The passport distribution desks around the country will remain open on Saturdays to allow citizens to get their ready passports.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has announced that the delivery counters will be open on Saturdays from 8 am to 4 pm.

Citizens can also collect their ready passports on Saturdays as the weekly passport delivery facility will be available for two months.

The Director General of Immigration and Passports appealed to the citizens to obtain their passports at the earliest opportunity and those unable to visit during the normal working hours to avail of the Saturday facility.

He also appealed to passport applicants to collect their documents on time and warned that passports not collected for more than six months will be disposed of in accordance with government policy.

– Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a five-hour meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in London, during which the political situation in Pakistan and the party’s position on the division of Sindh were discussed.

Bilawal met the president at Asif Zardari’s residence, where his sister Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and her children were also present.

The meeting focused on the situation in Pakistan, while a recent speech by PPP leader Faryal Talpur was also discussed, according to reports.

The meeting concluded with the decision to maintain the PPP’s position against any division of Sindh, the reports said.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Bilawal said he would remain in London for the next few days and would meet members of the media in the coming days.

Bilawal and Bakhtawar later left for their residence. 

Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said the countrywide movement is gathering momentum, crediting young people for playing a historic role in the cause.

Addressing a public meeting, Hafiz Naeem congratulated party workers for what he termed as a historic nationwide walkout the previous day. He claimed traders in Karachi lay the basis for the strike, while people turned out in places across interior Sindh.

He added that the strike was also successful in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while business activities remained entirely shut across Malakand Division.

Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami’s movement represented the voice of ordinary people, adding that the rulers had made life increasingly difficult for civilians. He claimed individuals were struggling to afford two meals a day, transportation had become tough and consumers were facing large electrical bills.

He said petroleum duty had pushed fuel prices to record levels, while growing petrol costs had made vital consumables more expensive. According to Hafiz Naeem, every motorcyclist effectively pays 35 percent tax on petrol.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader stated the people had previously been unaware of the petroleum charge, maintaining that it had no connection with petrol prices. He accused the authorities of burdening the population to finance their own privileges.

Hafiz Naeem said party members had increased awareness among the public and recalled that Jamaat-e-Islami had held a sit-in against independent power producers (IPPs) two years ago, following which relief was offered to customers.

He said the administration had argued at the time that extended load-shedding made agreements with IPPs vital.

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According to Hafiz Naeem, payments to power-generating businesses were finally recovered from consumers, including the loans and interest owed to IPPs. He stated that unfair agreements had been negotiated with IPPs since 1994.