https://arab.news/88h38
KARACHI: Pakistan’s leading wedding planners in the southern port city of Karachi recommended people on Wednesday to rely on synthetic flowers for decoration and utilize daylight while arranging cost-effective marriage ceremonies.
The advice comes in the midst of the “wedding season” in Pakistan and falls ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Asked how people could go for budget-friendly wedding décor without compromising on aesthetics, most event planners said floral work was at the heart of such functions but the idea of using original flowers was outdated and more costly.
“The kind of synthetic flowers available in the market look better than the original ones,” Fahd and Ayesha Nassr, founders of The Social Squad, told Arab News. “The flower budget reduces by 20 percent and gives the best look. It also saves nature and doesn’t waste a lot of flowers.”
They pointed out that original flowers were no longer used in international weddings in countries like the United States and United Arab Emirates.
As inflation increases and Pakistan’s economy finds itself in a downward spiral, people are beginning to find it increasingly difficult to arrange dream weddings within their limited budget.
Waqas Vohra, chief executive officer of Vohra Production and Event Management, endorsed the idea of using artificial flowers while noting the real flowers cost twice the amount on wedding functions.
“90 percent of our clients opt for artificial flowers,” he said while speaking to Arab News.
The Karachi-based event planners pointed out lighting was also a major highlight in most marriage ceremonies.
“Flower work enhances the overall feel and ambiance of the event, even if the décor behind the flowers isn’t as efficiently done,” Vohra said. “A simple décor and round table setup would look good if lighting and floral work have been paid attention to.”
Fahd and Ayesha Nassr said lighting added to the cost of any wedding while emphasizing the use of daylight to save electricity and a precious amount of money.
“It [the use of daylight] changes the whole budget flow of the event,” they continued. “30 percent of the budget can be reduced on this.”
The venue of the event can also raise the cost of a wedding, said the event planners, adding a good selection of the site of the function could help address that.
“A private venue or one with a view like a garden or overlooking water reduces extra production décor budget,” Fahd and Ayesha said. “In case of a garden-like private venue, for instance, there is no need of carpets or boundaries. It saves a lot of money.”
Jehanzeb Ghafoor, CEO ARJ Events, said a marriage venue with an aura could make the wedding cost-effective since the host would not need to invest a great deal in decoration. He pointed out that Marquees were usually “quite expensive” since they required complete transformation.
“Everyone wants a customized décor in a marquee which goes way out of one’s budget,” he added. “Opting for pre-fabricated ceiling installations and pre-installed solutions helps cut the cost in that case.”
Ghafoor also maintained that people should focus more on the entrance and stage presentation since these left an impression on most guests.
“Make it [the entrance] wow because that is going to be your first impression,” he told Arab News.
ISLAMABAD: Rana Sanaullah, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, acknowledged on Tuesday former Prime Minister Imran Khan might be released from prison on June 27, though he said the government could frame new charges against him to keep him behind bars for “as long as possible.”
Khan became tangled in a slew of legal cases, a frequent hazard for opposition figures in Pakistan, since his ouster from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He was arrested from his residence in Lahore last August and faced prison trials on a number of charges, ranging from terrorism to divulging state secrets.
Khan has been granted relief from the judiciary in most of the cases. However, he remains incarcerated on charges of contracting an illegal marriage after his wife, Bushra Bibi, was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called “Iddat,” following her divorce from her previous husband and before marrying Khan.
A local court is scheduled to announce its verdict in the case on June 27, which could go in Khan’s favor.
“Imran Khan’s main agenda is to destabilize the country and spread chaos and anarchy in the country that’s why the government will certainly try to keep him behind bars as long as possible,” Sanaullah, who is Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser on political and public affairs, said during an interview with Geo News TV.
He said Khan’s release would not “lead to a storm,” but he should “act like a politician,” engage in talks and move forward with democracy.
He said without a change in his approach, it would be better for the country for him to stay in prison.
The PML-N leader maintained the government did not want to keep anyone in jail “forcefully,” adding that all measures would be taken in line with Pakistan’s constitution and law.
Khan has frequently claimed that all cases against him are politically motivated and described them as an attempt to keep him away from the country’s political arena.
ISLAMABAD: The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of an impartial investigation into the claims of election manipulation in Pakistan following the February 8 national polls, emphasizing the need for people’s participation in the democratic process in the South Asian country.
Pakistan’s last general polls were marred by a nationwide mobile Internet shutdown on election day, arrests and violence in its build-up and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that the vote was rigged.
The issue was most forcefully raised by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose leaders had to participate in the electoral contest as independent candidates after being deprived of their symbol, the cricket bat, following a legal battle over an intra-party election deemed flawed by the election authority.
Much of the PTI leadership, including Khan, found itself behind bars on a range of legal charges as the country went to the polls, though the candidates supported by it emerged as the single largest bloc in the National Assembly.
The US house voted 368-7 over a resolution calling for “full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities in Pakistan’s February 2024 election.”
It condemned “attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy, including through harassment, intimidation, violence, arbitrary detention, restrictions on access to the Internet and telecommunications, or any violation of their human, civil, or political rights.”
The House Resolution 901 said it was to express support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan.
It urged the government to uphold democratic and electoral institutions, human rights, and the rule of law, asking it to respect the fundamental guarantees of due process, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and speech of the people of Pakistan.
It also condemned “any effort to subvert the political, electoral, or judicial processes of Pakistan.”
BREAKING: US Congress votes 368-7 to call for a “full and independent investigation” of Pakistan’s election and “condemns attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy” through “harassment, intimidation, violence, arbitrary detention” (H.Res.901) pic.twitter.com/Q2payU01Ew
Commenting on the development, Michael Kugelman, Director of South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center in Washington, said the margin of vote was significant.
“85 percent of House members voted on it, and 98 percent voted in favor of the resolution,” he noted in a social media post. “This is quite significant.”
What really stands out for me is the margin of the vote, and the number of Members that voted. 85% of House members voted on it, and 98% voted in favor of the resolution. This is quite significant.
KARACHI, Pakistan: A days-long intense heat wave has disrupted normal life in Pakistan, especially in its largest city, Karachi, where doctors treated thousands of victims of heatstroke at various hospitals, health officials said Tuesday.
Several people fell unconscious in the city and some of them later died, local media said.
Temperatures soared as high as 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sindh province on Tuesday. Authorities in Karachi, the provincial capital, are urging people to stay indoors, hydrate, and avoid unnecessary travel.
Weather forecasters say the heat wave, which began in May, will subside next week.
According to local media, the days-long heat wave also killed more than two dozen people in Karachi, but no government spokesman was available to confirm the number of heatstroke-related deaths.
On Tuesday, Faisal Edhi, the head of the Edhi Foundation, which runs the country’s largest ambulance service, said they received dozens of bodies of heatstroke victims in Karachi the previous day.
Imran Sarwar Sheikh, the head of the emergency ward at the state-run Civil Hospital in Karachi, told The Associated Press that they treated 120 victims of heatstroke the previous day. Eight of those patients later died, he said.
On Monday, more than 1,500 victims of heatstroke were treated at other hospitals in the city, according to local media.
Sardar Sarfaraz, the chief meteorologist in Karachi, said temperatures will continue to rise this week across Pakistan. “Today, the weather is dry. In such conditions, the temperature starts rising,” he said.
Pakistan’s climate is warming much faster than the global average, with a potential rise of 1.3 to 4.9 degrees Celsius (2.3 to 8.8 degrees Fahrenheit) by the 2090s over the 1986–2005 baseline, according to a World Bank expert panel on climate change.
The country, which is one of the most vulnerable in the world to climate change, also faces the risk of heavier monsoon rains, in part because of its immense northern glaciers, which are now melting as temperatures rise. Warmer air can hold more moisture, intensifying the monsoon.
This year’s monsoon will start in July, causing flash floods, according to a statement released by Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority. The warning from the agency comes less than two weeks after a top UN official said an estimated 200,000 people in Pakistan could be affected by the upcoming monsoon season.
However, officials say this year’s rains would not be as heavy as those in 2022 when devastating floods killed 1,739 people, destroyed 2 million homes, and covered as much as one-third of the country at one point.
The 2022 floods caused more than $30 billion in damage to Pakistan’s already cash-strapped economy.
Pakistan says despite contributing less than 1 percent to carbon emissions worldwide, it is bearing the brunt of global climate disasters.
The ongoing heat in recent months also had a large impact on agriculture, damaging crops and reducing yields, as well as on education, with school vacations having to be extended and schools closed in several countries, affecting thousands of students.
Climate experts say extreme heat in South Asia during the pre-monsoon season is becoming more frequent. The study found that extreme temperatures are now about 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.5 Fahrenheit) hotter in the region because of climate change, and this year Pakistan witnessed above-normal rains and heat.
ISLAMABAD: Security experts in Pakistan have urged the government this week to build political consensus for a new anti-terrorism operation, urging “national unity and diplomatic efforts” to gain approval for proposed measures and ensure their success.
The South Asian state’s top national security forum on Saturday announced “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam,” or Resolve for Stability, operation after a meeting of senior military leaders and top government officials from all provinces. Several opposition parties have rejected the operation, accusing the government of not taking the opposition or parliament on board before announcing the measures.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif separately clarified that the government was not planning to launch a “large-scale armed operation” against militancy but instead intensify ongoing intelligence-based operations. They also said they would seek to build consensus before starting a new campaign, which comes as the country faces daily attacks on security personnel and pressure from China to protect its nationals working in Pakistan.
“The government needs to engage with political parties expressing reservations and fears that the operation might be used against them,” former defense secretary, retired Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi, told Arab News, advising the government to go for a “small scale” operation rather than a military campaign.
“To address extremism, complete political support, national unity, and diplomatic efforts are essential.”
Lodhi said an in-camera briefing needed to be arranged for political leaders as the whole nation needed to be united to ensure any new operation’s success.
Speaking to the media on Monday, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur urged the government to take concerned stakeholders and parliament into confidence before launching a new operation.
“Before any operation, the concerned public should be taken into confidence because terrorism cannot be eliminated without public support and it was also necessary to take parliament into confidence,” he added.
“DIVERSE OPERATION”
According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, which maintains data on terror attacks in the region, Pakistan has seen over 300 terrorism-related deaths this year, with dozens of security personnel, including officials, killed in militant attacks and counterterrorism operations in the first half of 2024.
Previously, between 2007 and 2017, Pakistan conducted major military operations such as Rah-e-Haq, Zarb-e-Azb, and Rad-ul-Fasad.
Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said Azm-e-Istehkam would be a “more comprehensive” counter-terrorism plan than previous ones.
“It will involve intelligence and counter-terrorism operations as well as information, ideological, and legal aspects to reduce the psychological and social space for terrorism, and bring terrorists to justice, not just eliminate them physically,” he told Arab News.
In a statement released on Monday night, Sharif described the new operation as a “multi-domain, multi-agency, whole of the system national vision for enduring stability in Pakistan.”
“It is meant to reinvigorate and re-energize the ongoing implementation of the Revised National Action Plan, which was initiated after the national consensus across the political spectrum,” Sharif said, referring to a strategy formulated in 2014 to stamp out militant groups.
He said the new anti-terrorism operation would include political, diplomatic, legal, and information prongs and continue operations by law enforcement agencies.
Retired Brig Masud Ahmed Khan, a defense analyst, said the new operation was in the country’s interest as militants were not only targeting Pakistani citizens but also harming its diplomatic and financial interests by targeting Chinese nationals. In the latest attack, a suicide bomb attack killed five Chinese engineers in March.
“Attacks on Chinese nationals and projects is also an important factor as we need to protect them along with other threats to our security forces and installations,” he told Arab News, adding that the new operation would differ from previous ones as it would focus on both terrorism and extremism.
“It is a diverse operation, covering terrorism, extremism, and protecting minorities from religious violence which is much needed in the current circumstances,” he said. “Political parties should keep the peace and security of the country above their political differences.”
Journalist Sumera Khan, who has covered previous military operations, said the operation’s timing was right as the state had tried other measures, such as expelling illegal Afghans and cracking down on criminals to control terrorism.
Pakistan has blamed the recent surge in militant attacks on neighboring Afghanistan, which it says allows Pakistani Taliban militants to hold camps and train insurgents to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies this. Since last November, the Pakistan government has also launched a deportation drive under which over 600,000 Afghan nationals have been expelled from Pakistan.
“State was gradually hardening its measures and finally launched this operation which will now not focus only on the Afghan side but will be implemented across Pakistan,” Khan told Arab News, adding that all organs of the state would be actively involved in the new campaign.
“This time there is the possibility that the military will remain focused on the kinetic side while diplomatic and media sides will be handled by the government,” she added.
“RENEWED CYCLE OF RESENTMENT”
But some analysts are skeptical the operation will achieve its objectives.
Former diplomat Rustam Shah Mohmand said the operation would likely meet the same fate as many previous military operations.
“Since the first operation, peace has not been restored in the tribal areas, and this may initiate a renewed cycle of resentment and frustration, potentially fueling recruitment opportunities for terrorists and further spread of terrorism,” he told Arab News.
Mohmand said the government should instead focus on strengthening institutions, improving coordination between different departments, and increasing intelligence sharing to address specific threats instead of pursuing blanket operations.
“Additionally, there is a serious lack of coordination between provinces and the central government,” he concluded, “that needs to be strengthened.”
KARACHI: Representatives of Pakistani exporters on Tuesday announced they would observe a “black day” next week in which all exports would be halted to protest new taxation measures in the federal budget 2024-25
The South Asian country hopes its plan to raise taxes in the proposed budget and boost state revenues will help it win approval from the IMF for a loan to stave off another economic meltdown.
Pakistan has set a challenging tax revenue target of $47 billion for the next fiscal year, a 40 percent jump from the current year to strengthen the case for a new bailout deal. The big rise in the tax target is made up of a 48 percent increase in direct taxes and 35 percent hike in indirect taxes. Non-tax revenue, including petroleum levies, is seen increasing by a whopping 64 percent.
Taxes have notably been slapped on previously protected export-oriented sectors such as textiles, which consistently make up over half of Pakistan’s exports, and whose receipts keep a persistently high external account deficit in check.
Immediately after the budget speech, the representative body for the sector, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, had called for a review, terming the budget “extremely regressive” and one that “threatens the collapse of the textile sector and its exports.” It warned of “dire consequences for employment and external sector stability, as well as for overall economic and political stability and security.”
“On Export Black Day, not a single export consignment will be dispatched from the entire country,” Jawed Bilwani, chief coordinator of the All Exports Association of Pakistan, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Representatives of 20 export sector associations announced a symbolic strike to protest what they called the failure of the government to maintain a fixed tax regime and the approval of a proposal for 29 percent tax on exported income.
As part of the strike, over 20 export industries will observe an “Export Black Day” next week and halt all exports. If the exporters’ demands were not met, they would announce further actions, Bilwani said.
Under the fixed tax regime, Pakistan exporters had to pay 0.25 percent as Export Development Fund(EDF) and withholding tax of 1 percent of export turnover in addition to 0.25 to 0.35 percent bank charges which constituted 1.85 percent of the total turnover, according to exporters. With new tax measures, exporters said they would not be able to cover operational costs and may need to shut down.
“This budget is detrimental to exports,” Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said, adding that proposals in the budget would compel exporters to entirely cease operations.
Addressing another press conference at the Karachi Press Club, fruit and vegetable exporters warned that placing exports under the normal tax regime would have a “very serious impact” on the economy of Pakistan.
“Abolition of fixed tax regime will significantly reduce exports and closure of export units will lead to widespread unemployment,” Waheed Ahmed, the Patron-in-Chief of All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA), said. “The tax revenue targets will not be met, shortage of foreign exchange will further depreciate rupee above all.”
The end of the fixed tax regime will also require exporters to maintain records of their income, expenditure and profits which they said was not possible under current circumstances due to supply chain issues.
“In the case of the 29 percent tax imposed on export income in the Federal budget 2024-25, the focus of exporters will be diverted from the main goal of enhancing the export of fruits and vegetables from Pakistan since they will spend more time in maintaining records of income, expenditure and profit,” Ahmed added.
In a separate press conference, Chairman of Pakistan Gem and Jewelry Traders and Exporters Association (PGJTEA) Habib-ur-Rahman said the export industry of gold jewelry was currently suffering a “severe crisis.”
“Exports are suspended and the 18 percent sales tax requirement on advance gold purchase from foreign buyers under the Entrustment Scheme by the Federal Board of Revenue has dashed the hopes of exporters,” Rahman said, adding that the export of gold ornaments would be reduced from $100 million to $1-2 million if the sales tax exemption was not restored on the export of gold ornaments.
In a rare move, representatives of the country’s salaried class also lodged their protest against new taxation measures.
Ubaidullah Shareef, the President of Salaried Class Alliance Pakistan, a newly formed body, said the government had “further burdened” the already struggling salaried class.
“The salaried class pays three times more tax than exporters and retailers,” Shareef said, highlighting that educated segments of society were leaving the country due to oppressive taxes.