Diplomatic spat
India unwilling to give peace a chanceIn what is the latest deterioration in diplomatic relations with its neighbor, India has expelled two diplomats from Pakistan’s high commission in Delhi for allegedly being involved in espionage. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a second term last year, he has ramped up confrontation with Pakistan, bringing both countries almost to the brink of war at one stage. Pakistan, under Prime Minister Imran Khan has attempted to find some middle ground in this current impasse with no luck. Indiscriminate firing along the LOC has continued unabated for months resulting in casualties on both sides every so often. Regional peace is only achievable if all players want it and contribute towards deescalating any tensions to increase cooperation that can lead to better diplomatic relations and more trade.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 17:58 UTC
1,402 new coronavirus cases, 22 deaths in Sindh, says CM
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah disclosing daily situation report of coronavirus on Monday said that the new month of June started with 22 deaths and detection of 1,402 new cases across Sindh. Giving details, the chief minister said that 6,289 samples were tested which resulted in 1,402 new coronavirus cases that constituted 22.3 per cent. According to Shah 22 more patients succumbed to the virus, lifting the death toll to 503 that came to 1.7 per cent. Giving district-wise details of the cases, the chief minister said that out of 1,402 cases, 1,028 belonged to Karachi. According to the chief minister, 48 bodies have so far been identified through DNA while one sample was yet to be matched.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 17:50 UTC
Renowned writer Dr Asif Farrukhi passes away
Pakistani writer, teacher and critic Dr Asif Aslam Farrukhi passed away on Monday at the age of 60. Dr Farrukhi was born in September, 1959. He was the son of distinguished Urdu scholar, poet, researcher and writer Dr Aslam Farrukhi who passed away after a prolonged illness in 2016. In 2014, Dr Farrukhi joined Habib University in Karachi as an associate professor and the director of the Arzu Centre for Regional Languages and Humanities. Dr Farrukhi founded the Karachi Literature Festival with former Oxford University Press managing director Ameena Saiyid.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 17:20 UTC
B2B marketplace Bazaar announces raising $1.3 million in pre-seed funding
B2B ecommerce marketplace Bazaar has raised an unprecedented $1.3 million in a pre-seed round from US and Pakistan-based institutional and angel investors, the company said in a statement. “Bringing the fragmented B2B retail market online is one of the biggest startup opportunities in Pakistan. I have tracked it for over a year and have been waiting to back the right team to go after it. Bazaar is using this pre-seed financing to build out the tech, hire its early team in commercials, growth and operations roles and grow its retailer base across Karachi. Bazaar has already made some headway with setting up a strong team with diverse backgrounds from the tech and retail industry.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 15:50 UTC
PPP seeks NA debate on plane crash
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has submitted an adjournment motion in the National Assembly Secretariat seeking a debate in the House on the Karachi plane crash incident. The motion was submitted by Dr Nafisa Shah, Shahida Remani, Naz Baloch and Nasiba Channa. The motion demanded a debate on the issue after suspending routine agenda of the session. It added that 97 precious lives were lost in the crash, which is the fourth such tragic incident in the last 10 years. The motion also called for a debate on the performance of Civil Aviation Authority and Pakistan International Airlines.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 14:55 UTC
New PEMRA rule requires channels to bring only qualified astrologers to discuss COVID-19
A new regulation by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) requires for the television channels to bring only qualified astrologers to discuss the Corona virus. “Too much inaccurate information is making its way to the viewing public, leading to a lot of misinformation,” read the Pemra notification. “To this end, we now require for channels to only allow astrologers certified by the Pakistan Astrological Council and, for older astrologers, either the National Zodiac Congress and Anjuman-e-uloom-e-ujoom, prior to 1976, before they were merged into the PAC.”“Only accurate astrological information should be allowed to be communicated to the public in these uncertain times,” read the circular. The information has been met by indifferent response by the medical community. “Look, if there is such a thing as ‘certified homoeopathic doctor,’ then you might as well have ‘certified astrologers,” said Dr Fehmida Hassan, chairperson of the Pakistan Medical Association.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 12:33 UTC
Airbus team returns to France with voice, data recorders
KARACHI: The team of Airbus experts investigating the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash departed for France on Monday via a special flight. The 11-member foreign team, which had landed in Karachi on Tuesday to offer help in the ongoing probe, took with them the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and samples from the wreckage of the crashed jet. Another team of experts in France will investigate the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. A team of PIA’s Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board’s (AAIB) reportedly also accompanied the experts back to France. However, the engine will be extracted and transported under the supervision of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) construction experts on Monday.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 11:26 UTC
Sindh to follow Centre’s coronavirus strategy: spokesperson
KARACHI: Sindh government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Monday said that the provincial government will implement the federal government’s strategy to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Murtaza said: “Today CM Murad attended a National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting at 10:00 am. He will also meet the prime minister and others later today to present his point of view. “Irresponsible statements by the government have resulted in a spike in both new cases and deaths,” the spokesperson added. Sindh reported 1,402 positive cases and 22 deaths during the past 24 hours, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 10:49 UTC
Pakistan’s equity markets are getting more sophisticated. Will investors notice?
March 24 should have technically been a good day for the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The comparison with Bangladesh is made especially surprising by the fact that the Karachi Stock Exchange, the largest predecessor of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, was founded in 1949, a full five years before the Dhaka Stock Exchange, which was founded in 1954. “That’s a loss that really lies with our predecessor, the Karachi Stock Exchange,” said Farrukh Khan, the Pakistan Stock Exchange CEO. It really is an essential for a stock market, for capital markets to have. It [the Karachi exchange] used to be an exchange that was owned by its members, like other global stock exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 06:56 UTC
Name’s matter, even in the stock market
Last week I was talking to a fund manager from Singapore, and I mentioned to him that until 2008, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (then called Karachi Stock Exchange) used to have daily traded volumes of around $500 million. I told him that currently there is no leverage available in the market for share financing. This is why the daily traded volumes have shrunk by more than 90% to less than $50 million. He wrote that the daily traded volumes on the KSE were greater than many East Asian markets combined. One of the speakers – Khalid Mirza – identified phasing out of badla financing as a policy mishap which shrunk the equities market in Pakistan.
Source:Pakistan Today
June 01, 2020 06:56 UTC
Punjab police personnel bear brunt of pandemic
Reportedly, more than 100 police personnel, including some senior officers, went into isolation after contracting the virus. He said three police personnel named Shams, Ramzan Alam and Rao Javed had been martyred due to coronavirus. The SP Security in the DIG’s office also contracted the virus immediately after Eid and went into isolation. After this, more than 100 personnel serving at the office were tested and their reports are yet to come. He maintained that coronavirus has been confirmed in about 70 personnel in the Police Lines, of whom about 30 had recovered.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 31, 2020 23:03 UTC
Locust attack may cause $8.71bn loss to economy: expert
KARACHI: Locust attack may cause a loss of $8.71 billion to Pakistan’s economy during the summer if 75 per cent of the standing crops are destroyed, senior agriculture scientist Dr Chauhdry Inayatullah warned on Sunday. Speaking during an online lecture on locust attack and issues of food security, he said that this year, the locust attack is severe and coordinated efforts of the federal and provincial governments department are required to eliminate the swarms of locusts which are now in billions. He said that it is estimated that if 25 per cent crops are damaged during the current season then Pakistan would face a loss of $2.9 billion and if 50 per cent crops are eaten up by the insects then the loss would be around $5.8 billion. He said that controlling desert locusts when they are in swarms and warning other countries early is the key to success. He further said that the use of semiochemicals is ideal during the solitary and transitory phase of locusts.
Source:Pakistan Today
May 31, 2020 18:24 UTC
Two different pandemics
Still reeling under the effect of the coronavirus pandemic, another severe crisis is staring in Pakistan, one with the potential to impact their food security.Locust infestation is a major threat than coronavirus. The virus wouldn’t attack if we stay home and follow safety guidelines, but hunger will kill us in any way. All stakeholders should realise that time is of the essence in the fight against the crop-eating pests. The country has already lost a lot of precious time that should have been spent on controlling the formation of local swarms — and not on political point-scoring. Usama SarfrazIslamabad
Source:Pakistan Today
May 31, 2020 17:48 UTC
Pandemic in the Held Valley
Of all the seasons spring is the most important season of Kashmir particularly. No one, including Kashmiris, were ready or prepared to face this pandemic, particularly in this peak business and most cherished season. All the saner voices around should keep the politics at bay as of now and focus on containing this pandemic. Even without the pandemic, normally healthcare facilities are insufficient to meet the slight crises that emerge. All the saner voices around should keep the politics at bay as of now and focus on containing this pandemic.
Source:Pakistan Today
May 31, 2020 17:37 UTC
Moot hails steps taken by women leaders against Covid-19
The webinar was addressed by female health experts and scientists from Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United States and Pakistan. Paying rich tribute to the female health minister of Indian State of Kerala, K.K. “The exemplary leadership qualities shown by some female heads of state and the health minister said that we need more women in leadership roles in the world. Dr Lubna Kamani highlighted the importance of women issues during COVID-19 pandemic, saying there is a need to have such webinars frequently on these issues as there is less mortality in women as compared to men. “It has also been seen that in the presence of women leadership, there is effective control of Covid-19 in some countries”, she said and added that managing pregnancy in a pandemic is also a challenge that needs to be addressed.
Source:Pakistan Today
May 31, 2020 17:15 UTC