Hi all, it’s Thursday Oct 1 and if you didn’t file your taxes (like me), there’s an extension till Oct 15.
I tried yesterday but apparently the system kept crashing (last minute rush, of course) so now everyone will relax and then rush on the 15th!
Updates on the Flydubai story with Netanyahu meeting the passenger who helped restrain the pilot in a particularly cringe video. Details on the story below.
Also, the phone stealing scheme in Karachi is insane! 50 women looking for a job got their phones stolen by a con man at a farmhouse. Read on!
See you all on Monday!
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PM Shehbaz is set to consult key allies, including the PPP, as tensions rise ahead of PTI’s planned October 4 march on Islamabad. The govt says an emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is under consideration (Dawn has a source that is claiming this is being discussed with the allies), citing the province’s worsening security situation, while PTI has warned against such a move. PPP leaders have stressed that any action must remain within the Constitution.
The FBR has extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for Tax Year 2026 from Sept 30 to Oct 15, following requests from trade bodies and tax associations. The extension comes as filers reported technical glitches and heavy traffic on the IRIS portal (where you file your taxes). Tax filings have already surged nearly 46%, rising from 3.55 million last year to 5.18 million by Sept 29.
More than 50 women were allegedly lured to a Karachi farmhouse with the promise of paid work, only to have their mobile phones stolen by the event organiser. The women were told filming wasn’t allowed, so their phones were collected and tagged with receipts before the organiser allegedly fled with them in a bag. Police have detained the farmhouse manager, while the organiser, identified as Salman, remains at large.
The govt is defending spending Rs9.6 billion on 45 bulletproof vehicles for the 2027 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Islamabad, calling them the “bare minimum” needed to transport visiting world leaders securely. Officials say the existing bulletproof fleet dates back to 2016 and does not meet required standards, while another 300 non-armoured vehicles will be hired for the event. The summit will be Pakistan’s most high-profile international gathering since the 1973 OIC summit, with leaders from China, India, Russia, Iran and others expected.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv plunged nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain mid-flight. Passengers and crew stormed the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot, with Trump recounting an unverified claim that an Israeli plumber helped pull the plane out of its dive. A second pair of Flydubai pilots (that were on the plane so they could fly the return flight back) ultimately landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 174 people aboard surviving.
You feel like taking up a sport and getting better at it today. It’s not a bad idea, even if it’s something like table tennis.
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