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PM SHEHBAZ UNVEILS MASSIVE INCENTIVES FOR EXPATS WITH JOB QUOTAS, CIVIL AWARDS Wednesday, 16 April, 2025 I 17 Shawwal, 1446
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ANNOUNCES 5PC QUOTA IN ALL CHARTERED UNIVERSITIES FOR KIDS OF EXPATS
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 279 I 8 Pages I Lahore Edition
SAYS SPECIAL COURT FOR OVERSEAS PAKISTANIS ALREADY ESTABLISHED WOULD BE EXTENDED TO ALL PROVINCES, REVIVAL OF GREEN CHANNEL AT AIRPORTS
PAYS TRIBUTE TO EXPATRIATES FOR THEIR UNMATCHED CONTRIBUTION TO NATION-BUILDING ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive welfare package for overseas Pakistanis, aimed at resolving longstanding legal challenges and offering a range of incentives, including education and employment job quotas, civil awards, and skill development opportunities. Addressing the first two-day Overseas Pakistanis Convention held in Islamabad, the premier paid tribute to the expatriates for their unmatched contribution to nation-building. Attended by over
1,200 Pakistani expatriates from across the world, the convention highlighted the contributions of more than 10 million overseas Pakistanis who the prime minister hailed as “the pride of the nation”. The prime minister announced that the special court for overseas Pakistanis had already been established in Islamabad and would be extended to all provinces for swift resolution of legal cases filed by the expatriates. “To support this, the government is introducing e-recording and e-filing facilities for overseas Pakistanis to provide evidence through video link from abroad without travelling to Pakistan […] I have di-
rected Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) to complete the project within 60 days,” he said and assured the audience of a legal amendment to curb fictitious litigation. PM Shehbaz announced quotas in educational institutions, including a five per cent quota in all chartered universities (out of 10,000 seats) for the children of overseas Pakistanis, 5pc in the federal capital’s degree-awarding institutes and 15pc in medical colleges. “Overseas Pakistanis will now be considered filers by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), enabling relief in banking and business transaction taxes. Moreover, NAVTTC
(National Vocational and Technical Training Commission) will offer 5,000 skill development courses to children of expatriates,” he said. Moreover, the premier said that the federal government had granted a five-year age relaxation for male overseas job applicants and a seven-year relaxation for overseas women to apply for government jobs. Separately, special facilitation offices have been set up by the Boards of Revenue in Punjab and Balochistan, with efforts underway to replicate the initiative in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
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3 jawaans martyred, 16 injured in IED blast targeting Balochistan Constabulary bus MASTUNG/QUETTA STAFF REPORT
Three policemen were martyred and at least 16 others sustained critical injuries on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a vehicle of the Balochistan Constabulary on Mastung’s Dasht Road, the police and officials confirmed. “Three jawaan (personnel) of the Balochistan Constabulary were martyred when a vehicle carrying policemen returning from Kalat was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED),” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said in a statement after the incident.
Rind stated that 16 others were injured due to the blast, out of whom two were in critical condition. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, Mastung Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Younas Magsi put the number of those injured at 18. “All wounded cops have been shifted to a hospital while those seriously injured were being taken to Quetta, about 50 kilometres away from Mastung,” Rind informed. He added that an investigation report on the incident has been sought. The Balochistan Constabulary officials were deployed at a sit-in being staged by the Balochistan National Party—Mengal (BNP-M), the spokesperson said. The BNP-M’s sit-in at Mastung against the arrests
of Baloch activists entered its 19th day on Tuesday. Just on the second day of their protest, BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and others had remained unhurt after a suicide blast near their rally. According to DSP Magsi, the policemen were stationed as additional deployment with Levies in Mastung’s Kund Mas area. He added that more than 40 cops were returning from duty on Tuesday when the police vehicle carrying them was targeted “On a daily basis, our policemen used to return to Mastung Police Lines after performing their duties,” Magsi said. Local administration official Raja Muhammad Akram also told AFP that the bus was carrying around 40 police officers when it was hit by the blast.
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Four Pakistanis confirmed dead in migrant boat tragedy off Libya’s coast ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday confirmed that four Pakistani nationals were among the 11 migrants who drowned after a vessel sank near the Harawa coast, close to Sirte city in eastern Libya. In a statement, the FO said the Pakistan embassy in Tripoli verified the recovery of 11 bodies following the shipwreck, with identification documents confirming the nationality of four victims as Pakistani. Two bodies remain unidentified, while the nationalities of the remaining five have not yet been disclosed. The Foreign Office did not provide specific details about the timing of the incident but stated that the Pakistani embassy in Tripoli was actively engaged with local authorities to gather further information and assist the victims’ families. “The Crisis Management Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been activated to monitor the situation,” the statement read. Citizens seeking information have been advised to contact the unit via phone (051-9207887) or email (cmu1@mofa.gov.pk). Additionally, embassy officials in Tripoli, Ashfaque Ali and Hassan Saleem, are available at +92-3052185882 and +218-91-8644064.
FO calls Gaza hospital strike a violation of humanitarian law ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan has strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike on the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, calling it a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and an act of deep disrespect for religious sanctity. In a statement issued on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the bombing, which took place on Palm Sunday, a holy day for Christians, highlights Israel’s complete disregard for civilian lives and religious values. “This attack is part of a broader pattern of targeting medical facilities,” the spokesperson stated.