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"Don't panic!"

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As soon I woke up in the morning, the news dropped like a bomb that the government has increased the prices of petroleum products by Rs12 per liter. Petrol price rose by Rs10.49 to Rs137.79 and diesel by Rs 12.44.

Imran Yaqub Khan Profile Imran Yaqub Khan

In the last one month, the price of petrol has gone up by a total of Rs20, which has really made the people scream. Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressing the inaugural function of Kisan Portal, was saying that imported goods import inflation, the pressure on the rupee is temporary, we have imported wheat, sugar, ghee, we are trying that everything be produced in the country.

During the reporting of this (PM's) speech, I was looking for a phrase, "Don't panic", but despite searching all the newspapers, I couldn't find these words of consolation from the Prime Minister. I was searching for these words because I was nervous. The reason for the panic was the announcement of the Federal Minister of Energy, the announcement of the Utility Stores Corporation and the ticking of the petrol bomb.

Electricity has been increased by Rs39 paise per unit but there is no need to panic. The slab of cheap electricity for the poor has been reduced from 300 units to 200 units, but there is no need to panic. The price of essentials at utility stores has gone up by Rs15-45 but there is no need to panic. Edible oil prices of 5 companies have been increased from Rs14 to Rs110 at utility stores but there is no need to panic. The price of a two kilogram  pack of washing powder has been increased from Rs10 to Rs21 but there is no need to panic. Repeated instructions about hand wash to avoid coronavirus and an increase of up to Rs15 in the price of bath soup and an increase of Rs9 in the price of a 228 ml pack of handwash but do not panic. The poor used to eat bread with pickles and the price of pickles has been increased by more than 200 per cent. The price of three grams of pickles has been increased from Rs20 to Rs44 but there is no need to worry.

The government's own statistics agency says the overall inflation rate has reached 12.66 per cent. Inflation for low-income earners has reached 14.12%. Prices of 22 essential commodities rose in one week. The price of tomato increased by Rs11 per kg, LPG cylinder for domestic use has gone up by more than Rs43, 2.5kg ghee price jumped Rs6.9, while prices of rice, garlic, potato, mutton and Gurr also went up.     

Despite the words "don't panic", there is no moment of relief and it seems that the captain's famous slogan "I will make them cry" was not for political rivals but for the people. The average income of the salaried class in the country is 20,000 to 25,000. What was left of this revenue after paying electricity, gas and water bills, which the government is now bent on squeezing further.

The word squeezing was used because Federal Minister for Energy Hamad Azhar, while announcing the increase in electricity rates, had admitted that the burden of revolving loans is currently being borne by the people mainly due to capacity payments, which are now Rs700 to Rs800 billion. Thus, the confession of the federal minister proved that arrangements are being made to squeeze Rs800 billion from the people.

The working class and a sslaried class were interested in the captain's slogans. Addressing the Kisan Card Portal function, the captain pointed this out, saying the PTI has launched a movement for justice, Allah Almighty especially listens to the voice of the weak and working class. A man in the street is seen seeking justice. Captain sahib what to talk about your slogan of 'Insaaf' you have forced even poor class to beg for food. The rulers should come ourt on the streets without protocols to see the poor queuing up at traffic signals for begging. Poverty and unemployment could be seen among youth standing alongthe banks of the city canal and injecting drugs into their bodies, while young girls could be seen wearing burqas with their hands outstretched.

Rising electricity, oil and gas prices, continouous depriciation of Pak rupee, the collapse of economy sinks, the world's laughter at a "sensitive deployment" are the outcome of change (of government) that came in 2018. Though the Opposition still insist the change didn;t come, but was brought. Whatever the case, the loss is happening to Pakistan and the millions of people living in it. The scourge of inflation has grappled the country so badly that there is not a single household whose expenditure and income have not "changed". People are now fed up with hollow claims of accountability.

While blowing the horn on inflation, mismanagement and unnecessary issues from institutions, is the government realizing that there will be no response? The patience of the people is running out. The opposition is gearing up for the last battle. The government has reached the abyss of its popularity.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen also made it clear during a press conference in Washington that inflation wouldn't come down. In such a situation, whatever the government does to entertain the people cannot be stopped in the face of public outrage. The billions of rupees of subsidies and amnesty schemes if were directed towards modernizing the industry, there would be economic activity in the country today and jobs would be created.

If it is to be accepted that the previous governments haven't paid attention to these problems, but question is what have you (PTI) done in these three years? How long will the rulers and governments of the past continue to cover up their incompetence and worthlessness? The time for elections-- the day of reckoning for any government-- is also coming and of course the people are watching and testing everything. You will have to run a knife on your development budget due to the IMF conditions. Are you ready for that too? Treat inflation immediately or the "Tsunami of change" will knock you to the brink of public outrage!

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Business

Rupee gains 11 paisa against dollar

The Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP) says the buying and selling rates of the dollar in the open market stood at Rs 278.7 and Rs 281.3, respectively.

Published by Hussnain Bhutta

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Karachi: Pakistani Rupee on Monday strengthened by 11 paisa against the US dollar in the interbank trading and closed at Rs278.63 against the previous day’s closing of Rs278.74.

However, according to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the buying and selling rates of the dollar in the open market stood at Rs 278.7 and Rs 281.3, respectively.

The price of the Euro increased by 19 paisa to close at Rs 303.51 against the last day’s closing of Rs 303.32, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The Japanese Yen came down by 01 paisa and closed at Rs1.86, whereas a decrease of 17 paisa was witnessed in the exchange rate of the British Pound, which was traded at Rs355.00 compared to the last closing of Rs355.17.

The Emirates Dirham and the Saudi Riyal also decreased by 02 paisa and 03 paisa to closed at Rs 75.87 and Rs74.29.

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Sports

McIlroy cards a 65 at Players amid 1st-rd. drama

Rory McIlroy carded a 7-under 65 at the the Players Championship on Thursday despite some controversy following his tee shot on the seventh hole, which found the water, and the ensuing drop.

Published by Web Desk

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Despite hitting two tee shots into the water and being at the center of a controversial drop after the second one, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy opened the 50th Players Championship with a 7-under 65 to grab a share of the first-round lead Thursday.

McIlroy, the 2019 Players Championship winner, was tied atop the leaderboard with Xander Schauffele and reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, who had much more uneventful opening rounds at TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy had just taken the lead at 8 under when he pulled his drive left on the par-4 seventh hole, his 16th of the round. McIlroy's ball crossed a hazard, bounced and kicked into the water.

The issue was whether his ball hit above a red hazard line on the slope of a fairway bunker or below it. If the ball hit above the red line, McIlroy was permitted to take a drop at that spot. If the ball hit below the line, however, he would have to go much farther back to drop and hit his third shot.

From the tee, McIlroy was certain that he saw his ball hit above the red line. Norway's Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth, who were playing with McIlroy, didn't seem so sure.

It made for a rather uncomfortable moment in what was generally a comfortable round for McIlroy, who tied a Players Championship record with 10 birdies in a round.

"It would have been nice to shoot 62 and not hit two in the water," McIlroy said.

Canada's Nick Taylor and England's Matt Fitzpatrick were 1 stroke behind at 6 under, while world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, the defending Players Championship winner, was tied for sixth at 5 under, along with Jason Day, Ludvig Åberg and four others.

Play was suspended at 7:32 p.m. ET because of darkness with nine golfers still on the course, and the first round will resume at 8:50 a.m. Friday. The second round will begin as scheduled at 7:40 a.m.

"I knew the scores were going to be fairly low today," said Scheffler, who won last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational and is trying to become the first back-to-back winner at the Players Championship. "The golf course is pretty soft, and we had unusually low winds, I'd say, for TPC Sawgrass, and the scores obviously reflected that."

Scheffler opened with a bogey on the par-4 first hole -- his only one of the round -- and then ran off three straight birdies. He picked up three more birdies on the back.

"You can't really force it around this place, like I've said a bunch of times, you really can't," Scheffler said. "It was nice bouncing back after the rough start and just playing a really good round of golf."

McIlroy's contentious conversation with Hovland and Spieth on the seventh hole was the story of the day. After the round, McIlroy insisted that he saw his ball hit above the red hazard line. He ended up making a double bogey. McIlroy had a similar situation when he hit his tee shot into the water on No. 18, his ninth hole.

"It was just a matter of whether it was above the line or below, and I thought I saw it pitch above the line [on No. 7]," McIlroy said. "[No.] 18 was a pretty similar situation. Again, adamant it crossed, it's just a matter of where it crosses. I think this golf course more than any other, it sort of produces those situations a little bit."

Hovland and Spieth declined to comment after their rounds. Hovland made a double bogey on the last hole to card a 1-over 73; Spieth posted a 2-over 74 with four birdies and six bogeys.

The golfers' conversation on the seventh fairway lasted about 10 minutes before McIlroy took a drop.

"I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing," McIlroy said. "I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It's so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing."

After looking for his ball in the water and not finding it, McIlroy and his caddie, Harry Diamond, walked back to the spot where they believed his ball had landed.

Hovland walked across the fairway with his hand in his pockets and told McIlroy, "We don't know for sure that it crossed the line."

"I'm pretty comfortable saying that it did -- that it landed above the red line," McIlroy said.

"I thought it was really close," Hovland said. "I can't say either way."

Then Spieth walked across the fairway and chimed in. Members of the TV crew had apparently told him that McIlroy's ball hit below the line.

"Everyone that I'm hearing that had eyes on it, which is again not what matters, is saying they're 100 percent certain it landed below the line," Spieth said. "That's all I'm saying."

By that time, a PGA Tour rules official had arrived. McIlroy asked him to check with the TV broadcast, but he was told there were no replays available. McIlroy took a drop and couldn't get up and down, settling for a double-bogey 6. He bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.

"I feel like I'm one of the most conscientious golfers out here, so if I feel like I've done something wrong, it'll play on my conscience for the rest of the tournament," McIlroy said. "I'm a big believer in karma, and if you do something wrong, I feel like it's going to come around and bite you at some point.

"I obviously don't try to do anything wrong out there, and play by the rules and do the right thing. I feel like I obviously did that [on] those two drops."

Schauffele's bogey-free round of 7-under 65 was much more uneventful. He started on the back nine and made the turn at 3 under 33. Then he posted birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 3 and another one on the par-four fifth.

Schauffele ran into trouble on the seventh hole after blocking his tee shot into the trees to the right. He was 163 yards from the hole and surrounded by limbs. His ball was sitting down and there was one opening-straight up.

After telling his caddie, Austin Kaiser, that he could live with attempting a "hero shot," Schauffele took a full swing and hit a high sweeping shot across a bunker and water. His ball landed in the fairway short of the green, and he chipped to 4 ½ feet and made par.

"It was over everything, but it was just like a window that was pretty high up," Schauffele said. "I would not want to hit the shot again."

The highlight of the day was Ryan Fox's ace on the par-3 17th hole, after he had posted an eagle 3 on the par-5 16th. He became the first golfer in Players Championship history to card a 3-1 on Nos. 16 and 17, according to the PGA Tour. It was the 14th ace on the island-green 17th hole since the tournament moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1983.
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Regional

LHC issues written decree on plea of Pervaiz Elahi

It is said in the written verdict that Chief Election Commissioner issue an appropriate order by listening to the point of view.

Published by Qurrat Tul Ain

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Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued written decree on the plea to stop the submission of nomination papers of five candidates including former chief minister Punjab Parvez Elahi.

According to the details, justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh issued the written decree on the request of Qaisera Elahi and disposed of the pleas of five candidates including the former chief minister Punjab.

Court stated that the applications of five candidates including Parvez Elahi are sent to the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

It is said in the written verdict that Chief Election Commissioner issue an appropriate order by listening to the point of view.

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