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Tag: Karachi

  • Sindh police on high alert to avoid thefts

    Sindh police on high alert to avoid thefts

    In order to avoid thefts, purse snatchings, and other street crimes ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, Sindh Inspector General Gulam Nabi Memon has placed the police of every precinct on the routes leading to Super Highway Cattle Market on high alert.

    The decision was made knowing that sellers and buyers of sacrificial animals both carry large sums of cash in their pockets, making them targets for thieves.

    In this regard, the chief of Sindh’s police presided over a conference to go over in detail the security measures related to Eid-ul-Azha.

    Memon stated that it is important to ensure the execution of security measures and other choices pertaining to the contingency plan for Eid-ul-Azha.

    He gave the order that police officers assigned to district-level security duty receive a thorough briefing.

    According to him, security at imam bargahs, mosques, animal sacrifice sites, and the main thoroughfares of the cattle market and surrounding regions should be made extremely strong and extraordinary.

    The IG stated that it is important to guarantee that the code of conduct on animal sacrifice is followed, and that in doing so, registered organisations, animal welfare organisations, and other stakeholders should be given the benefit of the doubt.

    A further directive from the IG Sindh was to maintain passenger safety on all Sindhi highways and to improve communication between the police in all districts and the relevant highway and motorway authorities.

    Officials were instructed to coordinate police picketing and patrols on highways, roads, and other designated locations while conducting checking and surveillance on Sindh’s inbound and departure routes as well as video recording.

  • MQM’s Babar Ghauri arrested in Karachi after ending seven-year self-exile

    MQM’s Babar Ghauri arrested in Karachi after ending seven-year self-exile

    Babar Ghauri, former federal minister and senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was arrested at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Monday after he returned to Pakistan from the United States (US) after ending his seven-year self-exile.

    In a video shared on social media, Ghauri can be seen being taken into custody by the Karachi police.

    Last month, the Sindh High Court (SHC) granted Babar Ghauri a two-week protective bail in a corruption reference and a money-laundering and terror-financing case. After the SHC orders, Ghauri announced his return without giving details of when he planned to return to Pakistan.

    Ghauri had been booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in 2017 in a money-laundering and terror-financing case.

  • Nepra approves price increase of Rs9.66 per unit for Karachi

    Nepra approves price increase of Rs9.66 per unit for Karachi

    On account of the fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for May 2022, the National Electric Electricity Regulatory Authority (Nepra) allowed K-Electric to increase its power rate by Rs9.66 per unit on Monday.

    According to Aaj News, Nepra will make the announcement following careful consideration.

    In order to transfer the financial burden of Rs22.65 billion to consumers for May 2022, K-Electric requested an increase of Rs11.34 per unit.

    Officials from Nepra questioned K-Electric during a hearing about why it wasn’t buying less expensive electricity and offered to help K-Electric establish a connection with the provincial and federal governments for this reason.

    The power distributor also questioned K-Electric’s decision not to use the inexpensive oil it had acquired for power production.

    Nepra’s representatives responded that the company was using peak hours, which are from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM, to provide electricity and that the cost of power is much greater at these times.

    The FCA estimate for May 2022, according to K-Electric, was based on the requested rate for the month from CPPA-G and is subject to change based on a decision to be made by Nepra.

    In its FCA adjustment request, the power utility informed the regulator that it imports from outside sources and dispatches power from its own generating units (with the available fuel resources) in accordance with economic merit orders (EMOs).

  • Are we obsessed with the The Minor case?

    Are we obsessed with the The Minor case?

    The Minor is a household name these days. A young girl, came into the limelight when a case of a missing minor girl was reported in Karachi. The missing or allegedly abducted girl was later found in Punjab where she had gotten married and was apparently living a happy life with her husband. This is where the case unravelled.

    The Minor happens to be underage and her marriage to her husband is not considered a legal one per law. A girl/boy getting married under the age of 18 years is considered to be illegal. Earlier this year, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared any marriages under the age of 18 years unlawful even though each province has different legal age for marriage.

    The problem, in this case, is that no one is talking about the law here. The Minor is being dragged to the hospital every now and then to check her age through medical tests. Her parents come on television, record videos, and say how their daughter has been trapped. The Minor, on the other hand, keeps saying that she is happy and is not under any pressure. The court allowed her to decide who to stay with instead of keeping her in a government shelter until everything had been settled, under the law. Legal observers have raised another question including why a medical test, which is not accurate, is allowed when NADRA documents prove that she is a minor. Did the court not trust NADRA records and if not, why? These questions have so far not been answered.

    In this case, we have left the main issue, i.e. underage marriage behind and are only catering to the drama that is unfolding: the fact that she sat on a cushion during an interview or that she wore make-up. Why is no one talking about how important it is for parents to talk with their children? Why is no one talking about how this case will impact the minds of children whose television screens keep flashing The Minor and her husband, the crying mother, and sister of The Minor ? Why is no one talking about how traumatic all this is for girls and boys of this age? Why is no one talking about how two children — who are apparently underage — got married after meeting online? Why did the boy’s family agree when the girl was quite obviously a minor? Why is there silence around these issues?

    We hope that parents start to have open conversations with their children and create an environment where children can speak openly and a relationship of trust is built between them.

  • US embassy expands interview waiver eligibility for Pakistanis

    US embassy expands interview waiver eligibility for Pakistanis

    The United States (US) Mission in Pakistan has announced the expansion of the interview waiver for Pakistani citizens who are renewing B1/B2 tourist and business visas at the US Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulate General in Karachi.

    In a press release, the US embassy stated that Pakistanis who are 45 and older with valid or expired B1/B2 visas within the last four years are eligible to participate.

    However, some eligible visa holders may be required to appear for interviews at the US Embassy or Consulate-General after submitting their applications as it is required by US law.

    Applicants can check their eligibility for an interview waiver by visiting the website of the US Mission in Pakistan.

    This step has been taken to improve customer service and speed up the procedure of the renewal of tourist and business visas for qualified and eligible Pakistani citizens.

  • ‘Speed allowed should be more’: Afridi responds to fine for overspeeding by motorway police

    ‘Speed allowed should be more’: Afridi responds to fine for overspeeding by motorway police

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi continues to stay in the headlines even after retirement.

    Lala was fined by the Motorway Police for exceeding the speed limit. According to details, while travelling from Lahore to Karachi, Afridi was fined Rs 1,500 for violating the speed limit on the Motorway.

    Afridi gladly paid the fine and thanked the highway police for treating all citizens equally. Lala also took selfies with Motorway Police personnel.

    Lala made a suggestion to the Motorway authorities and tweeted, “My humble suggestion is we have very good highways, the speed allowed should be more than 120kph!”

  • Video: Karachiites protest against load-shedding, clashes erupt between police protesters

    Video: Karachiites protest against load-shedding, clashes erupt between police protesters

    Residents of Karachi came out on the streets in the late hours of Monday to protest against the unannounced and prolonged load-shedding in their areas.

    On Tuesday morning, the police used tear gas and baton-charged protestors in an effort to disperse the crowd, which resulted in a clash between the two.

    According to Dawn, the demonstrators have been protesting since last night, burnt tyres, and blocked the road for traffic, which has caused traffic problems.

    The chairman of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Aslam Pakhali said that over 100 shipping containers carrying mangoes and potatoes are worth an estimated Rs250 million were stuck in traffic since Monday evening.

    https://twitter.com/nshz22/status/1541682874750947328?s=20&t=OIuOxKPZe5onCToMDfxlBw

    According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asif Bughio, electricity in several areas of Lyari has been suspended since 4pm yesterday (Monday). He claimed that the police tried to negotiate with them but they attacked the law enforcers with stones.

    Their protest has continued for more than 20 hours now.

    According to media reports, in Karachi’s Gadap Town, the load-shedding time has gone up to 18 hours in a day. Similarly, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Surjani Town, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and other areas are seeing power outages of 14 hours or more.

    Following the incidents, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh contacted K-Electric Chief Executive Moonis Alvi. He noted that load-shedding has made the lives of people miserable.

    “Due to persistent load-shedding, the security situation is deteriorating,” he told the KE official.

    A day earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif warned the nation that they might face increased load-shedding in the coming month of July.

  • Indian girl stopped from crossing border to meet Pakistani guy

    Indian girl stopped from crossing border to meet Pakistani guy

    An Indian Muslim 24-year-old woman from Madhya Pradesh (MP) was caught by the authorities at the Attari border in Amritsar, Punjab on Thursday when she was trying to cross the border to meet her Pakistani boyfriend, reports The Times of India.

    Fiza met the Pakistan man Dilshad, who lives in Karachi through social media. They fell in love and decided to get married.

    According to the Indian media, Fiza Khan had a valid visa and travel documents but was stopped at Integrated Check Post (ICP), Attari, due to a Lookout Circular (LOC) issued against her.

    Fiza, a teacher working in a private school went missing from Rewa district in MP on June 16. According to the police, after her disappearance, Fiza’s family members lodged a missing complaint. Since she had already discussed traveling to Pakistan, a LOC was issued against her.

    When she was held, the Gharinda police station recorded her statement and sent her to Nari Niketan orphanage. Later on Saturday, she was handed over to a police team from Rewa.

    This is not the first time that such an incident has happened. In 2018 a woman crossed the border and married a Gujranwala-based man whom she met while playing an online game.

  • PM Shehbaz in Karachi: What is he planning to do today?

    PM Shehbaz in Karachi: What is he planning to do today?

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Karachi today (Saturday) on a day-long visit.

    During this visit, he will meet a delegation of leaders of the government’s allied party Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

    According to Geo News, the premier will discuss the MQM-P’s agreement with Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N).

    When former PM Imran Khan was ousted, an agreement was signed to confirm MQM-P leaving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) coalition and joining hands with the then-opposition parties [PML-N, PPP, JUI-F and others]. The MQM-P decided to part ways with PTI almost a week before the no-confidence motion against Khan and announced its final decision on March 30.

    Other than this, discussions on the census, electoral reforms and upcoming local body elections will also take place between PM Shehbaz Sharif and MQM-P.

    PM Shehbaz also paid a visit to Nawabshah to offer condolence to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on his mother’s demise.

    The premier’s first stop was Pakistan Naval Academy Manora where he attended the passing out parade of the 25th Short Service Commission.

    In his speech during the ceremony, PM Shehbaz expressed happiness over witnessing women cadets in the passing out parade.

    On Friday, PM Shehbaz made a visit to the port city of Gwadar.

  • Positivity rate in Karachi doubles in the last 24 hours

    Positivity rate in Karachi doubles in the last 24 hours

    Karachi recorded a doubling of its Covid-19 positivity ratio from 10.69 per cent to 21.23 per cent within the last 24 hours.

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that 268 new cases were reported in the country today (June 23). The positivity rate in the country is currently at 2.14 per cent, which is the highest it has been since March 5, 2022.

    Pakistan also saw a surge in the positivity rate in the last few days. There has been an increase in hospitalisations due to Covid-19, primarily among older and unvaccinated patients.

    In the last 24 hours, one person has lost their life to the virus.