The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said as many as six individuals, including Commander 12 Corps Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali who was supervising relief operations in the flood-hit province, were on board. A Pakistan army aviation helicopter which was on flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan lost contact with ATC. 6 individuals were on board including Commander 12 Corps who was supervising flood relief operations in Balochistan. Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and Pakistan Navy have been conducting rescue operations in the province after deadly floods wreaked havoc there killing at least 132 people. Even the army struggled to carry out relief operations initially through helicopters because of bad weather.

The PTI chief also blamed the opposition parties for the dollar’s unending flight, saying it was also in the interest of some. Imran also claimed that the incumbent government took the reins of power without any prior economic planning. A day earlier, the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution, seeking the resignations of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and Election Commission of Pakistan commissioners for their alleged “biasness”. He stated that the PTI chose its leaders through the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in elections. Imran said that the K-P and Punjab assemblies had passed resolutions against the CEC, stating that they had lost confidence in him.

I hail from Hyderabad, which is about 150km from Karachi. The residents of the city face loadshedding for up to 12 hours every day, but the mainstream media seems to focus solely on Karachi and its problems as if the rest of the Sindh does not exist. My family and friends living in Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and other cities are all suffering from frequent power outages, but none of the so-called popular television channels or newspapers raises the issue. This feels like discrimination, especially because we live in a respectable residential area that is at a stone’s throw from the three main universities of the city. - Advertisement -Regional channels are doing a great job in this regard, but their factual reports are drowned in the noise generated by the big cities.

ISLAMABAD – The KSE 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed bearish trend on Monday, losing 74.40 points, a negative change of 0.19 percent, closing at 40,075.96 points against 40,150.36 points on the last working day. A total of 110,422,594 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 170,272,721shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs3.718 billion against Rs6.307 billion on last trading day. As many as 309 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 101 of them recorded gain and 182 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 26 companies remained unchanged. Nestle Pakistan witnessed a maximum increase of Rs400 per share, closing at Rs6,290, whereas the runner up was Indus Colgate Palm, the share prices of which climbed up by Rs149.96 to Rs2,149.46. Bata Pak witnessed maximum decrease of Rs162 per share closing at Rs2,010 followed by Premium Tex, the share price of which declined by Rs37.38 to close at Rs635.01.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, the biggest-ever edition in nearly two decades, was won by China after defeating South Korea on Feb. 6, 2022. PHOTO: AFPAustralia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan have expressed interest in hosting the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said on Monday. The AFC "will now work with all bidding member associations on the delivery of the necessary bidding documentation in accordance with the bidding process". India hosted the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, which was won by China and was expanded from eight to 12 teams. The 2026 edition "is expected to build on the solid foundations of the tournament’s celebrated legacy," the AFC said.

Asian markets were mixed Monday and oil fell as investors assessed data showing further weakness in China’s economy and comments from Federal Reserve officials showing it was wedded to its campaign of interest rate hikes to fight inflation. However, analysts warned that inflation would take time to come down from its four-decade highs and there were undoubtedly more rate hikes to come. And officials backed that up at the weekend, with Minneapolis Fed chief Neel Kashkari telling the New York Times that he was “surprised by markets’ interpretation” of the latest Fed meeting statement. The data out of China revived demand concerns on oil markets, sending both main contracts down Monday, following a bounce last week. “The US has expressed optimism about the potential for an OPEC+ supply response, said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes.

Army Chief lauds PLA's role in China's defense, security and nation buildingChief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said Pakistan-China relationship is unique and robust that has proven its resilience in the face of challenges. He was addressing a ceremony in connection with the 95th Anniversary of the founding of Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) at GHQ in Rawalpindi. The Army Chief said PLA and Pakistan Army are brothers in arms and our relationship will continue to contribute towards safeguarding the collective interests. General Qamar Javed Bajwa lauded PLA's role in China's defense, security and nation building. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, in his remarks, thanked the Army Chief for hosting reception on the eve of PLA's anniversary.

He said this while talking to PTI members of parliament in Lahore on Sunday. Imran tasked former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid to complete the PTI’s organ­isational structure in the province within two weeks. He lauded the efforts of party workers for the elec­tion of Punjab chief minister and Punjab Assembly speak­er. The PTI chief also laud­ed the performance of mem­bers of parliament from the Lahore and the Gujran­wala division. The PTI chief insisted that the coun­try had the right economic in­dicators when he was in pow­er and he had warned the “powerful quarters” about it.

ISLAMABAD – Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (FPCCI) United Business Group (UBG), the largest alliance of chambers and trade associations in the country, has started consultation meetings finalising the best candidates for the annual election of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). Group Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik,(Sitara-I-Imtiaz) after chairing meeting told media on Sunday that a high level 20-member reconstituted core committee today held first preliminary marathon session to fully ensure the selection of the best candidates. He said that the UBG provincial-level scrutiny committees have been asked submit their recommendations to core committee for the award of tickets to the most suitable candidates contesting elections for the slots of President, SVP and VPs including against women seats. He said final names would be announced shortly after further deliberations and consultations with provincial and local leaders. He said under rotation policy, federation president would belong to federal territory.

He said this while talking to PTI members of parliament in Lahore on Sunday. Imran tasked former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid to complete the PTI's organisational structure in the province within two weeks. Read more: Only early election can end economic, political crises: ImranLater, Imran met PTI leader Dr Yasmin, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Raja Basharat separately. He lauded the efforts of party workers for the election of Punjab chief minister and Punjab Assembly speaker. The PTI chief also lauded the performance of members of parliament from the Lahore and the Gujranwala division.

Indian troops martyr one more Kashmiri youth in BaramullaIn Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Binner area of the district. The occupation forces also suspended mobile and internet service in the area.

A senior PPP leader said while responding to a question – why PPP MPA Ali Haider Gillani did not file his nomination papers for the post, giving the PTI candidate a walkover. The joint opposition parties’ candidate, Ali Gillani, did not file his nomination papers for the deputy speaker’s elections that were held on Saturday. The senior PPP leader, however, denied the media reports, saying that the PML-N was trying to play dirty by bypassing their party leadership and nominating a PPP MPA for the deputy speaker’s elections on their own. PPP MPA Usman Mehmood told The Express Tribune that it was out of protest that they did not file the nomination papers. He said that the speaker’s elections were held in an unfair manner, which they had challenged in the court.

The Interior Ministry in the Senate unleashed figures according to which there have been 434 terrorist attacks in Pakistan within the last six months. This development comes in the backdrop of stagnant and uncertain peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has refused to budge from its hardline stance. Recently, the Ulema delegation was unable to convince the TTP to halt attacks and hold peace talks as both sides were skeptical of one another. We must remain within the confines of the constitution but also be sensitive to the grievances put forth by the organisation. There is a solution out there and the government must continue to strive for it, however peacefully possible.

Such people should have been given seats in the front row, not made to wait outside the celebration marquee. Those who have, unfortunately, monopolised state power in Pakistan, were the ones who hardly took part in the Independence Movement or, for that matter, in the War of Independence 1857. The army first tasted political power when late Field Marshal Ayub was made the Defence Minister as sitting Army Chief. We have now militias of religious political parties and sectarian brutes like JUI(F) and TLP strut around as political workers. This brief review of the state of the nation pushes one to the conclusion that the entire state system has to be remodelled to make the country viable or else the ship is already sinking in any case.

Admittedly, a poor enrollment rate is a major problem that many districts are trying to combat. Khyber, for instance, has launched an admissions campaign with the hopes that the number of school-going children will increase. The reason why Pakistan’s education system is in shambles goes beyond just low admission rates. Encouraging enrollment rates in isolation will not suffice and may in fact be counterproductive as parents are more likely to withdraw their children from poor functioning schools that promise no positive results. Holistic and all-encompassing solutions are needed so that high enrollment actually translates into schools being beneficial for children.