Islamabad, OCT 29 /DNA/ – How do Pakistanis feel towards each other, towards people who are like them, and towards people who are unlike them? Do Pakistanis trust their various institutions? What are their values, beliefs and attitudes? Are they able to achieve their ambitions? Do they feel safe on the streets? What are their views about the governance and political system in the country? What are community life and informal sociability like in Pakistan? What is the state of volunteerism and civic involvement? And most importantly, what do Pakistanis consider as their identity? The PIDE-BASICS survey covers these twelve areas to understand the basics of Pakistanis.

According to the Press Release issued from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), in the supervision of PIDE’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Durre Nayab, PIDE-BASICS nationwide survey was carried out. The research results shows, In spite of the fact, seemingly straightforward questions elicit very complex responses. Usually, we perceive the identity in singularity i.e. we are Pakistanis. We are Muslims. However, the study uncovers that in context of Pakistan Identity is a multi-layered phenomenon with the majority not perceiving it in singularity. Identities are linked to: i.e. religion; ii. Nationality; iii. ethnic background; iv. caste, for instance, Rajput, Kakar, Achakzai or Gujjar; v. being a human; vi. biological, that is the sex of the person; vii. relationship, with reference to someone like being a mother, father, son or daughter; and viii. One’s profession.

Additionally, at national level 61.5% reveled multi-layer identity. And, its prominent among the inhabitants of ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory) followed by GB (Gilgit Baltistan). On the other hand, single identity (religion) was dominant among the people of Punjab. Up to par, both at national and regional level religious identity is most prevailing. Subsequently, being a Pakistani as single identity is not strong one at any level (national, regional and provincial). Thus, the finding compels me to cerebrate, why some regions are deemed as patriotic and some are blamed for the lack of loyalty? It’s a wonder, among the four provinces, the largest proportion is in Balochistan which considers being a Pakistani as part of their identity, followed by Sindh and KP.

Furthermore, the population of Punjab has the smallest proportion including nationality as a layer of their identity. Anyway, being a human is an identity kept by some, but many more give importance to caste as their single identity. It is a rather thought-provoking finding that more than ethnicity it is caste, a narrower ascribed characteristic, which is contemplated as indispensable by Pakistanis.

The study revealed that a lot of confusion exists about the language of the people of Pakistan as most surveys ask this question in a very imprecise way, and then use it as a proxy for ethnicity in the country. This is totally misleading. To have a better understanding of the issue, PIDE-BASICS Survey asks three questions in this regard: the mother tongue of the father, the mother tongue of the mother and the language commonly used for informal day-to-day communication. We examine in the study that Urdu is used much more often by people in ICT, AJK and Punjab than what the mother tongues would suggest. Among the four major provincial languages, Punjabi is most frequently switched to Urdu.

To sum up, in the context of Pakistan Identity is a multi-layered phenomenon with the majority not perceiving it in singularity. The finding rejects our assumptions of Pakistanis identity either Pakistani (National) or being Muslim (religious). And, rejects the perceptions we have developed regarding different regions of the state (for instance Balochistan is blamed for being non-patriotic). Moreover, the dynamics vary with regions and many other demographic characteristics. All in all, majority of the population are neither calling themselves Pakistanis, nor Muslims.

WASHINGTON: The U.S. has announced an additional $30 million in aid for the victims of recent floods that displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

The aid was announced by U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome during his visit to flood-hit areas in southern Sindh province, the hardest-hit region, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.

Washington’s total assistance to Pakistan for flood response, food security, disaster preparedness, and capacity-building efforts now stands at $97 million.

The new funding will expand efforts to address immediate needs, scaling up assistance to the most affected communities and enabling the United States Agency for International Development to reach more than 4 million people, said a U.S. Embassy statement.

“The United States is deeply saddened by the devastating loss of life and livelihoods throughout Pakistan. We stand with the people of Pakistan during this difficult time,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Washington for the latest “humanitarian assistance,” noting that the challenges of food, health, and shelter remain as winter approaches.

In a tweet, he urged the international community to “promptly” contribute to a UN aid appeal for $816 million to help mitigate the devastation caused by massive floods.

Ravaging floods, following torrential downpours inundated a third of Pakistan, aside from killing over 1,700 people since mid-June.

They have also caused over $30 billion in losses to the country’s already struggling economy, mainly in housing, infrastructure, and agriculture.

ISLAMABAD, OCT 28 /DNA/ – Pakistan Services Limited (PSL) conducted its third Corporate Briefing session at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel in compliance with the directives of the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Thursday, 27th October 2022.

Senior Management of the Company, including Mr. M. A.Bawany, Vice Chairman – Hashoo Group and Director of the Company, Syed Haseeb Amjad Gardezi, Chief Operating Officer – Hashoo Group and Director of the Company, Mr. Tahir Mahmood, Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Muhammad Amir, Company Secretary, and Board Members, Mr. Shakir Abu Bakar, Mr. M. Ahmed Ghazali Marghoob, Mr. Shahid Hussain and Mr. Rohail Ajmal were present at the event. The event was also attended by Chartered Accountants, Corporate Law Professionals, Lawyersand Company members.

Mr. Amir opened the programme by presenting PSL’s brief profile and success story, followed by Mr. Tahir Mahmood, who shared the company’s financial highlights to brief the investors and analysts about the company’s current financial performance and outlook.

On the occasion, Mr. Syed Haseeb Ajmal Gardezi shared details on all the recent management agreements and introduced two upcoming five-star hotels, Pearl-Continental Hotel Multan and Pearl-Continental Hotel Mirpur. The event concluded with a comprehensive question-and-answer session.

PESHAWAR, OCT 28 /DNA/ – Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has said that the incumbent provincial government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has taken pragmatic steps for public welfare as per Chairman Imran Khan’s vision for the establishment of a social welfare state, adding that the ultimate goal of the efforts and struggle over the years is to contribute to the national economy and provide people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with easy access to basic services.

In a statement issued here from Chief Minister’s Secretariat regarding the reforms and transformation strategy of his government, the chief minister said that PTI has emerged as the only political party that is representative of Pakistanis and stands for their rights. The provincial government has proved this by taking practical steps over the last four years which have resulted in significant improvement in the overall service delivery system in the province.

Mahmood Khan said that the major public welfare steps of the government include Sehat Card Plus, uniform academic curriculum, revamping and rehabilitation of healthcare centres, establishment of service delivery centres, provision of honorarium to Aaima Masajid and religious leaders of minorities, launching of Insaf Food Card, reforms introduced in Patwar system, solarization of Masajid, improvement in the communication network all over the province and many other initiatives under the good governance strategy of the provincial government. He added that the incumbent provincial government has worked beyond its capacity for the welfare of the public and never compromised on its manifesto regarding investment in human development despite multiple challenges. Mahmood Khan said that public confidence in the governance strategy of the provincial government has increased significantly.

It is pertinent to mention here that under the Sehat Card Plus scheme, free treatment facilities for various diseases are available to 9.6 million families of the province, which is a milestone achievement towards Imran Khan’s vision for the establishment of a welfare state. Since the roll out of the Sehat Card initiative, over 1.4 million people have availed free treatment facilities whereas expensive treatments like liver and kidney transplants have also been covered under the Sehat Card scheme to reduce the burden on families of patients. Moreover, free cochlear implants have also been introduced under which 127 children from different districts of the province will receive treatment. Rs. 1.8 million will be spent on each patient suffering from the said disease. In order to ensure provision of civic facilities to citizens at their doorstep, service delivery centres and citizen facilitation centres have been established where multiple services including issuance of Fard and domicile have been made online. Additionally, the incumbent provincial government is working on the rehabilitation and upgradation of existing schools alongside the establishment of new schools to provide uniform educational opportunities to people across the province. In addition to this, the government is also establishing model schools where students will be imparted both traditional and religious education.

The provincial government, for the first time in the history of the province, has started an honorarium for religious scholars and solarization of masajid. So far, 6500 masajids have been solarized while conversion of 9000 masajids to solar energy is in the pipeline.

Islamabad, OCT 28 /DNA/ – With reference to a news item titled ‘PTA recommends extension of mobile phone tax relief for overseas Pakistanis’ that appeared at some news sites, it is stated that certain aspects in the story have been reported out of context. 

It is clarified that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been working in consultation with FBR and FIA to develop a mechanism for overseas Pakistanis & Foreign nationals etc. whereby they can apply for temporary registration. The proposed maximum allowed time under this system for such applicants shall be up to 120 days on each visit to Pakistan.

Once this mechanism is operational, Overseas Pakistanis & Foreign Nationals may avail of this facility of temporarily registering their one mobile device on each visit to Pakistan without incurring any custom duties for 120 days. However, if said device is intended for permanent use in Pakistan then it shall be subject to applicable FBR custom duties/taxes.