Author: Nader Sial

ISLAMABAD: A Chin­ese electric car manufacturing company has announced establishing an electric vehicle (EV) plant in Pakistan and chain of showrooms in major cities of the country. This announcement was made by a delegation of XinjianJingyi Cheng Group, led by its assistant chairman GU Xongquan, during a meeting with FPCCI Vice President Amin Ullah Baig here on Thursday. Mr Baig, who is also chairman of the FPCCI Capital Office, held an extensive discussion with the Chinese firm’s team on the investment landscape of Pakistan. Mr GU said entering the Pakistani market and setting up a manufacturing unit and showrooms was…

A squalid sprawl of about 300 huts and shanties on the western banks of the Balasan river that flows through the western part of Siliguri, the largest city in North Bengal, has a rather curious name–Lenin Colony. No marks for guessing that it was so named by the erstwhile Marxist rulers of Bengal. But the area is now better known as ‘Chhota Pakistan’. That’s not only because most of its residents are suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingyas, but also because the area is a crime hub that shelters law-breakers. ‘Chhota Pakistan’ has been making it to…

United Nations experts have criticized a bill to amend Nepal’s transitional justice law that would make it impossible to hold to account those responsible for serious crimes committed during the 1996-2006 conflict. If enacted, the law would prevent the investigation of crimes including rape, murder, torture, war crimes, and crimes against humanity that were committed during the conflict. The UN experts say the bill is in breach the government’s international legal obligations, as well as the rulings of Nepal’s Supreme Court. Nepal’s long struggle for truth and accountability risks being set back by years. Nepal has two transitional justice bodies, which have received more than…

At least 31 people have been killed and dozens of others are missing after heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan, as 13 people died due to heavy rains and landslides in neighbouring Pakistan. Shafiullah Rahimi, the Taliban’s appointed spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster ministry, said on Sunday that at least 31 people were killed, 74 were injured and 41 others were missing after flooding over the past three days. Flash floods hit the capital Kabul, the Maidan Wardak and Ghazni provinces. He said that the majority of the casualties were in west Kabul and Maidan Wardak. Rahimi said about 250…

This past spring, all expeditions on 8,000’ers followed the normal routes, except for Kilian Jornet’s Everest West Ridge attempt. Only a handful of teams tried something new even on 6,000m and 7,000m peaks in Nepal. Meanwhile, this summer in Pakistan, at least two expeditions are attempting alternative or new routes on 8,000m peaks. This includes Goettler and Vedrines’ recent near-success on Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face and Urubko and Cardell’s upcoming new route on Gasherbrum I. Also, several skilled teams are targeting difficult routes on Pakistan’s lesser peaks. These climbers have planned and trained for these expeditions for months. Often they…

Any player who has left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf has been cast as a villain in the eyes of many. There has also been a perception that players who jumped ship for the Saudi-backed circuit have lost all ties with players on Tour. Cam Smith says that isn’t the case at all, at least not for him. Smith recently joined the ‘Howie Games‘ podcast and made it very clear that any friends he had on the PGA Tour before he moved to LIV Golf are still very much his friends. “All the guys that I was mates…

Pakistan economic crisis: Last week, Pakistan hiked the prices of petrol to Pakistani Rupees (Rs) 272 per litre to appease the IMF for unlocking the critical loan tranche. The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, has said the funding agency has asked Pakistan to take steps to be able to function as a country and not get into a dangerous place where it needs debt restructuring, The News International, a Pakistan daily, reported. “My heart goes out to the people of Pakistan. They have been devastated by the floods that affected one-third of the population of…

At least two soldiers and two militants have been killed in an attack by a group of armed men on the central police station in Karachi, Pakistan. Karachi police say that in addition to the dead, six rangers and three policemen were injured and transferred to the hospital for treatment. Murtaza Wahab, a government adviser, confirmed that police and paramilitary forces in a joint operation had cleared the police station within three hours of the attack “I confirm that the operation against the terrorists is over,” said Wahab, according to the AP. The attack began when gunmen drove up in…

ISLAMABAD: The health ministry on Monday reduced the prices of 20 medicines, including those to treat cancer. The revision in the maximum retail price by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) is expected to provide a relief of up to Rs75,000 per month to the patients. The medicines include those used to treat lung cancer, breast cancer, HIV, blood clotting, blood pressure, eye infections, bone diseases, infertility in women and fungal infections. According to a document available with Dawn, the price of 30 tablets of 150mg Tarceva has been reduced by 30 per cent. Now, it can not be…

The selection panel, which also has Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum, has been tasked with reviewing the Test squad named by the previous committee Shahid Afridi has been named the interim chief selector of the Pakistan men’s national team, with his one-time team-mates Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum part of the three-man committee. For now, the appointment is only for the upcoming home series against New Zealand, and the committee has been tasked with reviewing the Test squad that was announced by the panel led by Mohammad Wasim before he was removed from the position of chief selector as part of an overhaul at the PCB. Saying…