Current Final

Tag: islamabad

  • Why are students in Islamabad protesting?

    Why are students in Islamabad protesting?

    A large number of university students in Islamabad protested on Tuesday demanding their universities and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) resolve their accommodation problem.

    Thousands of students were evicted from privately-run hostels after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) sealed many buildings over ‘non-conforming use’. It means that they were operating as a commercial enterprise without authorisation, reports The Express Tribune.

    The students also registered a public interest petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) against CDA’s policy that has left around 30,000 students on the verge of eviction.

    The petition is filed under section 4(xxiii) of the Federal Universities Act and other laws stating that the universities are bound to create sufficient student accommodation on campus and also to “approve or license” hostels and lodgings existing in the city.

    However, in Islamabad, only five out of the 35 universities over the last two decades have taken any such steps. “As a result, students are compelled to reside in privately-managed student hostels located in the CDA sectors,” it informed.

    CDA issued non-conforming notices to over 70 hostels in November.

    According to the hostel owners, many students had to spend the night on the street after at least two hostels were shut down late in the evening without proper warning.

    The petition also points out that HEC has a statutory mandate to protect the interests of students including their accommodation matters, “but has so far failed to intervene in this crisis”.

    At the preliminary hearing, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb issued directions for the HEC chairman to grant a hearing to the students and redress their grievances.

  • Attack on passenger bus in Chilas; Protests Erupt, Bus Service Suspended

    Attack on passenger bus in Chilas; Protests Erupt, Bus Service Suspended

    In a tragic incident in the Chilas area of Gilgit-Baltistan’s(GB) Diamer district, a passenger bus en route to Rawalpindi was targeted by unknown assailants on December 2. The attack resulted in the loss of at least nine lives, including two soldiers, and injuries to 21 passengers.

    The attackers fired from nearby hills, causing the bus to collide with a goods truck.

    Six people have been arrested in connection with the attack, according to a local police official as per Dawn.

    The bus (Number BLN 4647) was traveling from Gahkuch, the district headquarters of Ghizer, operated by K2 Travels, a private transportation company.

    This isn’t the first time passenger buses have been attacked on the KKH by terrorists. Unlike the past attacks, in which passengers from the Shia community were targetted, this time the victims are not from a particular faith group.

    Contrary to previous incidents in the region, GB Home Minister Shams Lone emphasized that this attack was not sectarian but rather a terrorist act that claimed lives from various backgrounds.

    The local community in Diamer has reportedly rejected such acts, and the government has assured the public of taking tough measures against the perpetrators.

    The minister said that the GB government has taken “tough decisions” to deal with militants and “all culprits will be arrested soon”.

    He added that religious scholars from all sects, civil society and political parties have condemned the attack.

    GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan, along with other top officials, attended the funeral of the victims and announced compensation of Rs1 million for the deceased, Rs500,000 for the seriously injured, and Rs300,000 for other injured passengers.

    The government has also implemented security measures, including daytime travel for passenger vehicles through Diamer in convoys escorted by security personnel.

    Protests

    Protests erupted across Chilas, Gilgit, Skardu, and Hunza, with the transporters’ association calling for protection for vehicles traveling on the Karakoram Highway (KKH).

    Bus Service Suspended

    In response to the incident, bus services from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan remain suspended until foolproof security is provided, as stated by Malik Shahbaz, the general secretary of the Pakistan Transporter Welfare Association.

    Malik Shahbaz, the general secretary of the Pakistan Transporter Welfare Association, told Dawn that 150 to 200 coaches and buses operate from Rawalpindi to 10 GB districts daily.

    He claimed that only one security official on a motorcycle is deputed to escort the convoy of buses along the 50-kilometer-long stretch of the KKH in Chilas.

    “The public transport service will remain suspended until the provision of foolproof security to Gilgit-bound buses,” Mr Shahbaz said.

    The Pakistan Association of Tour Operators also condemned the attack and said the act of violence not only resulted in the loss of innocent lives but had a profound impact on the tourism industry as well. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy.”

    Security Enhanced

    Meanwhile, Islamabad Capital City Police Officer(ICCPO) Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan issued directives to enhance security measures in the Diplomatic Enclave following the attack.

    “Police remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a peaceful environment and ensuring the protection of the lives and property of the citizens within the federal capital,” he said.

    “Citizens are urged to cooperate with the police and report any suspicious activities or items by dialling helpline Pucar 15 or at ICT-15 app,” he said.

  • Fawad Chaudhry allowed to meet his wife

    Fawad Chaudhry allowed to meet his wife

    Following an intervention by the court, Fawad Chaudhry’s wife has been granted permission to visit him during incarceration.

    Additionally, the court has issued an order directing the provision of medical facilities to Chaudhry in accordance with the jail manual.

    Presiding over the case, Justice Gul Hasan Aurangzeb emphasized the paramount importance of upholding the petitioner’s dignity.

    Expressing concern over incidents akin to Chaudhry’s case, the court referenced the restrictions placed on Asif Zardari and the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, underscoring the need to ensure access for individuals to meet their families and lawyers.

    Justice Aurangzeb remarked that such incidents bring shame to the officers involved, highlighting the significance of respecting the rights and dignity of those under legal scrutiny.

    Chief Commissioner Anwar-ul-Haq presented a report before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding the implementation status of Fawad Chaudhary’s plea for permission to meet with lawyers and family members.

    The report revealed that former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has been granted B-class facilities in jail, and as per the court’s directives, he has been permitted to meet with family and legal representatives.

    In addition, the court sought details regarding the number of cases Chaudhry is involved in, to which his lawyer replied that he only had knowledge of one case. Fawad Chaudhry, a former leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was arrested on November 4 from his residence on charges of allegedly accepting bribes after promising a job.

    What are the facilities provided to class A or B?

    Superior class prisoners are entitled to books and newspapers, a 21-inch television, a table and a chair, a mattress, personal bedding and clothing and food. The prisoners have to pay for all this themselves. The government is only obligated to provide them security in a high-security ward where they will be kept away from other prisoners.

    Rooms are supplied with a cot, one chair, one teapot, one lantern if there is no electric light, and necessary washing and sanitary appliances. ‘A class’ prisoners may supplement the furniture by other articles within reasonable limit at their own cost, at the discretion of the Superintendent.

    When several superior class prisoners are confined together, two ‘C class’ prisoners may be provided to cook food for them. If a superior class prisoner is confined individually he may be permitted a ‘C class’ prisoner for cooking. One attendant and one cook prisoner may be allowed to superior class prisoners up to 10 in number.

  • CDA to receive 30 Chinese electric buses for Islamabad in January 

    CDA to receive 30 Chinese electric buses for Islamabad in January 

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has initiated a transformative move by securing 160 electric buses from China.

    The procurement plan involves the delivery of 30 buses in January, followed by two additional fleets arriving in February and March.

    CDA Chairman Anwarul Haq on Friday chaired a meeting to receive an update on the import of buses, as per sources from Dawn. The chairman directed the concerned wing to expedite the process, ensuring the timely arrival of all buses.

    Commencing in January, the first batch of 30 electric buses is set to play on 13 new routes across the capital city. This strategic deployment is a step towards enhancing sustainable and eco-friendly public transportation.

    The National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) has been entrusted with the pivotal role of managing the operation of the buses on the designated 13 routes.

    Under this arrangement, the CDA will be providing financial support to the NRTC, with a reimbursement ranging from Rs306 to Rs331 for every kilometre covered by the electric buses.

    To streamline the operation of these buses, the CDA is planning the construction of a dedicated depot at Zero Point, situated along the Srinagar Highway towards the H-8 side.

    The planning wing of the CDA has already designated a specific piece of land for the construction of this essential facility.

  • Petition against Imran, Bushra nikah dismissed

    Petition against Imran, Bushra nikah dismissed

    Civil Judge, Islamabad, Qudrat Ullah has dismissed a petition challenging the nikah between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Friday after it was withdrawn by the petitioner.

    Muhammad Hanif, the petitioner, had moved the court seeking legal action against the former prime minister for marrying his present wife while she was reportedly on iddat, but he withdrew his case, leading to its dismissal.

    In an application submitted in the court, the petitioner said: “For the time being, the applicant wants to withdraw the above said complaint due to technical reasons.”

    “If permission to withdraw the complaint is not accorded, applicant shall suffer irreparable loss,” he stated.

    Keeping in view the statement of the complainant, Judicial Magistrate (East) Qudrat Ullah granted permission for the withdrawal of the complaint under Section 248 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and wrapped up the case.

    Imran-Bushra marriage case

    The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, had claimed that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her former husband in November 2017 and married Khan on January 1, 2018, despite the fact that the iddat period had not ended, “which is against the Sharia and Muslim norms.”

    The complainant submitted in the court the statement of Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who solemnised the marriage between Imran and Bushra, where he had said that the PTI chief married Bushra Bibi during the latter’s iddat (the time a woman goes into isolation after her husband dies or divorces her), despite knowing everything.

    In his statement to a lower court, Saeed said he had solemnised Khan’s nikah with Bushra Bibi on January 1, 2018, over the assurance of a woman claiming to be the former first lady’s sister.

    “Then the former premier contacted me again in February 2018 and requested me to solemnise his nikah with Bushra Bibi again as the first time it was against the Shariah,” Saeed stated before the court.

    He said that the first time when the nikah was solemnised, Bushra Bibi’s Iddat hadn’t ended.

    He quoted Khan as saying that Bushra Bibi had been divorced in November 2017 and that there was a “prediction” that the PTI chairman would become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.

    Mufti Saeed added that the first nikah was illegal, which had been solemnised based on the “prediction”.

    The complainant also submitted the statement of Aun Chaudhry, a witness to the marriage and former political secretary to former prime minister Imran Khan, who claimed in court that their marriage ceremony and Nikkah were based on “fraud”.

    According to his statement, Imran’s divorce from his previous wife, Reham Khan, took place in 2015, after Bushra Bibi told the former premier to give her divorce immediately.

    “At the time, Reham Khan was not present in the country, but Imran Khan divorced her through email on the advice of Bushra Bibi,” he said.

    “On December 31, 2017, Imran said to me that he was going to marry Bushra Bibi the next day. I was surprised and told him that Bushra Bibi was already married. Imran Khan said that Bushra Bibi had been divorced,” he added.

    Aun Chaudhry claimed Imran Khan instructed them for the preparations for the marriage on January 1, 2018, adding that he accompanied Mufti Saeed, the cleric who solemnised the couple’s Nikkah, and PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari to Lahore where Imran Khan’s marriage was solemnised.

    Later, when they realized that the iddat period had not been completed yet, Aun stated “Imran Khan said that the waiting period (Iddat) would be completed on February 18, 2018, and asked me to make arrangements for the marriage on the same date. The waiting period had to be completed between February 14 or 18, 2018. Imran Khan’s second Nikkah took place in Bani Gala whereas the first one had taken place in Lahore.”

    He revealed that Bushra Bibi had been given an “order” that if the Nikkah took place on the first day of 2018, Imran Khan would become the prime minister, adding that the date was chosen keeping in mind the “prediction”.

    Marriage

    In February 2018, the PTI announced that Khan married Bushra Riaz Watoo, better known now as Bushra Bibi, who is a respected faith healer. The ceremony was held in Lahore.

    Although Khan’s sisters were not in attendance, the bride’s mother and friends attended the intimate ceremony.

    Before marrying the spiritual guide, Khan was married twice.

    He first married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of a British billionaire, in 1995, but it ended in 2004. He has two kids, Suleman and Qasim, from his first wife. Both of them live with their mother.

    His second marriage was to Reham Khan in January 2015, which dissolved in a short span of 10 months.

  • Rare fungal infection Histoplasmosis claims one life in Islamabad 

    Rare fungal infection Histoplasmosis claims one life in Islamabad 

    Head of the Infection and Disease department Dr Nasim Akhtar in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has cautioned that the rare and potentially fatal fungal infection Histoplasmosis may spread in Islamabad. Two cases have been reported in the capital city, with one patient dying of the fungal disease. The other is recovering slowly.

    It was previously believed that the fungus did not exist in Pakistan but the diagnosis has been confirmed after a detailed examination of the two patients. The deceased young man was admitted to the hospital six months ago, while medical staff managed to save the other patient by giving him anti-fungal medication. Professor Nasim stated that histoplasmosis, a fungal infection, thrives in soil with high levels of bird or bat droppings.

    No other case has been reported across the country but the presence of the fungus itself is worrisome, Dr.Nasim has said. Citing the lack of confirmed diagnosis, many patients remain untested, he added, stressing the need for the facility of Urinary Histoplasma Antigen Test to be made available in PIMS, Pakistan. 

    Histoplasmosis is a fungus commonly found in the soil. Although it may not afflict most people, those with compromised immune systems may suffer from fever, fatigue, and a cough, leading to severe complications like that of lung infection. 

  • More PTI arrests from Mansehra

    More PTI arrests from Mansehra

    A joint team of law enforcement agencies and Islamabad police apprehended former Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) Ali Nawaz Awan and Malik Aamir Dogar, along with their two hosts in the Battal area, Mansehra on Thursday.

    Both former MNAs are from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    The arrests took place during a raid on the residence of Hizbullah, chairman of the Battal neighborhood council and a prominent PTI leader.

    The whereabouts of the detainees, including Hizbullah and his cousin Zaheer Khan, remain unknown, with local police maintaining silence on the matter.

    Awan, who serves as the PTI’s central additional secretary-general, represented Islamabad as an MNA, while Dogar hails from Multan city.

    Both had gone into hiding as law enforcement agencies intensified their crackdown on PTI leaders and activists following the May 9 attacks on military and government installations across the country.

    Expressing strong reservations, PTI has declared the arrests illegal. Ajmal Khan Swati, former PTI information secretary in Hazara division, urged an immediate end to what he termed an “illegal” crackdown on their party.

    “These arrests should stop immediately,” he said.

    The PTI leader said his party wanted a level-playing field to participate in general elections just like the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, JUI-F and others in the country.

    He complained that the police didn’t allow the PTI to hold a workers’ convention in the locality and ransacked the venue despite court orders telling the government to allow PTI to carry out political activities, including canvassing.

    “Police committed contempt of court by blocking our workers’ convention despite the Peshawar High Court’s permission,” he said.

    Crackdown in Lahore Raises Concerns

    Simultaneously, the Lahore police initiated a fresh crackdown on PTI workers and activists, resulting in multiple arrests over the last three days.

    Acting on a new list of 884 PTI workers, labeled as ‘new targets,’ the investigation police targeted individuals considered part of the ‘B team’ of PTI’s top leadership.

    The list, comprising names, addresses, CNIC numbers, and mobile phone records, identified workers who allegedly made calls from protest venues during the May 9 violence against law enforcement agencies.

    Lahore DIG Investigation Imran Kishwar confirmed that the list was prepared based on information obtained during the interrogation of those arrested in connection with the May 9 attacks.

    “It took the Lahore investigation police 45 days to identify 884 new party workers and activists who were physically present at the Jinnah House and the Zaman Park,” he says, adding that many of them also took part in violent attacks at multiple sites on May 9.

    “The locations of most of them were traced at the Jinnah House and the Zaman Park from where they made mobile phone calls to contact the senior party leaders,” the officer alleges.

    Similarly, the police accessed their social media accounts for verification and got credible evidence of their physical presence at the attacked sites/venues through the posts they shared and the ones they later deleted to avoid arrests, the DIG investigation says.

    He further adds that the mobile phone data analysis of the already arrested senior political leaders of the PTI also helped the police identify the party activists and their involvement in the May 9 violence.

    “The major arrest was of Altaf Mahmood, a PTI hardcore activist, whose name was missing from the first list of May 9 attacks. He was the first who set some goods on fire at the Jinnah House (Corps Commander House) when he brought petrol bombs and other such inflammable material in a bag,” Mr Kishwar alleges.

    The arrests followed an earlier action against 1,958 PTI members, with outcomes ranging from innocence to obtaining bail or being declared proclaimed offenders.

  • Is Fawad Chaudhry a charpai chor?

    Is Fawad Chaudhry a charpai chor?

    Chaudhry Nauman Asif, a resident of Pind Dadan Khan in District Jhelum, has accused former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry of stealing six sacks of urea fertilizer and six sacks of DAP fertilizer from his house.

    A First Information Report (FIR) registered on November 3, 2023 says.

    The complainant claimed that Fawad Chaudhry stole four ‘charpai’ [charpoy] from his house as well.

    During a telephonic conversation with The Current, Nauman was asked why he didn’t lodge an FIR immediately after the incident. “At that time, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in power, no one was ready to register an FIR against Fawad Chaudhry.”

    The complainant also accused the former federal minister of being involved in the murder of his brother.

    Fawad Chaudhry is currently in Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a fraud case.

  • Fawad Chaudhry sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand for 14 days

    Fawad Chaudhry sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand for 14 days

    A session court in Islamabad has sent former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry to Adiala jail on judicial remand in a fraud case on Wednesday.

    After the end of a one-day physical remand, Fawad Chaudhry was brought before the judicial magistrate, Yasir Mehmood.

    The former minister’s council, Qamar Inayat, requested that the court remove his client’s handcuffs, to which the court agreed.

    The lawyer asked for time to hold consultations, upon which the court ordered a 15-minute break.


    After the break, Fawad Chaudhry told the court that it’s the third hearing, but a complainant has not been presented.
    After that, the court announced its decision to send Chaudhry on a 14-day judicial remand to Adiala jail.


    Later, Fawad Chaudhry said in his media talk that Nawaz Sharif should play a role in decreasing political tension.

  • Government announces public holiday on November 9

    Government announces public holiday on November 9

    The federal government has announced a public holiday on November 9 on account of Iqbal Day.

    “November 9, Thursday, will be a public holiday across the country,” said a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Friday.

    November 9 is celebrated as Iqbal Day nationwide in honour of Dr. Allama Mohammad Iqbal’s birthday, marking his 146th birth anniversary this year.

    Allama Iqbal played a vital role in encouraging millions of Muslims across the subcontinent to struggle for their separate homeland, where they could live freely.

    The day would begin with mosques holding special prayers for the advancement and well-being of Pakistan.

    Dr. Iqbal, born on November 9, 1877, in Sialkot, is widely recognised as the ‘Poet of the East’ in Pakistan and various other regions around the world.

    Iqbal was an acclaimed poet and philosopher.