Even after ‘the breaking news,’ the finance minister didn’t ap­pear wavering. Not only his own family, but the son of Prime Minister She­hbaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, a former prime minis­ter, would also be paying the ‘su­per tax,’ he had introduced. It wouldn’t yield to the de­mand of earliest possible elec­tions as the former Prime Min­ister, Imran Khan, had zealously been pressing since removed. They prefer to believe that the US had not been feeling com­fortable with ‘nationalist poli­cies’ of Imran Khan. The story, which the former prime minister keeps drumming re­lentlessly, appears to have om­inously deepened divisions in an already polarized society.

With news on Friday that the Blackhawks are hiring Luke Richardson as their new permanent head coach, we did some digging to get to know more about the man who will be calling the shots behind the bench in Chicago moving forward. He was also the head coach of the Senators’ AHL affiliate from 2012-13 through 2015-16 and led Canada to the Spengler Cup in 2016-17. Richardson was pressed into action as the acting head coach for Game Three of the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights when then-Canadiens head coach Dom Ducharme tested positive for COVID. Personal lifeThe most significant and important thing to know about Luke Richardson — as a player, coach or person — is that he’s dedicated. You hear it from the players he’s worked and played with, and you see it in his tireless work in support of mental health initiatives.

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday announced holding anti-government public gatherings in all major cities across the country on July 2 with him addressing the main event at Islamabad's Parade Ground. He said he has issued directives to all party workers in all major cities to hold the rallies the same day. Commenting on the “super tax” introduced by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led coalition government, Imran said it would add to already rising inflation in the country. The former premier further stated that the super tax would hike the corporate tax to 40 per cent, which is at 25 per cent in India and Bangladesh at present. Imran further commented that the tax was perturbing the salaried class, saying the wise thing to do was to instead broaden the tax net.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) potentially getting a two-and-a-half-month window in the next International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP), the PCB will raise the issue at the ICC AGM in July. That is mostly due to poor political relations between the two countries, as a result of which the IPL window arguably impacts Pakistan s international season more than other members. “There hasn t been any announcement on increasing the [IPL] window,” Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said during a press conference in Lahore after the PCB’s 69th board of governors (BoG) meet. But this will be the only cricket board that will challenge any platform where it believes Pakistan is being short-changed. “I’ve spoken on the sidelines to Sourav Ganguly, and I told him now three former cricketers [including Martin Snedden] are on the [ICC] board.

Nation proud of its armed forces for making country's defence impregnable: PMPrime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif says the nation is proud of its armed forces for making the country's defence impregnable and playing a key role in the fight against terrorism. Shehbaz Sharif said we believe in peace and peaceful coexistence, but this must not be taken as our weakness. He said Pakistan Armed Forces are fully capable to take on any challenge. The Prime Minister also reviewed the Guard of Honour and distributed prizes among the passing out cadets for their distinctive performance. Meanwhile, in a tweet, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government is committed to provide all resources necessary to strengthen Pakistan Navy.

Mainly hot, dry weather expected in most parts of countryMainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next twelve hours. Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning:Islamabad and Muzaffarabad twenty-one degree centigrade, Murree sixteen, Lahore twenty-eight, Karachi thirty, Peshawar twenty-six, Quetta twenty-five and Gilgit fifteen degree centigrade. According to Met Office forecast for Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, partly cloudy and hot weather is expected in Srinagar, Pulwama and Baramulla, dry in Leh, while hot and dry in Jammu, Anantnag and Shopian. Temperature recorded this morning:Srinagar fifteen degree centigrade, Jammu twenty-seven, Leh nine, Pulwama and Anantnag fourteen, Shopian thirteen and Baramulla seventeen degree centigrade.

Pakistan on Friday dispatched the second tranche of humanitarian assistance for the earthquake affectees in a C-30 aircraft of Pakistan Air Force to Afghanistan. NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Akhter Nawaz and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Afghan Embassy in Pakistan were present on the occasion, an NDMA press release said. This second consignment arranged by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) consisted of family tents and essential food items. The Afghan charge d’affaires thanked the Pakistani government for sending humanitarian assistance promptly for the Afghan people in the hour of need. The NDMA sent its first consignment of relief goods on June 23 via road.

Continuing the trend of taking tough decisions at the expense of political capital, PM Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the government will be imposing a 10 percent “super tax” on large-scale industries in order to control surging inflation. The intention to tax high earners so that more funds can be diverted towards education, health, infrastructure, skills education, and other important sectors should be applauded. The markets too have reacted negatively to this news as the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) crashed minutes after the taxes were announced. As the government has explained, this is a one-time tax on large-scale industry for one year which will help raise crucial revenue. At the same time, however, the government must pursue serious measures to broaden the tax net, regardless of the political cost and friction in question.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has called for recognizing democracy, rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights as bedrocks of peace and stability within and among the nations. She was addressing the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. Issues of common concern including sustainable and inclusive development, post-Covid recovery and democracy, peace and governance came under discussion. On the sidelines, the Minister of State held useful bilateral meetings with the UK Minister for South Asia, Commonwealth and the UN Lord Tariq Ahmad, Foreign Minister of Jamaica Kamina Johnson Smith, Foreign Minister of Dominica Dr Kenneth Darroux and Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, Professor David J Francis. The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting is taking place after four years, making it the first such Commonwealth gathering in the post Pandemic period.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has termed the demands of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) pertaining to the reversal of Fata merger and military withdrawal from tribal areas bordering Afghanistan as against the Constitution, saying that “talks are possible with only those who are willing to surrender their arms”. In May, 2018, the National Assembly had paved the way for the merger of Fata with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Shedding light on the strength of the TTP fighters, Sanaullah said the proscribed terrorist group comprised at least 4,000 to 5,000 members. Sanaullah maintained that the military leadership had given assurance on possessing the capacity and power to sort out the prevailing issues with the TTP effectively. He concluded that interference of foreign elements could not be ruled out in terrorist attacks across the country.

LAHORE, Jun 24: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja has said that the idea of an annual quadrangular T20I series involving Pakistan, India, Australia and England was still alive with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and it has not been shelved. He said the audiences have started to own Pakistan cricket and this filled the coffers which is a good omen for cricket. He urged the media to highlight the achievements of the cricketers and cricket board instead falling for the negativity. He said Pakistan Junior League (PJL) will also attract money for the PCB, adding that the board has been envisaging new ideas and properties. He said the cricket pitches against Australia were dead, and that is all pitches have been replaced in 107 centers in the country and a Dubai-based company will stitch artificial grass on these pitches.

KIGALI: Prince Charles told Commonwealth leaders Friday that the choice to become a republic or abandon the queen as head of state was theirs alone, and expressed “personal sorrow” at Britain’s legacy of slavery. Republican movements are taking root in a number of Commonwealth nations and some are seeking reparations for colonial-era injustices like slavery. Charles acknowledged the change underfoot and said the Commonwealth — which represents one-third of humanity — would always be “a free association of independent, self-governing nations”. “The Commonwealth contains within it countries that have had constitutional relationships with my family, some that continue to do so, and increasingly those that have had none,” he told an audience of presidents and prime ministers. “I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact,” he said.

Getting donations to Afghanistan earthquake victims will be far more difficult compared with other disasters due to sanctions against the country’s Taliban government and its troubled relationship with Western nations, experts say. Humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief says its shipment of 1 million doses of donated prenatal vitamins is still being held by customs weeks after it arrived in the country. Direct Relief says it has offered the World Health Organization’s Afghanistan office emergency medicines and supplies needed for trauma care. The World Food Programme reported it has sent at least 18 trucks carrying emergency supplies to the area near the quake’s epicenter. For those looking to donate to help those affected by the Afghanistan earthquake, McIlreavy, of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, said focusing on groups currently working in Afghanistan would be important.

A $2.3 billion loan agreement with a Chinese consortium, announced by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Wednesday, indicates that the government is indeed exploring multiple avenues for financing. This injection is reportedly going to be directed towards shoring up our foreign reserves, which is extremely important in the current period of stagnation and low growth. Going forward, one of the key tasks for the finance team of the government in the next year should be to shore up our foreign reserves. This will be crucial in stablising the Rupee and bringing up its value if the government also looks to adjust other policies alongside. The government’s move to make this financing option available for us in record time—even before the IMF deal has been officially reinstated—is nothing short of an achievement.

The government could amend the Income Tax Ordinance through the Finance Act 2022 to plug a loophole which is often exploited by the rich Pakistanis to avoid tax payment, according to sources in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). During the past few years, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governments brought substantial changes to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 aimed at improving tax recovery from abroad. In the budget, the government has also proposed 1% capital value tax on the movable and immovable assets abroad. The proposed changes may still exclude one capital asset under self-occupation owned by the resident person from the deemed income tax. Sources said that the finance minister considered the options to again lower the advance income tax on mobile phone calls amid opposition by the FBR.