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Tag: islamabad

  • Flight from UAE carries 104 coronavirus patients to Pakistan

    Flight from UAE carries 104 coronavirus patients to Pakistan

    The Rawalpindi district administration on Monday said that 104 passengers who were flown in from Abu Dhabi have tested positive for coronavirus.

    “Out of 209 passengers, 104 tested positive for COVID-19,” the district administration said, adding that the flight carrying the passengers had arrived in Islamabad on April 28.

    Following the SOPs prepared by the government, all the passengers were screened at the airport and were shifted to the quarantine centre at Fatima Jinnah Women University.

    With the country having blocked all international commercial flights since mid-March — a ban that’s now set to continue for an indefinite period of time — many of the country’s residents have struggled to find a path back to their homeland, making government repatriation flights a necessity.

    On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 22 more fatalities from novel coronavirus as the death toll in the country has reached 471. The nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients jumped to 20,725 while over a thousand cases were reported in 24 hours.

    According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center, Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

    Till now 7,882 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 7,646 in Punjab, 3,129 in KP, 1,218 in Balochistan, 415 in Islamabad, 364 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 71 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).

    Earlier in the day, it was reported that three crew members of a special PIA flight from Australia had also tested positive for COVID-19.

    The PIA staffers had performed duties on the flight from Melbourne to Lahore.

  • Islamabad reopens hiking trails under strict SOPs

    Trails and parks in Islamabad that had been shut down to control the spread of COVID-19 have now been opened up for the public but with strict SOPs in place.

    According to a notification issued by the district administration of the city, hiking trails are to be reopened for the public under social distancing rules. Sports grounds will remain closed.

    https://twitter.com/ICTA_GoP/status/1254769478866362370?s=20

    Read More: Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    According to the order, residents can hike while strictly following the rules of social distancing. A six feet distance has to be maintained between people at all times.
    Residents are happy over the decision and said everyone could protect themselves from the virus if social distancing is practised in daily life.

    The notification held the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation and the environment directorate responsible for ensuring government SOPs are followed.

  • Faisal Edhi, who met PM last week, tests positive for coronavirus

    Son of the late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and incumbent head of the Edhi Foundation, Faisal Edhi, who met Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan at the latter’s office last week, has tested positive for coronavirus, raising concerns over the health of the premier who could have contracted the virus.

    Edhi met Imran on April 15 to donate Rs10 million to the PM’s COVID-19 Relief Fund on behalf of his organisation, and a picture of the meeting had also gone viral over the internet.

    According to reports, he is in Islamabad at the moment and was tested after insisting the same, considering that he has been working in the field. His family and most people he interacted with within the past two weeks, including PM Imran, are also likely to be tested.

    His son Saad Edhi has said that his father started suffering from symptoms last week, soon after meeting the PM.

    “He is doing good and is practising self-isolation without being admitted to any hospital.”

    Earlier, Edhi had trashed criticism surrounding his donation to the government, saying the organisation could not “operate without the government’s help — be it federal or provincial”.

    In a video message shared with Independent Urdu, he had said, “I am glad that we [Edhi foundation] are working with the government.”

    READ: ‘PM didn’t recognise me,’ says Faisal Edhi, who met Imran to donate Rs1 crore

    “Edhi foundation has been working with governments since day one after the emergence of coronavirus [in the country]” he had said, adding that people would suffer if all stakeholders, at this time, did not unite to work together.

  • Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    Claim: Viral video of leopard entering a house and fighting a pet dog is being placed in a house on Margalla road, Islamabad.

    Fact: The video is actually from Gujrat, India and was posted 5 days earlier on Times of India.

    A video of a leopard entering a house and getting into a fight with a pet dog is going viral on social media and especially in Whatsapp groups. It is being speculated that the incident took place in a house on Margalla Road in Islamabad considering a leopard was recently spotted on a camera trap near the hiking trails.

    Read more – Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    However, the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad has confirmed that the video is not from Islamabad.

    Meanwhile, a quick Google search revealed that this incident took place in India. According to a report in the Times of India, the incident took place in Rajkot, Gujrat. The leopard was attempting to prey on the dog but when a vehicle passed by outside, it got scared and ran away. The owner of the house said that this is the first time he witnessed such an incident and that he alerted the forest department about it.

    “We have set up a cage with a live bait inside it to trap the leopard,” said an official from the forest department.

    The leopard population in Gujarat has witnessed a growth in recent years and it appears that the lockdown which is currently in place in the country is allowing these big cats to move around more easily.

    VERDICT: FALSE [OUT OF CONTEXT]

  • Islamabad cops feed monkeys during lockdown

    Islamabad cops feed monkeys during lockdown

    Human beings aren’t the only ones affected by the coronavirus lockdown in Pakistan. Animals are also suffering amid all this as many stray or wild animals haven’t been getting any food.

    As per reports, group of Islamabad policemen gave monkeys food during the lockdown to make sure they don’t go hungry either.

    Pakistan is currently under lockdown, with shops and markets closed to control the spread of the coronavirus. People are practicing social distancing while staying at home. That’s why stray animals could not find any food on the streets.

  • Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    With human under lockdown, nature is running free and wildlife is coming out of hiding to explore the empty spaces once swarmed with humans.

    According to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), a male leopard was caught on a camera trap near the hiking trails of Margalla Hills National Park. While leopards are occasionally caught on camera, this is the first time a larger male leopard was spotted on the hills. The IWMB added that the latest discovery could mean that there are three families of the common leopard hiding in the national park. Popularly referred to as the Margalla Leopards, these animals are an endangered species.

    The board also shared that not just leopards but wild animals including fox, martins, porcupines, barking deer, jackals and wild boars among others have also descended from the hills. They have also been caught by the camera traps laid out by the wildlife board.

    Various species of birds including pheasants have also been spotted on the grounds.

    Meanwhile, it has also been reported that dozens of monkeys living in the Margalla Hills National Park have descended on to the residential areas of the city in search of food.

    IWMB Assistant Director Sakhawat Ali said that residents of sectors F-6 and F-7 have filed complaints about the monkeys entering their homes. Some videos posted online showed the simians scurrying about the streets of the city or climbing over rooftops.

    “It is not a good practice [to feed animals when you go hiking on the MHNP trails or other hilly areas] as human-fed food item will have bad impacts on their health,” Ali said, adding that monkeys have lived in the national park since before humans inhabited this region.

    Ali, however, noted that the monkeys were not hostile to human beings and only attack or become violent when someone tries to hurt them.

    He advised the public to stay calm if they encountering any monkey. Moreover, he suggested that people keep their food items secure in their stores and not offer animals anything.

    Ali also advised people to take care of their clothes and the laundry hung out to dry.

    “Monkeys have a habit to take away clothes left outside a house if they find nothing in their search of food,” the IWMB officer warned.

  • Online grocery stores in your city

    Online grocery stores in your city

    After the spread of coronavirus outbreak, people are asked to stay at their homes and practice social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus. Amid all this, people need groceries for their homes and some people might be worried about how to go and get them from the market.

    The Current did some research and listed a few online grocery stores in your city.

    Karachi

    Agha’s Supermarket

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AghasSupermarket/

    Freshiez

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/freshiezpk/

    Fowry

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fowrryofficial/

    Website: https://www.fowrry.com/

    Lahore

    Road Runner

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/roadrunnerpk/

    Grocer App

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GrocerApp.pk/

    Jalal Sons

    Islamabad

    Shaheen Grocers

    Fowry

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fowrryofficial/

    Other cities

    Al Fatah

    If you have a branch of Al Fatah in your city then you can order your groceries from there.

  • Weekend events in your city

    Weekend events in your city

    Lahore

    Women Festival 2020

    Date: March 8, Sunday

    Time: 10 AM – 7 PM

    Venue: Alhamra Arts Council, Mall Road.

    Meet & Greet of Blogger & Vlogger

    Date: March 7, Saturday.

    Time: 10 AM – 10 PM

    Venue: Hyper bazaar, D Block Commercial, Valencia town.

    Qawwali Night

    Date: March 7, Saturday.

    Time: 8 PM – 12 AM

    Venue: Eatino, 8-B1, Phase 1 PGECHS.

    Islamabad

    Bhangra Night

    Date: March 8. Sunday.

    Time: 7 PM – 10:30 PM

    Venue: The Rock Musicarium, Plot9, Lake view Park, Phase 2, Rawal Lake, Promenade.

    Band Baja Wedding Expo 2020

    Date: 7-8 March, (Saturday – Sunday)

    Time: 11 AM – 10 PM

    Venue: Pak-China Friendship CenterPak China Friendship Center, Islamabad.

    Karachi

    Rang Panchmi

    Date: March 7, Saturday.

    Time: 8 PM – 12 AM

    Venue: Redisson BanquetDHA Phase I, adjacent PSO Petrol Pump, near KPT Interchange.

    1st Women Conference

    Date and Time: Mar 6 at 3 PM – Mar 7 at 8 PM

    Venue: Arts Council of Pakistan, M. R Kayani Road, Karachi.

  • Schools in Sindh and Balochistan closed due to Coronavirus scare

    Schools in Sindh and Balochistan closed due to Coronavirus scare

    All public and private educational institutes are closed in Balochistan until March 15 to protect children from the spread of Coronavirus. After two cases were confirmed in Pakistan on Wednesday, one in Karachi and one in Islamabad, governments are taking precautionary measures.

    The notification states that all public and private educational institutes, as well as madrassas, will be closed for more than two weeks.

    “The ongoing examinations of Grade 9 and Matriculation are also suspended,” the education minister said in a video message, “We want to keep our children safe’. He also said that it was a safety measure and no one needed to panic.

    A copy of the notification

    RELATED: Two coronavirus cases confirmed in Pakistan

    Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani also announced that the schools in the province would remain closed on Thursday and Friday, after the confirmation of a case in Karachi on Wednesday night.

    Saeed Ghani’s tweet

    The State Minister for Health Dr. Zafar Mirza tweeted last night, confirming the two cases.

    He said that everything was under control and also tweeted a helpline number.

    He asked people to refrain from sharing personal information of the patients saying that the patient in Karachi, as well as his family, was immediately placed in quarantine at a private hospital on the National Stadium Road while the one in Islamabad was moved to the capital’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

  • PM House’s conversion into university to cost taxpayers over Rs35 billion

    PM House’s conversion into university to cost taxpayers over Rs35 billion

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s plan of converting the Prime Minister (PM) House into a modern university is likely to cost over Rs35 billion as new buildings will be constructed over 50 acres of land.

    According to a report in Profit, Pakistan Science and Technology Task Force, which is looking into the proposed university project, estimated an initial cost of over Rs35 billion for the university, however, a feasibility study for the said project is yet to be conducted.

    The report quoted officials at the Ministry of Planning and Development as saying that an important meeting on the planned project was held at the ministry on Thursday, which was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar.

    The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan Science and Technology Task Force Chairperson Prof Dr Attaur Rehman, Member Science and Technology Dr Hussain Abidi and senior officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

    According to the officials, Prof Dr Rehman briefed the participants about the latest developments in the establishment of the university at the PM House. The ministers were informed that the planned university will have three centres of excellence and eight departments with a special focus on innovation and technology development. The university will accommodate more than 1,000 PhDs and PostDoc fellows along with 200 faculty members.

    He also elaborated that a budget of Rs200 million was required to conduct an initial feasibility study.

    The planning minister noted that the manufacturing sector in Pakistan needs to be supported through cutting edge and latest technologies in order to make them more competitive. He directed the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) to form a special committee to ensure that the university focuses on relevant technologies that can support the manufacturing industry in Pakistan. He said that there should be no delay in the establishment of the University as it is a high priority project.

    The planning minister was also briefed about the scholarships that will be offered at the university.

    Sources said that since the premier wants fast-track progress on the project, the concerned ministries and authorities have expedited initial work on the proposed university. The university was among PM Imran Khan’s election promises and was also included in the manifesto of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was released before 2018’s general election.

    Initially, the incumbent government faced great difficulty in going ahead with the proposal because the PM House is located in a highly sensitive area and red zone of the federal capital, but the premier insisted that the university be built there.

    To build the new university, the government also needed to change the master plan of the capital for carrying out new/additional construction on the land adjacent to the PM House. To deal with this, the federal cabinet approved a specific change to the master plan of Islamabad last year.