Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Tuesday approved Rs50.1bn local currency cover for $300 million financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for procurement of Covid-19 vaccine, Rs215m grant for local government elections of cantonment boards and $10m temporary funds for Roosevelt Hotel to meet emergency expenses. The ECC meeting presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat …

ISLAMABAD: The government will be putting in place a number of restrictions on unvaccinated people from Wednesday (today) as the country reported over 100 Covid-19 deaths for the fourth time in about three weeks. In another development, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) will begin vaccinating people over 17 years of age and administering booster shots to those intending …

ISLAMABAD: The human rights ministry on Tuesday said sharing the report on forced conversion prepared by the Parliamentary Committee to Protect Minorities from Forced Conversions with the religious affairs ministry was not its responsibility. Talking to the human rights ministry spokesperson said the religious affairs ministry should get the copy of the report from the secretariat of the parliamentary committee. The …

Pakistan administered a record 1.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Tuesday, said Asad Umar, head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) — the nerve centre of the country’s coronavirus response — on Wednesday, as authorities continued to ramp up efforts to deal with a fourth wave of the contagion. The NCOC shared in a tweet that a …

WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday decided to maintain diplomatic relations with Afghanistan — even though it’s now controlled by its former arch enemy, the Taliban — but will no longer have any personnel on the ground. “We have suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul, and transferred our operations to Doha, Qatar, which will soon be formally notified to Congress,” …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks about the formation of a national government amid speculation about the possibility of early general elections have ignited a political debate in the country. In a surprising reaction, the PML-N dubbed the party president’s views as ‘passing remarks’ based on his ‘personal’ opinion about a post-election scenario. While questioning its timing, …

ISLAMABAD: At present, 356 international transit passengers from Afghanistan are staying in different hotels of the capital, sources told. Sources told the passengers include 125 Belgians, 62 Britons, 49 Dutch, 39 Afghans, seven Saudis, five Iranians, three Argentineans, 62 Japanese and four World Bank officials. Most of these foreigners are diplomats who had been posted in Kabul, they said. Britons, …

ISLAMABAD: Reiterating the government’s resolve to help establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan, the federal cabinet on Tuesday expressed the hope that after the Taliban takeover of the neighbouring country, India would not be able to use Afghan soil against Pakistan. “The new Afghan authorities have come up with a clear stance and we hope they won’t allow Afghanistan’s soil …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the Ehsaas Education Stipends programme on Wednesday for deserving families so that they could send their children for primary, secondary and higher secondary education. The programme will be rolled out nationwide across all districts. The programme has been structured along the lines of Ehsaas’ Stipend policy that incentivises higher stipend amount for girls …

Tahir Zahoor, the owner of Therapy Works — a counselling and psychotherapy service — has submitted an application with a district and sessions court in Islamabad, seeking the registration of a criminal case against Zahir Zakir Jaffer, the prime suspect in Noor Mukadam’s murder case, for attacking and injuring a member of his team. Therapy Works came under public scrutiny as the …