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GOVT’S QUOTA RAISED TO 70PC AS CABINET GREENLIGHTS NEW HAJJ, AI POLICIES Thursday, 31 July, 2025 | 5 Safar, 1447
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PM SHEHBAZ-LED CABINET OKAYS DIGITIZATION OF HAJJ OPERATION TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, EFFICIENCY, AND WORLD-CLASS SERVICES FOR PILGRIMS
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PM APPLAUDS THE IT MINISTRY, ALLIED INSTITUTIONS FOR TIMELY EFFORTS, SAYING, AI WILL NOT ONLY MODERNIZE ECONOMY BUT ALSO ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY
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ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
RIME MINIStER Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday gave the thumbs up to major reforms after key decisions in two strategic areas, including the approval of the Hajj Policy 2026 and the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy 2025. the prime minister chaired a pivotal meeting of the Federal Cabinet here, and directed complete digitization of the Hajj operation beginning in 2026, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and world-class services for pilgrims. He emphasized that no compromise will be tolerated in providing top-tier facilities to Pakistani pilgrims. “Ensuring comfort, transparency, and timely support for every pilgrim is our foremost duty,” said the prime minister. the new Hajj policy allocates a 70 percent quota to the government and 30 percent to private operators. Notably, private companies that failed to fulfill their responsibilities in the previous year will now be required to accommodate affected individuals in 2026. Moreover, the Federal Cabinet approved third-party validation for all Hajj
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operations, real-time monitoring of payments and application processes under private operators, a mandatory minimum of 2,000 pilgrims per private company, 1,000 seats reserved for hardship cases, enhanced digital tools including Pak Hajj mobile app, digital wristbands, and mobile SIMs for better tracking and service delivery, transparent selection of assistants through competitive testing, emergency compensation mechanisms, and upgraded lodging and food arrangements. the Prime Minister also directed the Ministry of Information technology to collaborate with the Ministry of Religious Affairs to ensure seamless digital transformation of the entire Hajj process. In another major development, the Federal Cabinet unanimously approved the National AI Policy 2025, designed to create a complete AI ecosystem in Pakistan. the policy aims to democratize access to artificial intelligence, enhance public services, and open up new employment and innovation avenues. “Our youth are Pakistan’s greatest asset. Providing them with education, skills, and equal opportunities in AI is a top priority,” stated PM Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan scraps 5% digital tax on foreign tech firms to support trade talks PROFIT
MonitoRing DeSk
Pakistan has withdrawn the 5% tax on foreign technology companies and digital platforms supplying goods and services into the country, just weeks after the levy took effect. the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued the exemption on Wednesday, coinciding with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s visit to Washington for high-level trade discussions. As the Express tribune reported. the tax had originally been introduced in the budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 under the newly enacted Digital Presence Proceeds tax Act. It aimed to capture revenue from cross-border digital transactions that had previously gone untaxed due to the absence of a permanent physical presence by foreign vendors in Pakistan. According to the official notification, the exemption applies to all nonresident entities and is retroactive from July 1, 2025—the day the tax law came into force.
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 23 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
NATIONAL AI POLICY 2025 APPROVED TO CREATE A COMPLETE AI ECOSYSTEM AND DEMOCRATIZE ACCESS TO AI, ENHANCE PUBLIC SERVICES, AND OPEN UP NEW EMPLOYMENT AND INNOVATION AVENUES
AN AI COUNCIL AND A MASTER PLAN & ACTION MATRIX WILL OVERSEE THE POLICY’S IMPLEMENTATION
PM reaffirms keen interest in further strengthening collaboration with WEF ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong and longstanding partnership with the World Economic Forum and appreciated the WEF’s continued engagement with Pakistan through its annual meetings held in Davos,
Switzerland. Premier Shehbaz Sharif was talking to Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director and Member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum (WEF) who called on him here, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Wednesday.
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India escalates ‘proxy war’ against Pakistan after defeat in Marka-e-Haq: COAS RAWALPINDI
Staff RepoRt
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday said that India escalated its “proxy war” against Pakistan following its “decisive defeat in Marka-e-Haq,” the 19-day military confrontation with New Delhi spanning April 22 to May 10, the military’s media wing said. Interacting with participants of the 16th National Workshop in Balochistan, the chief of army staff (COAS) vehemently condemned India’s blatant sponsorship of terror proxies, characterising them as a failed attempt to target the deep-rooted patriotism of the people of Balochistan, ”the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement issued on Wednesday. Noting that India had escalated its proxy war to advance nefarious designs i.e., Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan—pawns of hybrid war against Pakistan—Field Marshal Munir said that “these proxies will face a similar fate and humiliation “their patron faced in Marka-e-Haq.”
Addressing a diverse group of stakeholders, including parliamentarians, representatives of civil society, civil servants, academicians, media personnel, and youth, the army chief emphasised that terrorists knew no bounds of religion, sect, or ethnicity, necessitating a unified national response, stressing the imperative of collective resolve in confronting this menace. Reaffirming Pakistan Army’s unwavering commitment to uproot the menace of terrorism and the inevitability of socio-economic uplift of Balochistan for national cohesion and integration, the COAS reiterated the country’s commitment to regional peace and underscored the nation’s preparedness to respond decisively to any external or internal threats, protecting national prestige and ensuring the well-being of its citizens. Furthermore, he also highlighted the pivotal role of development initiatives in Balochistan, advocating for enhanced inter-agency cooperation and a cohesive national approach to propel provincial progress and national advancement.
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Imran’s son says his father being kept in ‘really poor, worsening conditions’ ISLAMABAD agencieS
Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PtI founder Imran Khan, on Wednesday highlighted “really poor conditions” his jailed father was kept in, saying, “these conditions are getting worse by the moment.” “Right now he’s in really, really poor conditions and it looks like they’re getting worse and worse by the moment. So we’re looking for any way out possible,” Kasim said in an interview on US media outlet Real America’s Voice shared on Wednesday. While emphasizing that Imran was “incarcerated in a solitary confinement cell,” he said, “the state of the cell he’s in is awful, quite frankly.” He continued, “He’s showering in muddy water. I don’t mean unfiltered water. It’s muddy, dirty water,” alleging that 10 people who were incarcerated had died from filthy conditions. Imran’s sons—Sulaiman Khan, 28, and Kasim, 26— called attention to their father’s incarceration for the first time publicly in May. Earlier this month, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan said Sulaiman and Kasim will go to the United States before coming to Pakistan as part of a movement calling for the ex-premier’s release. the siblings visited the US and engaged US lawmakers on the issue of their father’s incarceration. Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Antiterrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. Kasim expressed worry over not being able to see his father and said, “there were moments … he went 10 days without any light in his cell,” calling it a “torture tactic.” “He gets only two hours a day in daylight. We’re not able to speak to him at all,” he added. Kasim said that he and his brother were “looking to America at the moment” for support, stating, “A lot of the people here have expressed concern. It seems like it might be the only route out at the moment.”
LHC suspends ECP decision on Dasti’s disqualification, schedule for by-polls to NA-175 CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday suspended the Election Commission’s (ECP) decision on the disqualification of PtI’s MNA Jamshed Dasti and the schedule for the by-election to NA-175. the court also issued a notice to the Attorney General of Pakistan for assistance on the petition of Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI) leader Jamshed Dasti filed against his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). On July 15, the ECP declared Jamshed Dasti’s academic degrees as fake and disqualified him from being a member of the National Assembly. A three-member LHC full bench, headed by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, heard the petition filed by PtI leader Jamshed Dasti against his disqualification. the chief justice asked, “Counsel, please tell when you signed the power of attorney. tell the truth; the story is quite interesting.” Jamshed Dasti’s lawyer responded, “I signed the power of attorney with a delay.” the chief justice said, “I have read the entire petition, the Election Commission’s decision and everything.” Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhry argued that a reference was sent to the Election Commission, which then issued a notice. He cited a Supreme Court ruling that states that the Election Commission cannot disqualify anyone on its own without a judicial declaration. In this case, the Election Commission disqualified the petitioner without any such declaration.