GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan has expressed concern over extraordinary delays and frequent cancellations of PIA flights to the region, particularly during peak tourism season. In a letter sent to federal Minister for Aviation Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday, the GB CM criticised PIA for its erratic flight schedule to Gilgit and Skardu airports, terming it irresponsible behaviour and demanding that the minister ensure regular flights to both airports. “These cancellations have not only caused significant inconvenience to the residents and visitors of the region but also severely impacted the ability of the Gilgit-Baltistan government to meet its…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Finance Shoaib Nosherwani said on Saturday that the provincial government has presented a balanced budget, accommodated all sectors, and initiated flagship projects aimed at equitable growth across the province. Addressing a post-budget press conference in Quetta with Planning and Development Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Mr Nosherwani emphasised that the government had prioritised health, education, irrigation, climate change, and law and order. Mr Nosherwani dismissed claims that Rs99 billion in development funds were lost due to non-utilisation. “These funds were never authorised or released,” he clarified. He said delays in project completion and legal disputes had hindered…
ISLAMABAD: PTI parliamentarians marched from the National Assembly to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office on Saturday, criticising the election body for allegedly failing to conduct free and fair elections and calling for the resignations of the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECP officials. Speaking to the media, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, asserted that the ECP had only one job: to hold free and fair elections, a task he claimed the body had failed to fulfil. “We demand that the CEC and other members resign as they have even failed to utilise the…
ATHENS: Fireworks launched from a yacht set off a new wildfire on an island near Athens as the country confronts a new season of deadly summer fires, authorities said. The mayor of the island of Hydra expressed “outrage” after the fire was started late on Friday and vowed legal action against those responsible. Dozens of wildfires this week have left at least one dead already. The latest blaze was “caused by fireworks launched from a boat and burned the only pine forest on the island in a place that is difficult to access and has no road,” Hydra’s firefighting team…
LOWER DIR: Casualties are feared on both sides as militants from Afghanistan reportedly attacked Frontier Corps (FC) personnel at multiple locations at the Pak-Afghan border in Maidan area of Lower Dir district on Saturday, as per unconfirmed reports. According to local residents and official sources, there were reports of militants’ infiltration from the Afghan side via the Shahi border area at Lamotai Top, Suripao and Safarai forest. However, the reports were yet to be confirmed by Inter Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing. On getting information about the alleged infiltration, troops of the paramilitary force, FC, led by Captain…
KARACHI: Expressing serious concerns over 25 per cent disallowance of sales promotion and advertisement expenses, as proposed in the new budget, the media industry has said that consequences of decline in their businesses would mean unemployment due to expected closure of small channels and newspapers, and its eventual negative impact on the community. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) wrote separate letters to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb seeking withdrawal of the proposed amendment. The APNS said, “It is pertinent to note that our effective tax is already the highest in the region and…
QUETTA: Security forces have failed to find the 10 people who had been kidnapped from a picnic spot in Harnai a few days ago. In all, 14 picnickers were abducted by armed militants after separating them from a crowd after checking identity cards at Shaban picnic point in Zarghoon Ghar area of Harnai district. According to Levies Force personnel, the armed men had taken positions on the nearby hills before the kidnapping. However, they freed four persons in the mountainous area and later abandoned their vehicle. Among those kidnapped were Mohammad Hamza and Mohammad Haris, both hailing from Multan; four brothers namely…
KARACHI: Multinational companies have warned that the government move in the budget 2024-25, which proposed 25 per cent disallowance of sales promotion and advertisement expenses, could further weaken the investors’ interest and undermine efforts to attract foreign direct investment. In a letter to the Pakistan Broadcasters Association, the American Business Council (ABC), a platform of multinational companies and US businesses operating in Pakistan, voiced serious concerns over this proposal. It said that “specifically, we are concerned about the 25 per cent disallowance of sales promotion and advertisement expenses where the taxpayer has claimed royalty expenses under arrangements with associated concerns on…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan earned US $2.593 billion by providing different Information Technology (IT) services to various countries during the first ten months of the current fiscal year 2023-24. This shows a growth of 20.41 per cent as compared with the US $2.135 billion earned through the provision of services during the corresponding months of the last fiscal year 2022-23, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported. During the months under review, the export grew by 24.55 per cent as it surged from US $1.729 billion last year to US $2.153 billion during July-April 2023-24. Among the computer services, the exports of…
LAHORE: The fate of Green Shirts after their dismal performance in the T20 World Cup rests on the report by head coach Gary Kirsten as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will make decisions regarding their central contracts in light of it. Moreover, the cricket body will also review senior manager Wahab Riaz’s report before making final decisions about the players’ central contracts. This comprehensive review process has delayed the board’s announcement of any definitive actions. One of the major considerations is the potential decision to drop certain players from the next series and make modifications to the central contracts. Earlier, it was reported…
