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Business Recorder
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PTC vows to ensure transparency in tobacco leaf buying process
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PTC) has reiterated its commitment to supporting farmers, ensuring transparency in the tobacco leaf buying process, and strengthening the fight against illicit trade through robust compliance with regulatory frameworks. While briefing journalists during visit to tobacco leaf buying areas on Wednesday, Head of Leaf PTC, Imad Uddin told that the tobacco industry is operating under the oversight of the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and the industry is regulated by the PTB Ordinance, 1968, which governs production targets, procurement quotas, and fair market practices. As per the MLO 487, every year, the PTB allocates tobacco buying quotas to manufacturers based on their declared requirements, which are publicly notified to ensure transparency. This year the total demand from all the tobacco companies was around 81.5 million kilograms with 25 percent share of the Pakistan tobacco company. However, the total crop production is nearly 140 million kilograms. In case of surplus production, the PTB ensures proportional allocation among companies, safeguarding farmer interests. The MLO 487, or Martial Law Order 487, is a tobacco marketing law in Pakistan that regulates the purchase of tobacco by companies from growers. It requires companies to purchase surplus tobacco at or above the set Minimum Indicative Prices (MIP). This law is part of a broader framework including the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) Ordinance, 1968 and the Tobacco Marketing Control Rules, 2016. Imad Uddin further informed that, Pakistan Tobacco Company directly contracts with more than 10,000 farmers, and through almost 150 technical experts, provides technical training and agronomic support from seed sowing to harvest, ensuring responsible sourcing and quality enhancement. The PTC also provides financial assistance to farmers in terms of loans. Recently the PTC provided more than one billion rupees in terms of financial assistance to tobacco farmers in the region. Under this model, contracted farmers receive priority during buying, guaranteeing income security and promoting compliance with both local and international standards. 'Tobacco is called as a cash crop and directly manage more than US$ 65million economic activity and our commitment to farmers goes beyond procurement—we invest in their training, ensure guaranteed purchase of quality leaf, and create a sustainable livelihood model. Farmers remain at the heart of our business, Imad further stated. Addressing misconceptions around the Advance Federal Excise Duty (FED) imposed by the federal government at Green Leaf Threshing (GLT) units, the PTC clarified that this levy, currently set at PKR 390 per kilogram, is borne entirely by manufacturers and does not affect farmers in any way. 'The narrative that the advance FED hurts farmers is misleading and deliberately propagated by illicit trade operators to undermine tax enforcement,' the PTC official added. 'Farmers sell their green leaf to manufacturers; any tax applied after this point is strictly the manufacturer's responsibility.' There are only around 13 GLTs in Pakistan, all fully traceable, making them the most logical taxation choke point. In contrast, there are over 450,000 retail outlets selling cigarettes and more than 50 cigarette factories – primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) – where enforcement at post-processing levels is far more challenging. The FED at GLTs, fully traceable processing units—is a key tax enforcement mechanism designed to curb revenue leakage and illicit cigarette manufacturing. By documenting actual volumes processed by manufacturers, the system ensures declared production aligns with tax liabilities, strengthening the national economy. Unprecedented excise increase in recent years on the legitimate cigarette manufacturing companies and too low advance FED in previous years has led to the illicit sector to grow to more than 56% of the market. This increase has been fueled by smuggled cigarette brands. FBR needs to analyze how much tobacco was processed at GLTs and how much adjustable FED was collected from cigarette manufacturers and how much of this adjustable FED was actually adjusted against the final liability. FBR also needs to check how the GLT processing corresponds with the leaf buying of these manufacturers. The PTC remains fully compliant with the laws and regulation relevant to tobacco industry, aligning its operations with PTB directives and global best practices. 'Maintaining a fair and transparent supply chain is essential for Pakistan's economic stability. The advance FED is a crucial tool to protect government revenue and discourage tax evasion, which ultimately benefits legitimate farmers and the wider economy.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Daily Express
11-07-2025
- Daily Express
Overstaying: Jail and fine for 10 Pakistanis
Published on: Friday, July 11, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jul 11, 2025 By: Cynthia D Baga Text Size: Dad Shafiq was also fined another RM500, or jailed three months for breaching the condition on his Social Visit Pass which only allowed him to be in West Malaysia but he went to Sabah and stayed. Kota Kinabalu: Ten Pakistanis were jailed and fined for committing various immigration offences. They were Imad Ilyas, Taimoor Khan @ Khan Taimoor, Gul Saqib, Iqbal Hussain, Shah Syed Baliqh, Shah Bakht Biland, Dad Yaseen Khaistay, Dad Shafiq Shad Bakht, Ilyas Ali and Muhammad Shoaib Muhammad. All the Pakistanis pleaded guilty separately before Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain, to the charges against them. Imad, Taimoor, Gul, Iqbal, Shah Syed, Dad Yasen, Dad Shafiq, and Ilyas were fined RM10,000 each, in default six months and 12 months, for staying in the State after their documents, namely Special Passes and Social Visit Passes expired. They had overstayed in the State between fifteen days and two years. Dad Shafiq was also fined another RM500, or jailed three months for breaching the condition on his Social Visit Pass which only allowed him to be in West Malaysia but he went to Sabah and stayed. Meanwhile, Shah Bakht was jailed four months for entering the State illegally and jailed another six months for breaching the condition on his Social Visit Pass by entering the State in which the document only allowed him to be in West Malaysia. Muhammad Shoaib was fined RM3,000, or jailed four months for entering the State without valid document. All the Pakistanis paid the fine except Imad who then served the six months in default of paying the fine. They were arrested in different places in Penampang, Tuaran, Ranau, Membakut and the City between June 4 and 23 this year during operations carried out by the Immigration Department. In the same court, a 62-year-old man was fined a total of RM20,000 for allowing four illegal immigrants to stay in the place which is under his control. Yong Yick Thong admitted to permitting the four Filipinos who did not have any documents to be in a homestay construction site in Kundasang, Ranau at 12.20pm on Oct 19, 2023. The court ordered Yong to pay a fine of RM5,000 or four months in jail for each illegal immigrant involved. Prosecuting Officers Hairul Bona and Norizan Awang Tanda prosecuted. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Borneo Post
10-07-2025
- Borneo Post
Ten Pakistani men jailed, fined for immigration offences
KOTA KINABALU (July 10): Ten Pakistani men were jailed and fined by a Sessions Court here for committing immigration related offences. The cases of Imad Ilyas, Taimoor Khan @ Khan Taimoor, Gul Saqib, Iqbal Hussain, Shah Syed Baliqh, Shah Bakht Biland, Dad Yaseen Khaistay, Dad Shafiq Shad Bakht, Ilyas Ali and Muhammad Shoaib Muhammad were heard before judge Hurman Hussain. All of them had pleaded guilty to their charges. Imad, Taimoor, Gul, Iqbal, Shah Syed, Dad Yasen, Dad Shafiq and Ilyas were each fined RM10,000 for staying in the state after their Special Passes and Social Visit Passes had expired. They had overstayed in the Sabah for between 15 days and two years. Dad Shafiq also received another RM500 fine for breaching the condition of his Social Visit Pass which only allowed him to be in West Malaysia but he stayed in Sabah. Meanwhile, Shah Bakht was sentenced to four months' jail for entering the state illegally and received another six months' jail for breaching the condition on his Social Visit Pass for the same purpose as Dad Shafiq. As for Muhammad Shoaib, he was fined RM3,000 for entering the state without any valid document. All of them paid their fines except for Imad. They were ordered to be jailed for between three and 12 months if they failed to furnish their fines. The accused were arrested in Penampang, Tuaran, Ranau, Membakut and at the City area between June 4 and 23 during separate operations by the Immigration Department. In a separate case, a 62-year-old man was fined a total of RM20,000 by the same court for allowing four illegal immigrants to stay in a place under his control. Yong Yick Thong admitted to allow four Filipinos who did not have any valid travel document to remain in a homestay construction site in Kundasang, Ranau on October 19, 2023. The court had ordered Yong to pay a fine of RM5,000, in default, four months' jail for each illegal immigrant.
CairoScene
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Shkoon Realeases ‘Greater Than One' Remix EP
Shkoon's new remix EP reimagines their album 'Greater Than One' with global collaborators AWEN, Imad, and Nandu, fusing cultures, club sounds, and deep emotional layers into bold new forms. Jun 19, 2025 Shkoon, the genre-blurring electronic duo known for weaving Arabic folklore into forward-facing club sounds, drop 'Greater Than One (Remixes)', a reimagined journey through their 2022 album. Out now via MDLBEAST Records, the remix EP brings together a global lineup of producers who expand Shkoon's sonic universe while honoring its emotional and cultural core. The project kicks off with a deep and moody take on 'Mili' from South African-born AWEN, whose remix folds warm piano motifs into pulsing deep house textures. Next, Lebanese-Nigerian producer Imad flips 'Souf' into a driving Afrohouse hybrid, merging rhythmic percussion with Middle Eastern scales in a rich cross-cultural flow. Finally, Danish artist Nandu delivers an intricate club rework of 'Jadal', lacing the track with oud, violin, and tight percussion that turns its slow-burning tension into pure dancefloor alchemy. With each remix, Shkoon's sound becomes even more borderless. From Beirut to Lagos to Copenhagen, 'Greater Than One (Remixes)' is less about reworking old tracks and more about pushing the story forward. It's an invitation into a shared musical language, one that transcends time, place, and genre.
Identity
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Identity
Shkoon Drops ‘Greater Than One (Remixes)' EP, Giving ‘Mili,' ‘Souf,' and ‘Jadal' a Second Life
Shkoon just released Greater Than One (Remixes), a three-track EP that hands over their original work to a trio of international producers, each offering a fresh perspective on the group's blend of Arabic soul and electronic depth. Out via MDLBEAST Records, the EP kicks off with Berlin-based AWEN's moody, cinematic take on 'Mili', layering rich synths and deep bass around the track's emotional core. Lebanese-Nigerian producer Imad reimagines 'Souf' through an Afrohouse lens, building a rhythmic pulse that bridges his cultural roots and Shkoon's signature tension. Closing the release is Danish producer Nandu, who transforms 'Jadal' into a hypnotic, progressive house journey, stretching the original into a slow-burning, layered ascent. Each remix stands on its own while expanding the emotional and sonic language of Shkoon's Greater Than One album — a project already rooted in cultural fusion and introspection.
