PHOTO: PIDExpressing deep sorrow over the tragic incident in Faisalabad district’s Jaranwala, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Monday stated that such incidents highlight prevailing societal ailment. He said that there exists no place in the country where Christian brethren are not an integral part. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Kakar, who was sworn in as caretaker prime minister on August 14, had earlier announced that he will visit the site of the incident today. "I’m heading to Jaranwala to meet and empathise with our Christian brethren," he tweeted. I’m heading to Jaranwala to meet and empathize with our Christian brethren — Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) August 21, 2023More than 80 Christian homes and 19 churches were vandalised when thousands rampaged through a Christian neighbourhood in Jaranwala last week.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will participate in a six-nation women’s football tournament in Saudi Arabia from September 18 to 30, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) confirmed on Monday. “The Pakistan women’s football team will play in a tournament in Saudi Arabia,” the PFF said in a statement. “Matches for the six-nation tournament would take place from September 18 to 30.”Pakistan last traveled to Saudi Arabia in January this year to participate in a four-nation tournament that also featured Comoros and Mauritius. Among the recent achievements of the Pakistani women’s football team is a thumping 7-0 victory over Maldives in the South Asian Football Federation championship in September 2022. Previously, the team had only bagged wins in friendly matches or exhibition tournaments like the Four-Nation Cup in Saudi Arabia.

MOSCOW: Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years failed when its Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme. Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 🇮🇳Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon 🌖on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. Though moon missions are fiendishly difficult, and many US and Soviet attempts have failed, Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, when Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Kremlin. Russian officials had hoped that the Luna-25 mission would show Russia can compete with the superpowers in space despite its post-Soviet decline and the vast cost of the Ukraine war. “This was perhaps the last hope for me to see a revival of our lunar programme,” he said.

Their spacecraft, Luna-25, aimed to orbit the moon and make a gentle landing near its south pole. This event not only frustrated Russia’s space aspirations but also underscored the unpredictable nature of space exploration. The spacecraft veered off course and ultimately encountered the moon’s surface, bringing the mission to an abrupt end. However, the field of space exploration has become increasingly competitive, with India, China, and the United States all actively pursuing lunar exploration. Luna-25’s unfortunate conclusion serves as a stark reminder of the intricacies and uncertainties intertwined with space exploration.

Every year on August 11, we celebrate National Minori­ties Day to honour the servic­es and sacrifices rendered by our religious minorities for the country. Unfor­tunately, now minority commu­nities are not treated this way. It is the state’s responsibility to provide and secure fundamental rights for minority communities, but our leaders’ silence on early marriage, forced conversion, and missing persons in minority com­munities hurts a lot. We are thankful to former pres­ident Asif Ali Zardari, who offi­cially announced the celebration of Minority Day in 2009 and pro­vided opportunities as well, but the basic thing required is safe­ty and a peaceful life. Our last breath is ded­icated to our beautiful country, Pakistan.

“As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws,” he said. As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws. Official Secrets ActAccording to the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, a person will be guilty of an offense if he intentionally creates a problem of public order or acts against the state. The sources said that the act of leaking sensitive content is a blatant violation of the Official Secrets Act. The President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi has categorically stated that he has not signed the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023.

Though the cypher issue did not entirely fade out, it resurfaced after a US publication recently published its contents. Read more: PTI chief ‘ready for 1,000 year jail if necessary’“The said Cypher Telegram (official Secret Document classified as such) is still in the illegal possession/retention of the accused Imran Khan,” it maintained. The FIR added that the “unauthorised retention and misuse of the Cypher Telegram by the accused persons compromised the entire cypher security system of the state and secret communication method of Pakistani missions abroad”. Dispelling notions that the PTI was facing internal strife, Qureshi stressed, "It is incorrect to label PTI as a party in turmoil." He asserted that there was no alternative to PTI Chairman Imran, emphasising that the party’s core committee was actively working in the challenging circumstances.

LAHORE: The 52nd martyrdom anniversary of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, one the youngest recipients of Nishan-e-Haider, was observed on Sunday across the country. It said in the line of duty, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas lived up to great traditions of Pakistan Armed Forces in defending the motherland. Meanwhile, Pakistan Air Force Directorate General Public Relations has released a short documentary to pay homage to youngest recipient of Nishan-e-Haider, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Sunday also paid a rich tribute to the courage and sacrifice of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed. In a tweet today, the premier said observing the 52nd anniversary of martyrdom of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed (Nishan e Haider) today, we as a nation salute his undying courage.

Celebrated television and film star Mahira Khan recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to host Ask Mahira, a series where she interacts with her fans and answers their queries. Meanwhile.. go watch it 🙏🏼♥️ https://t.co/qzsq6pqyLF — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) August 18, 2023"Why are you not doing dramas? When questioned about the one word that would best describe Razia, Mahira replied with "brave." But now.. we will have more ;) https://t.co/lPsU2TkEoB — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) August 18, 2023Another X user wrote, "How’s Mahira the producer doing? Some a little more -you know who you are 😉☺️♥️ pic.twitter.com/VP8T4Q7NQ7 — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) August 18, 2023Have anything to add?

KARACHI-Chairman Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Saturday affirmed that next general elections would be conducted on time immediately after the completion of delimitation process on the basis of new census. While talking to media at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Chairman Senate said that PDM coalition government was consisted of almost all the political parties that had taken decisions in this regard. As soon as delimitation exercise is completed, the ECP would announce the date for next general election, he maintained reiterating that next general election would take place and on the right time as the ECP would conduct the elections and the nation should remain contented. On another query about Baluchistan, Sanjrani said that Baluchistan had a vast area and it required billions to carry out development work across the province. Sanjrani said that Baluchistan enjoys representation at every forum and elected representatives of the province were very vocal on issues of the province.

Over the past decade, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is reshaping the development landscape of Punjab, the most populous and agriculturally rich province of Pakistan. Furthermore, the CPEC Unit of the Agriculture Department in Punjab has been entrusted with a crucial role as the primary resource center for both the Public and Private Sectors. By collaborating with China, Punjab is advancing its agricultural productivity and ensuring food security for the future. CPEC has prioritised several projects and initiatives in Punjab, ensuring the province’s active participation and substantial benefits from the corridor. Transport infrastructure development in Punjab under CPEC is significant.

From 2018 to 2023, Pakistan underwent a tumultuous period marked by significant political, economic and environmental challenges. Placing Pakistan’s industrial policy in the broader South Asian context reveals a need for introspection and reform. Historically, Pakistan’s industrial output and contribution to GDP have trailed behind its neighbours, Bangladesh and India. The nation’s persistent and deepening current account deficits during 2013-2022, especially during PTI’s era, overshadow those of its neighbours. Pakistan’s trade strategies have not effectively boosted export competitiveness or curtailed import dependency.

The government’s decision to raise the prices of electricity, gas, and gasoline has stirred de­bates about its apparent merciless attitude. The central inquiry revolves around whether increasing elec­tricity and gas rates is truly the only viable method to augment financial resources. However, a deeper examination uncovers a multifaceted scenario where a confluence of factors plays a role. Data presented in the National As­sembly indicates that a staggering five hundred billion rupees worth of electricity was stolen within a mere 15 months. Moreover, a sig­nificant portion of public taxes is channelled into providing free electricity, gas, and gasoline to in­fluential segments of the popula­tion.

In Russia, the authorities shut down respected rights group the Sakharov Center and announced fresh international sanctions against its critics abroad. And earlier Friday Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and its Black Sea Fleet. In Washington, a US State Department official said Denmark and the Netherlands had been given “formal assurances” for the jet transfer. The authorities shut down prominent rights group the Sakharov Center, saying it had illegally hosted conferences and exhibitions. Also Friday, a Russian court placed the co-chair of independent election monitoring group Golos in pre-trial detention until at least October 17.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ghulam Ali on Saturday administered oath to members of newly appointed caretaker cabinet, comprising nine ministers and two advisers and a special assistant. It was attended by KP caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan and others. On Aug 10, 20 ministers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) caretaker cabinet tendered their resignations following the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The election commission had directed the ministers to submit their resignations after disclosure of their political affiliations with different parties. On July 31, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had asked the caretaker Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to remove ministers who are involved in politics.