In total the central bank announced direct intervention on five occasions in December.
The central bank also sold a total of $3.36 billion to state institutions including Turkey's natural gas distributor BOTAS in December last year.
Security forces appeared to be in control of the streets of the main city Almaty on Friday morning but gunfire could still be heard after days of unrest in which dozens of people have been killed and public buildings ransacked and torched.
"The militants have not laid down their arms, they continue to commit crimes or are preparing for them. The fight against them must be pursued to the end. Whoever does not surrender will be destroyed," President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a televised address.
"I have given the order to law enforcement agencies and the army to shoot to kill without warning."
Tokayev has blamed foreign-trained terrorists for the worst violence in the Central Asian state's 30 years of independence.
Russia's defence ministry, cited by Interfax, said more than 70 planes were flying round the clock to bring Russian troops into Kazakhstan, and they were now helping control Almaty's main airport, recaptured on Thursday from protesters.
Demonstrations that began as a response to a fuel price hike have swelled into a broad movement against the government and ex-leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, the longest-serving ruler of any former Soviet state.
He turned over the presidency to Tokayev three years ago but his family is widely believed to have retained power in Nur-Sultan, the purpose-built capital that bears his name.
The interior ministry said 26 "armed criminals" had been "liquidated", while 18 police and national guard servicemembers had been killed since the start of the protests, figures that appeared not to have been updated since Thursday. State television reported more than 3,700 arrests.
On Friday morning, fresh gunfire could be heard near the main square in Almaty, where troops had fought with protesters throughout the previous day. Reuters correspondents saw armoured personal carriers and troops occupying the square.
A few hundred metres away, a dead body lay in a heavily damaged civilian car. In another part of the city, an ammunition shop had been ransacked.
Widespread unrest has been reported in a number of other cities across the vast country of 19 million people. The internet has been shut off since Wednesday, making it difficult to determine the full extent of the violence.
Moscow's swift deployment demonstrated the Kremlin's readiness to use force to maintain its influence in the former Soviet Union. The troops were sent under the umbrella of the Collective Security Treaty Organization comprising Russia and five ex-Soviet allies. It said its force would number about 2,500 and would stay in Kazakhstan for a few days or weeks.
Moscow was "standing up for Kazakhstan and doing as allies should", said Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington was keeping a close eye on the Russian-led deployment. It would be watching for any violations of human rights and "any actions that may lay the predicate for the seizure of Kazakh institutions".
Tokayev's administration said the Russians had not been engaged in combat or the "elimination of militants".
The violence has been unprecedented in a country ruled firmly for decades by Nazarbayev, who was the last Soviet-era Communist Party boss still in powerin an ex-Soviet state when he passed the presidency on to Tokayev in 2019.
Nazarbayev has not been seen or heard from since the protests began. Tokayev has sought to distance himself from his predecessor, removing Nazarbayev and his nephew from security posts since the protests began.
Kazakhstan is a major oil producer and the world's top producer of uranium.
Oil output at its top field, Tengiz, was reduced on Thursday, the field's operator Chevron (CVX.N) said, as some contractors disrupted train lines in support of the protests. Global oil prices have risen and the price of uranium has jumped sharply since the clashes began. read more
The country also accounts for close to a fifth of global bitcoin "mining", the electricity-intensive process of recording cryptocurrency transactions, and Kazakhstan's internet shutdown has curtailed the computing power of bitcoin's global network. L4N2TM22L
Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought report from Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on damages occurred due to recent rains in the province.
On the other hand, Pakistan Navy continues relief operations in remote coastal areas of Balochistan affected by recent rains and floods.
According to Pakistan Navy spokesperson, Pak Navy is providing food, clean drinking water and other necessities of life in the affected areas.
Pakistan Navy is also providing medical facilities to the affected people by setting up medical camps.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought report from Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on damages occurred due to recent rains in the province.
On the other hand, Pakistan Navy continues relief operations in remote coastal areas of Balochistan affected by recent rains and floods.
According to Pakistan Navy spokesperson, Pak Navy is providing food, clean drinking water and other necessities of life in the affected areas.
Pakistan Navy is also providing medical facilities to the affected people by setting up medical camps.
He was addressing the inauguration session of two-day International Seminar on the theme of “Combating Corruption – A Prerequisite for the full enjoyment of all Human Rights and Sustainable Development.”
The International Seminar was jointly organized by the Government of Pakistan and the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in collaboration with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Foreign Minister, in his key-note address, highlighted the efforts of the Government of Pakistan in combating corruption, especially illicit financial flows as well as promotion and protection of all human rights.
He presented an actionable way forward for the OIC group in curbing corruption and realizing the human rights agenda including through creation of an inter-governmental committee, establishment of an OIC protocol and mechanism for mutual legal assistance, reviewing unequal investment treaties, and formation of a global beneficial ownership registry.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (through a recorded message), Assistant Secretary General of OIC, and the IPHRC Chairperson also delivered remarks during the opening segment.
More than 200 international and national stakeholders including Government officials, OIC member and Observer States, IPHRC Commissioners, and representatives of the OIC Secretariat, United Nations, practitioners, academia, and civil society are participating in the International Seminar.
Throughout the day, interactive discussions shall be held amongst the international and national participants, on the basis of which a “Declaration” would be adopted at the closing session on 7 January 2022.
The International Seminar reflects Pakistan’s leadership role and commitment in the context of combating corruption and promotion of the human rights agenda, in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision.
Opposition Leader of Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz said that despite disrupting the proceedings of the case for the past seven years, now actions of Imran Khan are being revealed.
Hamza Shahbaz said that masses will be shocked when true face of the PTI is revealed.
Earlier in the day, Ahsan Iqbal said that scrutiny committee report in illegal funding case has exposed true face of Imran Niazi.
Ahsan Iqbal said that Imran Khan was wearing makeup of honesty; however, it has been washed away by the committee’s report.
The PML-N leader said that the incumbent government has devastated the economy and now State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is being given under control of International Monetary Fund (IMF) in efforts the save the government.
He further said that this is time for masses to hold government, which has defrauded the people, accountable.
A meeting of the National Coordination Committee for Housing was held in Islamabad with PM Imran Khan in chair. Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin, Minster for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minster Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi, Minister of State Farrukh Habib, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir, Senior ministers of AJK including Sardar Tanvir Ilyas, Khawaja Farooq, Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority (NAPHDA) chairman and other senior officials attended the meeting.
The meeting was informed that the CDA and NAPHDA will provide subsidy for these flats for would keep the monthly installments to a minimum, while all facilities would be provided in these flats.
The meeting was also informed that on average, the rate of borrowing from banks has increased significantly and in the last two weeks alone, additional loan applications of Rs 6 billion have been received.
The prime minister was informed in the meeting that steps were being taken to protect forests and natural diversity and 63 percent of Azad Kashmir consists of forests while 56.5 percent of the total area of Kashmir is government land. It was also informed that the AJK government will provide land worth Rs 5.6 billion for the accommodation of refugees and in the first phase, houses will be provided to 1300 families.
Speaking on the occasion, the PM said that the promise of low cost houses for the poor and middle class is being fulfilled and for the first time in the history of the country, 12,400 low cost and standard flats are being provided to the slum dwellers of Islamabad.
He went on to say that a cricket stadium of international standard would be constructed in the federal capital, while commercial buildings should be constructed on the basis of public-private partnership at government residences in expensive sectors of Islamabad.
A District and Sessions court of Islamabad dismissed the post arrest bail petition of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill on Tuesday. Additional Dist...
