Islamabad

30 Mar 2021; MEMO: Pakistan and a Turkish shipbuilder yesterday signed two contracts worth $33.46 million for the procurement of four azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugboats (LNG compatible) and two pilot boats, Pakistan Today reports.

The agreements were signed between Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and Sanmar Shipyards, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

Sanmar, Turkey's leading tugboat builder will deliver the vessels within 12 months.

Islamabad, Mar 27 (PTI) Pakistan's Supreme Court has criticised the prosecution for its failure to prove the guilt of British-born al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the main accused in the sensational kidnapping and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002, according to a media report.

The apex court issued its detailed 43-page judgment on Friday, which has been authored by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood who was part of the three-member bench.

20 Mar 2021; MEMO: Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for COVID-19, his office confirmed on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Khan is self-isolating at home, the premier's office said on Twitter.

The news comes just days after the prime minister received his first dose of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine on Thursday.

Islamabad, Mar 20 (PTI) Pakistan on Saturday recorded its highest single-day increase in the coronavirus infections this year with 3,876 new cases as the positivity rate reached 9.4 per cent in the country.

The national tally of cases reached 623,135 while the death toll jumped to 13,799 as 40 patients died in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said.

The data showed that 579,760 people recovered so far but some 2,122 were in a critical condition.

18 Mar 2021; MEMO: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Iran, as a rich source of energy, has the capacity to meet Pakistan's energy needs.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is our neighbour and a rich source of energy through which Pakistan's energy needs can be met," Khan said at the inaugural session of the two-day Islamabad Security Dialogue yesterday.

21 Feb 2021; MEMO: Pakistan said on Saturday that it will have fenced off its volatile border with Iran by the end of this year, a move against terrorism and smuggling, Anadolu Agency reports.

During a visit to the border town Taftan, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that 40% of the 928 kilometres (576 miles) border has been completed, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry.

Ahmedabad, Feb 13 (PTI) Seventeen Indian fishermen have been apprehended by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) in the Arabian Sea, an official of a fishermen's association claimed on Saturday.

The PMSA also seized their three boats for allegedly entering Pakistani waters two days ago, said Manish Lodhari, secretary of National Fishworkers' Forum.

Two boats from Porbandar and one from Veraval in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat had sailed with 17 fishermen over a week ago, he said.

01 Feb 2021; AA: Pakistan on Monday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine as a gift from its longtime ally China.

A special Pakistan Air Force plane carrying 500,000 doses of the vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm landed at the Islamabad airport.

The shipment was received by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chinese envoy Nong Rong. Another 1.1 million pre-ordered doses are expected later this month.

Islamabad, Jan 30 (PTI) Pakistan has extended the travel restrictions on several countries, including the UK, till February 28 to contain the spread of the deadly variant of the coronavirus amidst a second wave of infections, authorities said.

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Friday said people from countries in its category-C including South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands would be affected by the travel restrictions till February 28, Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.

(APP) --- Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday launched Pakistan’s first instant payment system – Raast – to enable end-to-end digital payments among individuals, businesses and government entities instantaneously.

The Prime Minister while addressing the gathering termed the launch a major step forward by the State Bank of Pakistan towards Digital Pakistan and said it would help include the low income groups and make them part of the mainstream economy. He was optimist that it would go a long way in fighting poverty, particularly in the rural areas.