Day: April 17, 2024

According to a Gallup Pakistan poll, public opinion in Pakistan is in favor of the death penalty. In a recently conducted survey, a majority of Pakistanis supported the death penalty. The survey conducted by Gallup revealed that five out of ten Pakistanis support it, while four out of ten oppose it. The survey, conducted between February 29 and March 15, 2024, involved participation from over one thousand individuals across the country. Gallup Pakistan reports that 45 percent of Pakistanis fully support the death penalty law, believing it is appropriate to impose the penalty on criminals involved in serious crimes. However, 39 percent are strongly opposed to it and are unwilling to support it under any circumstances. According to the survey, 11 percent of Pakistanis have a neutral stance on the death penalty, neither openly supporting nor opposing it. Furthermore, 5 percent refrained from expressing an opinion and remained silent on the matter. Source: Pro Pakistani

Federal cabinet at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad today decided to write a letter to the four provinces to enhance their wheat procurement targets and set a good price for the commodity. Briefing media persons about the decisions taken in the cabinet meeting, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said this letter will be written by the Ministry of National Food Security today. The Information Minister was confident that this decision will bring prosperity in the lives of farmers. He pointed out that the country has abundant stocks of wheat and a bumper wheat crop is expected this year. He said this situation will have positive impact on the rural economy. Attaullah Tarar said the federal cabinet held discussion on the recent visit of Saudi delegation to Pakistan and the expression of interest shown by the Saudi side for investment in different sectors. Describing the visit of Saudi delegation as highly productive, he said that matters are expeditious ly moving forward. He said a high level Saudi delegation will visit Pakistan in the coming months to conclude the agreements. He said a Saudi delegation from private sector is also visiting Pakistan very soon, and their investments and partnerships with Pakistani private sector will have positive impact on the economy. The Information Minister said delegation level visits from other friendly countries are also expected in the coming days. He said the world financial institutions and journals as well as independent experts are recognizing the steps taken by the government for economic improvement. He said the benefit of this improvement will reach the common man. Commenting on the political situation, the Information Minister said the gathering of opposition parties in Balochistan was a failed exercise. He pointed out that there are divisions within the PTI and their leader is facing jail on corruption cases. He said the economy is on the positive trajectory and this process will be taken forward for the pro gress and development of the country. Meanwhile, the Federal Cabinet approved the establishment of Institute of Modern Sciences in Wah Cantonment. The Prime Minister directed to form a committee to be headed by Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training to further improve the procedure for establishing new universities and higher education institutions. The Cabinet accorded approval to Federal Public-Private Policy of Pakistan, 2023-2028. In this regard, the Prime Minister said that economic growth can be accelerated through public-private partnership. He directed all the ministries to submit their proposals under Public Private Partnership. The Federal Cabinet also approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Qatar's Ministry of Labour and Pakistan's Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development for labour relations, inspections, professional safety and health. The Cabinet was told that currently three hundred thousand Pakistanis are working in Qatar, who are sending 850 million rupees foreign exchange to Pakistan. Source: Radio Pakistan

The Muttahida Naanbai Roti Association of Punjab has firmly opposed the recent directives to decrease the prices of naan and roti in the province. Following the Punjab government's mandate to cap the price of roti at Rs 16, the Nanbai Association has issued a 96-hour ultimatum, insisting on a reduction in the cost of flour. In response to the crackdown on tandoor shops in Punjab, the Nanbai Association has voiced its discontent, demanding that the price of a 20kg bag of flour be fixed at Rs 1600 to enable the sale of roti at Rs 16. The Association has warned of a province-wide strike if their demands are not met. Moreover, they have proposed that the price of a 20kg bag of fine flour be set at Rs 7,500 to facilitate the sale of naan at Rs 20. It's worth mentioning that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced via X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that the provincial government has reduced the price of roti to Rs 16, effective immediately. Source: Pro Pakistani

President Asif Ali Zardari will address the joint sitting of the parliament on Thursday. The joint session has been summoned to meet at four pm. Under Article 56 (3) of the Constitution, the President shall address a joint session of Parliament at the commencement of the parliamentary year after general elections. This will be President Asif Ali Zardari's record seventh address to the joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate. During his five-year stint in the Presidency from 2008 to 2013, he had already addressed the parliament six times. Source: Radio Pakistan

Pakistan leads the world in viral hepatitis C infections, with a staggering 8.8 million cases, according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Alarmingly, unsafe medical injections contribute to 44% of new hepatitis C infections in the country. Previously, Egypt had been the country with the highest number of hepatitis C and B cases, with Pakistan ranking closely behind. The figures from 187 countries show a rise in estimated deaths from viral hepatitis, increasing from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. The report specifies that 83% of these deaths were due to hepatitis B, with hepatitis C accounting for the remaining 17%. When combining the cases of hepatitis B and hepatitis C, Pakistan ranks fifth globally, following China, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria. In 2022, approximately 12.6 million cases were reported in Pakistan. According to the WHO's Global Hepatitis Report 2024, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation are among the top ten countri es globally contributing to the burden of viral hepatitis B and C. The report highlights that six countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, and the US, account for half of the global burden of hepatitis C. However, Egypt stands out as the first country to attain gold-tier status in the journey toward hepatitis C elimination, meeting WHO criteria that position it to achieve reduced incidence and mortality targets for full elimination by 2030. The report also highlighted that as of December 2023, 16 countries have been validated for eliminating either HIV, syphilis, or HBV. Senior medical experts commenting on the report noted that in Pakistan, most patients are either diagnosed incidentally or become symptomatic when their illness progresses, often years after contracting the infection. Talking to a local media outlet, Dr. Masood Sheikh from the Lahore General Hospital said that Pakistan carries the second-largest burden of hepatitis C worldwide, with a nationwide preva lence rate of 4.8 percent. 'From 2015 to 2019, there was a 5pc increase in hepatitis C-related deaths and an 8pc increase in hepatitis B-related deaths,' he said. The transmission of the virus has increased significantly in Pakistan due to factors such as a lack of awareness about sterilization techniques, sharing personal items, and unsafe healthcare practices. Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan and Turkiye have agreed to deepen cooperation by giving a fresh impetus to bilateral trade and investment. The understanding came at a meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Turkiye's Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek in Washington DC. They acknowledged historical, political, economic, trade, cultural and educational ties between the two countries. The Finance Minister said Pakistan will benefit from Turkiye's experience in power generation and distribution. Source: Radio Pakistan