Market indicators signal that the Pakistani gold market will likely experience an all-time high that exceeds Rs. 300,000 per tola yet the current values show a slight decline. Current gold and silver market prices in the country demonstrate the following trends.
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Gold Prices Drop by Rs. 900
According to the All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association data on February 6, 2025, gold trading experienced a decrease of Rs. 900 per tola resulting in a new price of Rs. 298,700 instead of the previous Wednesday’s value of Rs. 299,600.
The 10-gram market value for 24-karat gold reached Rs. 256,087 and 22-karat gold cost Rs. 234,754 per 10-grams.
The market value of gold dropped while silver experienced simultaneous price reduction during this period. Silver prices per tola experienced a reduction of Rs. 23 and settled at Rs. 3,327 while 10-gram silver dropped to Rs. 2,852 by losing Rs. 20.
International Market Impact on Gold Prices
When local gold prices decline by $9 it results in a worldwide decrease of international gold rates from $2,868 to $2,859.
Will Gold Prices in Pakistan Cross Rs. 300,000 per Tola?
The price of gold in Pakistan is anticipated to reach Rs. 300,000 for the first time ever according to market experts while economic circumstances and market movements remain steady. Market participants track prices due to rising foreign exchange rates and currency fluctuations which could elevate the price of gold beyond Rs. 300,000 per tola.
Gold market price volatility shapes purchasing and investing choices among investors as well as jewelers and buyers. Market analysts maintain the prices will continue rising beyond current market downward trends.
The first half of the Henley Passport Index 2025 ranking has again revealed the drawbacks of holding a Pakistani passport in terms of providing the least traveling freedom to Pakistan. According to the index, out of 113 countries, Pakistan shares the 103rd position with Yemen. 33 countries have no visa requirement for Pakistani nationals.
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Key Insights:
Weak Passports: Somalia occupies the position of 102 and Pakistan is just behind it being 104th followed by Iraq (105), Syria (106), and Afghanistan (107).
Regional Comparison: India is relatively better at the 85th position, while China is 60th, Iran is 96th and Saudi Arabia is 58th.
Global Leaders: At the top of the index, Singapore has visa-free access to 195 destinations, followed by Japan, which has visa-free access to 193 destinations, and the group of European countries, including South Korea and others, which have visa-free access to 192 destinations.
Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland/Geneva, and the United Kingdom – 190 vacations.
Such ranking is closely related to the mobility problems of the Pakistani nation and area, where individuals have considerably more traveling rights than those of regional and worldwide counterparts.
LAHORE: The Punjab Education Department has issued a new notification stating that all the schools across Punjab will remain Closed for winter vacations from December 23 instead of December 20, as per ARY News.
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Unified Winter Vacations Until January 10
The break will run up to and including January 10, 2025, for all public and private schools this year.
The vacation to be taken during this period has been changed to provide one set winter vacation for all the students and teachers in the province.
However, the school will be reopening on January 13 since the coming Saturday and Sunday are weekly offs for school.
Sindh Eases Winter Dress Code for Students
Earlier, the Punjab government had declared 22 days winter holidays in all schools of the province from December 20 to January 10.
On the same Tuesday, however, the Sindh government brought major relief for the school students and their parents across the province by easing the dress code for winter season.
Following the directives of the Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah the D/w Director of Private Institutions Sindh issued a letter to the authoritative of the schools commanding that the students have the permission to wear any sort of warm cloth during this winter season.
The letter allowed the students to wear private winter clothing as before, the learners were only allowed to wear warm clothing that met the set dress code by the school management.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz will visit China from December 8-10, her first official trip, to meet with high level Chinese persons and attend an investment conference.
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Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz’s First Official China Visit
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is now all set to embark on an official journey to China tomorrow, which would be her first official trip to any country.
Maryam Nawaz is going to visit China on the invitation of the ruling party the Chinese Communist Party CCP.
The chief minister will be in China from 8th to 10th December.
In official visit to china, Maryam Nawaz will be accompanied by 10 members including Marriyum Aurangzeb.
She is scheduled to visit Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou during her working tours.
South Korean opposition agreed on Thursday it will conduct a vote to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for failing in his bid to declare martial law, while police stated they are probing charges of treason against the president and his cabinet.
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Martial Law Sparks Protests, Impeachment Bid Against Yoon
To achieve this, Yoon declared martial law late on Tuesday to centralise authority, outlaw political actions and control the media. They vehemently protested in the streets of South Korea and even bothered their international counterparts. The defence minister who has called for such a change has been fired.
Members of the opposition Democratic Party said they were preparing for a parliamentary debate to impeach Yoon at around 7 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday, a spokesman stated.
“Emergency martial law declared by the Yoon Suk Yeol regime has created a lot of confusion and fear among our people,” a member of the Democratic Party Kim Seung-won said at the National Assembly yesterday.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party is split over the crisis but stated it would vote against impeachment with the party in disarray and two years remaining of Yoon’s five-year term.
Yoon Faces Impeachment Threat Amid Martial Law Controversy
The ruling party currently has 108 lawmakers in the 300 seat parliament and the Democratic Party requires at least eight of those to cross the floor in order to pass the bill in the parliament with a two-thirds majority.
Under pressure to defend his party’s reform agenda, Yoon has dismissed Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Thursday and proposed his Saudi Arabian envoy Choi Byung-hyuk in his stead. Kim said he advised Yoon to declare martial law on Tuesday as per pla interior minister a senior military officer and an opposition motion to impeach Yoon.
Martial Law Sparks Resignations, Investigations in South Korea
Kim also moved to surround the parliament with troops, according to Vice-Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho; he said he was unaware of the order to declare martial law until Yoon did.
Kim Seon-ho said he has been against the mobilisation of military forces under martial law and has been dispatching negative opinions about it, Kim apologised and taking full responsibility for not stopping it during the parliamentary hearing on Thursday. South Korea’s army chief has also tendered his resignation, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The head of investigation of the national police in an appearance before a parliamentary committee assured the lawmakers that the police force was investigating alleged Certificate of Treason and other offenses in statement of martial law. It was lodged by an opposition party and activists.
It involves Yoon, his interior minister nominee, and the dismissed defence minister. Yonhap news agency said that both the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials has received and was discussing about requests to investigate. The former defence minister will be prohibited from foreign travel until the investigations are finished, according to broadcaster YTN.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) which showed concern on Wednesday over the closure of different business in the federal capital during the PTI’s ‘unlock call’ protest called both the government and the protesting party ‘wrong.’
The PTI Chairman, Imran Khan, called for countrywide protests on 24th November on the grounds that their election mandate had been stolen, members detained and the abolition of the 26th Amendment which the PTI claimed was in support of a dictatorial rule.
The IHC had earlier declared that the PTI proposed protest was unlawful and directed the federal government to adopt measures needed to preserve law and order in Islamabad and avert addition to the normal life since the Belarusian president visit was also scheduled to take place at the same time. During the same, the IHC Chief Justice, Aamer Farooq asked, “What other strategies can be employed other than putting up containers that resulted in shutting down the city?”
IHC Criticizes Government Over Islamabad Blockades
On Wednesday, Justice Farooq continued hearing a petition by traders in Islamabad who feared disruptions in their business activities. The case was heard in the court and Islamabad Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Legal Sajid Cheema, state counsel Malik Abdul Rehman and others were present in the court.
Chiefs justice questioned the government move to place blockades in all areas of the capital, stating, ‘You were supposed to bring law and order, but instead, you closed all of Islamabad.’ He further said, “The petitioners had requested to let them run their businesses.”
Justice Farooq also noted that the government had used the IHC order as a reason not to let the protest happen, saying, “The court itself had ordered you to safeguard the rights of citizens, businessmen, and protesters.”
Though Justice Farooq agreed with the PTI that its actions were wrong, he also blamed the government in this regard, and said: “What was the mistake of the petitioners?” What did they do that caused their businesses to be shut down?
The judge proceeded to order the Interior Ministry to produce a report on the issue. The state counsel Rehman said some reports are available; others are under preparation. The judge said: “Are you here today for the first time in a court? You should have presented this expert opinion earlier when we were at the ministry of interior.“
Justice Farooq also said this, “You locked Islamabad in such a way that even the judges including I could not reach the court.” I even became the loser of my own order.”
The chief justice further remarked, referring to PTI’s actions, “I will also ask them: what was the mistake of the common people in the fight with the government?
The court postponed the hearing to next week and demanded a report from the Interior Ministry.
PTI Protest Disrupts Daily Life; Leaders Flee After Clashes
As a lead-up to the PTI protest scheduled on November 24 , the government had blocked the major entry/exit points roads and linking roads by placing containers. University, college, universities and other learning institutions, hostels in higher learning institutions, inter-provincial bus terminals, and guest houses were also closed. There were shortages in the supplies of dairy, poultry and groceries and therefore the supply chain was affected as well.
Residents of Rawalpindi were also affected as the operation of the metro bus service was closed and due to security measures the business activities have also been affected. On 26 th Nov, the three days larged march of PTI leaders reached Islamabad and unfortunately, PTI workers clashed with security forces and after that meeting at Dharna Site and all PTI leaders including Imran Khan fled away from the Red zone on 27 th Nov early morning.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he would embark on his first international trip since his victory by attending the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was burned down over five years ago.
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The Notre-Dame Cathedral: A Symbol of Resilience
More than five years ago it was an enormous fire that had affected the framework of the building. This is the first time Trump is visiting a foreign country after he was elected president.
The romantic architecture eye-catching cathedral, which is one of the prominent attractions in France, will be re opened to the public and pilgrimage this coming weekend.
Extensive renovation projects have helped rebuild and revitalize the 12th century cathedral by erecting again its spire, rib-vaults, flying- buttresses, stained glass windows and carved stone gargoyles to give them their best looks ever with white stone and gold shimmering more brightly than ever.
Trump Praises Macron’s Leadership
Trump, who secured victory on November 5th and is set to be inaugurated on January 20, approved the government of French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement on his social media application Truth Social on Monday.
President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job to make sure that Notre Dame has been rebuild to the height it has not even been before. So, it will be a very special day for all.” he wrote.
UNITED NATIONS: Sometimes social media influencers have to be given help so they can stop and verify the information before they put it out there, this is according to UNESCO.
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Influencers and the Spread of Disinformation
Two researches interviewed for the UNESCO report said that about two thirds of the content creators do not verify the information they post, which leaves them and their followers open to manipulation.
The findings are timely given the emergence of social media influencers as agents of news and cultural meanings to global audiences while 62% of those polled did not use basic fact-checking practices.
‘Digital content creators have earned their relevant position in the information value chain disseminating cultural, social or political information to millions of individuals. But many are struggling today from disinformation and hate speech on social networks and demanding training,” said the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Audrey Azoulay, on Wednesday.
Working with Bowling Green State University in the USA, UNESCO recently conducted a survey of 500 influencers worldwide, across 45 countries, in their Behind the Screens project, which highlighted that media literacy and content verification protocols were severely lacking.
Among the sampled influencers, the study established that 63 percent of them embarked on their oppression without strict fact-checking procedures.
The survey revealed that how creators appraise the credibility of the information such as 42% of them use the number of likes and shares on social media as the main credibility indices; 21% of the respondents propagate information based on trust in friends only who posted the information.
UNESCO’s Efforts to Combat Disinformation and Empower Digital Creators
While traditional news media sub-branches are well experienced in their field, as a source they are ranked low with only 36.9% of creators using mainstream journalism for fact-checking.
Another main challenge was the digital rights.
Around half of the creators to have been surveyed had no clue about critical legal requirements and global norms that protect their work and persons featured in the final product.
More than half of those surveyed reveal they once encountered hate speech, but only 20.4% are aware of the correct procedure to report such cases to the platforms offering the content.
With regard to these challenges, the cooperation between Unesco and the Knight Centre for Journalism in the Americas (USA) aimed to launch the first-ever global training course for digital content creators, it was noted.
The new four-week program has been launched and currently, more than 9,000 participants from 160 countries have joined it to get the training on source verification, the methodology of fact-checking, and cooperation with traditional media.
As 73 per cent of creators are interested in such training, the move is in line with Unesco’s strategic plan to counter fake news disseminated online following their 2023 Guidelines for The Governance of Digital Platforms.
Thus, UNESCO keeps the dialogue going with the course participants after they are done to equip as many people as possible with a set of skills that will help them become responsible users of social media and spread reliable information.
British-Pakistani journalist and producer of Hania Aamir’s debut movie ‘Janaan’, Reham Khan has recently given marriage advice to the actress.
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Career Advice for Hania
In a recent podcast interview, Reham Khan who gave the initial break to Hania Aamir with Janaan, the film that made the debut of the then-teenager made it clear what she meant by the advice she had given to the actor earlier that she should concentrate on her career at this stage of her life rather than getting into marriage and relationships.
Reham Khan Emphasizes Voluntary Marriage Over Societal Pressure
Still, staying firm with her words Khan said, “Because I believe that a person should marry when they feel – ‘I’ve arrived’ and ‘I need a companion now’.”
She added, “Of course a girl has biological clock ticking during her 20s or 30, and secondly because of the constraints that they have from their parents, they think that after marriage they will get this much freedom. However, on the contrary, this is not the case.”
Such is the reason one should never contract marriage because one is forced to or feels pressure to do so. But when they find the right person,” she stressed. “I think that marrying should not be necessary in any particular way but voluntary.”
Khan stated that she said the same thing to the ‘Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’ actor that she has to tell the same thing to her own daughters.
“I do not have anything against the institution of marriage, though I hold the strong opinion that marriage is not for everyone,” she summed-up.
Lahore: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Twitter account says PM Shehbaz received Belarusian counterpart Aleksandr Lukashenko on an official visit to Pakistan today and the two leaders discussed trade investment defense and regional situation and renewed their desire to enhance bilateral ties and mutually beneficial relations.
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Bilateral Relations and Guard of Honor
The prime minister said that Pakistan values relations with Belarus and welcomed the Belarusian president at the PM House.
Specifically, he said that he expected the bilateral relations to progress after President Lukashenko’s visit.
The meeting discussed political relations, commerce and investment, defense, and regional matters.
Notably, both leaders showed satisfaction at the positive trend of development of relations between Pakistan and Belarus in all fields over the past decade.
Shehbaz informed the Belarusian president of his government’s economic revival policy that focuses on exports and attracting investment from friendly nations.
Lukashenko further told the Prime Minister that he wanted to express his gratitude for the good treatment the people of Belarus received in Pakistan.
Earlier they attacked President Lukashenko on his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House where a guard of honor was presented.
Future Cooperation and Strengthened Ties
During the joint press talk, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the two sides would again sit this afternoon to deliberate on the contours of future cooperation.
He said that both teams would sit for further discussions in two weeks’ time to turn these ideas into implementable actions. This would be succeeded by the signing of contracts in February of next year, stressing that it would be a march for the two nations forward to realize gains from each other strengths and possibilities.
Shehbaz said the President of Belarus is a very good friend of Pakistan and the people of Belarus also have high regard for him.
The Prime Minister also thanked the Belarusian President for backing the Kashmiri people who have been struggling for this right for several decades.
Speaking to the media during his remarks, the President of Belarus said that Pakistan has never been a distant land to him but a friendly country.
Crediting Prime Minister Shehbaz for being pragmatic about the relationship, he said that during the bilateral meetings, everything under the sun was explored in terms of cooperation, from agriculture to defense.
He said his country is prepared to extend the technologies to Pakistan. He told his country’s willingness to buy different products being produced in Pakistan including textiles.
