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Pakistani passport listed world’s fourth weakest

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Pakistan has been ranked as having the fourth weakest passport in the world, according to Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory company.

Among 227 countries assessed on the index, the country stands at the 100th position, which has been determined based on the number of destinations Pakistani residents can visit without needing a visa.

Earlier this year, the nation of over 220 million was listed among the five countries with the lowest-ranked passports by the London-based advisory firm.

According to the report, Pakistanis had access to 35 countries with an on-arrival visa facility until January this year, which has now come down to 33.

Meanwhile, Singapore leads the index as possessing the most-coveted passport in the world, pushing Japan — leading the list for the last five years — to the third position shared with South Korea, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Sweden, granting their citizens access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

Singaporeans, on the other hand, can visit at least 193 destinations visa-free around the world out of the total 227.

While Asia has conventionally dominated the rankings in the index, Europe is coming back, with Germany, Italy, and Spain rising to the second spot, offering visa-free access to 190 destinations.

Once leading the index, the United States of America and the United Kingdom are witnessing their rankings plummet. However, Britain has shown improvement, moving up to fourth place, while the US ranking has dropped to eighth with access to 183 visa-free destinations.

The Henley Passport Index, which ranks 199 passports based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, is regularly updated to reflect changes in visa policies. The average number of visa-free destinations, over the years, for travellers has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109.

Despite the case, there remains a significant gap in travel freedom between the top-ranked and bottom-ranked countries. Nationals of conflict-ridden countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, possess the least travel privileges, with access to just 27, 29, and 30 destinations, respectively.

“The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023,” a statement by Henley & Partners read.

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In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee modestly appreciates versus the US dollar.

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In the interbank market, the Pakistani Rupee increased by 0.03% against the US dollar during Monday’s early trading session.

The rupee strengthened by 8 paise against the dollar, reaching 278.48 as of 10:10 a.m. By ending at 278.56, the rupee had lost 9 paise the day before.

Globally, Monday saw a minor decline in the US dollar, but it was still close to its two-year high. In order to obtain additional understanding of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate strategy, traders are anticipating US economic data, namely the December non-farm payrolls report.

The Chinese yuan also garnered notice when, following a strong defense by the People’s Bank of China in December, it dropped below the psychological level of 7.3 per dollar for the first time in 14 months.

Last spotted, the offshore yuan increased by 0.15% to 7.3487 per US dollar, while the onshore yuan fell by 0.05% to 7.3252 per US dollar.

The speeches that various Federal Reserve policymakers are scheduled to give this week, in which they are anticipated to restate their positions on inflation and the continuous fight against price increases, are also attracting market attention.

Expectations of fewer interest rate reduction from the Fed have helped the US dollar gain strength, and last week it reached a two-year high. Meanwhile, the euro fell to its lowest level in more than two years.

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Drugs worth $1 million are seized by the Pakistan Navy in the North Arabian Sea.

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Pakistan Navy Ship PNS MOAWIN, according to ISPR, used naval air assets to perform a boarding operation on a suspicious boat and confiscate the drugs that were concealed in the ship’s hidden compartments.

An estimated one million US dollars is the international market value of the narcotics that were seized.

International shipping lanes were being used to deliver this shipment of drugs.

Within the region’s maritime borders, the Pakistan Navy is always engaged in stopping all types of illicit activity, ISPR continued.

A spokesperson for the ANF Headquarters stated that earlier, during seven operations, another security unit of the nation’s anti-narcotics unit (ANF) seized more than 149 kg of drugs valued at more than Rs 40 million and detained four drug dealers.

He reported that 30 capsules containing heroin had been found in the stomach of a traveler at Peshawar International Airport who was headed to Jeddah.

Another operation resulted in the arrest of a suspect after 31 inebriated tablets were found in a package close to an Islamabad park.

150 grams of ice were found in a package that was shipped to Australia via a Karachi courier service.

90 kilograms of opium and 10 kg of heroin that had been concealed for smuggling were found during an operation in the Balochistani district of Chagai.

In the fifth operation, 45 kg of hashish was found in an uninhabited part of Balochistan’s Coastal Line Pasni. Three kilograms of hashish were found in Hyderabad on a suspect.

During the seventh operation, 500 grams of ice and 1 kilogram of heroin were found in the custody of a biker who was stopped close to the Iqbal Shaheed Toll Plaza Attock.

Additional investigations are underway, and cases have been filed under the Narcotics Control Act against the arrested suspect.

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Outsourcing of Airports: Deputy Prime Minister Commits to Transforming Aviation into a Profitable Sector

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Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has instructed the implementation of all feasible measures to render aviation a viable industry and to enhance service quality for travelers.

He provided these directives while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad concerning the outsourcing of airports and the advancement of the aviation sector.

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