Fresh wave of inflation to further

expose Shehbaz ’s govt: Rasheed

leading to downward countdown of the incumbent government, adding the three governments the sitting government the caretaker government and the new government had to fulfill the IMF s strict conditions in nine months and pay back $11 billion in six months

The former minister said the time would tell if the deposit assurances given by the friendly countries would reach any practical conclusion adding there was no room for errors in the IMF agreement as an environment of now or never had been created He was of the view that the government had wasted 10 months, signed [staff level] agreement with [the IMF] on the last day [June 30]

RIYADH s tA f f R e p o R t

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Saudi Arabia has commenced the distribution of two million copies of the Quran as a gift from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud the custodian of the holy mosques The Quran copies are being provided to pilgrims returning to their home countries from the King Abdulaziz airport, the Red-Sea Jeddah Islamic Port, as well as other land and air crossings

Additionally, public employees who served during this year ’s Hajj season will also receive the gift According to the Saudi Press Agency the ministry said the distribution of the Quran is in line with the directives of the king The copies have been published by the King Fahd Complex for Publishing the Holy Quran and are available in various sizes and 76 international languages to cater to the diverse nationalities of the pilgrims Sheikh Dr Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh the minister of Islamic affairs expressed his gratitude to the king as well as to the crown prince, for their unwavering support and special attention in serving Islam and pilgrims worldwide

Dadu faces health crisis as malaria cases surge

KARACHI s tA f f R e p o R t

Dadu, a district in Sindh, is grappling with a major health crisis as a significant number of malaria cases have been reported causing concern among health officials and residents

The district has witnessed a surge in malaria infections, with some patients experiencing recurrent bouts of the disease This recurrence is particularly alarming as it poses additional health risks and underscores the urgent need to address the situation In an effort to combat the spread of malaria doctors have been prescribing Primaquine tablets to affected patients However, the availability of these essential medications has become a challenge due to shortages in local medical stores This shortage is exacerbating the difficulties faced by both patients and healthcare providers in effectively managing the outbreak The district administration s official statement highlights the severe impact of recent floods which have contributed to the escalation of malaria cases in Dadu The aftermath of the floods has created a favourable environment for the breeding of mosquitoes the primary vectors responsible for transmitting the disease

KSA ranked first in Gov t Strategy Index AI

ISLAMABAD s tA f f R e p o R t

DI D the monsoon break in Lahore with the torrential rains last Sunday night, which lasted into the Monday morning with some places (like my house) getting flooded? Or did it break on Eid morning when there was rain thus making it a third year in a row for the monsoon to arrive on Eid day, just in time for the Eid prayer

Or maybe it hasn’t broken yet, and all we’ve had have been premonsoonal rains, as they are snootily called by the Met Office It s probably something to do with global warming though exactly what I don t know I don t know what effect it had on the Great Eid Exodus, but I m sure it made it more messy But what I did notice was how empty the mosques were on Friday They were merely full as opposed to bursting at the seams I suppose all the missing congre-

RAWALPINDI s tA f f R e p o R t

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh

Rasheed Ahmed on Sunday said the cash-strapped Shehbaz-led government’s downward countdown is expected to begin from July 12 [the start of new wave of inflation including increasing power tariff] gants were still in The Village, and swelled the congregations at their local mosques just as they had done on Eid day

As usual the Eid holidays were such that with a little bit of management, you could skip out for an entire week

Before the Eid holidays, there was firing outside former Punjab Governor Latif Khosa’s house The alleged shooter has been arrested one Mohsin who also rejoices in the monicker of Labba Now he would be Mohsin urf Labba or aka (also known as), or alias The labba is said to be a rodent that can grow up to 15 kg in weight, and has coarse brown chestnut hair

If that is how Mohsin got his moniker I don’t think either of his parents gave it to him I suspect friends who might have noted the resemblance At a certain age kids are very cruel and observant, quickly picking up on physical characteristics, and maybe Mohsin had protruding teeth or something Some names never get traction as they come late Mr Khosa is not known as Latif head and

Taking to Twitter, he asked what was the difference between the IMF decisions of former finance minister Miftah Ismail and his successor Ishaq Dar except they are relatives “Dar ’s tone was aggressive initially and then he started bowing before the [International Monetary Fund] to get the loan approved for nine months

He said a new wave of inflation would engulf the masses from July 12, ones that stick you always have a full head of hair Of course being bald has a long history There was a medieval French king remembered as Charles the Bald French monarchs have had a thing about their crowning glory Louis XIV, the Sun-King, was as bald as an egg And introduced the fashion of the bag-wig The huge extravagant monstrosities he wore are nowadays reduced to hair transplants And then there was Napoleon Bonaparte who didn t lose all his head, but tried to cover up what he lost by combing it forward How can there be any discussion of head hair without mentioning the Sharif brothers who have four prime ministerships between them? Suffice to say they ve had transplants And so has Aleem Khan who has moved from the PTI to the IPP, and who insists now on being called Hairy by his friends I wonder if that was the first alarm bell that Imran Khan should have

“Is it fair that diesel has become expensive by Rs7 50 even on the arrival of Russian oil in the country the AML leader questioned He said the foreign minister of PPP made more than 50 foreign tourism trips but is a silent spectator on the IMF agreement Nawaz Sharif ’s coming or not depends on his health and not on politics and the decision of the case Taking jibe at the coalition partners Rasheed said that 13 parties had become politically bankrupt and the nation had become economically bankrupt

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was ranked first globally in the Government Strategy Index for Artificial Intelligence One of the indicators of the global classification of artificial intelligence was issued by Tortoise Intelligence, which evaluated more than 60 countries in the world, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday Germany and China secured the second and third rankings respectively The Global Ranking of Artificial Intelligence incorporates more than 100 indicators categorized into seven subpillars The Kingdom had accomplished a remarkable feat, scoring 100 percent in all criteria of the index related to artificial intelligence This included the establishment of the National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI) within the Kingdom the presence of a dedicated government authority for artificial intelligence the allocation of funding and budget for AI initiatives, and the formulation and monitoring of national targets for artificial intelligence This significant achievement by the Kingdom perfectly aligns with the overarching goals of Saudi Vision 2030 which aims to position the country prominently in global indicators across various domains, the news wire further added