Easypaisa, Pakistan’s leading provider of digital financial services is expanding accessibility by offering free app usage for Zong 4G customers. Customers can make airtime purchases, money transfers, bill payments and a wide variety of other services through the Easypaisa App on a Zong 4G internet connection without consuming any data volume (MBs). This zero data usage is aimed at providing customers with enhanced convenience as well as the ability to perform necessary financial transactions without any restrictions.

Easypaisa is Pakistan’s most widely used mobile payments solution which offers a diverse range of services which continue to expand every day. Digital financial transactions are shaping the way customers perform daily exchange of money for various purposes and Pakistan’s predominantly cash-based economy is also shifting towards digital financial services like Easypaisa for more feasible monetary dealings. Zong 4G, Pakistan’s No.1 data & communication network provides one of the highest quality data services and accessing Easypaisa through Zong 4G’s data network will provide greater convenience and improved accessibility to users.

The ability to access and use Easypaisa for free through Zong 4G internet will not only pave the way for more people to use the app but also allow them to perform transactions when they are out of data MBs. Mobile loads and call or data bundles can be purchased directly through the Easypaisa App and now it can be done without depleting current data resources.

Commenting on the development, M. Mudassar Aqil, President & CEO Telenor Microfinance Bank / Easypaisa said; “A key element for enabling adoption of digital financial services is to provide innovative and convenient solutions for customers through collaboration and technology. Our partnership with Zong 4G, one of the leading data service providers in the country, is another step towards creating a digital ecosystem that benefits Pakistan. Easypaisa is continuously partnering with other leading players in various tech-driven segments as well as others to open new avenues for its customers”.

Commenting on the partnership Zong 4G’s official Spokesperson said, “As a leading telecom operator, Zong 4G has always stepped forward to introduce innovative products and services for its customers across the country. Our partnership with Easypaisa is reflective of our commitment of bringing ease and convenience to the lives of our customers. As a result of this collaboration, our customers will be able to access and use Easypaisa free of cost through Zong 4G’s internet.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has given digital payments a sudden boost with people opting for digital channels to conduct their financial transactions keeping in view the social distancing requirements. Easypaisa enables its customers to maintain accounts, make essential transfers, shop online and avail discounts as well as cashbacks along with a host of other features directly through its App.

DIG Prisons Saeedullah Gonadal said meetings with inmates at the prison were suspended due to the corona virus He was allowed to visit the families of the prisoners Four months later Prison inmates will be able to meet their families, their wives and children.

It will be necessary to implement the given SOPs to avoid corona Only your wife, children, parents, and siblings will be able to visit once every fortnight Social distance and all precautions will be taken during the meeting We met the wife and children of one of the inmates at the District Jail, Faisalabad,” he said

Prisoners have been suffering from severe psychological distress after meetings were closed due to lockdown in jails for the past four months. Permission to visit relatives will have a positive effect on the health and psyche of prisoners If prisoners meet their families, their wives and children, they lighten the burden of their hearts A death row inmate in the district jail Met his 7-year-old son

His name was Hasnain, he said For the first time since my father was imprisoned It’s been 4 months

I saw my dad and talked now I could not sleep at night I cried all night Now I have met my father

I will have a good night’s sleep. Remember as an incident took place in Gujarat Jail 4 days ago

Prisoners rioted at Gujarat District Jail All the prisoners climbed on the roofs. He broke into the jail and set it on fire Two officers and two prisoners were injured in the clashes

District Jail Superintendent Ali Akbar Gujjar  Told  Whoever is coming to visit the family of the prisoners

Our police men They are wearing sunny teasers And the families of the visiting prisoners and the prisoners are also being given face masks and hand gloves. And they said For those who come to visit the prisoners Excellent setting made Where the families of the prisoners are at ease

Sit down and meet your family.

KARACHI: Heavy downpour and thundershowers are expected in the metropolis again today, the Meteorological (MET) Department said on Tuesday.

According to the MET department, it will be cloudy in the port city during the next 24 hours with the possibility of thundershowers and rain.

Director MET Sardar Sarfraz said that the rain system is present in the Arabian Sea southeast of Karachi and thunderstorms can form in 11 to 12 hours.

He added that winds could blow at a speed of 50 to 60km/h before the rainstorm begins, after which heavy, moderate and light rain showers are expected to fall in different parts of the city.

“30 to 40 mm of rain could fall in some areas,” he said.

The monsoon system is said to have been in Karachi’s southeast since yesterday morning and has strengthened due to humidity from the sea, leading to the first rain in Pakistan’s financial capital.

The PMD’s top official said wind speeds in the thunderstorm were recorded at 54km/hr.

Data provided by the authority showed the highest rainfall was recorded in Saddar, at 43 millimetres (mm), while 26 mm was registered at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Faisal Base, 22mm in Nazimabad, 12mm at PAF Masroor Base, 8.8mm at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, 3.1mm in Landhi, and 1.2mm in Surjani Town on Monday.

Sarfraz added the monsoon system has become stronger due to higher humidity in the sea and intermittent rain is expected till the morning of July 8.

Atleast 9 killed in Karachi in first spell of rain on Monday

At least nine people were killed and several others injured due to rain in the metropolis as torrential rains wreaked havoc, bringing with it hours-long power outages in multiple neighbourhoods despite claims by the K-Electric that it had made improvements in its system ahead of the thunderstorm.

A woman and children were among those killed during the rain in the city, rescue officials confirmed. Three died as the roof of a house in Ibrahim Hyderi collapsed, while a three-year-old girl died when a wall fell in Malir’s Shamsi Society, officials said. Another woman was electrocuted to death in Liaquatabad, while a child died the same way in Mominabad, Orangi Town.

Several others were injured and one person died when a pole-mounted transformer (PMT) fell in Ibrahim Hyderi, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) said.

Two children died when the roof of a house in Ibrahim Hyderi while one other woman was killed when the roof of a house collapsed in Liaquatabad.

One person was injured when a tree fell in Korangi’s Sector 33-D, while a five-year-old was wounded when a wall collapsed in Malir’s Memon Goth.

Another person died from electrocution at his home in Kaemari.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday extended interim bail of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in assets case until July 16.

Headed by Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem, a two-judge bench of the high court heard the bail petition.

“Why didn’t Shehbaz Sharif show up if his Covid-19 test report came back negative,” questioned the bench.

Sharif’s lawyer told the judges that as per health experts, a coronavirus patient is declared as having recovered from the disease after his two test reports come back negative. He added the PML-N leader is not completely fit.

The court approved the PML-N leader’s plea for exemption from personal appearance.

During the previous hearing, the court had directed Shehbaz Sharif to get himself tested for the novel coronavirus from the Institute of Public Health.

NAB lawyer had told the judges that the accused was to take a COVID-19 test on June 25 but he had not done so yet. He will keep asking the court for more time this way, he added.

Earlier, on June 3, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had restrained the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting Shehbaz Sharif in a money-laundering case case against him.

The bench directed him to furnish a surety bond of Rs500,000 to secure the bail until June 17.

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant has disappeared mysteriously after a flight carrying passengers landed in Canada Toronto city.

According to details, PIA flight attendant, identified as Yasir, went missing from his hotel, after arriving in Toronto on a PIA flight PK-781 from Islamabad.

PIA’s Station Manager in Canada has informed Airport authority while PIA administration has taken notice of the disappearance of the flight attendant.“The authorities have launched an investigation into the matter and action will be taken against flight attendant Yasir”, the General Manager Flight services said.

Back in September 2018, another flight attendant of the PIA namely Fareeha had disappeared mysteriously after a flight carrying passengers landed in Canada’s Toronto city.

According to PIA spokesperson, air hostess, Fareeha Mukhtar, had boarded the PIA flight PK-789 from Lahore but as soon as it landed in Toronto, she disappeared mysteriously and never boarded the return flight.

The air hostess was supposed to return to Lahore on PIA’s PK-782 flight on the very day but never boarded the plane despite leaving for the same with her colleagues.

The PIA spokesperson had maintained that a missing report was lodged with the Canadian police and authorities were also informed regarding her disappearance.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) Roosevelt Hotel, located in New York, is not being privatised, a federal law officer informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.

IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq was hearing a petition against the reported government plans to privatise the national flag carrier’s asset in the heart of global commercial and tourism hub.

The deputy attorney general stated before the judge that Roosevelt Hotel is not being privatised.The chief justice asked him whether he wanted to submit a written response to the petition, to which he replied that he needed some time to seek instructions in this regard from the government.

The high court bench directed the federal law officer to apprise the court of the government’s stance on the issue at next hearing and adjourned the case until July 15.

The federal government has decided to shelve the plan of privatization of Roosevelt Hotel.

The government decided to keep the legally questionable decision of privatisation of Roosevelt Hotel in New York on the back burner after it was advised by legal adviser to stay away from the controversial plan.