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Two suicide bombers kill at least 54 amid Afghan-Taliban ceasefire for Eid

Dawood Rehman 08:07 PM | 17 Jun, 2018
Two suicide bombers kill at least 54 amid Afghan-Taliban ceasefire for Eid
KABUL - A suicide bomber has struck in Afghanistan's eastern city of Jalalabad, killing at least 18 people in the second attack in as many days targeting Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians celebrating a holiday cease-fire.

According to an eye witness, a suicide bomber detonated the explosives among the security forces and civilians who had gathered near the governor's office. Provincial governor's spokesperson Ataullah Khogyani confirmed the incident.

More than 40 people were wounded in the attack, which comes a day after the Afghanistan government extended its unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban. The ceasefire was scheduled to end on June 20.

Saturday's suicide attack, which also took place in Jalalabad, killed at least 36 people and wounded 65. People were celebrating an unprecedented ceasefire between the security forces and the militants. Both the Taliban and the Afghan government had announced a ceasefire to allow their fighters to celebrate Eid.

The Daesh or the so-called ‘Islamic State’ terrorist group claimed responsibility for the blast, according to TRT. The local IS affiliate, which is not included in the cease-fire, has a strong presence in the province.

After the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the cease-fire.

The chairman of the High Peace Council, a government body charged with negotiating an end to the nearly 17-year war, has called on the Taliban to accept the extended cease-fire and join the peace process.

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The Taliban have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, seizing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces.

But on the first two days of Eid, Taliban fighters, Afghan security forces and civilians hugged and took selfies with each other across the country, in an outpouring of emotion over the ceasefire.

In the contested district of Bati Kot in Nangarhar, Taliban fighters carrying assault weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers travelled by car and motorbike, waving Afghan and Taliban flags.

Afghan forces manning checkpoints offered Eid greetings to the fighters, embracing and posing for photos with the same people they are usually trying to kill - a scene that would have been unthinkable only a few days ago..

The Taliban announced a ceasefire for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan security forces for the first time since the 2001 US invasion.

They said they would continue attacking US-led NATO troops.

That came after Ghani announced that police and troops would cease operations against the Taliban for eight days, starting last Tuesday - though he warned that operations against other militants, including Daesh, would continue.

Dawood Rehman
Dawood Rehman

The writer is a member of the staff.

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Rupee gains massive recovery against US dollar after SBP relaxes rules for banks

KARACHI – The Pakistani rupee experienced a significant surge in its value in the open market against the dollar.

This surge came after a recent directive from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), allowing banks to purchase dollars at the interbank market rate for international card payments. The objective of this move was to narrow the exchange rate gap between the official and informal markets.

According to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan, the currency market witnessed the dollar being traded at Rs298, compared to its previous day’s closing rate of 311.

The SBP’s decision was influenced by the International Monetary Fund’s demand for Pakistan to stabilize its currency market before resuming a $6.5 billion bailout program.

In a circular, the central bank stated, “In response to the feedback received from various stakeholders, Authorized Dealers are now permitted to buy USD from the Interbank market to settle card-based cross border transactions with international payment schemes (IPS).”

Market analysts had predicted a decline in the value of the rupee following the implementation of these new guidelines.

Zafar Paracha, the General Secretary of the ECAP, expressed that the SBP’s decision was timely and appropriate. He anticipated that it would lead to a decrease of 20 to 25 rupees in the open market currency rate. Paracha also noted that aligning the rates in the official and informal markets would bolster remittance inflows.

Pracha further emphasized that significant disparities in rates between the official and informal markets encourage transactions outside of the official banking system.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/01-Jun-2023/today-s-currency-exchange-rates-in-pakistan-dollar-euro-pound-riyal-rates-on-june-1-2023

Today's gold rates in Pakistan – June 1, 2023

KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 229,000 on Thursday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs197,620.   

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs181,150 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 211,290.

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Karachi PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Islamabad PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Peshawar PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Quetta PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Sialkot PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Attock PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Gujranwala PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Jehlum PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Multan PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Bahawalpur PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Gujrat PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Nawabshah PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Chakwal PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Hyderabad PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Nowshehra PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Sargodha PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Faisalabad PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Mirpur PKR 229,000 PKR 2125

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