Hajj season is about to begin in the Muslim world. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is all set to facilitate thousands of pilgrims embarking on the sacred journey of pilgrimage to Holy Kaaba in Saudi Arabia.
SAMAA News has reported that the schedule will commence on May 9th, with flight operations spanning across the second week of May, extending into the following month, catering to the influx of devout Muslims from Pakistan.
The age limit set by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been lifted while Pakistan’s Hajj quota has been reinstated.
Hajj 2024 policy
The results of the Hajj 2024 draw, unveiled in December 2023, selected 63,000 applicants for the pilgrimage under the state-run scheme. Introducing a technological paradigm shift, the Saudi Hajj and Umrah ministry has mandated smartphones for all pilgrims this year, aligning with the contemporary digital landscape.
Pilgrims are required to use mobile applications throughout their Hajj journey, offering comprehensive guidance ranging from their Hajj flight to accommodation in Saudi Arabia, supplemented by instructional videos. Each pilgrim will receive a complimentary mobile SIM card courtesy of a Saudi telecommunications company, facilitating 180 minutes of international calls.
Hajj training by the government of Pakistan
Pilgrims are poised to undergo the second phase of Hajj training conducted by 40 proficient trainers. It will commence on April 15th across 122 locations nationwide. These trainings will familiarize pilgrims with new initiatives and pertinent Hajj-related information.
To ensure the health and well-being of pilgrims mandatory vaccination protocols are set to commence ten days prior to the commencement of Hajj flights.
Pilgrims will be equipped with essential amenities including a suitcase, hand carry bag, shoe bag, Ihram belt, and a distinctive green scarf adorned with the Pakistani flag.
Update: Governor Punjab Balighur Rehman has accepted the resignation of Michael A. Thomson, principal of Aitchison College Lahore.
Geo’s sources at the Governor’s House say that Amina Imran has been appointed as the acting principal of Aitchison College in place of Michael A. Thompson.
Governor of Punjab has also approved the fee waiver policy, according to which, if the student moves to another city for 3 years, he will get a fee waiver of up to 50%.
Previously, the government of Punjab was not able to persuade Aitchison College Principal Michael A Thompson to change his mind and stick to his post.
Thompson did not withdraw his resignation, contrary to an official claim.
Even though the principal resigned, Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman granted him a paid leave for 28 days in hopes of negotiating the matter during that time.
The government, in a statement to the media, claimed that Thompson withdrew his resignation. However, Mr Thompson has told Dawn that he had not withdrawn his resignation.
Principal Thomson had resigned from his post a couple of days ago after developing differences with the Governor House over a change in the college’s fee waiver policy.
He had earlier refused to accept the fee waiver application submitted by the wife of the ex-civil servant, Ahad Cheema. Cheema is now a senator and federal minister for finance ministry.
Cheema’s two sons had to leave the college after the transfer of their mother, Saima Ahad Cheema, also a civil servant, to Islamabad. She had sought retention of the seats and fee waiver from the principal who, quoting the policy, rejected her request.
However, Ahad Cheema approached Governor Balighur Rehman who sent the application to the college’s Board of Governors that changed the fee waiver policy, accepting the application.
In his resignation, Thomson had cited interference in the management of the college.
A protest outside the Governor house and a severe backlash on mainstream and social media resulted in Ahad Cheema sending a letter to the Punjab governor, Balighur Rehman stating that he does not want to avail the fee waiver facility for his children anymore.
Background
Ahad Cheema the federal Minister for Economic Affairs, is currently a subject of backlash for using his position to get a fee waiver for his children at Aitchison College. The waiver was requested by his wife, Saima Ahad Cheema, who is also a bureaucrat, with the request that since their two children did not attend Aitchison college for three years, but kept their seats, they shouldn’t be required to pay. They made the request to the Governor of Punjab who forwarded it to the principal of Aitchison College. The principal resigned in protest.
Ahad Cheema, in a letter to the Punjab governor, Balighur Rehman stated that he does not want to avail the fee waiver facility for his children anymore. He lambasted that politics has overshadowed the “solution-oriented and responsive policy” issued by the governor, which allowed a fee waiver for students under similar circumstances. Cheema said that his family has suffered “mockery, slur and a vilification campaign in this episode just because of my being in public office.”
Cheema also blamed Principal Thomson for orchestrating a strange and pointless controversy, alleging that Thomson had already resigned and is on his way out. “The Principal’s brazen and high-headed refusal of the Board’s and Chairman’s policy decisions is unheard of.”
As a continuation of his claim, Cheema, in Shahzeb Khanzada’s show, reasserted that Principal Thomson had offered him “an individual relief” and “was communicated through some respectable people who were in the knowledge of the matter”. However, Cheema said that his family refused to take any “under-the-table deal” based on principles.
Cheema also urged the governor to “not relent on the principle and not withdraw the new policy under any nefarious pressure” because he believes it is going to be very helpful for students and parents in the future.
Previously, Ahad Cheema, federal minister of economic affairs, has along with the newly elected government landed in a controversy as he is blamed for using his ties and position to influence the principal of Aitchison College Michael Thomson, to change the college’s policy and waive off his children’s fee.
The minister appeared on Shahzeb Khanzada’s show to defend his stance where he described how the policy as totally unfair. “If you just take my name out of this controversy then what is wrong there in Governor Punjab’s orders,” he started off by asking. He asserted that Governor Baleegh ur Rehman has made a fair policy for all.
Cheema laid out how his wife had requested for a leave because of her transfer yet wanted the fee to be waived off because paying fee in two schools was difficult. The principal declined the request and so she requested that the college policy be reviewed. The request was then presented to the Governor who referred it to the Board.
Khanzada then said that the majority of the board had retained the current policy of the college, emphasizing that Governor Punjab was misinterpreting the board because they did not amend the policy. Additionally, he stated how the children were adjusted in a special manner going against college policy which has not been changed in years. To this Cheema responded that, “The principal approached me two times (indirectly) to get this matter resolved in my personal capacity and not agitate it on a policy level and I declined it both the times because we are not interested in gaining any personal favour and we want this to be changed on a policy level.” He further added that if the Principal wants, he can take the names of the interlocutors.
During the course of the interview, Cheema professed he does not want “individual relief” but a decision taken principally. He refused to comment on the charge-sheet issued by the Governor and the comments made by Atta Tarar because that is not his mandate.
The principal of Aitchison College, Michael Thomson announced his resignation in a letter to staff and board members, stating that the Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman’s ‘biased actions undermined the school’s governance and management’.
Thomson’s decision came after the wife of Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Ahad Cheema, asked for her two son’s school fees to be waived off for three years. She sent Governor Punjab Baligh ur Rehman the request. Following her request, the governor issued an order after which their fees was waived off for three years. But Principal Thomson refused to do so.
Thomson said the decision taken by the governor to ‘extend a favour’ to Ahad Cheema’s family violates the policy of the school.
The letter said that “politics and nepotism have no place in the schools”. He added further, “this is not how I planned to leave Atchison, but I will share with you that a continuation of very poor governance has left me no other choice.” He said that some “prejudiced actions by Governor House have contributed to a breakdown of governance and management, under which I had to finally draw a line.”
In his letter to the members of the management committee, Principal Thomson laid out that paying a tuition fee for a guaranteed place comes under college policy. The policy is applicable for long leave to a maximum of three years leave. He stressed that this request by Mr. and Mrs. Cheema is a “wrong perpetrated on a large scale to suit a smaller outcome.” He closed the letter by saying that he refuses to abide by the order and has informed Syed Babar Ali who is the chairman of the Management Committee. He asserted that he will not play any role in management and admissions after April 1.
Ahad Cheema’s wife who is a senior bureaucrat as per media reports, had applied to the Governor of Punjab for fee waiver and so at the request of the Governor of Punjab, the fee for three year for Ahad Cheema’s children was waived.
Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar said that Ahad Cheema’s children have not been studying in Aitchison College for three years, so his wife applied for fee waiver according to the rules, which was approved by the Governor of Punjab, according to the law. He declared that the issue is being misrepresented.
Governor Punjab Baligh ur Rehman has rejected the claims of the principal. He said that Ahad Cheema was posted in Islamabad for a year due to his job and Ahad Cheema’s children were not able to go to Aitchison. He emphasised that it was requested to waive the fee for the classes which these children had not taken.
On the issue of resignation of the principal of Aitchison College, the governor of Punjab said that the resignation of the principal was already to become effective in August 2024. The principal of Aitchison College was receiving a salary of Rs. 40 lakhs and the audit of receiving this hefty amount has been started.
The governor claimed that Principal of Aitchison College used to take more than 100 holidays in a year and he ‘adopted this tactic to avoid a probe’.
Users with big followings will receive a free subscription to X, formerly Twitter – and the platform’s famous blue check, the company said in another policy U-turn.
Before Musk, the blue check mark was used as a verification system for major accounts including celebrities, institutions and journalists.
But Musk saw the system as unfair to regular users and overhauled the blue checks so that they went only to paying subscribers, which meant thousands of holders were stripped of the feature.
Late Wednesday, some users were surprised and even angry to find the blue tick reinstated.
A message from the platform explained that they were given free subscriptions because they were an “influential member” of X.
The site added that it “reserves the right to cancel the complimentary subscription in its sole discretion.”
Musk said last week that “going forward, all X accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers will get Premium features for free and accounts with over 5,000 will get Premium+ for free.”
Premium or Premium+ perks include reduced ads and higher placement in the platform’s feeds, as well as access to Grok, X’s AI chatbot.
Some users who received the blue check saw it as a bid by Musk to revitalize the struggling platform.
“Translation: Pay $8? Kidding. Help me. But don’t say anything too free speechy about me or my Garbage Tower of Babel,” actor Jeffrey Wright, who received an unsolicited check, said in a post on X.
Since Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, the platform’s advertising business has collapsed as marketers soured on his leadership and the mass firings at the company that gutted content moderation.
X on Tuesday named company veteran Kylie McRoberts as the new head of safety in an effort to shore up income from advertising, still the site’s main source of revenue.
According to most industry-accepted metrics, X has lost users since Musk took ownership, but the company says activity on the site has grown.
The Meteorological Department has predicted that heat waves will hit the plains of Punjab and Sindh in coming days.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority has cautioned that the plains of Punjab and Sindh will be effected by heat waves, especially big cities due to which there is a possibility of an increase in the intensity of heat this month.
The spokesperson of the PDMA Punjab has said that the irrigation department has been informed about the situation.
According to the spokesman, strong winds, dust storms, rain and hailstorms are also expected in April. There is a risk of flooding in rivers due to heavy rains in northern Punjab.
In Sindh, heat intensity is likely to increase in most places.
According to the Meteorological Department, the weather is likely to remain hot in most places in Sindh from April 7 to 9.
Day temperatures in the upper and central areas of Sindh may reach 38 to 40 degrees celsius, while the temperature in lower Sindh is likely to be 36 to 38 degrees celsius.
During April 7 to 9, temperature in Karachi can also reach 36 to 38 degrees celsius, says the Meteorological Department.
A Pakistani man was convicted on Thursday of murdering a UK police officer in 2005, nearly two decades after the killing.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky was a 38-year-old mother of three who was shot dead by Piran Ditta Khan as she was responding to an armed robbery call. Khan, 75, who has been wanted by British authorities since 2006, was found guilty by the court. He was the last of seven men involved in the robbery to be convicted.
The incident
The incident unfolded on Nov 18, 2005, when Sharon Beshenivsky along with another constable responded to an alarm call at a travel agency. Upon arrival, they were met with gunfire by three robbers, resulting in Beshenivsky’s fatal shooting and injuries to the ither constables.
Khan was the group’s ringleader and, although he did not leave the safety of a lookout car during the raid, he played a “pivotal” role in planning it and knew that loaded firearms were to be used, asserts the prosecutors at the court.
They told jurors this made him guilty of Beshenivsky’s murder “as surely as if he had pulled the trigger on that pistol himself”.The convict was the only one of the group who was familiar with agency and had used them in the past to send money to family in Pakistan, the court heard.
The stance of the convict
Khan told the court that he had no knowledge that a robbery was going to be carried out, or that weapons were going to be taken. He claimed the business’s owner, Mohammmad Yousaf, owed him £12,000 and that debt collector Hassan Razzaq offered to get his money back after the pair met through a business associate.
Khan said he thought the men Razzaq sent would “intimidate” the staff at staff, or at worst, “slap them”.
Prosecutor Robert Smith KC said Khan’s claim of being defrauded was an “entirely false” attempt to explain why he was in Bradford at the time of the robbery and murder.
The court heard Khan, who was living in Enfield, London, at the time, was driven to Yorkshire by Razzaq on a reconnaissance trip five days before the raid.
The day before the robbery, they travelled up again to a “safe house” where they spent the night.
A witness later told police he had heard the robbers discussing the plot in one of the bedrooms.
Mr Baron said he heard gunman Muzzaker Shah asking Khan: “Uncle, is it safe?” Khan was said to have replied: “Yes, it’s safe. Genuine.”
Jurors heard Shah asked: “How much can we get?” and Khan replied: “Minimum £50,000, maximum target 100 grand.”
The group were said to be “elated” and “confident,” shouting: “Let’s go do it.”
The arrest of Khan-the convict
Dawn’s Atika Rehman reports that the convict fled to Pakistan two months after the murder to evade capture and remained free till he was apprehended in 2020 in Islamabad. While there, his lawyer said Khan wanted to be tried in his home country.
Despite the absence of an extradition treaty, the British and Pakistani authorities worked together to facilitate Khan’s return to the UK in April 2023, where he was arrested and charged.
The spirit of charity among Pakistanis has been a constant source of strength amidst the country’s numerous challenges. Organizations like the Edhi Foundation and Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, along with various other initiatives, have demonstrated the generosity of the people. This spirit of giving has consistently lifted Pakistan from its lowest points.
A heartwarming story recently emerged about Qaiser Hassan, a 26-year-old tailor from Mianwali District. For the past six years, Qaiser has been sewing clothes for orphaned children in his area every Eid, free of charge. He explained that he does this because he is unable to support these children financially, so he contributes in this way instead.
In the aftermath of Israel’s assassination of seven WCK aid workers, including westerners, the tide finally seems to be turning against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Hours after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador Mohamed Al Khaja broke fast with Israeli President Isaac Herzog – a move that garnered heavy criticism- the Gulf nation reportedly suddenly suspended diplomatic ties with the country.
The move comes in the immediate aftermath of the White House finally showing real anger at Israel. First, in a press briefing, National Security Advisor John Kirby, who one day earlier had defended Israel on the killing of the WCK aid workers, ominously said, “If we don’t see changes from their side there will have to be changes on our side.”
A White House readout on a call between American President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the former told the latter that US policy on Gaza will depend on an assessment of Israel taking immediate action on implementing “a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.” The read out further elaborated that Biden told Netanyahu that US policy on Gaza will hinge on Israel taking steps to protect aid workers: “He made clear that US policy…will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”
This turning of the tide also took place after Muslims refused to attend and walked out of the White House Iftar that is an annual affair at the American Presidency. The backlash was so intense that the Biden administration had to cancel the iftar altogether after meeting Muslim leaders.
Israel wantonly targeted WCK workers earlier in the week, striking their vehicles thrice to ensure that each one was killed. The workers were from Australia, Poland, UK, and US/Canada.
Apple engineers are working on making personal robots, a report said on Wednesday, just weeks after the iPhone-maker abandoned its efforts to develop an electric car.
The tech titan has people working on a robot that would follow people around at home and be helpful, according to Bloomberg that cited unnamed people familiar with the situation.
The project was in a nascent stage and it was unclear whether it would lead to a product sold by Apple, the report indicated.
Apple did not reply to a request for comment.
The California-based company has been looking for new ways to make money beyond its iPhones and the digital content and services it sells to users.
Apple recently abandoned its ambitions to produce an electric car, according to US media reports, ending a struggling decade-long project.
It has never publicly disclosed its EV plans, despite a steady drip of media leaks over the years.
Apple is reported to have transferred employees from the shuttered car division to generative artificial intelligence projects.
The robot project is being overseen by Apple’s hardware engineering division and its AI and machine learning group, Bloomberg reported.
The report came as analysts are keen to hear what progress Apple is making with AI at the company’s annual WWDC developers gathering at its Silicon Valley campus in June.
Around the world, major tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon are rapidly pursuing the development and deployment of AI products.
The federal government of Pakistan has officially declared a four-day Eid ul Fitr holiday from April 10 to April 13.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has given his approval for the holiday period which is four days.
The announcement comes as anticipation builds for the sighting of the Shawwal moon, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan. If the moon is sighted on April 9, Eidul Fitr will be observed on April 10; otherwise, it will be celebrated on April 11, The Express Tribune reported.
Moon-sighting predictions
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) released predictions indicating that the Shawwal moon is likely to be sighted on Tuesday, April 9, across the country. According to PMD forecasts, the birth of the Shawwal moon is expected on the night of April 8 at 11:21 pm local time.
On April 9, the moon’s age is estimated to range between 19 to 20 hours, with an anticipated duration of moon sighting after sunset exceeding 50 minutes on the horizon. While clear skies are forecasted for most locations across the southern regions, including Karachi, on April 9, northern areas may experience cloudy conditions during the moon sighting.
In the event that the moon is sighted on April 9, Eid ul Fitr will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 10.
Traditionally, Eid holidays commence a day earlier than the anticipated date so that citizens may prepare for the occasion.
The number of gastroenteritis cases in Karachi has been steadily increasing, a statistic that doctors claim is ticking upwards because of the consumption of contaminated water for drinking purposes owing to the shortage of gas and its soaring prices which has forced many people to use water without boiling it.
Water supplies to the city had been found to be highly contaminated on multiple occasions. The general practice is to properly boil or filter to make it safe for drinking.
Faiza Ilyas from Dawn talked to the doctors at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where around 1,500 patients daily report to the emergency department, shared that the cases of gastroenteritis had seen a rise in recent days.“Currently, gastroenteritis constitutes 70 to 80 percent of our cases being reported at the hospital’s emergency department on a daily basis. There are a few cases of cholera as well,” shared CHK additional medical superintendent Dr Liaquat Ali Halo.
Patients have been complaining of acute watery diarrhea and are administered intravenous fluids for rehydration.
Most patients are discharged within a few hours while some require admission.
Dr. Halo said the reasons behind the increase in gastroenteritis cases as lack of chlorination and filtration been a major factor that contributed to frequent episodes of outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the city, besides consumption of contaminated foods from roadsides and poor hand hygiene.“Many patients tell us that they are forced to use unboiled water for drinking as gas supplies are highly inadequate in their localities and the filtered water has become costlier,” Dr. Halo said, adding that inadequate cooking and eating contaminated raw food and vegetables could also cause illnesses.
Commenting on the city’s public health situation, Dr. Altaf Hussain Khatri, a senior general physician based in the old city area, said gas shortage amid a drastic increase in prices of food and utilities had made the survival of poor families extremely challenging.
“The gas shortage has further compounded miseries of the masses and compromised public health,” he said, adding that along with gastroenteritis, patients with respiratory infections were still reporting in high numbers to general physicians.
“They are very effective as they filter sediments and kill pathogens,” he said.
