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SHC orders probe against FIA officials for shutting accounts of people’

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The constitutional bench of Sindh High Court has expressed severe disapproval over freezing of citizens’ bank and mobile accounts by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and ordered inquiry into the conduct of the officers concerned.

The court directed the Director General FIA to launch an investigation against the officials involved in blocking the bank and mobile accounts of the citizens. It ruled that the probe should be concluded within a period of 3 months and that the officers concerned should not be given any operational responsibility throughout the term of investigation.

Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon said that the fundamental rights of the citizens cannot be reduced on the basis of an inquiry. The court said if there is no direction to block the passports and accounts of the petitioners, the facilities shall be restored forthwith.

The counsel for the petitioners said the FIA had blocked the petitioners’ passports, national identity cards, bank accounts and mobile accounts without any prior warning. The lawyer said that the limits had resulted in substantial losses to the petitioners’ businesses and said that the petitioners had already been cleared by a court in the underlying criminal matter.

“The proceedings under the Anti-Money Laundering Act are of a separate nature from the main criminal case,” the government lawyer told the court. He said that such proceedings did not necessarily end with the acquittal of an accused person.

The court said investigations under anti-money laundering rules might go ahead but any action impacting the fundamental rights of persons must be taken transparently and with due process. It said that a citizen’s passport or financial transactions cannot be subjected to indefinite interference on the basis of an investigation alone.

“The bench also noted that the FIA’s letters to the banks were used as a basis to block accounts even though there was no order of any competent court or authority directing the freezing of accounts. The court said powers under the Anti-Money Laundering Act can be utilised only with adequate legal authority.

The judgement said that exerting such powers without legal sanction would be misuse of authority. The court instructed the DG FIA to probe the conduct of the subordinate officers and start departmental proceedings if evidence of misuse of powers or mala fide intent was revealed.

The high court further cautioned that in case a similar incident comes before the court in the future, contempt of court procedures may be filed against the people responsible.

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An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 occurs close to Naples, Italy, resulting in damage and disruptions.

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  • A magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit the Campi Flegrei area near the southern Italian city of Naples on Friday, causing power cuts, disrupting train and metro services and damaging some buildings, authorities said.

The quake was registered around 7.46 pm (1746 GMT). Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology stated the epicentre was in the Campi Flegrei area west of Naples at a depth of around 3 km (2 miles).

The Italian fire department said there had been minimal damage to buildings in and around Naples, but workers had not received immediate demands for help or rescue of occupants.

Local rail and metro services were suspended as a precaution, local officials said.

According to Italian media, it was one of the greatest earthquakes ever registered in the region, with people in some areas pouring into the street as the tremors hit.

The government has increased surveillance of the heavily populated volcanic caldera of Campi Flegrei, which spans much of western Naples and has seen growing seismic activity in the past several years.

The region is regularly hit by tiny quakes but greater ones have stoked fears of a repetition of the seismic ⁠crisis that rocked Campi Flegrei in the early 1980s, disrupting life across the region and forcing thousands of people from their homes.

Italy is a country at risk of earthquakes.

Central Italy was hit by severe quakes in 2016, destroying areas of Lazio, Umbria and the Marche provinces, killing over 300 people.

The most destructive in recent decades was a 6.9-magnitude quake that rocked the Irpinia region of southern Italy in November 1980, killing over 2,700 people and destroying hundreds of villages.

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For three days, Pakistan lowers the price of petrol and diesel.

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For a three-day period starting on August 1, the government has announced a slight decrease in the cost of petroleum products, including gasoline and high-speed diesel (HSD).

The Petroleum Division said that the price of high-speed diesel has been lowered by Rs0.66 per litre, resulting in a new retail price of Rs392.38 per litre.

Additionally, the price of gasoline has been lowered by Rs0.12 per litre, to Rs336.03 per litre.

According to the letter, the updated pricing will go into effect between August 1 and August 3.

According to the administration, the little cut was taken after accounting for both domestic economic and budgetary factors as well as global oil costs.

In light of persistent economic pressures and swings in the world’s crude oil markets, the most recent adjustment provides customers with little respite.

The most recent update comes after the government regularly reviews fuel costs, which are decided by the currency rate, domestic tax laws, and global market trends.

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FBR surpasses its July revenue goal by Rs40 billion.

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In July 2026, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs820 billion in net revenue, exceeding the monthly target by Rs40 billion.

The July tax collection target was set at Rs780 billion, but net receipts came in at Rs820 billion, according to FBR documents.

According to the papers, gross tax collections for the month totaled Rs918 billion. Net receipts were Rs820 billion after Rs98 billion of this sum was reimbursed to taxpayers under different refund categories.

Gross collections under the income tax head was Rs343 billion. Net income tax revenues fell short of the objective of Rs323 billion, coming in at Rs308 billion after the payment of Rs35 billion in refunds.

In July, sales tax collections came to Rs413 billion, while sales tax refunds were Rs53 billion.

The Federal Excise Duty (FED) collected Rs48 billion, compared to the objective of Rs47 billion, according to the FBR.

In July 2026, customs duty receipts totaled Rs115 billion, surpassing the designated objective of Rs105 billion by Rs10 billion.

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