Profit PM SETS UP COMMITTEE TO PROBE GREECE SHIPWRECK INCIDENT AMID DAY OF MOURNING In partnership with
Rs 40.00 | Vol XIII No 350 I 40 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Monday, 19 June, 2023 I 29 Zilqad, 1444
ASSURES TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF THOSE FOUND NEGLIGENT IN WAKE OF HUMAN SMUGGLING
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ISLAMABAD
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AJK ANNOUNCES THREE-DAY MOURNING; 10 AGENTS WHO ILLEGALLY SENT PAKISTANIS TO EUROPE HELD
Owner, driver and others booked for Kallar Kahar bus crash
SHAHZAD PARACHA
HILE announcing Monday as Mourning Day over the demise of Pakistanis in Greece shipwreck tragedy, the Prime Minister on Sunday constituted a four member committee to probe the unfortunate incident thoroughly. According to the PM office, the nation will observe Monday as Mourning Day and the national flag will fly at half-mast. The PM while expressing his grief over the tragic incident constituted a four member Inquiry Committee to ascertain facts surrounding the Greece boat tragedy and fixe responsibility to bring the culprits to the justice. The committee will be led by Director General, National Police Bureau (Chairman) Ehsan Sadiq, Additional Secretary(Africa), MoFA Javed Ahmed Umrani, DIG Police Region Poonch, AJ&K Sardar Zaheer
KALLAR KAHAR
STAFF REPORT
Ahmad and Joint Secretary (FIA), Interior Division Faisal Nisar Ch would be members of the committee. The committee will ascertain facts of the Greece boat tragedy besides to identify loopholes and lapses in the
legal/enforcement mechanism in Pakistan that exposed precious human lives to the vagaries of human trafficking in this particular case and similar incidents in the past.
The Kallar Kahar police on Sunday registered a case against the motor vehicle examiner, owner, driver, conductor and terminal manager after a passenger bus fatally crashed onto the Motorway II on Sunday. At least 13 passengers were killed and 30 others wounded after the speeding Jhang-bound bus turned upside down, bumped into the road divider and tossed over the other side of the road in Salt Range. According to the First Information Report, the passengers had cautioned the terminal manager and driver about condition of the bus. A video footage of the incident
depicting the horrific crash went viral on social media on Saturday. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday while expressing condolences with the bereaved families of those passengers who lost their lives in ill-fated Kallar Kahar bus accident, expressed his deep anguish over the occurrence of repeated traffic accidents near Salt Range on Motorway. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister expressed his deep grief over the loss of lives in yesterday’s accident. “My sympathies and prayers are for those families who have lost their dear ones in this painful accident,” he said in a tweet posted in the Urdu language.
Russia denies granting ‘special’ oil discount to Pakistan g
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PM SHEHBAZ HAD ANNOUNCED ARRIVAL OF FIRST RUSSIAN DISCOUNTED CRUDE OIL CARGO LAST WEEK PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov has dismissed reports suggesting that Pakistan received any special discount on oil exports from Russia. Confirming that oil exports to Pakistan have commenced, Russia clarified that Islamabad did not receive preferential treatment in the purchase agreement in an interview to the Voice of America (VOA).
Earlier last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced the arrival and unloading of the first cargo of Russian discounted crude oil at the port in Karachi. Earlier, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik had said that Pakistan had purchased 100,000 metric tonnes of Russian crude oil, with 45,000 tonnes already delivered this week. The payment was made in Chinese yuan, and Malik indicated that local oil prices would decrease in a few weeks. However, specific pricing details and the
extent of the discount were not disclosed. Russian media agency Interfax quoted the Russian energy minister stating that there was no special discount for Pakistan, as it was treated similarly to other buyers. Shulginov emphasised Pakistan’s significance as a partner, comparable to India, and mentioned that more deliveries would follow the recent shipment. “Oil deliveries to Pakistan have begun. There is no special discount; for Pakistan, it is the same as for other buyers,” Russian
state media quoted Shulginov as telling reporters on the sidelines of an international economic conference in St. Petersburg. His remarks raised questions about official Pakistani assertions that Moscow had agreed to supply oil to Islamabad at a discounted price under a deal the two sides negotiated earlier this year. Regarding payment in yuan, Shulginov stated that they agreed to use currencies of friendly countries. While the possibility of barter supplies was discussed, no decision has been made yet.
Shulginov also clarified that Pakistan’s refineries determined whether to purchase oil or oil products based on their requirements. “We agreed that the payment would be made in the currencies of friendly countries,” Shulginov said when asked for a response to Pakistani assertions that the trade is taking place in Chinese currency. He also confirmed that the issue of barter supplies was also discussed, “but no decision has been made yet.”
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