Arbab Niaz Stadium to be renamed after Imran Khan
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet on Friday approved the renaming of Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium in Peshawar as Imran Khan Cricket Stadium Shahi Bagh.
It also approved the Ramazan assistance package for the needy, destitute, widows, orphans and transgender persons.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed that the assistance should be provided to the deserving families through banks and easy paisa and be disbursed before the 15th of ramadan.
The 25th meeting of the Cabinet was held with Chief Minister in the chair. Cabinet members, chief secretary, additional chief secretaries, senior member Board of Revenue, administrative secretaries and advocate general attended the meeting.
Over a million deserving families will benefit as each family will be paid Rs10, 000 and the disbursement charges too will be borne by the provincial government; thus not a single penny will be deducted from those for whom it is meant.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Sanitation workers get cash rewards
A special ceremony was organised in Rawalpindi to honour sanitation workers from the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) for performance during Eidul Azha under the "Suthra Punjab" campaign. According to a statement, at the event, 1,000 sanitation workers were each given a cheque of Rs10,000 along with a meal, in a gesture of solidarity from the government. Special Secretary for Local Government Punjab, Asia Gul; MNAs Tahira Aurangzeb and Raja Qamarul Islam; former mayor Sardar Naseem Khan; Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema; and RWMC CEO Rana Sajid Safdar were present to distribute the cheques. Also in attendance were Municipal Labour Union President Raja Haroon, Chairman Changez Bhatti, Khan Majeed, Bilal Khawar, Bilal Niazi, Amir Naik, Hassan Sardar, Nasir Mahmood, and others. Special Secretary Asia Gul described sanitation workers as the "true heroes of Punjab," emphasising the government's commitment to recognising their service. MNA Tahira Aurangzeb noted that no system can function without sanitation workers and vowed government efforts to resolve their issues and secure permanent employment for them.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Proposed sweeping powers for FBR will cripple economy: PBF
LAHORE: Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has strongly denounced the Federal Budget 2025; calling it a direct assault on the business community and warning that the sweeping powers proposed for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will cripple the economy and trigger widespread unrest if not immediately reversed. Speaking to the media, Muhammad Naseer Malik, Chairman (Central Punjab) of the PBF, said the Finance Bill introduces a range of unprecedented and undemocratic enforcement clauses that violate the principles of fair taxation and due process. He warned that these proposals will create an environment of fear and intimidation, where businesses operate under constant threat of legal action without the protection of proper checks and balances. PBF highlighted specific provisions of the Finance Bill 2025 that it says are particularly damaging to business confidence and fundamental rights: Section 37AA allows for the arrest of individuals without a warrant, solely on the basis of suspicion of tax fraud, paving the way for arbitrary detentions and harassment. Section 14AE empowers FBR officials to seize business premises and property without judicial oversight or meaningful safeguards. The Section 37B authorizes the detention of businesspersons for up to 14 days, with possible extension by a magistrate, even before the conclusion of an investigation. Further, Section 11E permits FBR to make tax assessments and initiate recovery based purely on suspicion, bypassing the need for a complete inquiry or verifiable evidence. Section 33 (13 & 13A) introduces 10-year prison terms and Rs10 million fines for vaguely defined 'tax fraud,' which the PBF warns could criminalize genuine business errors or disputes. Section 32B grants private auditors quasi-legal authority, allowing them to act with powers that blur the line between auditing and prosecution — a move PBF considers both unconstitutional and dangerous. 'These provisions do not promote tax compliance — they institutionalize fear, harassment, and unchecked power,' Malik said. 'They will push the business community to the edge, and many will be forced to shut down operations or move abroad.' The PBF also criticized the existing tax structure, pointing out that the effective tax burden on businesses has soared to between 50% and 60%, the highest in the region. This includes a 25% corporate tax, 25% tax on dividends, super tax, sales tax, withholding taxes, and high import duties. According to the Forum, these combined pressures make investment, expansion, and job creation impossible under the current fiscal regime. In addition to demanding the complete withdrawal of the above clauses, the PBF is calling for a reduction in interest rates to 6% to support business recovery and economic growth. The Forum believes that a more balanced tax policy - coupled with targeted reforms and incentives - could double public spending on education and health without suffocating the productive economy. Naseer Malik also warned if the Finance Bill 2025 is passed in its current form, Pakistan's economy will face irreversible damage. If the government thinks it can collect taxes without taxpayers, it is free to try. And if the FBR believes it can run an economy without businesses, let it go ahead; the consequences will be clear soon enough.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
IMF rejects tax rebate for teachers, researchers: FBR
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, Saturday, informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rejected proposal of the FBR to allow 25 percent tax rebate to teachers and researchers from July 1, 2025. The FBR chairman informed the committee that the FBR has twice approached the fund, but they have not agreed. The IMF wants harmonisation of taxes and not allowed the said tax rebate to teachers/researchers. However, the government can give subsidy from budget if possible. MNA Nafeesa Shah stated that the government can give some kind of special allowance to teachers. Budget FY26: Aurangzeb announces major tax relief for salaried class, solar sector State Minister of Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani regretted that there is no fiscal space available in 2025-26. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance approved the revised procedure of arrest in cases of tax fraud as approved by Senate Standing Committee on Finance. The FBR chairman informed the committee that the FBR has its own jails to keep persons involved in tax fraud and it can also use other jails for this purpose. The government has incorporated four major safeguards for allowing arrests on tax frauds in order to avoid misuse of powers. In the first pre-requisite, the minister said that the accused of tax fraud would be arrested where there was a fear of his escape, but it would be done with the approval of three members of the Board, including FBR Member IR (Operations) and FBR Member Legal. The tampering of proof could be the second reason, and the third reason could be tax fraud amounting to Rs50 million. The fourth condition of the arrest, he said, would only be possible if someone received three notices but not bothered to respond. The FBR chairman informed that the relevant clause of income tax exemption to pensioners has been deleted from the Income Tax Ordinance to tax only pensions above Rs10 million. The committee recommended that the withholding tax should be increased from 0.6 per cent to 0.8 per cent on cash withdrawals from banks by non-filers. However, the committee rejected the proposal of Senate Standing Committee on Finance to raise tax rate from 0.6 per cent to 1 percent. On the taxation of salaried individuals, the FBR chairman informed that only one per cent tax would be applicable on salaried individuals where taxable income exceeds Rs600,000 but does not exceed Rs1,200,000. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
