Following the acquisition of an additional Hajj quota, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf stated on Sunday that the government is actively engaged in efforts to facilitate the travel of the maximum possible number of pilgrims to fulfill this sacred religious obligation. His statement came a few days after the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony announced that a total of 23,620 pilgrims from Pakistan will be able to perform Hajj in 2025 under the Private Hajj Scheme, while the fate of the remaining 67,000 applicants remains uncertain. Speaking on Geo News’ program ‘Naya Pakistan’ today, the…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Differences have surfaced within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) internal accountability committee regarding an inquiry into corruption allegations leveled against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, as reported by The News. According to sources, a disagreement has emerged between committee members Brigadier (retd) Musaddiq Abbasi and senior lawyer Qazi Anwar concerning the findings of the investigation. The division reportedly deepened after Anwar shared the committee’s investigation report with senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja. The remaining members viewed this action as a breach of the committee’s code of conduct. “The report was intended solely for submission to the PTI founder,” stated…
A devastating road accident in Saudi Arabia has claimed the lives of five Pakistani Umrah pilgrims, including three women, after their bus crashed while returning from a visit to the historic site of Badr on their way to Madina. Initial reports indicate that the deceased, as well as the majority of the pilgrims on the bus, hailed from the Bahawalnagar district. The victims include Rukhsana Bibi and Amina Bibi from 228/9-R, Fort Abbas, two women from Dahran Wala, and an elderly man, Manzoor Hussain, from 39/3-R. The accident resulted in injuries to several other pilgrims, who have been transferred to…
Karachi is likely to experience continued hot and humid weather over the next 24 hours as the port city remains gripped by a heatwave, the Meteorological Department announced on Monday. The weather office further informed that the urban metropolis is expected to see a maximum temperature ranging from 39 to 41 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature recorded was 25 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the Met office reported that the humidity level in the air is currently at 46%, with hot and dry winds blowing from the northwest at a speed of four kilometers per hour. It is important to note…
In a significant overhaul aimed at enhancing the performance of the nation’s civil services, a novel performance management scheme has been introduced within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for both Customs and Inland Revenue. This initiative will be extended to encompass all services and cadres of the Central Superior Services, replacing the current flawed and easily manipulated Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs) system. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given his approval to this scheme, which, within the FBR, has already reduced the previous assessment of 98% of Customs and Inland Revenue Service (also known as the Income Tax Group) officers…
The relentless surge of dangerous heavy vehicle traffic claimed another victim on Monday when a water tanker struck and killed a motorcyclist in Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s Block 6, according to rescue officials. The deceased has been identified as Karimullah. This tragic incident marks the third fatality in Karachi within the last 24 hours due to road accidents. The other two occurred in Korangi, where a vehicle struck and killed a motorcyclist, and in Shah Faisal Colony No 2, where another motorcyclist died after a fall. This latest death adds to the growing tally of fatal road accidents involving heavy vehicles in the…
On Monday, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) inked several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation across various sectors, encompassing culture, trade, and consular affairs. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, formalized an MoU between the UAE Ministry of Culture and Pakistan’s Culture Division to enhance collaboration within the cultural domain. In a similar vein, the two high-ranking officials also signed an MoU to establish a joint committee dedicated to consular issues. Concurrently, both sides witnessed the exchange of a signed MoU between…
https://youtu.be/Am2viHOb8WE?si=4XGsAVsO6JxYsA09 CECS Hosts Annual Interfaith Dinner in DallasUS Ambassador Marc Stanley attends as Chief Guest. By: Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada Dallas: The Center of Excellence for Community Services (CECS) hosted its third annual Interfaith Dinner, bringing together dignitaries and representatives from diverse religions and ethnicities to promote unity, mutual respect, and cooperation. The chief guest at the event was former US Ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, who shared insights from his diplomatic experience. He noted that during his time as ambassador, he hosted annual Iftar dinners with ambassadors from Muslim-majority countries, creating a bridge between civilizations. “The conversations held over…
A national day of action against President Donald Trump and his administration has united an outpouring of protesters across the country who are rallying in defiance of what they describe as a relentless assault on democratic institutions and civil liberties. Over 80 protests were held at state capitols, courthouses and city halls in several states as part of the “50501” demonstrations – short for 50 protests, 50 states, one movement – condemning what they describe as Trump’s executive overreach, including deportations without due process, the dismantling of federal agencies and threats to higher education. In addition to rallies, Saturday’s day…
A 20-year-old Florida State University student and son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy is accused of killing two people and wounding five others on campus with a handgun that belonged to his mother. The tragedy on the university’s campus in Tallahassee on Thursday occurred just over a year after the father and mother of a teenager who killed four students in a 2021 school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison – the first parents to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child. In Michigan, prosecutors…
