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Pakistani passport listed world’s fourth weakest

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Pakistan has been ranked as having the fourth weakest passport in the world, according to Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory company.

Among 227 countries assessed on the index, the country stands at the 100th position, which has been determined based on the number of destinations Pakistani residents can visit without needing a visa.

Earlier this year, the nation of over 220 million was listed among the five countries with the lowest-ranked passports by the London-based advisory firm.

According to the report, Pakistanis had access to 35 countries with an on-arrival visa facility until January this year, which has now come down to 33.

Meanwhile, Singapore leads the index as possessing the most-coveted passport in the world, pushing Japan — leading the list for the last five years — to the third position shared with South Korea, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Sweden, granting their citizens access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

Singaporeans, on the other hand, can visit at least 193 destinations visa-free around the world out of the total 227.

While Asia has conventionally dominated the rankings in the index, Europe is coming back, with Germany, Italy, and Spain rising to the second spot, offering visa-free access to 190 destinations.

Once leading the index, the United States of America and the United Kingdom are witnessing their rankings plummet. However, Britain has shown improvement, moving up to fourth place, while the US ranking has dropped to eighth with access to 183 visa-free destinations.

The Henley Passport Index, which ranks 199 passports based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, is regularly updated to reflect changes in visa policies. The average number of visa-free destinations, over the years, for travellers has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109.

Despite the case, there remains a significant gap in travel freedom between the top-ranked and bottom-ranked countries. Nationals of conflict-ridden countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, possess the least travel privileges, with access to just 27, 29, and 30 destinations, respectively.

“The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023,” a statement by Henley & Partners read.

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Over Pakistan, Rain and Snowfall Are Expected Over the Next Three Days

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As a succession of westerly winds sweep into the upper areas of Pakistan, rain is expected to fall during the following three days.

The Meteorological Department forecasts snowfall in mountainous regions and rainfall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. There will be rain in Balochistan and the Punjabi plains, including Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

In addition, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Upper Punjab, Islamabad, and Northeastern Balochistan are scheduled to see strong winds, thunderstorms, and partly overcast weather during the course of the next day.

Since last month, there has been mild to severe haze in some portions of the country’s upper regions. The capital of Punjab, Lahore, as well as cities like Multan and Sialkot, are among the areas most severely impacted by dense fog.

Other regions of the nation will see dry weather in the interim. It is anticipated that most of Punjab will see morning smog and fog, which will eventually dissipate by nightfall.

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Dar chairs the CCOP meeting; Blue World’s bid offer of Rs.10 billion is rejected.

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The Foreign Minister/Deputy Prime Minister chaired the Cabinet Committee on Privatization meeting.

Other committee members who attended the conference included the Federal Secretaries of several Divisions, the Ministers of Finance and Revenue, Industry and Food, Commerce, Power, and Privatization.

The CCOP took the PC Board’s recommendation into consideration and suggested that Blue World’s bid of 10 billion rupees for the sale of 60% of PIACL’s shares be rejected. The bid was rejected by the CCOP, who chose to follow the PC Board’s advice.

The government’s determination to sell out PIACL through government-to-government or privatization was reaffirmed by the CCOP.

The CCOP was pleased with the Aviation Division’s evaluation of PIACL’s sound financial standing.

Additionally, the CCOP established a committee, chaired by the Minister of State for Finance, to assess potential transaction possibilities for the privatization of the Roosevelt Hotel and the appropriate modes of adoption in light of existing legal rules.

Prior to its subsequent meeting, the CCOP also ordered that all difficulties be resolved and an agreement for the selling of services to an international hotel be concluded.

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Combating Terrorism: Twelve Terrorists Destroyed in Separate Operations by Security Forces

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Eleven terrorists and Kharijis were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan’s Miran Shah District and North Waziristan. One of the victims was Sana Alias Baru, a high-value target.

In the vicinity of Miran Shah in North Waziristan, security forces successfully fought the Khwarij, leading to the death of eight and injury of six.

The general region of Balgatar, Kech District, Balochistan was earlier the scene of an Intelligence-Based Operation that resulted in the deaths of four terrorists, one of them was a high-value target.

Authorities in Kech District were actively seeking Baru, who had a pivotal role in recruiting members of the so-called Majeed Brigade, particularly suicide bombers.

Among the terrorists’ possessions were weapons and ammo.

In order to eradicate any lingering terrorists in the vicinity, a sanitation operation is currently under progress.

With unwavering resolve, the Pakistani security forces will eradicate the terrorist threat from the nation.

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