Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced that there will not not be a complete lockdown but in order to control the situation, people must follow SOPs. PM appealed to the nation that if they follow SOPs and wear masks regularly, Pakistan will not have to take any strict measures. PM said that despite suggestions of lockdowns in cities, he has not taken this decision as it affects the poor the most. “Be careful yourself. Otherwise we will have no other option.”
PM said that the Pakistan Army will assist the police in imposing SOPs.
Key decisions taken by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC):
Schools in districts with positivity rates above 5% closed until Eid
Markets to close at 6pm. Only shops selling essential goods to operate after 6pm
Outdoor and indoor dining banned during Ramzan
Indoor gyms to be closed
Offices to close at 2pm daily with 50% capacity. Rest of the staff to work from home
وزیراعظم عمران خان کی کورونا وباء کی موجودہ صورتِ حال سے متعلق اہم گفتگو https://t.co/WNRXwSEa9E
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) April 23, 2021
Former Prime Minister, Khaqan Abbasi was served a show cause notice on Wednesday for threatening to hit Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser with a shoe during an assembly session. During the session Khaqan Abbasi and the Speaker got into an argument over Abbasi’s turn on speaking on the issue of banned TLP’s demand to expel the French Ambassador.
After the notice to apologise in seven days, Abbasi said that he only seeks forgiveness from Allah and no one else. On Thursday night, on GEO News’ programme Capital Talk, he told anchorperson Hamid Mir that if he wants to speak on the issue, he challenges the Speaker to stop him from speaking. If the Speaker tries to stop him, the same thing would happen again. When Mir stopped him to say that “you have been the Prime Minister, how can you say such a thing? Will you throw a shoe?” Abbasi replied, “It will be worse than throwing a shoe.” He said he is also nominated in two cases.
میں قومی اسمبلی میں ناموس رسالت پر بات کرنا چاہتا ہوں سپیکر مجھے روک کر دکھائے ۔۔۔ بات جوتے سے بھی آگے جائے گی ۔۔۔ چئیرمین سینیٹ بھی ذرا خیال کریں کہیں انکے ساتھ بھی وہی نہ ہو جائے جو سپیکر قومی اسمبلی کے ساتھ ہوا ۔۔۔ شاہد خاقان عباسی کا غصہ کم نہیں ہو رہا pic.twitter.com/N9PqJE1gkx
Jahangir Khan Tareen said on Thursday that he has been given an assurance that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will meet his group soon.
“Now that a cool wind is blowing from Islamabad, we are satisfied,” said Tareen.
Tareen also claimed he has the support of 40 lawmakers.
Talking to the media outside a sessions court in Lahore, Tareen said that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was in power, the government investigated his business and sent him notices but even the PML-N did not do to him what is being done now. “Even the PML-N did not turn a civil case to a criminal case, which has been done now.”
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told anchorperson Adil Shahzeb that he does not know about any upcoming meeting between Tareen and PM Imran. “Frankly I have not talked to either of the two about this.” Chaudhry added that Tareen played an important role in the formation of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. “Everyone acknowledged and appreciates Tareen sahab’s role.”
A Hindu woman hailing from Jacobabad District, Sindh has become the country’s first Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) after clearing the Sindh Public Service Commission exam.
Manisha Rupita, while talking to the media about her feat, said: “After the death of my father in 2007, we faced hardships but my mother refused to compromise on our education.”
Manisha credited her success to the support of her family especially her mother who did not let her give up on her dream. The 26-year old funded her education by giving private tuitions.
Manisha believes her success will encourage the girls of rural Sindh to break cultural barriers.
“I don’t look upon myself as a representative of Hindu women alone, rather I think I represent the rural women of Sindh,” said Manisha. “Conventionally and culturally, rural women whether Muslim or the Hindu are expected to stay at home and refrain from going out to realise their dreams.”
“My message to them is to break these barriers and try their luck in the world that is full of promise.”
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Thursday visited a Bakery for aftari shopping. In a video posted by a social media user, the minister can be seen inside a bakery.
Talking to a someone at the bakery, Rashid can be heard saying: “Aftari ka saaman lene aye hain (I have come to buy stuff for aftari).”
The minister can also be seen complaining about the salespersons at the bakery not taking money from him.
Rashid bought ‘kalakand‘, among other things.
وفاقی وزیرداخلہ شیخ رشید کا عوامی اسٹائل. شیخ رشید افطاری کے لئے سامان کی خریداری کے لئے مارکیٹ پہنچ گئے
In December 2020, Sheikh Rashid was appointed as the interior minister in the cabinet reshuffle by Prime minister Imran Khan. He is known for his ‘Awami Syle‘,
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said on Thursday that the blast at Serena Hotel in Quetta was a suicide attack. He said this was a foreign attempt to destabilise Pakistan. “Pakistan Army and the people of Pakistan will defeat such designs.” Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the Quetta blast yesterday. Five people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the deadly attack.
All law enforcement agencies are on high alert at the instructions of the Interior Ministry. Talking about the attack, Sheikh Rasheed said the suicide bomber stayed inside the car. “C4 explosives weighing between 60 to 70 kilogrammes were used in the attack”. Evidence has been sent for forensic analysis.
The interior minister also said that social media was misused during the past few days by foreign elements who are behind efforts to destabilise Pakistan. “An estimated 250,000-300,000 social media accounts were created in India.” “These foreign forces cannot see Pakistan prosper and progress,” said the minister.
China strongly condemned the terrorist attack. A statement by the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said that Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong was leading a delegation on a visit to Quetta on the same day. “When the attack occurred, the Chinese delegation was not in the hotel. Till present, no reports of casualties of Chinese citizens in the attack have been received.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that he is deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable and cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday. “Our nation has made great sacrifices in defeating terrorism and we will not to allow this scourge to rise again. We remain alert to all internal and external threats.”
I am deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable & cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday. Our nation has made great sacrifices in defeating terrorism & we will not to allow this scourge to rise again. We remain alert to all internal & external threats
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif. The bail was approved by the three-member bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Alia Neelum and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi. Sharif was first granted and then denied bail after a division bench issued a split decision on Sharif’s petition, sending the matter to the LHC chief justice for the nomination of a referee judge.
Sharif wasarrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a money-laundering case last year in September.
Shehbaz Sharif’s sonHamza Shehbazwas released in February after spending 20 months in jail as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) probed money laundering accusations against him.
While Shehbaz was incarcerated, a report in The News said that Maryam Nawaz, due to her hawkish stance, has gained popularity in the party and the public. Her control on the party is strengthened to such an extent that she has stopped “consulting him [Shehbaz] for political advice”.
At least three people have been killed and several injured, including two government officials, after an explosion in the parking area of the Serena Hotel in Quetta, as per media reports. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
2 Govt Functionaries (Assistant Commisioners) injured in Quetta bombing https://t.co/Ur5gXD85o9
Initial reports say that the cause of the blast, which took place at 10:30 pm local time, has not yet been ascertained. Security forces have cordoned off the area. Rescue teams have arrived at the site of the explosion.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said that the Interior Ministry is in touch with the Balochistan Government.
“Once details come in, the government will comment further on the issue,” said Fawad.
وفاقی وزارت داخلہ حکومت بلوچستان کے ساتھ قریبی رابطے میں ہے اور ابتدائ تحقیقات کی جارہی ہیں جوں ہی دھماکے کی نوعیت اور نقصانات کا تعین ہو گا حکومت بیان جاری کرے گی۔۔ #QuettaBlast
According to journalist Ihsan Tipu, the attack was aimed at the Chinese Ambassador, who was reportedly staying at the hotel.
Breaking: Blast in Serena Hotel , Quetta. Five dead. Attack was aimed at Chinese Ambassador. He has survived the attack. Blast occurred just minutes before his arrival at the scene.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official Instagram account on Tuesday became very interesting after a short clip from the Bollywood movie Inquilaab was posted on it leading to a social media meltdown.
Through the clip, PM Imran attempted to make a point about how political parties discredit their rival political parties in order to replace them.
“It is what has been planned against the PTI govt from day one by the corrupt mafias,” read the caption on the clip, which was deleted five hours after it was posted.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, Focal Person to the Prime Minister on Digital Media Dr Arsalan Khalid said that the clip was posted by a member of PM Khan’s social media team because the scenes “accurately reflected the current situation and the unrest of the opposition.”
Explaining the reason behind the deletion, Dr Arsalan said that a routine quality control check — that takes place after few hours — led to the deletion of the clip.
When asked if PM Khan personally makes these posts on social media, Dr Khalid said the premier mostly uses Twitter and that all tweets are posted by him, adding that PM Imran rarely uses Instagram and has a team to manage that.
Released in 1984, Inquilaab featured Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Utpal Dutt, Kader Khan, Ranjeet and Shakti Kapoor. The film’s official synopsis reads: “A politician helps a jobless man become a police officer and then uses him for his nefarious activities. After his wife finds out he is being used as a pawn, she tries to change his ways.”
In the clip shared on PM Khan’s account, Kader Khan and Utpal Dutt are seen planning a sinister move against the government.
“We have the right to form a government. In order to form a government, we need to win the elections. To win the elections, we need votes; in order to get these votes, we need people’s confidence. And how do we get the people’s confidence? We will need to take away people’s confidence from the government. Haha. And how do we do that? We will create an environment where we will make them think that this government is incompetent and inefficient. This way, the people will be forced to get rid of the government and bring another party in its place. For this we need to create chaos. We need riots, killings, dacoities in cities. We need religious disturbance, sectarian conflict, which renders government incapable of thinking and police is unable to do anything to control the crisis. When all this is happening, we will go out and take out rallies addressing crowds and present ourselves and our party as an option to control this mess.”
Responding to this, someone in the meeting says it is an excellent idea.
“We need money for this, which is why we have invited rich businessmen here today to raise it.”
When someone asks if 50 lakhs will be enough, Kader Khan says that for the time being it’s enough but a politician is like a farmer and politics like a crop. If you invest millions, the return will be in billions, if billions, it can go up to trillions.”
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umair has warned that a complete lockdown in major cities of the country could be imposed if the public does not strictly follow COVID-19 SOPs.
Addressing the media after chairing a session of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Umar hinted at the possibility of shutting down major cities of the country amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Further restrictions will need to be imposed,” said Umar. “Let me make it clear, the level at which the virus is spreading and our hospitals are filling up, if we don’t act now, we will have no choice but to close down major cities.”
“Presently, the number of patients on oxygen is more than 4,500 which is 30% more than than the first wave of the virus,” stressed Umar, adding: “Health facilities are under stress due to increasing number of positive cases which have now crossed 83,000.”
Reiterating his warning, Umar said: “This is the last chance to follow SOPs and curb the spread of the virus otherwise we will not have any other choice but to close big cities.”
Umar also said that the government has prepared a new set of guidelines and shared them with the provincial governments. They will be announced on Friday, April 23.
Pakistan started the COVID-19 vaccination drive of people in the age group 50-59 today (April 21). Registrations for those 50 and above commenced on March 30. Those who haven’t registered can send their CNIC number to 1166 to register or can register online.
Pakistan is experiencing the third wave of coronavirus with the situation worse than it was during the first wave. According to the NCOC, 5499 new cases and148 deaths were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours.
