Tag: Pakistan

Pakistan continues ignore terrorism organisations despite FATF’s February deadline
23Jan By TheGreenZoneNo Comments
Asia

Pakistan continues ignore terrorism organisations despite FATF’s February deadline

As Pakistan continues financing and supporting terrorist organisations, it appears that the country will be pushed into the black list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) during next month’s Plenary to assess the country’s progress in curbing the financing of terrorist organisations.During October’s review, FATF president Marcus Pleyer had said that there were “very serious deficiencies” in Pakistan’s efforts to counter terrorist financing and gave the country until the February 19-21 Plenary to resolve these issues as they cannot wait “forever.”“As long as we see that the country is progressing with the action items, and we have seen progress with Pakistan, we give them a chance to repair the outstanding issues, but we don’t do this forever,” Pleyer had said.Although Pakistani decis...
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Pakistan should withdraw anti-dumping duty imposed on BOPP from UAE: WTO
20Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Pakistan should withdraw anti-dumping duty imposed on BOPP from UAE: WTO

Pakistan should withdraw the antidumping duty imposed on Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Film (BOPP) from the United Arab Emirates, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in a report.As per the WTO panel issues report regarding Pakistan duties on BOPP film from the UAE, the WTO found that Pakistan’s final determination of 9 April 2015 and sunset review determination of 1 December 2016 is inconsistent with a number of Articles of the Anti-Dumping Agreement.The dispute concerns a challenge to successive anti-dumping duty measures that Pakistan adopted on imports of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film from, among other sources, the United Arab Emirates.The WTO report recommended that Pakistan bring its measures into conformity with its obligations under the Anti-Dumping Agreement.I...
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Pak airline officials to appear in UK, Malaysia courts for failure to pay lease of seized aircraft
17Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Pak airline officials to appear in UK, Malaysia courts for failure to pay lease of seized aircraft

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials will appear before a court in the United Kingdom on January 22 and a Malaysian court on January 24 for failing to pay the lease of an aircraft on time, Pakistan’s Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Saturday.During a media briefing, the minister claimed that the Malaysian court had issued an order without listening to any arguments by the national carrier, and blamed the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for acquiring two aircraft on an expensive lease.A PIA aircraft was held back by a local court in Malaysia on Friday due to a legal dispute between the airline and another party.Taking to Twitter, Pakistan’s national carrier said: “A PIA aircraft has been held back by a local court in Malaysia taking one sided ...
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UN chief condemns killing of 11 coal miners in Balochistan
4Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

UN chief condemns killing of 11 coal miners in Balochistan

A day after 11 coal miners in the Balochistan province of Pakistan were brutally killed, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Pakistan to bring perpetrators of the terrorist act to justice.In a statement, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said Guterres trusts that Pakistan will bring perpetrators of the terrorist act to justice.“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack and killing of at least 11 coal miners in the Balochistan province of Pakistan yesterday. He extends his sincere condolences to the families of the miners and the people and government of Pakistan,” the statement read.“He trusts the Pakistani authorities will do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of this terrorist act to justice,” it added.Eleven ...
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Pakistan has second highest audience India’s Prasar Bharati
3Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Pakistan has second highest audience India’s Prasar Bharati

During 2020, Pakistan has accounted for the second highest digital audience for Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on Sunday.According to an official statement issued by the Ministry, the channels of Prasar Bharati across Doordarshan and Akashvani have “registered more than 100 per cent growth, clocking over a Billion Digital Views and over 6 Billion Digital Watch Minutes”.“Interestingly during 2020, Pakistan accounted for the second highest digital audience for DD and AIR content after domestic audience from within India, with the United States close behind,” the ministry said.It said during 2020, Prasar Bharati’s mobile application ‘NewsOnAir’ added more than 2.5 million users with the platform registering over 300 million vie...
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India, Pakistan exchange list of Indian prisoners as part of bilateral agreement
1Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

India, Pakistan exchange list of Indian prisoners as part of bilateral agreement

As part of a bilateral agreement, Pakistan on Friday handed over a list of 319 Indian prisoners including 49 civil and 270 fishermen lodged in the country's jails to the High Commission of India.The Foreign Office (FO) said that the step is consistent with the provisions of the Consular Access Agreement between the two countries signed on May 21, 2008."The Government of Pakistan, today, shared with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad a list of 319 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, including 49 civilians and 270 fishermen prisoners," it said.The Indian government also simultaneously shared the list of 340 Pakistani prisoners in India, including 263 civilians and 77 fishermen with the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi, the FO said.Under the agreement, the two countries are required t...
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Pakistan: First case of new coronavirus variant from UK detected
29Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Pakistan: First case of new coronavirus variant from UK detected

The first case of the new coronavirus variant from UK was confirmed in Pakistan on Tuesday after three samples taken from passengers who had returned from Britain showed 95 pre cent match to the new variant.The health department in Sindh said the samples of 12 returnees were taken for genotyping, out of which six tested positive.“Samples of three U.K. returnees show a 95% match to the new coronavirus variant from the U.K. in the first phase of genotyping,” it said in a tweet.The health department said that the provincial government was tracing contacts of these patients and all those who came in contact with them were being isolated.The new variant is considered as 70% more transmissible and has sparked concerns around the world though health experts say there is no evidence that it is mor...
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China bails out Pakistan to pay Saudi debt again
13Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

China bails out Pakistan to pay Saudi debt again

Pakistan is saved yet again as China has agrees to immediately provide $1.5 billion financing line to Islamabad to repay the $2 billion Saudi Arabia debt.Now, out of $2 billion, Pakistan is set to return the $1 billion on Monday, said sources in the finance ministry and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). “The remaining $1 billion is due in January,” they added.“However, this time, China has not given the loan from its State Administration of Foreign Exchange, commonly known as SAFE deposits, nor has it extended a commercial loan,” said the sources.Instead, both the countries have agreed to augment the size of a 2011 bilateral Currency-Swap Agreement (CSA) by an additional 10 billion Chinse Yuan or around $1.5 billion, the sources said. This has increased the size of the overall trade facili...
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Pakistan, China Began Joint Air Exercise Shaheen (Eagle)-IX in Sindh
10Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

Pakistan, China Began Joint Air Exercise Shaheen (Eagle)-IX in Sindh

With an aim to deepen practical cooperation and improve the actual-combat training level, the air forces of Pakistan and China on Wednesday commenced a joint exercise "Shaheen (Eagle)-IX" at an operational air base of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Sindh province.“A contingent of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), comprising combat pilots, air defence controllers and technical ground crew, participated in the exercise,” the PAF said in a statement.The opening ceremony of the exercise was jointly witnessed by Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) Air Vice Marshal Waqas Ahmed Sulehri and Assistant Chief of Staff, PLAAF, Major General Sun Hong, it said."The joint exercise will improve the actual level of combat training and strengthen practical cooperation between the two air f...
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6 men abduct minor in Pakistan’s Punjab, force her to marry 45-year-old man
7Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

6 men abduct minor in Pakistan’s Punjab, force her to marry 45-year-old man

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a case has been registered against six men for allegedly abducting a 12-year-old girl and later forcing her to get married to a 45-year-old man.Though the girl was recovered by police officials, the accused managed to flee from the location. A local court had also chided the investigation offer for mentioning the wrong age of the victim as 17.Meanwhile, the father of the victim has appealed to higher authorities seeking action against the accused, and also complained of non-cooperation from the police department in this case.Earlier in November, a case of child marriage had surfaced in the Thul town of Sindh’s Sukkur despite a law outlawing such marriages put in place.Prior to that, a 13-year-old Christian girl named Arzoo Raja was forcibly abducted allegedly...
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