ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad have started closing schools amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Islamabad deputy commissioner said late Monday.
The development comes as the South Asian nation reports more than 5,000 new infections in the last 24 hours. The country is battling a fifth wave of COVID-19, fueled by the highly transmissible omicron strain.
"Due to covid rise Islamabad Administration has started sealing schools for a period of ten days so that contact tracing can be done and positive cases are prevented to interact with other kids," Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said on Twitter.
The per day COVID-19 positivity rate has crossed 10 percent in Islamabad, according to the official.
He said the city's administration had also launched a crackdown on those violating the government-prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of the virus.
"Please wear masks and get everyone around you vaccinated as soon as possible," the deputy commissioner urged.
Pakistan on Tuesday reported 10 deaths and 5,034 new cases of coronavirus, according to the National Command and Operation Centre, which oversees the country's pandemic response.
The overall virus positivity rate in the country stands at 9.45 percent.
Authorities in Pakistan's Islamabad start closing schools amid rising virus cases
https://arab.news/4ag48
Authorities in Pakistan's Islamabad start closing schools amid rising virus cases
- Deputy commissioner says educational institutes being closed for a period of 10 days
- The COVID-19 positivity rate has crossed 10 percent in Islamabad, Hamza Shafqaat adds
Pakistan regulator says over 21,600 new companies registered in first half of FY26
- This reflects a 29 percent increase compared to the 16,839 companies that were registered during same period last year, says regulator
- These incorporations contributed $109.5 billion in paid-up capital, says Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan report
ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said this week it registered over 21,600 new companies in the first half of the current fiscal year, reflecting rising investor confidence and positive economic outlook in the country.
In a report issued on Jan. 6, the SECP said it registered 21,668 companies in the first six months of the current fiscal year, adding that these incorporations contributed Rs30.7 billion [$109.5 million] in paid-up capital.
The report said this represented a 29 percent increase compared to the 16,839 companies registered during the same period last year.
“Pakistan’s business landscape continues to demonstrate strong momentum, reflecting rising investor confidence and a positive economic outlook,” the SECP report said.
The SECP said the latest increase has brought the total number of registered companies in Pakistan to 279,724. It said the top ten sectors by incorporations were led by the IT & e-commerce, with 4,277 companies, followed by trading (2,997 companies), services (2,686 companies) and real estate (2,031 companies).
“This sectoral diversity highlights expanding entrepreneurial activity, particularly in technology-driven and service-oriented industries,” the report said.
The SECP said foreign investment also remained “robust” during the period, adding that 524 newly incorporated companies received foreign investment amounting to Rs1.26 billion [$4.5 million] with the participation from 731 foreign investors.
“China emerged as the leading source, accounting for 71 percent of total inflows,” the SECP said. “It was followed by Afghanistan (8 percent), the United States (2 percent), and the United Kingdom, Germany, South
Africa, South Korea, Norway, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, each contributing 1 percent,” it added.
The SECP said an additional 11 percent of the investment originated from other countries.
