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Category: National

  • Coronavirus: Supreme Court orders sacking of Dr Zafar Mirza

    Coronavirus: Supreme Court orders sacking of Dr Zafar Mirza

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday told the federal government to remove Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza from his post as coronavirus continues to spread across the country amid the alleged incompetence of the authorities concerned.

    According to reports, the apex court, while hearing a suo motu case regarding the situation arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak, expressed displeasure over the performance of Dr Mirza in dealing with the pandemic and ordered the government to remove him.

    A five-member larger bench of the apex court — headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed — was hearing the case.

    During the hearing, the CJP expressed anger and said the top court was not satisfied with the performance of premier’s aide as a health advisor.

    The top judge also asked the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) about the ongoing inquiry against Dr Mirza by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

    The AGP informed the court that FIA was investigating him for alleged smuggling of face masks to China.

    “Removing Zafar Mirza from the post at this point will not be suitable for the country as it can worsen the health crisis,” the government’s lawyer told the court.

    CJP Gulzar had on Friday taken his first suo motu notice over “insufficient facilities” in the country to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.

    He had issued notices to the AGP and health as well as interior secretaries besides also summoning all chief secretaries and advocate generals.

  • Another army training aircraft crash claims two lives

    Another army training aircraft crash claims two lives

    A Pakistan Army aircraft on Monday crashed near Gujrat during a routine training mission, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported.

    According to the military’s media wing, an instructor pilot, Major Umer, and his student Lieutenant Faizan were martyred in the crash.

    “Major Umer, a resident of Gujrat, and Lieutenant Fiazan, a resident of Kalar Kahar, Chakwal, embraced shahadat,” the ISPR statement said.

    Major Umer is survived by a wife, the statement added.

    The ill-fated aircraft was a PAC MFI-17 Mushaq — a license-built fixed-gear basic trainer aircraft used by the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force (PAF). An improved version of the Saab Safari, the MFI-17 is manufactured in Kamra by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

    Earlier this year, a PAF F-16 aircraft had crashed near Shakarparian in Islamabad during rehearsals for the Pakistan Day Parade. Wing Commander Nauman Akram was martyred in the crash.

    Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had paid tribute to the martyr and said, “Laying one’s life is the ultimate sacrifice one can make for defence of the motherland. May his soul rest in peace. My thoughts and sincere prayers for the bereaved family.”

    In April, a PAF aircraft crashed while on a routine operational training mission near Mianwali.

    Both pilots, Squadron Leader Haris bin Khalid and Flying Officer Ibaadur Rehman, aboard the PAF FT-7 aircraft had lost their lives in the crash.

    A board of inquiry had been ordered by the Air Headquarters to determine the cause of the accident that had followed the last trainer plane crash in October 2019 when a Mushaq trainer aircraft belonging to the Army Aviation crash-landed in a paddy field near Wazirabad in Gujranwala district. Both pilots aboard the plane had remained safe.

  • Coronavirus lockdown: No crime reported in Rawalpindi since March 24

    Coronavirus lockdown: No crime reported in Rawalpindi since March 24

    No crime has been reported in Rawalpindi since the imposition of coronavirus lockdown on March 24, a report quoted police as saying.

    “The reason behind crime dropping to zero is that criminals fear the virus and also don’t want to put themselves at risk while numerous personnel of law enforcement agencies patrol the city,” police said.

    Saddar Division SP Rai Mazhar Iqbal said the crime rate, however, had started to decline before the lockdown was put in place. “Before the lockdown, the crime rate had already reduced by 70% to 80%,” he said, adding that the remaining 20% to 25% was taken care of by the lockdown.

    It merits a mention that Punjab remains the worst-affected by the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — as the number of confirmed cases on Tuesday reached 2,004.

    Sindh is trailing far behind with 986 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 500 cases.

    Infections in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK)/Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Balochistan and Islamabad for now stand at 229, 202 and 83, respectively.

    As many as 55 coronavirus deaths and 429 recoveries had been reported in Pakistan by the time this report was filed.

  • ‘Shoot them dead’: President Duterte warns against violating coronavirus lockdown

    ‘Shoot them dead’: President Duterte warns against violating coronavirus lockdown

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned he would order the country’s police and military to shoot dead anyone “who creates trouble” during a month-long lockdown of the island of Luzon enforced to halt the spread of the coronavirus, France 24 reported.

    “Let this be a warning to all. Follow the government at this time because it is critical that we have order,” he said in a late-night televised national address on Wednesday.

    “And do not harm the health workers, the doctors … because that is a serious crime. My orders to the police and the military, if anyone creates trouble, and their lives are in danger: shoot them dead.”

    “Do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will lose,” he added in Filipino and English.

    Duterte’s warning came after residents of a slum in Manila’s Quezon City staged a protest along a highway near their shanty houses, claiming they had not received any food packs and other relief supplies since the lockdown began more than two weeks ago.

    Village security officers and police urged the residents to go back to their homes, but they refused, a police report said.

    Police broke up the protest and arrested 20 people, the report added.

    Health authorities in the Philippines have recorded 2,311 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus as of Wednesday. At least 96 people have died.

  • Coronavirus recession? The Citizens Archive of Pakistan fires 13 citing ‘financial constraints’

    Coronavirus recession? The Citizens Archive of Pakistan fires 13 citing ‘financial constraints’

    As the country observes a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), a non-governmental organisation, has fired 13 employees without prior notice, citing financial constraints.

    In a series of tweets, Raza Gillani, a former employee lashed out at the organisation for what he termed as a move to profit from a pandemic.

    He said that that the organisation had fired him along with 13 other employees without a prior notice until the coronavirus situation subsides. He added that while the government funds one project of the organisation, the employees were still working on the other project remotely. “Where is that money going?” he asked.

    In a veiled reference to two-time Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy who runs the organisation, he said that she makes films depicting the most vulnerable segments of the society but her own organisation was abandoning its most vulnerable employees who have families to sustain in this time of crisis.

    “If downsizing had become so important, why were the directors and those who actually take a hefty salary not fired? Why is it always the most vulnerable employees who are considered a liability at the time of a crisis, if saving money is so important to sustain the organisation?” he asked.

    Later, Raza also posted updates on Twitter stating that the human resource department had assured them that they would be given their notice periods and an additional one-month salary as well. He added that while CAP runs the National History Museum, it was also true that the Punjab government has not paid the salaries of the museum employees for the past six months.

    Following his tweets, CAP, in a statement, said that the organisation relies on the support and funding of donors both private and public to support its core projects.

    They mentioned that they have been struggling for the last several months as they have not received six months of payments. Also, their existing grants have been put on hold as well.

    “Now that the museum is closed for an indefinite period of time due to the government lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic, as a small non-government organisation we are finding it difficult to sustain a large workforce and have had to make some difficult decisions to let some members of our organisation go whilst also having to revisit current employees’ remuneration,” the statement added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-WpS58ndzn/

    CAP also stated that the terminated employees “will receive their salaries for the month of March 2020 along with an additional month of pay for April 2020 to be paid after their four-week notice in accordance with their contracts”.

    The organisation also claimed that should they be back on their feet after the pandemic is over, “employees who have been terminated will be the first we contact in regards to a return to their position”.

  • Nawaz to not return from London until coronavirus situation improves

    Nawaz to not return from London until coronavirus situation improves

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s physician Dr David R Lawrence has issued a report, saying that the ailing PML-N supremo’s heart surgery will have to wait until the “prevailing uncertainty of COVID-19 settles down,” hinting at his extended duration of stay abroad which appeared to be on the cards for some time now.

    According to the report, Sharif “at his age, with significant disease burden, falls in the category of patients who — if exposed — can develop serious COVID-19 symptoms with adverse effects”.

    The doctor further said that Nawaz has been advised to stay “in close proximity of” advanced health facilities in London.

    Nawaz, who is said to be diagnosed with an immune system disorder, flew to London in November last year after the government granted him one-time permission to fly abroad for a medical check-up.

  • Court orders jailing health secy for six months if PMDC building not opened in an hour

    Court orders jailing health secy for six months if PMDC building not opened in an hour

    Expressing displeasure with the federal government over its failure to revive the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered jailing the health secretary for six months if the building was not opened in an hour.

    PMDC — a statutory regulatory authority that maintained the official register of medical and dental practitioners in Pakistan — was in October last year dissolved and replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission after the president signed the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019 for the regulation of the medical profession.

    On February 11, the IHC declared the federal government’s decision to dissolve the PMDC null and void. The court also issued contempt notices to the federal government and health department for not implementing its orders.

    According to SAMAA, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani resumed hearing the contempt case on Monday. He said the PMDC should be made functional today. The authorities should break the lock on its building and make its registrar sit there. “A report should be submitted to the court in one hour,” the judge said.

    The health secretary will be sent to jail for six months if the building is not opened in an hour, he remarked. “I have given you three dates already and you haven’t done anything.”

    Not implementing court’s orders is contempt, the judge remarked. “This is a slap on the court’s face.” Such behaviour does not suit the federal government, said Justice Kayani, adding that the government should be ashamed.

    The court also asked if PMDC employees were getting their salaries or not. The lawyer of the employees said that the they haven’t been paid in over five months.

    TOP COURT AGAINST RELEASE OF PRISONERS AMID COVID-19 OUTBREAK:

    Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) has refrained high courts and all governments to pass any orders regarding the release of prisoners amid the coronavirus outbreak.

    According to journalist Hasnaat Malik, the top court has also suspended the implementation of IHC orders regarding release of under-trial prisoners.

    Punjab had last week decided to let go of almost 20,000 of its 46,000 prisoners amid the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis as jails in Pakistan remain overcrowded.

    Jail superintendents, who had reached out to the courts to approve the bail of prisoners handed sentences of seven years or less, had reportedly taken the step in light of special instructions.

    Bail requests were also filed for prisoners jailed for petty crimes, as well as the elderly, or criminals over 60 years of age.

    The development had come days after IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minullah had ordered for bails to be issued for prisoners facing trial for minor crimes in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He had made the decision while hearing a case of 1,362 incarcerated prisoners.

    The top IHC judge had noted how prisons in Pakistan were in dire straits and that the situation would get out of control if any prisoner got infected.

  • COVID-19 in Gilgit: Another health worker passes as region awaits Chinese help

    Days after Dr Usama Riaz died due to coronavirus, another health worker in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has passed away.

    According to reports, 55-year-old Malik Ashdar was looking after suspected and confirmed coronavirus patients in Nagar district, but due to the lack of protective gear among health workers, he soon developed coronavirus symptoms. After spending a week in an isolation centre, he passed away on Sunday while his test reports came hours later, confirming his infection.

    A number of health workers continue to perform their duties in the area without proper protective gear. There are currently 34 confirmed cases of the virus in the district, including 11 locally-transmitted cases, but health officials and residents suspect there could be more cases and have urged the federal government to ensure the provision of better facilities.

    Muhammad Jamil, a local resident, told Pakistan Today that there are currently 100 suspects who are either waiting for their test results or are awaiting the test itself. When asked about Ashdar, he said that the health worker was not given proper treatment in the isolation centre.

    Although his test results came positive, the GB Information Department is yet to confirm his death as the second coronavirus casualty in the area.

    The report also quoted an official of the GB Health Department as saying that due to the non-availability of testing kits, no suspected patient was tested in the past three days. The official said that the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Gilgit has limited resources and the fact that samples have to be sent there manually also causes a delay in treating patients effectively. However, he added, China’s assistance in this regard would enable GB to conduct more tests.

  • COVID-19: Colony in Lahore under lockdown after massive increase in cases?

    Residents of Lahore’s Imamia Colony claim that the area has been sealed off by the police amid “a massive increase in the COVID-19 cases” as authorities told them to not leave their houses; however, both the government and police deny doing so.

    Reports quoted locals as saying that amid an increasing number of coronavirus cases in Punjab, especially Lahore, the government had put the residential area in the provincial capital under lockdown. They claimed that a fatality was also reported in the locality and the health department was “downplaying the situation”.

    The government, they said, had failed to screen people returning from Iran which led to the outbreak in the colony.

    “The health department is hiding the actual number of the cases,” the residents claimed, urging higher-ups to take notice of the cases.

    According to an audio clip viral on social media, a purported sub-inspector stationed at Shahdara Police Station could be heard telling someone to stay away from Imamia Colony due to a higher number of cases there. As per the clip, a patient also died of the virus and at least 80 per cent were infected in the colony.

    Shahdara Police denied this and said they didn’t seal the area, whereas the health secretary and his spokesperson remained unavailable despite many calls.

    Punjab government spokesperson Mussarat Jamsheed said it was all rumours. “All the areas are under observation and we are not hiding anything from the public,” the official said while asking people not to panic.

  • Govt hints at imposing curfew as over 470 arrested for violating Sindh lockdown

    Govt hints at imposing curfew as over 470 arrested for violating Sindh lockdown

    With people ignoring the provincial government’s orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, which led to at least 472 arrests on the first day of the lockdown on Monday, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has hinted at imposing curfew across the province.

    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government had on Sunday imposed a 15-day lockdown effective March 23 as Pakistan continued to report cases of coronavirus. Across Sindh, six violators were on Monday arrested in Mirpur Khas, eight in Sukkur, 236 in Larkana and 222 in Karachi for violating the lockdown.

    Separately, a total of 72 cases were registered across the province. In Karachi, 33 cases were registered, whereas two in Mirpurkhas, one in Sukkur, and 36 in Larkana.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Shah said that the government would be left with no option other than imposing a curfew if people still did not take the lockdown orders seriously.

    He once again appealed to the people to stay at home and support the government in the fight against COVID-19.

    According to reports, the number of confirmed infections in Pakistan has reached 903. At least seven deaths have also been recorded with Punjab reporting its first on Tuesday.

    Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said the patient was a 57-year-old and was under treatment at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital.