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Tag: Punjab

  • Mphil scholar shot dead by abductors inspite of paying ransom

    Mphil scholar shot dead by abductors inspite of paying ransom

    A kidnapped 22-year-old MPhil graduate, Talha Arshad, was found fatally shot in the head, despite his family allegedly having paid Rs2.5 million in ransom to his abductors. His grieving family staged a protest demonstration at Rafiq Shah Chowk against the police after placing the body on the spot.


    The victim, a resident of Mohalla Telianwala, had recently completed his MPhil from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. On the day he went missing he left home on a motorcycle on January 17 but did not return.


    Upon a lawyer’s intervention, the police registered a kidnapping case on January 18, filed by Talha’s brother Irfan Arshad.


    The abductors had sent a video of Talha tied with a rope, through WhatsApp on January 21, demanding a ransom of Rs10 million for his release. Despite the family sending Rs2.5 million to the cryptocurrency account specified by the kidnappers, Talha was not released, reports The Express Tribune.


    However, on Wednesday, Talha’s tortured body, locked in a suitcase, was discovered in a well near an upscale neighborhood.


    Kamran Arshad, the victim’s brother, alleged that the police had acted as silent spectators when the victim’s phone was active on January 21 and 23.
    The police reportedly found the location of the deceased’s mobile phone in Bahawalnagar and Donga Bonga, initiating searches in the areas. The DPO’s spokesperson Zahid Rasool said the police were actively engaged in the matter, collaborating with the victim’s family.

    In response to protesters’ demands, the SHO was removed from the local police station and an inquiry against him initiated.

    The police’s efforts to trace the suspects were reportedly hindered as the perpetrators used VPN to conceal their location.

  • Election vacations announced in Sindh

    Election vacations announced in Sindh

    It has been decided to keep all educational institutions closed from February 6 to 9 in Sindh.


    According to Sindh Education Department, all private and commercial schools, colleges, and universities will remain closed from February 6 to 9 due to general elections in the country.


    The Education Department said that February 5 has already been announced as Kashmir Day holiday in the province.


    A vacation summary has been sent to the Chief Minister House, while the notification will be issued after approval.


    On Wednesday, the Punjab Cabinet decided to keep all schools, colleges and universities closed from February 6 to 9 as general elections, scheduled for February 8, approach.

  • ‘Submit report on all detention camps in the country’, Sindh High Court

    ‘Submit report on all detention camps in the country’, Sindh High Court

    In a significant development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has granted a three-week deadline to the Federal Defence Ministry and the Sindh Home Department to submit a comprehensive report on all detention camps across the country.

    The directive came from a two-judge bench, with Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto presiding, during a hearing on Thursday concerning petitions related to the recovery of missing persons.

    The bench took cognizance of the case after one petitioner revealed that her husband, Tahir Rehan, had been missing since 2015, with no investigative action taken by the police.

    Expressing dissatisfaction with the public prosecutor’s claim of providing Rs500,000 in compensation, the petitioner asserted that she had not received any such compensation.

    The Sindh Home Department officially announced the suspension of compensation payments to families of missing persons, as revealed in a report submitted to the Sindh High Court.

    The court had directed the submission of a comprehensive report to federal authorities, including the Interior Secretary and Defense Secretary, concerning applications related to compensation for families of missing persons.

    In a proactive measure, the court ordered the publication of advertisements in both print and electronic media to aid in the search for Shahri Majid, missing since 2015.

    Additionally, the court directed the gathering of information on missing persons from jail authorities and various locations across the country.

  • Lahore High Court stops planting of palm trees on highways and motorways

    Lahore High Court stops planting of palm trees on highways and motorways

    Lahore High Court has stopped the planting of palm trees on highways and motorways, reports Geo.


    Justice Shahid Karim of Lahore High Court heard the petitions of citizen Haroon Farooq and others for the remedy of smog, during which DG Environment told the court that pollution does not stay on palm leaves as they grow better in hot areas. It has not been successful on motorways and highways in Islamabad.


    During the hearing, Justice Shahid Karim stated that there should be an investigation into the renovation and decoration of the underpasses in Lahore. “Who has earned the money for the renovation of the underpasses,” the court inquired. The judge then observed that the underpasses have become stranger than before, looking like a joke. He said that the strange lights which were installed in there went off on the first day.


    Justice Shahid Karim added that water should not be wasted as reports are indicating that the previous resource will run out by 2026- 2027. What steps did WASA take to install water meters, the court asked members of the water commission. He was informed in response that one year is required to install water meters.


    Later, the court ordered the DG Environment to stop the planting of palm trees on highways and motorways.

  • Pneumonia continues consuming lives in Punjab, 251 children affected in last 24 hours

    Pneumonia continues consuming lives in Punjab, 251 children affected in last 24 hours

    Punjab Health Department has shared that 1,777 new cases of pneumonia were reported in the province within 24 hours, while 12 children also died due to the disease.


    According to the Health Department, 11, 597 children were affected by pneumonia in the first 24 days of the year 2024 in Punjab whereas 251 children were affected by pneumonia in 24 hours in Lahore only. 220 deaths from pneumonia have also been reported in Punjab in the last 24 days, reports Geo.


    Director of Immunization Dr. Mukhtar said that pneumonia is spreading in Punjab, adding that the pneumonia vaccine is not effective in viral outbreaks even though there is plenty of vaccine available. However, there is only one pneumonia vaccine for children and adults. He emphasized that pneumonia vaccine is not available in the general market; no pharmacy can order pneumonia vaccine from abroad without the permission of the government, which only orders vaccines for children under immunization.

  • Quetta becomes even colder; Drizzle expected in Karachi

    Quetta becomes even colder; Drizzle expected in Karachi

    Cold weather has increased in different cities of Balochistan after rain spells while a drizzle is expected in Karachi tonight (Saturday). The cold wave in other parts of the country is likely to become stronger, the Meteorological Department has said, reports Geo.


    The coldest temperature during the last 24 hours was hit in Skardu, where the mercury dropped to minus 9 degrees Celsius.


    The federal capital, Islamabad, is shrouded in dense fog which is affecting the flight schedule. Three international flights to Islamabad have been grounded in Karachi and Lahore. Due to low visibility, more than 500 flights have been delayed in the first 20 days of 2024.


    The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy fog in the plains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Upper Sindh during the next few days. Karachi is likely to remain partially cloudy during the next 24 hours, while the possibility of drizzle has also been indicated at some places this evening. On Sunday and Monday, the city is expected to be partly cloudy and cool at night.


    The minimum temperature of the coastal city is expected to be between 13 and 15 degrees Celsius, while winds will continue to blow from the northeast and southwest in the city throughout the day.

  • Latif Khosa no more part of Imran Khan’s legal team

    Latif Khosa no more part of Imran Khan’s legal team

    In a significant development, former Prime Minister and founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has made changes to his legal team handling National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases, expressing dissatisfaction during consultations last week.

    As per We News, Imran Khan voiced uncertainty about the effectiveness of his current legal team and directed Barrister Ali Zafar and Sikander Zulqarnain to take charge of NAB cases.

    Particularly raising concerns about the performance of senior lawyer Latif Khosa in handling NAB cases, Khan remarked that he was not confident in the actions taken by the legal team and specifically questioned Khosa’s preparedness in dealing with legal matters.

    Journalist Murtaza Ali Shah took to X (former Twitter) and wrote, “Imran Khan has removed Latif Khosa from his legal team saying he appears before judges without doing proper homework. Imran Khan accepts his legal team was not prepared, behind the loss of BAT symbol. The video below explains.”

    It is worth noting that on Friday, proceedings related to a £190 million NAB reference were postponed until January 24. The action related to the individual case was halted until the mentioned date.

    Imran Khan’s decision to replace his legal team has led to the postponement of the proceedings, with the court granting time for the new legal team, consisting of Barrister Ali Zafar and Sikander Zulqarnain, to prepare for the upcoming hearings. The next hearing is expected to feature appearances by Barrister Ali Zafar, Sikander Zulqarnain, and Osman Gul on behalf of Imran Khan and his wife Bushra BiBi.

  • Murad Saeed is not contesting elections this year

    Murad Saeed is not contesting elections this year

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed withdrew from the general elections 2024 on Thursday.

    During the hearing of the petition filed against his nomination papers in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Murad Saeed’s lawyer told the court that he had returned the ticket and he was not participating in the elections.

    The Peshawar High Court bench, comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Aijaz Anwar, and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah, entertained a plea regarding the rejection of Murad Saeed’s nomination papers and subsequently rendered its decision.

    However, it was revealed during the proceedings that the petitioner had withdrawn the application, informing the court that the ticket had been voluntarily returned.

    On Wednesday, the bench reserved its decision on the petition against the rejection of the PTI leader’s nomination papers.

    Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim remarked in yesterday’s hearing regarding what the law says when a person is declared a fugitive and does not surrender before the law.

    When a person does not appear in front of the law, how can the papers be approved, he will be elected again and legislate, he asked.

    The Advocate General said in his arguments that when a person becomes a fugitive, he loses some basic rights and he has no right to vote or contest election.

    The court stated in its remarks that, “It will then be used as a weapon to prevent anyone from the election”.

    While reserving the decision on Murad Saeed’s appeal, the court declared the documents of Shehram Tarkai and Atif Khan to be correct in this regard.

    A three-member bench of PHC upheld the decision of the Election Tribunal and rejected the petitions against the approval of Shahram Tarkai and Atif Khan’s papers.

  • Doped out! Eight billion rupees ki chars pakri gai

    Doped out! Eight billion rupees ki chars pakri gai

    In a significant operation conducted by the Pakistan Coast Guard, a staggering amount of narcotics, valued at over 8 billion rupees, was seized in the Pasni district of Balochistan.

    As per Geo news, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Coast Guards said that more than 1700 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated from the mountainous region of Kulanch, a sub-tehsil of Pasni, Gwadar District.

    The estimated international market value of the seized narcotics is approximately 29.28 million dollars, equivalent to over 8 billion rupees in Pakistani currency.

    The government’s intensified nationwide anti-drug campaign continues to reap results, with the authorities seizing over 3,929 kilograms of narcotics and apprehending 26 suspects in just a week (December 31 to January 7).

    According to official data, most of the seized drugs, 3,369kg, were confiscated from Balochistan, a province long considered a key drug trafficking hub.

    Another 303kg were recovered from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), followed by 17kg from Gilgit-Baltistan, 18kg from Punjab, and 220kg from Sindh.

    The breakdown of individual drug types reveals a significant quantity of heroin (412kg) and 2,956kg of hashish seized from Balochistan, while from KP, 295kg of hashish and 8kg of heroin were seized.

    Additionally, 12kg of methamphetamine was confiscated in Punjab, 220kg of hashish in Sindh, and 12kg from Gilgit.

    These successes build upon the progress achieved since the national anti-narcotics operation began on September 1, 2023. To date, a staggering 819,388kg of drugs have been recovered from across Pakistan, and 716 criminals have been apprehended.

  • What is going on in PTI as leaders clash publicly?

    What is going on in PTI as leaders clash publicly?

    In a surprising turn of events within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), party founding chief Imran Khan has reportedly instructed senior vice chairman Sher Afzal Marwat to suspend all political activities in Sindh.

    Disagreements between Marwat and other party leaders, including Raoof Hasan and Barrister Hamid Khan, have escalated, leading to a temporary halt in political engagements.

    Hamid Khan endorsed the statements of Raoof Hasan.

    https://twitter.com/BrHamidKhan/status/1747182074191360492?s=20

    The directive from Imran Khan came a day after Marwat initially announced the suspension of the election campaign in Sindh, citing an alleged “attack” by party leaders Raoof Hasan and Hamid Khan.

    “Keeping in view the statements against me by sick-minded people like Hamid Khan and Rauf Hassan, I am calling off my campaign in Sindh,” said Marwat.

    However, conflicting statements emerged later after Marwat declared his intention to continue the polls campaign.

    “Workers are right and I will continue campaigning for PTI in Sindh. I will not be distracted,” wrote Marwat.

    In a social media post, he expressed his determination to continue campaigning for PTI in Sindh, urging party activists to confront what he referred to as “satanic forces” independently.

    The internal strife unfolded after Marwat launched the PTI’s election drive in Sindh but later called it off due to statements against him by party leaders.

    The controversy intensified as Marwat accused President Arif Alvi of being a “wrong number” and alleged a conspiracy against the party.

    In response, Hasan and Hamid disowned Marwat’s statements, asserting that he did not represent the party’s position and had no official post within PTI.

    Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, chairman of PTI, addressed the media, emphasizing the party’s commitment to democratic values and calling for unity among party members. Despite internal disagreements, he expressed confidence in Marwat’s candidacy for the upcoming elections from Lakki Marwat.

    The ongoing disputes raise questions about Marwat’s purported meetings with Imran Khan in jail, with conflicting statements from PTI leaders.

    While Hasan claimed no political leader was allowed to meet Imran, Gohar Ali Khan affirmed Marwat’s continued affiliation with the party.

    As PTI works towards finalizing its candidate list for the February 8 elections, the internal conflicts underscore the challenges inherent in the democratic process. PTI members are urged to set aside personal differences for the party’s success in the upcoming polls.