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ARY NEWS

Anjum Wahab

  • Pakistan Army assisting civil admin in fight against coronavirus: ISPR

    Pakistan Army assisting civil admin in fight against coronavirus: ISPR

    RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army is assisting civil administration across the country in fight against coronavirus, ARY NEWS reported quoting Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), a media wing of the armed forces.

    Detailing the army efforts in a statement issued today, the ISPR said that the armed forces and other law enforcement authorities are monitoring the entry and exits points of the country along with performing their duties at 182 quarantine centres.

    The military is deployed in Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur, Bagh, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad and other areas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir while the forces are also deployed in nine districts of Balochistan province.

    A 600-bed quarantine facility is established at Taftan while another isolation facility comprising 805 camps is setup in Chaman area, the ISPR said adding that a container-based quarantine was built in Faizu Kili village of Chaman.

    It said that 10 quarantine camps have been established in Gilgit Baltistan while army helicopters have also shifted medical supplies including five ventilators, masks and coronavirus testing kits from Pak-China border in Khunjerab.

    The media wing said that the armed forces were also deployed in 26 districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along with conducting strict monitoring of movement at terminals of international borders.

    Read More: Army Chief asks nation to act responsibly in fight against coronavirus 

    A quarantine facility is being established at Landi Kotal for 1500 people, the ISPR said adding that the armed forces also carried out tracking of 4000 suspected coronavirus patients.

    The army is also carrying out joint patrolling at check-posts in 34 districts of Punjab province while assistance is also provided to civil administration at isolation facilities in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan.

    The armed forces are also monitoring the entry and exit points in Sindh province along with assisting provincial authorities at a quarantine facility established in Expo Centre Karachi.

  • Karachi Sabzi Mandi to remain shut for 12 hours amid coronavirus outbreak  

    Karachi Sabzi Mandi to remain shut for 12 hours amid coronavirus outbreak  

    KARACHI: The activities at Karachi Sabzi Mandi (wholesale vegetable and fruit market) will remain suspended for 12 hours each day following lockdown orders from the provincial authorities in wake of rising coronavirus cases in the province, ARY NEWS reported.

    Announcing the decision, Vice Chairman of the Market Committee Asif Ahmed said that all business activities at the market would remain suspended for 12 hours from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight every day from now on in view of the preventive measures.

    “The entry and exit points at the market will be shut by 12:00 non and no trucks or person will be allowed to enter it before 12:00 midnight,” he said adding that the supplies of fruits and vegetable will not be affected from the new schedule.

    Moreover, police will also be deployed to ensure complete implementation of the orders. “We expect all stakeholders to follow the orders keeping in view the preventive measures adopted due to coronavirus pandemic,” said the market office bearer.

    Read More: Karachi reports 11 new COVID-19 cases, bring Sindh’s tally to 440

    Meanwhile, a day after banning congregational prayers at mosques to arrest the spread of novel coronavirus, the Sindh government on Friday ordered all grocery shops and stores to shut by 5pm from tomorrow.

    Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said all grocery shops across the province will be closed by 5pm instead of 8pm.

    Earlier, the government had allowed shops selling essential food items to stay open from 8am to 8pm.

  • Thousands gather at Karachi station as train operations to shut by midnight

    Thousands gather at Karachi station as train operations to shut by midnight

    KARACHI: Thousands of people on Tuesday gathered at the Karachi Cantonment railway station to travel to their desired locations from the city as train operations, which are going to be shut by midnight today, remains the last travelling option amid Sindh-wide lockdown, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to the footage available, a large number of commuters, eyeing to travel to interior Sindh and Punjab gathered at the station to avail the travelling facility.

    The incompetency of the railway authorities to deal with the situation was exposed while handling the passengers as no preventive measures were adopted despite strict directives for social distancing and use of hand sanitizers.

    There were no hand sanitizers or other measures at the Karachi Cantonment station to detect if the passengers travelling in the crowded trains are free of the coronavirus symptoms.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Railways has announced the closure of all passenger trains across the country till March 31 in order to contain the spread of coronavirus.

    Read More: Pakistan Railways begins complete refund of cancelled trains’ tickets

    According to a notification released by Ministry of Railways, the train service will remain suspended from 12:00 am (Wednesday) till March 31.

    The railway authorities has said that those who booked their advance tickets from the reservation counters should contact the ministry for refund.

    It is pertinent to mention here that all sort of transport and air operations remain suspended in the province as the Sindh government announced a 15-day lockdown in the province to tackle spread of coronavirus as the provincial tally reached 407 cases as compared to 916 cases nation-wide.

  • FBR abolishes taxes on import of coronavirus-related medical equipment

    FBR abolishes taxes on import of coronavirus-related medical equipment

    KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday announced a major relief on import of medical equipment and machines aimed at tackling the spread of coronavirus pandemic, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to the FBR spokesman, the tax collection body issued three statutory regulatory orders (SROs) to announce a relief on the imports of virus-related medical equipment.

    The tax authority announced to abolish sales tax, income tax, customs duty and regulatory duty for three months on import of the machinery and other material needed to tackle the spread of the virus.

    The decision came after Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Friday said that Pakistan’s economy was on the stability path but the ongoing coronavirus has affected it likewise it caused losses to the global economy.

    “Global losses due to the spread of the virus have reached upto US$300 billion,” he said.

    The adviser said that they have devised a three-pronged strategy to deal with the ongoing situation. “Although our exports might suffer due to the ongoing crisis, however, the oil prices will also go down bringing a relief in payments,” he said.

    Read More: Pakistan confirms third coronavirus death, first in Karachi

    Hafeez Shaikh said that initially they have decided to import the medical equipment including ventilators needed to tackle the virus from international markets. “We also want to give a relief package to the masses having a less impact on the economy, mainly comprising of tax exemptions and subsidies,” he said.

    The adviser said that a joint strategy was needed to move forward in the ongoing situation as they plan to expedite development works to improve employment prospects in the country.

    He said that they would mull over tax exemption and subsidies on products as medical equipment currently tops their priority.

  • Coronavirus: SBP announces relief for exporters under EFS, LTFF

    Coronavirus: SBP announces relief for exporters under EFS, LTFF

    KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday announced relief for exporters under the export finance scheme and long-term financing facility owing to weakening economy amid global spread of coronavirus pandemic, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to a circular issued from the state bank, a six months extension in shipment period has been allowed for those Part-I loans, in which shipment is falling due from January 2020 till June 30, 2020.

    However, in cases where delayed shipment fine has already been charged against shipment falling due from January 01, 2020, the same shall be refunded.

    The SBP also announced relaxation for exporters coming under export finance scheme (EFS) or Islamic Export Refiance Scheme (IERS) falling underPart-II owing to coronavirus outbreak.

    It said that currently the exporters availing EFS under Part-II are required to show at least 2 times matching export performance against financing availed during fiscal year 2019-20 on daily average product basis.

    This has been reduced to 1.5 times. Likewise, export performance requirement for FY 2020-21 will also be 1.5 times.

    Further, an additional period of six months has been allowed to exporters for meeting required export performance against financing of EFS or IERS-II for monitoring period of FY 2019-20.

    Accordingly, eligible entries showing shipments and export proceeds realization up to December 31, 2020 are allowed to be included in the export performance of FY 2019-2020. This export performance of extended period will also be considered for entitlement of limit for FY 2020-21.

    Exporters will have to submit EF-1 and EE-1 statements showing exports of FY 2019-2020 through their banks to respective SBP BSC office latest by January 31, 2021 duly verified by the concerned Foreign Exchange Operation Department/Division (FEOD).

    Read More: SBP asks banks to waive all charges on online fund transfer

    Further announcing relief under long term financing facility (LTFF) and Islamic LTFF, it said that exports requirement for availing financing facility during the period from January 01, 2020 to September 30, 2020 has been reduced from US$5 million or 50% exports of total sales to US$ 4 million or 40% exports of total sales.

    One year additional period for export performance requirement under projected exports has been allowed for each category (i.e. 1st two years, 3rd year and 4th year requirement) falling in calendar year 2020.

    It is pertinent to mention here that over 9000 people have died globally from coronavirus forcing shut down of major business activities worldwide.

  • Trade, current deficits witness decline as remittances rise in 2019-20

    Trade, current deficits witness decline as remittances rise in 2019-20

    KARACHI: The current account and trade deficits have witnessed a massive decline during the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year 2019-20 as compared to the same period of the previous year, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to the details shared by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the current account deficit witnessed a 71 percent decline during the first eight months and stood at US$2.84 billion.

    “A current account deficit of US$210 million was recorded during the month of February 2020,” the SBP report showed.

    The trade deficit has also witnessed a 33 percent decline during the eight months of the 2019-20 and stood at US$13.21 billion.

    The remittances from overseas Pakistanis, however, witnessed a five percent increase in the first eight months and jumped to US$15.12 billion.

    On Monday, the State Bank of Pakistan said that the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year 2019-20 witnessed a 512 percent increase in foreign investments as compared to the same period of the previous year.

    According to data released by the SBP, the total foreign investments in the country stood at US$3.98 billion during the eight months of the ongoing fiscal year as compared to US$650.6 million during the same period of the previous year.

    Read More: SBP cuts policy rate by 75 bps to tackle virus fallout  

    It showed that the foreign investments in bonds reached upto US$2.16 billion, becoming a major booster in the overall foreign investments.

    The direct foreign investments witnessed an increase of 75 percent from the previous year that is US$793.7 million. The direct investment during the previous fiscal year remained at US$1.059 billion.

    However, investments in the Pakistan Stocks Market witnessed a negative trend as it saw decline by US$26 million.

  • NADRA announces to extend expiry dates of CNICs amid coronavirus outbreak

    NADRA announces to extend expiry dates of CNICs amid coronavirus outbreak

    ISLAMABAD: National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Tuesday announced to extend the expiry date of all national identity cards (NICs) due to lapse between 01 September 2019 to 30 June 2020, ARY NEWS reported.

    The expiry of all the NICs falling under the category are extended upto 01 July 2020, said the officials of the authority in Sindh province.

    They said that any request seeking amendment in the identity card could be made via the online portal.

    The employees at the NADRA centres are also barred from using biometric procedures for attendance purpose.

    Earlier in the day, with the detection of more novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Sindh, the provincial government ordered the closure of restaurants and shopping malls across the province for 15 days.

    The government directed K-Electric to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the closure of restaurants and shopping malls in the port city.

    However, the government said, all grocery stores can remain open round the clock.

    Vegetable, fruit, fish and meat markets will also remain open across the province.

    Announcing a string of new measures to combat the disease, CM Murad Ali Shah said there is a serious need to prevent the coronavirus spreading, expressing fears that if the COVID-19 spreads, the province’s health infrastructure won’t be able to cope with the influx of patients.

    Read More: With detection of new cases, Punjab’s COVID-19 count is 26

    He said they want to restrict the people to their homes as a precaution to stop the virus transmitting to others.

    The provincial government further decided to keep government office closed from Thursday, a notification of which will be issued by the provincial chief secretary soon. It has also decided to bring intra-city bus services to a halt.

    So far Sindh has reported the highest number of 172 COVID-19 cases.

  • Coronavirus: Sindh Food Authority issues advisory for food outlets, hotels

    Coronavirus: Sindh Food Authority issues advisory for food outlets, hotels

    KARACHI: Sindh Food Authority has issued an advisory for the hotels and food outlets across the province aimed at avoiding the spread of coronavirus that has already infected over 180 people country-wide, ARY NEWS reported.

    The advisory carried preventive measures to be followed by the owners, operators and employees of the food outlets and hotels.

    It said that all those working at food shops and hotels should carry masks, sanitizers or soaps and dryers.

    The chef and the person supplying the food item should avoid coming in direct contact with the foodstuff and could use gloves for the purpose. “Any employee suffering from flu, cough, fever and other symptoms should contact his food supervisor,” it said adding that entry-exit doors, food counters and other places should be sprayed with anti-germ spray.

    The owners are also directed to take the temperature of all those working at their place on a regular basis and maintain a record of it. “In case of any symptoms, the concerned person should immediately approach the Sindh government for help,” the advisory read.

    Sindh government has also issued an advisory for the government employees detailing preventive measures to be taken during their official work.

    The advisory asked the employees to refrain from coming into close contact with each other during the office work especially avoiding handshakes.

    Those working in the government offices should try to maintain a one-meter distance with each other and wash their hands at frequent intervals in order to avoid coming in contact with the deadly virus, it said.

    The employees should refrain from visiting public places and mass gathering venues.

    “In case of suffering from coughs, fever, pain in breathing process and flu-some of the common symptoms of coronavirus- the employee should avoid visiting the office and stay at home,” it said.

  • Foreign Investment jumps 512 percent during 2019-20: SBP

    Foreign Investment jumps 512 percent during 2019-20: SBP

    KARACHI: The first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year 2019-20 witnessed a 512 percent increase in foreign investments as compared to the same period of the previous year, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to data released by the SBP, the total foreign investments in the country stood at US$3.98 billion during the eight months of the ongoing fiscal year as compared to US$650.6 million during the same period of the previous year.

    foreign investment SBP

    It showed that the foreign investments in bonds reached upto US$2.16 billion, becoming a major booster in the overall foreign investments.

    The direct foreign investments witnessed an increase of 75 percent from the previous year that is US$793.7 million. The direct investment during the previous fiscal year remained at US$1.059 billion.

    However, investments in the Pakistan Stocks Market witnessed a negative trend as it saw decline by US$26 million.

    On March 11, Deputy Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Murtaza Syed said that the global economic growth will witness a decline in the ongoing year and would likely impact the growth rates in Pakistan.

    Addressing an FPCCI meeting, Murtaza Syed said that the outbreak of coronavirus is changing with the passage of time and now its impact has slowed down in China.

    “The number of fresh cases from within China has come down and the situation is moving towards improvement,” he said adding that worst is over for China in terms of the virus.

    The SBP official said that the virus could bring a negative impact on global growth for a quarter period. “The IMF has already predicted that the global growth rates would witness decline this year as compared to the previous financial year,” the SBP deputy governor said adding that the slow down of global economy would also impact the country’s growth.

  • Remittances rise 5.4 percent to US$ 15.12bn during 2019-20      

    Remittances rise 5.4 percent to US$ 15.12bn during 2019-20      

    KARACHI: The overseas workers’ remittances received during the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year 2019-20 has witnessed an over five percent increase as compared to the same period of the previous year 2018-19, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to a data shared by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the workers’ remittances received during the ongoing fiscal year remained at US$ 15.126 billion recording an increase of $ 770.7 million or 5.4 percent over remittances received during the same period of the previous year that stood at $ 14.355 billion.

    It said that the foreign inflows during February 2020 amounted to $ 1.824 billion recording a decrease of $ 83 million or 4.4 percent over remittance received in January 2020 that stood at $ 1.907 billion.

    The remittances during February, however, witnessed an increased of $ 242.6 million or 15.3 percent as compared to the amount received during corresponding month of 2019 that amounted to $ 1.581 billion.

    Giving country-wise division of the remittances during February 2020, the SBP said that large sums were received from Saudi Arabia ($ 421.96 million), UAE ($ 387.1 million), USA ($ 333.5 million) and United Kingdom ($ 253.5 million) recording a decrease of 2.6 percent, 2.1 percent, 0.5 percent and 15.2 percent respectively as compared to January 2020.

    In July 2019, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan taking to the micro-blogging website Twitter thanked the overseas Pakistani’s for sending their remittances through proper channel.

    Read More: Overseas Pakistanis send over $11 bn remittances in first half of FY20 

    PM Imran Khan in a tweet that he is thankful to overseas Pakistani’s for using banks and legal sources of sending back remittances to their native land.

    The Prime Minister in a tweed said: “I want to thank our overseas workers for sending more remittances through banking channels. Remittances for the past fiscal year came in much higher at 9.7 % annual growth & totalled $21.8 bn for the yr. This was much higher than the previous year when they grew only 2.9 %.”