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Tag: Pakistan

  • Medicine shortage in Lahore; which ones are being hoarded?

    According to Dawn.com, Lahore is experiencing a severe shortage of life-saving medicines with more than 120 drugs unavailable at the local pharmacies and medical stores. The shortage has resulted in stress among patients and attendants.

    These include medicines like Glucophage (for diabetics) that are prescribed at a large scale. In fact, an alternative to Glucophage for type 2 diabetes to control sugar levels, is also in short supply in local stores.

    Others include blood thinning medicines used by cardiac patients; Hepa-Merz used as a supportive therapy for liver diseases like jaundice, hepatitis (infection of the liver), hepatic cirrhosis (scarring/fibrosis of the liver).

    According to medical practitioners, medicines for diarrhea treatment are also in short supply even though the demand is high following rain spells. Severe stomach-related ailments can lead to complications and even death.

    Moreover, as per medical practitioners, widely-used drugs prescribed to children and adults for coughs are being sold in the black market and that pharmacy owners are hoarding commonly used medicines like Pyodine and Polyfax skin ointment etc to earn unjustified profits.

    Pharmaceutical companies are also struggling with drug manufacturing and supplying them against the approved rates due to the frequent dollar rate hike. This has also resulted in increased prices of raw material being imported from other countries.

    Additionally, medicines for Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and gynae-related complications are also short.

  • Bara Kahu police rearrest Imaan Mazari outside Adiala Jail

    Bara Kahu police rearrest Imaan Mazari outside Adiala Jail

    Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari has been arrested by the Bara Kahu police Islamabad outside Adiala Jail after getting bail from ATC this morning. According to her lawyer, no new FIR or arrest warrant has been shared with them.

    On Monday morning, an Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has granted bail to human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Ali Wazir in a sedition case related to controversial speeches allegedly made against state institutions at PTM’s public rally.

    The two were arrested on August 20 and sent on physical remand after they were accused of delivering a controversial speech.
    ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the plea and approved post-arrest bail of Imaan and Wazir against surety bonds of Rs30,000 each.

    On August 19, two first information reports (FIR) were registered against Imaan and Wazir at the Tarnol police station and Counter-Terrorism Department police station.
    Both were booked on the charges of sedition, preventing government officials from carrying out their duties and damaging public property.

    The cases so far

    Two first information reports (FIR) have been registered against Wazir and Imaan.

    The first FIR was registered on the complaint of Tarnol Station House Officer (SHO) Mian Mohammad Imran who was present at Tarnol Phatak chowk to ensure peace during a rally led by PTM. According to the complainant, the rallly devaited from the allocated area violating no-objection certificate

    The FIR was filed under Sections 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 440 (mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt) and 506ii (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

    The SHO has claimed that the participants, numbering about 700-800, were armed with sticks and attacked the police, official vehicles, and shut down shops when asked to restore access to GT road that they had blocked.

    The second FIR was registered under the complaint of Inspector Mohammad Ashraf who was present when about 950 PTM supporters blocked GT road. He said that people including Manzoor Pashteen and Iman Mazari spoke against the state, inciting hatred and revolt. The second FIR was registered under PPC Sections 124A (sedition), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) among others.

  • Pakistani doctor jailed in US for attempting to aid ISIS

    Pakistani doctor jailed in US for attempting to aid ISIS

    Muhammad Masood, a 31-year-old licensed Pakistani doctor living in the United States on a work visa, has been sentenced to 18 years in jail for attempting to provide material support to terrorist organisation ISIS, according to court documents.

    “A Rochester man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, equivalent to 18 years, followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization,” a press release issued by the US Department of Justice stated.

    The court documents revealed that Masood was previously employed as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, under an H-1B visa.

    As per the official statement, Masood’s activity from January 2020 to March 2020 depicted his attempts to become a part of the militant outfit and provide material support in carrying out terrorist acts in the US.

    “Between January 2020 and March 2020, Masood used an encrypted messaging application to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organization,” the statement added.

    It further stated that the Pakistani man made multiple statements about his desire to join ISIS and also pledged his allegiance to the designated terrorist organisation and its leader.

    “Masood also expressed his desire to conduct ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks in the United States.”

    On February 21, 2020, he bought a plane ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with plans to travel to Syria from there.
    However, his travel plans changed on March 16, 2020, as the borders were closed by Jordan under coronavirus travel restrictions.

    He then decided to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he would meet a person who he believed would help him with travel via a cargo ship to deliver him to the territory claimed by ISIS.

    On March 19, 2020, Masood traveled from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to board a flight bound for Los Angeles, California.

    However, he was eventually arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) upon arrival at the airport.

    Masood pleaded guilty last year on August 16 to attempting to provide material support to Daesh.
    Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced him to 18 years in prison on Friday, after the completion of investigations by the FBI’s JTTF.

  • Maryam Nawaz to release secret audio tapes of specific individuals before election

    Maryam Nawaz to release secret audio tapes of specific individuals before election

    According to ARY News, Maryam Nawaz, senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), will release covert audio tapes of notable individuals during her party’s campaign in general elections.

    After PML-N leadership met in London to discuss the upcoming general elections, the party made the decision to take a strong stance against specific individuals.

    The meeting decided that retaliatory action in the election campaign would be brought forward in the form of a documentary, sources have told ARY.

    Forner Prime Minister and party supremo Nawaz Sharif will expose the role former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and others played against the PML-N, while Maryam Nawaz will release audios of prominent figures during the election campaign.

    Sources also said that only Nawaz Sharif has the authority to decide whether seat adjustment with any political party will be considered or not.

  • ‘Ya Allah Reham’: Mohib Mirza, celebrities react to recent electricity bill hike

    ‘Ya Allah Reham’: Mohib Mirza, celebrities react to recent electricity bill hike

    Social media users and public figures expressed outrage over the weekend at the hike in electricity bills. The exorbitant sums led to protests across the country with citizens burning their bills. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakaar has responded to the outrage by tweeting that an emergency meeting would be called at the Prime Minister’s residence on Sunday to address the sudden hike.

    READ MORE: PM calls emergency meeting as public outcry grows over high electricity bills

    Celebrities have also decried inflation and how it impacts an ordinary citizen’s life.

    Actor Sami Khan shared a tweet by a journalist who shared a video of a man protesting against the price hike, and in the caption he wrote:

    ‘Ya Allah Reham farma.”

    Mohib Mirza addressed the situation with his own hilarious but rather dark twist:
    “Thank god we have not gone on the moon, otherwise the fuel adjustments for the rocket would have been taken from our bills!”

    Actress Mariyam Nafees shared a screenshot of a request of an imam, asking him to pray that inflation goes away, so a family could afford to eat. In the caption, she had requested all her followers to be thankful for having food to eat and a place to stay, because such things are luxuries for others.

  • JI announces protest against inflated electricity bills

    JI announces protest against inflated electricity bills

    The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced on Saturday that it would stage a protest against the exorbitant electricity bills.

    Addressing a seminar in Lahore, JI Ameer Sirajul Haq lashed out at political opponents and the caretaker government, saying, “The caretaker government is following the footsteps of the previous governments in terms of taking wrong decisions for the sake of the country.”

    “The power bills have increased three times within one month. People have been compelled to commit suicide due to the ballooning inflation. The electricity bill of at least Rs50,000 has been sent to every house,” said Mr Haq.

    He made it clear that the JI would stage a protest outside of the power distribution companies.

    Earlier, interim Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that that he has summoned an emergency meeting over the price of electricity and consumers’ inflated bills, adding that he will hold consultations to provide maximum relief to power consumers.

    The prime minister has directed the Ministry of Energy and power distributions companies to present him with a detailed briefing over the issue.

  • 93% of married individuals in Pakistan are happy; new survey

    93% of married individuals in Pakistan are happy; new survey

    Gallup & Gilani Pakistan has published a new survey that indicates that 93% of married individuals in Pakistan are “satisfied with the level of dignity and respect they receive from their spouses”.

    The aim of the study was to gauge marital contentment, providing insights into the dynamics of marital relationships across the country.

    The sample of the study included married adult men and women from urban and rural areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. Gallup and Gilani approached 929 respondents from July 7th to July 16th, 2023 through telephonic surveys (CATI).

    The survey carries a confidence level of 95% with an estimated error margin of approximately ± 2-3 percent.

    The primary question asked was, “Considering your married life, please tell me to what extent are you satisfied with your spouse regarding ‘Treating with dignity and respect’?”

    As per the report, here are the response:


    Completely satisfied: 76%

    Somewhat satisfied: 17%

    Somewhat dissatisfied: 5%

    Completely dissatisfied: 1%

    Gave no response: 1%

  • PPP hints at legal action if elections are delayed

    Reiterating their call for general elections within 90 days, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has reinforced on Friday that it agreed to endorse the digital census results at the Council of Common Interests (CCI) only after receiving assurances that the action wouldn’t hinder the timely conduct of elections. The move, however, is now being exploited as a pretext to delay the polls. 

    Hinting at the possibility of pursuing “legal course” to uphold their principled stance, PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari said that if the party’s attempt to convince the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to meet the constitutionally mandated 90-day deadline, during the meeting scheduled for August 29, remains unsuccessful, the next central executive committee meeting in Lahore in September would unveil their final strategy.

    Speaking at a press conference alongside fellow party members at Bilawal House after the CEC meeting, PPP leaders adopted a more assertive tone in response to the ECP’s recent announcement. The ECP stated that the process of revising the delimitation of national and provincial assembly constituencies would conclude by December 14, extending beyond the constitutionally set deadline for conducting general elections.

    Sindh’s former chief minister Murad Ali Shah said that his party does not want elections to be postponed due to new delimitations. “Our aim is that the elections should be held on time. This census does not require fresh delimitations,” he added. 

    The digital census, he said, was controversial, adding that the Constitution does not say to conduct fresh delimitations after the census.

  • Poliovirus in Afghanistan poses a threat to Pakistan

    The International Health Regulations’ Emergency Committee has expressed concern over the increasing number of polio cases in Afghanistan which also pose a threat to Pakistan because of constant travel between the two countries.

    The Polio Emergency Committee issued a statement on Friday stating that there is still a risk of poliovirus spreading worldwide considering the “cross-border spread into Pakistan” from the eastern Afghan border.

    According to the committee, five new wild poliovirus cases were reported in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. There were 32 positive environmental samples this year so far in the eastern region except for one site in Kandahar in the southern region and one from Balkh in the north.

    During the committee meeting summoned by the director general of World Health Organisation on August 16, it was stated that one new case of wild poliovirus was reported in Pakistan since May, total cases being two in 2023. Both the cases were reported from Bannu district.

    According to the committee statement, there have been 15 environmental surveillance positive samples in 2023. And while action plan in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has resulted in 160,000 more children being vaccinated, it remain a challenge nonetheless due to “political instability, insecurity in some areas, with front line workers requiring police patrols to accompany them, and vaccination boycotts where communities make demands for other services in exchange for allowing polio vaccination”.

  • Bhindi, paaye or anda shami burger: Pakistanis decide which food they like best

    Konsa Pakistani khaana aap ko sab say ziada pasand hai? A Twitter user decided to test social media’s food tastes by asking them to rank a few popular dishes, getting them to rate the food out of ten. The dishes were palak chawal, shami anda burger, briyani, nihari, haleem, bhindi, kareley ka salan, gulab jamun, ladoo peethi, aloo ka paratha, paye and gajar ka halwa.

    And social media was quick to rank some of their favorites, revealing hilarious yet quesitonable taste buds.

    For starters, many users went with halwa puri and bhindi, while Nihari, shockingly, ranked among the least favorite dishes.

    Which did lead to some thinking that the Pakistani card needs to be restricted to only those with superior taste buds.

    “I am convinced y’all haven’t ever eaten proper Nihari because nothing else explains the low Nihari scores I’m seeing.”

    Maybe us Punjabis need a crash course in Pakistani food?

    https://twitter.com/wotizlife01/status/1694760085749387580?s=20

    While others were giving good ratings to aloo ka paratha but a five to kareley? Tell me you’re a burger without telling me you’re a burger.

    On the desert side, gulab jamun and gajar ka halwa are getting low scores and tbh some of y’all just haven’t touched grass outside. Yes, we will resort to public shaming when it comes to gulab jamun.