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Tag: Karachi

  • Prisoner serving a life sentence wins Rs. 1 million educational scholarship

    Prisoner serving a life sentence wins Rs. 1 million educational scholarship

    Naeem Shah, a prisoner who has been serving a life sentence for 11 years for committing murder, was awarded a scholarship worth Rs1 million to undertake a degree in chartered accountancy for his outstanding academic performance.

    The official application reads, “In these joyous moments, we feel delighted in informing you that based on your academic performance in HSSC results; you fulfill the eligibility criteria for the Edhi CA Talent Scholarship Program of ICAP”

    According, to the official letter, the eligible candidate must be among 20 position holders within Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) from respective intermediate boards.

    The scholarship was given to him by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).

    Senior Superintendent of Central Jail Muhammad, Karachi Hassan Sehto revealed that while being behind the bars the prisoner gave his matriculation exams. He then undertook the intermediate examination in which he secured excellent marks and attained a position in the top 20 students. Throughout his time, he was well-mannered and spent most of his time studying.

    Later, he applied for the ICAP scholarship programme and got selected.

    Naeem is serving a life sentence and will most likely complete the program while in jail.

  • #KarachiEatCanWait trends as event continues with 28 percent positivity rate

    #KarachiEatCanWait trends as event continues with 28 percent positivity rate

    Karachi, where Covid-19 positivity has reached more than 20 per cent and the provincial government is directing towards a lockdown, the food festival Karachi Eat 2022 has kicked off today, despite immense backlash.

    A number of people want the festival to be called of which is currently is taking place in the port city from January 14 to January 16 at Beach View Park in Clifton. The administration has directed visitors to “mask up and strictly follow to the SOPs.”

    However, a number of people have questioned the authorities if organising a food festival when Covid-19 cases are on the rise in a city is a “wise idea?” Here are some of the reactions.

    https://twitter.com/RandomBytes1/status/1481627539206463490?s=20
    https://twitter.com/MasomAriba/status/1481969056861282308?s=20
    https://twitter.com/TayyebaZee/status/1481636360167452672?s=20
  • Karachi Eat 2022 will be held this weekend despite 20 percent positivity rate in city

    Karachi Eat 2022 will be held this weekend despite 20 percent positivity rate in city

    The annual food festival, Karachi Eat 2022 will be held at the Beach View Park in Clifton from Friday till Sunday this month. The organisers are hopeful that the festival will be held according to schedule. They are not intending to cancel the event despite the covid positivity rate increasing to 20 percent in Karachi.

    East River, which is responsible for public relations and digital media of the festival, has taken strict precautionary measures to ensure SOPs compliance for the crowd. They have also uploaded the mandatory instructions on their official Instagram for people who want to attend the food festival.

    According to the Head of Special Projects Amna Saleem, people will receive booster shots of Pfizer at the festival in partnership with HANDS, a Non-Governmental organisation (NGO). It is also mandatory to wear masks and carry your vaccination certificate.

    The company has arranged an online ticketing system and partnered with TicketWala this time to avoid overcrowding at the ticket booth.

    Meanwhile, the Covid positivity rate has increased to 20 percent in Karachi which is an alarming situation. Until now, 1,223 cases of coronavirus of omicron variant are confirmed in the city.

    According to the Sindh health ministry, “The ratio of Omicron variant being reported in Karachi has reached 95 percent.”

  • Shahrukh Jatoi shifted to jail after enjoying private hospital facilities for two years

    Shahrukh Jatoi shifted to jail after enjoying private hospital facilities for two years

    A death row convict, Shahrukh Jatoi was shifted to Central Jail after benefiting from a luxurious life in the private hospital room for more than two years. When the news aired on various channels, the administration of the jail came into action and put him behind bars once again.

    According to media reports, Jatoi’s family rented the whole upper floor of the Hospital named Qamar-ul-Islam Hospital in Karachi for the inmate where he enjoyed all facilities and appeared to be living like a normal citizen.

    The amenities included a television, airconditioner, and a refrigerator among other facilities which violated the rules and procedures of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    According to Geo News, Shahrukh Jatoi was also allowed to leave the premises of the hospital without any police protocol.

    He was transferred to the private hospital “orders of the Sindh Home Department and an influential person was behind this breach of rules,” stated the news network. However, the department was not aware of the transfer of the death-sentenced convict.

    He was transferred to the hospital when he complained of a backache and later reportedly complained of having gastric problems.

    According to the rules, if the life of a prisoner is in danger, he would be transferred to public or private hospitals. However, the provincial health department did not receive any letter to shift him to the private hospital from the provincial home department regarding this case.

    Shahrukh Jatoi was arrested after he killed a young man, Shahzeb Khan near his home, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi on December 25, 2012.

    The victim’s family flew abroad to live without any fears. His mother reportedly said, “We may not have forgiven them in our hearts, but we have pardoned our son’s killers in the name of Allah. We cannot spend our entire lives in fear… we took the decision considering the circumstances.”

  • Want to go watch the PSL matches during Covid? Here is what you need to know

    Want to go watch the PSL matches during Covid? Here is what you need to know

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly finalised a plan to complete the Pakistan Super League season seven smoothly despite Covid-19 fears.

    The much awaited league is set to start from January 27 and will be played in Karachi and Lahore.

    The previous two editions of the league were affected by the pandemic and were completed in two phases after a brief postponement.

    Keeping the fifth Covid-19 wave in mind, the board and the franchises have chalked down the protocols to complete the tournament smoothly.

    Reportedly, the authorities have made a three-day quarantine mandatory for the people associated with the league.

    Local and foreign players will enter quarantine from January 20. In case of a positive test, 10-day isolation will be obligatory for the affected person.

    Families of the players will not be allowed to stay with them during the tournament.

    The report further revealed that the availability of a minimum of 13 players is essential for the conduct of a match. In case less than 13 players are available, a match will not be possible.

    The tournament will be suspended for seven-day if coronavirus infections break out during the league.

    A reserve pool of 24 local players will be readied for the PSL 7. These players will also enter quarantine from January 20.

    The security plans were also discussed in a meeting held by Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja.

    Meanwhile, the online sale of tickets of the league will start from today (Tuesday). PCB has also reportedly offered free tickets for the fans, one free ticket will be given for every four tickets purchased.

    The spectators will have to be fully vaccinated and follow the Covid-19 SOPs.

  • Green Line Bus service becomes operational in Karachi

    Green Line Bus service becomes operational in Karachi

    The green line bus rapid transit project has officially commenced its full operations in Karachi on January 10.

    According to officials, all 80 buses will be on the routes and the service will be available for the public from 7 am to 10 pm. These buses will cover total routes of 21 kilometers daily.

    The buses will pick people from Surjani Town Station which includes routes Numaish Chowrangi to Abdullah Chowrangi. There would be 22 stations while passing the routes. Each bus would arrive at the station after every minute. The entrance door of the bus would be open for 20 seconds for passengers at every bus station.

    Another three stations to extend the transport service to Municipal Park are under construction.

    The authority has hired 200 drivers who have already completed their training to operate these buses. This facility would be used around 135,000 passengers on the daily basis.

    The ticket price for the buses has been set at a minimum of Rs 15 and a maximum of Rs 50 for the commuters.

    According to the project manager, if the need arises, the operation timings could be extended to facilitate the citizens.

  • Door-to-door vaccination for women to start as Omicron spreads in Karachi

    Door-to-door vaccination for women to start as Omicron spreads in Karachi

    In view of the rapid spread of Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant in Karachi, the Sindh government has decided to deploy lady health workers (LHWs) and female vaccinators for door-to-door vaccination in the province. The government took the decision when it was discovered that most stay-at-home women are still unvaccinated, officials said on Thursday.

    “We have decided to send LHWs and female vaccinators to each and every house in Sindh to vaccinate people, especially women, against Covid-19 because most of the non-working women in Karachi, as well as other major cities and rural areas of Sindh, have been found to be unvaccinated,” MPA Qasim Soomro, Parliamentary Health secretary in the provincial assembly, told The News.

    Soomro ruled out any discussion within the government about tough measures and Covid-19-related curbs as they were placed during previous waves of the pandemic but called for an aggressive vaccination campaign to avoid harsh measures.

    “Vaccination of women against Covid-19 has largely been ignored by the heads of their families, especially those women who are housewives and don’t work in public and private sector offices and businesses. This section of the population is most affected due to Covid-19, especially the Omicron variant, which is targeting unvaccinated population very easily.”

    “Training of LHWs and female vaccinators is underway, and hopefully, they will be trained in vaccinating people by the end of this week. Door-to-door vaccination against Covbid-19 will hopefully commence by the start of next week.”

  • ‘No lockdown for now,’ says NCOC chief despite rising cases

    ‘No lockdown for now,’ says NCOC chief despite rising cases

    The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) chief Asad Umar said that the government has no intentions of imposing a coronavirus lockdown for now in the country.

    According to Geo News, Asad highlighted that instead of lockdowns, the government is focusing on ramping up vaccinations and strict implementation of the bans placed earlier on certain activities if one is not vaccinated.

    50 per cent of the cases in Sindh are of Omicron and the statistics show that the city’s positivity ratio reached 9.23 per cent on Wednesday.

    Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Rasul said, “Coronavirus cases of the Omicron variant are going up in Karachi because of a lack of vaccinations.”

    Meanwhile, Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity ratio exceeded 2 per cent for the first time since October 14 last year, as 1,085 new infections were detected.

  • ‘Masks, avoid crowds, vaccinate’: Dr Faisal Sultan urges people to take Omicron seriously

    ‘Masks, avoid crowds, vaccinate’: Dr Faisal Sultan urges people to take Omicron seriously

    Urging people not to take the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 lightly, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on health Dr. Faisal Sultan on Tuesday said there will be some increase in hospitalisation of patients in the next one to two weeks and urged people to wear masks, avoid crowds and get vaccinated at the earliest. It takes 1-2 weeks for hospitalisations to go up, says the health minister as Omicron cases rise.

    So far Pakistan has recorded 372 cases of the Omicron variant, Dr Faisal Sultan, told Reuters.

    “It’s still a bit early to draw conclusions since it takes 1-2 weeks for hospitalisations to go up. Also, let us see how the virus behaves regarding virulence”, Dr Sultan said when asked as to why hospitalisations were not going up in Karachi despite an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

    “At the moment, we are receiving one or two patients with Covid-19 on daily basis, but so far, we have not found anybody infected with Omicron Variant of the Covid-19”, Dr Abdul Wahid Rajput, Medical Superintendent of the Infectious Diseases Hospital, affiliated with Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) told The News.

     “There will be some increase in hospitalisation. How much, depends on the degree of spread and infection. International evidence suggests it spreads fast; how much serious sickness it causes will be evident in a week or two (for us)”, Dr Sultan added.

    “What I would say is this: we should not take it lightly”, he warned.

    When asked if the government was worried about the low vaccination rate in major cities, including Karachi and Lahore, he said: “We want it (vaccination) higher for sure. I am happy that the vaccination rates picked up with time but we still have some distance to still go. So I would not say I am worried but that we need to enhance the numbers further.”

    “Masks. Masks. Masks. Avoid crowds. Vaccinate. Ventilate,” was his advice to people in Karachi.

  • Half of the covid cases in Sindh are of omicron variant: Sindh govt

    Half of the covid cases in Sindh are of omicron variant: Sindh govt

    The Sindh government has announced, in the meeting held on Monday, that the emergence cases related to the omicron variant of coronavirus have exceeded 50 percent in the province, especially in Karachi.


    A high-level meeting was held which was presided over by the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah to discuss the worsening situation of covid in the province which accelerated from the new variant, omicron. The brief was given by the Sindh Health Department to the Chief Minister regarding the alarming situation of the new wave of coronavirus.

    According to reports by provincial health officials, 351 samples were taken from positive covid patients for analysis, out of which 175 patients were found to be infected with the omicron variant.

    The meeting was attended by the concerned government officials including Dr Bari of Indus Hospital and Provincial Minister Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho.

    It was informed in the meeting that the number of covid cases has surged from the last 30 days. The new cases reported on December 3 were 261 and it exceeded 403 new cases of covid on January 2 this year.

    The Chief Minister claimed the situation is alarming and asked the health department to speed up the tests and initiate the vaccination drive on a large scale.

    Statistics were also shared in the meeting that during the last 30 days, the number of covid positive patients who died was 51. Out of 51 patients, 40 were on ventilators, six were on ventilators, five were at home.

    In the meeting, it was informed to the Chief Minister that until now, 29,579,471 vaccine doses had been administrated across Sindh province.

    The spokesperson for the Sindh government Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the provincial government does not want to take strict action and requested people to follow precautionary measures to avoid the spread of the virus.