FM Qureshi blames 'lobbies, Pakistan's neighbours' for US bill seeking sanctions

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday lashed out at "Pakistan's neighbours, lobbies" for having a hand in the US bill tabled by Republican senators that seeks sanctions against Pakistan for its alleged role in aiding the Taliban.

The foreign minister was holding a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart, Jeppe Kofod, after the two held delegation-level talks earlier.

FM Qureshi thanked Kofod for Denmark's support for Pakistan's GSP Plus status. He said the two spoke at length about the Afghanistan issue, adding that both sides had mutual interests in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan has been affected by militancy in Afghanistan," he noted. "We don't want terrorists to regroup in the country."

He spoke about the US bill that seeks sanctions against Pakistan, saying that Pakistan seeks to defend itself and believes in cooperation.

"The US Congress must understand Pakistan's role [in Afghanistan crisis]," he stressed. "Lobbies and Pakistan's neighbours are behind the bill [that has been tabled]."

FM Qureshi said Pakistan should not be scapegoated for the Afghan crisis, saying that Islamabad had played a leading role to restore peace in the country.

The Danish foreign minister said his country did not recognise the Afghanistan government led by the Taliban. He said Denmark had reservations over the Taliban's treatment of women.

The foreign minister said Pakistan enjoys strong ties with Denmark but admitted that a lot needs to be done to further enhance bilateral cooperation.

He said the two sides discussed ways to put in extra efforts to increase bilateral trade and attract more investments into Pakistan. The foreign minister said cooperation in renewable energy and advantages of enhanced parliamentary interaction were discussed.

Kofod said both countries were interested in promoting bilateral ties, especially in the sectors of trade and energy. He recognised Pakistan's role in the Afghan crisis, noting that Pakistan played a crucial role in evacuating Afghan citizens and others from the war-ravaged country.

A couple of days ago, Republican senators 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 the 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.

The bill said that 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.

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FM Qureshi blames 'lobbies, Pakistan's neighbours' for US bill seeking sanctions

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday lashed out at "Pakistan's neighbours, lobbies" for having a hand in the US bill tabled by Republican senators that seeks sanctions against Pakistan for its alleged role in aiding the Taliban.

The foreign minister was holding a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart, Jeppe Kofod, after the two held delegation-level talks earlier.

FM Qureshi thanked Kofod for Denmark's support for Pakistan's GSP Plus status. He said the two spoke at length about the Afghanistan issue, adding that both sides had mutual interests in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan has been affected by militancy in Afghanistan," he noted. "We don't want terrorists to regroup in the country."

He spoke about the US bill that seeks sanctions against Pakistan, saying that Pakistan seeks to defend itself and believes in cooperation.

"The US Congress must understand Pakistan's role [in Afghanistan crisis]," he stressed. "Lobbies and Pakistan's neighbours are behind the bill [that has been tabled]."

FM Qureshi said Pakistan should not be scapegoated for the Afghan crisis, saying that Islamabad had played a leading role to restore peace in the country.

The Danish foreign minister said his country did not recognise the Afghanistan government led by the Taliban. He said Denmark had reservations over the Taliban's treatment of women.

The foreign minister said Pakistan enjoys strong ties with Denmark but admitted that a lot needs to be done to further enhance bilateral cooperation.

He said the two sides discussed ways to put in extra efforts to increase bilateral trade and attract more investments into Pakistan. The foreign minister said cooperation in renewable energy and advantages of enhanced parliamentary interaction were discussed.

Kofod said both countries were interested in promoting bilateral ties, especially in the sectors of trade and energy. He recognised Pakistan's role in the Afghan crisis, noting that Pakistan played a crucial role in evacuating Afghan citizens and others from the war-ravaged country.

A couple of days ago, Republican senators 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 the 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.

The bill said that 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.

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Price of LPG cylinders increased by Rs343.4 per 11.8kg cylinder

The price of an LPG cylinder for domestic use has increased by a whopping Rs343, Geo News reported Friday. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) issued a notification in which the price of an 11.8kg LPG cylinder for domestic use has been set at Rs2,403.55.

The new prices came into effect today, October 1. The notification disclosed that the price of an LPG cylinder has increased by Rs29.11 per kg, which means that the new price of an LPG cylinder for domestic use is Rs203.69.

Since LPG is considered the “poor man’s fuel” and is also used in majority of the areas where gas is not available, it might hit the household budgets of a large part of the population. The price of LPG has been on the rise for the last several months.

Propane and butane are two major components of LPG, which Middle Eastern oil producers sell to Asian countries.

The price of a commercial cylinder weighing 45.4kg also increased by Rs1,321/cylinder and will be sold for Rs9,247. According to a notification, the LPG price has increased by Rs29.1/kg to Rs203.7/kg from the September price of Rs174.6/kg

Ogra also announced an increase in the prices of petroleum products, which also came into effect today.

The petrol price has been jacked up "due to increase in the petroleum prices in the international market", said a Finance division notification.

"Ogra has worked out the higher petroleum prices but the prime minister has decided against the recommendation and passed the minimum increase in prices on to the consumers," it said.

The government has absorbed the higher international pressure of prices through a reduction in the petroleum levy and sales tax, it added. "Petroleum prices in Pakistan are the cheapest in the region," the notification claimed.

Meanwhile, kerosene costs Rs7.05 more and is priced at Rs99.31 per liter, while light diesel oil became Rs8.82 dearer to cost Rs99.51 per liter. The price of LPG has been increased by a whopping 16.67% to Rs2,403.5 per cylinder for October.

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Price of LPG cylinders increased by Rs343.4 per 11.8kg cylinder

The price of an LPG cylinder for domestic use has increased by a whopping Rs343, Geo News reported Friday. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) issued a notification in which the price of an 11.8kg LPG cylinder for domestic use has been set at Rs2,403.55.

The new prices came into effect today, October 1. The notification disclosed that the price of an LPG cylinder has increased by Rs29.11 per kg, which means that the new price of an LPG cylinder for domestic use is Rs203.69.

Since LPG is considered the “poor man’s fuel” and is also used in majority of the areas where gas is not available, it might hit the household budgets of a large part of the population. The price of LPG has been on the rise for the last several months.

Propane and butane are two major components of LPG, which Middle Eastern oil producers sell to Asian countries.

The price of a commercial cylinder weighing 45.4kg also increased by Rs1,321/cylinder and will be sold for Rs9,247. According to a notification, the LPG price has increased by Rs29.1/kg to Rs203.7/kg from the September price of Rs174.6/kg

Ogra also announced an increase in the prices of petroleum products, which also came into effect today.

The petrol price has been jacked up "due to increase in the petroleum prices in the international market", said a Finance division notification.

"Ogra has worked out the higher petroleum prices but the prime minister has decided against the recommendation and passed the minimum increase in prices on to the consumers," it said.

The government has absorbed the higher international pressure of prices through a reduction in the petroleum levy and sales tax, it added. "Petroleum prices in Pakistan are the cheapest in the region," the notification claimed.

Meanwhile, kerosene costs Rs7.05 more and is priced at Rs99.31 per liter, while light diesel oil became Rs8.82 dearer to cost Rs99.51 per liter. The price of LPG has been increased by a whopping 16.67% to Rs2,403.5 per cylinder for October.

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FBR surpassed collection target in Q1 by 38%: PM Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated the nation on the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) achievement of surpassing the collection target set for the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year.

“I congratulate the nation on FBR’s achievement of collecting Rs.1,395 billion in Q1 of FA 2021-22 against the target of Rs.1,211 billion,” PM Imran Khan said on Friday.

“This represents a growth of 38% in revenues over the same period last year,” he added.

The FBR collected Rs1,395 billion in the first quarter (July-Sept) of the current fiscal year against the set target of Rs1,211 billion, exceeding by Rs184 billion, according to a report published in The News.

The net collection for September 2021 realised Rs535 billion representing an increase of 31.2 % over Rs408 billion collected in September 2020. These figures would further improve before the close of the day and after book adjustments have been taken into account.

On the other hand, gross collections increased from Rs1,059 billion during July-September, 2020 to Rs1,454 billion in the current financial year, showing an increase of 37.3%.

The number of refunds disbursed was Rs59 billion during July-September, 2021 compared to Rs49 billion paid last year, reflecting an increase of 20.2%.

After collecting over Rs4.7 trillion and exceeding its assigned revenue targets set for the tax year 2020-21, the FBR has successfully maintained the momentum set in July 2021.

Its tax collection posted historic high growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. During the first quarter, the FBR has far surpassed its revenue target by Rs186 billion.

According to a statement, the FBR is well on its way to achieving the assigned target of Rs5,829 billion for the year despite the daunting challenges, compelling constraints posed by the corona pandemic, and sporadic tax cuts announced by the government as relief and price stabilization measures

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FBR surpassed collection target in Q1 by 38%: PM Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated the nation on the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) achievement of surpassing the collection target set for the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year.

“I congratulate the nation on FBR’s achievement of collecting Rs.1,395 billion in Q1 of FA 2021-22 against the target of Rs.1,211 billion,” PM Imran Khan said on Friday.

“This represents a growth of 38% in revenues over the same period last year,” he added.

The FBR collected Rs1,395 billion in the first quarter (July-Sept) of the current fiscal year against the set target of Rs1,211 billion, exceeding by Rs184 billion, according to a report published in The News.

The net collection for September 2021 realised Rs535 billion representing an increase of 31.2 % over Rs408 billion collected in September 2020. These figures would further improve before the close of the day and after book adjustments have been taken into account.

On the other hand, gross collections increased from Rs1,059 billion during July-September, 2020 to Rs1,454 billion in the current financial year, showing an increase of 37.3%.

The number of refunds disbursed was Rs59 billion during July-September, 2021 compared to Rs49 billion paid last year, reflecting an increase of 20.2%.

After collecting over Rs4.7 trillion and exceeding its assigned revenue targets set for the tax year 2020-21, the FBR has successfully maintained the momentum set in July 2021.

Its tax collection posted historic high growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. During the first quarter, the FBR has far surpassed its revenue target by Rs186 billion.

According to a statement, the FBR is well on its way to achieving the assigned target of Rs5,829 billion for the year despite the daunting challenges, compelling constraints posed by the corona pandemic, and sporadic tax cuts announced by the government as relief and price stabilization measures

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Pakistan reports 56 corona deaths in 24 hours

Pakistan has reported 56 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,246,538. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 27,785 on Friday.According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 1,411 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Province-wise Details:

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 12,595 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 7,379 in Sindh 5,525 in KP, 922 in Islamabad, 737 in Azad Kashmir, 348 in Balochistan, and 184 in GB.

Furthermore, 457,928 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 431,666 in Punjab 174,017 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 105,516 in Islamabad, 34,157 in Azad Kashmir, 32,926 in Balochistan and 10,328 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

Tests and Recoveries

Pakistan has so far conducted 19,435,155 coronavirus tests and 49,049 in the last 24 hours. 1,167,189 patients have recovered in the country whereas 3,948 patients are in critical condition.

Positivity Ratio

The COVID-19 positivity ratio was recorded at 2.87 percent.

Vaccine Statistics

So far, 58,963,116 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 557,239 in last 24 hours. 28,407,862 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 600,798 received their second dose in last 24 hours.

The number of total administered doses has reached to 81,634,971 with 1,126,402 in the last 24 hours.

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