Latest news with #Sajjad
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Firearm used in parking row in Metiabruz
Kolkata: A family of three from Metiabruz was injured in a parking brawl with a neighbour, who shot at one of them with a firearm and attacked others with the gun butt and hockey sticks, early on Sunday. The gun misfired, police said. Md Samsad was parking his two-wheeler outside his home at R Block on Garden Reach Road, when his neighbour, Md Sajjad, reportedly objected to it and threatened him with dire consequences. "Sajjad went into his house but returned with others, carrying a country-made gun and hockey sticks," said an officer from the Metiabruz PS. "According to the complaint from the victim, Sajjad shot at them but the gun misfired." When Samsad's son stepped in, Sajjad hit him in the face with the gun's butt, fracturing his nose, said police, adding the accused and his aides attacked the family with hockey sticks. Before fleeing, the attackers reportedly threatened to kill the family in their next encounter. "We have registered an FIR under BNS and Arms Act. A search is on for the accused," said the officer. Police are checking CCTV footage from the area. The incident has led residents to demand increased police patrolling. "Violence over trivial matters is turning regular. We demand strict action," said Md Arbaz, a resident.
Business Recorder
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistan's IT, ITeS sector: P@SHA underscores need for consistent tax policy
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) has strongly recommended a consistent tax policy with no changes in the tax structure of IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) sector in the Federal Budget 2025-26. Addressing at a press conference here on Tuesday, Sajjad Mustafa Syed, Chairman P@SHA stated that the government must ensure policy stability and tax clarity for the IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) sector in 2025–26. As a cornerstone of Pakistan's digital economy, the IT industry has demonstrated resilience amid economic turbulence, contributing USD 3.2 billion in exports in 2023–24, and is projected to close the current fiscal year at nearly USD 4 billion. Forecasts estimate a USD 15 billion export potential by 2030. Despite these promising numbers, policy inconsistency, ad hoc taxation, and operational challenges continue to undermine investor confidence and economic contributions, he regretted. Policy stability is essential for sustaining the momentum we've recently achieved. The recent DFDI event alone resulted in over USD 700 million in investment commitments — of which USD 600 million was facilitated by P@SHA, he said. Frequent changes in tax laws — whether related to export incentives, withholding taxes, or other fiscal instruments — discourage long-term investment. The lack of predictability threatens to undo the combined efforts of public and private sector stakeholders, including MOITT, PSEB, SIFC, and TDAP. If investor confidence is shaken, Pakistan risks forfeiting years of progress, including advances in branding, skill development, and digital infrastructure, he added. 'We are not asking for exemptions that jeopardize international obligations. However, if our practical, fair recommendations are implemented in both letter and spirit, Pakistan's IT sector can contribute substantially more to national growth,' Sajjad said. He recommended there is a critical need to align tax treatment between employees of IT firms and independent remote workers. The P@SHA urged the government to formally define remote workers in the Income Tax Ordinance (2001). The proposed classification applies to individuals earning over Rs 2.5 million annually through foreign remittances or working with fewer than three international clients, taxing them similarly to salaried individuals. This recommendation aims to expand the tax base while leveling the playing field. The current disparity creates an uneven labor market where it's more cost-effective for global companies to hire Pakistani talent directly rather than through local firms. As a result, local IT businesses lose both competitiveness and valuable export revenue. A clear and fair framework will bring transparency for taxpayers and authorities alike and help protect Pakistan's economic interests. IT firms, especially call centres and BPOs, operate on narrow margins, have service level agreements and cannot afford such disruptions. Legislation must be enacted to shield them from outdated and misaligned labor regulations. Until reforms are complete, temporary exemptions must be provided to IT companies from EOBI and other arcane labor laws. Despite being one of the region's lowest revenue-per-employee markets, Pakistan's IT sector employs a massive formal workforce of over 600,000. The sector's resilience is remarkable, bearing some of the highest input costs, yet continuing to grow. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
IT, ITeS sector: P@SHA underscores need for consistent tax policy
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) has strongly recommended a consistent tax policy with no changes in the tax structure of IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) sector in the Federal Budget 2025-26. Addressing at a press conference here on Tuesday, Sajjad Mustafa Syed, Chairman P@SHA stated that the government must ensure policy stability and tax clarity for the IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) sector in 2025–26. As a cornerstone of Pakistan's digital economy, the IT industry has demonstrated resilience amid economic turbulence, contributing USD 3.2 billion in exports in 2023–24, and is projected to close the current fiscal year at nearly USD 4 billion. Forecasts estimate a USD 15 billion export potential by 2030. Despite these promising numbers, policy inconsistency, ad hoc taxation, and operational challenges continue to undermine investor confidence and economic contributions, he regretted. Policy stability is essential for sustaining the momentum we've recently achieved. The recent DFDI event alone resulted in over USD 700 million in investment commitments — of which USD 600 million was facilitated by P@SHA, he said. Frequent changes in tax laws — whether related to export incentives, withholding taxes, or other fiscal instruments — discourage long-term investment. The lack of predictability threatens to undo the combined efforts of public and private sector stakeholders, including MOITT, PSEB, SIFC, and TDAP. If investor confidence is shaken, Pakistan risks forfeiting years of progress, including advances in branding, skill development, and digital infrastructure, he added. 'We are not asking for exemptions that jeopardize international obligations. However, if our practical, fair recommendations are implemented in both letter and spirit, Pakistan's IT sector can contribute substantially more to national growth,' Sajjad said. He recommended there is a critical need to align tax treatment between employees of IT firms and independent remote workers. The P@SHA urged the government to formally define remote workers in the Income Tax Ordinance (2001). The proposed classification applies to individuals earning over Rs 2.5 million annually through foreign remittances or working with fewer than three international clients, taxing them similarly to salaried individuals. This recommendation aims to expand the tax base while leveling the playing field. The current disparity creates an uneven labor market where it's more cost-effective for global companies to hire Pakistani talent directly rather than through local firms. As a result, local IT businesses lose both competitiveness and valuable export revenue. A clear and fair framework will bring transparency for taxpayers and authorities alike and help protect Pakistan's economic interests. IT firms, especially call centres and BPOs, operate on narrow margins, have service level agreements and cannot afford such disruptions. Legislation must be enacted to shield them from outdated and misaligned labor regulations. Until reforms are complete, temporary exemptions must be provided to IT companies from EOBI and other arcane labor laws. Despite being one of the region's lowest revenue-per-employee markets, Pakistan's IT sector employs a massive formal workforce of over 600,000. The sector's resilience is remarkable, bearing some of the highest input costs, yet continuing to grow. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Print
12-05-2025
- General
- The Print
Amid fears of unexploded shells & ceasefire violations, Uri hopes for normalcy
'It will be a waste of money to renovate this house now because what all can we fix? It cannot sustain any pressure amid this uncertainty,' he says. Two days later, Ashraf, a resident of Bandi village, which falls within five kilometres of the Line of Control with Pakistan, takes stock of the damage at his shelled house. He tries to salvage the belongings from his house, which had shattered windows, cracked walls and perforated the tin roof. Uri: Mohammad Ashraf, 45, and his son-in-law Ishfaq Ahmed, rushed to shelter under their porch when they heard a siren at 5 am on 10 May. Within 10 minutes, a shell fell near their house and wrecked it. Life in Uri town and neighbouring villages seems to have come to a halt because of the incessant shelling by Pakistan after India's launched Operation Sindoor at terror camps and centres in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on 7 May. Areas along the Line of Control have borne the brunt of the flare-up. Although a ceasefire seems to be in place at present, most people have left Uri and neighbouring villages to seek refuge with relatives in Baramulla and other towns. Those without relatives have chosen to shelter at Govt. Degree College Baramulla. Restaurants, grocery shops, farming and other activities are on hold. 'We have sent our women and children to Baramulla to my in-laws so that we don't have to think about their safety. We came here to take stock of the house, which is there but not there actually,' says 30-year-old Ishfaq Ahmed. Also Read: A Poonch woman's 13-yr-old twins died 5 mins apart. She hides their deaths to keep their father alive Residents seek permanent ceasefire Maqbool Bandey, a resident of Uri, says he wants both India and Pakistan to understand that local people are eager to return to normal life without the threat of attacks. 'It is easy to say temporary migration, but in the absence of your business, farms, home, etc. I can't even visit my kitchen garden because of the fear of shells.' Bandey stayed in the village during the nights of 8 May to 10 May, taking shelter in a mosque with three others, and later moved to Degree College Uri on 11 May. 'We want Kashmir to be like any other aspiring part of the world with developments, jobs, tourism and, most importantly, normalcy,' says another resident. In Lagama, 10 km from Uri's main market, Sajjad's grocery shop was hit with a shell on the night of 8 May. Burnt musk melons, onions, bottles of kiwi and orange juice, a burnt weighing machine and tin sheets lay strewn in debris. 'At 11 pm on 8 May, Pakistan started shelling towards Uri, and India also retaliated. By 12 at night, I got to know about a fire incident in my shop, but I couldn't confirm because of continuous shelling. When we got up in the morning, we got to know we had lost everything,' said Sajjad. He said business in Uri depends on a permanent ceasefire. 'Even if we start our business from zero again, it will get shelled in months or years. We don't feel like investing here.' The picturesque town of Uri, surrounded by pine-covered mountains, was among the first areas attacked by Pakistani tribal forces during the 1947 invasion. Indian troops recaptured it days later. The town has since remained a flashpoint in every chapter of the India-Pakistan conflict. On 11 May, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the town and tried to console shopkeepers. 'There should be better facilities here,' one shopkeeper told her. 'To hell with bunkers. Will you live in a bunker for your whole life? You should say, 'Let there be peace, and we don't need bunkers',' said Mehbooba. Uri's National Conference MLA, Sajad Shafi, tells ThePrint that hundreds of houses have been damaged because of the shelling. 'We have suffered right from the 1947, 1965 and 1971 wars and the 1998 shellings, and for the last 35 years. Whenever there is hostility between two countries, it is the people on the border who suffer the most. We have lost lives, houses and agricultural lands,' says Shafi. 'This should be a permanent ceasefire. We want to live like the people of Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Islamabad and Karachi.' (Edited by Sugita Katyal)
India Gazette
07-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
PAKISTAN-MURIDKE-INDIA-ATTACK-DAMAGE
Xinhua 07 May 2025, 21:51 GMT+10 (250507) -- MURIDKE, May 7, 2025 (Xinhua) -- A destroyed building is seen after an Indian missile attack in Muridke, a town near Lahore, Pakistan on May 7, 2025. Twenty-six people, including women and children, were killed and 46 others injured when India attacked civilian settlements in six areas of Pakistan on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Pakistani army's media wing said. (Photo by Sajjad/Xinhua)
