Author: Tahleela Yousafzai

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Taliban government’s website has announced the creation of a new public holiday in Afghanistan, dedicated to commemorating the departure of the last US soldier from the country. According to the official statement, this occasion will be celebrated annually on August 31. Last year, the authorities and supporters of the Taliban organized festivities to mark the first anniversary of the withdrawal. Notably, Taliban fighters held a rally at Massoud Square in Kabul, near the former US embassy building. On August 31, 2021, US Army Major General Chris Donahue, the final American soldier, boarded a military transport plane…

ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday said the inflation rate might heat up to 38% in April — which could break the country’s previous highest record. It also admitted that the central bank’s contractionary monetary policy could not tame the inflationary expectations. In the economic outlook for April, the finance ministry said inflation waa expected to remain in the range of 36% to 38%. The forecast is in line with the market expectations and ground realities. The highest inflation rate in Pakistan was recorded at 37.8% in December 1973. However, it may soon be left behind by the recent inflationary wave…

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi on Sunday sent back the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2023 to the Parliament for reconsideration after observing that the amendments brought earlier in the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 were sub-judice before the Supreme Court (SC). The president sent back the piece of legislation in terms of clause (1) (b) of Article 75 of the Constitution, the President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release. It added that Alvi maintained that this aspect of the legislation was neither referred to in the bill nor in the prime minister’s advice. He observed that without considering the…

The Pamir Gate triggers a geopolitical crisis. Berlin (2/5 – 100) For the Pamiri ethnic minority and the inhabitants of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in Tajikistan, the month of May is a reminder of the dark past. Of death, oppression, violence, fear, flight, and resistance. On May 14, 2022, an uprising broke out in Khorog, the capital of GBAO, the homeland of the Pamiris. About 1,000 people gathered to peacefully demand the resignation of regional official Alisher Mirzonabatov, contemptuously called “The Butcher of the Pamirs”, and the fair investigation into the death of Gulbidin Ziyobekov, a resident of…

The President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, participated yesterday in marking the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the 103rd Croatian Defense Council (HVO) Brigade in Derventa, which he awarded with the Order of Nikola Subic Zrinjski, and said that the Dayton Peace Agreement is still very important and that Croatia will defend it. “I awarded the 103rd HVO Brigade because it deserves it and because their contribution is unforgettable, great. It is difficult to describe it in words. 650 people died. Over 100 of your Muslim comrades, who would today be called Bosniaks, died. I note with regret and a little…

LARKANA: Leaders of various political parties and civil society organisations speaking at a multi-party conference welcomed Pakistan Peoples Party’s initiative of introducing a private watch and ward (chowkidari) system to check a sudden increase in street crime in Naudero. They, however, described the initiative a stopgap arrangement, and asked the party leadership and Sindh government to find a permanent solution to the issue. They said the government should chalk out a plan to effectively deal with criminals and check their activities on a permanent basis. They observed that the law and order in Naudero had considerably deteriorated over the past…

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday declared 20 brands of bottled water unsafe for human consumption. The government of Pakistan has directed Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) for quarterly monitoring of bottled and mineral water brands and to publicise the results for awareness of public health. For the quarter from October to December of the year 2022, 168 samples of mineral/bottled water brands were collected from 22 cities. Comparison of test results with the bottled water quality standards of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has revealed that 20 brands were unsafe for human consumption due to…

KARACHI / QUETTA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) continued to strengthen its ranks in Balochistan after a number of senior politicians joined the party. The experts are seeing these moves as signs of the fast-changing landscape of the country’s largest province during the election year. According to a statement issued by the Bilawal House, Karachi, former provincial ministers Nawabzada Gazin Marri and Tahir Mahmood, coordinator of the Balochistan chief minister Nawabzada Jamal Raisani and Mir Fareed Raisani joined the PPP. Other leaders who joined the party included Mir Abdullah Raheja and Mir Allah Bakhsh Rind. Former senator and federal minister Sardar…