Tag: NULL

A fire safety assessment carried out by the Punjab government has exposed serious lapses in high-rise buildings in Rawalpindi, revealing that just one out of 163 structures meets the province’s prescribed fire safety regulations.

The inspection was initiated on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz in the aftermath of the tragic Gul Plaza fire in Karachi, which killed at least 63 people and left several others unaccounted for.

The audit, conducted under the Community Safety Building Regulations, examined all high-rise buildings in the district. Data shared by Rescue 1122 shows that while Rawalpindi has 163 high-rise buildings, only a single commercial property is fitted with a fully functional and automated fire protection system.

Rescue officials said the buildings were divided into three safety categories. Only one was placed in Category A, indicating full compliance. Meanwhile, 11 buildings fell into Categories B and C, where fire safety arrangements were found to be incomplete, while 151 buildings classified as Category C were deemed entirely unsafe.

The report indicates that most non-compliant buildings are missing essential safety features, including fire-fighting equipment, emergency exits, smoke ventilation systems, and automatic fire alarms.

Authorities have issued notices to owners of commercial buildings that lack proper fire safety installations. Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Director General Kinza Murtaza said owners have been given time until February 28 to ensure compliance, warning that properties failing to meet the requirements will be sealed.

Records also show that 1,712 fire incidents were reported in Rawalpindi last year, resulting in four fatalities and 107 injuries, placing the district third in Punjab for fire-related emergencies.

Rescue 1122 stated that its average response time during emergencies last year remained under eight minutes, adding that the department has adequate resources to handle fire incidents.

Officials further clarified that while commercial building plans are approved by the Municipal Corporation, oversight of high-rise structures falls under the RDA. Construction of high-rise buildings requires mandatory no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the Environment Department, Civil Defence, and Rescue 1122.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of discussions, Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Harraj has said, signaling a possible effort to strengthen regional security amid rising tensions over the past two years.

The minister told Reuters that the potential trilateral deal is separate from the bilateral Saudi-Pakistan agreement announced last year. He added that a final consensus between all three countries would be required to finalise the accord.

“The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Türkiye trilateral agreement is something that is already in the pipeline,” Harraj said in an interview. 

“The draft agreement is already with us, with Saudi Arabia, and with Türkiye. All three countries are deliberating. This agreement has been under discussion for the last 10 months.”

Commenting on the matter at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said talks had taken place but no agreement had yet been signed.

Fidan emphasised the need for broader regional cooperation and trust to address the “cracks and problems” that have led to external interference, wars, terrorism, and instability in the region.

“At the end of all of these, we have a proposal like this: all regional nations must come together to create a cooperation platform on the issue of security,” Fidan said. Regional issues could be resolved if relevant countries would “be sure of each other,” he added. 

“At the moment, there are meetings and talks, but no agreement has been signed. President Tayyip Erdogan envisions an inclusive platform that fosters wider cooperation and stability,” Fidan said, without directly naming Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan said on Thursday it expects the United States to resume immigrant visa processing shortly, viewing the recent suspension as part of an internal review.

The US announced on Wednesday that it is suspening immigrant visa processing for Pakistan and 74 other countries, effective January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes.

In a statement, the State Department said the “freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”

Responding to questions about the move, despite Pakistan’s improved ties with Washington in recent months, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said the ministry had acknowleged the “reports.”

“Basically, it was a brief statement by the US State Department on their social media account about the internal review of processing immigrant visas that they are in the process of,” he said.

He added, “We are in touch with US authorities to ascertain further details. This is evolving news that we are following. We understand that this is an internal ongoing process of review of US immigration policies and systems, and hope that the routine processing of immigrant visas will resume soon.”

The suspension could affect travel, study, and work plans for thousands of Pakistanis who seek US visas each year. Pakistani consulates in the US are expected to provide guidance to applicants affected by the freeze in the coming days.

The freeze is linked to the US public-charge rule, which evaluates whether immigrants are likely to rely on government assistance. While temporary suspensions of visa services have occurred in the past, officials described the scope of this action as unprecedented.

No timeline has been provided for resuming services, but the State Department has assured that countries will be notified once the review is complete.

No search for a so-called “wonder boy” to replace Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is underway, media reports quoted sources as saying, adding that the relationship, understanding and mutual respect between the Prime Minister and the Field Marshal remain “perfect,” as they were before.

Additionally, the source rejected rumors that a “wonder boy” was required as part of a supposed “grand plan.”

These conversations gained traction following a recent piece by senior journalist and Jang columnist Suhail Warraich, who claimed without offering any solid evidence that although Shehbaz Sharif might be “gold,” the current situation calls for a “diamond” rather than gold in order to reverse years of neglect.

In the column, Warraich maintained that even if such aspirations are not realised, there is no restriction on expressing them.

He further suggested that some quarters desire a federal cabinet similar to Bangladesh’s, comprising PhD holders recognised as authorities in their respective fields and educated at reputable institutions worldwide.

The column triggered extensive debate across both mainstream and social media. Several observers felt the senior columnist had deliberately framed his arguments ambiguously to avoid provoking a direct reaction from influential quarters.

Well-informed sources, however, strongly disagreed with these interpretations, emphasizing that there is no basis to the speculation and no question of undermining the prime minister’s position or his working relationship with the military leadership.

A strong westerly weather system is expected to enter Pakistan from today, bringing widespread rain, snowfall, dense fog and extremely cold conditions to several regions, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said.

According to the Met Office, the system will first affect Balochistan from December 29 to 31, where rain and snowfall over mountainous areas are expected.

Rain is expected in Quetta, Ziarat, Kalat, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Nushki, Harnai, Zhob, Barkhan, Sibi, Loralai, Musakhel, Kech, Gwadar, Lasbela, Awaran, Chagai, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Washuk and Kharan, while snowfall is expected in the province’s northern districts.

Meanwhile, from December 30 to January 1, rain accompanied by strong winds is expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Swabi and Kohat, while moderate to heavy snowfall is also expected in the upper areas.

From December 30 to January 2, rain and snowfall may occur in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit and Shigar districts. Rain and moderate snowfall have also been forecast for Kashmir.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has conducted a massive operation, arresting an eight-member group involved in financial scams in Islamabad’s Khanna Pul area.

According to a spokesperson for the NCCIA, the individuals would impersonate relatives or friends living abroad and deceive victims by claiming there was a medical emergency to extort funds.

An agency spokesperson said that the suspects were alleged to have used fake identities to defraud a citizen out of Rs1.5 million, which was subsequently transferred to the bank account of the main suspect.

They said that those arrested include Muhammad Salman, Mohsin Jamil, Nazakat Ali, Mehtab Ali, Muhammad Shah Nawaz, Nasir Ali, Abid Hussain and Fahad Jabbar.

Reports said that the suspects, originally from Bahawalpur, had also opened bank accounts in names of gullible individuals, retained the checkbooks and utilised said accounts for fraudulent activities.

Additionally, it was reported that the suspects had established bank accounts in Bahawalpur and surrounding areas. The scammers would travel to Islamabad to withdraw the stolen funds and were apprehended while attempting to withdraw money.

Cases have been registered against the accused, and action has been taken under various provisions, including the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).