Author: newsdesk

  • Celebrities express shock, dismay on flood crises in Pakistan, request for donations

    Celebrities express shock, dismay on flood crises in Pakistan, request for donations

    Unprecedented rainfall over the last few weeks has wreaked havoc across Pakistan since June and left destruction in their wake, with no respite for people as rivers continue to overrun, resulting in flash floods.

    Official statistics show that 982 people have been killed in rain and flood-related incidents, while more than 5.7 million people have been affected.

    While South Punjab and parts of Swat are going through a disastrous period, the entirety of Balochistan and Sindh is alarming. It is reported that hundreds of people have died as a result of buildings entirely submerging in water.

    In light of the ongoing situation, celebrities and sports personalities have called on the nation to donate generously to provide some measure of relief to the affected people.

    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan
    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan
    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan

    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan
    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan
    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan

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    Celebrities Appeal For Donations As Devastating Floods Hit Pakistan

    In light of the ongoing situation, celebrities and sports personalities have called on the nation to donate generously to provide some measure of relief to the affected people.

  • Floods in Pakistan: Two minor sisters drown in Rajanpur

    Floods in Pakistan: Two minor sisters drown in Rajanpur

    Two minor sisters who were residents of Chak Dilbar of Rajanpur’s Rojhan Mazari city drowned on Friday due to floods. They were daughters of Karim Bakhsh Saheeja.

    According to official data, the massive floods claimed 34 lives besides washing out three tehsils and 300 villages, causing homelessness to millions in Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan) and Rajanpur during the last two weeks.

    Read more: Pakistan officially declares flood situation a ‘national emergency’

    Punjab Local Government Minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed visited DG Khan where he presided over a meeting to review the flood damage and relief activities. He said the Punjab government had declared DG Khan and Rajanpur calamity-hit districts.

    It has been reported that many people complained that they failed to encash the cheques of financial aid given by the Chief Minister (CM).

    DG Khan Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Anwar Baryar said the problem arose because most people had no bank accounts and the cheques could be encashed only by those with bank accounts. However, he assured that money would be given to the affected people after due process and assistant commissioners had been asked to help them in opening accounts.

    Read more: Flood Emergency: Here is how you can help

    On Thursday, Chief Secretary (CS) Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal also paid a visit to flood-hit areas of Rajanpur and reviewed the arrangements in relief camps in Rojhan and its suburban areas.

    Earlier, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PDM) officials briefed Afzal that as many as 31 relief camps have been set up in Rajanpur and 13 in DG Khan where 3,585 victims are taking shelter.

    In a separate incident, four friends lost their lives on Friday in the Sanagai area of ​​Lower Kohistan District after being stuck in the floods for three continuous hours. According to the details, five friends were stuck in flood water and they climbed on a rock to save themselves.

  • Anti-Narcotics Force recovers ice-infused bed sheets, 102 kg drugs

    Anti-Narcotics Force recovers ice-infused bed sheets, 102 kg drugs

    The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) seized ice drug-infused bed sheets that were being smuggled to Australia during a raid at a courier service office in Lahore. Muhammad Asad, a Muzaffarabad resident, placed the order for the package.

    Along with detaining one accused person, ANF was able to recover over 102 kg of drugs in two other operations.

    ANF Intelligence carried out a raid on GT Road in Akora Khattak, according to a spokesman for the ANF Headquarters, and confiscated 102 kg of drugs, including 84 kg of hashish and 18 kg of opium, from a truck’s hidden compartments.

    A suspect named Zaib Gul, resident of Mansehra, was also detained by the ANF. The accused’s accomplices would also face imprisonment, according to ANF official.

    The suspects have been charged in separate cases, and additional inquiries are being conducted.

    in the wake of rising drug cases, the ANF has been quite active in recent months, carrying out several operations around the nation and making it nearly impossible to smuggle drugs.

  • Flood Emergency: Here is how you can help

    Flood Emergency: Here is how you can help

    At least 982 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in different parts of the country, according to the most recent data issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

    You can help the flood victims by donating to the following government and private organisations.

    PM Flood Relief Fund:

    All Pakistanis could join the work of helping flood victims through donations. All commercial banks and their branches could collect donations in the Prime Minister Flood Relief Fund 2022 as per the State Bank of Pakistan circular.

    Akhuwat foundation:
    The Indus Hospital

    The First Step:

    Bank Name: MCB
    Account Title: Ridha Tahir
    Account No: 1330908731003018

    For International transactions:
    IBAN Number:
    PK84MUCB1330908731003018

    Govt. of Balochistan:

    Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan:

    Women Democratic Front:

    Edhi Foundation:

    EDHI Foundation Pakistan flood relief teams are on the ground all across flood-affected areas in Pakistan. You can go to their website to make donations.

    Muslim Aid UK

  • UN to launch $160m appeal for the flood victims in Pakistan

    UN to launch $160m appeal for the flood victims in Pakistan

    The United Nat­ions (UN) will launch a $160 million Flash Appeal to help millions of people affected by unprecedented monsoon rains in Pakistan that triggered massive floods.

    “A UN Flash Appeal is going to be launched on Tuesday 30 August simultaneously from Geneva and Islamabad,” said Foreign Office Spokesman Asim Iftikhar.

    “As you can see, the scale of the disaster is so huge that it requires urgent cooperation and support from the international community. We are grateful to the UN, IFIs, and a host of our partners and friendly countries who are stepping forward with assistance,” he said.

    UN Flash Appeal is an internationally recognised tool used to quickly secure funds for United Nations Agencies and non‐government organisations (NGOs), to support a government’s response to an emergency.

    The process is undertaken under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and in line with clear priorities set by the government.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his interaction with a group of envoys and diplomats on Friday, August 26, said the government was reaching out to friendly countries, donors, and international financial institutions for their continued cooperation at this difficult time.

  • PM orders discos to suspend staff leaves and work nonstop to correct electricity bills

    PM orders discos to suspend staff leaves and work nonstop to correct electricity bills

    The staff of power distribution companies (DISCOs) must work nonstop to correct the electricity bills of consumers using less than 200 units per month, following a directive from Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    He gave the order for all staff members’ leaves to be ended, the bills should be corrected right away, and a report should be given to him. In order to deposit electricity bills in the upcoming days, he continued, the banks should be instructed to stay open.

    PM Shehbaz gave the orders while presiding over a high-level meeting to address the issues facing electricity consumers.

    Furthermore, a high-level committee was formed by the prime minister to address the issues of power users.

    The gathering was informed that efforts are being made to ensure the adoption of the relief package for power consumers that the prime minister had announced. According to him, bill adjustments are being made as part of the relief for 16.6 million consumers related to the change in fuel prices.

    The relief measures must be put into effect right away, according to directives issued by the prime minister.

  • Four friends waiting to be rescued swept away by the flood

    Four friends waiting to be rescued swept away by the flood

    Four friends lost their lives on Friday in the Sanagai area of ​​Lower Kohistan District after being stuck in the floods for three continuous hours. According to the details, five friends were stuck in flood water and they climbed on a rock to save themselves.

    The victims lost their lives after being stuck in the floods for three continuous hours but no rescue team reached the spot to save them.

    According to area residents, a helicopter could have arrived from Peshawar or Gilgit and it could have saved their lives.

    The local residents could only save one person out of five.

    At least 937 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in Sindh and Balochistan provinces. According to the data issued by the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA), 234 people have lost their lives to rain and flood-related incidents in Balochistan and 306 people have lost their lives in Sindh. 165 people have lost their lives in Punjab and 185 have lost their lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

  • Bykea expands to car-hailing service

    Bykea expands to car-hailing service

    The bike taxi and logistics company BYKEA has recently launched its car-hailing service. The service has only been made available by Bykea in Karachi and Islamabad so far, but it will likely be expanded in the coming months.

    The launch of the new service was confirmed by the company through a social media post.
    “Hum ho gaye hain 2 se 4,” tweeted BYKEA’s official account.

    https://twitter.com/bykeapk/status/1563111486989299712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1563111486989299712%7Ctwgr%5E14b12e65edff4173732ad6b26f8eaa4238d042c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthecurrent.pk%2F%3Fp%3D194223

    Earlier this month, the company hinted that it will start offering a car-hailing service. However, it did not publicly announce its plans or inform its regular users. A tweet from its official account suggested that the company is launching a car-hailing service.

  • Three low-cost housing societies approved for Punjab

    Three low-cost housing societies approved for Punjab

    Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal, Punjab’s Minister for Housing and Urban Development, approved the launch of three low-cost housing societies on Thursday.

    This was announced at the 86th meeting of the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) board, which was presided over by the Housing Minister, at the agency’s office.

    These housing schemes will offer locals access to high-quality, low-cost homes:

    1. Al-Rasheed Garden, Gujranwala
    2. Al-Noor Garden Residencia, Sangla Hill
    3. Campbellpur Greens, Attock  

    According to The News, a monitoring committee was also formed to oversee the housing developments. The delegates also agreed on the development of pension laws for PHATA workers, as well as other administrative issues.

    Furthermore, in each of the housing complexes, a 20 per cent quota was set aside for the Naya Pakistan Housing Program (NPHP).

    The Minister stressed the need of assisting developers in order to promote a smooth working environment and stated that corruption or dishonesty will not be allowed in his team.

    He went on to say that the NPHP is a key priority for the province administration and that it intends to finish as many housing schemes as feasible in the shortest amount of time.

    Earlier this month, the Housing Minister stated his aim to accelerate the creation of low-cost housing projects, saying, “Low-cost housing schemes should be finished quickly by working day and night.”

    He also stated that a special cell will be established to encourage foreign Pakistanis to engage in the housing business.

  • Fawad Chaudhry says Khan will not apologise in contempt case

    Fawad Chaudhry says Khan will not apologise in contempt case

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that former prime minister Imran Khan will not tender an apology to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a contempt of court case.

    Fawad said that it was “really sad” that a full bench was hearing the contempt of court case. He said that PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill was tortured and the IHC directed the IGP to hold an inquiry despite confirmation of a medical board that Gill was indeed tortured.

    Fawad said that Gill’s “private parts were given electric shocks and they [police] should feel ashamed of such barbaric acts”.

    He called on the political forces to play their part in making Pakistan a truly democratic country. Fawad added that PTI, during its tenure, had made it clear that institutions should reduce their interference in the government.