have changed and insists that the coalition continues to strike only "military-appropriate targets".


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