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Tag: Karachi

  • Govt clarifies report on Sindh CM’s brother-in-law ‘contracting coronavirus’

    Govt clarifies report on Sindh CM’s brother-in-law ‘contracting coronavirus’

    A Sindh government spokesperson, in an exclusive conversation with The Current, has rubbished reports claiming that Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah’s brother-in-law has contracted coronavirus as the pandemic spreads across Karachi.

    With nine new cases in Sindh, the total number of cases of the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — in Pakistan on Monday rose to 16, out of which two patients are undergoing treatment in Islamabad while one female patient is undergoing treatment at a health facility in Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The development was followed by a private media outlet’s report that one of the persons who had tested positive for coronavirus in Karachi had reached the port city from Syria via Doha on Sunday, and was the brother-in-law of Sindh CM.

    “Asif Hyder Shah is a federal secretary and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Karachi after testing positive for COVID-19,” the report had claimed.

    The claim, however, was rejected by a spokesperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in Sindh. “Asif Hyder Shah is a federal secretary and brother-in-law of Murad Ali Shah, but he hasn’t tested positive for the virus,” the spokesperson told The Current.

    While it was confirmed that seven persons who reached Karachi from Syria via Doha had tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two days, CM Murad’s brother-in-law wasn’t among them.

    Meanwhile, strict measures have been taken by the government, including extending border closure with Afghanistan for seven more days and installing screening machines at all major airports in the country.

    According to reports, the Sindh government is considering a proposal to issue an advisory requesting a ban on public events, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and it is likely that the remaining matches of the PSL to be held in Karachi will be shifted to Lahore.

    A meeting of the provincial authorities has also recommended setting up a health desk at the Karachi airport.

    With the help of the desk, all those entering Karachi through the airport will be screened for the coronavirus. A spokesperson for the health department said health desks will also be established at hospitals, Geo reported.

    The desks at hospitals, named front-line desks, will provide up-to-date information about the spread of the virus in the city. 

    A recommendation to shut schools in the province for a longer period will also be sent to the Sindh CM; exams would, however, be held as per schedule, the Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has said.

  • Weekend events in your city

    Weekend events in your city

    Lahore

    Women Festival 2020

    Date: March 8, Sunday

    Time: 10 AM – 7 PM

    Venue: Alhamra Arts Council, Mall Road.

    Meet & Greet of Blogger & Vlogger

    Date: March 7, Saturday.

    Time: 10 AM – 10 PM

    Venue: Hyper bazaar, D Block Commercial, Valencia town.

    Qawwali Night

    Date: March 7, Saturday.

    Time: 8 PM – 12 AM

    Venue: Eatino, 8-B1, Phase 1 PGECHS.

    Islamabad

    Bhangra Night

    Date: March 8. Sunday.

    Time: 7 PM – 10:30 PM

    Venue: The Rock Musicarium, Plot9, Lake view Park, Phase 2, Rawal Lake, Promenade.

    Band Baja Wedding Expo 2020

    Date: 7-8 March, (Saturday – Sunday)

    Time: 11 AM – 10 PM

    Venue: Pak-China Friendship CenterPak China Friendship Center, Islamabad.

    Karachi

    Rang Panchmi

    Date: March 7, Saturday.

    Time: 8 PM – 12 AM

    Venue: Redisson BanquetDHA Phase I, adjacent PSO Petrol Pump, near KPT Interchange.

    1st Women Conference

    Date and Time: Mar 6 at 3 PM – Mar 7 at 8 PM

    Venue: Arts Council of Pakistan, M. R Kayani Road, Karachi.

  • Sindh govt rebuts claims regarding first coronavirus case being a ‘hoax’

    Sindh govt rebuts claims regarding first coronavirus case being a ‘hoax’

    • Local English daily had claimed student quarantined at private Karachi hospital under strong suspicions of coronavirus had ‘conclusively tested negative for the disease‘

    Sindh health officials have rebutted a media report claiming that the first case of coronavirus in Pakistan, which was reported in Karachi last week, “had turned out to be a hoax” as the 22-year-old patient, who was quarantined at a private hospital under strong suspicions of coronavirus, had “conclusively tested negative for the disease”.

    According to The News, Karachi University (KU) student Syed Muhammad Yahya Jafri had recently returned from Iran and developed symptoms of influenza.

    “The symptoms, coupled with the fact that he had recently returned from Iran, made the doctors and senior provincial health management prematurely declare him as the first case of coronavirus in Pakistan without receiving his final lab reports wherein he tested negative for the virus,” the report had said.

    READ: Two coronavirus cases confirmed in Pakistan

    It had quoted KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi as confirming that Jafri’s medical and laboratory reports “clearly indicated he was not suffering from coronavirus”.

    “Jafri and his family members who were quarantined by Sindh’s Health Department at a private hospital were discharged on Friday,” he was quoted as saying, adding that a large number of students, including Jafri’s classmates at the varsity’s Department of International Relations, were also tested in the same hospital. “None of them were found affected by coronavirus.”

    The claims were, however, refuted by Sindh Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi, who said that the youngster was being kept in isolation after testing positive for coronavirus.

    READ: Coronavirus myths flooding your WhatsApp? Here’s what is actually true

    He maintained there was no truth to Iraqi’s claim and the student would be discharged from the hospital after he would test negative.

  • FIA arrests man for blackmailing woman

    FIA arrests man for blackmailing woman

    The cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a man for blackmailing a woman based on indecent pictures in Karachi’s Nazimabad.

    As per reports, the man was arrested during a raid at an ice cream parlour. A first information report (FIR) was filed against Azhar on a complaint of the woman who accused him of harassing her. The suspect had been blackmailing the woman for the past three years.

    In a report submitted to a court, the FIA stated that the woman and man became friends on Facebook and later started meeting at restaurants. It added that the suspect had threatened the woman that he would tell her family about their relationship if she didn’t meet him in probate.

    According to the FIA report, the suspect forced her to have sexual relations with him on several occasions and recorded it every time on his cell phone. The officials said they recovered a mobile phone containing immoral pictures of women, including that of the complainant.

    The suspect had confessed to blackmailing and harassing the woman. He has been sent on remand for three days.

  • Schools in Sindh and Balochistan closed due to Coronavirus scare

    Schools in Sindh and Balochistan closed due to Coronavirus scare

    All public and private educational institutes are closed in Balochistan until March 15 to protect children from the spread of Coronavirus. After two cases were confirmed in Pakistan on Wednesday, one in Karachi and one in Islamabad, governments are taking precautionary measures.

    The notification states that all public and private educational institutes, as well as madrassas, will be closed for more than two weeks.

    “The ongoing examinations of Grade 9 and Matriculation are also suspended,” the education minister said in a video message, “We want to keep our children safe’. He also said that it was a safety measure and no one needed to panic.

    A copy of the notification

    RELATED: Two coronavirus cases confirmed in Pakistan

    Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani also announced that the schools in the province would remain closed on Thursday and Friday, after the confirmation of a case in Karachi on Wednesday night.

    Saeed Ghani’s tweet

    The State Minister for Health Dr. Zafar Mirza tweeted last night, confirming the two cases.

    He said that everything was under control and also tweeted a helpline number.

    He asked people to refrain from sharing personal information of the patients saying that the patient in Karachi, as well as his family, was immediately placed in quarantine at a private hospital on the National Stadium Road while the one in Islamabad was moved to the capital’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

  • Is Karachi cop’s novel coming to Netflix?

    Is Karachi cop’s novel coming to Netflix?

    Omar Shahid Hamid’s best-selling debut novel The Prisoner is coming to Netflix, though it’s unclear whether as a movie or a series.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, when asked when his novel is being made into a movie, the officer responded, “Its production is underway and it is hoped that a deal will soon be made with Netflix or some streaming service.”

    “And most likely, we’ll start shooting it in summers. So…fingers crossed,” he added.

    Inspired by his experiences in the police service, Omar penned the novel, while on a sabbatical. The book is centred around an American journalist who is kidnapped.

    A brief synopsis of the novel reads: “On an unusually cold December evening in Karachi, American journalist Jon Friedland is kidnapped from one of the city’s poshest neighbourhoods. His captors plan to post a video of his execution on Christmas Day. The kidnapping has come at a bad time, embarrassing the Pakistani government in front of their US allies. The clock is ticking. Will the police and Intelligence Agencies recover Friedman alive?”

    “The story careens through the streets of Karachi, taking the reader into an all too real world of jihadis, corrupt police officers, and bloodthirsty political henchmen – all placed together in a city where no one is quite what they seem.”

    Hamid is also the author of The Spinner’s Tale (2015), The Party Worker (2017), and The Fix (2019).

    Watch the full interview here:

  • Traffic plan for Karachi during PSL 5 matches

    Traffic plan for Karachi during PSL 5 matches

    Karachi Police have released a traffic plan for Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket matches scheduled to be played at the National Stadium today.

    For those heading to the National Stadium to watch their favourite players in the ground, they can park their vehicles at the parking spots after showing their tickets and CNIC.

    Parking lots and routes

    Those coming from central and west districts such as Liaquatabad No 10 can use Hassan Square, take a left at University Road and park their vehicles at Expo Centre. From there, audience will be taken to the stadium via a shuttle bus.

    Those travelling from Malir and East districts can use Safoora and NIPA while those coming from Sohrab Goth via Gulshan Chowrangi can use Gulshan Chowrangi, take a left at University Road, AG Sindh U-Turn, then again University Road and park their vehicles. From there they will be shifted to the area adjacent to Expo Centre through a shuttle bus

    Those travelling from East and Malir districts coming from Drigh Road via Shahrah-e-Faisal can use Drigh Road, take a right turn at Rashid Minhas Road, left turn to Millennium Mall and park their automobiles at the Gharib Nawaz Football Stadium near Millennium Mall. From there they will be shifted to Bahria University adjacent the National Stadium via shuttle bus.

    People coming  from South, City, West and Korangi/Defence districts and areas via Shahrah-e-Faisal can use Sharah-e-Faisal, Shahrah-e-Quaideen, Allah Wali Chowrangi, Society Light Signal, PP Chowrangi, University Road, Hassan Square, Baitul Mukaram U-turn, Expo Centre Gate 1 and then park their vehicles at Rana Liaquat Ali Khan Girls College from where they will go out from the Expo Centre Gate No 2 of the stadium or Shahrah-e-Faisal, Drigh Road, Rashid Minhas, NIPA, University Road to Expo Centre’s Gate No.1.

    Those travelling from Central and West districts coming from Nazimabad and Liaquatabad No10 can use Hassan Square, take a left towards University Road, Baitul Mukaram U-turn, Expo Centre Gate 1 and park their vehicles at the Expo Centre, KDA Club and China Ground from where they will go out from Expo Centre’s Gate No 2 for the stadium.

    Diversions

    Karsaz: Traffic coming from Nursery shall not be allowed to proceed to Habib Ibrahim Rehmat ullah Road towards Stadium (Sir Shah Suleman Road). These vehicles will be diverted towards Drigh Road, Sharea Faisal, left turn Rashid Minhas Road, Millennium to NIPA.

    Millennium: Traffic from Rashid Minhas Road shall not be permitted to proceed towards the stadium.

    These vehicles will be diverted towards NIPA, Askari-IV (Millennium), Drigh Road to Shahrah-e-Faisal or Millennium, NIPA to Safoora Chowrangi or NIPA to Gulshan Chowrangi to Sohrab Goth.

    New Town Chowrangi: From University Road, all kinds of traffic will not be allowed to proceed to Stadium Road from New Town Chowrangi turning. Traffic will be diverted towards Jail, Shaheed-e-Millat or straight towards PP Chowrangi. Public coming from Aga Khan Hospital and Liaquat National Hospital will be allowed from the New Town PS side.

    University Road, Shaheed-e-Millat Road and Rashid Minhas Road will remain open for traffic. All commuters from Central, East, Malir, South and West can use the Lyari Expressway’s both sides from Mirza Adam Khan Chowk, Mauripur Road up to Sohrab Goth.

    Heavy traffic

    Heavy traffic will not be allowed from Sohrab Goth to Nipa, Liquatabad No 10 to Hassan Square, Peoples Chowrangi towards University road.

    Traffic coming from Shahar-e-Faisal shall not be permitted to proceed towards Stadium.

    These vehicles will be diverted towards NIPA, Askari-IV (Millennium), Drigh Road to Shara-e-Faisal or Millennium, NIPA to Safora Chowrangi or NIPA to Gulshan Chowrangi to Sohrab Goth.

    Vehicles entering from University Road shall not be permitted to proceed towards Stadium Road from New Town Chowrangi turning and it will be diverted towards Jail Road, Shaheed-e-Millat or straight to Peoples Chowrangi.

    Traffic coming to Aga Khan Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital will be allowed from New Town PS.

  • Want to know how much money the PSL winning team will take home?

    500 thousand dollars cash (7 crore, 72 lakhs rupees) is what the Pakistan Super League winners will take home this year and the runner-up will get 200 thousand dollars (3 crore, 90 lakh rupees).

    The league, in a press release, shared that the total prize money is one million dollars and 4,500 dollars (6 lakhs 95 thousand rupees) have been set for each man of the match award after each match.

    READ MORE: PCB to feature 350 artists in the opening ceremony of PSL 5

    80 thousand dollars (one crore 23 lakhs) will also be distributed among the best batsman, player of the tournament, and ‘for the spirit of cricket’ award. Other prizes include best catch, best run-out and most sixes.

    The 5th PSL will begin from Feb 20th in Karachi. There will be 34 matches in total, with nine matches in Karachi, 14 in Lahore, eight in Rawalpindi and three in Multan.

    The six-team tournament will be held across four venues with Karachi staging nine matches, Lahore 14 matches, Rawalpindi eight and Multan three matches.

    In the opening match defending champions, Quetta Gladiators will take on two-time former winners Islamabad United at the National Stadium in Karachi.

  • Groom beaten after first wife ‘crashes’ third marriage

    Groom beaten after first wife ‘crashes’ third marriage

    A groom was beaten over contracting third marriage in Karachi without the consent of his first two wives.

    As per reports, a groom named Asif was subjected to torture by his first wife and her family at the valima reception of his third marriage in Karachi.

    Failing to convince his first wife and her family, Asif ran to the police station to save his life and when he was coming out of the police station, his in-laws attacked him again. Seeing the media on the spot, the groom ran from the spot and saved his life by taking shelter beneath the truck.

    “Asif has already two wives and now he has contracted the third marriage without any consent from them”, said Asif’s first wife.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8a-ZwfhBVz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    She asked for legal action against her husband and his family for hiding the facts.

    Meanwhile Asif said that he has lodged an FIR against his first wife and her family for attacking him.

  • Karachi man takes up educational expenses of boy selling samosas

    A man in Karachi has come forward to bear the educational expenses of a child who recently went viral on social media. Video shows the boy selling samosas outside a local hospital.

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/B8L8dU4pXD6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    “I come here after I am done with school,” the boy had said in the video. When asked about the grade he studied in, he replied, “I am in class four.”

    A school principal, Basim Ahmed Faridi took to social media to announce that he had decided to take up his educational expenses.

    “I got a chance to meet this child whose videos went viral past day, Zahid is a son of an Afghan-origin family and he lives near Mamji Hospital water pump in a house where his grandfather and mamu worked for 30 years,” he wrote, adding that Zahid’s family was an upright and honest one.

    “I have offered to his parents that Zahid can study at my school, Speak & Spell Schooling System near Ayesha Manzil, up to his matriculation and I can even teach him up to his intermediate.

    “All the time I only thought that these days do bring joy to that poor hardworking child, but where this community will take this child, by interviewing him, calling him on media sets, boosting their TRPs and then leave him alone to the same life pattern that he is living right now,” he wrote.

    “This will definitely hurt this child a lot, so I just decided to take a permanent and long-lasting step for him just by giving him what can never be taken away education,” he added.

    Praising the boy, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar on Friday said: “We can all learn from him.”