Day: April 1, 2022

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has recovered Rs. 300 million from Karandaaz Pakistan on account of income tax default.

It has been learnt through reliable sources that the enforcement zone of Large Taxpayers’ Office Islamabad has successfully made recovery of income tax default of Rs. 300 million from “Karandaaz Pakistan”, an Islamabad based company that claims to be an NGO.

The recovery of income tax default was realized through the attachment of the company’s bank accounts by FBR.

Sources revealed that Karandaaz Pakistan submitted a request for recognition as an NPO (Non-profit organization) under section 2(36) of the Ordinance to get exemption from payment of income tax.

However, its application was rejected by the Commissioner Inland Revenue, on the grounds that Karandaaz Pakistan is operating as a commercial entity and the company is engaged in numerous commercial ventures and corporate investments and regularly earns a profit. Hence, as such the company is not entitled to a hundred percent tax credit under section 100C of the Ordinance, which is only available to not-for-profit organizations.

On March 31, the appeal of Karandaaz against the imposition of tax liability amounting to Rs. 300 million was rejected by Commissioner Appeals, who held that Karandaaz is just a facilitator for promoting financial inclusion activities, however, it is not undertaking any charitable activities itself as required in terms of clause (e) of subsection (2) of section 100C of the Ordinance itself.

Moreover, it was also observed that as per the financials of the company, expenditure amounting to Rs. 550 million was claimed on account of salaries, rent, travelling and utilities, while the company only employees 50-60 persons.

The decision rejecting the NPO status of Karandaaz Pakistan further stated that merely facilitating or promoting activities such as financial inclusion, and disbursement of loans to SMEs through the auspices of agreements executed with other entities is not adequate to claim that purported charitable activities are being performed by the company itself.

Source: Pro Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday that his government had formally protested to the United States for allegedly backing his opponents in a parliamentary no-confidence vote seeking his ouster from power.

“It’s evident now that the conspiracy has been hatched from abroad! Everyone knows it,” Khan told local ARY television.

"We have handed a demarche to the American Embassy, telling them that you have interfered in [the no-confidence vote],” the prime minister said in a reference to the diplomatic note delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

When asked if the embassy had received the demarche, a State Department spokesperson told VOA that, “as a standard practice, we don’t comment on diplomatic correspondence.”

“In terms of U.S. involvement in Pakistan’s internal affairs, there is no truth to these allegations,” the spokesperson said.

The diplomatic note was issued hours after Khan stated in a nationally televised address that a foreign country was conspiring to punish him for his "independent foreign policy” and for paying an official visit to President Vladimir Putin on the day the Russian leader ordered his forces to invade Ukraine.

In what appeared to be a slip of tongue during the live telecast, the Pakistani leader named the U.S. as the origin of a “memo” that he believes confirmed a “foreign conspiracy” was behind the no-confidence vote due on Sunday.

“They say they are angry with Pakistan. ... They say they will forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses a no-trust motion. But if the vote fails, Pakistan will have to face serious consequences,” Khan said, citing the text of the memo, which he has not made public.

Officials said Islamabad’s ambassador in Washington relayed the “message" back to Islamabad after meeting with senior State Department officials on March 7.

Khan said the Pakistani ambassador was summoned to the State Department a day before the opposition submitted the no-confidence motion against him on March 8.

While responding to the allegations on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said there was "no truth to them.”

“We are closely following developments in Pakistan. We respect [and] we support Pakistan's constitutional process and the rule of law," Price told reporters in Washington.

The no-confidence vote against Khan is the most serious political challenge to his leadership since he came to power in 2018 as the head of a coalition government with a thin majority in parliament.

Since that time, some two dozen lawmakers from Khan’s ruling party have defected, and key coalition partners have abandoned the government to join the opposition in the run-up to the vote.

The departures have left Khan short of the 172 votes he needs to survive the no-confidence motion in the 342-member National Assembly, or lower house of parliament.

Source: Voice of America

UN seeks humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that his aid chief would immediately begin exploring with Moscow and Kyiv possible arrangements for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine. Martin Griffiths is scheduled to fly to Moscow on Sunday.

UN to Seek Humanitarian Cease-fire in Ukraine

Humanitarian evacuations from Mariupol fail Friday

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that its team was unable to reach the besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol to evacuate civilians and would make another attempt Saturday.

ICRC Operation to Evacuate Civilians from Mariupol Remains Uncertain

International donors rally for Afghanistan

On Thursday, many international donors overcame their frustration with the Taliban's recent decision to suspend school for girls from secondary level up and rallied around the Afghan people, pledging more than $2.4 billion to help alleviate the country's dire humanitarian crisis. The U.N. requested $4.4 billion — its biggest appeal ever — to meet humanitarian needs. The U.N. Development Program says that following the change in government in August, the country is facing a potentially non-reversible economic collapse, a frozen banking system and liquidity shortage, leaving as many as 80% of its people in debt.

Donors Pledge $2.4 Billion for Afghan Relief

Rainy season threatens South Sudan

Aid agencies warned Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese are likely to suffer devastating consequences during this year's wet season without emergency international support to head off the worst impacts.

Thousands in South Sudan Brace for Potentially Disastrous Rainy Season

In brief

— The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that he had reached separate agreements with Ukrainian and Russian authorities on what assistance his agency would provide to safeguard Ukrainian nuclear sites. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told reporters after a field visit to Ukraine and meetings in Russia that they had delivered some equipment and had agreed on a "structured set of activities" that would start next week. There are eight nuclear plants in the country, including the defunct Chernobyl reactor, which in 1986 was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident.

— Eight U.N. peacekeepers were killed in a helicopter crash in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday. The DRC's army has blamed M23 rebels, saying they shot down the helicopter. The U.N. says it is investigating the circumstances and cause but acknowledges there were hostilities in the area. Six of the peacekeepers were from Pakistan, the other two were from Russia and Serbia.

— Secretary-General Guterres told the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission on Wednesday that 2 billion people — one-quarter of the planet — live in conflict-affected areas. He said last year 84 million people were forcibly displaced because of conflict, violence and human rights violations. The U.N. estimates that this year, at least 274 million will need humanitarian assistance.

Some good news

In a breakthrough, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen announced Friday that the parties to that war had accepted a U.N. proposal for a two-month truce that goes into effect Saturday — the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Envoy Hans Grunberg said in a statement that the parties agreed to halt all offensive military air, ground and maritime operations inside Yemen and across its borders; they also agreed for fuel ships to enter Hodeida ports and commercial flights to operate in and out of Sanaa airport to predetermined destinations in the region. The truce can be renewed beyond the two-month period if the parties agree.

Quote of note

"In Kabul, I visited the Indira Gandhi hospital and saw severely malnourished children and newborns — newborns — clinging to life, sharing run-down, rickety incubators. These babies were emaciated, listless and far too small."

— U.N. Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, who visited Afghanistan this week, to international donors on the dire humanitarian situation.

What we are watching next week

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, humanitarians are trying to mitigate the suffering of millions of people in besieged cities with both aid and evacuations. The U.N. Security Council will be briefed on Tuesday on the efforts.

Source: Voice of America