BAJAUR: The district administration on Sunday imposed a ban on all kinds of political gatherings, “hate speech” against the state and the display of arms and weapons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur for 30 days, invoking Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) owing to the prevailing law and order situation. The notification formalising the restriction, seen by Dawn, said Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Adnan Farid Afridi approved the restrictions in view of the prevailing law and order situation, citing the need for additional measures to safeguard public life and property and maintain peace in the district. The notification further stated that law enforcement agencies were required to remain more…
GILGIT: PPP’s Attaullah Shah and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Imam Malik are again vying for the GBA-16 (Diamer-II) seat in Gilgit as repolling is under way at three stations. A total of 2,780 registered voters are eligible to cast their votes. Voting will continue until 5pm, and voters present inside the polling stations at the closing time will be allowed to cast their ballots. Among the two candidates, Malik had contested the June elections in Gilgit-Baltistan as an independent candidate, but had later joined the IPP. Initially, the Election Commission had declared him the returned candidate for GBA-16 (Diamer-II), but his membership was suspended in September after Shah filed a petition before an…
Foreign dignitaries continue to arrive in Islamabad as the capital gears up to host the two-day 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers starting today. Among the visiting dignitaries is Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya, who was received by Foreign Office (FO) officials upon his arrival, the FO said on Sunday. Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Deputy Secretary General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issagaliyev and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed are also among those who have reached Islamabad for the meeting. On Saturday, Minister of…
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Prison Islamabad will also be brought under the surveillance of the Capital Safe City Authority to monitor convicted and undertrial prisoners and alert relevant authorities in real time to prevent any law and order situation inside the jail. The system will also help identify undertrial prisoners and convicts through their criminal records, including any involvement in heinous crimes. Officials told Dawn that CCTV cameras installed in and around the prison were being integrated with the authority’s network. More than 200 cameras have been installed in and around the jail, which also has a monitoring room. The jail’s surveillance system is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, 200 to 250…
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Highway Department has prepared a PC-I and design for an underpass in front of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) on The Mall at an estimated cost of Rs3 billion and is awaiting formal approval from the Punjab government. A senior district administration official told Dawn that the Punjab government wanted to make the road from Koral Chowk to Motorway Chowk signal-free so that commuters could travel from Islamabad Expressway to Motorway Chowk within 20 minutes. In this regard, the paperwork had been completed. He said three government departments were working on the signal-free corridor project from Koral Chowk to Motorway Chowk. “The National Highway Authority is working to…
ISLAMABAD: The newly launched emergency department at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has become operational. More than 69 patients were assessed and treated during its initial hours, while a further 258 patients were seen and managed on Saturday. An appendectomy was successfully performed under general anaesthesia. The functioning and operational readiness of the operating theatre were also reviewed. Executive Director Pims, Prof Dr Tanwir Khaliq, conducted a round of the new emergency department to assess its functioning, identify shortcomings and review measures to improve working conditions and patient care. “On-site monitoring is continuing, with operational shortcomings and technical…
KARACHI: Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Saturday evening inaugurated an exhibition of newspaper advertisements organised by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) at Frere Hall to highlight the significance of such adverts in Pakistan’s history. Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Wahab said he wants his children and the children of other people to witness the exhibition in order for them to know what our country is all about. “[Exhibits tell us that] in a subtle and humorous way things could be said and marketing could be done. If we’re to bring back that kind of creativity, we need to inspire people. Such displays allow people to understand how illustrious our past was, and if the past was glorious, then the future…
PESHAWAR: An anti-terrorism court here has started proceedings to declare dysfunctional Chief Minister Sohail Afridi as a proclaimed offender in the Radio Pakistan attack case as the relevant police official claimed that Mr Afridi couldn’t be traced. In the order sheet, Judge Wali Mohammad Khan noted that the detective foot constable (DFC) of the East Cantonment police station returned the warrants issued against the accused, including Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activist Mohammad Amir Khan, with overleaf reports stating that both of them couldn’t be found or traced. “Proclamation notices under Section 87 of CrPC should be issued against accused Sohail Afridi and Amir Khan, with notice to the DFC…
KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Waqar Mehdi on Saturday demanded the immediate removal of Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal over his statement regarding new provinces. In a statement, he accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader of indulging in “anti-Sindh rhetoric instead of addressing serious questions surrounding his ministry’s performance”. “Mustafa Kamal should stop his anti-Sindh rhetoric and answer for the failures of his own ministry,” the senator said, urging the federal government to take notice of his “divisive and hateful statements against the province”. He accused the federal minister of undermining the Constitution and federal harmony through his statements,…
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to undertake a comprehensive beautification and restoration project at the historic Lakshmi Chowk and its adjoining areas to revive the architectural character of the locality and preserve its heritage buildings and monuments. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister’s Adviser Zeeshan Malik at the Town Hall on Saturday, followed by a visit to Lakshmi Chowk to review the proposed development and conservation measures. The meeting and subsequent inspection were attended by Lahore Deputy Commissioner retired Capt Muhammad Ali Ijaz, Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq, Local Government Special Secretary Syed Moosa Raza,…
LAHORE: As many as 898 farm fire anomalies were detected across eight districts, with 820 incidents attended and 823 fires reported as extinguished during the last 24 hours, according tothe consolidated district-wise monitoring dashboard of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Punjab, updated on Nov 14. Hafizabad has emerged as the largest hotspot, accounting for 430 farm fire anomalies, representing approximately 47.9pc of the provincial total. Of these, 381 have been attended and 381 fires extinguished, while 49 remain pending. The district has nine QRCs deployed, with an average of 47.8 detected anomalies per crew, indicating the highest operational pressure among the monitored districts. Sheikhupura…
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected the post-arrest bail application of Constable Saifullah, a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police official accused of involvement in the abduction and murder of 30-year-old Farrukh Afzal, who was kidnapped from the federal capital earlier this year. Justice Shahrukh Arjumand issued the order after hearing arguments from both sides. The judge had reserved the verdict earlier this month and, while dismissing the application, found no grounds to grant relief to the accused at this stage. According to the prosecution, Farrukh Afzal was abducted from Islamabad in May this year and subsequently murdered. His body was later recovered from Mardan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.…
PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter on Saturday warned against placing the province’s mineral resources under federal or other external authority or control during the current emergency and governor’s rule, insisting that no such move could be made without the approval or oversight of the elected provincial representatives. In a statement issued here, PTI KP general secretary Ali Asghar Khan said that the province’s mineral wealth was not the property of an “imposed administration to bargain away”. “Major mining concessions, long-term agreements or other arrangements that undermine provincial powers or the rights of local communities are unacceptable. Decisions concerning rare…
MANSEHRA: Women health workers are visiting snowbound Kaghan Valley to administer cervical cancer vaccine to girls aged nine to 14 years. “Although inclement weather across the district, particularly in Kaghan Valley, has hampered our campaign, we have continued to reach schools, seminaries and homes to administer the cervical cancer vaccine to girls,” District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Shah Faisal Khanzada told reporters after visiting a vaccination centre established at the District Council Hall here on Saturday. MNJ Road remains blocked for fourth straight day The DHO, who also visited various girls’ schools and seminaries where students were being vaccinated, said that despite heavy snowfall and road closures…