سندھ حکومت نے کل عام تعطیل کا اعلان کیا ہے۔ جس کا نوٹیفکیشن بھی جاری کردیا گیا۔

کراچی سے جاری نوٹیفکیشن کے مطابق جمعہ 13 مارچ کو تمام سرکاری دفاتر اور صوبے میں تمام تعلیمی ادارے بند رہیں گے۔ 

یہ نوٹیفکیشن صوبائی محکمہ سروسز اینڈ جنرل ایڈمنسٹریشن نے جاری کیا

The Sindh government on Tuesday announced a set of austerity measures to reduce the economic impact of the ongoing regional tensions.

It said schools will observe a spring vacation from March 16 to March 31, and colleges and universities will switch to online classes.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told a press conference that no ongoing exams will be postponed.

He also clarified that, contrary to some media reports, government operations will not stop on Fridays; instead, government officials will work from home (WFH) on that day.

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — you have to work. On Friday, you have to work from home,” he said.

The Sindh minister affirmed that the province endorsed all the decisions announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday.

“The Sindh government has launched its austerity campaign,” he added.

He declared that the provincial government would reduce the fuel allotted for official vehicles by 50 per cent, which would save around Rs960 million.

The provincial ministers have also decided to forgo their salaries for three months from April to June, Memon added.

He further said that the government will send a reference to the Sindh Assembly speaker, but it was up to the speaker and the lawmakers to decide on any similar measure for MPAs.

Memon said that “unnecessary government expenditure”, such as buying furniture and stationery, will be reduced by 20pc, which he said would save around Rs12 billion.

The senior minister stated there would be a complete ban on the government buying “new vehicles and items”, except where necessary, such as ambulances or law and order vehicles.

“Unnecessary foreign visits” would also be barred, Memon said, highlighting that if an official trip was required, Economy Class will be used and “no one will be allowed to use Business Class”.

Detailing further steps, Memon said “many ministers, including the chief minister, said they wanted to withdraw or curtail their security” so that police vehicles could instead be utilised for the public and extra expenses could be avoided.

He added that the cabinet had “mandated the law minister” to immediately withdraw the security protocol allotted to “many such people who were utilising the Sindh government’s and Sindh Police’s security unnecessarily”.

Memon noted these specifically included former caretaker ministers and “committee members”, remarking that people had “unfortunately made it a status symbol”.

“Security is not being withdrawn from those who have genuine cases,” the senior minister affirmed.

He emphasised, “The cabinet has taken strict action, ordering that all kinds of unnecessary expenditures be halted immediately.”

Memon said no Iftar parties would be held on the government’s expenditure and any official event would not be organised at any five-star hotel but at a government building.

“Chief minister sahib and we have decided together that from now on, no minister will attend any Iftari […] Charity begins from home,” he said.

He further announced that refreshments on government expenses will be prohibited in all government offices for two more months after Ramazan.

The minister also expressed his government’s solidarity with the armed forces, noting the Operation Ghazab lil-Haq underway on the Pak-Afghan border against terrorists.

“When we speak about challenges, it is not your or mine, it is our challenge,” he remarked.

Responding to a journalist’s question, Memon said the CM’s plane “will remain grounded during these days”, also clarifying that the aircraft had been purchased by the previous chief minister.

The minister stressed that the money saved by implementing the austerity measures will be utilised for the “public’s welfare”. He added that the government’s priority was not to let the “aftereffects” of the fuel price hikes impact the public.

Bangladesh thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets in the ODI series opener at Shere Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest target of 115 to go 1-0 up in the series, Bangladesh reached the target in 15.1 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Tanzid Hasan Tamim was the top scorer for the hosts, remaining unbeaten on 67 off 42 balls, hitting seven fours and five maximums. Najmul Hossain Shanto added 27 off 33, laced with five boundaries.

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim took one wicket each. Nahid Rana was named player of the match.

After Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz chose to field, Pakistan were bundled out for 114 in 30.4 overs despite a 41-run opening stand between debutants Sahibzada Farhan (27) and Maaz Sadaqat (18).

Faheem Ashraf was the top scorer for the Green shirts with 37 off 47, including six fours and one maximum. Mohammad Rizwan contributed 10 off 20.

As no other batter could enter the double figures, Pakistan was bowled out for their lowest ODI total against Bangladesh. Pakistan’s previous lowest score against Bangladesh was 161 in the World Cup 1999 match.

Nahid Rana bagged five wickets and Mehidy Hasan Miraz three, while Taskin Ahmed and

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has temporarily halted the preparation of the Hajj flight schedule in light of the tense situation caused by potential attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.

Sources indicated that the current developments could affect the flight schedule; however, preparations will proceed with careful consideration of the circumstances.

Despite possible delays in the schedule, visa issuance for pilgrims has already begun and is being conducted around the clock.

Two-thirds of pilgrims have received their visas, while the issuance process for 120,000 pilgrims continued over the weekend, with Ministry staff suspending their weekend leaves to ensure smooth operations.

Ministry sources stated that preparations for the Hajj schedule are progressing rapidly, and it is expected that the schedule will be released before Eid-ul-Fitr.

The finalized schedule will include flight details, building bookings, room allocations, and other arrangements, all of which will be accessible to pilgrims via the Ministry’s website and the Pak Hajj mobile app.

Additionally, the second phase of pilgrim training will commence immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr, with all training materials and schedules already prepared.

On Monday, President Donald Trump told a CBS News reporter the war with Iran could end soon, and the Kremlin said he separately spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the conflict.

“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump told CBS, according to Weijia Jiang.

After his remarks, Brent crude dropped sharply below $90 a barrel amid expectations the U.S.-Iran conflict might wind down. Earlier in the session, Brent jumped $26.81 to $119.50 a barrel, and WTI hit a session high of $119.48. Those were the highest intraday prices for both benchmarks since June 2022.

“They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force,” Trump said, Jiang posted on X.

Trump said the United States is “very far” ahead of his earlier estimate that the war might take four to five weeks to conclude.

“Their missiles are down to a scatter; their drones are being destroyed all over the place, including in their drone production,” he said. “If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

Trump told the outlet he had someone else, not Iran’s newly announced supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, to lead the country.

“I have no message for him. None, whatsoever,” Trump added.

Oil prices jumped about 7% on Monday, settling at their highest level since 2022 after surging as much as 29% during the session as Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members cut supplies amid the expanding U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Prices rose more than 20% in early trade, then pulled back from session highs as the U.S. and other Group of Seven (G7) countries weighed tapping strategic petroleum reserves to curb inflationary pressure from higher energy prices.

During the session, Brent futures gained $6.27, or 6.8%, to settle at $98.96 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $3.87, or 4.3%, to settle at $94.77.

Those were the highest settlement prices for Brent and WTI since August 2022. Shortly after settlement, WTI and Brent gave back all of the session’s gains and traded below Friday’s settlement price.

Early in the session, Brent jumped $26.81 to $119.50 a barrel, and WTI reached a session high of $119.48. Those were the highest intraday prices for both benchmarks since June 2022, compared with all-time highs of $147.50 a barrel for Brent and $147.27 for WTI in July 2008.

وانائی بحران سے نمٹنے کے لیے حکومت نے اہم فیصلے کرلیے، دفاتر ہفتے میں چار دن کھلیں گے، بیشتر سرکاری اور نجی اداروں کا 50 فیصد عملہ گھر سے کام کرے گا، اسکولوں میں دو ہفتے کی چھٹیاں دے کر آن لائن کلاسز کرائی جائیں گی۔

قوم سے اہم خطاب میں وزیراعظم شہباز شریف نے کہا ہے کہ خطے کو درپیش سنجیدہ اور پر خطر مسئلے پر آپ سے مخاطب ہوں، امن کو لاحق خطرات ہم سب کےلیے تشویش کا باعث ہیں۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان کو مغربی سرحدوں پر دہشت گردی کا سامنا ہے، مسلح افواج بہادر سپہ سالار کی قیادت میں وطن کی سلامتی اور خود مختاری کا تحفظ یقینی بنانے کی جدوجہد کر رہی ہیں۔

شہباز شریف نے کہا کہ علی خامنہ ای اور ان کے اہل خانہ کی شہادت پر پاکستان گہرے دکھ کا اظہار کرتا ہے۔

وزیراعظم نے یہ بھی کہا کہ سعودی عرب، کویت، قطر، بحرین اور دیگر ملکوں پر حملوں کی مذمت کرتے ہیں، خلیجی ملکوں پر حملوں سے خطے کے امن کو شدید خطرات لاحق ہیں۔

اُن کا کہنا تھا کہ پاکستان آزمائش کی گھڑی میں ان ملکوں کے ساتھ شانہ بہ شانہ کھڑا ہے، پاکستان ان ملکوں کی سلامتی کو اپنی سلامتی کا حصہ سمجھتا ہے۔

وزیراعظم کا اہم حکومتی اقدامات کا اعلان 

وزیراعظم نے اعلان کیا کہ آئندہ 2 ماہ کے لیے سرکاری محکموں کی گاڑیوں کو ملنے والے تیل میں 50 فیصد کٹوتی کی جارہی ہے، اس فیصلے میں ایمبولنس اور عوامی استعمال کی بسیں شامل نہیں۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ تیل کی بچت کےلیے تمام سرکاری محکموں کی 60 فیصد گاڑیوں کو 2 ماہ کے لیے بند کیا جارہا ہے، ہفتے میں صرف 4 دن دفاتر کھلیں گے، تیل کی بچت کےلیے ہفتے میں 1 دن کی اضافی چھٹی دی جارہی ہے، اس کا اطلاق بینکوں پر نہیں ہوگا، صنعت اور زراعت کے شعبوں پر ورک فرام ہوم اور ہفتے کی اضافی چھٹی کا اطلاق نہیں ہوگا

شہباز شریف نے مزید کہا کہ فوری طور پرتمام اسکولوں کو رواں ہفتے کے آخر سے 2 ہفتوں کی چھٹیاں دی جارہی ہیں، تمام تعلیمی اداروں میں فوری طورپر آن لائن کلاسز کا آغاز کیا جارہا ہے۔

اُن کا کہنا تھا کہ آئندہ 2 ماہ کےلیے کابینہ ارکان، وزرا، مشیران، معاون خصوصی تنخواہ نہیں لیں گے، ارکان پارلیمنٹ کی تنخواہوں میں سے 25 فیصد کٹوتی کی جارہی ہے۔

وزیراعظم نے یہ بھی کہا کہ 20 گریڈ اور اس سے اوپر کے افسران جن کی تنخواہ 3 لاکھ سے زیادہ ہو، ان کی 2 دن کی تنخواہ کی کٹوتی کرکے عوامی ریلیف کےلیے استعمال کی جائے گی۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ تمام سرکاری محکموں کے تنخواہوں کے علاوہ اخراجات میں 20 فیصد کمی کی جارہی ہے، سرکاری دفاتر میں گاڑیوں، فرنیچر، اے سی اور دیگر اشیا کی خریداری پر پابندی عائد کردی گئی ہے۔

Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran’s late supreme leader, has been named as the Islamic Republic’s next ruler, authorities announced Monday, as Tehran widened its attacks across the Mideast to strike oil and water facilities crucial to its desert sheikdoms.

With Iran’s theocracy under assault by the U.S. and Israel for more than a week, the country’s Assembly of Experts chose as the next supreme leader a secretive, 56-year-old cleric who maintains close ties to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard has been firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab states since the younger Khamenei’s father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed Feb. 28 during the war’s opening salvo.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the appointment heralded a “new era of dignity and strength” for the nation. “This valuable choice is a manifestation of the will of the Islamic nation to consolidate national unity; a unity that, like a solid barrier, has made the Iranian nation resistant to the conspiracies of the enemies,” he said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also congratulated the new leader. “We pledge that, in defence of the rights of the great Iranian nation, the advancement of national interests and security, and the realisation of the lofty goals of the Islamic revolution, we shall not falter for a moment,” he wrote.

Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who has been tasked with steering Iran’s security strategy since the US and Israel launched their all-out offensive on February 28, called for unity around the new supreme leader.

The war has shaken global energy markets, pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel and leading to tighter supplies of natural gas after Qatar turned off its production.

Pakistan government on Friday announced a hike of Rs55 per litre in the prices of petrol and diesel in line with rising international oil prices.

The announcement was made at a press conference by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. With the Rs55 increase, petrol rose to Rs321.17 per litre, effective from midnight. Meanwhile, diesel jumped to Rs335.86 per litre.

Dar said the new prices will come into effect from midnight. He began by discussing the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, saying the war had started to spill over into the wider region. ‘The war between Iran, the US and Israel has now spilled over,’ he said, adding that the situation had significantly affected global petroleum markets.

‘In this scenario, petroleum product prices are rising sharply. Various products have seen an increase of around 50 to 70 percent,’ he noted. He said many countries were witnessing an automatic pass-through of higher global oil prices to domestic fuel prices.

‘In many countries, the trickle-down effect is visible, where petroleum prices increase automatically,’ he added. However, he said Pakistan had taken a cautious approach under the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. ‘In Pakistan, the prime minister has been very careful. Deliberations have been ongoing for the past two to three weeks,’ he said.

He noted that a permanent committee, led by Ali Pervaiz Malik and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, had been reviewing the situation regularly.

امریکا اور اس کے اتحادیوں کو ایک بڑھتے ہوئے اسٹریٹیجک چیلنج کا سامنا ہے کیونکہ ایران بڑی تعداد میں کم قیمت حملہ آور ڈرونز استعمال کر کے دنیا کے جدید اور مہنگے فضائی دفاعی نظام کو چیلنج کر رہا ہے۔

امریکی اخبار نیویارک ٹائمز کی رپورٹ کے مطابق امریکا اور اسرائیل کے حالیہ حملوں کے بعد ایران نے اب تک 2000 سے زائد شاہد خودکش ڈرونز داغے ہیں، جن میں سے بعض سخت دفاعی اقدامات کے باوجود اپنے اہداف تک پہنچنے میں کامیاب رہے۔

شاہد ڈرون تکون نما لوئٹرنگ میونیشن ہے جس کی لمبائی تقریباً 11 فٹ ہوتی ہے اور اس میں دھماکا خیز مواد نصب ہوتا ہے، یہ ڈرون ٹرک کے عقب سے بھی لانچ کیا جا سکتا ہے، جس کے باعث اسے پہلے سے شناخت کرنا اور تباہ کرنا مشکل ہو جاتا ہے، اس کے طویل فاصلے تک مار کرنے والے ماڈلز تقریباً 1200 میل تک پرواز کر سکتے ہیں

ماہرین کے مطابق ایک شاہد ڈرون کی قیمت تقریباً 20 ہزار سے 50 ہزار ڈالرز کے درمیان ہے، جبکہ اسے مار گرانے کے لیے استعمال ہونے والا پیٹریاٹ فضائی دفاعی نظام کا PAC-3 انٹرسیپٹر میزائل ایک فائر میں 30 لاکھ ڈالرز سے زائد لاگت رکھتا ہے اور اس کی پیداوار بھی محدود ہے۔

 رپورٹ کے مطابق 2025ء میں لاک ہیڈ مارٹن نے صرف 620 انٹرسیپٹر فراہم کیے۔

امریکی وزیرِ دفاع پیٹ ہیگستھ کے مطابق امریکا دستیاب تمام اینٹی ڈرون سسٹمز استعمال کر رہا ہے، جن میں نسبتاً سستا ری تھیون کا کوایوٹ انٹرسیپٹر اور الیکٹرانک وارفیئر ٹیکنالوجی بھی شامل ہیں۔

دفاعی ماہرین خبردار کر رہے ہیں کہ اگر سستے ڈرونز کے مقابلے میں مہنگے میزائل استعمال کیے جاتے رہے تو طویل جنگ کی صورت میں یہ حکمتِ عملی اقتصادی طور پر ناقابلِ برداشت ثابت ہو سکتی ہے۔

اسی خدشے کے پیش نظر پینٹاگون نے کم لاگت امریکی ڈرونز کی پیداوار تیز کر دی ہے، جن میں لوکس (LUCAS) نامی ایک نیا ڈرون سسٹم بھی شامل ہے جو شاہد ڈرون سے متاثر ہو کر تیار کیا جا رہا ہے۔