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PM condemns terrorist attack on civilians in Tirah

PM condemns terrorist attack on civilians in Tirah

Express Tribune4 hours ago
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned the killing of unarmed civilians and protesters in Bagh Maidan, Wadi Tirah, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, calling it a 'heinous act' and reaffirming his government's resolve to eliminate terrorism.
According to initial reports, at least five people were killed and over 17 injured in the attack. However, the K-P government has yet to confirm the figures.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that PM Shehbaz had ordered immediate medical aid for the injured and condemned the firing by terrorists — referred to as Khawarij — targeting peaceful citizens.
Read More: PM orders special flights after overland travel ban on Arbaeen pilgrims
'The nefarious designs of terrorists cannot shake our resolve,' the PM stated, reiterating his commitment to seeing the fight against terrorism through to its logical conclusion.
K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also expressed sorrow over the tragedy and announced financial compensation of Rs10 million for each victim's family and Rs2.5m for those injured.
He has summoned a jirga of tribal elders and public representatives to Peshawar to hear their concerns and strengthen ties between the government and local communities.
Gandapur also directed district officials to increase engagement with residents and maintain peace and order. He said jirgas would be held at divisional and provincial levels from next week to address public issues more effectively.
Separately, the Inspector General Frontier Corps (North) visited the injured at the FC Brigade Hospital, while Major General Rao Imran Sartaj met survivors at the Frontier Corps Teaching Hospital. The injured recounted the incident and thanked the FC and army teams for the free and timely medical care.
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PM condemns terrorist attack on civilians in Tirah
PM condemns terrorist attack on civilians in Tirah

Express Tribune

time4 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

PM condemns terrorist attack on civilians in Tirah

Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned the killing of unarmed civilians and protesters in Bagh Maidan, Wadi Tirah, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, calling it a 'heinous act' and reaffirming his government's resolve to eliminate terrorism. According to initial reports, at least five people were killed and over 17 injured in the attack. However, the K-P government has yet to confirm the figures. The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that PM Shehbaz had ordered immediate medical aid for the injured and condemned the firing by terrorists — referred to as Khawarij — targeting peaceful citizens. Read More: PM orders special flights after overland travel ban on Arbaeen pilgrims 'The nefarious designs of terrorists cannot shake our resolve,' the PM stated, reiterating his commitment to seeing the fight against terrorism through to its logical conclusion. K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also expressed sorrow over the tragedy and announced financial compensation of Rs10 million for each victim's family and Rs2.5m for those injured. He has summoned a jirga of tribal elders and public representatives to Peshawar to hear their concerns and strengthen ties between the government and local communities. Gandapur also directed district officials to increase engagement with residents and maintain peace and order. He said jirgas would be held at divisional and provincial levels from next week to address public issues more effectively. Separately, the Inspector General Frontier Corps (North) visited the injured at the FC Brigade Hospital, while Major General Rao Imran Sartaj met survivors at the Frontier Corps Teaching Hospital. The injured recounted the incident and thanked the FC and army teams for the free and timely medical care.

Govt bars pilgrims from traveling to Iran, Iraq by road this Arbaeen
Govt bars pilgrims from traveling to Iran, Iraq by road this Arbaeen

Business Recorder

time11 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Govt bars pilgrims from traveling to Iran, Iraq by road this Arbaeen

Pakistani pilgrims will not be allowed to travel to Iran and Iraq by road for the Arbaeen pilgrimage due to public and national security, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday. 'After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [the] Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that zaireen (pilgrims) will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,' Naqvi said on X. The minister said that the decision was taken in the interest of public safety and national security. He added that the intending pilgrims will be able to travel by air. Naqvi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the authorities concerned to arrange maximum flights in the coming days to facilitate pilgrims travelling for Arbaeen. PM Shehbaz directs assistance for protection of Pakistani pilgrims in Iran His remarks followed a briefing to the prime minister earlier in the day on the new pilgrimage management policy, according to a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). The prime minister also instructed Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif to ensure the availability of special flights for pilgrims, the APP reported, citing a press release from the PM Office. As part of broader reforms, the government plans to implement a new travel management system effective January 1, 2026. Under the new framework, only registered group organisers will be allowed to facilitate pilgrimages, replacing the traditional Salar system. Iran eases visa rules for Pakistan zaireen In addition to the increase in weekly flights to Iran from six to 15, authorities will arrange 107 special flights for Zaireen travelling to Iraq for religious observance. Meanwhile, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf recently clarified that his earlier statement regarding 40,000 missing pilgrims was based on a misunderstanding. He said outdated paper records, which had not yet been fully digitised, led to the inaccurate figure. Arbaeen Pilgrims travel to Iraq to participate in the Chehlum observance, also known as Arbaeen, an Arabic word meaning 'forty', which marks the 40th day of mourning following the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the revered grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Karbala, Iraq, where Imam Husain and his brother Abbas are buried in two grand shrines, becomes the focal point for millions of Shia pilgrims during Arbaeen. Last year, more than 21 million people took part in the annual pilgrimage.

CPEC power dues rise to Rs423b
CPEC power dues rise to Rs423b

Express Tribune

time20 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

CPEC power dues rise to Rs423b

Listen to article The government managed to restrict the outstanding dues of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) power projects to Rs423 billion by June this year, which might also be settled soon, subject to early resolution of the issue of interest on late payments. The official documents showed that as of the end of fiscal year 2024-25, the outstanding energy payments to Chinese power plants amounted to Rs423 billion. These were Rs22 billion, or 5.5%, more than the preceding fiscal year. The details showed that since 2017, the country has paid Rs5.1 trillion in energy costs to the 18 Chinese power plants, which were equal to 92.3% of the billed amount, including interest. The Pakistani authorities believe that the actual remaining cost of energy was less than Rs300 billion and the rest of the amount was due to late payment surcharges. The government is in the process of taking nearly Rs1.3 trillion in fresh loans from the local commercial banks to retire the circular debt that it owes to the state-owned power plants, nuclear power plants, privately owned plants, and the Chinese plants. According to one of the conditions set by the federal cabinet, the authorities will negotiate with the power producers to waive off the interest payments in return for taking upfront full payments, said a government functionary who is part of these discussions. The Chinese might not waive off the interest cost due to their internal requirements, which would leave the government with the option of either making full payments in one go or clearing the dues as the fiscal space is created. The Rs423 billion unpaid debts are in violation of the 2015 CPEC Energy Framework Agreement, which binds the government to fully clear the dues irrespective of whether the authorities can recover the amounts from the end consumers. Along with security, the non-fulfilment of CPEC contracts is one of the reasons for slow progress in financial and commercial relations between the two nations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit China next month, and one of the agenda items is luring Chinese investors to Pakistan by addressing their concerns. Under the CPEC Energy Framework Agreement, Pakistan was required to create a revolving fund with 21% of the power invoices to protect Chinese firms from the circular debt crisis. However, the previous government opened a Pakistan Energy Revolving Account at the State Bank of Pakistan in October 2022 with Rs48 billion in annual allocations. But it limited the withdrawals to Rs4 billion per month, leading to the current Rs423 billion debt stock. The documents show Pakistan owed Rs87 billion to the imported coal-fired Sahiwal power plant, while the company received Rs1.14 trillion in the past eight years of its operations. The country also owed Rs69 billion to the coal-fired Hub power project, compared to the Rs834 billion worth of total claims. The outstanding remaining dues of the coal-fired Port Qasim power plant were Rs85.5 billion, as against the total bills of over Rs1 trillion. The Port Qasim plant's dues were roughly Rs15 billion higher than the preceding fiscal year. The Thar Coal project dues remained at Rs55.5 billion. It had claimed Rs566 billion worth of dues. The outstanding dues of Karo power company were Rs11 billion, Engro Powergen Thar Coal Rs38 billion, Matiari Lahore Transmission Line Rs28.5 billion, and Thar Energy Limited Rs8.3 billion. The Chinese government has repeatedly raised this issue with Pakistan through diplomatic channels, including Pakistan's embassy in Beijing and its own embassy in Islamabad. It is expected that once the procedural formalities are completed by the commercial banks and the federal government's entities, the circular debt amounts would start going down. The government had reached a deal with commercial banks to borrow Rs1.25 trillion at less than an 11% interest rate as part of its three-pronged strategy to eliminate the circular debt and restore power sector viability. The banks are expected to disburse the loans soon after fulfilment of the procedural requirements. The deal is said to be about 3% to 5% cheaper than the interest on the existing facilities and the penalties that the government pays for not making timely payments of the energy purchases. The Rs1.25 trillion debt is being taken on the books of the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), and it would not be part of the overall public debt. The government was paying up to 14% cost to the commercial banks on the loans that it had taken in the past to retire the circular debt, and up to 16% price to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for not making timely payments to them. Out of the total Rs2.4 trillion existing circular debt stock, there is a need to resettle the Rs1.5 trillion principal amounts to eliminate the debt stock. Out of the Rs1.25 trillion, about Rs660 billion will be settled against the Power Holding Limited debt. This debt had been obtained in the past at a rate of KIBOR plus up to 2%. The nuclear plant powers will get around Rs280 billion, while the LNG power plants are expected to receive Rs220 billion. Pakistan's earlier efforts to get the energy debt rescheduled have not succeeded, according to the government sources. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Energy Minister Sardar Awais Laghari were leading these efforts. The Pakistani officials had requested a five to eight-year extension for repaying energy debt, converting US dollar-based interest payments to Chinese currency, and reducing overall interest rates for both CPEC and non-CPEC Chinese-funded projects.

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