Inspector General Police Azad Kashmir Sohail Habib Tajik has been removed from the post and directed to report to the Establishment Division days after violent protests ended in AJK.
The Establishment Division announced in a notification that Abdul Jabbar has been appointed IG Azad Kashmir Police in place of Sohail Habib Tajik, reported Geo News.
Abdul Jabbar, an officer of Grade 20, was previously posted in FIA.
Earlier in the week, during protests against expensive electricity and taxes in Azad Kashmir, several protesters and police personnel were injured in clashes while a sub-inspector was also killed in firing.
Foreign students including Pakistanis are being targeted by locals in the aftermath of a fight with Egyptian nationals in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. As per news circulating on students WhatsApp groups, three students have died, many have been subjected to violence while 20-25 have been kidnapped but none of this has been confirmed by the Pakistani Embassy.
Many posts on social media had claimed multiple fatalities of Pakistani students.
However, the Pakistani embassy, citing the Kyrgyz government, has denied such rumours. However, it confirmed reports of “light injuries” to a number of students from Pakistan.
Videos of students in Bishkek subjected to mob violence emerged on Friday night, sending alarm bells ringing all over social media and mainstream media.
Pakistani medical students are in danger here in Bishkek , Kyrgyzstan.
There was a fight between Egyptians and local Kyrgyz people, but it’s being wrongly blamed on Pakistani students.
Now, Kyrgyz locals are attacking Pakistani hostels where over 1000 students live in each… pic.twitter.com/odmOzJE0dV
A Facebook user posted about his sister being stranded in the hostel but later rescued.
Mohammad Abdullah, a Pakistani medical student in Bishkek, told Geo News that the dispute started due to the harassment of the Egyptian students by Kyrgyz students.
According to Muhammad Abdullah, riots broke out after Egyptian students reacted against Kyrgyz students. Since then, locals are attacking foreign students all over Bishkek.
Talking to ARY News student, Rizwan Gul, claimed that the mob that attacked the hostels of Pakistani students took 20-25 male students away while the female students were beaten up by them. He said that they have been sent the kidnapped students’ videos where they all were made to sit together on the floor. He also stressed that all students are hiding in a corner to protect themselves while they can see that local police are standing around the hostel but not rescuing them. Pakistani embassy has also just released an emergency number on X but no official can be seen on ground.
Rizwan also informed Geo News that the hostel of International Medical University houses 1000-1500 medical students at the moment.
Hasan Zaigham, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, took to X and urged all Pakistanis in the capital to “remain indoors until the situation return [sic] to normal”.
He added that his office is liaising with local authorities to ensure students’ safety and posted numbers for an emergency helpline.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said the reports of mob violence against Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek were “extremely concerning”.
However, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch shared a post from the Pakistani Embassy’s X account of emergency helpline numbers. “Amb Zaigham & his team are available on these emergency numbers (both numbers on WhatsApp). They have responded to hundreds of queries by students and their families,” she wrote.
Suspects held by the local police
As case is registered against the suspects as per local media.
As many as 29 people were said to have been injured in the brawls with 15 people being taken to various hospitals — including a Pakistani national who suffered from a fractured jaw and was visited by Krgyz Minister of Health Alymkadyr Beishenaliev.
The Kyrgyz media reported that the protesters earlier refused to disperse, instead more people gathered at the spot after which the authorities detained several of them for violating public order.
As per 24.kg, the situation was “stable” and “under control”.
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Islamabad to Toronto was diverted back to Karachi on Friday after a technical fault was noticed by the captain only four hours into the journey.
The Boeing 777 with 268 passengers onboard was scheduled to take off from Islamabad International Airport at 2:15 pm on Friday, but departed an hour late. When flying over Russia the pilot noticed a technical issue and decided to head back.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said that PIA flight PK-781 was diverted back to Karachi after it developed a technical fault, reported Dawn. He said that after the issue was detected, the plane landed in Karachi around 1 am on Saturday.
The spokesperson claimed that the technical problem with the aircraft was minor, but the captain preferred to return back, rather than to continue the long flight over the Atlantic.
The decision to bring the aircraft back to Karachi was made due to better arrangements at the engineering base and availability of spare parts, he said.
Arrangements to receive the flight at Karachi Airport were said to be in place and the passengers were accommodated at the airport hotel. The flight is now scheduled to depart for Toronto at 1pm today (Saturday).
The aircraft, bearing registration number AP-BGZ, had previously reported the same fault, according to Dawn.
The schedule of applications for student visas has been announced by the German Embassy in Pakistan.
Student visa registration for the winter semester 2024-25 starts from May 21.
According to the embassy, appointments for students with an admission letter for the 2024 summer semester will not be offered by the end of MA, while any admission letter for the 2024 summer semester after May 15 will automatically be cancelled.
Affected students will be notified via email.
The move is being taken to streamline the visa process and address the high volume of applications received by the embassy.
Preference will be given to applicants and PhD students with scholarships from German institutions, while there is a special online registration category for students who have achieved a CGPA of 3.7 or above.
Applicants must prepare a comprehensive set of documents for their visa application, including various forms, copies of passports and IDs, educational records, proof of financial means and health insurance.
Lahore High Court (LHC) has made the scheme of distribution of electric bikes among students conditional to obtaining an environmental NOC, reports Geo News.
Justice Shahid Karim said during a heating of a case against smog and environmental pollution that the distribution scheme of motorcycles will be subject to environmental NOC.
The High Court said that not getting environmental NOC before the project is a criminal offence because the problem of environmental pollution is serious and cannot be ignored.
The court has extended the suspension of the lottery for the distribution of electric bikes among the students.
The court has ordered all parks in the city to be fully restored and secured, saying that fines should be imposed to restore and secure the parks.
Apart from this, the court has also ordered to allocate another place for buying and selling birds.
The court ordered the restoration of the LDA K7 sports complex and also directed to reduce the fees of LDA clubs.
The court expressed displeasure over the cutting of trees and destruction of a rose garden in a private housing society and ordered the LDA to submit a report on the cutting of trees.
The court sought a detailed report from the Punjab government by May 27.
Punjab Minister for Transport and Mass Transit Bilal Akbar has announced that electric buses will be out on Lahore’s roads by this year’s end, reports Dawn.
“At least 27 electric buses will begin running on the Lahore roads by the months of November or December this year as a part of efforts to reduce carbon footprint in the city,” the minister told the Punjab Assembly session on Thursday.
He also confirmed that hybrid buses will be introduced in other regions of the province too so that local commuters could benefit from them.
Akbar said, while responding to a query by a fellow MPA, that over 200 feeder service buses in the provincial capital were being offered subsidies and around one million commuters were benefiting from the mass transit service on a daily basis.
The federal government has begun consultations for the establishment of a social media regulatory authority.
According to sources, the proposed social media regulatory authority (PECA) Amendment Bill 2024 is to be tabled soon in the Parliament.
Media houses and other stakeholders have also been invited for consultation to establish the authority of the committee.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reportedly formed a cabinet committee on this matter whose task is to consult the social media regulatory authority and give suggestions to the government on issues related to digital rights.
The authority will ensure responsible use of the internet and compliance with regulations in addition to considering the issue of regulating online content and procedures for investigating violations of law on social media.
The issue of summoning witnesses and violators of social media laws will also be considered in the consultation.
The bill is intended to protect the private life of citizens from threats posed by social media.
The Kalash Valley is celebrating the yearly spring festival for five days.
The Kalash people are celebrating their annual Chilam Joshi holiday in the Rumbur valley of Chitral. The festival began on May 13 and will end today, May 16 2024. The Kalasha village commemorates this event annually, which marks the advent of spring.
It is a major part of the cultural heritage of the area and draws tourists from all over the world. Men wear traditional Shalwar Kameez with woolen waistcoats, while women wear brightly colored traditional clothing embellished with gold and silver pieces and elaborate headdresses.
Men and women from Kalash dance and sing in a circle while drum beats create a rhythm.
The Kalashi people share milk with their loved ones as a kind of prayer for the protection of their farms and livestock during this holiday. The event, which drew a wide range of attendees, including foreign tourists as well as officials from the district administration and tourism office, was scheduled across three days.
For the festival, the district government made sure there were enough security measures in place, and the Tourism Police assisted guests.
The event, which features customary dances and ceremonies, is a joyful and exciting occasion. The Kalash people will then move their livestock to higher pastures.
Environmental experts will now be able to get a 10-year residency permit in the UAE called the Blue Visa.
The decison was made in light of UAE’s commitment to environmental conservation, reports Khaleej Times.
The special visa is for the individuals who are actively working towards improving the environment through conservation efforts, advocacy, research and other initiatives.
Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the introduction of the Blue Visa via social media channels.
Climate experts working across various areas, be it marine, terrestrial or atmospheric, are encouraged to apply for the Blue Visa.
This decision has come at a time when the Middle East is experiencing unprecedented climate changes such as heavy rains.
Traditionally, UAE residency visas’ validity lasts two years.
Fan Zhei, a young woman of Pakistani descent adopted by a Chinese couple when they came to work in the country, is attracting attention for the contrast between her foreign looks and Chinese accent.
Fan, 20, has 750,000 followers on Chinese social website Douyin, and her videos are going viral.
How was she adopted?
She was found abandoned in a cardboard box on the street in Pakistan by her adoptive parents when they were working in the country, according to South China Morning Post.
The couple brought her back to their hometown in a rural area of central China’s Henan province, and called her Fan Zihe, an auspicious name meaning “vigorous and long-lived”. She remains their only child.
Fan attracting attention due to her complexion
Fan first attracted attention on social media in 2021, when she posted a video of herself eating traditional Henan noodles while squatting in front of her house.
The contrast between her appearance and her native Henan dialect piqued the curiosity of many.
Fan’s content on social media includes activities of rural life– farming, eating noodles and asking for lucky money from the elderly members of the family.
Fan said her parents have always treated her as though she is their biological daughter and defended her whenever people said she looked different. She was nicknamed “little black girl”.
“Our daughter’s dark skin is beautiful and healthy,” they said.
Fan identifies as Chinese. She expresses gratitude to her parents for adopting her.
“People say loving a person is like growing a flower. I think the best gardeners are my parents,” Fan said.
She said she wants to buy them a flat in the city to repay them. She earns 4,000 yuan (US$550) a month from her Douyin account, more than Chinese farmers’ average salary, which was 1,678 yuan a month in 2022.
