Five things Pakistan is talking about this Saturday, in a few lines each, with a link to where each was reported.
Petrol and diesel are cheaper again
Petrol now costs Rs 332 a litre and high-speed diesel Rs 360, after cuts of Rs 3 and Rs 4 that took effect on Friday 13 November. It is the eighth reduction in a row. Since July the regulator has been revising prices almost daily rather than fortnightly, following movements in international markets, so the pump price can change with little notice. Reported by Dawn.
The Rawalpindi Test ends in a draw
Rain and bad light took too much time out of the first Test for either side to force a result, and it was drawn on Friday with Pakistan 284 for 8 in their second innings. Saud Shakeel made 93 and 97 and missed a century twice; debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan took 7 for 130 and was named player of the match. The series is level at 0–0 going into the second and final Test, which starts on Tuesday 17 November. Reported by Samaa.
Lahore’s air, after the rain
A spell of rain cleared Lahore’s smog for a while: on Thursday afternoon the city’s air-quality index read 116, in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” band, with PM2.5 the main pollutant, and the forecast for today is around 136. That is a big improvement on the readings of recent weeks, though the season is far from over. Source: IQAir, Lahore.
The KSE-100 brushes 180,000
The stock market crossed 180,000 points for the first time on Wednesday, reaching 180,769 before profit-taking pulled it back to close at 179,084, down 251 points on the day. Brokers pointed to plenty of money in the local market on one side and worries about oil supply and the Middle East on the other. Textile exports for the last financial year came in at $18 billion, the highest in four years. Reported by The Express Tribune.
Tarbela: work goes on after the rock collapse
At the Tarbela 5th Extension hydropower project, a weak rock mass collapsed during tunnel excavation on Monday 9 November and water from the intake pit flowed into the tunnel and powerhouse area. All workers were evacuated and nobody was hurt. WAPDA says the main tunnel, the powerhouse under construction and the switchyard were not damaged; the intake pit has been drained and the powerhouse is being pumped out while engineers assess the next steps. Reported by Radio Pakistan.
In the shop this weekend: delivery is free on every order until Sunday midnight, anywhere in Pakistan. How the Free Delivery Weekend works, or go straight to the shop.