Current Final

Tag: Karachi

  • PIA offers 30% discount on domestic flights

    PIA offers 30% discount on domestic flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reduced its fares for domestic flights by 30% to facilitate passengers during the winter holidays. The airline has introduced special fares on domestic flights operating between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Peshawar from December 3 (Thursday) onwards.

    Passengers would now be able to travel between these cities on a one-way minimum fare of Rs8,500 and a round trip minimum fare of Rs17,000. Previously, charges were Rs12,275 and Rs24,600 for the same.

    PIA Spokesperson Abdullah Khan said that the purpose of discounted fares is to facilitate the people travelling to their homes during holidays. He said people can benefit from these fares on a first come first serve basis.

  • Security guard accidentally shoots himself while recording TikTok video

    A security guard accidentally shot himself while recording a TikTok video in Karachi.

    According to reports, the incident happened in the city’s Gulshan-e-Maymar area. The security guard employed at a floor mill was recording a video with his friend to post it on the popular short-video sharing app TikTok when he accidentally shot and killed himself.

    The police said the video saved in his mobile phone shows him putting a rifle on his chest. During the recording, he accidentally pulls the trigger of the rifle resulting in his death.

    The deceased, identified as Anwar Ali, was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he was declared dead.

    Meanwhile, his friend, who was filming the video with him has been taken into custody.

  • People are outraged at the woman who slapped a security guard at Dolmen Mall

    People are outraged at the woman who slapped a security guard at Dolmen Mall

    People on social media are triggered by a woman who slapped a security guard at Dolmen Mall. Reportedly, the guard did not open the barrier to let her in because of the revised mall timings.

    The video doing rounds on social media shows the girl not only shouted at the guard but also slapped him. She can be heard saying, “Tumhari itni himmat, auqaat main raho.”

    People are outraged at her and are criticising her actions on social media.

    https://twitter.com/sakhtLondii/status/1332012212756520962?s=20

    Earlier, Deputy Comissioner South Karachi had announced that the mall will be strengthening COVID-19 SOPs for the staff and the customers.

  • IN PICTURES: Pakistan goes blue to celebrate Children’s Day

    IN PICTURES: Pakistan goes blue to celebrate Children’s Day

    As part of the initiative launched by UNICEF Pakistan and the Human Rights Ministry of Pakistan, 30 monuments across the country turned blue to commemorate World Children’s Day on November 20, 2020.

    Monuments in six cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Ziarat, Karachi and Lahore were illuminated with blue lights. Minar-e-Pakistan, the Ministry of Human Rights, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi-Pak Tower in Islamabad were among the buildings that turned blue.

    Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore
    Delhi Gate, Lahore
    Quaid-e-Azam House, Karachi
    Ziarat
    Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore
    Karachi Port
    National Assembly
    Prime Minister office, Islamabad
    Islamia College, Peshawar
    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly
    Khyber Pass, Peshawar
    Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Islamabad
    Punjab Assembly, Lahore.
    Saudi Pak Tower, Islamabad

    This the third year in a row that buildings across the country and globe were lit up to call for a world in which the vision of the CRC of the Child becomes a reality. World Children’s Day marks the adoption of the Convention on Nov 20, 1989. Pakistan ratified the convention the following year.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan, while commemorating Children’s Day said: “Children are the most precious resource of any nation and the sole guarantee for its future.”

  • FIR to be registered against littering in Karachi

    In Karachi, an FIR under section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) will be registered against anyone found littering the city for the next two months, according to Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Shallwani.

    Shallwani highlighted that a large amount of garbage dumped at undesignated locations is wreaking havoc on the sewerage system, causing traffic jams and spreading an unpleasant odour. To reduce garbage problems in Karachi, police will impose Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ban people from dumping litter in the streets or at undesignated locations.

    Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) also reported how a massive amount of used contraceptives, such as condoms, in gutters has been causing sewerage problems in Karachi. The KWSB further stressed the need for generating awareness about the issue and urged government departments and social organizations to play their role.

    Earlier in October, Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah launched the first real-time digital monitoring of waste disposal work in Malir district of Karachi. Additionally, over 200 Qingqi rickshaws were set up by the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) to initiate a ‘door-to-door’ garbage collection system.

  • Condoms in gutters blamed for Karachi’s sewerage problems

    Disposal of used contraceptives, such as condoms, in gutters has been causing sewerage problems in Karachi, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has said.

    According to reports, KWSB recovered a massive amount of used condoms while clearing a sewerage line on Thursday, which were affecting the flow of sewage and causing serious blockage problems.

    A KWSB official said the huge quantity of used contraceptives was found while a team was cleaning a sewerage line in Clifton Block 2. But this isn’t an isolated incident: the KWSB often finds items like these in sewer lines across the city.

    Water inflates the condoms up to 400 times their size, which blocks manholes and sewerage lines, the KWSB spokesperson explained. Such items must be disposed of in trash cans, he urged.

    The KWSB stressed the need for generating awareness about the issue and urged government departments and social organisations to play their role.

  • Street kids inaugurate a restaurant in Karachi

    Street kids inaugurate a restaurant in Karachi

    A local fast-food restaurant in Bahadurabad Karachi was inaugurated by a group of street kids, who were later invited inside to eat free food.

    Krispy2Go restaurant collaborated with Inheritors in Karachi, a social welfare organization, to introduce a different way of opening their new branch. About thirty-five street kids were invited on the day of the opening, to cut the ceremonial ribbon after which the restaurant workers served them food.

    Taking to social media, CEO Muhammad Azeem said “We don’t do this for publicity; it’s an honest approach to give a moment of happiness to underprivileged children. We have done similar drives in the past as well. We have invited such kids to our other restaurants and we also did many visits to centres where special kids are living their lives.”

    “Yes, this is our first attempt to do the opening with street kids but we have many such initiatives in the development phase in which we will collaborate more in such activities. This is to create awareness of such actions in society as we believe that every little step is important in its own space,” he added.

    Many people appreciated the restaurant for inviting poor kids for the inauguration, instead of inviting notable personalities, as other restaurants normally do.

  • Karachi wedding hall owners reject new COVID-19 SOPs

    Karachi wedding hall owners reject new COVID-19 SOPs

    Karachi’s wedding, banquet and lawn owners have rejected the new COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) rolled out by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) after a sharp surge in cases.

    The Karachi Marriage Hall, Lawn, Banquet Owners Association held a press conference at the press club on Saturday to denounce the government’s decision to ban indoor weddings.  

    The association said thousands of employees and other businesses linked with weddings will be affected due to more restrictions and bans. 

    The president of the association said that wedding hall owners and their thousands of employees had already faced severe financial problems when all the halls were closed between March 13 and September 15 during the lockdown period.

    The association members said that when halls reopened after September 15, they did not get business as most people prefer not to get married during Muharram and Safar, which took place after the halls were reopened. 

    The association said that there are around 800 wedding halls only in Karachi and that the living of 50,000 people and their families are linked to these halls. 

    “Around 70 to 80% of our employees work on daily wages,” he said, adding that the earning of such employees depended on daily wedding events.

    The association pointed out that there are roughly 13,000 wedding halls in the entire country, with which 650,000 labourers’ livelihoods are directly linked. Fifty percent of the city’s industries, the association highlighted, were directly and the rest of the 50% were indirectly linked to wedding halls. 

    “With the closure of the wedding halls due the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of labourers will be directly or indirectly affected,” said the association’s president. 

    The government had itself failed to limit the number of people attending its political gatherings and implement the SOPs, stated the association.

    “We want to bring this into your knowledge that wedding halls is the only industry which didn’t get any relief from the government since the lockdown of March 13,” said Raees. 

    He requested Prime Minister Imran Khan, the chief justice of Pakistan and army chief to look into the miseries of the wedding hall owners and their employees.

    “We demand SOPs be drafted for wedding ceremonies after taking us on board,” he said.

  • Bakhtawar Bhutto to get engaged this month

    Bakhtawar Bhutto to get engaged this month

    Bakhawar Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of former president Asif Ali Zardari and late prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto, is getting engaged to the son of a United States (US) based businessman on November 27.

    According to reports, the engagement ceremony of Bakhtawar and Mahmood Choudhry, son of Younas Choudhary, will be held on November 27 at Bilawal House Karachi.

    The organisers have requested all guests to get tested for COVID-19 and send the results via e-mail.

    “All attendees are requested to please email a scanned copy of their negative COVID-19 PCR test result 24 hours prior to attendance. This is a mandatory requirement for security clearance,” the invitation reads.

    The guests have also been asked not to bring mobile phones with them due to security purposes.

    “Please note — no photography or mobile phones will be permitted inside the venue and photographs will be available for all guests through our official photographer.”

    “We thank you in advance for adhering to our safety protocols to keep you and your loved ones safe, and enable us all to enjoy the occasion,” it added.

    While Bakhtawar is getting engaged, her elder brother and incumbent Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, still seems to be looking for his ideal life partner.

    View his exclusive interview with The Current to find out more:

  • Social media divided over ‘IBA students’ inappropriate activity in Karachi University parking’ report

    Social media divided over ‘IBA students’ inappropriate activity in Karachi University parking’ report

    Netizens are divided over a Times of Karachi report from Sunday wherein the media organisation had claimed initiation of action against at least four male and female students of the port city’s Institute of Business Administration (IBA) over “inappropriate activity”.

    According to the report, the four students, including two girls, were questioned by Karachi University (KU) guards over “inappropriate activity” in a vehicle with tinted windows, which was parked within the premises of the Karachi University (KU) on Sunday.

    “The KU administration will write a letter to IBA on Monday to ask them to investigate why students came to the university on Sunday and parked their tinted car at an abandoned place,” the report quoted sources as saying.

    While no official statement confirming or denying the incident has as of yet been issued by either of the two institutions, here’s what social media users have to say about it…

    TWITTER:

    https://twitter.com/iSadiaSheikh/status/1325475695775059968
    https://twitter.com/dsyedasad/status/1325475475511152640

    FACEBOOK:

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