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  • Zainab’s father appointed focal person for child abuse in Kasur

    Zainab’s father appointed focal person for child abuse in Kasur

    Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) Punjab Chairperson Sarah Ahmad on Tuesday announced that Zainab Ansari’s father Amin Ansari is being appointed as the focal person for child abuse in the Kasur district. According to details, the father of the six-year-old – who was raped and killed in January 2018 – volunteered himself for the task.

    Zainab’s case had sparked countrywide outrage and protests and her perpetrator Imran Ali was executed nine months after her death.

    The bureau, on the directives of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, has launched a campaign in Kasur to raise awareness regarding child sexual abuse. According to the chairperson, this is the “first time that the government has started a campaign in Kasur.” Previously only NGOs were the only ones working on the ground to tackle the problem of child abuse in the area.

    Though the bureau had established a small outreach centre at the TMA Hall in early 2018, after Zainab’s case, the centre had not been equipped properly and largely depended on the Lahore head office.

    The development comes days after the remains of three minor boys, whom police suspect were raped and murdered, were found in Kasur’s Chunian Tehsil. According to the police, two children were reported missing in August while a third had gone missing earlier this month. On the indication of a local worker, police found the body of one of the boys and the skeletal remains of the other two at a deserted place in Chunian Industrial Estate area. Residents in Chunian says that five children had gone missing in recent months. The remains of four have now been found.

    Investigators claim that the heinous crimes have been committed by a single person as suggested by the result of the samples taken from the body of one of the victims, Faizan. The police have so far detained 20 suspects from Chunian, while the samples of over 950 others have also been collected for DNA tests.

    The discovery of the bodies had led to violent protests after which the government including Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident.

    In recent years, Kasur has garnered international attention for being a hotspot for child abuse and pornography.

  • An Emmy for Pakistani documentary ‘Armed with Faith’

    An Emmy for Pakistani documentary ‘Armed with Faith’

    Pakistani documentary Armed with Faith won a News & Docs Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary.

    The documentary is based on the lives of the brave Pakistani men who are part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bomb Disposal Squad and are faced with life-threatening challenges every day. However, its main focus is two security personnel Abdur Rehman and Inayatullah and their struggles.

    Co-produced by the two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and former journalist Haya Fatima Iqbal, Armed with Faith was nominated in the Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary category. It has been co-directed by filmmakers Asad Faruqi and Geeta Gandbhir.

    Previously the film was also screened in Vancouver International Film Festival in 2017 as well as at the Atlanta Film Festival and TRT’s Belgesel Günleri Film Festival.

    Sharmeen also took to social media to congratulate the team and shared some warm words about Asad.

    Watch the promo here:

  • Sindh govt to award Rs1 lakh to those identifying trash throwers

    Sindh govt to award Rs1 lakh to those identifying trash throwers

    The Sindh government has announced prize money of Rs1 lakh for those who will help to identify garbage throwers in Karachi, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani has made the announcement on media while urging the citizens to record videos of those who throw garbage outside and inform the relevant authorities.

    Ghani has announced two mobile numbers where citizens can send videos of people throwing trash around the city through WhatsApp. Citizens can send videos on 0300-0074296 and 0300-0084296.

    The provincial minister said that he had personally witnessed people purposely throwing heaps of garbage on roads, adding that those who “claimed that they have inherited the city” were polluting Karachi.

    “This is a conspiracy to damage the cleanliness drive,” he added. The minister promised that the identity of citizens reporting such incidents will be kept secret.

    The Sindh government last week initiated a cleanliness campaign called “Clean My Karachi” after facing massive criticism over failure to clean the metropolis.

  • VIDEO: Dr Firdous says earthquake sign of ‘tabdeeli’

    VIDEO: Dr Firdous says earthquake sign of ‘tabdeeli’

    The PTI government’s ministers seem to be on a roll, making one gaffe after another.

    In the first instance, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday made light of yesterday’s devastating earthquake and said that the earthquake was a sign of tabdeeli.

    She said: “These are signs of change. Whenever there is any tabdeeli [change], tremors are felt. This is a sign of tabdeeli that even the earth is changing positions as it isn’t adapting to change quickly.”

    It is important to note that the quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale shook parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and left multiple people dead and scores injured.

    While Dr Awan faced criticism for her insensitive remarks, another PTI minister tried to board a flight on someone else’s passport.

    On Monday, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan used his wife’s passport to travel to Turkey. He was stopped by the immigration authorities at the Islamabad airport just before boarding a flight to Turkey. It turned out that he was carrying his wife’s passport instead of his own. Khan’s protocol team came to his rescue by bringing his passport from home just in time.

  • In pictures: Roads collapse after 5.8 quake jolts country

    In pictures: Roads collapse after 5.8 quake jolts country

    Roads of Jatlan town in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) collapsed after a strong earthquake jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday evening.

    As per the details, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore among other parts of northern and central Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and AJK.

    According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.

    People of the areas where the quake was felt, rushed out of their homes and offices in panic reciting Quranic verses.

    At least three people were killed and 50 others injured after roads in Mirpur collapsed due to the intensity of the quake. Several vehicles, including passenger buses, were also seen falling and getting stuck in the massive cracks.

    GALLERY:

  • Strong earthquake jolts country

    Strong earthquake jolts country

    An earthquake of high intensity jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday, injuring over 50 people.

    According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), tremors measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore among other parts of northern and central Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

    People of the areas where the quake was felt, rushed out of their homes and offices in panic reciting Quranic verses. At least 50 people were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals in Mirpur.

    The epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.

  • Why was Hasan Minhaj banned from entering #HowdyModi?

    Why was Hasan Minhaj banned from entering #HowdyModi?

    Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj was barred from entering Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s rally at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

    Videos posted on the Instagram account of Adam Matthew Weiss, president and CEO of AMWPR, which handled the event, showed Minhaj being told there were no press credentials or space available for him and his crew despite other videos showing that there was ample space inside.

    But why would an Indian-American comedian, who has a massive following all over the world be banned from an Indian Prime Minister’s event?

    Hasan’s Patriot Act

    Hasan Minhaj is the host of Netflix’s Patriot Act and is very critical of Modi’s government. He spoke (and posted) for the right to Independence for the people of Kashmir, which had more than 2M views on twitter.

    https://twitter.com/hasanminhaj/status/1162070236155318274?lang=en

    Later, Indian actor Anupam Kher took a dig at Hasan, saying he was a “Kashmiri Pundit” and understood its plight.

    Hasan has also been vocal against Modi’s re-election and did a segment on it on his program. He posted the clip on twitter which included jokes about Modi’s interview with actor Akshay Kumar and Modi’s video of him meditating in a cave.

    https://twitter.com/hasanminhaj/status/1135323607356379136?lang=en

    Hasan mentioned how he is being trolled by BJP supporters, who thought he was trying to swing the elections. “Let me make this thing very clear. Comedians can’t swing elections,” he said.

    His anti-Modi and pro-Kashmir stance is most likely the reason why he was not allowed to attend Modi’s “Howdy” event but we are still waiting for Hasan to reveal why he thinks he wasn’t let in.

    Earlier in the day, Minhaj had shared a picture of himself outside the stadium.

    https://twitter.com/hasanminhaj/status/1175796958985936896?s=20

  • Physics practical score of Chohan’s son increased illegally, probe reveals

    The marks scored in a Physics practical by ex-Punjab information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan’s son, Fahad Hassan, were illegally increased from 14 to 30, an inquiry report has revealed.

    According to the report, the head examiner, Associate Professor Saleem Ramzan, misused his authority and increased the marks of the former minister’s son against the will of every other examiner.

    The report has been forwarded to the higher education secretary for further investigation against the head examiner.

    Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Board Chairman Dr Ghulam Dastagheer has said that Fahad’s result will be released after seeking legal advice from the authorities concerned.

    Earlier, Fahad had scored 769 marks in 12th class examinations and later submitted an application for re-checking of his papers. He had allegedly pressurised the board chairman to increase his marks from 14 to 30.

    The chairman had allegedly obliged the minister by increasing his son’s marks and also changed the award-list himself.

    The Rawalpindi board controller examinations, after being informed about the situation, had stopped the result and formed a two-member inquiry committee on the request of the board chairman.

    The board chairman had said that anyone found guilty of alleged tampering with the result should be dealt with strictly as per law. “The Physics practical was conducted on July 17, while I assumed the charge as board chairman on July 18,” he had said while clarifying his position.

    In a video message, Punjab Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had said that he had nothing to do with the episode and had requested the board controller examinations to conduct an inquiry.

    He had also presented himself for the inquiry.

  • 200 kgs of dead frogs recovered, were to be used by Lahore eateries?

    200 kgs of dead frogs recovered, were to be used by Lahore eateries?

    After the entire donkey meat episode, Lahore police have recovered 200 kgs of dead frogs, which reports claim were to be used in burgers and shawarmas across the provincial capital of Punjab.

    According to a newspaper clipping doing rounds on social media, police caught a rickshaw loaded with 200 kgs of dead frogs being transported to an unknown location.

    Patrolling in the New Ravi Bridge area, police noticed a shady rickshaw carrying a heavy sack, the report said and added that when the cops attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspects tried to flee.

    https://twitter.com/AliAsad_Abbas/status/1176034925788762112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1176034925788762112&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.natcour.com%2Fnews%2F2019%2F09%2Flahore-frog%2F

    Managing to stop the rickshaw, the police took two people, namely Shahid and Manzoor, into custody for allegedly delivering dead frogs to restaurants across the city.

    An investigation is underway to determine what the frogs were to be used for, while suspects claim they were “only delivering the frogs to a medical college”. Medical students dissect the frogs and practice suturing on them.

    Other reports claim the police only stopped the men because they thought the frogs were of some rare species. Having the frogs is not a crime and neither the police nor the Punjab Wildlife Department has any issue with the case. “The men were released and were free to go with their frogs.”

  • As dengue cases cross 10,000 mark, Punjab govt has a ‘dua’ for people

    As dengue cases cross 10,000 mark, Punjab govt has a ‘dua’ for people

    With the number of dengue cases in the country reaching five-digits and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza warning of a further increase within the next 10 days, Punjab government has come up with a spiritual cure.

    Sharing an Arabic phrase in a “public service message” — posters of which have been pasted across Toba Tek Singh — the city’s deputy commissioner has advised people to read the dua every day and paste the pamphlet outside their houses and workplace to ward off evil dengue.

    The dengue virus is spreading in different parts of the country due to the negligence of provincial governments. Despite many warnings issued by health experts before the season, no adequate arrangements were made by the departments concerned to tackle the issue.

    In Pakistan, there is no specific vaccine available to treat dengue and with scanty arrangments made by the government, it is likely that in the days to come, the situation will only get worse.