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Tag: islamabad

  • London bridge attacker laid to rest in Pakistan

    London bridge attacker laid to rest in Pakistan

    British national Usman Khan who attacked people on London Bridge was laid to rest in his family’s ancestral village in a southern district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, the body of the 28-year-old Usman was brought by his family from Islamabad airport to Kijlani village in district Kotli where the funeral took place at 4pm, following which he was buried in a local graveyard.

    Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) General Manager Public Relations Abdul Hafeez has said that Usman Khan’s body was shifted to Islamabad from London aboard a PIA flight PK-792, which was later handed over to his family.

    Abdul Hafeez said that it was the PIA’s policy that it carried bodies on the basis of genuine documentation, including foreign-origin card of the deceased and Pakistan High Com­mission’s letter.

    The body was handed over to his relatives after passing through the immigration and customs process.

    Usman’s relatives drove the body to the town of Kotli for burial as his family didn’t want to bury him in the United Kingdom (UK). His funeral prayers were earlier offered in a Birmingham mosque.

    After Usman’s funeral people, on social media have pointed out that the government had earlier tried to cover up the fact that the London Bridge attacker was a Pakistani and now they have allowed him burial in the country.

    Usman Khan had earlier stabbed two people to death and left three others injured in an attack in London. He had been residing in the Staffordshire area of UK.

    According to reports, Khan was part of a gang of nine extremists, mostly of Bangladeshi origin, who were sentenced in February 2012 after being convicted. However, he was released in December 2018, but was required to wear a GPS [an electronic tag].

    After the London Bridge attack, Usman was shot dead by security personnel.

  • How much did the ‘Azadi March’ cost the government?

    How much did the ‘Azadi March’ cost the government?

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi March’ which took place from October 31 to November 13 cost the government over Rs240 million, Rs248 million to be exact.

    According to a report in Dawn, this amount is payable to contractors/vendors whose services were hired for security and other arrangements which included lodging, meal and transportation of police called from other districts.

    As many as 5,000 from the capital police along with 3,000 Frontier Constabulary, 1,500 Punjab Constabulary, 2,000 from KP police and 500 from Kashmir and railway police were deployed in Islamabad during the sit-in. 550 containers were also arranged to block roads as a part of security measures and 105 vehicles, including 88 buses, were used to transport the security personnel.

    The rent of a 40-foot container was Rs20,000 a day and Rs14,000 for a 20-foot container. On the other hand, the rent of a bus was Rs25,000 per day and Rs15,000 of a wagon/truck. The fuel for these vehicles cost the police Rs 20 million.

    The capital police also purchased anti-riot gears to deal with confrontations, though none took place in the 13-day sit-in.

    Other expenses included the rent of nine buildings hired for the force requisitioned from other provinces.

    Meanwhile, Rs695.6 million were spent during PTI and PAT’s dharna in 2014.

  • Islamabad to get chairlifts?

    If reports are to believed Islamabad’s Margalla Hills may be getting chairlifts.

    According to a report in Samaa News, the wildlife ministry is considering installing a chairlift at the Margalla Hills for tourists. The idea has also received positive feedback from environmental experts who believe that this will help reduce the number of cars that visit the hills on a daily basis.

    The ministry says that there are two benefits of installing the chairlifts: one people visiting the area will get great ariel views of the hills and two the number of cars going to the hills will reduce. Officials of the ministry say that the hills and Islamabad’s national parks need to be protected.

    Reports suggest that almost 5,000 cars cross the foothills of the Margalla every day.

  • JUI-F’s Mufti Kifayatullah injured in attempt on life

    JUI-F’s Mufti Kifayatullah injured in attempt on life

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI-F) senior leader Mufti Kifayatullah was injured in an assassination attempt near Mansehra Interchange on Wednesday morning, Geo News reported. 

    According to the details, Kifayatullah along with his two sons and a companion were travelling to Mansehra from Islamabad when another vehicle hit their car from behind and stopped it near Mansehra Interchange.

    The attackers tried to pull the JUI-F leader from his car and attacked them with iron rods, leaving all inhabitants of the car wounded.

    Mufti and the others were later shifted to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital Mansehra for treatment. 

    Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the attack.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former wife Reham Khan has condemned the attack and said, “If the culprits behind this attack are not arrested immediately we will consider that the incumbent government is itself involved in this attack”.

  • Islamabad robbers used ‘nullahs’ to carry out their thefts

    Islamabad robbers used ‘nullahs’ to carry out their thefts

    Who would have thought that Islamabad’s nullahs would be used to carry out thefts and provide shelter to robbers?

    Turns out that a gang of robbers, who have been creating panic in the capital, were using the drains, or nullahs, to carry out their activities.

    According to reports, the police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) made the discovery after they found a hideout near Jinnah Avenue in F-7 and uncovered a makeshift room in one of the drains, with all the requirements for a bedroom and living room.

    An investigation into the matter was carried out after more than a dozen robberies took place in F-10, F-11, G-10 and G-11. The investigation team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hakim Khan studied the areas where the robberies took place and found that all the houses that were robbed were located near drains.

    Surveillance of the drains revealed that the suspects were using them for their movement.

    Though most of the suspects escaped the police raid, two people were later arrested and the stolen goods confiscated. The police said that there were eight to 10 tributaries leading off from the drain they raided, which made it difficult to follow the suspects further.

    Those arrested during interrogation revealed that they were part of a five-member group and the remaining three members had fled to Afghanistan following the raid. They shared that they stayed in a city for a few weeks, robbed several houses, and then travelled to Afghanistan with the stolen items with the help of local facilitators who were given 10 to 15 per cent of the stolen items.

    The apprehended further said that houses near nullahs were chosen for robberies to be carried out at sunset and sunrise. They revealed that they entered the houses by cutting through grills and then held residents hostage before carrying out their robberies.

  • ‘Army says Monal built on its land, wants it back now’

    ‘Army says Monal built on its land, wants it back now’

    Islamabad’s famous Monal Restaurant is built on military land in the Margalla Hills that the army now wants back, a Capital Development Authority (CDA) official has reportedly told a parliamentary committee.

    According to Dawn, Dr Shahid Mahmood on Wednesday told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change that 15 years ago, the CDA “did not know it was building the restaurant on military grasslands until the army started claiming it”.

    The committee was told that the 22,000 acres of land — that are now a part of the Margalla Hills National Park — were actually owned by the Punjab government.

    Around 5,500 acres of the said land was allocated to the army, he said, although the exact year the allocation was made, was not stated. The CDA now owns 16,500 acres.

    The latest survey conducted by the authority revealed that the land allotted to the army is right in the centre of the national park, and Monal has been built on it.

    Monal Restaurant was built in 2005 and was a CDA property. The operation of the restaurant was leased for a 10 year period, Dr Mahmood told the committee, adding that the space was now being vacated and handed over to the army.

    However, Committee Chairperson Munaza Hassan was more interested in finding out who had permitted the construction of a large restaurant inside the national park protected by the law to conserve its natural environment and wildlife.

    Dr Mahmood said the CDA board at the time had permitted the restaurant’s construction, offering to share the board decision with the committee. He said several inquiries were undertaken to hold officials accountable for allowing the restaurant to be built, but none had been successful.

    The committee chair then demanded that CDA shared information regarding the construction of Monal Restaurant on protected land.

    Climate Change Joint Secretary Suleman Warraich said the government was unable to implement environment protection laws due to confusion over the demarcation of state land overlapping with private property. “Margalla Hills National Park was last mapped in the 1960s,” he said.

  • Terror Attack Alert: Terrorists may target Maulana Fazl in Azadi March

    Terror Attack Alert: Terrorists may target Maulana Fazl in Azadi March

    Ministry of Interior has expressed fear that terrorists can attack the ongoing ‘Azadi March’ of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), targeting Maulana Fazlur Rehman, ARY News reported.

    According to the details, the Ministry has issued a fresh alert saying that terrorists want to attack JUI-F chief and for that, they can use an explosive-laden vehicle.

    The interior ministry has directed officials for the provision of Maulana’s security and has informed Home Secretaries of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this regard.

    Earlier on October 25, the interior ministry had issued an alert notice of possible terror attacks by banned militant outfits. The copies of the notice were also sent to chief secretaries of all province by the authorities.

    The notice stated, “The protest march announced by JUI-F increased risks for the internal security of the country besides creating the situation of instability. The notice warns that anti-state elements could take benefit of the instability by targeting public gatherings”.

    Dubbed the ‘Azadi’ March, the caravan, which set off from the Sindh province, left Punjab’s city Lahore on Wednesday and culminated its journey last night in Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad.

  • ‘Drug tests to be made mandatory for teachers, students in Islamabad’

    ‘Drug tests to be made mandatory for teachers, students in Islamabad’

    Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has said that the government is planning to make drug tests mandatory for school staff and students in Islamabad, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, in a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control, Afridi asserted that no person responsible for propagating drugs to the youth would be spared, “even if they are members of the parliament”.

    He claimed that the government is working on legislation to punish the possession and distribution of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth or ice and added that the ministry had collected data of “drug dealers and money launderers” from over 250 international law enforcement agencies.

    Narcotics Control  Secretary Amjad Javed Saleemi also informed the Senate panel that they are maintaining a record of criminal entities involved in narcotics trade, adding that the system helps track drug peddlers and their facilitators.

  • ISB: Sixth grader accidentally shot dead by school guard

    ISB: Sixth grader accidentally shot dead by school guard

    A sixth grade boy was killed outside his school in Islamabad after a security guard accidentally shot him.

    The incident took place on Wednesday outside a private school in Nilore, Islamabad.

    The guard was cleaning his gun and accidentally fired it. He has been taken into custody and it is unclear why he was cleaning his gun during school time.

    According to reports, there was an eyewitness who said that after the boy was shot, he cried in pain for 10-15 minutes. The school did not provide a vehicle to take the child to the hospital and closed its gates instead.

    The boy was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

    Police are investigating the incident and the parents are protesting against the school.

  • Kashmir ‘Curfew Clock’ installed in Islamabad

    Kashmir ‘Curfew Clock’ installed in Islamabad

    A digital clock called “Curfew Clock” has been installed in the federal capital, which shows the number of days, hours and minutes since India has kept occupied Kashmir under curfew.

    The video of the curfew clock that “challenges the world conscience” was tweeted by Central Film Censor Board chairman and Information Minister’s Office director Danyal Gillani.

    Pakistanis on Friday came out in hordes on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s call to observe “Kashmir Hour” to show solidarity with the people of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    People of the Muslim-majority troubled valley have been held hostage by Indian occupying forces since August 5 when New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of its constitution to rob the disputed territory of its autonomy.