Category: Karachi

Karachi: The traditional 'German Winter Market-2025' event organized by the German Consulate held here on Sunday. Over 74 stalls were set up by Pakistani and German companies and entrepreneurs and displayed their products.

The German Consul General in Karachi Dr Rudiger Lotz opened the event. While briefing reporters, the German Consul General said it is annual traditional event that is being organized to display wide range of products.

He said a large number of stalls have been set up by different entrepreneurs to display their traditional products.

Many stores are here to display their crafts, many restaurants to offer their delicious food items while artists from both countries are together here to promote culture, he added.

Dr. Rudiger Lotz thanked sponsors, participants and visitors who made this event very successful.

Andreas Wegner, the Deputy Head of Mission, German Consulate said the event is being organized for the community to promote cultural and trade between the both countries.

He said Pakistan and Germany enjoy good relations and this 'German Winter Market' event is being held to further strengthen cultural and trade relations.

He said Karachi is an important city and very famous for its delicious foods and culture.

He said the traditional event of 'German Winter Market' is being held in Karachi which shows the environment here is good for trade and investment.

Anja Klose, the Consul, German Consulate said over 74 stalls were set up by companies and entrepreneurs. As many as 12 German companies are participating in this traditional event.

'This festive event promises an immersive experience of German culture, complete with traditional food, drinks, music and handicrafts.'

Karachi: Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi organized an exhibition showcasing the works of Turkish photographer Resul Celik at the Ahmed Pervez Art Gallery.

The event was inaugurated by the Consul General of Turkey, Cemal Sangu, and the Secretary of the Arts Council, Ejaz Ahmed Farooqi. Resul Celik, Turkish photographer, was also present at the opening ceremony.

The exhibition was attended by a large number of distinguished guests, including the Consul General of Sri Lanka, Jagath Abeywarna, Director of the Yunus Emre Institute Prof. Dr. Halil Toker, Member of National Assembly Dr. Ramesh Kumar, Principal Art School Shahid Rasam ,Shakeel Khan ,Javed Jan and Fatima Hassan , along with many other people from the art and culture community.

Resul Celik presented 40 photographs at the exhibition, which beautifully captured the cultural and natural beauty of various cities in Turkey such as landscape, portrait and historical places of turkey. One of the prominent images featured in the exhibition was the tomb of the great Turkish warrior, Ertugrul Ghazi.

During the event, Consul General Cemal Sangu expressed his appreciation for the exhibition, noting that the photographs offered a true representation of Turkey's landscapes, from its magnificent mountains to rivers and iconic minarets.

Resul Celik, the Turkish photographer, expressed his joy at presenting the beauty of Trkiye in Pakistan and thanked the media and attendees for their support in making the exhibition a success.

The exhibition will remain open from February 3 to February 6, 2025, from 10: 00 AM to 5: 00 PM at the Ahmed Pervez Art Gallery, Second Floor, Ahmed Shah Building, Arts Council Karachi.

Notably, Resul Celik's journey to bring together various cultures and colors through his international projects continues.

He has previously held exhibitions in major cities worldwide, including Istanbul, Ankara, New York, Washington, Paris, and Zurich, and has published a book titled 81 IL TÅ“RKIYE GIZEM DOLU ANADOLU / TURKEY WITH 81 PROVINCES MYSTERIOUS ANATOLIA.

Member of National Assembly Dr. Ramesh Kumar and Shahid Rasam also spoke on the occasion.

Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah launched the National Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign for February 2025 by administering polio drops to children and reaffirmed his government's strong commitment to eradicating polio and ensuring a healthier future for children throughout the province.

The launch event was held at the CM House on Monday and was attended by Secretary Health Rehan Baloch, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Commissioner Karachi Hassan Naqvi, Coordinator EOC Irshad Sodhar, Aziz Memon of Rotary and others.

The Chief Minister emphasised that polio eradication is not just a health campaign, it is a crucial fight for the well-being of Sindh's children. "We are determined to ensure that no child in Sindh suffers from this entirely preventable disease," he stated.

He added that the Sindh government is fully engaged in this mission and that he would personally oversee the progress of the campaign.

The vaccination drive is scheduled to run from February 3 to February 9 and aims to immunize over 10.6 million children under the age of five throughout Sindh.

CM Murad Ali Shah highlighted the urgency of vaccinating every child, noting that Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world where polio is still present.

"In 2024, 22 of Pakistan's 73 polio cases were reported in Sindh. The first case of 2025 has already been detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan, reminding us that the virus remains a serious threat," he said. Environmental surveillance has also identified the presence of the poliovirus in several areas across Sindh, reinforcing the need for ongoing vigilance.

The Chief Minister commended the dedication of Sindh's 82,000 frontline polio workers, who go door to door often under challenging conditions to protect children from this debilitating disease. "These workers are the true heroes of this campaign", he added.

To ensure their safety, we have deployed 21,844 security personnel," he announced, expressing deep appreciation for the Sindh police's efforts in safeguarding health teams.

Sending a strong message against any resistance to the vaccination drive, the CM asserted, "We have zero tolerance for any threats or obstruction against our polio teams,' he said and added that anyone attempting to hinder this campaign would face strict legal action.

'These workers are not just health staff; they are protectors of our children's future and deserve our full respect and support," he said.

He also introduced a new performance scorecard developed by Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah to evaluate efforts at the district level. Best-performing districts will be recognised while under performing areas will be held accountable.

He urged parents to cooperate with the vaccination teams, saying, "Open your doors to the polio teams. Don't let myths or misinformation endanger your child's future,' he said and added that the polio vaccine was safe, effective, and free of cost.

'Even if a child has been vaccinated before, they need multiple doses to build strong immunity," he said.

Additionally, he called upon religious leaders, teachers, community elders, and influencers to use their voices to encourage participation in the campaign.

'Together, with our collective efforts, we will make Sindh - and Pakistan - polio-free. This is our chance to be part of history, fulfilling the vision initiated by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,' he concluded.

Karachi: The Sindh Cabinet approved the Agriculture Income Tax law during its meeting, proposing that agricultural income up to Rs. 600,000 annually will be exempt from tax, while the maximum tax rate for income exceeding Rs 5.6 million annually will be 45 per cent. A progressive super tax has also been introduced, with no super tax on annual agricultural income up to Rs. 150 million and a maximum of 10 per cent super tax applying to income exceeding Rs. 500 million annually. The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at CM House on Monday. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisors, special assistants, Chief Secretary, PSCM, Chairman P and D and other concerned officers. New Agricultural Income Tax In line with the commitments outlined in the National Fiscal Pact between the provinces and the Federal Government, the Sindh Cabinet has approved the Sindh Agricultural Income Tax Law, setting the stage for its introduction in the Sind h Assembly. This progressive legislation aims to strengthen the province's tax collection framework and enhance fiscal responsibility within the agricultural sector. Under this new law, the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) will be the authority responsible for collecting and enforcing the agricultural income tax, ensuring a streamlined and efficient process. The proposed Sindh Agricultural Income Tax Bill 2025 is set to take effect on January 1, 2025. The Bill states that agricultural income up to Rs. 600,000 annually will be exempt from tax, while the maximum tax rate for income exceeding Rs. 5.6 million annually will be 45 per cent. A progressive super tax has also been introduced there will be no super tax on annual agricultural income up to Rs 150 million, while a maximum super tax of 10 per cent will apply to income exceeding Rs 500 million annually. Additionally, the Bill aims to include corporate farming in the tax net. Small companies will be subject to a 20 per cent tax rate on their annual agricultur al income, while large companies will face a tax rate of 29 per cent. Notably, livestock has not been included in the tax net, and the advance agricultural income tax, based on land cultivation, will no longer be levied. The payment, collection, and filing of agricultural income tax will be fully automated for greater efficiency. This law represents a significant policy shift by assigning the administration of the Agricultural Income Tax (AIT) to the SRB, which has a proven track record in tax collection and implementing state-of-the-art business processes. It is expected that this new legislation will broaden the tax base, improve transparency, and ensure equitable contributions from the agricultural sector, which is vital to Sindh's economy. Biannual report of National Finance Commission- NFC Award distribution, currently 7th NFC Award (year 2010) is under implementation. The Federal Government transfers the share of provinces by the revenue distribution formula of components of the Divisible Pool, as prescribed in the Award. The Divisible Pool Comprises Income Tax, Capital Value Tax, Sales Tax (Excluding GST on Services), Federal Excise (Excluding E.D on Natural Gas), Customs (Excluding Export Development Surcharge). The CM said that the indicators of the divisible pool distribution include population having 82 per cent weightage, poverty backwardness at 10.30 per cent, Revenue collection/generation at 5 per cent, and Inverse population density at 2.7 per cent. Punjab has a share of 51.74 per cent in the divisible pool, followed by Sindh 24.55 per cent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14.62 per cent, Balochitsan 9.09 per cent. The cabinet was told that the provincial government had received Rs 489.067 billion during 2021-22 (Jan to June 2022). During the past three years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 Sindh received a total of 3,002.43 billion against its share from the National Finance Commission (NFC). This amount was short by Rs 77.16 billion. Recently, Sindh was compensated for these arrears of Rs 77.16 billio n. Throughout this period, the Sindh government was given Rs 1,325.35 billion against Straight Transfers, however, this was also short by Rs 126.64 billion. The federal government has recently addressed this shortfall as well. The cabinet accorded approval to the biannual NFC report (January to June 2022) for laying before the Provincial Assembly Sindh. In a bid to modernise governance and enhance efficiency, the Sindh government has launched a comprehensive digitisation drive for its Cabinet proceedings. Following directives from Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department (SGA and CD) has implemented a new Sindh Cabinet E-Portal, mirroring similar digitisation efforts undertaken by the Federal Government in 2021. The initiative aims to create a paperless and wireless environment, equipping each Cabinet member with an iPad and SIM-based internet connectivity. This replaces traditional LAN connections and marks a significant step towards a full E -Office and E-Governance framework. The E-Portal will provide members with access to Cabinet working papers and regular summaries for the CM and facilitate the digital approval of meeting minutes and circulation agendas through the dedicated app and e-signatures. The Cabinet members will also receive real-time pop-up notifications on their iPads, ensuring they stay updated on all developments and changes.

Karachi: SSP Keamari Captain (Rtd) Faizan Ali on Monday announced that the anti-street crime cell of district Keamari arrested a notorious drug peddler, Lyari gang commander including 10 others in a raid and recovered arms, drugs and mobile phones from their possession.

Addressing a news conference at his office, he said the raid was conducted in Old Golimar area during which accused named Muzammil alias gotta, Pervez, Rehmatullah, Amir, Izzat Muhammad, Sher Ali, Usama, Muhammad Salman, Shoaib, Shoukat and Junaid were arrested.

The police recovered 6 illegal pistols, a rifle, 7kg hashish, 3kg ice methamphetamine, four motorcycles and 10 mobile phones. The main accused Muzammil alias Gotta used to supply drugs in posh localities of the city and used to get Rs. 50,000/- cash per delivery. Cases against arrested have been registered at the Pak Colony police station and further investigations are underway.

Karachi: The Associate Dean of the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology of the University of Salford, Timothy Isherwood, visited the National Academy of Performing Arts-NAPA on Monday and met with the Chairman NAPA, Syed Jawaid Iqbal, CEO Junaid Zuberi, and COO Sameeta Ahmed.

He discussed matters of mutual interest including academic collaboration between the Salford University and the NAPA.

Also present at the meeting was the Head of Theater for NAPA, Afreen Seher.

Isherwood was briefed about the working of NAPA particularly its Theater Program. He was also taken around to various NAPA facilities including the Zia Mohyeddin Theater.

He was, later, presented with the NAPA memento by the Chairman NAPA.