FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, AUG 29: Amid government’s boasting of its efforts in the ongoing evacuation from Kabul, the opposition parties on Saturday expressed concerns over the ‘liberal’ visa policy adopted by the government, fearing infiltration of terrorists in the guise of transit passengers from Afghanistan.

Criticising the government for not taking the parliament and the opposition into confidence on the situation that emerged after the Aug 15 takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, the country’s major opposition parties raised questions over the government’s handling of the situation, stating that no one knows as to who is making decisions in this regard.

The opposition parties expressed concerns following reports that Pakistan was facilitating those Afghans and other foreigners who wanted to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of most parts of the country and disclosure by federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry during a news conference in Karachi that Pakistan had so far evacuated more than 4,400 people from Afghanistan and as many as 27,000 people had entered Pakistan from Chaman and Torkham borders.

A massive exodus from the war-torn neighbouring country is expected following the Aug 26 blast outside the airport in Kabul resulting in the deaths of over 150 people. Islamabad’s administration had already reportedly taken control of all hotels in the capital for three weeks to arrange accommodation for foreigners being evacuated from Afghanistan. Security measures in and around the hotels have also been beefed up, with police and paramilitary personnel put on high alert.

Want strict monitoring of foreigners during transit stay

When most of the parties came out with a general reaction, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stalwart Senator Raza Rabbani put specific questions before the government regarding its handling of the situation, particularly its visa policy for those entering the country from Afghanistan.

“It is a matter of concern that the government till date has not taken the people or the parliament into confidence on the rapidly developing Afghan situation,” said Mr Rabbani, adding that the matter of further concern for them is that the parliament has not been informed about the steps which the government has already taken or is taking in the wake of the emerging situation in Afghanistan, including granting of visas to those who wanted to leave the country.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Rabbani listed a number of questions which, according to him, the government needed to respond.

“What necessitated Pakistan being made a staging station for the exodus from Afghanistan?” he asked.

The PPP senator also asked the government to disclose the nationalities of the people being granted visas to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan and also about the duration and the type of visa being issued to them?

Mr Rabbani, who had also served as the Senate chairman, also asked the government to explain as to what safeguard measures it had taken to ensure that these people would leave Pakistan and would not mix with the local population.

More importantly, Mr Rabbani said the nation wanted to know as to what steps the government had taken to ensure that terrorists belonging to militant Islamic State (IS) group or Daesh did not infiltrate the country owing to this “liberal policy” of granting visas.

The PPP senator said these were basic questions and it was the right of every Pakistani to be informed about them as it would affect their lives and have a long-term bearing on the national security of the country.

In response to a question regarding the upcoming briefing of the members of three parliamentary committees by the military leadership on the Afghan situation at the army’s GHQ on Monday (tomorrow), the PPP senator termed it “insufficient”.

“The briefing to a selective group of parliamentarians will not serve the purpose,” declared Mr Rabbani, adding that it would create feelings among other parliamentarians that perhaps they were the children of a lesser god.

Objecting to the venue of the briefing, he said those who wanted to brief the parliamentary committees should appear before it as the committees very rarely visited places. Moreover, he recalled, in the past the military leadership had briefed the parliament many a times.

National interest

When contacted, secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal said the government should keep the “national interest and humanity” in mind while granting visas to the people coming from Afghanistan.

Mr Iqbal, who had served as the interior minister in the PML-N government, said that the government should ensure tracking of those people who had entered Pakistan in transit visas and make sure that they left the country within the specific period. The PML-N leader said there should not be a “refugee exodus” as it would create further crisis for the country. He said it was the duty of the government to seek international support for the refugees as Pakistan would not be able to handle the situation on its own.

Another opposition party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), also asked the government to provide the particulars of those who had been granted visas to stay for a month in the country.

“On which forum, the government has made the decision to allow 5,000 foreigners to Pakistan?” asked Asif Luqman Qazi, the head of the party’s foreign affairs wing in a statement.

“What is the surety that these foreigners will not become a threat for the country’s security like Raymond Davis? Has the US sought these kinds of arrangements with its strategic partner India?” asked Mr Qazi.

The leaders of the two nationalist parties —Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Awami National Party (ANP) — were of the view that all those who wanted to come to Pakistan should be allowed to do so on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking at a news conference in Quetta, PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said no country in the world stopped the people migrating due to Afghanistan-like situation. He said the people from Afghanistan were coming to Pakistan due to uncertain situation in their country.

Talking to Dawn, ANP’s information secretary Zahid Khan also said the government should allow those Afghans who wanted to leave their country, particularly after the recent blasts at the Kabul airport. He said they could not oppose the entry of the people from Afghanistan on humanitarian basis, adding that it was the duty of security agencies to monitor and screen those entering the country to prevent unwanted elements’ entry to the country.

Commenting on the other opposition parties’ demand for a parliament session, Mr Khan regretted that the parliament had never been a decision-making forum on key national issues, especially the foreign policy.

“Those who have been making policies for 40 years have never sought any help from the parliament. Now how can you ask them?” he said, adding that “all the decisions about Afghanistan are always made by the establishment”.

The ANP leader said that on the one hand, the government had announced that it would not provide space to the US and on the other hand, it was allowing them to use the country’s soil for evacuation.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, AUG 28: Taking snapshots from WhatsApp web and smartphones versions are different. However, using the footsteps makes the task of taking screengrabs from the web version easier.

According to a guide by Hindustan Times, these tricks are handy in taking pictures of a lengthy conversation from the web version of the messenger service.

An extension named Fireshot should first be installed. It can captures JPG, GIF and PNG images from any website while scrolling. It does not have any ads and can be used offline. The captured visual content can be sent to OneNote application or copy-paste it in another WhatsApp chat itself.

You can simply ‘print screen’ and save it on your phone or PC, after getting started. The snipping tool will come in handy as users can cut their images as per their requirements.

Taking a picture from  Microsoft Edge makes things easier than doing so in Google Chrome. This is convenient as Microsoft’s browser supports full-page screenshots. The users just need to press the combination of control, shift and s buttons for taking contents from their screens.

A selected part or the whole region of the page can be captured for more content while scrolling. Hit the save button and you’re done.

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COURTESY ARY NEWS

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The US after 9/11 launched a major offensive named ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ against the Taliban forces as Mullah Omar refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden to them and by virtue of its military might was able to easily overthrow the Taliban regime 

One of the principal characteristics of a superpower is its ability to alter the behaviour of nations or a particular nation, in order to ensure the successful pursuit of its regional and global ambitions. The US after 9/11 launched a major offensive named ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ against the Taliban forces as Mullah Omar refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden to them and by virtue of its military might was able to easily overthrow the Taliban regime. 

And during the last twenty years, the US made massive investment along with its Nato allies to raise equip and train the 300,000-strong Afghan army to support the quasi-democratic government in Afghanistan and counter militant forces. But in reality, as the situation unfolded the Afghan army melted away without giving a fight and the government of Ashraf Ghani is all set to be replaced by a Taliban-led government which seems to enjoy support largely in the rural areas.

US interventions in different countries are well remembered more for their failures than successes. The pictures of US forces withdrawing from Vietnam in April 1975 still remain a memorable but tragic chapter of history. Despite the death and destruction that characterised the military adventure in Vietnam it failed to break the will of the Vietcong. 

During 1960s Cuba too under Fidel Castro and successive regimes have resisted US domination despite having to pay a heavy price. The irony is that generally countries such as Iran or Venezuela — where the US has brazenly intervened militarily or pressurised these through economic strangulation and strategic isolation for refusing to accept its dictates — have turned inwards and further tightened their hold on their people. So, it is essentially the people of these countries that are its worst sufferers and not the regimes per see. 

Pakistan too had a taste of US sanctions, not once but frequently, and here too our experience was that the thrust of the punitive measures was borne by the masses. Another aspect of it is that it generates ill will against the superpower and facilitates the challenger, be it China or Russia, to make inroads. 

A similar pattern is emerging in Afghanistan with China in the lead, and Russia, Iran and Pakistan likely to facilitate the regime’s acceptance followed by its recognition. For China, having good relations with the Afghan government is vital for the BRI programme. Besides, China is obviously not concerned about promoting democracy for it considers it to be an internal matter. 

A recent example of this was witnessed when Beijing rushed to assist Myanmar’s military-led government when the Western countries had imposed strict sanctions for overthrowing an elected government.

The US and Western countries too although keep harping on democracy and human rights are selective in pressing for its adherence. Pakistan has experienced this duality of approach frequently since its very inception. Gen Ziaul Haq was a pariah until the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Similarly, Gen Pervez Musharraf was treated with disdain until 9/11 when Pakistan sided with the US against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. One cannot forget those humiliating moments when Bill Clinton addressed the Pakistani nation on our television network in which he mostly sermonised while making sure that Musharraf is kept out. And as soon as 9/11 occurred, Musharraf’s fortune changed. 

These were some of the turns and twists of history that are firmly etched in our memories and are common knowledge. These examples only confirm that if a nation has to change course for the betterment of its people it is not a foreign country even be it a superpower that can alter the direction or transform its destiny.

History also bears witness that when outside powers have intervened, the process of positive change from within has not only been delayed but distorted. And as mentioned earlier, countries like Cuba and Iran turned inwards retarding their political and economic progress. 

In Syria, President Assad — fearing a regime change sponsored by the US and Western countries — has further tightened his grip on its people and increased their suffering beyond measure. Moreover, the people having suffered due to sanctions bear lasting grudge against the US. 

For example, in my country I have seldom heard any one blaming the government for inviting sanctions. It is always the US or the West that imposes it, however justified from their perspective these sanctions might be.

Of course, this is not to acknowledge that sanctions have worked occasionally and helped the country by improving governance for the betterment of its people. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), by placing Pakistan on its grey list, although troubling and one-sided, did force the government to take more effective measures against money laundering, leading to terror financing that led to investigating and prosecuting leaders involved in these activities.

Historical experience shows democratic nations that are accountable to their people are today leading the world in economic and social progress. They are also in the forefront in the race for technological and scientific progress. For these nations, education and health of their people have always been the highest priority. 

China too, although not a democracy, but only when it accorded the highest priority to education and cared for its people that it was able to make phenomenal progress. Learning from our own checkered past and from the successes and failures of others we need a similar focus. Even the PM whose efforts for a Green Pakistan are laudable should also be accompanied by sermons for an educated and healthy Pakistan. 

Green Pakistan will not be achievable until the people have a level of education that makes them realise the fallout from global warming on their lives, and successive governments address the curse of poverty that drives them to cut trees to cook their meals.

Our young political leadership has reached the top by virtue of inheritance rather than struggle. More the reason for them to establish their credibility by formulating and implementing policies that break the shackles of poverty and ignorance of our teeming millions.

The writer is a retired lieutenant general of Pakistan Army and a former federal secretary. He has also served as chairman of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories Board

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COURTESY Express Tribune

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KARACHI, AUG 27: Pakistani cricket team captain Babar Azam join hands with the social learning platform Noon Academy as its brand ambassador and as an investor to help promote the company’s mission of providing free education in Pakistan. He joins a list of growing cricketing and non-cricketing stars and teachers who have invested in the start-up. With these investments, Noon becomes the most funded start-up from Pakistani investors.

Noon Academy is one of the largest EdTech firms in the MENAP region offering local curriculum for grades K-12 and entrance exams. It has served more than 13 million students across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. In Pakistan they offer classes for all leading broads including Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Cambridge (O&A levels). Since its Pakistan launch in September 2020, the organization has registered over 2 million local students in less than a year.

This is something that caught the attention and interest of Pakistani skipper, Babar Azam;“I am absolutely honoured and delighted to be associating with an Education Technology company which has students’ needs at the core of what they do. Noon’s mission and resolve matches with my personal vision to work for the betterment of the future generations.”

Access to quality education is one of the areas in Pakistan that requires major focus from all sides. According to UNICEF 22.8 million of Pakistan’s over 70 million children are out of school. “Noon’s focus on providing free quality education by creating holistic learning solutions that go beyond traditional forms of education has helped the organization to radically change the way people learn.” He further added that,“My core reason for partnering with Noon is the values that the brand has been built on. Their belief on putting the students’ needs at the forefront of their strategy is what differentiates them from other players in the industry.”

In his message to fellow countrymen, the skipper said, “Cricket in Pakistan is a medium that unifies the entire nation but also gives us cricketers invaluable lessons which can help individuals in any walk of life. Given the right platform I would love to share my experiences of the game with students to inspire them to be the best versions of themselves.”

Sharing his thoughts, Umair Babar Chishti, General Manager Noon Pakistan, said, “Babar’s formidable rise to success backed by his work ethic, grit and determination makes him the perfect role model for kids across Pakistan. With him on board, we are confident of strengthening the engagement with our consumers and building greater visibility for Noon across Pakistan. Having Babar Azam as Noon’s brand ambassador and now, an investor elevates the brand proposition and shows students that through hard work, mentorship and right set of  work only the sky is the limit.”

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BERLIN, AUG 27: In a surprising development, a former Afghan minister was spotted “delivering pizza” in Germany a year after he left his position in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Shah Saadat, a former Afghanistan information minister, could be seen dressed in orange-coloured clothes with a bag hung on his back in Leipzig, India Today reported. The pictures, captured by a German journalist, of Saadat went viral on social media.

The journalist claimed that he had spotted Saadat on the streets of Leipzig as he was delivering pizzas on a bicycle. “A few days ago, I met a man who claimed to have been the Afghan communications minister for two years ago. I asked what he was doing in Leipzig. “I’m driving out of Essen for Lieferando” [the man told the jounalist]”,” the journalist wrote on the microblogging site, Twitter.

The report stated that Lieferando provides food delivery services in Germany.

Reportedly, Saadat, while speaking to Sky News Arabia, confirmed that the pictures circulating were indeed his.

Ahmad Shah Saadat had joined the Ashraf Ghani-led Afghan government as a cabinet minister in 2018. He had served for two years as the Afghanistan information and technology minister and later resigned in 2020. He then reportedly arrived in Germany in December last year.

Interestingly, Saadat also holds two master’s degrees in communications and electronic engineering from Oxford University, the Hindustan Times reported.

The photos of the former Afghan minister were circulating at a time when his country’s control has been taken by the Taliban with foreign forces engaged in the evacuation process of people from different countries.

The Taliban’s stunning and rapid takeover of Afghanistan was the result not only of their battlefield strength but also a sustained push to force surrenders and cut deals.

The group mixed threats and lure with propaganda and psychological warfare as they took city after city — some with barely a shot fired — eventually capturing the capital Kabul on August 15.

When asked about the developments in Afghanistan, Saadat told the media, “The fall of the Ashraf Ghani government so quickly, was not expected.”

As foreign troops began their final withdrawal in May, Washington and Kabul were confident the Afghan military would put up a strong fight against the Taliban.

With more than 300,000 personnel and multibillion-dollar equipment more advanced than the Taliban arsenal, Afghan forces were formidable — on paper.

In reality, they were plagued by corruption, poor leadership, lack of training and plummeting morale for years. Desertions were common and US government inspectors had long warned that the force was unsustainable.

Afghan forces put up strong resistance this summer in some areas such as Lashkar Gah in the south, but they now faced the Taliban without regular US airstrikes and military support.

Faced with the smaller but highly motivated and cohesive enemy, many soldiers and even entire units simply deserted or surrendered, leaving the Taliban to capture city after city.

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COURTESY Express tribune

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RAWALPINDI, AUG 27: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar on Friday emphasised that the situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was “normal and under control” while Pakistan’s side was “secure”.

At the outset of his press conference in Rawalpindi, he said he would talk about the evolving situation in Afghanistan and the implied national security problems that Pakistan could face, along with the measures the armed forces had taken and would continue to take to “ward off any spillover of insecurity and instability into Pakistan”.

Prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the military situation in the war-torn country “unfolded rapidly”, he said, adding that Pakistan had already started taking the measures it needed to guard the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and to ensure security.

Pakistan had apprehensions that the situation would unfold in the way that it did and there could be a “spillover”, which is why it took the steps it did, he elaborated.

He recalled that Pakistan had started “beefing up” its security since 2014, including Operation Zarb-i-Azb and Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.

“The political and military leadership in Pakistan had foresight that something like this (Taliban takeover in Afghanistan) could happen. So, despite whatever has happened on that side (Afghanistan), the situation on the Pak-Afghan border is normal and under control.”

“This does not mean nothing can happen but we are prepared and won’t be caught unaware,” he added.

Giving the timeline of events as they unfolded in the neighbouring country, the DG ISPR said prior to August 15 — when the Taliban entered Kabul — several soldiers belonging to the Afghan National Army entered Pakistan on more than two occasions, seeking safe passage because they feared their posts might come under attack by the Taliban.

“They were accepted and given safe passage back under military norms,” he added.

Pakistan’s armed forces “anticipated the way the situation was going to unfold and the chance of instability” spilling over and moved troops to important border crossings to ensure control, he said.

“Seventeen out of 78 border crossings were notified [for enhanced deployment] and all illegal crossings were closed. After August 15, the terminals and border crossings have been kept open. Convoys are also continuously moving on both sides.”

Evacuation efforts

The DG ISPR said the second-biggest site for evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan, besides the ones in the neighbouring country, was in Pakistan.

So far, 113 flights — both military and commercial — have landed in Pakistan from Afghanistan, he added.

“The situation at the Pak-Afghan border is normal and there is no untoward incident,” he said.

‘Pakistan second-biggest victim of Afghan conflict’

Talking about the impact of the decades-long war in the neighbouring country, Gen Iftikhar noted the “biggest victims” of the conflict, besides Afghans, had been Pakistanis.

“We have faced a massive brunt since the Soviets invaded [Afghanistan] followed by the civil war. [More than] 86,000 lives have been lost [along with] Rs152 billion in economic losses and counting.

“While we were involved in this war on terror during the last two decades, we have had three major escalations on the eastern border. At the peak of this period, there were more than 90 terrorist incidents taking place in a year in Pakistan.”

Furthermore, 12,312 ceasefire violations had occurred on Pakistan’s eastern border since 2014, he added.

Giving details of military operations during this period, the DG ISPR said the armed forces conducted 1,237 major and minor operations and cleared more than 46,000 sq km area along the western border against terrorists and their infrastructure.

“With the support of our great nation and LEAs (law enforcement agencies), our armed forces were able to turn the tide.”

He shared that Pakistan had been reaching out to the Afghan government to formalise a border control mechanism to deal with the “instability” along the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan also suggested an intelligence-sharing mechanism, however, the initiatives were “not responded well to”, he said.

Pakistan had also reached out at the military level, he shared. “There were several high-level visits by Pakistan’s military leadership, [including] four visits by the chief of army staff. We offered [to build] a mechanism for intelligence-sharing and training of Afghan soldiers and officers in Pakistan Army institutions.

“We offered it (training) several times but only six cadets came. However, hundreds and thousands of Afghan Army soldiers went for training to India and several Indian Army training teams were placed in Afghanistan to train forces,” he said.

The reason for making the offers was because “we believe peace in Afghanistan is directly linked to peace in Pakistan,” he further said.

‘Extremely negative’ Indian role

The DG ISPR said it was important to understand what India’s role had been in Afghanistan. “I think whatever investment they made in Afghanistan and the kind of clout they developed, it was all done with one intention — to harm Pakistan.”

He said India had “poisoned the minds of the Afghan leadership, military and intelligence” because of which “negative statements” regarding Pakistan were made by Afghan leadership every time Pakistan reached out.

Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) was “helping [India’s] Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) cobble together alliances with Daesh (the so-called Islamic State), TTP and terrorist organisations to hurt Pakistan”, he added.

“If they had done their job, they would have been prepared to take on what is happening today so India’s role is extremely negative and I think the international community needs to bring India into the dock.”

Spoilers in Afghanistan

He pointed out that Pakistan had been “repeatedly cautioning the world about the negative role played by spoilers” in Afghanistan who were continuing to do so.

While Pakistan’s armed forces were conducting operations on its western border, there were “massive” ceasefire violations (CFVs) on its eastern border, he said.

“There was a massive capacity enhancement initiative in 2017; Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa [put forward a] vision of securing the western borders comprehensively. We raised more than 60 new wings for Frontier Corps in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

Along with this, Pakistan took other measures to secure its border, including upgrading technology and surveillance, constructing hundreds of border forts and fencing the border, 90 per cent of which had been done, he added.

“After two decades, we can say we have fought off the menace of terrorism very well with the whole-of-nation approach. All these operations are the epitome of insurmountable spirit and supreme sacrifice of the whole nation’s efforts.”

When asked what steps Pakistan would take if the Afghan Taliban could not control Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the DG ISPR said Pakistan had “always maintained that TTP has sanctuaries in Afghanistan with the help of spoilers”.

He noted, however, that the Taliban had said they would not let Afghan soil be used against any other country and “we have to take them at their word.”

When asked when Pakistan expected the situation to normalise, Gen Iftikhar said: “We are hoping for the best. We have taken measures and Pakistan will reach out when government-to-government contact is established.”

The DG ISPR said Pakistan expects a “cordial relationship” at the government level, adding there was “reason to be optimistic”.

Responding to another question, he said there was no military-to-military contact with other countries for now. However, reports of India using wild animals to attack and conduct surveillance along the Line of Control (LoC) were “concerning”, he said.

“I hope the world holds them responsible for stooping so low. We are aware of those surveillance means and taking our measures to counter that.”

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, AUG 27: Pakistan’s leading biscuit manufacturer EBM, through its brand Peek Freans Pik, has launched a new song ‘Banao Har LamhaKhaas’, in collaboration with Pakistani singer and songwriter Zeb Bangash.

The initiative is a continuation of the ‘Banao Har LamhaKhaas’ campaign and aims to highlight the significance of making each and every moment special  – no matter how big or small – it holds in a person’s life. 

With the release of the single, Peek Freans Pik targets young adults who often forget to celebrate ordinary everyday moments on a daily basis, merely due to their hectic and demanding routines.

The film, illustrated by artist GulbeenGulraiz, focuses on various situations where the protagonist goes out of the way to make various ordinary moments special (case in point: When the main character is stuck in a traffic jam with their loved one and instantly chooses to make the ordinary moment memorable).

Ultimately, with ‘Banao Har LamhaKhaas’, Peek Freans Pik celebrates these simple moments and aims to inspire its customers to incorporate them into their everyday lives.  

The song has released on all platforms and can be viewed on the following link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcndPz1r6kw

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ISLAMABAD, AUG 26: The wave of price hikes is washing over the Pakistani market in the wake of the turbulence in overseas trade activities and the recent depreciation of the local currency against the US Dollar. Master-Changan Motors is one of the latest companies to have announced a steep increase in the prices of its entire lineup of vehicles in the country.

The company has issued an official notification to inform authorized dealerships that the vehicles are to be sold at revised prices from 24 August onwards. It has attributed the increase in freight charges in the South Asian countries after the massive outbreak of the Delta variant COVID-19 infections as the reason for the price hike.

Here are the new prices: