Tech and Telecom

The Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered that the income tax general order 1 of 2024 regarding the blocking of SIMs of non-filers cannot be enforced without issuing notices to non-filer SIM holders. The non-filers have to give an explanation as to why they are not filing returns under section 114B of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. The petition was filed by a leading mobile company challenging the constitutionality and legality of the Income Tax General Order 1 of 2024. It was argued before the Chief Justice that the ITGO applied to the mobile operators is in clear violation of Article 18 of the Constitution.…

Despite spearheading the Pakistani batting for over half a decade, the recent form of the Pakistani captain against spin is worrisome. Analysing his performances reveals specific weaknesses that opposition captains have exploited. Notably, Babar Azam has lost his wicket to spinners on four occasions in the last ten T20Is. Babar, who relies predominantly on timing rather than power hitting, has shown a pattern of impatience against spinners like Moeen Ali, Michael Bracewell, and Ish Sodhi in recent games. All four of his dismissals occurred when he attempted to attack the spinners, leading to premeditated shots that made him vulnerable to variations in pace and…

South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in their first T20 World Cup 2024 game while chasing a target of 78. Sri Lanka finished the powerplay on 24-1 after they opted to bat first after winning the toss, Keshav Maharaj completely dismantled the Sri Lankan middle order in the first 10 overs as he picked up two wicked in two balls to dismiss skipper Wanindu Hasaranga and Sadeera Samarawickrama. The Lankans finished with 40-5 in the first 10 overs as Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje stifled the opposition’s middle order after the powerplay.…

The Privatization Commission Board has prequalified six interested parties for divestment of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL). The meeting of the board was held on Monday under the Chairmanship of Minister for Privatisation Abdul Aleem Khan to review the recommendations of the pre-qualification committee in light of the results of the scrutiny/evaluation of Statement of Qualifications (SOQs) submitted by eight Interested parties for divestment of PIACL. The Board, after detailed deliberations and keeping in view the criteria including technical, financial, and documentary requirements stipulated in the request for statement of qualification (RSoQ), decided to pre-qualify six interested parties. The…

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has reportedly managed to convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not to impose tax on pensioners. Sources told ProPakistani that the IMF and Pakistani tax officials on Monday held discussions to finalize tax proposals, including taxing pensions. Sources said that the finance minister has managed to convince the IMF against taxing pensions in the upcoming budget. Earlier, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had prepared proposals to tax pensioners however the prime minister directed the authorities to talk to the IMF not to impose tax on pensions. In the virtual talks,…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday directed for the immediate dissolution of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) due to years long poor performance and corruption. The prime minister issued a directive during a high-level meeting held on reducing the government expenditures and the size of its infrastructure, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. During the meeting, the prime minister observed that Pak PWD as a department had failed to achieve its objectives and asked for alternate mechanisms for the development projects that were tasked to Pak PWD. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq…

Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) is still a year away from release, but Rockstar has already mentioned GTA 7, giving fans a taste of what is to come, probably a decade later when they have children. This teaser comes from a recent interview with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who jokingly teased the existence of GTA 7. This means that even though we are a long way off the official release, the project is still likely on the table and will eventually launch one day. Until then we have GTA 6 to look forward to, which is generating a significant…

Pakistan’s trade deficit decreased by over 15 percent during July-May of the current fiscal year (11MFY24) according to data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Monday. During 11MFY24, the trade deficit stood at $21.73 billion down 15.2 percent compared to a deficit of $25.64 billion reported in the same period of the previous fiscal year. The trade deficit rose marginally on a year-on-year basis in May 2024 and stood at $2.110 billion compared to a deficit of $2.107 billion in May 2023. However, on a month-on-month basis, the trade deficit during May was down 15.4 percent compared to…

A gong ceremony was held at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) to celebrate the listing of International Packaging Films Limited (IPAK). IPAK is a company pioneering and specializing in manufacturing of the five-layer Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films used for the purpose of packaging. Specifically, it can be used for food and beverage packaging, garment bags, and bagging overwrap, as well as printing pouching and strip packaging among other types of packaging. Present at the gong ceremony were Muhammad Amin, Chairman; Naveed Godil, CEO; directors and senior management of International Packaging Films Ltd. Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Chairman of AKD Group,…

A Fly Jinnah Airlines flight carrying Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori and 149 other passengers made an emergency landing at Karachi airport on Sunday due to a technical fault, according to sources within the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Islamabad-bound flight 670 took off from Karachi but was forced to return shortly after departure when the pilot detected a technical issue near Nawabshah. Demonstrating prudent decision-making, the pilot diverted the aircraft back to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, ensuring the safety of all passengers on board. Upon landing, the flight was canceled, and passengers were safely disembarked. The sources within the…