KARACHI, Jun 26 (APP): CURRENCY SELLING BUYING
USD 290.12 283.88
GBP 369.38 361.38
EUR 316.49 310.17
JPY 2.0226 1.9790
SAR 77.36 75.67
AED 79.01 77.80
LIBOR
LIBOR FOR CALCULATING INTEREST ON SPECIAL USD BONDS
LIBOR 1M 5.15043
LIBOR 3M 5.54186
LIBOR 6M 5.68257
US DOLLAR Indicative FBP Rates
CURRENCY SIGHT/
15 DAYS 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M
USD 285.27 283.82 279.76 276.77 273.45 269.84 266.73
EUR 311.34 309.99 306.04 303.23 300.05 296.48 293.46
GBP 363.19 361.37 356.24 352.39 348.08 343.35 339.22
KARACHI, Jun 26 (APP): The Treasury Management Division of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on Monday issued the following exchange rates.
CURRENCY SYMBOL TT Selling TT Buying
U.S DOLLAR USD 287.25 286.75
EURO EUR 313.94 313.39
JAPANESE YEN JPY 2.0026 1.9991
BRITISH POUND GBP 365.73 365.09
SWISS FRANC CHF 320.70 320.14
CANADIAN DOLLAR CAD 218.31 217.93
AUSTRALIAN DOLAR AUD 192.12 191.79
SWEDISH KRONA SEK 26.98 26.93
NORWEGIAN KRONE NOK 26.58 26.53
DANISH KRONE DKK 42.08 42.01
NEWZEALAND DOLLAR NZD 177.38 177.07
SINGAPORE DOLLAR SGD 212.56 212.19
HONGKONG DOLLAR HKD 36.83 36.76
KOREAN WON KRW 0.2205 0.2201
CHINESE YUAN CNY 39.97 39.90
MALAYSIAN RINGGIT MYR 61.35 61.25
THAI BAHT THB 08.15 08.14
U.A.E DIRHAM AED 78.77 78.63
SAUDI RIYAL SAR 76.59 76.46
QATAR RIYAL QAR 78.93 78.79
KUWAITI DINAR KWD 935.61 933.98
CONVERSION RATE FOR FROZEN FCY DEPOSITS
USD 286.68
GBP 364.485
EUR 311.5925
JPY 2.0063
SETTLEMENT DATE: 05-07 2023
MAKKAH MUKARMA, Jun 26 (APP): Nearly three million pilgrims from over 160 countries, chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” in unison, have embarked on their journey from Makkah to Mina as the revered Hajj 1444H (2023 AD) rituals commence.
Prospective pilgrims employed various modes of transportation such as buses and trains, but a significant number chose to follow the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and embarked on the pilgrimage by foot to Mina, a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, some five kilometres (three miles) from the Grand Mosque. Some intending pilgrims had gone to Mina late Sunday night.
Donning the same attire of Ihram – two white, unstitched pieces of cloth, kings, princes, ministers, the wealthy, and the common man shed all indicators of social, cultural, and political differences, embodying equality before Allah Almighty.
By stripping themselves of anything that might indicate their social standing, they embody the true essence of Hajj.
After a night spent in Mina, the pilgrims will set off for the Plains of Arafat on Tuesday, just after dawn.
Standing on the sacred grounds of Arafat, “Mount of Mercy”, is the site where it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon.
As part of this sacred journey, after sunset on Tuesday, the pilgrims will make their way back from Arafat to Muzdalifah.
As Wednesday (June 28) dawns, marking the joyous occasion of Eid al-Adha for millions of Muslims worldwide, the Hajj pilgrims will partake in the solemn ritual of stoning the devil.
Subsequently, they will honor the memory of Prophet Ibrahim, his noble wife Hager, and their son Prophet Ismael (may peace be upon them all) by offering sacrificial animals.
The next day, they will come down and collect small stones in order to perform the symbolic ritual known as the “stoning of the devil.”
The Hajj, an annual religious gathering of significant magnitude, stands as one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam, obligatory for all financially capable Muslims to undertake at least once in their lifetime.
This year’s pilgrimage marks a notable milestone as it will be the first occasion without the constraints enforced during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Saudi health ministry, During the Hajj season, 32 hospitals, 140 emergency health centers, 190 ambulances, and a medical staff of 32,000 individuals will provide round-the-clock services to prospective pilgrims.
Saudi authorities have divided Mina into 10 zones. Hajj pilgrims are being transported to the Mina tent village via buses.
A significant number of prospective pilgrims are preferring to follow the tradition of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and are embarking on the pilgrimage by foot to Mina, a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, located approximately five kilometers (three miles) from the Grand Mosque.
Pakistan Hajj Mission has deployed Moavineen-e-hujjaj in Mina, equipped with maps to guide hujjaj to Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat. The guiding posts of Pakistani Muavineen has already been established in Mina and Jamarat.
In Mina, two camp offices have been set up by the Pakistan Hajj Mission to provide continuous assistance to prospective pilgrims. These offices will include different departments like lost and found, guidance, complaints, and a monitoring desk, ensuring 24/7 support for the pilgrims.
A shuttle train service will be available to 63 percent of the Hujjaj during the Hajj days, while the remaining 37 percent will be transported to Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah via buses.
The tents allocated for Pakistani pilgrims are located in close proximity to roads numbers 50, 62, and 64.
In 2020, the number of pilgrims performing the Hajj was less than 10,000, and in 2021, approximately 60,000 individuals participated. However, all of these pilgrims were residents of Saudi Arabia, as the authorities prohibited international pilgrims from attending. The previous year saw around 900,000 individuals undertaking the pilgrimage, as Saudi Arabia permitted a limited number of pilgrims from overseas.
MAKKAH MUKARMA , Jun 26 (APP):Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Talha Mehmood on Sunday commended Saudi Arabia for its excellent Hajj preparations, emphasizing their meticulous planning and dedication to promoting religious harmony and interfaith understanding.
He was talking to Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah during a meeting in Makkah.
During the meeting, the Minister apprised Tawfiq Al Rabiah about the arrangements and facilities provided to the pilgrims
by Pakistan Hajj mission.
Senator Talha Mahmood said Pakistan has provided the best possible accommodations to its pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah.
He said his country has returned Rs 55,000 to each pilgrim for arranging their sacrificial animals.
The Minister asked Tawfiq Al Rabiah to increase Pakistan’s Hajj quota as Pakistan’s population has increased under the recent census.
Counting the benefits of the Road to Makkah project, the Minister requested Saudi leader to extend this landmark project to Karachi and Lahore for the next Hajj season.
Highlighting the issue of relocation of Pakistan House in Madinah, the Minister said the Pakistan Hajj mission should be provided a new building in Markaziya areas of the sacred city.
On the occasion, the Saudi Hajj Minister said Saudia is taking measures to reduce Hajj expenses for coming seasons.
He said that under Saudi Vision 2030, the road to Makkah project will also be extended to other cities of Pakistan. He also expressed the resolve to strengthen Pak-Saudia bilateral relations.
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 25 (APP):Deeply embedded gender bias that pervades family court systems across the world is placing women and children in situations of immense suffering and violence, a UN expert has said.
“The tendency of family courts to dismiss the history of domestic violence and abuse in custody cases, especially where mothers and/or children have brought forward credible allegations of domestic abuse, including coercive control, physical or sexual abuse is unacceptable,” said Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, in a report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
A history of intimate partner violence against women was often neglected in family courts and shared custody or parental authority, treated as the default ruling, regardless of the child’s perspective.
“When custody decisions are made in favour of the parent who claims to be alienated without sufficiently considering the views of the child, the resilience of the concerned child may be undermined.
“The child may also continue to be exposed to lasting harm,” Ms. Alsalem said. She also called out the failure of child custody processes to use child-sensitive approaches that focus on the best interest of children.
The report underscores that minority women face additional barriers when being accused of using “parental alienation” in part due to increased barriers in accessing justice as well as negative stereotypes.
Parental alienation is defined as the situation when a child refuses to have a relationship with one parent, as a result of manipulation or falsehoods spread by the other parent.
In some family court systems, for example in state judicial systems in the US, some mental health professionals contend that parental alienation is a form of emotional child abuse.
The expert’s report argues that the use of the unfounded and unscientific concept, is highly gendered.
While it is invoked against both fathers and mothers, it is predominantly used against mothers, the report states, with the woman being accused of turning children against the father.
The consequences of biased custody decisions can be detrimental and irreversible to those concerned leading to a continuum of violence before and after separation, the expert said.
Despite these grave consequences “parental alienation” and related pseudo concepts are embedded and endorsed in legal systems across different jurisdictions, including amongst evaluators tasked with reporting to family courts on the best interest of the child.
Ms. Alsalem’s report also provides recommendations for States and other stakeholders to reverse the long-lasting harm done to individuals, families and societies.
She said the international community needed to develop a greater “collective conscience” when considering the human rights dimension of multi-layered violence that many mothers and children experience when using family court systems.
“The protection of women and children from violence, a victim-centered approach, and the best interests of the child, must take precedence over all other criteria when establishing arrangements for custody and visitation rights,” she said.
MAKKAH, Jun 25 (APP) ::Minister for Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Al-Sheikh on Sunday said for Hajj 2023 season, 1,300 preachers, assigned to work round the clock, have implemented more than 200,000 advocacy activities.
A video calling service has also been launched via iPads in the holy sites, and a free phone service (8002451000) has been established to receive pilgrims’ calls through 200 lines, he told a press conference here.
A crowded press conference was attended by foreign as well as local media persons who raised a series of questions about Hajj 2023.
The Minister emphasized that his ministry’s work is carried out through three main tracks, adding that the first track involves preparing and equipping over 1,000 mosques, including the Miqats and the areas surrounding the Holy sites.
The second track focuses on activities of the General Secretariat for Islamic Awareness in Hajj, which aims to provide 32 million educational services in more than 40 international languages while the third track, which pertains to the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah, and visit.
He said this year, the programme will host 1,300 pilgrims from more than 90 countries worldwide, in addition to 1,000 pilgrims from families of martyrs and the wounded from the State of Palestine.
The Minister, who is also the General Supervisor of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Hajj Guest Programme, highlighted that over 7,200 Saudi personnel have been assigned to serve the pilgrims.
The Ministry, in collaboration with the Royal Commission for the Development of Makkah, has completed the development, maintenance, and cleaning of all mosques in the holy sites and added notably, 75 new mosques were constructed in Makkah at a cost of SR 250 million, and all mosques in Makkah received full maintenance and operation, amounting to over SR 300 million.
Additionally, half a million square meters of luxurious carpets were furnished in all mosques in the holy sites and Miqats.
Al-Sheikh mentioned that his Ministry distributes millions of copies of the Quran as a gift from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to each pilgrim.
Furthermore, the Ministry translated Quranic verses into more than 76 international languages. An electronic library service has been introduced, providing over 1,000 scientific and guidance materials in more than 40 international languages.
Regarding the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ programme for Hajj and Umrah, the Minister explained that this year’s royal approval includes hosting 1,300 pilgrims from over 90 countries worldwide, as well as 1,000 male and female pilgrims from the families of martyrs and the wounded from the State of Palestine.
The programme also welcomes a thousand pilgrims from the families of Saudi martyrs and injured individuals who participated in the Decisive Storm, along with a thousand pilgrims from the families of Yemeni martyrs and injured individuals who also participated in the Decisive Storm.
Additionally, orders were issued to host 280 pilgrims from Syria, 130 from the Arab Organization ALESCO, and 150 scholars from Yemen, bringing the total number of guests this year to 4,951 male and female pilgrims.
He explained that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Hajj Guests Programme hosted more than 62,000 pilgrims from 140 countries from around the world since it was launched a few years back, adding that the program this year distributed its tasks to 18 committees working around the clock to achieve the goals of the program and provide five-star services for all the invitees from the moment of their arrival until their departure back to their countries, in line with the importance of the programme and the support it receives from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the follow-up of the Crown Prince.
LAHORE, Jun 25 (APP):Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar on Sunday set up an online court in the Central Police Office here to resolve the complaints of the people.
Dr. Usman Anwar personally checked the redressal process of citizens’ complaints received at 1787 Complaint Center and gave a deadline for immediate resolution of the problems while seeking the response from the supervisory officers concerned on the delay in processing.
IGP spoke to Aftab, a citizen of Gujranwala, and got an update about his problem, after which he gave instructions to SDPO Gujranwala through telephone and assigned task of solving citizen’s problem as soon as possible.
He directed the RPOs and DPOs to immediately redress the complaints sent by 1787 Complaint Centre.
He said that the RPOs and DPOs should take immediate action on the requests sent from 1787, give relief to the citizens.
He said that those responsible should prepare themselves for departmental and legal action in case of deliberate delay, negligence or laziness.
MAKKAH, Jun 25 (APP)::Minister for Media, Salman Al-Dosari on Sunday termed the collaboration between Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) regarding Hajj coverage as a “landmark’, saying it would be further expanded and strengthened.
The Minister, who visited Saudi Press Agency (SPA) Editorial Desk and Media Centre, established here at a local hotel to ensure comprehensive Hajj coverage, said APP is a premier and the largest news agency of Pakistan and expressed the hope the collaboration would be mutually benefited.
The Minister also visited Editorial Desk set up in Mina by the Ministry of Media. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Media established the Virtual Press Center (VPC) for Hajj season 2023 in an effort to provide comprehensive coverage of the annual pilgrimage, offer high-quality content, and facilitate the work of reporters.
The center will work as an electronic platform that will be providing virtual services for government agencies and news outlets covering the Hajj season.
The 900 registered reporters can benefit from the news reports, images, and videos downloaded on the platform and can participate in the virtual press conferences aired in several languages.
Reporters registered at the center can also submit their requests for interviews with officials, statistics on the Hajj season, or any inquiries.
ISLAMABAD, Jun 25 (APP):Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Sunday contradicted the news items appearing in some sections of media on deaths from heatstroke in the hospital.
According to spokesperson Executive Director PIMS, Dr Mubashir Mushtaq Daha, no any case of death from heatstroke was reported in the hospital.
He said that news items were not based on facts as the district administration had handed over four dead bodies to the hospital and it was just an assumption that the cause of death could be heatstroke. However there were no confirmed reports of this, he added.
He said that the hospital has made special arrangements for heatstroke patients.
Dr Mubashir Daha said that the hospital’s central air-conditioning system is being upgraded besides the installation of new air-conditioners and for this purpose Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD) has been given a deadline of June 30 to complete the project.
He said that the hospital is working on a war-footing basis to streamline its cooling system to facilitate the patients.
He said that on the direction of the Minister for National Health Services, nine air-conditioners have been installed on an emergency basis in its new emergency while the cooling system is fully functional in the pharmacy of the hospital.
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