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Tag: Karachi

  • Afghan child killed in Karachi in fight over garbage collection

    Afghan child killed in Karachi in fight over garbage collection

    A 5-year-old child, Shehzad Gul, was beaten to death in what is being described as a dispute over garbage collection between two groups in Surjani Town, Karachi, reports Dawn.


    The horrific incident took place in Sector-4B. Shehzad Gul was one of three children and had two sisters.


    The dispute erupted between two Afghans over the collection of garbage, which led to the murder. The suspect(s) had been identified and police were waiting for the family to lodge an FIR to formally initiate legal proceedings.

    The victim’s father, Gul Mohammad, told reporters that he had been collecting garbage from houses for the last one month. On Friday, his son and a daughter accompanied him to collect the garbage.


    During the work, he left both children for a while and went to another street and when he returned, he learned that his son had been injured after being hit with a hard and blunt instrument.
    He rushed the child to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) where doctors confirmed his death.
    The grief-stricken father said that he had been receiving “threats” from a man who had got the contract of garbage collection earlier. He suspected that his son was killed over that dispute.
    “I am a poor labourer who earns Rs13,000 on a monthly basis through garbage collection,” said the father.

  • Karachi police faces severe shortage of security personnel ahead of General Elections

    Karachi police faces severe shortage of security personnel ahead of General Elections

    As the nation braces for the upcoming general elections, Karachi police is facing a substantial shortage of 14,300 security personnel, including female officers.

    As per The News, Khadim Hussain Rind, the additional inspector general (AIG) of Karachi, revealed that the city’s police force had initiated robust security arrangements for the elections scheduled for February 8.

    However, he underscored the significant shortfall in required personnel.

    “Over 46,076 police personnel are needed for the election security plan, while Karachi Police have only 31,776. The required number of female police personnel is also not available,” said the AIG.

    He elaborated on the specific needs for female personnel, highlighting, “At least 3,200 female personnel are required for security arrangements at women’s polling stations while we have 1,200 female personnel. The KPO faces a shortage of 2,000 lady cops.”

    As per the security plan, eight police personnel are required for the most sensitive, six for sensitive and four for normal polling stations each. In Karachi, there are 2,033 most sensitive stations, 3,008 sensitive stations, and 308 polling stations are declared normal, while 16,264, 18,048, and 1,232 personnel respectively are required for them.

    Rind disclosed that 35,544 personnel would be assigned to duty at 5,349 polling stations in the megacity.

    Additionally, a quick response force is set to be deployed at polling stations, with 3,892 personnel assigned to 2,774 buildings. Furthermore, 4,210 police officers will be placed on reserve duty under the supervision of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), accompanied by nine Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), 16 Superintendents of Police (SPs), 57 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), and 107 Station House Officers (SHOs).

    The AIG outlined plans to allocate 2,430 personnel for various election commission offices, welfare duties, hospitals, and miscellaneous tasks.

    However, he emphasized the glaring shortage of 14,300 police personnel and revealed that multiple options were under consideration to address this gap. Possibilities include deploying lady health workers, and polio staff, or hiring private security guards, anti-encroachment, excise police, anti-corruption, or forest department personnel to bolster the existing security measures.

    As the elections draw near, efforts are underway to mitigate the shortfall and ensure the safety and integrity of the electoral process in Karachi.

  • Cashier arrested after allegedly stealing more than three crore in banking fraud

    Cashier arrested after allegedly stealing more than three crore in banking fraud

    Ghulam Muhammad, alleged to be involved in stealing more than three crores in banking fraud, has been arrested from Karachi.

    The Commercial Banking Circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted a raid to arrest Ghulam Muhammad.

    According to Director FIA Karachi Zone Zaeem Iqbal, the suspect was posted as a cashier in the branch of a private bank located in Sadar area of Karachi.
    He has been accused of embezzling a total of three crore, 29 lakh and 78 thousand rupees by issuing, without permission, fake cash transits to various branches under the guise of excess cash.

    According to the initial investigation, no request for cash was received from the above branches, while the suspect did not hand over the said amount to the van used for cash transit after making cash entries last year in May, June and July.

    As per FIA, the suspect had fled after cheating. After his arrest, raids are being conducted to apprehend others from the group.

  • When is rain expected in Lahore?

    When is rain expected in Lahore?


    Lahore is experiencing bone-chilling cold as the smog-choked city waits for rain. The Meteorological Department has predicted that rains will start on January 15, reports City 42.


    According to Chief Meteorologist Muhammad Aslam, there is no possibility of rain in Lahore this week, however, a spell will start after January 15. In the next few days, the weather will remain cold and dry, which is likely to drop temperatures in the city.

    Karachi recorded the coldest night of the season with the temperature dropping to 12 degree Celsius. It is expected to get colder in the coming days as the temperature is expected to drop as low as 10 C in the coming days while the maximum temperature is likely to rise between 25 C to 27°C, reports Geo.


    On the other hand, a severe cold wave in the country continued to cause fog in the plains while snow falls on the mountains. In Skardu, temperatures dropped to -8 C.

    The plains of Punjab, Upper Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to be shrouded in fog. In North Balochistan, rain fell in some places while it snowed in the mountains.

  • PPP is all set to conquer Punjab and Sindh

    PPP is all set to conquer Punjab and Sindh

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari formally initiated his election campaign from NA-127 Lahore on Thursday.

    The party aims to leverage the perceived political vacuum created by the establishment in Pakistan.

    With the main rival, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), still deliberating on ticket allocations for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), PPP leaders have been actively canvassing for votes in their respective constituencies.

    According to the party’s central Punjab chief, a majority of aspiring candidates have already received confirmation regarding ticket allocations, making the official announcement a mere formality.

    PPP has unveiled its 10-point agenda as part of its manifesto, with the official manifesto set to be revealed in the coming days, as announced by the party’s information secretary.

    In contrast, PML-N, despite forming a manifesto committee over a month ago, has not made any public announcements regarding its plans.

    The recent introduction of an online portal by PML-N to gather public input on its manifesto suggests that the process is not in its advanced stages.

    Bilawal, who will contest elections from three constituencies, including NA-127 Lahore and the party stronghold Larkana, visited his election office at Green Town in Lahore to formally launch the campaign.

    During his election campaign trail, he would address rallies in Faisalabad (Jan 11), Layah (Jan 12), Bahawalpur (Jan 13), Balochistan’s Naseerabad (Jan 14), Sindh’s Larkana (Jan 15), Qambar Shahdadkot (Jan 16) Badin and Sanghar (Jan 17), Nowshero Feroz and Dadu (Jan 18), Rahim Yar Khan (Jan 19) Kot Daud (Jan 20), Lahore (Jan 21), Chiniot (Jan 23), Sarghoda (Jan 24), Lala Musa (Jan 25) Multan (Jan 26), Peshawar (Jan 27) , Rawalpindi (Jan 28), Kurram (Jan 29), DI Khan (Jan 30), Malakand (Jan 31), Khuzdar (Feb 1), Kashmor and Shikarpur (Feb 2) Mirpurkhas (Feb 3), Hyderabad (Jan 4) and his second last rally as per schedule would be in Karachi (Jan 5).

    The decision to contest from Lahore is seen as a strategic move, countering PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to contest from Karachi NA-242.

    The PPP aims to secure NA-127 Lahore, building on the momentum gained from the December 2021 by-election results, where the party’s candidate secured significant votes. The move is also seen as an effort to mitigate the risk of a complete loss for the party in Punjab.

    The party sees the absence of PTI from the political arena as a golden opportunity to capitalize on anti-PML-N votes. The PML-N is expected to issue the NA-127 ticket to its Deputy General Secretary Ata Tarar.

    Meanwhile, Mayor Murtaza Wahab asserted that the people of Karachi demonstrated their support for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the local government elections held on January 15, 2023, citing the party’s perceived capability to address the city’s issues.

    The mayor expressed these sentiments during the ‘Meeting the Editors’ program organized by the Council of Newspaper Editors (CPNE) on Thursday.

    “We worked for the resolution of the issues of the people of Karachi with sincerity. The development work will continue. People think that the next government will be of the PPP as they see Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as a viable leader,” the mayor said.

    Wahab attributed the success of the Jamaat-e-Islami in the local government elections to the boycott by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

  • Shehbaz Sharif will contest elections from Karachi’s NA-242

    Shehbaz Sharif will contest elections from Karachi’s NA-242

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif announced plans to take part in the upcoming general elections from Karachi’s NA-242 constituencies, Geo News reported on Friday.

    In the last general elections, Shehbaz Sharif contested from NA-249 constituency of Karachi, but former Pakistan Thereek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda defeated him by a slim margin.

    However, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) announced on December 23 that no agreement had been reached for seat adjustments with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) regarding the NA-242 constituency in the Kemari district.

    The party’s representative dismissed all claims about a seat arrangement with the Shehbaz Sharif-led party.

    The spokesperson added that MQM-P Senior Deputy Convenor Mustafa Kamal is the party’s candidate for the seat.

    Shehbaz Sharif said while addressing a press conference in Karachi that PML-N will resolve the issue of transport in Karachi after winning the election on February 8 next year.

  • Govt withdraws NOC for fund-raising event for Shaukat Khanum

    Govt withdraws NOC for fund-raising event for Shaukat Khanum

    The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has revoked the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) granted to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, prohibiting them from hosting a fundraising event at a local hotel in Islamabad.

    The event, scheduled for Friday, aimed to gather support for the construction of a cancer facility in Karachi.

    The NOC, initially issued by the district administration, was withdrawn without providing any reasons for the sudden decision.

    The fundraising gala dinner, featuring a musical concert, was intended to generate funds for the development of the largest cancer treatment facility in the country.

    Despite efforts by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Faisal Sultan and other officials to secure permission, their attempts proved unsuccessful.

    The Shaukat Khanum Hospital official emphasized that the fundraising initiative was non-political and solely aimed at charitable purposes.

    Despite efforts to seek clarity on the reasons behind the NOC cancellation, the hospital administration formally announced the cancellation of the fundraising gala dinner late on Thursday.

    They cited “unavoidable reasons” for the cancellation and assured that a new date for the event would be announced soon.

    Social Media users started a trend on X (former Twitter) “Shaukat Khanum” and started urging people to donate online.

    “I’ve just made a donation to SKMH. I request all Pakistanis to do the same, even if it’s just a few Rupees. Let’s raise more money than the fundraising event canceled or refused for Shaukat Khanum. Save this hospital. Kindly share the screenshots.”

    “#SMS 7770
    Strong reaction to the cancellation of the permission of Shaukat Khanum Hospital Karachi,s Fundraising event by the caretaker government. Now social media users launched a compaign to send SMS to 7770.”

  • Karachi mein kab aur kahan bijli nahi hogi?

    Karachi mein kab aur kahan bijli nahi hogi?

    The K-Electric (KE) on Thursday announced an hours-long power shutdown in parts of Karachi due to forthcoming “critical maintenance activity” at Malir Grid today (Friday).

    According to the official statement, the power distribution company would be undertaking a critical maintenance activity at Malir Grid on December 29.

    The maintenance work will be undertaken to ensure the stability and reliability of the power supply to consumers residing in these areas, the KE spokesperson said.

    As per the schedule, the power supply will remain temporarily suspended from 9am to 6pm for Malir Grid.

    For further guidance, customers may also reach out to KE’s social media platforms or via call centre 118, the company added.

    Following are areas served by the Malir Grid may experience power shutdown during the maintenance work:

    Askari-V Flats, Askari-V Malir Cantt, Model Colony Sheet-5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 Lassi Para, Rana Garden, Alamgir Society Block-A&C, Liaquat Avenue, Gulshan-e-Qamar, Deh-Tapo Memon goth, Block 8 & 8/A till Malir Cantt, Gulistan-e-Johar, Malir H-Area, F.South, Jinnah Square, Aleemabad, Sajan Goth, Sehar Town, Bismillah Town, D-4 Area, D-1, C-Area, S-2, S-1, D-2 Malir Colony, Bout Goth, F.South, G-Area, Ind Area, Jinnah Colony, Jaffer Tyar Malir, Malir Millat Garden, Sahibdad Goth, Abidia Center, Bout Goth, Askari V Bungalows, Malir Cantt. Sector H Bungalows, Model Colony RKV, Sheet # 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16, Jaffer Bagh, Tina Square, Sweet Homeland, Memon Goth Industrial Area, Damlottee Road, Malir Nafees Banglows, F.South, Nafees Town, Jaffer Tyar, Aleemabad C Area, Seher Town, Atiq Town, and Sajan Goth.

    The electricity firm had announced the power shutdown schedule for areas served by Memon Goth-New Landhi Grid and Orangi Town Grid on December 25 and 26 respectively.

  • ‘Sab ki salary double hogi’; Bilawal Unveils Ambitious 10-Point Election Manifesto

    ‘Sab ki salary double hogi’; Bilawal Unveils Ambitious 10-Point Election Manifesto

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari presented an ambitious 10-point election manifesto during a public gathering in the party stronghold Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on the 16th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

    The manifesto, outlined on Wednesday, aims to establish a “pro-people” government after the upcoming February 8 elections.

    Here’s a breakdown of what Bilawal promised his party would do if they came into power:
    • Double salaries within five years
    • Free solar energy of 300 units for the poor; every district to have green energy parks
    • Education for all — rolling out projects for better education
    • Free health for all across Pakistan
    • Three million houses for flood affectees and the poor
    • Expand BISP’s scope; introducing more welfare schemes
    • BSIP-like programme for farmers and ‘Hari Card’
    • Enhanced support for labourers through Benazir Mazdoor Card
    • ‘Youth Card’ for unemployed youth and ‘Youth Markaz’
    • ‘Bhook Mitao Programme’

    At the core of the agenda is a commitment to double salaries and provide 300 free units of electricity per household. This goal is to be achieved through the creation of green energy parks in every district, focusing on harnessing solar and wind energy sources.

    In addition to economic measures, Bhutto-Zardari pledged to overhaul the health sector by replicating successful models such as NICVD, SIUT, and the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences across the country. Another significant project, titled ‘Apni Zamin, Apna Ghar,’ aims to construct three million houses nationwide.

    The manifesto also includes provisions for free education, the expansion of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the introduction of Hari and Benazir Mazdoor Cards, and the establishment of youth centers in all divisional headquarters for career counseling and skill development.

    Bhutto-Zardari called for public support to navigate the current crisis, expressing confidence in the PPP’s ability to address national issues and strengthen the federation. Reflecting on the party’s past achievements, he highlighted the devolution of powers through the 18th Amendment and the successful implementation of the NFC award.

    The PPP chairman criticized certain politicians without naming them, accusing them of engaging in politics to evade legal challenges and jail time.

    “I had told my team that I wanted to contest from Lahore. I’ll take the battle to Lahore. Let’s see what happens,” he said.

    “Is it Lahore’s destiny that the same person will be installed for the fourth time?” Bilawal said while taking a jibe at the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who is eying a record-fourth term as the country’s prime minister.

    “Our paths are different with that of those we were in government for 16 months,” Bilawal said while referring to the PML-N-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government of which the PPP was a key part.

    Former President Asif Ali Zardari, speaking on the occasion, reaffirmed his commitment to fulfilling the promises made by his son. He criticized the central administration in Islamabad for its detachment from the struggles of the common people, contrasting it with the PPP’s “people-centric” approach.

  • Bilawal Bhutto not contesting elections from PPP stronghold Lyari

    Bilawal Bhutto not contesting elections from PPP stronghold Lyari

    The chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will not contest the upcoming election from Lyari, the party’s stronghold in Karachi, The News has reported on Tuesday.

    However, the former federal minister is contesting election from NA-128 (Lahore-XII), NA-194 (Larkana-I), and NA-196 (Qambar Shahdadkot-I). Bilawal has submitted nomination papers for these constituencies.

    According to some political analysts, the PPP has lost interest in the Lyari constituency after the defeat by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the 2018 elections, speculating that it has failed to regain the confidence needed to reclaim the seat in the polls set to take place on February 8 next year.

    However, PPP’s Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi said that his party is in a good position in Lyari. He also mentioned the results of the recent local body elections in the same constituency, in which the PPP won the majority of seats.

    Mehdi predicted that PPP will not only win in Lyari but from other areas of city, adding that loyal candidates will be given tickets after the completion of the scrutiny process.

    Journalist Sameer Mandhro has claimed that after defeat in the 2018 polls, the PPP is not confident enough to win the seat from Lyari NA-239 (Karachi South-I) constituency.