Daily News Pakistan

Nato has started the withdrawal of its mission from Afghanistan following a decision by President Joe Biden to bring US forces home, an alliance official said on Thursday. “Nato Allies decided in mid-April to start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1 and this withdrawal has begun. This will be an orderly, coordinated, and deliberate process,” a Nato official said. Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington’s longest war. The decision — which delayed by several months a deadline agreed by former US leader Donald Trump — came despite fears it could allow the Taliban to regain power in the country. The Nato official said the safety of the alliance’s troops “will be a top priority every step of the way, and we are taking all necessary measures to keep our personnel from harm”. “Any Taliban attacks during the withdrawal will be met with a forceful response....

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Friday that Pakistan has so far managed to cope with the increase in critical care Covid-19 patients by proactively building the capacity of the entire system. In a series of tweets, the federal minister said that the total number of critical care patients who were being provided oxygen had reached 5,360 on Thursday. "This is a 57 per cent more than the peak in June 2020," he said, adding that so far this increase had been handled due to "proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds". "Total oxygen production operational capacity in Pakistan last year was 487 tonnes per day. It has been increased to 798 tonnes," said Umar, adding that actual production had increased from 465 tonnes last June to 725 tonnes currently. "We also imported 19,200 oxygen cylinders last year to ensure distribution." He stated that because of th...

The Interior Ministry has decided to form a three-member committee to review the ban placed on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). A high-level meeting was held by the Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed to review the TLP ban. During the meeting, the appeal filed by the banned outfit was also discussed. Rasheed decided to form a three-member committee which would comprise two joint secretaries as well, to review the ban. Earlier this month, the government decided to impose a ban on the the banned organisation under the anti-terrorism law. The interior minister had said the decision was taken at the Punjab government's request. "We are forwarding a summary to the federal cabinet to impose a ban on the TLP," Rasheed had said in Islamabad, as protests were held across various cities of the country. Protests by the proscribed organisation caused problems for the masses earlier this month in many cities of the country and have claimed the lives of three people, includin...

The PPP has secured victory in the NA-249 by-election held on Thursday in the city's District West, with unofficial, provisional results showing a close contest between the PML-N and PPP in the final count. PPP's Abdul Qadir Mandokhel bagged 16,156 votes to win the seat, followed by PML-N's Miftah Ismail who secured 15,473, unofficial results from polling stations showed. While Nazir Ahmed of outlawed TLP trailed on the third position by receiving 11,125 votes. PSP's Mustafa Kamal could acquire only 9,227 votes, followed by PTI's Amjad Afridi with 8,922 votes and MQM-P's Muhammed Mursaleen with 7,511 votes. Both parties had claimed victory for their candidates mid-way into counting, capturing the attention of audiences awaiting results. The PML-N pulled no punches in blaming the PPP for attempting to rig the result, saying they would not accept the result without challenging the Election Commission. After the final count was announced, the PML-N's Mar...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced a five-year mega development package of Rs 370 billion for Gilgit-Baltistan during his day-long visit to the region. Announcing the main features of the development package at a ceremony in Gilgit on Friday, the prime minister said it is the first time that such a huge amount will be used for the development of this picturesque and strategically located region. The uplift package consisted of hydel projects, new roads and Babusar Tunnel, scholarships and skills training for the youth of the region, upgradation of health and education facilities, water and sanitation schemes, promotion of SMEs and expansion of airports, particularly the Skardu Airport, to cater to international flights. He said the PTI-led government will also support the development of small and medium enterprises in the area besides focusing on the expansion of its infrastructure. He said efforts will also be made to enable Gilgit Airport to host international flight...

Pakistan has registered 131 more COVID deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide tally of fatalities to 17,811,reported on Friday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 5,112 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 for the same period, pushing the number of positive cases to 820,823. Pakistan has conducted 49,099 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 5,112 persons were tested positive for the disease. Overall 11,788,126 tests have been conducted so far to detect the deadly virus. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 10.41 percent during the last 24 hours. The recovery of the COVID patients is on the rise as many as 711,465have regained their health from a pandemic, with 3,272 people in the past 24 hours, while 5,360 patients are still battling for their lives at the country’s various hospitals. On Wednesday, Pakistan-made ventilators were approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the fe...

As US President Joie Biden shared his ambitious agenda to Congress, his real test begins now of convincing Republicans, in a polarised political arena, to support his plan of remaking America. The 78-year-old had been seeking the highest office in the land for nearly four decades. Now that he has it, Biden has unveiled a series of massive spending programs — on jobs creation, infrastructure, and family-centered programs like child care and student aid — that would make even the most passionate progressive blush. "Trickle down economics has never worked, and it's time to grow the economy from the bottom and the middle out," he told a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, drawing an ovation from his fellow Democrats. And while he presented an outstretched hand of bipartisanship to Republicans — "Let's get to work" together, he invited them — his vision of broad cooperation between the two parties seems far removed from today's reality of a sh...

Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in Pakistan would be observed from May 10-15, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said Thursday. "Announcement of Eid Holidays from 10-15 May 2021 — clearly stating intention of reducing national mobility," the statement from the NCOC said. NCOC, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, also announced comprehensive guidelines by the name of "STAY HOME-STAY SAFE — Eid-ul-Fitr-2021 from 8-16 May 2021". The NCOC has also imposed a ban on chand raat bazaars, including mehendi, jewelry, and clothing stalls — from 8-16 May. Earlier, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had announced that it will not be issuing new notes on Edi ul Fitr this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Like last year, we will not be issuing new banknotes on Eid ul Fitr due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the SBP in a statement. Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio jumped to 9.6% today after the country reported over 5,000 new infecti...

Polling for the by-election for National Assembly constituency NA-249- Karachi West-II concluded on Thursday as results have started to pour in. The polling started at 8 am and continued till 5 pm without any break. Sindh government has announced a public holiday, today (Thursday) in NA-249 Karachi constituency due to a by-election. Amjad Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Miftah Ismail of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Qadir Khan Madokhel of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Mustafa Kamal of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), and Mohammad Mursaleen of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) are among the 30 candidates taking part in the election in the constituency. The number of registered voters in the constituency is 339,591 out of which 201,656 are male and 137,935 are female voters who will exercise their right of the vote today. The NA-249 seat had fallen vacant after Faisal Vawda of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) resigned from the National Assembly for his ...

Pakistan has reported 151 more COVID deaths in a single day, pushing the nationwide tally of fatalities to 17,680,reported on Thursday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 5,480 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 for the same period, pushing the number of positive cases to 815,711. Pakistan has conducted 57,013 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 5, 480 persons were tested positive for the disease. Overall 11,739,027 tests have been conducted so far to detect the deadly virus. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 9.61 percent during the last 24 hours. The recovery of the COVID patients is on the rise as many as 708,193 have regained their health from a pandemic, with 3,699 people in the past 24 hours, while 5,263 patients are still battling for their lives at the country’s various hospitals. On Wednesday, Pakistan-made ventilators were approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the federa...

President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday will take place in a U.S. Capitol on high alert, with memories fresh of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the building by supporters of his predecessor, Donald Trump. The crowd inside the Capitol will be a fraction of the hundreds of members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, top government officials and guests who typically attend, to allow for more social distancing in a COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 572,000 Americans. But security will be higher than usual, even for what is officially designated a “National Special Security Event,” with the Secret Service in charge of security. “The Secret Service and all law enforcement and public safety partners have worked hard collectively in preparation to secure this significant event,” said a Secret Service representative, adding that “every security contingency is accounted for.” U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said s...

Prime Minister Imran Khan has underscored the importance of equitable, timely, and scaled delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries. In a telephonic conversation with co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, he commended the Gates Foundation's strong advocacy to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The Prime Minister and Bill Gates exchanged views on the latest status of the COVID-19 pandemic, polio eradication campaign, health and development issues, and climate change. They agreed on the importance of urgently stopping the spread of COVID-19, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases in Pakistan. PM Khan reaffirmed that eradication of polio remained a key priority of the government and efforts were underway to intensify the anti-polio campaign across the country despite COVID-19 related challenges. He affirmed his commitment to strengthening efforts nationwide to achieve a polio-free Pakistan. The premier expressed appreciati...

The Sindh cabinet in its around five-hour-long sitting on Tuesday approved the Water Act, devolution of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to divisional level, ratified Pak Army requirement in support of civil administration, upgraded posts of town officers from BS-11 to BS-16 and approved Rs1 million compensation to the heirs of the government employees who had died of Covid-19. The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at CM House. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisers, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah and other secretaries. The local government department presented the Sindh Water Act to establish the Sindh Water Resource Commission to be headed by the chief minister while the chief secretary would be its vice chairman. Other members would include ministers for finance, irrigation, environment, public health engineering, agriculture, industries, LG, forest, health; planning and development secretary an...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that no other government had spent as much money on Balochistan's development as the PTI did, sharing that road projects of 3,300 kilometres were initiated during his tenure. He made the comments while addressing a ceremony in Quetta on a one-day visit to the city. The prime minister also performed the groundbreaking for various projects in Quetta, including 22-km dualisation of Quetta Western Bypass (N-25) and the construction of an 11-km Dera Murad Jamali Bypass (N-65), according to a report by Radio Pakistan. He also distributed cheques under the Kamyab Jawan Programme. "I want to say with happiness that we have initiated several projects," Prime Minister Imran said. "In 15 years, [past governments] started projects on 1,100 kilometres, in our tenure we have [covered] 3,300 km." He said that political parties did not need Balochistan to win the elections which was why the province was neglected. "This was...

Pakistan has reported 201 more COVID deaths, the highest number in a single day since the pandemic break out in the country, in the last 24 hours,reported on Wednesday. With the inclusion of 201 more deaths, the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 17,530. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 5,292 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 for the same period, pushing the number of positive cases to 810,231.  Pakistan has conducted 49,101 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 5,292 persons were tested positive for the disease. Overall  11,682,014 tests have been conducted so far to detect the deadly virus. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 10.77 percent during the last 24 hours. As many as  704,494 have regained their health from the COVID-19, while  5,214 patients are still battling for their lives at the country’s various hospitals.  On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Education Sha...

The Ministry of Interior announced fresh restrictions across the country on Tuesday, which includes a complete ban on tourism from May 8-16. A meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was held today (Tuesday) where important decisions were taken by the body. A press release issued by the ministry announced that the NCOC had decided to ban tourism from May 8-16. "Closure of tourist resorts, public parks and hotels in / around tourist spots to remain closed," read the press release. The NCOC announced a ban on inter-provincial and inter-city transport will also remain during the Eid holidays however, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will be allowed to travel back to their areas during the holidays. The interior ministry said all tourist resorts, public parks, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and transport will also remain closed for the public. "Travel nodes leading to tourist spots [will also remain] closed; focus on [the areas of] Murree, Galiy...