Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Rana Sanaullah has said that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should fear the day when the incumbent federal minister for science and technology, Fawad Chaudhry, writes a book.
Speaking to a private media outlet, Sanaullah, who was appearing on the show with Fawad, was asked what he had to say about the explosive viral excerpts from Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad’s upcoming book.
“These claims support our stance and these questions should be asked to people whose stances are being contradicted,” he said in response.
Sanaullah maintained that most people state the truth while writing a book or try to do so because humans are mortal but books live on for hundreds of years even after the author’s demise.
“So I think PTI should fear the day when Fawad Chaudhry writes a book. It would be more dangerous than this one.”
In what has been termed a “landmark decision” by Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry, the federal cabinet has approved the first-ever licence for the Science & Tech Ministry and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to use hemp — cannabis plant — for industrial and medical purposes.
After the approval, confiscated drugs will no longer be destroyed and instead be used to make medicines, reports said.
The development was confirmed by Fawad, who took to Twitter and wrote:
Cabinet has approved first License for @MinistryofST and PCSIR for industrial and medical use of Hemp, landmark decision ll place Pakistan in billions of USD CBD market…..
The federal cabinet’s decision comes months after it was reported that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wanted the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to stop burning charas [hashish form of cannabis] and other seized drugs, and instead set up a factory where they can be utilised to make medicines.
In a video doing rounds over the internet in February, Narcotics Control Minister Shehryar Afridi could be heard as saying that his department was working to set up a factory on the premier’s orders. This factory would manufacture medicines solely from seized drugs, thousands of kilogrammes of which are set ablaze every year at a drug-burning ceremony held by the ANF.
“We are setting up a factory… we burn a huge cache of heroin, charas and afeem [opium] every year, but other countries use them to make medicines. Now, on PM Imran Khan’s instructions, a factory will be established in Tirah [Valley] so that lives of locals can be improved,” he had said.
According to research conducted by many reliable sources over the years, cannabis, marijuana or hashish has long been known to provide pain relief from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, nausea, and can also minimise some symptoms of glaucoma and Crohn’s disease.
Similarly, a study at Hannover Medical School found that opiate addicts — usually people addicted to painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, or Demerol — were able to better kick their opiate addiction after taking small dosages of heroin.
Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general (DG) Lt General (r) Asad Durrani has said that Pakistan had planned ten years back to oust the United States forces from Afghanistan but it does not have a major role to play in Afghan end-game and the Afghans have to decide their rulers in future.
In an interview with a web-television, Lt Gen (r) Durrani said that Pakistan had understood 10 years ago that the US troops would have to be ousted from Afghanistan in Afghan end-game.
“Now they [US troops] are going out, Pakistan as a country has little role and Taliban, already have a dominant role in war-ravaged Afghanistan, have a major role to play. Besides Afghan Taliban, other players like Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Dr Mohaqiq and other local [ethnic] leaders have a future role too. But Dr Ashraf Ghani has no role in Afghanistan in the future as he has been imposed [as a foreign puppet]. There would be tough negotiations between local players and then future dispensation would be decided,” he said.
He also said that Pakistan had formed a regional cooperation bloc which would play a key role in the Afghan end-game; and along with Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and Turkey would have a role to play as well.
“This bloc will also help resolve issues in the Middle East and India too. In Afghanistan, our main objective has already been met and we have facilitated peace process in Afghanistan between the US and Afghan Taliban. We have to ensure that intra-Afghan talks also succeed and future dispensation is decided by Afghans themselves,” he added.
“We are not worried for Afghanistan future. Taliban have a dominant position and they have won a war against the US forces. Pakistan does not have a major role to play and this is in our interest not to get involved in Afghanistan future role,” he further said.
Lt Gen (r) Durrani said that the US had wasted billions of dollars each year on “useless” Afghan Army. He accused the US of bribing Taliban by secretly paying them $500 million annually. He said that after defeating the world (NATO), Taliban are now unstoppable.
He also said that Afghan tribes had defeated the Russians and other invaders. Taliban have a role to play in Afghanistan. “President Obama wanted to pull out US troops ten years back but could not do as US military industrial complex who wanted to sell their weapons to Afghans,” he added.
The former ISI DG said that the role of Saudi Arabia in Afghanistan has also come to an end. He said that Saudi Arabia’s role in Pakistan is also coming to an end and after Pakistan’s refusal to enter Yemen war.
“Our plan to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit also pushed Pakistan-Saudi relations into a new phase. After refusal of the kingdom to support Pakistan on Kashmir issue has ultimately changed the paradigm of bilateral relations. There is a clear division between Pakistan’s interests and the Saudi interests,” he added.
Terming the state narrative on fifth generation war, he said that states always use gimmicks to peddle their narrative against critics. He said that the state was trying to peddle its narrative through gimmicks like hybrid war and fifth generation war. He added that at times gags would be introduced and also people may be put behind bars too.
“This is how states navigate through issues but this is being done much these days in Pakistan. But this is always damaging as states have to carry along people willingly to build narratives. Arm twisting would only lead towards a disaster,” he further said.
Lt Gen (r) Durrani said that political engineering never benefitted Pakistan and it always backfired. He said that it leads to create confusions as no one is ready to take responsibility. He added that the past experiences have proved a fact that whenever anyone does political engineering, those kept out of the government always came back with a vengeance.
Durrani, however, defended his own political engineering of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) back in late 1980s, and said that he never regretted his engineering despite some mistakes committed. “Decisions are taken in a specific environment and in some background. I may have made some mistakes but I don’t regret those,” he added.
Asked about his court martial trial with the military headquarters, Lt Gen (r) Durrani hesitated to comment, saying that any comment would be inappropriate till a decision is taken.
“I would only say that those who read my book, say that there is nothing controversial in my book. Then there are few who ask why a media campaign was launched against me,” he asserted. He said that there was no restriction under the law against him to speak to media and many, including General (r) Pervez Musharraf, had also written books.
“So, it is proved that allegation against me is not due to publishing of a book. There may be other reasons,” he concluded.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ghani has suspended Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MPA Hafiz Issamuddin and gotten him escorted out of the provincial house after the latter threatened to blow up the assembly with a bomb.
A resolution condemning the JUI-F leader’s statement was also passed by the KP Assembly, which was supported even by the Awami National Party (ANP) of the opposition, reports said.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and KP’s Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai had sought action against Issamuddin for his statement, complaining that the speaker had not taken any by himself.
“Why are [party] tickets awarded to people who threaten to target the house with suicide bombings if some issue stands unresolved?” he had asked.
While some of Issamuddin’s colleagues tried to defend his statement, saying that he was driven by emotions while speaking for his constituents and their problems, others resorted to protesting on the floor of the house and creating ruckus to stop the JUI-F leader from being escorted out of the assembly.
However, their attempts failed due to adjournment of the session that was later boycotted by the JUI-F.
Issamuddin was elected to the provincial house from PK-113 South Waziristan-I.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has said that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa will soon be issuing a clarification on the news report that linked his military career to his family’s businesses.
Faraz, in a statement on Twitter, said that he had spoken to Bajwa, who will in a few days issue a “detailed” clarification on reports regarding his assets.
میری عاصم باجوہ صاحب سے ابھی بات ھوئی ھے ۔ وھ تفصیل سے چند دنوں میں اپنے اثاثوں کے متعلق خبروں کی وضاحت کریں گے
Bajwa, who is also the chairperson of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, has already rebutted the report while calling it a “malicious propaganda story”.
A malicious propaganda story published on an unknown site, against me and my family, (just uploaded on social media)is strongly rebutted
Lt Gen (r) Bajwa, who replaced former information minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as the premier’s media aide earlier this year, is a retired three-star general.
During his military career, he has served as the director general (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as well as the commander of Pakistan Army’s Southern Command.
Residents of Karachi’s upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Monday gathered within the premises of Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) to protest against the lack of monsoon infrastructure and the administration’s failure to provide them basic amenities.
The protests followed the destruction wreaked by torrential rains that drowned the country’s business hub last week as both federal and provincial authorities failed to avoid blame games for the sake of people of the port city.
Amid suspension of cellular services due to prolonged power outages and flooding across Karachi, the overall death toll during the three-day spell of torrential rains in the city rose to 40 by Sunday.
While Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced that both the centre and Sindh will be working together to bring much-needed relief to the people of Karachi, the masses still aren’t very happy over the authorities’ failure to provide them what they say are basic rights against the taxes they pay and contributions the city makes to the country’s economy.
“We wish to register our legitimate right to get the supply of basic amenities of potable water, stable electricity, effective discharge and flow of drains and sewerage, elimination of hanging electricity wires & data cables, fixing of broken poles, providing of security [as well as] repair and re-carpeting of broken roads,” read a statement by the residents of DHA Karachi ahead of Monday’s protest.
A second protest for later this week has also been announced by the aggrieved residents to take up their demands with DHA outside the Phase-I office on September 3 at 12:30 pm.
The list of 22 demands put forward by the residents of DHA include the return of tax money taken from them as development charges, that contractors and decision-makers be held accountable for constructing “useless” storm-water drains, an audit report of the DHA be made public so that it could be known how the taxpayers’ money was spent, and the authority removes charges and fees on every kind of activity, approval and transaction inside the residents’ own homes.
The complete list of demands is as follows:
Return the taxes taken from Residents in the form of Development Charges for storm-water drains project worth billions which failed completely.
Accountability of the contractors and decision-makers for these useless storm-water Drains.
Immediate removal of these cement slabs in the middle of the roads with holes in them.
Removal of “charges” and “fees” on every kind of activity, approval and transaction inside our own homes.
Installation of sewage treatment plant immediately.
Stop the pollution from 150 million gallons of untreated effluent from DHA to be dumped directly into the sea.
Sharing of 10 years audit report so residents know how their tax money is being spent.
Stop reclaiming land from the sea for more housing without an infrastructure plan. This will increase further drainage/ sanitation problems.
Stop renting out empty plots for keeping animals.
A separate area for the same demand regarding animals.
Designated Slaughterhouses.
New international standards drainage system to be installed immediately.
Immediate repair of broken sewerage lines and roads.
Hanging cables and telephone wires to go underground immediately.
All electricity poles to be earthed and every pole be issued safety certificate by DHA. Saving lives is a joint responsibility. All lives matter.
KESC statements to be taken seriously by DHA. “Non-KE wires on power distribution infrastructure, such as streetlights or TV, telephone or internet cables, are a major safety hazard, as they damage KE’s infrastructure and bypass safety protection mechanisms.”
Beggars removed from every street signal.
All empty plots to be garbage-free (empty plots are the responsibility of DHA).
No more paying for water. Remove the Tanker Mafia immediately. If hydrants can have unlimited water supply why can’t our houses?
No construction on our beaches. Spend our money on our drainage system.
Make a proper system of debris removal and construction material spillover on our roads.
All craters inroads due to rains to be attended immediately so as not to lead to more loss of life 22. Roads dug up for various utilities and left uncarpeted to warrant heavy fines to the contractors.
Stop bringing in officials from around the country to head key positions in DHA and CBC. Locals of the city to be appointed only.
Earlier, most parts of DHA remained without power for more than two days, leading to angry protesters gathering at Do Talwar on Saturday night and chanting slogans against the DHA and other authorities for the poor infrastructure exposed by the rain and incessant power outages triggered by the heavy showers.
Pakistan on Sunday reported 213 new coronavirus cases, its lowest daily count in more than four months, Geo reported.
The country reported its first case of the deadly virus on February 26 and went into a three-week lockdown in late March. In the subsequent months, the caseload kept climbing, peaking at 6,825 new cases in a single day on June 13. While it recorded 153 deaths, its highest to date, on June 19.
However, in the last month, Pakistan’s daily infections and fatalities have dropped significantly. On August 30, it recorded only 213 new cases in a day, and six deaths across the country, while it sampled 18,017 tests.
The August 30 figure is the lowest tally since April 10, when 186 new infections were reported in a day.
Recently, Dr Faisal Sultan, the senior most health official in Pakistan, who was recently appointed the prime minister’s advisor on COVID-19, told the Telegraph that while the decline is a promising sign for Pakistan, he remains cautious.
“At the end of the day I keep reminding people that this is like smouldering embers and the embers are there. You provide them with fuel and with a little bit of oxygen, they will flare up,” he said.
A city once known as the ‘city of lights’ has now been without electricity for almost three days and counting.
Karachi resembles a dump now with dilapidated roads, virtually no sewerage system, no government public transport, buildings on top of each other without following any safety laws, no emergency response system, nothing. Recent visuals on our television screens, social media and WhatsApp following the monsoon rains in Karachi are horrendous. Cars floating around, houses drowning in sewerage water and rainwater, people being electrocuted, no electricity, no food, no relief in sight. A wheelchair-bound woman drowned in her house due to the mismanagement of those in power, someone who had a heart attack could not reach the hospital in time due to flooding…each story is worse than the other. More than 80 people have so far lost their lives.
The ‘resilience’ of the people of Karachi has been taken for granted but Karachi has had enough!
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been in power in Sindh for the last 12 years. In those 12 years, we have not seen the provincial government take any responsibility whatsoever for the woes of the provincial capital. Blaming the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) because it ruled Karachi for almost a decade before the PPP government came to power can only be done so much. If the Opposition parties tell the ruling PTI to stop blaming past governments and focus on their own performance, then the same rule should apply in Sindh. The MQM may not have done as much as it should have back then but it is no excuse for a government that has been ruling the Sindh province for over a decade now.
It will also not paper over the fact that the local bodies system is so weak that no city government can be blamed for anything catastrophic. If the PPP wants to shift the blame, it should have had a fully empowered local bodies system in place. When a government does not want to devolve power and then not do anything itself, then who is to blame? Climate change may be another reality but it is not something that has come out of the blue. Where is the emergency relief system to work in times of natural disasters? If it were not for the Edhi foundation and Chhipa and other private organisations, the city of Karachi would have been an orphan city. Private citizens are helping each other out rather than the government. Where is the empathy of the rulers? Some of the tweets by provincial ministers are full of apathy towards the people of Karachi; clearing a few roads of rainwater do not make the problems of Karachi go away.
Now that a committee has been formed with all stakeholders to address the issues plaguing the largest city of Pakistan, it is hoped that regardless of their political affiliations, all stakeholders would work towards reaching a solution and not play politics at the cost of innocent lives. The people of Karachi have witnessed ethnic warfare, sectarian killings, mafias, crime and much worse. They deserve a break now. The Sindh government and all other stakeholders need to work together in order to bring some semblance of normalcy back to a city that is the heart of Pakistan.
The outbreak of the new coronavirus – COVID-19 – that affected almost 23,518,343 people worldwide, out of which 810,492 died, and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), was hardly taken seriously by the people of Pakistan.
Even as the virus peaked in June-July, people flouted social distancing guidelines as well as government-introduced standard operating procedures (SOPs), believing that the virus did not even exist.
And now that both the number of coronavirus cases and fatalities have drastically decreased, many across the country, including those who did take precautionary measures earlier, are under the impression that virus has gone extinct.
GALLUP SURVEY:
According to aGallup Pakistan survey based on the responses of more than 1,300 respondents from all across the country,asmany as 70% Pakistanis agree that the risk of the coronavirus is being exaggerated, which shot up from 55% in a previous survey.
MISINFORMATION:
But what led to people doubting the gravity of the situation and suspecting exaggeration as the world suffered in the battle against coronavirus?
The answer is misinformation. From WhatsApp forwards to Facebook posts and tweets… viral conspiracy theories besides fake news by unauthentic sources contributed to the formation of ill-informed opinions of a major chunk of the population being told by the government to not panic because the virus was “no more serious than seasonal flu”.
Four critical months being followed by the introduction of ‘smart lockdowns’ and the permission to re-open businesses for the sake of the economy and the poor, despite experts’ warnings of a second and even third wave of the virus, also contributed to people the virus less seriously than they should have.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES:
Many believed the government was exaggerating the situation on the ground to seek foreign aid and doctors were “secretly killing patients” for the number of virus casualties to soar on the government’s directions. But it wasn’t where the absurdity ended.
Posts on social media added to the list of conspiracy theories regarding the origin of the coronavirus, leading to chaos as some even took to streets to protest against the government and COVID-19.
According to the Gallup survey, the number of Pakistanis who consider coronavirus to be a foreign conspiracy has doubled from 23% in March to 55% in July-August while 54% believe that COVID-19 is a lab-made virus to which the world was exposed on purpose.
Some also believe that coronavirus is a conspiracy against Islam and wearing a mask and following SOPs is nothing but a “Jewish agenda”.
Another popular theory is that the virus was released as part of an Israeli plan to implant chips in the minds of the people, especially Muslims, while vaccinating them to control their minds.
‘COVID-19 NOW UNDER CONTROL’
The survey also revealed that a sweeping majority — nearly 80% people — believe that COVID-19 is now under control and any there is no need to continue taking precautionary measures. This figure has rose from 32% in a previous survey to 79% within a few months.
Large gatherings, including religious congregations and family feasts over the Eid weekend, and a large number of people taking to roads on August 14 to express their love for Pakistan, also go on to prove how seriously has the pandemic been taken by a majority that risked their own lives as well as that of others, mistaking the decline for coronavirus eradication.
But while the number of coronavirus cases in the country has dropped and so has the rate of infections as well as fatalities despite negligence but owing to a number ofsuspected reasons, Pakistan, like the rest of the world, is still at risk.
Winters can also add to the probability of an outbreak from the top, experts say, yet again stressing the need for people to keep on taking precautionary measures.
As many as 19 people died in various rain-related incidents in the port city on Thursday, taking the tally of deaths during the three-day monsoon spell in the city to 30.
While blame games continue as authorities hesitate to take responsibility for the lack of monsoon infrastructure in the country’s largest city, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) wants all stakeholders to contribute in ameliorating the situation instead of politicising a “pure natural disaster”.
As of yesterday Sindh had seen its worst monsoons in 90years. Today super monsoon torrential rains & floods continue unabated. Please keep all those in your thoughts who have already been working 24/7 to assist citizens during this record breaking unprecedented natural disaster.
Meteorological officials said downpours in August have shattered the 89-year-old record for the city. Some 484mm (19 inches) of rain has fallen this month so far, 130mm on Thursday alone, they said.
According to data released by the Met Office, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Faisal Base recorded 130 millimetres of rain while Nazimabad has recorded 105.6mm since Thursday morning. Mausamiyat received 74.3mm of rain, while Saadi Town recorded 72mm. About 98.5mm of rain was recorded in PAF Masroor Base, Surjani received 73mm while Kemari recorded 82.5mm.
Many major arteries witnessed severe traffic jams. Power was suspended in several areas as a precautionary measure, a K-Electric spokesperson said.
Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Suhail Rajput urged people not to leave their homes during the spell which, according to a Met Office prediction, is expected to continue for another two days.
Videos and photos making rounds on social media showed submerged cars and motorcycles and water entering houses and buildings, wreaking havoc in the provincial capital.
PPP is running Sindh & thus Karachi for the past 12 years; Bilwal needs to focus to understand & resolve Karachi's problems before saying a single word about any other issue – this is where test of his intelligence & leadership rests; Karachi can make him "National Leader" pic.twitter.com/x17U3hmQM2
Containers that were put for security purpose on MA Jinnah Road #Karachi for upcoming processions going for a swim. Uncontrollable and dangerous for cars, pedestrians already stuck on the roads. pic.twitter.com/zRkkaWpUVt
Scores of social media users, including Federal Minister Ali Zaidi, posted videos and pictures showing Defence Housing Authority flooded with rainwater after heavy showers pounded the city for hours.
“This is DHA KHI,” Zaidi wrote on Twitter, adding, “Bang in front of my house- which is now partly flooded- but many homes in the neighborhood are under 4 feet of water”.
This is DHA Phase 6 Karachi. What is happening in the low lying areas of KHI today is devastating yet once again. Testing times for Karachiites yet again! No doubt Allah tests those he loves the most.#KarachiRain#KarachiSinks#RainEmergencypic.twitter.com/MEBgRxWMCs
“May Allah have mercy on those who live in low lying areas of this city,” he said in another tweet.
“This is DHA Phase 6 Karachi. What is happening in the low-lying areas of KHI today is devastating yet once again. Testing times for Karachiites yet again! No doubt Allah tests those He loves the most,” he said in another tweet.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, in a tweet, said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is monitoring the situation that has arisen in Karachi due to the torrential rains.
Briefed PM @ImranKhanPTI over Sindh rain situation, Karachi needs special attention. This is unusual and abnormal rain situation which requires emergency response. PM is monitoring the situation and assured to take any action required.
“Briefed PM Imran Khan over Sindh rain situation, Karachi needs special attention. This is an unusual and abnormal rain situation which requires an emergency response. PM is monitoring the situation and assured to take any action required,” tweeted Ismail.
The premier himself has also tweeted over the disastrous situation in the port city.
Have directed Chairman NDMA to immediately not only rescue stranded ppl, but also provide emergency medical assistance, food & shelter to all those in need. I have also asked NDMA Chairman to ensure restoration of utilities on an emergency basis.
In a subsequent tweet, he said that a plan for a permanent solution to the problems facing the people of Karachi will also soon be announced.
RELIEF, RESCUE OPERATION CONTINUES:
In a statement, the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that many areas were inundated and people stranded due to heavy rains in various parts of Sindh.
An Army Flood Emergency Control Centre has been established in Karachi for assisting flood victims while a medical camp has been set up at the district centre of Gulberg, Liaquatabad and New Karachi for providing necessary medical care, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
It said the dewatering of more than 36 sites in Karachi had been completed while cooked meals covering 10,000 people had been distributed among flood victims in various areas.
The following telephone numbers can be contacted for immediate assistance by the army:
• 021-34491082
• 021-99247267
• 021-99207795
Meanwhile, army engineers completed the enhancement of the bund along M9 near the Northern Bypass to avoid flooding.
Army troops also filled a breach in the Malir River near Quaidabad, according to the ISPR. “Pakistan Army engineer boats are busy shifting people to safer places,” the statement said.
A relief and medical camp has also been established in Latifabad area of Hyderabad. Food was provided to the affected population while army engineers were busy in dewatering various areas, it added.
According to the ISPR, army troops “have been forwardly placed at Dadu for any eventuality and spillover at Nai Gaj Dam”.
The banks of Puran Nullah in tehsil Jhudo of Mirpurkhas district had been damaged due to heavy rains, as a result of which water entered the nearest five villages. However, the breach was plugged with the combined efforts of army troops and civil administration to stop the flow of water to these areas, the ISPR said.
The statement came a day after the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, directed Karachi crops to step up flood relief operations.
#COAS directed karachi Corps to step up flood relief operations to assist affected people due to recent rains in interior Sindh and #Karachi. “Troops must reach out to affected population in distress and extend all necessary care”, COAS.
Meanwhile, the personnel of Pakistan Rangers Sindh continued the relief and rescue operation in the rain-affected areas of Karachi in a coordinated manner.
According to the Rangers spokesperson, the Rangers constituted separate teams for relief and rescue work to carry out the operation in a faster manner while reserve teams were also present in various areas to deal with any kind of emergency.
Rations were also being distributed in the areas where food supply is low with the help of philanthropists.
Rangers asked the people to contact Rangers helpline 1101, Rangers check post or WhatsApp number 0347-9001111 for immediate assistance regarding rescue or relief.
Pakistan Navy’s rescue and relief operation also continued in various parts of the city during heavy spell of rain.
Pakistan Navy Emergency Response and rescue teams evacuated stranded people to safer places and recovered bodies being washed away in flash flood, a Pakistan Navy press release said.
In assistance to civil administration, Pakistan Navy Emergency Response teams along with boats and requisite life-saving equipment were deployed in different areas of the city, including Diamond City Malir, Shah Faisal Town, Korangi Crossing, Sammo goth and Bahria Town Karachi.
During search and rescue operations, Pakistan Navy divers recovered two dead bodies from Shah Faisal Town and Korangi crossing areas while 55 individuals were evacuated from flooded areas of Malir and Korangi crossing. Besides, Rescue teams have also evacuated 20 families stranded in Sammo Goth and shifted them to safe place.
Pakistan Navy’s helicopter conducted aerial recce of Korangi crossing, Quaidabad (Malir nadi), and Goth Shafi Muhammad while aerial recce with the help of a quadcopter was also carried out in Saddar Town in support of relief operations to localise individuals requiring assistance. Additionally, ration bags and cooked meal was also dropped at various areas.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE DISRUPTED:
Meanwhile, the flight schedule was disrupted at Jinnah International Airport Karachi due to rough weather and heavy rainfall. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced the suspension of a number of its flights on Thursday due to torrential rains in the port city.
A Lahore-bound private airline flight-522 and Islamabad bound PK-368 flight have been delayed, said the CAA spokesperson.
Moreover, Karachi to Faisalabad flight PK-540 and Lahore-bound Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-304 have also been delayed.
NETWORK OUTAGES AMID POWER BREAKDOWN:
The national telecom regulator informed on Friday that cellular services in the city were not blocked and outages faced by users were due to the prolonged power breakdown.
Speaking to Geo, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) spokesperson Khurram Mehran said, “Due to prolonged power failure in the city, many towers are out of service and their generators are shut because there’s no fuel to power them.”
Mehran said the blockages have nothing to do with Muharram security, as was being speculated in some circles.
The power utility, K-Electric, meanwhile claimed that its teams were working to the best of their ability to deal with the current circumstances and restore electricity with limited available resources.
Many KE vehicles got stuck in flooded roads and streets across the city. Also, our staff is working in long shifts because relievers were unable to make into service centers due to water logging. 2/3
“Many KE vehicles got stuck in flooded roads and streets across the city. Also, our staff is working in long shifts because relievers were unable to make it to service centers due to water logging,” the company said in a statement issued earlier today.
KE therefore warned that restoration work may take longer than expected time as the situation remains ‘difficult’.
HUB DAM FILLS TO MAXIMUM CAPACITY:
The water level in Hub Dam, which supplies water to Karachi and meets the water needs of several areas in Balochistan, crossed the 339-foot mark yesterday and filled to its maximum capacity for the first time in 13 years.
The water level in the dam had risen due to the recent spell of torrential rains in Karachi and Sindh and the dam has now begun to flow out from the spillways into the sea near Mubarak Village.
The WAPDA administration had earlier closed the Hub Dam to visitors in view of health hazards. However, residents of the settlements around the dam, residents of the Hub Dam Residential Colony, Karachi residents and others arrived in large numbers in the spillway area to witness the streams overflowing, which look much like waterfalls.
In the catchment area of Hub Dam, which stretches up to the mountain range of Balochistan, the water level has risen by more than 9 feet in three days.
