Current Final

Tag: Karachi

  • ‘VIP style’: Governor Sindh attends convocation with dozens armed guards

    The Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail attended a convocation ceremony at the Sindh Madressa-tul-Islam University on Wednesday along with heavily armed guards due to “security concerns”.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leader reached the venue late and the degree-awarding ceremony had to start without him.

    Upon his arrival, guards stood around the stage and directed the teachers and students present there to maintain a certain distance. They told a teacher and a gold-medal student to step down from the stage.

    The Provincial Minister for Universities and Boards Ismail Rahoo also attended the ceremony.

    The university awarded 528 degrees this year. A total of 32 students were awarded Master of Science (MS) degrees, while 37 students were awarded Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.

  • Balochistan detects 32 cases of Omicron, all from one district

    Balochistan detects 32 cases of Omicron, all from one district

    During a vaccination and diagnostic process, 32 suspected cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been reported in Balochistan’s Kalat district, reports Geo News.

    The suspect cases have been confirmed by Kalat District Health Officer (DHO) Nasrullah Lango. He said that the samples taken from the suspected patients have been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad.

    All the suspected patients don’t have any travel history. As of now, the condition of the patients is stable and they have been quarantined in their homes. Moreover, doctors have also been told to be careful.

    The DHO said that the suspected patients include a woman who recently delivered a baby.

    However, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has not confirmed the news but Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has sought a report from the health department.

    Last week, NCOC confirmed the first-ever case of the Omicron variant in Karachi, Sindh.

    The Covid-19 positivity rate stands at 0.65 per cent in Pakistan today.

  • ‘Someone will tell you’: Shaniera Akram shares how Pakistanis will body shame

    ‘Someone will tell you’: Shaniera Akram shares how Pakistanis will body shame

    Social activist, Shaniera Akram recently took to her Instagram stories to share her opinion on how Pakistanis will overstep their boundaries while commenting on changes in someone’s body.

    Shaniera shared two stories on her Instagram, explaining that comments by Pakistanis on someone’s weight are common and people talk about ‘when you will also lose weight.’

    Shaniera is known for speaking out about sensitive topics on social media especially when it is related to basic etiquette that should be a part of every human’s life.

    This is not the first time Akram has discussed manners that Pakistanis need to be addressed frequently. Last time, she talked about road safety measures and publicly called out Minal Khan and her husband Ahsan Mohsin Ikram for not wearing seatbelts and shooting videos while driving.

    Last year, she, along with her husband and former cricketer Wasim Akram, also addressed the horrible trash situation at Clifton Beach, Karachi.

  • Supreme Court orders Education Commission to close illegal private universities

    Supreme Court orders Education Commission to close illegal private universities

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Wednesday ordered the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to close down campuses of private universities all over the country that are running illegally.

    The SC remarked campuses of Preston University and Al Khair University have been set up illegally in Lahore and Karachi. Students sought help from the court about the HEC not issuing degrees to those who have studied from these universities.

    The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial.

    The court gave directions to HEC to make special arrangements to award degrees to the students who had graduated from these illegal campuses. It also said that policies of HEC should be implemented with uniformity all over the country.

    The bench gave remarks that there should be no compromise on the provision of higher education to all young students. Provincial and Federal governments need to work closely and cooperate to maintain the standards of HEC.

    The SC noted that the issue was whether private universities are allowed to open sub-campuses outside their territorial limits or not. It added that HEC already made it very clear that they could set any sub-campuses and they issued many alerts as well.

    Counsel for students, Ali Zafar said that the session court had ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take action against these universities. However, Justice Bandial replied, “The HEC has the powers. There is no need for NAB to investigate the matter.”

    The court said that the federal government would be ordered to change the laws if HEC is weak.

    “The students had approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) for their degrees. The LHC declared the [sub-]campuses of private universities illegal,” the counsel added.

    Justice Bandial acknowledged the high court verdict and emphasised pursuing the shut down of illegal campuses at the earliest.

  • PAK vs WI: Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein along with three others test positive for Covid, series in doubt

    PAK vs WI: Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein along with three others test positive for Covid, series in doubt

    Following PCR tests administered on Wednesday in Karachi, Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that five more members of the West Indies touring party have tested positive for Covid-19 and will now undergo a period of self-isolation.

    Three players, wicket keeper-batter Shai Hope, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, all-rounder Justin Greaves; along with Assistant Coach Roddy Estwick, and Team Physician Dr Akshai Mansingh returned positive results in the latest round of testing carried out by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    All three players will therefore miss the upcoming matches and all five individuals will remain isolated from the rest of the West Indies squad and are now under the care and supervision provided by the medical officials. They will remain in isolation for ten (10) days or until they return negative PCR test results.

    With a total of six players now ruled out of the tour due to Covid-19 and a finger injury to Devon Thomas (sustained in the 1st T20I), CWI and PCB Officials will be meeting on Thursday morning, once all members of the touring party have been tested again, to determine whether the tour can continue.

    As per the latest updates, today’s T20I match and the One Day Internationals (ODIs) can also get cancelled if any other team member gets a positive result of Covid-19.

    The Windies team has come to Pakistan to play three T20Is matches and as many ODIs. Team Pakistan has already won two of the three-match T20I series and were set to play the third and final T20I today (Thursday) at the National Stadium Karachi.

  • Court sentenced former policeman for throwing acid on ex-fiance

    A Session court in Karachi gave life imprisonment to a former policeman, Zeeshan Umar for throwing acid on his ex-fiance, Raheela to take revenge over refusing his marriage proposal in 2015.

    Zeeshan Umar was found guilty of attacking 19-year-old Raheela Raheem, her brother, and her nephew on July 5, 2015, in Mobina Town. Another accused Agha Sohrab was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

    Additional District and Session Judge Javed Hyder Phulpoto pronounced the verdict reserved after recording arguments and pieces of evidence. The trial took six years to reach the final verdict.

    A fine of Rs1 million was also imposed on the convict by the judge.

    Counsel of the complainant, Salahuddin Panhwar said that according to the prosecution, Umar and Raheela got engaged in 2015 but their relationship was called off after a few months because the victim’s family considered him (Umar) a mugger.

    He further said that Raheela went to a local shop to put henna on her hands on the day of the incident, a day before Eid. She was standing outside the house carrying her six-month-old nephew, Muhammad Hadi, when the culprit suddenly appeared and threw acid on her face and the child.

    She lost one eye and her face got completely burnt. Her nephew also suffered serious burn injuries.

    Prior to this, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the police to give security to the victim and her family in 2017. The counsel emphasised that they still need protection since higher-ups of police failed to follow court’s orders.

  • Chinese national accidentally enter Karachi’s Kati Pahari

    A Chinese national who came to Pakistan on a business visa accidentally landed in Kati Pahari on Saturday, an ‘unsafe’ area in Karachi to visit. He mistook the place as a tourist attraction due to its cliff view. Kati Pahari is famously known for alleged drug trafficking and ethnopolitical violence spot.

    It is still unknown how the Chinese man entered this area shortly after landing in Karachi.

    According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Central, the Chinese national possibly mistook the hilly area as a tourist attraction.

    Station House Officer (SHO) received the information of a Chinese man roaming around with luggage. The police team became active and reached the place to escort him safely to his hotel.

  • PIA flight makes emergency landing, two take-offs scare passengers

    The plane with flight number PK-301, run by the PIA airlines, was travelling from Islamabad to Karachi when a sudden technical fault was discovered in the airplane’s engine, making the passengers extremely anxious.

    A team of engineers checked and fixed the issue. However, when the flight tried to take off again, loud noise from one of the engines was heard, which again scared the passengers and they refused to fly.

    In the end, the flight — PK-301 — took off with only six passengers, with the luggage all left behind in Islamabad.

    According to an official statement by the airline spokesman Abdullah Khan said the remaining passengers will be accommodated on the 7pm PK-309 flight.

  • Woman murders man, slashes body into pieces

    A 40-year-old woman brutally killed a man and chopped up his body into pieces in the area of Saddar, Karachi. The couple was allegedly cohabiting together for many years.

    On Friday, officials were informed through helpline 15 about the murder at 3am and they rushed to the location which was Ilaco House in State Life Building No. 5 off Abdullah Haroon Road.

    Preedy Police Station House Officer (SHO) Sajjad Khan said that police found the body of a man lying on the floor over a pile of old clothes in the apartment on the mezzanine floor of the building.

    Police officials said that the man’s hands were found separated from the body in a nearby box. The SHO added that a woman was sleeping in another room who appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

    According to the witnesses and neighbours, the victim and suspect were in a live-in relationship but the woman claimed that she was his wife.

    Sajjad Khan said, “According to neighbours, the two usually quarrelled with each other over domestic issues, such as finances for various expenditures.”

    Police have collected evidence from the crime scene and the woman also has been arrested. The son and relatives of the victim were also called to complete legal procedures.

    A First Information Report (FIR) was also registered against the woman under section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The FIR was filed under the name of the victim’s son, Sheikh Mohammad Shahid.

    The victim’s body was moved for postmortem to Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

    According to the Additional Police Surgeon of JPMC Dr Summaiya Syed, the victim’s head was smashed open so brutally with a hammer or similarly hard instrument that the matter of the brain was visible and there were three fractures on the skull. His head was beheaded and his both upper limbs were also chopped off. Some injuries on a body were also examined.

    It was reported from the initial medical assessment that the victim was killed with a hard instrument and then his body was cut into pieces with a sharp shaped instrument like a knife.

    The female suspect was also brought for medical examination where she revealed that she has consumed ice which is known as crystal meth.

    The family of the victim told the police that they were not aware of the exact relationship between their father and suspect except that they had been living together for around six to seven years.

    A police officer also said that a female child was also living with them which the suspect claimed was the daughter of the deceased.

    The SHO said, “but the victim’s son told the police that when the family asked for the child’s DNA sample, the suspect did not allow them to take it.”

    Investigations are still undergoing as SHO said.

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal baton-charged at symbolic opening of Karachi bus project

    PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal baton-charged at symbolic opening of Karachi bus project

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal and other party members came face to face with the Rangers on Thursday when the paramilitary troops prevented the members of the PML-N from performing ‘symbolic opening’ of the Green Line bus service in Karachi.

    The confrontation led to a brawl and scuffle between the two sides. It all began when a number of workers of the PML-N Karachi chapter, in line with the plan to hold a symbolic opening of the project, started to gather at one of the bus stations in North Nazimabad. The protestors were later joined by senior leaders, including former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair, and former federal finance minister Miftah Ismail.

    The PML-N workers faced resistance from the Rangers who were carrying sticks. The situation turned tense when Iqbal came forward and started arguing and insisted on exercising his democratic and legal rights.

    In the process, the PML-N claimed, Rangers also resorted to baton-charge that left Iqbal and a female worker injured.

    “But we don’t know under which law we were stopped by the Rangers. It didn’t end here. When we questioned their move, they restored to the worst state of terrorism. I hope that military leadership would take notice of the Ranger’s action,” said Iqbal.

    Showing bruises over his left hand due to the baton charge, Iqbal called it political vendetta of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which had ordered the paramilitary force to attack PML-N workers and media.

    Twitterati condemned the act and reminded that no one deserves this treatment.

    Journalist Raza Rumi tweeted, “Shameful reminder of this terrible episode and tactic employed to undermine an elected representative and a member of the cabinet where all executive power (theoretically) resides.”

    Senior journalist Fahd Husain tweeted, “This photo is wrong for so many reasons: symbolically, optically, figuratively, and literally. No elected representative, regardless of political affiliation, should be treated like this, let alone someone as senior & respected as @betterpakistan Ahsan Iqbal.”

    Journalist Hasan Zaidi tweeted, “Meanwhile, why were the Rangers so invested in stopping a symbolic ceremony? Are they a political force?”