Strongly opposing federal and provincial governments’ decision to ease the lockdown, senior health experts and medical associations on Saturday warned that the number of COVID-19 cases was already on the rise and if restrictions were further lifted, the outbreak could get out of control in...

Small neighbourhood markets and shops across Karachi have to follow standard operating procedures to reopen on Monday , when the current COVID-19 lockdown in Sindh will be eased off in accordance with the decisions of the National Coordination Committee .Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed...

Four more COVID-19 patients in Sindh lost their lives on Saturday, raising the novel coronavirus death toll in the province to 180, which is around 1.7 per cent of the total number of cases of the virus.Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in a video message released by the CM House that 8,571...

Both China and South Korea reported new spikes in coronavirus cases Sunday, setting off fresh concerns in countries where local outbreaks had been in dramatic decline.

Three senior officials guiding the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic were in self-quarantine on Saturday after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for the disease, their agencies and spokesmen said.

NOUAKCHOTT: Worshippers packed Mauritania's largest mosque on Friday, mostly ignoring social distancing rules, after the West African state lifted restrictions on public prayers meant to curb coronavirus infections.The government said this week it would "progressively ease" a series of anti-virus...

MOSCOW: Facebook seems to have taken issue with an iconic photo that symbolises the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, and it keeps deleting a recently-colorised version of it, foreign media reported on Saturday.Taken during the Battle of Berlin on May 2, 1945, Yevgeny Khaldei’s...

ISTANBUL: In full protective gear, two doctors climb the stairs four at a time. Their first task of the day: to test a woman who has had contact with a coronavirus patient in Istanbul.Visibly perturbed by the appearance of men in white bodysuits on her landing, the resident in the populous Fatih...

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin told Russians they are "invincible" when they stand together as the country on Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in lockdown from the coronavirus.With cases surging and authorities urging Russians to stay in their homes, celebrations...

SRINAGAR: Indian authorities did not hand over the bodies of the slain Kashmiri fighters to their families under a new government policy designed to thwart large-scale funerals that have become a rallying point for anti-India protests, foreign media reported.Instead, they are being buried in...

ISTANBUL: In full protective gear, two doctors climb the stairs four at a time. Their first task of the day: to test a woman who has had contact with a coronavirus patient in Istanbul.Visibly perturbed by the appearance of men in white bodysuits on her landing, the resident in the populous Fatih...

LONDON: Britain plans to introduce a 14-day mandatory quarantine for most international arrivals, reports said Saturday, despite growing pressure on the government to relax virus lockdown measures. It comes as the UK, which has the world’s second highest coronavirus death toll after the US,...

MONROVIA: Liberian President George Weah has said he will partially lift restrictions on praying in mosques and churches aimed at curbing coronavirus, while extending a lockdown in the capital Monrovia. In a statement on Friday, the former international footballer said emergency measures announced...

NEW DELHI: An Indian pharmacist died and his boss was left hospitalised after the pair drank a chemical concoction they had developed in an effort to treat coronavirus, police said Saturday. The men worked for a herbal medicine company and were testing their treatment — a mix of nitric oxide...

AHMEDABAD, India: Indian security forces clashed with angry residents who flouted a pandemic lockdown in the city of Ahmedabad on Friday as the country saw a surge in coronavirus deaths and cases that is predicted to worsen. While authorities have insisted that the crisis is under control in the...

KABUL: Seven people were killed when protesters angry over what they see as unfair food aid distribution during the coronavirus pandemic clashed with police in Afghanistan’s western Ghor province on Saturday, according to a local member of parliament.Fourteen more were wounded during the...

Visakhapatnam, India: Angry protesters carrying dead bodies stormed an Indian chemical plant on Saturday to demand the facility’s closure after a toxic gas leak that killed 12 people days earlier.Thursday’s pre-dawn accident in the industrial port city of Visakhapatnam injured hundreds...

NEW YORK: Little Richard, whose outrageous showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds in the 1950s with hits like “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally,” has died. He was 87 years old. Citing the rock ´n´ roll pioneer´s son, Rolling Stone...

WASHINGTON: Ivanka Trump’s personal assistant has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, making her the third White House staff member to be infected from COVID-19, a media report said on Saturday.The assistant, who works in a personal capacity for US President Donald Trump’s...

Washington: Orders for vaccines against diseases such as measles have declined since a national emergency was declared in the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.The number of vaccine doses ordered around the country has...

TUNIS: Jet fuel tanks at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport were targeted in an attack on Saturday that caused a large fire, Libya’s National Oil Corp said.Mitiga is the last functioning airport in the Libyan capital, though civilian flights stopped in March because of repeated shelling even...

MADRID: Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sanchez warned Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic remains a threat, lying in wait as the country moves towards easing its strict lockdown. One of the worst-hit countries, Spain plans a phased transition through to end-June, with around half of the 47 million...

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin told Russians they are “invincible” when they stand together as the country on Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in lockdown from the coronavirus.With cases surging and authorities urging Russians to stay in their homes,...

WASHINGTON: The US vice president’s spokeswoman became the second White House staffer this week to test positive for the coronavirus, officials said on Friday, even as President Donald Trump continued to go mask-free at a World War II commemoration with veterans in their 90s.News that...

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin told Russians they are "invincible" when they stand together as the country on Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in lockdown from the coronavirus.With cases surging and authorities urging Russians to stay in their homes, celebrations...

ROME: A young Italian woman who was kidnapped in late 2018 from an orphanage in Kenya, has been freed, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday.Silvia Romano was 23 and working as a volunteer in the orphanage in Chakama village in southeast Kenya when she was seized by gunmen in...

VISAKHAPATNAM, India: Angry protesters carrying dead bodies stormed an Indian chemical plant on Saturday to demand the facility’s closure after a toxic gas leak that killed 12 people days earlier.Thursday’s pre-dawn accident in the industrial port city of Visakhapatnam injured hundreds...

NOUAKCHOTT: Worshippers packed Mauritania’s largest mosque on Friday, mostly ignoring social distancing rules, after the West African state lifted restrictions on public prayers meant to curb coronavirus infections.The government said this week it would "progressively ease" a series of...

CAPE TOWN: South African Fredie Blom celebrated his 116th birthday on Friday unfazed by the coronavirus crisis, over 100 years since the Spanish flu pandemic killed his sister."I have lived this long because of God’s grace," said Blom, possibly one of the oldest men in the world.Lighting a...

NEW DELHI: An Indian pharmacist died and his boss was left hospitalised after the pair drank a chemical concoction they had developed in an effort to treat coronavirus, police said on Saturday.The men worked for a herbal medicine company and were testing their treatment -- a mix of nitric oxide...

LONDON: Britain’s coronavirus lockdown has deepened the nation’s love affair with gardening at the same time as threatening the future of traditional businesses in the sector.Some 83 percent of homes in England have some private outdoor space, according to 2016 government figures,...

NEW YORK: Little Richard, whose outrageous showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds in the 1950s with hits like "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," has died. He was 87 years old.Citing the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer’s son, Rolling Stone magazine said on Saturday the...

ISTANBUL: In full protective gear, two doctors climb the stairs four at a time. Their first task of the day: to test a woman who has had contact with a coronavirus patient in Istanbul.Visibly perturbed by the appearance of men in white bodysuits on her landing, the resident in the populous Fatih...

EDINBURGH: Three people have been arrested and charged as more than £100,000 in stolen property was recovered.The items, including barbecues, bikes, lawn mowers and Christmas trees, were taken from Leslie’s Bike Store in Glenrothes, Fife, and two garden centres, one in Dunfermline,...

-- how there appears to be no co-ordination between the government and the different departments that deal with the public. People say the use of sanitising gates was stopped by the provincial government in Punjab -- after spending large amounts of money - because health specialists said they were...

Rawalpindi : The foundation stone laying ceremony of Forces School’s flagship campus was held at Blue World City, one of its kind lifestyle community project, which offers unique leisure and entertainment opportunities of international standards, says a press release.Forces School is an...

Islamabad : The business community welcomes the announcement of Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift countrywide lockdown in phases and reopen all construction related industries as well as shopping centres for five days in a week as it would help the businesses and industrial units to revive...

Islamabad : Tarnol Police on Friday raided a fake beverage factory in its area and confiscated thousands of empty and filled bottles of various brands, a police spokesman said on Friday.Following directions and guidance of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar, the police spokesperson said that...

Corona has brought with it a different lifestyle, new challenges and opportunities. Unfortunately, urban centres like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar etc. had turbulence in landing into this new scenario as we witnessed scenes of public humiliation of lockdown violators and disorder in...

Islamabad: Anti-Car Lifting Cell of Islamabad police busted an Afghan gang involved in bike lifting and recovered 10 motorcycles worth hundreds of thousands of rupees from them, the police spokesman said.DIG Waqar Ud din Syed assigned task to SP Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanveer to accelerate efforts...

Rawalpindi : Another two patients died of coronavirus illness, COVID-19 in town in last 24 hours taking total number of deaths so far caused by the disease to 46 in the district while four have already lost their lives due to the illness in the federal capital.Data collected by ‘The...

People across Pakistan crowded markets on Saturday after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was eased, despite the country recording its second-highest daily infection toll.

The government has allowed businesses to reopen in phases from the weekend, citing the economic havoc the virus restrictions have wreaked on citizens.

In Rawalpindi, thousands of shoppers were preparing for Eidul Fitr, with many flouting social distancing rules and advice to wear masks.

In Karachi, shopkeepers set out their wares of shoes, clothes, bangles and fabrics, while in the capital Islamabad shoppers stood in tightly-packed queues as they waited for stores to open.

Similar scenes were played out in Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.

Omar Shirazi, a banker shopping for clothes with his daughter in Rawalpindi, welcomed the move.

“Eid is approaching,” he said. “We have to buy new garments for our children. It's the responsibility of people to comply with rules and wear safety gear.”

Tehmina Sattar, who was shopping with her sister and sons, was more cautious.

“We are happy with this decision but at the same time I have a fear in my heart that if this disease spreads it could be devastating. People here are not taking preventative measures.”

Information Minister Shibli Faraz warned earlier in the day that the lockdown on businesses would be reimposed if safety guidelines were not followed, after authorities reported more than 1,700 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Infections have been rising steadily as testing has increased, with more than 28,000 cases and more than 600 deaths recorded.

The easing comes as many across the country have openly ignored restrictions on gatherings in public during the past month, especially during the evenings as people observe Ramazan.

Schools will remain closed until mid-July however, while there are no immediate plans to restart public transportation or domestic flights.

KABUL: At least six people were killed when protesters angry over what they saw as unfair food aid distribution during the coronavirus pandemic clashed with police in Afghanistan’s western Ghor province on Saturday, according to officials.

Four civilians and two police officers died in the incident, according to Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.

“A delegation will be sent from Kabul to investigate today’s incident in a comprehensive manner,” he said, adding that 10 police officers and nine civilians were injured.

Gulzaman Nayeb, a lawmaker representing Ghor, said that seven people were killed and more than a dozen wounded during the protest, sparked by growing discontent at the distribution allegedly favouring people with political connections.

Police had opened fire after some among the around 300 protesters threw stones, started to fire guns and tried to enter the governor’s house, said Mohammad Arif Aber, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Ghor. He put the toll at two dead and five wounded. He denied that aid was being unfairly distributed.

War-ravaged nation has reported 4,033 cases of Covid-19 and 115 deaths

Among the dead was Ahmad Naveed Khan, a local volunteer radio presenter who was sitting in his nearby shop and was hit in the head by a bullet, according to Ahmad Quraishi, executive director at the Afghanistan Journalists Centre.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) is looking into the “worrying reports of police firing on protesters”, its chairperson Shaharzad Akbar said on Twitter.

Rights group Amnesty International also called for an independent investigation into the use of police force.

The government has been distributing food aid around the country as the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic have led to many job losses and rising food prices. Akbar said this week that the commission was being inundated with complaints from the public that food aid is being distributed unfairly.

“We hear repeated complaints from people that the ones who are receiving the limited aid that is there are not the ones that are most deserving, they are the ones who have connections to local authorities or local officials,” she said, adding it was not possible to verify the extent to which it was happening.

Afghanistan has reported 4,033 cases of the coronavirus and 115 deaths.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020

QUETTA: Pakistan opened its border with Afghanistan at Chaman on Saturday to allow return of Afghans to their country.

Last month, Pakistan sent back over 37,000 Afghan families after it opened the Pak-Afghan friendship gate at Chaman on the special request of the Afghan government.

Official sources said that the friendship gate opened from 8am to 5pm and 2,977 Afghan citizens stranded in different areas of Balochistan crossed into Afghanistan.

Majority of these Afghan citizens had entered Pakistan without travelling documents.

Majority of returnees had entered Pakistan without travel documents

They crossed into Pakistan through the Chaman border and other entering points between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the basis of Afghan national identity cards only.

“The border had opened for crossing Afghans and Pakistanis into their respective countries,” a senior official of the Chaman administration, Zakaullah Durrani, told Dawn over phone.

He said that so far 488 Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan had also returned.

Majority of these Pakistani belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while some of them belong to Balochistan and Punjab, he said.

He said that these Pakistanis had been sent to their respective provinces after medical check-up by health officials at the border.

He said that Pakistanis who arrived from Afghanistan on Saturday would be quarantined in the tent village quarantine centre established at Killi Faizo close to the Pak-Afghan border.

“Those Pakistanis who are not willing to spend 14 days in quarantine will be sent back to Afghanistan,” an official of health department said, adding that quarantine was mandatory for all those Pakistanis who were coming from Afghanistan according to SOPs issued by the government of Pakistan.

Mr Durrani said that 488 Pakistanis were allowed to go home after completing the 14-day quarantine period.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020

LAHORE: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Independent Disciplinary Panel retired Justice Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan has said Umar Akmal ‘is not prepared to show remorse and seek apology’ in his detailed judgement in the spot-fixing case that saw the Pakistan batsman slapped with a three-year suspension from all forms of the game.

Umar was provisionally suspended hours before he was to appear for Quetta Gladiators in the opening match of the Pakistan Super League on Feb 20 and was charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code on March 17. On April 9, the PCB referred the matter to the chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Committee after the batsman opted not to request for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal.

“It appears that he [Umar Akmal] is not prepared to show remorse and seek apology, make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4.4, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him,” said Justice Chauhan in his remarks.

“As far as Charge No.1 is concerned, I do not see any circumstances to mitigate the nature of offence, particularly, when the participant [Umar Akmal] has not cooperated with the PCB Vigilance and Security Department and the investigating team.

“In view of the admission of the participant that he failed to disclose to PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department, the details of the approaches and invitations extended to him without unnecessary delay.

The charge as framed is proved and the participant has rendered himself liable to be punished for breach of Article 2.4.4.

“Charge No.2, breach of Article 2.4.4 of the Code by failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department of the PCB, full details of the approaches and invitations received by you [Umar Akmal] to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code in respect of matches in PSL 2020.

“It is also admitted by him [Umar Akmal] that he failed to report the approaches and invitation to the PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Depart­ment, as required by the PCB Code, Article 2.4.4. In view of the above charge as framed, stood proven and participant has rendered himself to be punished under Article 6.2 of the PCB Code.”

Umar’s elder brother and Pakistan Test discard Kamran had already announced that his brother would file an appeal against the punishment. Umar has to file the appeal within 14 days as the PCB then will appoint an independent adjudicator to hear that.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has drafted tax proposals for Budget 2020-21 mainly focusing on “simplification of laws and removing tax anomalies,” Dawn has learnt from knowledgeable sources.

Unconfirmed reports are that the government is likely to announce a ‘tax-free budget’, an official in the FBR told Dawn, adding a final decision will be taken after consulting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after Eidul Fitr.

Also read: Govt, IMF agree to put on hold $6bn programme

Meanwhile, Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has already termed the next year budget a ‘corona-budget’.

It will depend on the IMF whether it considers Pakistan’s proposal to lower tax target for TY21. The Fund had proposed a tax target of Rs5.1 trillion for the next year, which is higher by 30pc from the FY20’s proposed collection.

Consultation with IMF after Eidul Fitr

For the current year, the IMF has lowered the FBR tax target to Rs3.9tr, from Rs4.8tr to subside the impact of Covid-19 on businesses. However, achieving this benchmark also depends on the revival of activity before and after Eid and the entire June, the official added.

Another senior tax official told Dawn that the Fund officials meeting with Pakistani economic team will determine the direction of the next budget whether it will be tax-free or have some taxation to achieve the following year’s target.

The official said the FBR has already completed its homework on budget proposals for the next year and is currently working on identifying anomalies that should be removed.

“We are also working on simplification of tax laws to facilitate taxpayers,” the official said.

At the same time, the FBR is also engaging all stakeholders to identify problems related to taxation for redressal. “We will also consider tax incentives in the next budget for some sectors to help them revive their business,” they added.

Some of the proposals on the table from stakeholders are the revival of zero-rating for the five export-oriented sectors, allowing lower rates of sales tax on domestic sales of textile, clothing, waiver of CNIC conditions for traders and reducing the sales tax rate to 5pc from 17pc. “These are the demands of the stakeholders,” the official said.

Tax officials privy to budget-making said the FBR will try to avoid the introduction of new tax measures but will defend the continuation of those already in place. “It will be best to preserve our existing tax measures for now and see onward in the year how it progresses,” the officials commented.

At the moment, the focus is on the ease of doing business and facilitating taxpayers through information technology support. As the economy will revive, the FBR will support any new taxation proposals, they continued.

However, a senior tax official said the FBR cannot do away with maximum existing tax measures. “We need money for running the government machinery,” he said, adding other measures like printing of notes will add to inflationary pressure in the country.

The FBR has already worked out the impact of ongoing lockdown and closing down of businesses on the country’s revenue collection. The IMF has approved the incentive package for the construction sector on the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan to create employment.

“We are under an IMF programme so all budget proposals will be discussed with them,” the official said.

The FBR estimates a revenue loss of Rs450 billion in the first quarter (July-September) of next fiscal year in case the partial lockdown remains. It further projects that in case the partial lockdown extends, the tax body will see another shortfall in revenue realisation to the tune of Rs350bn.

According to the official, the FBR will try to recover some portion of the shortfall in the second half of the year. However, the government will have no other options but to seek a loan to bridge revenue shortfall. “You cannot bridge such a huge gap with new tax measures,” the source said.

Moreover, the FBR estimates also show that imports will remain on the lower side in the first half-year and so is the case of exports until orders revive. The domestic economy will revive to some extent while revenue collection from the services sector will be much lower from last year’s level.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020

Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Sunday said that Pakistan rejects the "baseless and inaccurate" allegations by Harish Salve, India's legal counsel in the Kulbushan Jadhav case.

In an online lecture on May 3, Salve, who had represented India in the case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleged that Pakistan refused to respond to Indian queries about how it would carry out the ICJ's judgement and review and reconsider Jadav's case.

"We have written four to five letters to Pakistan [...] but they just keep on denying. I think we have reached a point where we have to now decide whether we want to go back to ICJ for consequential directions because Pakistan has not moved ahead," Tribune India quoted Salve as saying.

He also alleged that Pakistan granted consular access to Jadhav "too late" and refused to share details of the case with India.

The Foreign Office, while refuting the allegations, said that Pakistan has "fully complied" with the international court's judgement. "Pakistan has granted India consular access to commander Jadhav and is processing measures for effective review and reconsideration as per the guidelines provided by ICJ in its judgment," a statement from the FO read.

The Foreign Office also said that Salve's statements were "regrettable and a misrepresentation of facts", adding that Pakistan followed "all its international obligations".

Read: Timeline: How the Kulbhushan Jadhav saga unfolded

The ICJ in its verdict in July 2019 had ruled that Jadhav be allowed consular access immediately and asked Pakistan to ensure "effective review and reconsideration of his conviction and sentences".

The ICJ had, however, rejected all other remedies sought by India, which included the annulment of the military court decision convicting Jadhav, restricting Pakistan from executing the sentence, securing Jadhav's release and ordering his return to India.

Arrest of Indian spy

Jadhav — a serving commander of the Indian Navy associated with Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan on allegations of espionage and terrorism.

Read: Transcript of RAW agent Kulbhushan’s confessional statement

In his subsequent trial at a military court, Jadhav had confessed to his involvement in terrorist plots.

The spy was subsequently sentenced to death in 2017. However, India insisted that Jadhav was not a spy and said he was kidnapped from Iran.

On April 10, 2017, Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa had endorsed the death penalty for Jadhav. In June 2017, the Indian spy had filed a mercy petition against the death penalty, in which he again confessed to his involvement in terrorist activities.

However, before Pakistani authorities could make a final decision, the ICJ, after being approached by India, had ordered a stay in his execution through an interim order.