South Africa edged the West Indies by three wickets in a rain-affected Super Eights match on Sunday to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals and eliminate the hosts. Chasing a revised 123 off 17 overs, South Africa stuttered to 110-7 as Roston Chase took three wickets, but they reached their target when Marco Jansen hit the first ball of the final over for six. Man of the match Tabraiz Shamsi took 3-27 after South Africa won the toss and restricted the West Indies to 135-8 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. All-rounder Chase top scored with 52, featuring…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
The federal government has allocated Rs5 billion for the Kissan package for the next fiscal year starting July 1. The amount is equal to a little over the two-day expense of running the civil government (for which the government has projected a Rs839bn expense for FY25, bringing the daily expense to about 2.36bn). This federal fund for agriculture will be used through a markup and risk-sharing scheme — designed in 2022 — that will offer subsidised loans to farmers for the purchase of agricultural machinery. When talking about provincial budgets, Punjab and Sindh have allocated Rs117.2bn and Rs30.7bn to the…
At the last meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC), the highest decision-making body of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in May, Pakistan requested Beijing to begin construction work on electricity generation projects and propose infrastructure schemes, like the Mainline-I railway project, for Chinese financing. The generation projects, according to Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, include two hydropower schemes — Azad Pattan and Kohala — and an imported coal-based project at Gwadar. The projects are estimated to cost $4.5 billion and produce 2,100 megawatts of electricity. “We have agreed to perform the ground-breaking ceremony of these energy projects this year,” Mr Iqbal told a press…
Setting aside their worries, Pakistanis engaged in qurbani (sacrifice) and Eid festivities this year as best as they could. However, market sources confirm that the level of activity was noticeably affected by the sluggish economic situation. Despite the rush at parks and picnic spots, Eidul Azha was relatively quiet this year. This occurred despite the generous inflow of funds from expatriates, who typically reaffirm familial bonds during the holy festival by supporting needy relatives and fulfilling their sacrificial obligations back home. Pakistan received a record of $3.2 billion in remittances in May, the month preceding Eid. Currency dealers expect June inflows to surpass this mark. In…
Economic activity and consumer spending during the festive season of Eidul Azha can be deemed a barometer for the overall health of the economy. Higher household incomes generally lead to higher spending during the season, and vice versa. Since almost all spending during the festive season is purely cash-based, it is difficult to fairly estimate the size of spending during the weeks leading up to Eidul Azha. The Pakistan Tanneries Association (PTA) does provide an estimated number of animals slaughtered during the season, providing a supply-side estimate. The PTA is able to collate these numbers based on the number of animal hides…
In the social democracies of Europe, people file tax returns on time and pay the correct amount of taxes voluntarily because they are eligible, in return, for palpable benefits. For good governance and positive outcomes, rights must be linked with responsibilities. In Pakistan, the situation is altogether different. “Prime facie,” notes an analyst, “the government is defaulting on all aspects of the relationship between the state and citizens.” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb says that the social contract between the taxpayers and the state needs to be corrected, in which the taxpayers trust the system and get rewards and services for…
RAWALPINDI: The Ministry of Aviation has finalised a fresh framework to register drones and unmanned aircraft, but the draft rules developed for the purpose have left stakeholders and experts skeptical, as they believe the ‘vague’ nature of the proposed regulations would throttle the general use of such aerial equipment. The draft rules, titled ‘Civil Unmanned Aircraft Rules, 2024’, are set to be presented before the federal cabinet for approval, a senior official from the Aviation Division told Dawn. He claimed that after the completion of necessary stakeholder consultations, the draft is ready for cabinet review. The draft policy aims to regulate…
QUETTA: Like other parts of the country, protest demonstrations and rallies were also held in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan on Sunday on the call of Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman against the massive increase in electricity rates and loadshedding. JI workers and supporters marched on various roads and reached outside the Quetta Press Club. They chanted slogans against the government. Speaking at the gathering, JI district leader Hafiz Noor Ali along with Abdul Majid Sarbazi, Arshad Khan and other leaders demanded an immediate reduction in loadshedding hours and power tariff. They urged the government to exempt Balochistan from…
QUETTA: Balochistan MPA Mir Asadullah Baloch has accused the provincial government of excluding Rs8 billion worth of development schemes that he had proposed for the Panjgur district from the budget. In a press conference on Sunday, Mr Baloch, also the president of the Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A), warned that the party would decide its next steps in consultation with his constituents. “If they want to distance us from parliamentary politics through such unjust actions, let us be clear that we will chart a different course of action after consulting our people,” he stated. He described the removal of Panjgur district’s…
ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued an alert for flood and landslide as heavy and light rains are expected in different parts of the country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, in the first week of July. As per the NDMA forecast, moderate to heavy rains may increase water flows in nullahs, streams, and rivers, causing flash flooding in low-lying areas. The monsoon rains may trigger hill torrents in areas of Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur along with Suleman and Kirthar mountain ranges. There is also a possibility of urban flooding in major cities. The…
