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Tag: Karachi

  • Teenage dies after home roof falls on him in DHA

    Teenage dies after home roof falls on him in DHA

    Mustafa Hashmi, a 17-year-old student at Nixor College, Karachi was killed when a large piece of concrete from his roof broke off and fell on him in Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Phase-VII.

    While speaking to Dawn, his grief-stricken father, Mahmood Hashmi, an architect himself by profession, said that Mustafa was their only son. He was preparing for the A-level examinations and had already appeared in two papers.

    According to him, the family of three got a portion on rent around six months ago. They were told to get the house repaired with their own finances, which they did.

    He recalled that on 26 Ramzan, he and his wife Khadija Hashmi and their son were asleep in the room when a heavy thick piece of concrete slab fell on them. The parents remained safe however the concrete piece fell on Mustafa’s head.

    “My son died in his sleep as he did not cry or utter any word,” Hashmi recalled.

    The father complained that a private hospital refused to give them Mustafa’s death certificate and cited legal complications.

    He then took his son to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre to get a death certificate where he used sifarish (recommendation) to get it.

    “My son died due to negligence; had the owner maintained its repair properly, my son would have been alive today,” said the father.

    He said he might not seek legal proceedings.

  • No more load shedding in Pakistan from today: Ministry of Energy

    No more load shedding in Pakistan from today: Ministry of Energy

    After long hours of power outages across Pakistan in the month of Ramzan, the Ministry of Energy has announced that power load-shedding has been reduced to zero from 5am today (Monday).

    In a tweet, the ministry said, “As per the promise made by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, load shedding in the country has been reduced to zero from 5am on May 1. The ministry has worked hard to add more than 2500 Megawatt of additional power to the national grid system.”

    “The ministry is constantly striving for uninterrupted power supply during the Eid holidays and beyond”, the tweet further said.

    In April, PM Shehbaz took notice of the situation and directed the concerned departments to reduce power outages by May 1. He said until the problem is resolved, he would not leave for China and would not allow anyone to relax.

    Last month, due to higher demand and reduced generation due to fuel shortages and reduced gas supplies to power plants, Pakistan experienced 6-10 hours of electricity load-shedding in various areas.

    As of April 25, generation was 17,976 Megawatt (MW), compared to the demand of almost 21,000 MW, indicating a significant discrepancy between demand and generation.

  • PCB finalises schedule for PSL8 without consulting franchises

    PCB finalises schedule for PSL8 without consulting franchises

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalised the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) schedule without consulting the franchises, states Geo News’ sources.

    “There was no discussion between franchises and the PSL management regarding the schedule but despite that, it was finalised,” the franchises were quoted as saying by the sources.

    PSL8 will be held between February 15 and March 31, 2023. The venue has also been finalised as the tournament will take place in four cities of Pakistan — Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

    Before the start of the league, international cricket teams — New Zealand and West Indies will visit Pakistan in January 2023.

    It is pertinent to mention that some media reports suggest that the new federal government decided to remove the current Chairman of PCB Ramiz Raja from his position.

  • Severe heatwave hits Pakistan

    Severe heatwave hits Pakistan

    The extreme temperature has been recorded in the month of April in Pakistan and India while the temperature of Lahore exceeded over 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

    The severe heatwave has threatened and puts lives of millions of people at risk. In view the imminent temperature, the Pakistani Government has issued a health advisory, asking people to strictly follow precautionary measures to deal with the situation.

    Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said, “A heatwave has hit South Asia with the temperature predicted to soar up to 49-50 degrees C. Precautionary measures must immediately be taken to prevent casualties and injuries from heat.”

    According to the Ministry of Climate Change, this year’s March was the hottest month since 1961.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack


    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”


    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • Pakistan Railways announces two ‘Eid special trains’

    Pakistan Railways announces two ‘Eid special trains’

    Pakistan Railways announced on Monday that it will run two Eid special trains from Karachi to Peshawar and Lahore on April 29 and April 30, respectively, for commuter convenience during Eid-ul-Fitr.

    One special train would depart from Karachi to Lahore and the other from Karachi to Peshawar, according to railway authorities at the Karachi Division’s Divisional Superintendent office.

    First Train – Karachi to Peshawar

    According to them, the first train will depart Karachi for Peshawar at 2:30 pm. on April 29, 2022. The train will pass through Karachi Cantt, Landhi Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Rohri Khanpur Bahawalpur, Multan, Khanewal, Shorkot Cantt, Toba Tek Singh, Gojra, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Chenab Nagar, Shaheenabad, Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin, Lala Musa, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Taxila and finally reach Peshawar at 11:00 pm

    The train will include 14 economy class carriages. A total of 1,000 passengers will be able to board this train.

    Second Train – Karachi to Lahore

    The second special train would depart Karachi Cantt at 7:45 pm on April 30, 2022, for Lahore.

    It would travel through Landhi, Hyderabad, Nawab Shah, Rohri, Sadiqabad, Rahim Yar Khan Khanpur, Bahawalpur, Multan Cantt, Khanewal, Mian Channu Chichawatni, and other cities before arriving in Lahore at 03:30 the next day.

  • Another teenage girl in Karachi goes missing

    Another teenage girl in Karachi goes missing

    A week after a minor from Karachi went missing, another girl same as her age, 14-year-old Nimra Kazmi went missing on April 20th from the same area, i.e. Karachi’s Malir district.

    Nimra’s mother said that she left her home at 9am to go to work, but her daughter was not at home when she returned. Despite thoroughly searching for her, she was nowhere to be found.

    According to her mother, Nimra was a grade-10 student and was preparing for her final exams. She appealed to Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and the Inspector-General of Sindh for the recovery of her teenage daughter.

    As per the police, a case has been registered and a search is underway.

    It is pertinent to mention that Zehra’s whereabouts are still unknown. According to the police, they are putting in all their efforts.

  • ‘Establishment offered us three options, not us’, Imran Khan maintains his stance

    ‘Establishment offered us three options, not us’, Imran Khan maintains his stance

    While talking to reporters, former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan insisted that the establishment gave him three options, contradicting the Pakistan military’s statement that the options were presented by Khan himself.

    Khan said, “The establishment gave me three options, so I agreed with the election proposal. How could I accept the resignation and no-confidence suggestion?”

    Last week, Director-General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar said that the PM Office had contacted the military leadership to help resolve the ongoing political crisis. He added that the army chief and DG ISI visited the PM office at “their” request to play the role of “mediator”.

    The former prime minister said that the military was onboard over the Russia visit. He said, “Gen Bajwa said we must visit Russia.” The army has also confirmed that they agreed with the decision to visit Russia.

    Responding to the recent Toshakhana (state gifts) controversy, the PTI chairman said they were his gifts, so it was his choice whether to keep them or not. “Meray tohfay, meri marzi [my gift, my choice],” he added.

    According to media reports, the former PM received gifts worth more than Rs140 million from world leaders during his tenure and he kept them all either by paying a minor amount or without any payment.

    “Whatever I took from Toshakhana is on record. I purchased the gifts after paying 50 per cent of the cost,” Khan said.

    Regarding Farah Khan, he said that she had no position or ministry, how could she take money, if anyone has any evidence, bring it forward.

    About his party’s rallies in Peshawar and Karachi after the removal of his government, Imran Khan said: “I have never seen such a large number of people coming out in Pakistan.”

    He maintained his stance that the PTI government was removed as part of an “international conspiracy” and urged the nation to not accept this.

    The former prime minister also admitted that the filing of a reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa was a “mistake”. The reference against the SC judge should not have been filed, I have no personal enmity with anyone, it was sent by the law ministry”, the PTI chairman cleared.

  • What did the new first lady do during PM’s Karachi visit?

    The newly-appointed Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif went to Karachi on a daylong visit on Wednesday where he paid a visit to the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad and met Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah. 

    The First Lady of Pakistan Tehmina Durrani also accompanied the PM on his maiden visit. Durrani shared a picture of herself at Abdul Sattar Edhi’s grave in Karachi.

    In a tweet, she said, “While PM Shehbaz Sharif paid his respects at Founder of the Nation’s Mazar, I went with Saba and Saad Edhi to salute Abdul Sattar Edhi for his relentless lifelong efforts two actualize The Quaid dream for Pakistan: A Social Welfare State. The directions are on his gravestone.”

    She then visited Abdul Sattar Edhi’s wife Bilquise Edhi who is currently hospitalised. She shared a picture with a caption: “Today Bilquise and I wept a river in her hospital room. She cried for Edhi sb and I cried for her. She is so unwell! And when she called me the first lady I squirmed. Indeed no first lady can match up to the greatness of Edhi’s Bilquise.”

    Durrani is a philanthropist, human rights activist, artist and celebrated author of four books. She married Shehbaz Sharif in 2003.

  • New bank timings announced by SBP, Saturday will now be observed as a working day

    New bank timings announced by SBP, Saturday will now be observed as a working day

    Pursuant to the federal government’s directive issued on April 13, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) would observe a six-day work week with amended timings.

    During Ramzan, working hours for the central bank, development finance institutions (DFIs), microfinance banks (MFBs), and all commercial banks, are as follows:

    Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm with a prayer break from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm.

    Fridays: from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm without a break, according to a notification from SBP.

    Public dealing hours

    Banks and MFBs have been advised to adhere to the following public dealing business hours:

    Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm (no break).

    Fridays from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (no break).

    Banks and MFBs may observe longer business (banking) hours for public dealing from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (without break) on weekdays excluding Fridays, depending on their business needs.

    The abovementioned schedule will take effect immediately and will not be changed or withdrawn unless it is amended or canceled.