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Tag: Rawalpindi

  • ‘Authorities were unable to perform their duties’: CM Buzdar suspends 15 officials responsible for Murree tragedy

    ‘Authorities were unable to perform their duties’: CM Buzdar suspends 15 officials responsible for Murree tragedy

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday ordered the suspension of 15 officials for being negligent towards their duties.

    CM Buzdar,while addressing a press conference, revealed the findings of the inquiry report and said that Rawalpindi’s deputy commissioner has been removed and disciplinary action has been ordered against him.

    The Murree assistant commissioner has also been suspended along with Murree’s assistant superintendent of police (ASP), said the CM.

    Buzdar further said that the Rawalpindi chief traffic officer (CTO), traffic deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Murree divisional forest officer, Murree district emergency officer, Murree Rescue 1122 in charge, and Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) director have also been suspended and disciplinary action has been ordered against them.

    The chief minister said that disciplinary action has been ordered against these 15 officers over the Murree tragedy as “concerned authorities were unable to perform their duties.”

    “The government has fulfilled its promise of a transparent inquiry into the Murree tragedy,” Buzdar said, adding the inquiry report has highlighted the shortcomings of the authorities.

  • Murree, other districts finalise fresh emergency plan ahead of upcoming rain and snow

    Murree, other districts finalise fresh emergency plan ahead of upcoming rain and snow

    The administration of Rawalpindi district, which includes Gujar Khan, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, Kotli Sattian, Murree, Rawalpindi Tehsil, and Taxila has finalised a fresh contingency plan ahead of the upcoming rain and snow that is forecasted for the hilly areas from Tuesday, January 18, and Thursday, January 20.

    The Meteorological Office has asked all departments to make appropriate arrangements ahead of the snowfall and rain in the region.

    Additional deputy commissioner and three assistant commissioners have been deployed in Murree to avoid another tragedy.

    According to the new plan, much of the focus will be on snow removal and traffic management. Entry in the hill station will be regulated which means not more 8,000 vehicles will be allowed to enter.

    In addition, the probe committee, which is expected to submit its report to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on January 16, is now camped out at the Punjab House in Islamabad.

    Earlier this week, The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) responsible for the Murree tragedy which killed 23 people, including children due to carbon monoxide poisonous gas in their cars.

  • At least 18 tourists die in Murree snowfall as situation worsens

    At least 18 tourists die in Murree snowfall as situation worsens

     Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed said that at least 1,000 cars are still stuck in Murree and “around 16 to19 deaths have occurred in cars,” he said.

    Thousands of tourists are trapped on the roads in the area since last night. At least 16 to 19 people died of the extreme cold, while in their cars, during the snowstorm. The victims were stuck in their vehicles due to heavy snowfall at the tourist spot.

    Administration of Rawalpindi and Islamabad closed the roads going to Murree due to large number of vehicles entering the hill station.

    Thousands of tourists entered the hill station on Friday to witness the snowfall causing heavy traffic jams on the Murree-Islamabad Motorway. The authorities decided to close all kind of traffic going towards the hill station to avoid a further brutal traffic jam.

    “We request all motorists and tourists to cooperate with the authorities,” the NHMP wrote on its official Twitter account. 

    Furthermore, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed has said that all the routes from Islamabad to Murree have been closed. The decision was taken keeping in view the rush of tourists and traffic jams in Murree. Sheikh Rasheed has also requested citizens to postpone their plans to visit the hill station.

    Journalist Benazir Shah tweeted that SHO Murree told her that people did not die due to the extreme cold but because they left their car heaters on and the fumes caused their death. She also mentioned that the SHO told her that Muree had a 4000-5000 car parking capacity and the area has seen a record snowfall in the area.

    TRIGGER WARNING: The following video has graphic, distressing content of cars in which passengers have died due to the extreme cold. The Current has blurred the video.

    https://youtu.be/f06XodyHoyM

    Meanwhile, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Taimoor Khan also left for Murree to monitor the traffic situation in the area.

    Rawalpindi Police also issued a travel route for all the tourists visiting Murree.

     Islamabad and Murree administrations are working to facilitate tourists round the clock.

  • School teacher arrested for allegedly raping seven-year-old student in Rawalpindi

    School teacher arrested for allegedly raping seven-year-old student in Rawalpindi

    The Rawalpindi police have arrested a school teacher for allegedly raping a seven-year-old student, reports Tahir Naseer for Dawn.

    Police spokesperson Sajjadul Hassan told Dawn that the suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday night.

    The case was registered at Saddar Wah Cantt police station on the complaint of the victim’s mother.

    According to the first information report (FIR) registered on November 16, the mother said her daughter, A*, aged six or seven, was subjected to rape when she was at school.

    “Upon returning home, the girl told me while crying that a male teacher — whose name she did not know — at her school had sexually assaulted her,” the FIR quoted the mother.

    The complainant said she took her daughter to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for a medical examination but was told by the hospital staff to come back with the police.

    “I request that justice be provided to my daughter by initiating legal proceedings against the school teacher,” the mother requested in the FIR.

    Potohar Division Superintendent of Police Tasawar Iqbal said a “zero-tolerance policy” on violence, abuse and harassment against women and children was being ensured.

  • ‘Sheikh Rasheed lied, let the entire nation see the malicious intent of the govt’: TLP leadership

    Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) leader Syed Sarwar Shah Saifi on Wednesday said, “Sheikh Rasheed lied yesterday that matters have been resolved. He also lied about contact [with us] at 8 pm — from them till now no government official, including Sheikh, has contacted [us],” reports Dawn.

    In a statement issued by the group’s central committee, TLP said, “Let the entire nation see the malicious intent of the government.”

    TLP said its activists would now march onto Islamabad because their demands have not been met by the government.

    Saifi said, “Are these claimants of the state of Madina unable to respond to France? Have they become so enslaved to the Jews and the Christians?”

    “Don’t lie to the nation. No negotiations are being done with us. The government is not sincere in negotiations but if more blood is shed now, revenge will be taken,” the statement said.

    Saifi said the demands would increase if more blood was spilt and the nation would be “rid of this dishonest, lying and hypocritical government”. He said it would be better if the agreement was abided by and TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was released so the group could go back.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday said, “We cannot expel the French ambassador as demanded by the TLP.”

    “We accept all other conditions of the banned TLP. They promised us that they will open all blocked roads but we are waiting for them to open the routes,” said Rasheed, adding that the only issue between the government and TLP is the French ambassador matter. “Otherwise we don’t have any reservations with their conditions.”

    “TLP’s demand of expelling the French Ambassy and Ambassador has a lot of complications attached to it. We are the largest nuclear force in the Islamic world. The world is conspiring to sanction us,” said Rasheed.

    Earlier on Tuesday night, the district administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad had blocked the Faizabad intersection to prevent the TLP protesters from entering the federal capital territory.

  • Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi partially shut down due to protests

    Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi partially shut down due to protests

    Roads have been blocked in Islamabad and Lahore and Metro Bus service in Rawalpindi has been suspended because of the ongoing protests organised by the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in these cities, reported Geo News.

    Islamabad Traffic Police have issued a traffic plan as the city braces to deal with TLP protests today (Friday). TLP’s protest is reportedly moving from Lahore to the federal capital for a long march.

    Containers have been placed at various points in Lahore, including the Samanabad turn at Multan Road and at the Grid Station Stop. Containers have also been placed at the Dubai Chowk in Iqbal Town’s Boulevard area to stop protesters from assembling. 

    Earlier, the Ministry of Interior had written to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend internet services in Lahore due to TLP protests.  

    Strict security measures have been taken in Rawalpindi as authorities have blocked and placed containers on several roads.

  • Woman raped in metro bus underpass in Rawalpindi

    Woman raped in metro bus underpass in Rawalpindi

    A woman has reportedly been tortured and raped by a university student in the underpass of the Metro Bus Station in Rehmanabad, reports Dawn.

    According to the Police Investigating Officer (IO), the suspect, identified as Talal Munir, is studying Information Technology (IT). He was arrested by the local police right after the First Information Report (FIR).

    The survivor is a resident of Lahore. She complained to New Town police that she informed her brother about a job in a boys’ hostel, which was advertised on the Facebook account of the suspect.

    According to her statement, her brother contacted the suspect. She then travelled to Rawalpindi with her aunt.

    The victim said that upon reaching the location, the suspect forcibly took her to a boy’s dormitory, where he began slapping her and closed the door from inside. Later, she said she was taken to the underpass and raped.

    Police said the victim was taken to a hospital for medical examination. However, a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test of both the victim and the suspect is yet to be conducted.

  • Haris Rauf gets Azam Khan’s wicket, celebrates in style at National T20 Cup

    Haris Rauf gets Azam Khan’s wicket, celebrates in style at National T20 Cup

    Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf, who is playing for Northern at the National T20 Cup, got Azam Khan’s wicket and celebrated in a unique style.

    The 27-year-old pacer bowled to the wicketkeepr batter and he hit a sixer. On the very next ball, Azam got out on an inside edge. After taking the wicket, Haris celebrated the wicket with a style of famous TikToker Khabane “Khaby” Lame, who reacts on lame videos of people and points out how it can be performed easily while pointing with his hands as it was very easy.

    The speedster imitating the TikToker can be seen in the video here:

    Meanwhile, an impressive batting performance earned Northern a five-wicket win over ATF Southern Punjab in the tenth match of the National T20 played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Wednesday night.

    All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz (player-of-the-match) made full use of two dropped chances as he scored an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls (six fours, two sixes) to spearhead his side’s 176-run chase.

    Musa Khan took three wickets for 40 runs, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim and Haris took a wicket apiece for Northern.

  • Mother of two raped in Rawalpindi at job interview

    Mother of two raped in Rawalpindi at job interview

    A woman who went to Rawalpindi from Lahore was raped by an unidentified man who promised to give her a job after an interview, Dawn reported.

    As per details, the victim, a mother of two, reported to Race Course police that she along with her family were in a department store when a man came to them and distributed property advertisement pamphlets.

    She said she took a pamphlet and informed her husband about the advertisement, who later contacted a man for further details. The man told her husband to come to Rawalpindi where he could arrange a job for her in his project.

    Read More: Police rescue woman raped by brother, held hostage for two years

    Later, the woman with her husband and children went to Rawalpindi and reached Saddar where the man was waiting for them in a black car. Upon reaching Saddar, the husband was asked to stay there with his children as the man would take his wife for an interview and come back soon.

    She said she was taken to a hotel situated and asked to wait at the reception until her turn for an interview. She said although she resisted going into a hotel room, she was taken to a room where she was asked to wait, adding the suspect locked the door from inside, raped her and escaped.

    She said that as he was fleeing, she shouted and tried to catch him but he was able to run away.

    Police said medical examination of the victim was carried out and the suspect was arrested by Race Course police. He will be presented before a court of law for remand custody.

  • Police arrest cleric for allegedly raping teenage student

    Police have arrested a seminary teacher accused of raping and torturing a student in Rawalpindi’s Pirwadhai.

    As per reports, the Pirwadhai police registered a first information report (FIR) against Mufti Shahnawaz Ahmed on the complaint of the victim’s father. He has been booked in another case for resisting arrest.

    He had gotten pre-arrest interim bail from the relevant court to avoid arrest.

    Rawalpindi Police wrote in a tweet that the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation and Superintendent of Police (SP) Rawal will supervise the probe, while merit will be ensured. The victim’s father stated that he had received a phone call from the management of the seminary, asking him to pick up his daughter who had fainted.

    The young girl told what had happened after she regained her consciousness saying the teacher had been trying to harass her for the past several months.

    She said that the teacher tortured her after she resisted his attempts of sexual harassment. She was then given a drug after which she fainted and didn’t remember what happened after that, the complainant said.