1. Senior analyst Nusrat Javed has predicted that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, will be taken into “military custody” in the coming days. On the other hand, Hamid Mir has claimed that efforts are being made to put Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi back into jail because the government is wary of the possibility of Bibi joining PTI’s tehreek starting November 9.
2. Yesterday marked International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, and according to UNESCO, more than 50% of journalist killings were documented in “crisis- and conflict-zones” in 2023, with the figures persistently at a high in the first six months of 2024.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked Pakistan 12th out of the 13 “worst offenders”, whereas Geo reports that this year alone, six journalists were killed while 11 assassination attempts were made.
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Speaking of fear and lack of freedom, the federal government has proposed amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act under which any person with “reasonable suspicion” can be arrested and held in custody for three months, considering the “current security situation.”
3. 30 bottled water brands have been deemed undrinkable by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) with the presence of microbiological and chemical contamination.
Among the 12 brands are Natural Pure Life, Bro H2O, Purifa Spring Water, Aqua Health, Meher Natural, Mountain Pure, Oslo, Smart Pure, Fijji, More Plus, Qudrat, and Natural, declared unsafe for having high levels of sodium.
The remaining two brands, Black Seed Water and Natural, have increased turbidity levels.
Turbidity is the “cloudiness” of a liquid caused by tiny particles, like sediments and microorganisms — the higher the turbidity, the more polluted water is and the harder it is to disinfect it.
4. Pakistan is experiencing an upward trend in inflation, with the inflation rate rising to 7.17 per cent on an annualised basis in October.
According to data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, the average inflation rate measured by the Consumer Price Index has been recorded at 8.68 per cent during the first four months of the fiscal year 2025 (July to October).
5. The government plans to propose a major change to help people from the middle classes who want to go for Hajj. According to the submitted plan, which has yet to be approved by the federal cabinet, pilgrims will be able to pay their Hajj expenses in three instalments instead of a single payment.
This is reportedly a part of a wider Hajj policy expected to be approved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. As per the details of the instalments, pilgrims will pay a total of Rs 1.1 million in three payments, with an initial deposit of Rs 200,000 required when applying. On selection from a lucky draw, an additional Rs 400,000 will have to be paid, with the final amount payable before departure.
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