Huge coal reserve discovered in Thar

In a major development, massive three billion tonne coal deposits were discovered in Sindh's Thar, the Sindh government announced on Monday. The discovery was made during the exploitation at Thar Coal Field Block 1.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while expressing his pleasure over the ‘good news’, said in a statement that they used to say that Thar will change the fortunes of Pakistan and that slogan is now becoming a reality.

"After digging 145 metres in Block 1 this morning, coal was discovered. It is the second such major achievement of the Sindh government," he added.

CM Sindh said that the discovered reserves were equivalent to five billion barrels of crude oil.

Meanwhile, Provincial Minister for Energy Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh, while congratulating the nation, said that the annual production of coal will be 9 billion tonnes in the first phase.

He said that the discovery will help Pakistan tackle its energy needs, adding that it will benefit the national treasury by billions of dollars.

The minister also conveyed good wishes for the Pakistani team and Chinese experts working on the project.

UN chief appreciates Pakistan, Iran’s generosity towards Afghans

Pakistan and Iran have shown unforgettable generosity in hosting millions of Afghans, says UN Secretary General António Guterres while reminding the rest of the world to come forward and help Afghanistan.

“I will never forget the generosity of countries like Pakistan and Iran, which — for decades — have hosted millions of Afghans in need,” the UN chief said at a Security Council debate on Afghanistan earlier this week.

“At this moment, we need the global community — and this Council — to put their hands on the wheel of progress, provide resources, and prevent Afghanistan from spiraling any further,” he added.

Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, told the participants that his country was “doing all it can to help our Afghan brothers and sisters”.

“We continue to care for nearly 4 million Afghan refugees, until they are able to return to their homes,” said the Pakistani envoy while reminding the world that humanitarian assistance alone could not revive the Afghan economy.

“Above all, it is vital to unfreeze Afgha­nistan’s reserves. There is no legal justification for depriving the Afghan people of their national assets,” he said.

Soon after the Aug 15 Taliban takeover of Kabul, the United States froze nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank and stopped shipments of cash to the nation to prevent the regime from accessing the money.

In December, the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation met in Islamabad and resolved to work with the United Nations to get the frozen assets unlocked.

“This money is critically needed to sustain and stabilise and revive the Afghan economy and to save millions of lives of poor and hungry Afghan children, women and men,” Ambassador Akram said. “This would be the most effective and generous display of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.”

The UN chief also addressed this issue in his speech, underlining the need to “jump-start” Afghanistan’s economy through increased liquidity. “We must pull the economy back from the brink. This means finding ways to free-up frozen currency reserves and re-engage Afghanistan’s Central Bank,” he said.

Mr Guterres suggested suspending the rules and conditions that constrict not only Afghanistan’s economy, but the United Nations’ life saving operations as well.

“At this moment of maximum need, these rules must be seriously reviewed. Inter­national funding must be allowed to pay the salaries of public-sector workers,” he said, adding that the Afghan economy was enduring a bitter winter of its own.

The UN chief warned that the Afghan currency could go into freefall, and the country could lose 30 per cent of its GDP within the year.

This point was also noted at a Jan 24 meeting of special envoys of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States in Oslo. Taliban representatives also attended the meeting.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the US and its European allies said that their governments were expanding relief operations, helping prevent the collapse of social services and “supporting the revival of Afghanistan’s economy.”

The statement said that the participants of the Jan. 24 meeting noted “the importance of increasing cash liquidity and support to the banking sector in order to help stabilize the Afghan economy.”

But this would require the Taliban to develop a transparent, and sound strategy to restore confidence in Afghanistan’s financial sector.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau tests positive for coronavirus

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday he had tested positive for COVID-19 but was feeling fine and would continue to work remotely while following public health guidelines.

Trudeau went into isolation last week after one of his children tested positive but at the time a rapid test for him came back negative, he told the Canadian Press.

"This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. I'm feeling fine – and I'll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines," tweeted Trudeau, who will not be able to be in Parliament later on Monday when it reopens after a winter break. He intends to attend remotely.

Trudeau, 50, went into isolation for two weeks in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic after his wife, Sophie, tested positive for COVID-19.

Several Canadian cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, have also come down with COVID-19 in the last few months.

Other Western world leaders who have contracted the coronavirus in the past include former US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who both fell sick in 2020.

COAS, EU envoy discuss Afghanistan situation

Ambassador of European Union (EU) Androulla Kaminara called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Monday, the military said in a statement.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including the current Afghanistan situation and bilateral cooperation with the EU were discussed during the meeting.

The military’s media wing said that the visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation and its efforts for regional stability and pledged to play her role for further improvements in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

On January 24, Ambassador of Morocco to Pakistan Mohamed Karmoune called on the army chief at GHQ in Rawalpindi today. During the meeting, ISPR said, matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence, security cooperation and regional security situation including Afghanistan were discussed.

The COAS said that Pakistan valued its relations with Morocco. "We earnestly look forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interests," he was quoted by the ISPR as saying.

Earlier this month, the COAS said that the international community's assistance to Afghanistan in averting humanitarian crises is imperative for regional peace and stability.

He made these remarks in a meeting with British High Commissioner Christian Turner, who called on him at GHQ. The British envoy appreciated Pakistan's efforts for regional peace particularly in the Afghan situation.

Afghan Taliban to reopen public universities, no word on female students

Afghanistan's public universities, closed since the Taliban seized power in August, will reopen in February, the Taliban acting higher education minister said on Sunday, without specifying whether female students would be able to return.

Universities in warmer provinces will reopen from Feb 2, while those in colder areas would reopen on Feb 26, the minister, Shaikh Abdul Baqi Haqqani, told a news conference in Kabul.

He did not say what arrangements if any would be made for female students. In the past, Taliban officials have suggested that women could be taught in separate classes.

So far, the Taliban government has reopened high schools for boys only in most parts of the country. Some private universities have reopened, but in many cases, female students have not been able to return to class.

On January 15, Zabihullah Mujahid, who is also the Taliban’s deputy minister of culture and information, had said their education departments were looking to open classrooms for all girls and women following the Afghan New Year, which starts on March 21.

“We are not against education,” Mujahid had stressed, speaking at a Kabul office building in an interview with The Associated Press.

However, a day later Taliban forces had fired pepper spray at a group of women protesters in Afghanistan's capital demanding rights to work and education. Around 20 women had gathered in front of Kabul University, chanting “equality and justice” and carrying banners that read “Women's rights, human rights”, an AFP correspondent had reported.

Western governments have made education for female students a part of their demands as the Taliban seek more foreign aid and the unfreezing of overseas assets.

The hardline group took over the country on August 15 as foreign forces withdrew.

UN report claims Taliban have killed over 100 ex-Afghan govt officials, others since takeover

A United Nations report seen Sunday says the Taliban and its allies allegedly killed more than 100 former Afghan government members, security personnel and people who worked with international forces.

The report, an advance copy of which was seen by AFP, describes severe curtailing of human rights by Afghanistan's new fundamentalist rulers. In addition to the political killings, women's rights and the right to protest have also been curbed.

“Despite announcements of general amnesties for former members of the Government, security forces and those who worked with international military forces, UNAMA continued to receive credible allegations of killings, enforced disappearances, and other violations towards these individuals,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's report said.

Since the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, the UN mission in Afghanistan has received more than 100 reports of such killings that it deems credible, the report said.

More than two-thirds of those killings were “extra-judicial killings committed by the de facto authorities or their affiliates.”

Additionally, “human rights defenders and media workers continue to come under attack, intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and killings,” it said.

The report also detailed a government clampdown on peaceful protests, as well as a lack of access for women and girls to work and education.

“An entire complex social and economic system is shutting down,” Guterres said in the report.

Afghanistan is in the grip of a humanitarian disaster, worsened by the Taliban takeover that prompted Western countries to freeze international aid and access to billions of dollars' worth of assets held abroad.

The country was almost entirely dependent on foreign aid under the previous US-backed government, but jobs have dried up and most civil servants haven't been paid for months.

No country has yet recognized the Taliban government, with most watching to see how the group — notorious for human rights abuses during their first stint in power -- restrict freedoms.

With poverty deepening and a drought devastating farming in many areas, the United Nations has warned that half the 38 million population faces food shortages.

The UN Security Council last month unanimously adopted a US resolution to allow some aid to reach desperate Afghans without violating international sanctions.

But there are growing calls from rights groups and aid organisations for the West to release more funds — particularly in the middle of a harsh winter.

WHO examining allegations official abused staff, leaked vaccine data to Japan

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is looking into allegations a regional director in Asia bullied staff, used racist language and leaked sensitive vaccine data to Japan, accusations the official denies.

WHO said in a statement to Reuters on Thursday it "is aware of the allegations and is taking all appropriate steps to follow up on the matter," following a report on the complaints by the Associated Press.

In a statement provided by the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, the Manila-based director of the Western Pacific region, acknowledged being "hard on staff" but rejected charges of racism or that he shared confidential information with Japan. He wrote that he was considering how to improve his management style and the work environment.

Kasai did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment by Reuters.

Japan's health and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the alleged leaks of vaccine data.

The AP reported on Thursday the abuse charges were outlined in an internal complaint filed in October and in an email last week, sent by "concerned WHO staff" to its senior leadership.

Kasai's authoritarian style has led to the departure of more than 55 key staff in the past year and a half, and most of them have not been replaced, the report quoted unidentified WHO staff as saying in the email.

Kasai, a physician from Japan who has worked for more than 15 years at the WHO, was also accused of sharing confidential data to the Japanese government to help it gain diplomatic favour from COVID-19 vaccine donations to neighbours.

The AP said the complaint and email accused Kasai of making "racist and derogatory remarks to staff of certain nationalities" and creating a "toxic atmosphere" with "a culture of systemic bullying and public ridiculing."

The WHO statement quoted Kasai as saying, "Regarding the accusation of racism towards particular cultures or countries: this I reject.

"It is true that I have been hard on staff, but I reject the suggestion that I have targeted staff of any particular nationality. Racism goes against all of the principles and values I hold dear as a person and an international civil servant, and have throughout my life and career."

He also said he takes "the concerns raised about my management style and working culture in WHO's Western Pacific Region very seriously".

He said he was "committed to listening carefully to staff about their concerns, reflecting on ways of working, and thinking carefully about how I can improve, as well as improve the working environment for all our staff – now and into the future."

Ukraine calls on West to be ‘firm’ in Russia talks

Kiev on Saturday urged the West to remain “vigilant and firm” in its talks with Russia, as US President Joe Biden announced a small troop deployment to eastern Europe amid fears Moscow could invade Ukraine.

Washington’s top defence officials warned on Friday the Kremlin had massed enough troops and hardware at the border to threaten the whole of Ukraine but called for further diplomatic efforts to avert a “horrific” conflict.

Western leaders are scrambling to defuse the crisis by reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also trying to keep the pressure up by vowing unprecedented sanctions should he send in his forces.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged his Western partners to avoid stirring “panic” over the massive Russian troop buildup, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need for de-escalation.

According to a Macron aide, Putin told the French leader in a call lasting more than an hour that he had “no offensive plans”.

In Washington, Biden nevertheless said he would soon send a small number of US troops to bolster the Nato presence in eastern Europe as tensions remain heightened.

The United States already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across mostly Western Europe.

France said on Saturday that it was planning to send hundreds of troops to eastern Nato ally Romania as part of a deployment first touted by Macron earlier this month.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday issued a call for the West to remain “vigilant and firm in contacts with the Russian side” in a conversation with French counterpart Yves Le Drian.

The talks underlined the need to “refrain from steps that could fuel anxiety” in Ukrainian society and “undermine the financial stability” of the post-Soviet country, a Ukrainian statement said.

Le Drian is expected to visit Ukraine together with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on February 7-8 as part of a flurry of diplomacy.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to speak with Putin before heading to the region and add to the chorus of Western leaders urging him to back down.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is due in Kiev on Tuesday to meet the president and prime minister.

Since October, Russia has amassed more than 100,000 combat troops and equipment, as well as support forces, along its frontier with Ukraine and more recently in Belarus, which borders Ukraine on the north.

Western officials say Russia has also mustered more air and sea assets in the region, creating a complex threat like none seen since the Cold War.

Moscow has demanded wide-ranging security guarantees, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join Nato.

The West has rejected Russia’s key demands such as stopping new members join the alliance, but has laid down a raft of areas where it see room to negotiate with the Kremlin.

To Macron, Putin made clear that the written responses from the West to his demands this week had fallen short of Russia’s expectations, the Kremlin said.

Pakistan continues battle against uptick in COVID-19 numbers as Omicron spreads

Pakistan's active COVID-19 case count stayed over the 100,000 mark for the second consecutive day, National Command and Operation Centre's (NCOC) data showed Sunday morning, as the country's positivity rate is again on the rise after a slight decline.

The stats issued by the NCOC suggested that 7,978 new infections were detected overnight after 64,016 diagnostic tests were conducted across Pakistan.

The new cases pushed the countrywide positivity ratio to 12.46% and the current number of active cases stand at 100,005.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases reported so far jumped to 1,417,991.

The first time Pakistan's active case count crossed the hundred thousand mark was on Saturday, when the country logged 104,095 cases, as per the NCOC. However, the tally was lowered as 12,019 patients suffering from COVID-19 recuperated overnight.

Meanwhile, 29 patients succumbed to coronavirus during the last 24 hours, taking the country's COVID-19 death toll to 29,248.

The NCOC has extended coronavirus curbs in the country from January 31 till February 15, as thousands continue to contract the infection amid a spread of the Omicron variant.

The NCOC had imposed non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on January 19, which were to be reviewed on January 27 in light of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The restrictions for the wedding sector were already imposed till Feb 15.

Islamophobia is unacceptable, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said that Islamophobia is not acceptable at any cost and vowed to make his country safer for Muslims.

Taking to Twitter, the Canadian premier wrote: "Islamophobia is unacceptable. Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our communities safer for Muslim Canadians. To help with that, we intend to appoint a Special Representative on combatting Islamophobia."

the Canadian Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen highlighted the federal government’s intention to appoint a special representative on combatting Islamophobia, saying that "this appointment will be part of a renewed Government of Canada Anti-Racism Strategy," a statement issued by the Government of Canada said.

Last year, the Canadian government had announced its intention to make January 29 a National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.

"This year, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of this act of terror, the Government of Canada stands with and supports Muslim communities across Canada and reaffirms its commitment to take action to denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence," the statement said.

Islamophobia is a concrete and daily reality for Muslim communities across Canada and around the world, it read, adding that "As we honour the victims, we must remember that we have a responsibility to combat discrimination and continue to build a more inclusive Canada."

"That is why the federal government held a virtual National Summit on Islamophobia in July 2021. The special representative appointment is one of the recommendations put forward during the Summit and will be an additional step in the government’s ongoing work through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to tackle Islamophobia in all its forms."

It further added that confronting Islamophobia is an important part of the aforementioned strategy as it includes a whole-of-government approach to tackling systemic racism with dedicated knowledge and expertise through the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, as well as investments to empower communities to combat different forms of racism, including Islamophobia, and to advance digital and civic literacy initiatives that address online disinformation and hate speech.

"We are committed to renewing the Anti-Racism Strategy in 2022 with a National Action Plan to expand our efforts to combat hate and racism."

Details on the role and mandate of the special representative will be confirmed at a later date, the statement said.

Islamophobia is unacceptable. Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our communities safer for Muslim Canadians. To help with that, we intend to appoint a Special Representative on combatting Islamophobia. More details here: https://t.co/sEiOYlLRaw

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 29, 2022

Peshawar High Court ordered PTA to ban immoral content on TikTok

The Peshawar High Court on Saturday has issued a written order to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban immoral content shared on the famous lip-syncing application TikTok.

According to the report presented by PTA, it has blocked 28.9 million videos from the app, while 1.4 million accounts are blocked for sharing immoral content.

The written order also stated that the young generation is "being inspired by immoral content shared on TikTok," adding that people who share immoral content are prosecuted but not punished which allows them to continue spreading such content.

“PTA should make procedures to block the accounts of repeated violators,” said the written order. 

The PTA has blocked and restored the app several times during the last year on similar charges.

Govt is taking steps to resolve issues faced by Karachi citizens: Asad Umar

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Saturday has said that the PTI-led government is taking steps to resolve the issues faced by Karachi citizens.

While addressing a function of the restoration of Karachi’s Cooperative Market where hundreds of shops were destroyed in a fire, the minister said that “Karachi didn’t have any modern transport system, but owing to PTI, people of Karachi can now travel through Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system".

Praising the federal government for its efforts to resolve Karachi issues, Umar said that the government believes in public service, adding that Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) has approved the transaction structure of the Karachi Circular Railway.

The minister also said: “The next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) will approve the KCR, after which its construction will be started.”

During the function, Umar also assured that the issue of water in Karachi will be resolved as the government is working on it. “Karachi will be provided with water after the completion of the K-IV water project in 2023,” he added.

Gov Sindh Imran Ismail, Minister Asad Umar, MNA Aftab Siddiqui, MPA Khurram Sher Zaman and others inaugrated 500 restored shops in cooperative market saddar which had burned during fire incident few weeks ago. Traders and shop owners were present in big numbers to thank fed govt! pic.twitter.com/sztsITOi8d

— PTI Politics. (@PTIPoliticsss) January 29, 2022

 

Xiomara Castro becomes first woman president of Honduras

Leftist Xiomara Castro was sworn in Thursday as the first woman president of Honduras, vowing to reform the crime-and-poverty-stricken nation into a "socialist and democratic state."

Castro, 62, took the oath at a massive ceremony attended by international dignitaries after an embarrassing week of fighting within her party that challenged her authority.

In her first official address at the Tegucigalpa National Stadium, Castro denounced "the social and economic tragedy confronting Honduras" and promised to make work of improving education, healthcare, security and employment.

She said she was inheriting a "bankrupt" country which she intended to reshape into a "socialist and democratic state."

Honduras's public debt is about $17 billion.

The oath was sworn before Judge Karla Romero, flanked by Castro's choice of Congress president, Luis Redondo, who draped the presidential sash over his new boss before a crowd of about 29,000.

The guests included US Vice President Kamala Harris, King Felipe VI of Spain and Taiwan Vice President William Lai.

US presses China on Covid rules on diplomats

The United States said Thursday it was asking China to loosen Covid quarantine rules for diplomats after Beijing accused Washington of seeking to sabotage the Winter Olympics.

China, pursuing a zero Covid policy, has imposed mandatory quarantines of at least 14 days for inbound passengers and has repeatedly locked down major areas.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the United States has entered discussions with China over quarantine and testing rules that "run counter to diplomatic privileges and immunities."

"We've recommended what we think are a series of reasonable options that we would be consistent with Covid-19 mitigation measures and at the same time align with international diplomatic norms," Price told reporters.

He said there was no change to the operating status of the embassy in Beijing despite the concerns.

China's state-run Global Times earlier warned against any authorization by the State Department to let employees or families leave, calling China "the safest place in the world."

Such a departure "only serves to create panic, slander China's anti-epidemic work and disrupt China's successful hosting of the Winter Olympics," it said.

China also told the United States to stop "interfering" in the Olympics in a phone call on Wednesday Washington time between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The United States has already announced that its diplomats will boycott the Games opening February 4 due to human rights concerns, a step followed by several US allies.

The United States accuses China of carrying out genocide against the Uyghurs, with more than one million of the mostly Muslim people held in camps.

CM ordered arrest of policemen involved in escape of criminal accused of kidnapping Dua Mangi

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered the arrest of policemen involved in the escape of a convicted criminal who was also accused of kidnapping Dua Mangi.

According to a statement issued by the CM house, the accused, identified as Zohaib Ali, fled from police custody. After learning about the incident, CM Shah has directed the inspector-general (IG) of police to lock up the concerned policemen and constitute a high-profile police party to arrest the accused.

The chief minister was told that Zohaib, along with four others accused, was brought before the court of Judicial Magistrate VII East on January 27, 2022, in a case registered by the Ferozabad police. The accused had received the next date of hearing and was escorted back to the jail by the head constable, Naveed, and constable Zafar Habib.

The report said that in connivance with Naveed, the accused used a private car to buy shoes from Tariq road and escaped from there due to the negligence of the head constable.

It may be noted that accused Zohaib is convicted in a case, bearing FIR No 207/18, u/s 392/34 PPC, and has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of three years with a fine of Rs20,000.

He is being tried in nine other cases, including the Dua Mangi kidnapping case of December 2019.

The police, on the instructions of the chief minister, have registered a case of Zohaib Qureshi’s escape from police custody (FIR No. 48/2022), and quarter guarded/locked up HC Naveed and constable Zafar Habib and placed the services of SP Court Police, Azam Durani, under suspension.

On the directives of the chief minister, a police party — comprising DIG East and policemen of CIA — has been constituted to comb out Zohaib to bring him to the book.

Sindh govt, JI reach agreement over changes in local govt act

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday agreed to end its 29-day-long sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) -led government agreed to amend the contentious local government act.

The accord was reached between the government and the JI after PPP leader Syed Nasir Hussain visited the JI protest camp along with the senior party leaders.

As per the agreement read out by Shah in front of the protesters, all departments of the education and health sectors, including hospitals and dispensaries, will be handed back to the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC)

PPP’s Nasir said there were several meetings between the government and the JI regarding the amendments in the Sindh Local Government Act 2021 to make the law better for the people of the province.

According to the agreement, the Karachi mayor will be chairperson of the water and sewerage board as the government agreed to restore the power of the municipal authorities earlier reduced in the act.

The government also agreed to form the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) board within 30 days after the LG elections. The elections will be held within 90 days after the local bodies end their current tenure.

The committee formed to review the local government act will meet regularly to iron out differences on clauses on which both parties could not agree as of now, the agreement said, adding that the Sindh government will take measures to restore student unions in Sindh’s educational institutions.

It also urged the government to give Karachi Medical and Dental College (KMDC) a status of a university.

Shah also said that the Sindh chief minister will visit the JI headquarters. He urged the JI to end the sit-in after the signing of the agreement as “there was no point in continuing now that the agreement was reached”.

JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the party will not take out rallies across Karachi announced earlier after the agreement with the PPP government.

Afghan soil is still being used against Pakistan: Yusuf

Pakistan's National Security Adviser, Moeed Yusuf, said on Thursday that Afghan soil was still being used against the country, and that systematised terrorists groups were operating in the bordering country.

Yusuf made the remarks at a briefing on the internal and foreign security situation to the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In a tweet, he stated it was a "pleasure" to brief the NA body.

"Had a really productive talk about Afghanistan and the National Security Policy (NSP)," he said, adding that he was grateful for the appreciation they received for their work from members of the committee.

Yusuf added during the briefing that the administration was "not fully hopeful" about the Taliban government's return in the war-torn country.

He also informed lawmakers that the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had unilaterally violated the government's month-long ceasefire accord. “Those who declare war on the country will be dealt with an iron fist,” he said.

The committee was also informed by the NSA on the recently approved NSP. Sartaj Aziz, a former adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, began working on the policy in 2014, he added.

According to him, the policy took seven years to develop and was eventually presented to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. “It will not be implemented until approval from Parliament,” he said.

No evidence to declare Nawaz Sharif's medical report fake: AG

There is no evidence to support Nawaz Sharif's medical reports being fabricated, says Attorney-General of Pakistan Barrister Khalid Javed Khan.

The AGP said they do not want to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Shahbaz Sharif over the subject of Nawaz Sharif's return. Instead, he said, they want the situation to be settled amicably.

In response to a question about Nawaz Sharif's medical reports, Khalid Javed Khan stated that he lacks evidence to declare them fake.

In response to the Supreme Court Bar's constitutional petition, the AGP stated that if the subject of lifelong disqualification is brought before Parliament rather than the court, an attempt can be made to reach a consensus.

Earlier this week, the AGP had written a letter to the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif to bring back PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

The AGP had instructed Shahbaz to submit Nawaz’s medical reports within the next 10 days. In case he fails to do so, contempt of court petition will be filed against Shahbaz, he had said.

Ravi Urban Development Project will create job opportunities: PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government would invoke the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court after the High Court nullified the Ravi Urban Development Project.

 Speaking to media during his visit to Rakh Jhok forest, the prime minister said this time, the case would be presented in a better manner to apprise the Honourable Court about the significance of the project in view of urban development and civic facilities.

The prime minister said there was a misconception about the Ravi Urban project that it was a housing society. Instead, he said, the grand project aimed at correcting the faults in the wake of unplanned construction of the city.

Senate approves SBP Amendment Bill

The Upper House of the Parliament, Senate on Friday has approved the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill.The Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani presided over the meeting.

Earlier in the day, the government delayed the process of tabling the bill due to less representation in the session and sought more time, sparking the protest from the opposition members who chanted slogans and demanded to immediately present the bill.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani asked that the State Bank bill was listed in the agenda then why was the government not presenting it. He further said that the government was eager to present this bill in the Senate, now no one is ready to even talk about it.

As the session started, the chairman reprimanded the members over not wearing face masks as the cases of the coronavirus have increased again. He also ordered the administration to provide the masks to everyone.

Later, the House offered fateha for the soldiers, who were martyred in a terrorist attack on a security forces’ check post in Balochistan’s Kech district.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad led the prayer.

Corona virus: Pakistan reports highest number of single-day cases

Pakistan has reported 8,183 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest number of cases in a single day since the coronavirus pandemic started in 2020.

Pakistan has reported 30 more deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,402,070. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,192.

According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 8,183 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

PM Imran calls out Sindh police for using violence against peaceful MQM-P protest

Following an incident of police brutality in Karachi, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday took notice of the violence used by the Sindh police against MQM-P leaders and workers.

"I have taken note of the violence used by Sindh police against MQM's peaceful protest against Sindh's LG law, [and] have called for a report from Interior Ministry, Sindh CS [and] Sindh IG," he wrote on Twitter.

Assuring the party leadership of action against the violence, the premier further said: "Will take necessary action against those responsible after receiving these reports."

One person lost his life, while several members of the MQM-P, including women, were left injured after Karachi police baton-charged and tear-gassed them during a protest at the city's Shahrah-e-Faisal on Wednesday.

Earlier, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail also shared a video statement, condemning the “police brutality,” adding that local government should resolve the issue with mutual understanding and dialogue.

Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab revealed that CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into the “unfortunate incident of yesterday.”

Sharing a screengrab of the official notification issued by the CM Secretariat, Wahab wrote on Twitter: “CM Sindh […] has asked secretary home to submit a report in three days.”

He further added that comprehensive terms of reference (TOR) have been formulated in order to “fix responsibility.”

MQM-P workers and leaders had gathered in large numbers during the afternoon hours of Wednesday to stage a protest against the controversial local government bill.

Later on, the protesters attempted to reach the Chief Minister's House for a sit-in. As a result, the flow of traffic was severely affected on the road considered to be the city's main artery.

The police, however, baton-charged the crowd and used teargas shells in an attempt to dissuade it from entering the red zone.

MQM-P representatives said several women and children participating in the protests sustained injuries, while the police arrested several MQM-P leaders and activists.

Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Sadaqat Hussain was also injured because of the baton charge. Contingents of south police were deployed at the site of the protest to disperse the demonstrators.

According to the traffic police, the Shahrah-e-Faisal road started to become choked as protesters continued to advance forwards, therefore, they said they had "no choice but to use force and fire teargas shells."

The protesters, however, insisted that they were "staging their protest peacefully, but the police went ahead and used force to disperse them."

 

MQM worker succumbed to cardiac arrest, not police torture: Saeed Ghani

Sindh Information and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani on Thursday said that MQM-P's worker died due to cardiac arrest a day ago and not because of police torture as portrayed by the party.

"Although an unpleasant incident took place outside the Chief Minister House the previous day, the police was left with no option but to take action against the protesters for the sake of prestige and dignity of the country that was at stake for rest of the world," Ghani said.

Speaking during a press conference at the Sindh Assembly’s committee room, the minister said that a "well-thought-out plan had been behind the unpleasant incident of the previous day to create negative repercussions for the international players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches."

He said that MQM-P had the "plan to spread ethnic divide in Karachi and the recent statements of their leaders were a testament to this fact."

He informed the media that MQM-P had earlier announced to start a protest rally from Shahrah-e-Faisal and move towards the Karachi Press Club to hold a demonstration there, adding that the Opposition party had been in touch with the city’s administration with regard to their plan.

Ghani also said that the city’s administration kept on facilitating the movement of the protest rally from Shahrah-e-Faisal to the Metropole intersection where it reached at 4pm. Later, it decided to move towards the Press Club as per the original protest plan. However, the participants of the rally abruptly decided to move towards the CM House instead," Ghani said.

The PPP leader said the deputy commissioner of the district south and other senior police officials informed the MQM-P leaders Wasim Akhtar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui that the area in the surroundings of the CM House had been declared a high-security zone owing to the presence of international cricket players lodging in the nearby hotels.

"The administration advised the leaders of MQM-P to stick to their original protest plan and go to the Press Club for staging the demonstration," he said.

He also said that the rally’s participants didn’t pay heed to the advice of the administration as they crossed the obstacles at the Metropole and reached outside the CM House.

“What other option was then available to us as a PSL team present in the vicinity had to come outside of the hotel and go for practice but players didn’t go anywhere due to the resultant situation,” Ghani added.

He said the incident that happened outside the CM House "was, indeed, unpleasant as it didn’t bode well for the Sindh government."

During the press conference, Ghani said that the provincial government had to ensure the security of the area around CM House, given the presence of international players in the nearby hotels as the image of the country for the outside world was at stake.

He also recalled the statement of Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed that the overall law and order situation of the country was not satisfactory.

The Information Minister said the police — as a last resort — had to take the action to disperse the protestors, adding that the "MPA of MQM-P, Sadaqat Hussain, along with fellow party members used sticks to beat the policemen."

"It was imperative that the police should have honourably treated the woman protesters but MQM-P is in the habit of using female followers of the party and children as its shield on such occasions," he said.

'Worker died due to cardia arrest'

Talking about the deceased activist of MQM-P, Aslam, Ghani said: "He had died due to cardiac arrest as police torture didn’t result in his death."

The PPP stalwart added that Aslam was first taken by his family to the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases and later he was taken to NICVD where doctors pronounced him dead.

He said that Aslam should have been taken to the nearby Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre or Civil Hospital had he sustained injuries outside CM House.

Ghani appealed to the bereaved family of the MQM-P’s worker to allow a post-mortem examination of his body to determine the exact cause of his death.

He also told the media that the PPP had decided to postpone its upcoming sit-in protest outside Karachi Press Club on January 30 due to the sensitive security situation of the city owing to the PSL matches.

 

Pakistan records 7,539 fresh corona cases in day

Pakistan has reported 25 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,393,887. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,162 on Thursday.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 7,539 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 13,126 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,765 in Sindh 5,986 in KP, 979 in Islamabad, 752 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan, and 187 in GB.

 

Fog continues to blanket plain areas of Punjab

Dense fog has again blanketed several cities of Punjab including Lahore on night between Tuesday and Wednesday, badly disrupting the road traffic and paralysing routine life.

According to details, the visibility has dropped due to dense fog on main roads in plain areas across the province as a result Motorway (M2) from Thokar Niaz Baig to Kot Momin, Motorway M3 from Faizpur to Samundari, Motorway M5 from Sher Shah Interchange to Jalalpur have been closed at for all kind of traffic while Motorway M4 from Pindi Bhattian to Abdul Hakim has been closed for heavy traffic.

The Motorway police have appealed the drivers to use Grand Trunk (GT) Road for travelling. They have also urged the drivers to drive slowly and switch on fog lights.

The Motorway police have also requested the people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling. Dense fog has also disrupted traffic at several places in the province at the National Highway due to low visibility.

Joe Biden caught insulting Fox News journalist over inflation question

US President Joe Biden was caught on a live microphone Monday calling a Fox News journalist a “stupid son of a bi*ch” on the sidelines of a White House photo op.

As journalists were leaving the room after the event, a reporter from Fox News, the favourite channel of conservatives, asked whether inflation is a political liability.

The Democratic leader, possibly unaware that his microphone was still on, began by deadpanning: “It's a great asset. More inflation.” And then muttered, “What a stupid son of a bi*ch,” before glancing briefly down.

A pool reporter who was in the room at the time admitted to not being able to hear what Biden actually said over the noise.

But he added that he would “direct your attention to the video of the event if you are curious how the president really feels about being asked about inflation from Fox's Peter Doocy.” Doocy shrugged the insult off in a later interview on Fox.

“Yeah nobody has fact-checked him yet and said it's not true,” he said, nonchalantly.

When Biden has gaffed before the White House has rushed to explain or roll back his comments.

But this time, the White House appeared to have no qualms about owning it, putting out a transcript of the event that included the comment — thereby ensuring it passes into the official historical record.

“Just adds a certain something,” tweeted Katie Rogers, White House correspondent for the New York Times, with a screengrab of the transcript.

Transparency International s report doesn,t include financial corruption: Fawad

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain said that the Transparency International has lowered the score due to rule of law.

Addressing the media on Transparency International Report, he said that the matter has been discussed in the cabinet, the full report has not been published yet. Transparency International has different criteria. He added that it is not the financial corruption, the score has been lowered due to the rule of law by Transparency International. Economist s ranking should be checked by the ones who check it in Pakistan. There is no doubt that there is a lot of work to be done in this regard. There is a separate law for rich and poor people in Pakistan.
Transparency International s report does not include financial corruption, and criminal justice reforms will help resolve cases.

In response to the questions being asked regarding Shazad Akbar he said that the most important thing is regarding the census. The former interior adviser did his job with great strength, he was a brave man, there will be big challenges for whoever will come in his place.

Fawad added that the cabinet has approved Rs5 Billion for the census. The census will be completed in December this year, with the release of results in April and May. In January, the Election Commission will be able to start new constituencies; the next election will be on the new census.

The police had to issue the challan within the first 14 days, the duration of the police challan has now been done to 40 days, bail has been made mandatory in the check dishonor case.

The cabinet has approved criminal law. Every criminal case must be decided within 9 months. The legal proceeding will be run against the judge and prosecutor if found guilty. If the case continues for more than nine months, the judge will inform the Chief Justice of the reasons.

The legal proceeding will be run against both the judge and prosecutor if found guilty. The powers of the police to take bails are being increased. The education of SHO will be BA, those with less than BA education will not be assigned SHO.

Fawad added that the police had to issue the challan within the first 14 days, the duration of the police challan has now been reduced to 40 days, bail has been made mandatory in the check dishonor case.

Country has come on 140th slot in corruption index: Abbasi

Former prime minister and senior leader Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday has said that all the thieves are sitting in Federal Cabinet.

While talking to media, the PML-N leader said that every ministry of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is facing scandals worth billions of rupees.

The country has come on 140th slot in Transparency International’s corruption index, he added.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi further said that already suffering people of Pakistan have now got afraid of PM Imran Khan’s new ‘threats’.

Earlier, the PML-N-leader alleged PTI of embezzlement in 22 bank accounts. He claimed that PM Imran Khan committed corruption by establishing two companies abroad.

Transparency Intl report is a charge sheet against PTI,s Govt: Sherry Rehman

Pakistan Peoples Party Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman has said that Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index is a charge sheet against PTI,s government.

In a tweet on the social media website, he said that Pakistan's rise to 16th place in corruption exposes this government's statement. In 2020, Pakistan was ranked 124th in the Corruption Perceptions Index worldwide.

Senator Sherry Rehman said that Pakistan has come 140th in one year.
The PPP leader said that the government claiming to eradicate corruption has left 16 countries behind in corruption.

SHe further said that the resignation of the Accountability Advisor was a proof that corruption has not decreased but has increased.

Corona positivity rate in Karachi has risen to 40.68 percent

Coronavirus positivity rate in Karachi has risen to 40.68 percent as country faces fifth wave of the deadly virus fueled by Omicron variant.

According to details, 2,319 new cases of coronavirus have surfaced in Sindh out of which 1994 were reported in the port city. In the last 24 hours, five people died of the disease in the province.

On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 17 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,381,152. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,122 on Tuesday.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 6,357 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 13,117 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,746 in Sindh 5,977 in KP, 976 in Islamabad, 752 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan, and 187 in GB.

Furthermore 529,218 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 466,164 in Punjab 185,683 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 120,128 in Islamabad, 35,474 in Azad Kashmir 33,975 in Balochistan and 10,510 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan has so far conducted 24,639,942 coronavirus tests and 49,595 in the last 24 hours. 1,269,634 patients have recovered in the country whereas 1,200 patients are in critical condition.

Fawad demands live broadcast of Sharif family's corruption cases

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has urged courts to conduct a speedy trial of corruption cases against the Sharif family and allow live telecast of case proceedings.

“We want Shehbaz Sharif’s case to be aired live... so that people should be made aware of the [details] of the case, the federal minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday.

He also requested the chief justices of the courts to live telecast the hearings of the corruption cases against the Sharif family to enable the public to decide whether the former rulers were involved in any wrongdoing or not.

Fawad accused the Shehbaz and former premier Nawaz Sharif of plundering national wealth worth billions of rupees.

The PML-N leaders claimed that Pakistani law is not applicable to their sons who are residing in London when asked to explain the sources of their wealth, he added.

The information minister also maintained that the courts should announce the verdict in corruption cases without any “fear or influence”.

He said it was made clear that Nawaz attempted to influence court proceedings through former G-B judge Rana Shamim's affidavit.

“This is a fit case to implicit Nawaz in Rana Shamim case for attempting to influence court proceedings,” he added.

Fawad further said that the PTI inherited the country following a “decade of darkness”, and put it on the right track.

“Today we have achieved 5.37% economic growth despite the challenge of Covid-19 and today the entire world is following Pakistan’s strategy to [control the pandemic],” he said while referring to the government’s decision of not imposing complete lockdown during the peak of the contagious virus.

He said the income of the masses has also increased during the PTI’s rule amid skyrocketing inflation and added that “agriculture and corporate sector have earned record profits”.

He also urged private businesses to increase the salaries of their employees.

Imran Khan cannot be escape his inevitable accountability: Maryam Auranzaib

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said that Imran Khan knows that time of his ouster is approaching.

Addressing media persons, Marriyum said that Imran Khan cannot be escape his inevitable accountability by the people of Pakistan who have suffered during his term.

Responding to PM Imran’s statement that he will be more dangerous if he is not in power, the PML-N leader said that Imran Khan’s threats of protests do not have any value. Imran Khan will find no one along his side as soon as he is removed from the position, she added.

Marriyum further said that how Imran Khan can call Shehbaz Sharif a criminal because criminal is a person who is involved in sugar and flour theft.

She also claimed that Imran Khan was brought into power by deliberately failing the RTS system.

A day earlier, addressing the country during the Aap Ka Wazir-e-Azam - Ap Kay Saath programme on Sunday, PM Imran Khan said that if he leaves the government, he will be more dangerous and if he come to the streets, his opponents will not find a way to escape.

He added that it is said daily that a deal has been struck. The opposition say that they want to save the people but people of the country will not come out at their request.

The premier further added he does not consider President Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif as leader of the opposition but as a national criminal.

Advisor to PM Shahzad Akbar steps down from his post

Adviser to PM for accountability and interior , Shahzad Akbar, stepped down from office on Monday, without giving a reason for his resignation.

Sources informed Geo News that PM Imran Khan had expressed dissatisfaction with Akbar's performance two weeks back.

The ex-advisor hoped that in line with PTI's manifesto, the PTI-led government would continue the accountability process under Prime Minister Imran Khan's leadership.
"I have tendered my resignation today to PM as Advisor. I sincerely hope the process of accountability continues under [the] leadership of PM IK as per PTI’s manifesto. I will remain associated with party [and] keep contributing as member of legal fraternity," Akbar said.

A former deputy prosecutor for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Akbar was appointed as the special assistant to the prime minister on accountability in August 2018.

Later, in December 2019, he was also given an additional portfolio of adviser to the prime minister on interior affairs.

In July 2020, the barrister was been promoted to adviser to the prime minister on accountability and Interior with the status of a federal minister.

Pakistan reports 08 more corona deaths in last 24 hours

Pakistan has reported 8 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,374,800. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,105 on Monday.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 7,195 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Province-wise Details

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 13,108 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,741 in Sindh 5,975 in KP, 976 in Islamabad, 751 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan, and 187 in GB.

Furthermore 526,899 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 464,431 in Punjab 185,340 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 118,292 in Islamabad, 35,400 in Azad Kashmir 33,941 in Balochistan and 10,497 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Tests and Recoveries

Pakistan has so far conducted 24,590,353 coronavirus tests and 57,401 in the last 24 hours. 1,269,078 patients have recovered in the country whereas 1,113 patients are in critical condition.

Positivity Ratio

The COVID-19 positivity ratio was recorded at 12.53 percent.

Vaccine Statistics

So far, 102,975,552 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 286,593 in last 24 hours. 78,860,543 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 470,601 received their second dose in last 24 hours.

The number of total administered doses has reached to 170,711,868 with 786,027 in the last 24 hours.

PTI's former information secretary to file lawsuit against termination from party

Former central information secretary of PTI Ahmed Jawad on Sunday announced that he will file a lawsuit against the party for terminating his membership.

the PTI had expelled Jawad from the party for "violating the party's constitution" on social media and "slandering" senior leadership.

Talking to Geo News, Jawad said that his termination from the party’s membership is "illegal," adding that, “PTI voters and workers have seen the true colours of Imran Khan now."

The ex-PTI member said that in the last 74 years, "no one ha deceived the nation like PTI did, while overseas Pakistanis were used like Automated Teller Machines (ATM)."

It is worth mentioning here that Jawad had criticised the policies of the ruling party.

Taking to his Twitter account, he had said that he will reveal the reasons why he stayed quiet for so long on the "fascism and incompetence of PTI," asking followers to "stay tuned".

He further asked Prime Minister Imran Khan: “How did your illegal Bani Gala house and Constitution Avenue flat become legal? Can't the houses of the poor be regularised like Constitution Avenue was regularised?"

Subsequently, the PTI expelled the former secretary of information for "violating the party's constitution" on social media.

According to a statement issued by the PTI’s Standing Committee on Accountability and Discipline (SCAD) on January 12, a show-cause was served to Ahmad asking him to explain his position within seven days of the receipt of the notice but the disgruntled leader did not respond to the notice.

After receiving the second show-cause notice, Jawad sent a reply, which was received by the SCAD on January 21; however, he did not explain his position, rather admitted that he had issued more than 40 tweets while SCAD took notice of only two of his tweets.

“The Sub Committee of the SCAD observed that there were different forums in the party for Jawad to express his feelings/narrative before the party while he used social, electronic media to get his objective [to] malign/slander the party senior leadership, causing severe damage to the party,” the statement read.

The sub-committee after analysing the facts of the case and reading Jawad's reply found him "committing a severe violation of the party constitution". Hence, it "unanimously decided to strike down the party membership of Ahmad Jawad from the party membership register”.

United States plans to make who more independent

The United States, the World Health Organization's top giver, is opposing recommendations to make the office more autonomous, four authorities engaged with the discussions said, raising questions about the Biden organization's drawn out help for the UN office.

The proposal, made by the WHO's working group on sustainable financing, would increase each member state's standing annual contribution, according to a WHO document published online and dated January 4.

The plan is part of a wider reform process galvanised by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the limitations of the WHO's power to intervene early in a crisis.

But the US government is opposing the reform because it has concerns about the WHO's ability to confront future threats, including from China, US officials told Reuters.

It is pushing instead for the creation of a separate fund, directly controlled by donors, that would finance prevention and control of health emergencies.

Four European officials involved in the talks, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed the US opposition. The US government had no immediate comment.

The published proposal calls for member states' mandatory contributions to rise gradually from 2024 so they would account for half the agency's $2 billion core budget by 2028, compared to less than 20% now, the document said.

The WHO's core budget is aimed at fighting pandemics and strengthening healthcare systems across the world. It also raises an additional $1 billion or so a year to tackle specific global challenges such as tropical diseases and influenza.

Supporters say that the current reliance on voluntary funding from member states and from charities such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation forces the WHO to focus on priorities set by the funders, and makes it less able to criticise members when things go wrong.

An independent panel on pandemics that was appointed to advise on the WHO reform had called for a much bigger increase in mandatory fees, to 75% of the core budget, deeming the current system "a major risk to the integrity and independence" of the WHO.

Pakistan confirms 6,540 new COVID-19 cases, 12 more deaths

In Pakistan, 12 more people died and 6,540 new patients were reported in the last 24 hours due to corona. According to the Corona statistics website (covid.gov.pk) in Pakistan, 58,902 corona tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, out of which 6,540 people were diagnosed with coronavirus, while another 12 died from the virus.

According to the official portal, the positive cases of corona in the country during the last 24 hours were 11.10%.According to NCOC, the number of deaths from corona has risen to 29,077 across the country, while the number of people affected has reached 1,360,19.

 In addition, 1,119 people recovered from Corona in the last 24 hours, taking the number of people cured by the epidemic to 1,267,598 in the country.

Justice Ayesha Malik notified as country's first woman SC judge

Lahore High Court's (LHC) Justice Ayesha A. Malik was notified as a judge of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Friday, officially becoming Pakistan's first-ever woman judge to be green lighted to sit on the apex court.

According to a notification issued by the law ministry, her appointment has been approved by President Arif Alvi and will come into effect as soon as she takes oath of office.

The development comes two days after the Parlia­­mentary Committee on the Appointment of Superior Judiciary approved the appointment of Justice Malik as a judge of the SC.

For months, Justice Malik’s elevation to the SC was debated as many said it went against the principle of seniority since she is the fourth most senior judge of the LHC.

Those in favour of her elevation pointed out that seniority was not a requirement for appointment to the apex court according to the Constitution and that the country’s judicial history is full of instances of male judges from provincial high courts being elevated without consideration to seniority.

After the parliamentary committee approved her appointment, Senator Farooq H. Naek, who heads the body, had said the committee still believed in the principle of seniority for appointment of judges, but the approval for Justice Malik was given because it was the first time a woman was being elevated to the apex court.

"We have approved Justice Malik's name in national interest," the senator had said.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) had earlier this month approved Justice Malik for elevation to the apex court by a majority of five to four during a heated session that had lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours.

This was the second time that the JCP held a meeting to decide on Justice Malik's appointment. A lack of consensus during an extended meeting of the JCP on Sept 9 last year had forced the commission to defer a decision on her appointment.

PM Imran congratulates govt for achieving 5.37% GDP growth

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday congratulated his government on achieving a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 5.37% for the financial year 2020-2021.

The premier took to his official Twitter handle to highlight the growth, claiming that the increase in GDP had led to the creation of substantial jobs, and a “rise in per capita income”.

PM Imran maintained that Pakistan’s economic reforms’ “success” has been recognised internationally, with Bloomberg predicting that Pakistan “will sustain high growth trajectory and employment levels”.

He further stated that since the outbreak of Covid-19, Pakistan “has been ranked amongst top [three] countries on [the] normalcy index”, which he claimed indicated the “saving” of jobs and lives.

I want to congratulate my govt on achieving GDP growth of 5.37% in 3 yrs leading to substantial jobs creation & rise in per capita income. Our econ reforms success recognised internationally. Bloomberg predicted Pak will sustain high growth trajectory & employment levels. pic.twitter.com/zC0oXGKr8M

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 21, 2022

“The Economist recognised this in its latest normalcy index”, he said, attaching a picture from the magazine that placed Pakistan second on its normalcy index, measuring countries' “activity”.

Pakistan revised up its economic growth rate for 2020-21 to 5.37% from 3.9%, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said on Thursday.

"The growth in 2020-21 was 5.37%," Umar said in a tweet, adding that the National Accounts Committee (NAC), a government body that reviews the economic indicators, had approved the revised estimate of GDP growth.

This is the second time the GDP rate for 2020-21 has been revised, from an initial 2.3% set in the 2020 annual budget then later to 3.9%.

The country's statistics bureau also shifted its economy's baseline, which pushed the figure up further to 5.57%, a statement from the planning ministry said.

With the new 2015-16 baseline, it said, Pakistani total GDP has reached at $346.76 billion with a per capita income of $1,666.

2,680 km of fencing along Pak-Afghan border complete: Interior Minister

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Friday apprised the Senate that fencing on 2,680 kms of the Pak-Afghan border had been completed while the remaining area – 21 kms – would be completed soon.

"We are also trying to complete fencing on the remaining 200kms along the Pak-Iran border," the interior minister added.

The minister further said that for the sake of durable peace, the government was engaged with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on different issues when the police constables were attacked in Islamabad.

Condemning the Lahore blast, he said the investigation into the incident was underway and no one will be allowed to spoil the peace of the country.

Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said the government had started multiple initiatives to tackle stunting and child and mother related issues in the country.

Responding to a question, she said Ehsaas Development Centres will be opened in every district of the country by June this year. She said so far fifty centres have been opened in fifteen districts.

"On the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan, a comprehensive Nutrition PC-1 for the entire country including the Federal areas with the title 'tackling malnutrition induced Stunting in Pakistan' has also been prepared," she said.

Three Ordinances were also laid before the Upper House which included; “The National Rehmatul-Lil-Aalameen Authority Ordinance, 2021”, “the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Ordinance 2021” and the Pakistan Nursing Council (Emergency Management) Ordinance, 2021”.

PTI revived economy despite all challenges: Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday that despite challenges faced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) due to Covid-19, the government managed to revive the economy with a growth rate expected to touch 5.37 per cent.

Speaking during a session of the National Assembly, the foreign minister said that the government took “painful decisions” to revive the economy, and after two years the economy is in the “recovery phase”. He said he was citing this from the “unbiased” reports of the World Bank, Bloomberg and The Economist.

According to Qureshi, the agri sector that was stagnant during the previous governments recorded a 3.3 per cent growth due to the measures taken by the government. He added that the large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector also witnessed growth during the PTI’s rule.

Comparing the economic development to that achieved during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, he said the PML-N’s economic growth at its zenith was 5 per cent, whereas the PTI, despite all the obstructions, managed to surpass that.

Qureshi also talked about the alleged audio clip of ex-chief justice Saqib Nisar and an affidavit of the former top judge of Gilgit, terming them an attempt to influence the judiciary for favourable decisions.

“This trend is dangerous, we should all take notice of it and put an end to it,” the minister added.

The remarks made by the foreign minister irked the opposition members. Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Agha Rafiullah was also admonished for speaking out of turn by the NA speaker. He was told to behave himself.

Responding to FM Qureshi, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the foreign minister's remarks were not taken into consideration by the PML-N as they were "non-serious utterances".

"When the foreign minister was with us [PML-N], he would sing our praises," he said, adding that the minister also used to praise former president Asif Ali Zardari as well.

The PML-N leader said the remarks made by the foreign minister seemed like an "interview" being given to someone. "The federal minister through his speech has tried to present himself as an alternative leader," he added.

Speaking about the presidential system, he said he never understood who always stirred the debate in Pakistan. "If we are not sure about the governance system to run this country despite a passage of 75 years, then we don't need an enemy to hurt us," he lamented.

According to Iqbal, the 1956 constitution introduced the federal system. He said the presidential system broke up Pakistan, adding that Pakistan fared worst under the presidential system.

Beijing city raises vigilance as local COVID cases tick higher before Olympics

China's capital Beijing ramped up efforts to curb COVID-19 infections, ordering checks among cold-chain firms and urging residents to cut unnecessary gatherings, as the city reported an uptick in local cases weeks before the Winter Olympics.

Beijing had three domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms on Wednesday, including one previously reported as a local asymptomatic carrier for Jan. 18, according to local health authority data on Thursday.

That compared with one local confirmed infection for Jan. 18.

The city has reported less than ten local COVID infections since Jan. 15, with both the Delta and Omicron variants detected, a tiny case count compared with the rest of the world.

However, the city and China are still working under guidelines of getting any virus flare-up under control as soon as possible. The strategy takes on extra urgency as Beijing and neighbouring Hebei province will host the Winter Olympics from Feb. 4, while the ongoing Lunar New Year travel season raises the risk of virus transmission nationwide.

The city of Beijing should immediately launch full inspections over its cold-chain industry and make the testing of staffers and goods more frequent, the city government said in a statement late on Wednesday, after some infections were found to be cold storage workers.

Residents are advised to reduce movement and unnecessary gatherings, while children, the elderly and people in weaker health should avoid crowded public places, the city's health authority said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nationwide, China reported a total of 43 locally transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Jan. 19, according to a statement by the National Health Commission on Thursday, down from 55 a day earlier.

There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636. As of Jan. 19, mainland China had 105,411 confirmed cases, including both local ones and those arriving from overseas.

PM Imran’s cross-examination allowed in Khwaja Asif defamation case

The Islamabad High Court accepted on Thursday Khawaja Asif's petition challenging the decision to disallow the right to cross-examine Prime Minister Imran Khan with reference to the premier’s defamation case against him.

The Chief Justice of the IHC Athar Minallah remarked that the case should be heard on a daily basis and decided in due course.

He further stated that the court would order the trial court to decide the case within two months.

During the proceedings, the court asked Khawaja Asif's lawyer why he was postponing the case, claiming that he was unnecessarily delaying the case, cautioning him against doing so.

Referring to the premier's counsel, the court observed that it was the defandant's right to cross-examine the prime minister. It further maintained that the cross-examination should have been held the next day of the statement being recorded.

“The statement was recorded on December 17. How can the trial court terminate the right to cross-examine on the same day?” the CJ questioned.

Responding to the IHC chief justice, PM Imran’s lawyer aruged that Khawaja Asif had not appeared before the court for a year.

Earlier this month, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif had challenged the sessions court’s decision of not giving his counsel the right to present arguments in a defamation suit worth Rs10 billion filed by Prime Minister Imran Khan against him.

The prime minister last month submitted an affidavit to Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Adnan via video link against the PML-N leader for levelling allegations of non-transparency, money laundering and use of anonymous companies in the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust funds.

The PML-N leader filed an application in the IHC against the lower court’s verdict and nominated PM Imran and the sessions court judge as respondents.

PM reiterates to support Small & Medium Enterprises for robust economic growth through exports

Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated his government's resolve to support Small and Medium Enterprises for a robust economic growth through exports.

Addressing the launching ceremony of National SME Policy 2021 in Islamabad today [Wednesday], he said PTI government is taking every possible step to facilitate the youth in establishing businesses including startups.

Underlining the importance of SMEs in country's development, he urged the private sector to facilitate government's initiative of providing more facilities to new businesses.

The Prime Minister said stern action will be taken against all those elements that can create hurdles in the way of exports and agriculture industry.

He said all impediments are being removed to facilitate the registration process of SMEs.

Imran Khan said despite COVID-19 challenges, our government received record remittances, tax collection and export revenue.

Earlier, Minister for Industries and Production Khusro Bakhtiar said to facilitate new businesses we have fixed around nineteen thousand plots for lease on easy installments.

He said an amount of thirty billion rupees will be fixed for revamping SMEDA to facilitate SME sector.

Three Indian naval personnel killed in blast on Soviet-era warship in Mumbai

Three Indian naval personnel were killed in an explosion on one of the country's oldest destroyers at a naval dockyard in Mumbai, authorities said.

The blast occurred on Tuesday in an internal compartment on the Soviet-built INS Ranvir, commissioned in 1986, according to the Indian Navy.

“No material damage has been reported ... [A] board of inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the cause,” the navy said in a statement on Tuesday.

Broadcaster NDTV quoted sources saying the explosion did not involve weapons or ammunition.

Media reports said 11 people were also injured and were being treated at a navy hospital.

The Indian government is in the middle of a huge modernisation of its armed forces to replace old equipment, much of it Soviet vintage.

Chinese Ambassador calls on COAS General Bajwa, discussed regional security situation

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Mr Nong Rong, called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ, today.

During the meeting matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and measures to further enhance bilateral cooperation were discussed.

COAS said that Pakistan remains committed to cooperate with its international partners for peace in the region.

The visiting dignitary thanked COAS for special measures taken for provision of safe and secure environment to CPEC projects in Pakistan and efforts towards regional stability.

The visiting dignitary also expressed satisfaction over progress on CPEC and reaffirmed the need for timely completion of remaining projects.