Corona SOPs relaxed in eight cities of Pakistan: Umar

The government has announced a new strategy via which cities with low vaccination rates will have to undergo "higher restrictions", said National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar.

Flanked by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, Asad Umar said that the government had decided to vaccinate cities and areas where coronavirus positivity ratios were higher.

"Vaccination is the only way forward, as the world knows very well, to battle the coronavirus," he said. "Getting the most people vaccinated is the fastest way to get rid of the problems of coronavirus otherwise, we will have to depend on closures," he added.

He said lockdowns and closures usually meant economic losses and business setbacks. Umar clarified that increased vaccination rates will not, however, mean that coronavirus will be totally eliminated across Pakistan.

"However, it ensure that people are able to spend their lives normally," he said.

"Hence, keeping all this in mind, our NCOC meeting this morning decided that from October 1, our decision to impose more relaxation or restrictions in SOPs for cities and districts will be made on the basis of their respective vaccination rates," he said.

SOPs relaxed in eight cities of Pakistan

Umar said that the NCOC had set a target to vaccinate 40% of the 15 and above age group in Pakistan's 24 or 25 large cities. He said the cities who had achieved the targeted vaccination rate are Gilgit, Skardu, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar.

"We are about to relax restrictions in these eight cities from October 1," he announced. "The rest of the cities and districts will have to implement on the same restrictions that are currently in place, till October 15," he added.

Umar spoke about the relaxations that will be allowed to the above-mentioned eight cities, adding that indoor gatherings of up to 300 persons and outdoor gatherings of up to 1,000 persons will be allowed.

The NCOC chief said that persons who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, in these eight cities, will also be able to watch movies in cinema houses from October 1.

Fully vaccinated persons can also visit shrines in the eight cities, Umar said, adding that however, the provincial government and district administration will keep a check on how the arrangements are made for people to visit these shrines and check whether they have been vaccinated or not.

"Restaurants can remain open throughout the week for these eight cities," he said. "The same goes for wedding halls. They can remain open seven days a week.

Umar announced another relaxation for vaccinated individuals from October 1, not necessarily from these eight cities, adding that food during flights will be served to them.

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PCB CEO Wasim Khan resigns

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO Wasim Khan has resigned from the post after his powers were curtailed, Wasim Khan tendered his resignation in a meeting with PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja a day prior.

Wasim Khan was taken on board by former chairman Ehsan Mani in 2019 to run the affairs of the board on modern lines, on a three-year contract which was set to expire in 2022.

"We have started the process of revamping the PCB and under Wasim, we now have an experienced leader of the management team who will oversee the implementation of the Board decisions. His first task would be to oversee the reforms of domestic cricket structure," Mani had said when he had announced Wasim Khan's appointment.

In his first press conference as PCB chief last month, Ramiz Raja had also hinted that a complete overhaul of the system was needed in the cricket board.

"First of all, this is an internal matter of the organisation hence I will not share anything with you," Ramiz Raja had responded when asked about the future of Wasim Khan under his leadership. "If I were to talk about scrolls, then 90% of the PCB should be sacked," he had said.

Ramiz then said that he was not fixating on tenures, adding that he wanted "people for the execution" of his plans.

"I was having a discussion with the Board of Governors (BoG) to whom I said that I have 10,000 ideas and wishes. To accomplish them, I need a team," he had said. "So we discussed how we will go about these executions."

Rumours of change within the PCB management had started circulating since Ramiz Raja's nomination as the new cricket board chief.

Pakistan's coaches Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis were the first to go when they stepped down from their roles after the team was announced for the T20 World Cup.

"I always thought that if I got the chance [to serve] at this position then I would reset the vision a bit. I think cricket's compass and direction need to be reset. There are some long term and some short term goals," he had said.

 

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American senators demanding investigation a deeper into the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan

American senators have tabled a bill in the US Senate, demanding a deeper investigation into the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan and sanctions on the group as well as those who assisted them in driving out the Ashraf Ghani-led regime.

The 'Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act' seeks to establish a task force that will focus on continued evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents and Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan.

Introduced by 22 American Republican senators, the bill seeks to tackle issues related to the Afghan withdrawal, such as counterterrorism strategies and sanctioning the Taliban for alleged human rights abuses in the country.

"Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on entities providing support to the Taliban," the bill read.

It added that further assessment of "support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction" should be held.

The bill seeks a probe into the "support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan" for the 2021 Taliban offensive that helped topple the Afghan government led by Ashraf Ghani, adding that the areas to be probed are provision of sanctuary of space, intelligence support, financial support, logistics, training and medical support for the group.

The bill further seeks a probe into support for the Taliban allegedly by non-state actors and the government of Pakistan into the Panjshir Valley operation by the group and against their military offensives targeting the Afghan resistance.

"A detailed description of United States diplomatic and military activities undertaken to curtail support for the 2021 offensive of the Taliban that toppled the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," it added. Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, said that American citizens and Afghans were stranded in Afghanistan, adding that "we face a renewed terror threat against the United States".

He said it was wrong of the Taliban to seek recognition and acceptance at the UN "even as they suppress the rights of Afghan women and girls."

The bill says that as per the agreement between the US and the Taliban -signed in February 2020 - the two sides had committed to a reduction in violence in Afghanistan, engaging in talks with the Afghan government and providing counterterrorism guarantees.

"The Taliban failed to meet their commitments," the bill says.

The bill further states that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan may cause the country to descend into further chaos and become a safe haven for militants and terrorists such as Al-Qaeda or the Afghanistan chapter of Daesh.

The bill requires the State Department to provide a quarterly briefing and submit an annual report detailing lessons learned from the task force, including lessons related to the evacuation of American citizens, lawful permanent residents, and applicants for the special immigrant visa program, from Afghanistan.
The bill has called upon the US government to not recognise any diplomatic credentials of a person who is a member of the Taliban, which also includes the ambassador of Afghanistan to the US.

It directs that the US should use its influence at the United Nations to object to the issuance of credentials to any member of the delegation of Afghanistan to the United Nations General Assembly who is a member of the Taliban; to ensure that no member of the Taliban may serve in a leadership position in any United Nations body, fund, program, or specialised agency.

The bill also wants the US government to back a resolution on human rights abuses committed by the Taliban at the United Nations Human Rights Council and call for the immediate deployment of human rights monitors to Afghanistan under the special procedures of the Council.
Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari lashed out at the American legislators for tabling the bill, saying that once again, Islamabad was being punished for being America's ally in the War on Terror.

She said despite being in Afghanistan for 20 years, the US government has left behind "no stable governance structures".

"Pakistan now being scapegoated for this failure.This was never our war; we suffered 80,000 casualties, a dessimated economy, over 450 drone attacks by our US "ally"," she tweeted.

She asked the US to introspect, wondering whether the massive $2 trillion invested by the US had been spent.
"US Senate shd do serious introspection: Where did $ 2 trillion disappear? Why did the heavily-invested-in ANA simply dissolve? Who asked Pak to free TTA leadrship? Who signed Doha agreement with TTA & hosted them in DC?"

She then urged Western countries to look to their own failures rather than blame Pakistan for them.

"Enough is enough. It is time for those powers who were present in Afghanistan to look to their own failures instead of targeting Pakistan which paid a heavy price in lives lost, social & economic costs, refugees - all for being an ally & suffering constant abuse, in a war that wasn't ours," she tweeted.

 

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PAKISTAN RECORDS 51 MORE CORONA DEATHS WITHIN A DAY

Pakistan reported less than 2,000 coronavirus cases in a single day for the fourth consecutive day Wednesday morning.A day earlier, the data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed that the daily COVID-19 case count went below 1,500 for the first time in more than two months after the country reported 1,400 fresh cases Tuesday morning.

The country last reported less than 1,500 cases on July 23 at 1,425 cases.

The country also reported 52 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death tally to 27,690. With 2,970 recoveries in the same period, the tally for recoveries now stands at 1,167,189, NCOC's data showed.

The daily positivity rate stands at 3.19%. It has been less than 3% for the last four days.

The number of active cases went to the lowest level since the last two months at 48,506 cases. The active cases, along with the positivity rate, have been consistently falling since the last month with new recoveries surpassing fresh cases reported almost daily. Among the active cases, 3,948 patients are under critical care.

COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Pakistan, with 1,988 new infections reported on average each day. That’s 34% of the peak — the highest daily average reported on June 17.

Pakistan has administered at least 79,533,208 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 18.4% of the country’s population.

During the last week reported, Pakistan averaged about 711,775 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 61 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.

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PAKISTAN RECORDS 51 MORE CORONA DEATHS WITHIN A DAY

Pakistan reported less than 2,000 coronavirus cases in a single day for the fourth consecutive day Wednesday morning.A day earlier, the data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed that the daily COVID-19 case count went below 1,500 for the first time in more than two months after the country reported 1,400 fresh cases Tuesday morning.

The country last reported less than 1,500 cases on July 23 at 1,425 cases.

The country also reported 52 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death tally to 27,690. With 2,970 recoveries in the same period, the tally for recoveries now stands at 1,167,189, NCOC's data showed.

The daily positivity rate stands at 3.19%. It has been less than 3% for the last four days.

The number of active cases went to the lowest level since the last two months at 48,506 cases. The active cases, along with the positivity rate, have been consistently falling since the last month with new recoveries surpassing fresh cases reported almost daily. Among the active cases, 3,948 patients are under critical care.

COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Pakistan, with 1,988 new infections reported on average each day. That’s 34% of the peak — the highest daily average reported on June 17.

Pakistan has administered at least 79,533,208 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 18.4% of the country’s population.

During the last week reported, Pakistan averaged about 711,775 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 61 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.

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Govt welcomes discussion with Opposition on electoral reforms: Fawad

The PTI-led government on Tuesday welcomed the Opposition's readiness to discuss electoral reforms with the Centre, days after a committee from both houses was formed to address the matter.

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, addressing a post-cabinet press conference in Islamabad, said the committee should move in the right direction to resolve the matter and not waste time.

The information minister said the electronic voting machine (EVM) and i-voting were a crucial part of the reforms. "If we exclude overseas Pakistanis from the voting process [...] it will be an injustice with them."

Chaudhry said Prime Minister Imran Khan, during the cabinet meeting, directed Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, Advisor to PM on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, and others who oversee parliamentary matters that these two elements — EVMs and i-voting — be discussed as a necessity with the Opposition.

The information minister said a majority of the conflicts arise as the vote count comes in and that the government had shared a study of the Philippines with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), where 300 officials had died during conflicts when the final count came in. "This happened when the Philippines did not use EVMs."

The federal minister said the government had imported 20 machines and hoped that they could be used in upcoming elections.

"No sitting government in Pakistan has ever focused on electoral reforms, it is the PTI-led government that aims to introduce them," the minister said, highlighting that the incumbent regime had also run campaigns in this regard.

The federal minister said the government would bring its agenda to a joint session of the parliament and stressed once more that the government is willing to talk to the Opposition on electoral reforms.

Expansion of online visa system

The federal cabinet has expanded the Pakistan Online Visa System (POVS), through which the country issues e-visas, Chaudhry said, pointing out that from 50, it is now available to 191 countries.

"The aim behind this is to promote tourism and business — and through this, nationals from 191 countries will be able to get Pakistan's visas, while at home," the information minister said.

Private moon sighting

Moreover, new legislation on moon sightings has been done, and as a result, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has banned private moon sightings, Chaudhry said. "Only announcements from the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee or the government will be considered final and binding."

Besides the federal government, provincial and district committees for moon sighting will also be formed, the information minister said, noting that officials from SUPARCO, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Ministry of Science and Technology have also been included in the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.

Aid for Indonesia

Chaudhry said the federal cabinet, as a goodwill gesture, has approved humanitarian aid for Indonesia — a country that he said has stood firmly by Pakistan. "This is a gesture of goodwill as they battle coronavirus."

Economic indicators

The economic indicators presented before the cabinet showed that foreign remittances have gone up by $5.4 billion, revenue collection during the first two months of the fiscal year has increased by Rs858 billion, agriculture, manufacturing, and the services sector have also witnessed an upward trend, and foreign exchange reserves are at a record level, $27.2 billion, while exports went up by $4.6 billion, Chaudhry said.

He noted that inflation had increased, but that agricultural income has also gone up alongside.

Shahbaz's case in the UK

Responding to a question, the information minister said if the case of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif is heard on a daily basis and on merit, he would "soon be in jail".

The information minister hoped that the case of Shahbaz is wrapped up at the earliest so that the people of Pakistan could "finally get rid of" the Sharif family.

Chaudhry's remarks come a day after a British court ordered the unfreezing of the Opposition leader's bank accounts and those belonging to his son, Suleman Sharif.

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Shahbaz Sharif NCA probe: Govt embarrassing itself, says Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday lashed out at the government, saying that it had embarrassed itself in front of the world with the British National Crime Agency (NCA)'s probe against PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif.

In a hard-hitting press conference, flanked by Rana Sanaullah and Ahsan Iqbal, Abbasi said the government's claims that it was not involved or pursuing money laundering cases against Shahbaz had been exposed.

He said that the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) and, as per the PML-N's sources, even Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials, used to go to London to meet NCA officials.

"The standard set by this government, when it comes to lying, is totally unique," he said. "The prime minister of this country, in his own office, creates an Asset Recovery Unit that has no legal basis. And what has that ARU done?" he questioned.

He referred to the papers in his hand, saying that they were official documents submitted by the NCA at the UK court.

Referring to the NCA probe against the PML-N president and his son Suleman, Abbasi said that normally in money laundering cases, financial transactions only six years back were traced.

"In this case, however, the probe stretched to cover financial transactions covering a period of over 20 years," he noted. "This inquiry was also not limited to just one country; it took place in Pakistan, the UK and the UAE."

The former prime minister said that money sent by Shahbaz from Pakistan to his UK bank account was legal money.

He said Shahbaz and Suleman had both given their consent to the NCA to probe their accounts. "Time and again, the NCA told the court that it has the complete support and cooperation of the Pakistani government and its agencies," he said.

Abbasi alleged that DG NAB Lahore, the ARU, FIA and other agencies were involved in framing allegations against the PML-N president. "And now, the prime minister of this country says his government had nothing to do with the probe," he said.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the government could not, till this day, find evidence of former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's involvement in corruption.

"Each case has slammed shut on their faces," he said, referring to the government. "You could not even prove corruption worth Rs32 in a Rs3,200bn project," he added.

Iqbal said that the government is failing the masses as it is busy registering fake cases against the Opposition. "However, your failure is becoming a matter of life and death for the public," he said.

Iqbal said the government itself was inviting trouble from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the prime minister was repeatedly saying at international forums that political leaders in the country are involved in money laundering.

"This he does only to promote his politics of hatred and revenge," he said.

Shahbaz, Suleman's accounts ordered unfrozen

After 21 months of investigation and review of 20 years of financial affairs, a British court has ordered the unfreezing of the Opposition leader's bank accounts and those belonging to his son, Suleman Sharif.

The decision was taken by the court after UK's top anti-corruption body NCA concluded there was no evidence of money laundering, fraud and criminal conduct against the two, according to evidence seen by The News exclusively.

The Westminster Magistrates Court’s Judge Nicholas Rimmer set aside the two accounts freezing orders (AFO) against Shahbaz Sharif and his son related to a December 2019 case filed by the NCA at the Pakistani government's request.

The bank accounts of Shahbaz Sharif and Suleiman Shahbaz were freezed in December 2019 on court's order. The National Accountability Bureau East Recovery Unit shared the evidence with the British agency.

During the investigation, the accounts of the Shahbaz Sharif and Sharif family in the UK and UAE were investigated.

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