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  • Coal plant in Thar explodes, five injured

    Coal plant in Thar explodes, five injured

    A massive explosion took place at the Thar coal power plant owned by the Engro Corporation on Wednesday evening. Five people received injuries as a result.

    According to details, the explosion happened at the coal plant of Engro Powergen Thar Limited (EPTL) in the coal conveyor system of the 330 MW Unit 1 of the plant.

    In the statement released by the company, they ensured the safety of people and provide them with all necessary support.

    “Due to an incident, 5 people were affected directly who are currently stable and are being provided with necessary medical aid,” the statement added.

    They also updated about the status of the coal plant as well.

    It said, “For safety reasons, we will be shutting down the operational unit as well whilst investigations into the incident are underway.”

    Police and district administration reached on time at the site. According to the police, no deaths were reported in the incident.

  • ‘Logon ko yeh bhi nahi pata k woh namaz main Allah sy kya mangtay hain’: PM Khan

    ‘Logon ko yeh bhi nahi pata k woh namaz main Allah sy kya mangtay hain’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the youth of Pakistan does not know the actual reason as to why was Pakistan made.

    PM Khan said, “I realised this that our kids and youth does not have a complete understanding as to why was this country [Pakistan] made. Why did Allah say in the Quran to follow Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? People don’t even know what do they ask from Allah when they offer namaz.” The premier’s words came during an address at the National Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen Authority event.

    “I was born in a Muslim household, but I came towards Islam through my life experiences. This was made possible as I saw two different cultures. I saw the Western culture thoroughly. But the actual change came within me when I read about the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”

    The premier went on to say that if you want to see a society gets destroyed when you accept corruption and evil happening within it.

    “We accepted corruption with our country. You throw flowers at the corrupt. One ran away from the country, after lying and big journalists are saying that we should allow him to give a speech,” said the premier.

    “The lawyers said to lift the ban off him and allow him to contest in the elections again,” said the premier alluding to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    “A nation whose character is not great cannot become great, only by following the principles of justice and a welfare state can a nation make its place,” said PM Khan.

  • Pakistan stops Indian submarine which was entering Pakistani waters

    Pakistan stops Indian submarine which was entering Pakistani waters

    The Pakistan Navy Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit has intercepted and tracked the latest Kalvari class Indian submarine, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

    The military’s media wing said in a statement that the submarine was detected on March 1.

    The recent incident is the fourth detection in the last five years is a reflection of the Pakistan Navy’s competence & resolve to defend the maritime frontiers of Pakistan, read the statement.

  • Pakistan chooses not to vote in the UNGA session to censure Russia

    Pakistan chooses not to vote in the UNGA session to censure Russia

    In the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) emergency session on Wednesday, Pakistan abstained from voting to censure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

    Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram delivered a speech, in which he said, “Pakistan is committed to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter: self-determination of peoples, non-use or threat of use of force, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and pacific settlement of disputes.”

    “We hope the talks initiated between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine will succeed in bringing about a cessation of hostilities and normalisation of the situation,” he said while adding that Pakistan supports all efforts to provide humanitarian relief to civilians in the affected areas.

    The ambassador stated that Pakistan was more concerned about the safety of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine.

    The session was called by the UN which demanded that Russia should stop fighting and urged it to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine.

    141 member states voted in favour of the resolution. Besides Russia, four other countries voted against the resolution. While India, Bangladesh, China (one of the five permanent members) abstained.

    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) received a letter from top diplomats of 22 countries on Tuesday, urging Islamabad to support a UNGA resolution, reports Dawn.

  • Zalmi owner to buy Chelsea Football Club: How much will it cost Javed Afridi?

    Zalmi owner to buy Chelsea Football Club: How much will it cost Javed Afridi?

    Pakistani businessman and Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) Team Peshawar Zalmi Owner Javed Afridi is reportedly interested in buying Chelsea Football Club which costs more than seven billion dollars.

    The current owner of Chelsea Roman Abramovich who is a Russian billionaire said he would sell the football club for $7.35 billion and promised to donate money from the sale to help victims of the war in Ukraine.

    Abramovich, who had bought the club in 2003 put the club up for sale after receiving pressure over his position amid Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.

    Khaleej Times reported that Afridi met with a sports and legal agency in the United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday, reportedly to consult on buying the club. However, negotiations are underway.

    Besides Afridi, who also has stakes in Morris Garages (MG) Motors and Haier Pakistan, there are several other investors who are interested in buying one of the biggest and most famous football clubs in the world.

    Chelsea has won five Premier League titles and Football Association Challenge Cup (FA) Cup Trophies and won the Champions League twice.

  • Annual report reveals only 22% women in Pakistan are social media users: PTA

    Annual report reveals only 22% women in Pakistan are social media users: PTA

    There is a great gender gap in social media users of Pakistan, reveals a report published by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the year 2021.

    “Pakistan has some of the widest gender gaps identified not only by international organisations but also by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS),” states the report.

    “The digitally excluded segments of Pakistani women are mainly illiterate, unemployed, disabled, and those over 45 years of age,” it added.

    Since the last couple of years, the percentage of female mobile subscriptions is only 21 per cent of the total subscriptions. This results in a large number of unaccounted women using mobile connections. Of 1,825 million (FY 2021) mobile connections across Pakistan, only 38 million are held by females against their CNICs; the remaining 144 million connections are held by the male population.

    The Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Household Survey 2021 released by PBS reported that 46 per cent of the country’s population (25% female and 65% male) owns a mobile phone. In terms of the rural-urban divide, the gap between male-female mobile ownership in rural areas is much higher compared to urban areas.

    As per the report, out of the total social media users in the country, only 22 per cent are women, while the rest of 78 per cent are men.

    The report also revealed the websites that are most visited local websites by the users, which are Daraz, OLX, Urdu Point, and Dawn.

  • Nawaz Sharif gives green signal to kick out PM Khan, PPP agrees to early elections

    Nawaz Sharif gives green signal to kick out PM Khan, PPP agrees to early elections

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif has given a green signal to the Opposition on the issue of a no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan.

    The success of the no-confidence motion raises the possibility of a consensus among the three main Opposition parties for immediate elections, reports Geo Urdu.

    Nawaz Sharif has given a green signal to Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and former president Asif Ali Zardari to bring a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.

    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was adamant about completing the constitutional term instead of holding immediate elections and the coalition parties of the government had also given a charter of demands to complete the constitutional term.

    The deadlock in the Opposition over the no-confidence motion against PM Khan has ended and PDM has persuaded the PPP to hold immediate elections.

    Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leader and official spokesman for PDM Hafiz Hamdullah said that the joint Opposition would submit the no-confidence motion in the next 48 hours.

    According to Maulana, the Opposition will make a final decision regarding submitting a vote of the no-confidence motion in the next two to three days.

  • No-confidence to be submitted in 48 hours: PDM

    No-confidence to be submitted in 48 hours: PDM

    Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leader and official spokesman for the Pakistan Demo­cratic Movement (PDM) Hafiz Hamdullah said that the joint Opposition would submit the no-confidence motion in the next 48 hours.

    The development emerged after PDM chief and JUI-F head Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s talks with reporters regarding the no-confidence motion.

    According to Maulana, the Opposition will make a final decision regarding submitting a vote of the no-confidence motion in the next two to three days.

    PDM chief termed the upcoming days “important”. He claimed they have the numbers required for the success of the no-confidence motion. However, he revealed that it has not been decided yet whether they would bring the no-confidence motion against National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser or Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    It is pertinent to mention that in order to bring in-house change against PM Khan, the joint Opposition needs the support of 172 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs). For the no-confidence motion against the NA’s speaker and deputy speaker, the Opposition would need simply a majority in the Lower House.

    Moreover, Maulana said that it seems that the “umpires” [establishment] are neutral. He declared that the Opposition is not seeking any support from the establishment, rather they want them to stop supporting the government.

    An insider told Dawn when the Opposition is 100 per cent about the success rate of the no-confidence motion, only then they will table it. He said it is true that some of the government’s own people are in contact with the Opposition but they still don’t have sufficient numbers.

  • Three killed in bomb blast near police mobile in Quetta

    Three killed in bomb blast near police mobile in Quetta

    Three people were killed and more than 20 injured in a bomb blast near a police mobile in Quetta. The explosion took place at Jinnah Road on Wednesday night.

    A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) also lost his life in the blast. Nearby shops caught fire after the bomb exploded.

    The Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Quetta Fida Hussain revealed that people injured in the blast have been shifted to Civil Hospital. He also confirmed the death of DSP.

    “Two-and-a-half to three kilograms of explosives were used in the blast,” DIG Fida Hussain said.

    According to the medical superintendent of the hospital, the wounded brought in for medical treatment were 25 in number and six of them were critical.

    Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo strongly condemned the deadly incident.

    “Cowardly terrorists targeted innocent citizens in a terrorist attack,” he said, “efforts are being made to disrupt peace in Quetta and the province under a planned and well-thought-out conspiracy.”

    He also added that terrorists are being funded by external forces.

    He directed the Inspector General of Police (IG) to submit a detailed report.

    Governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail also strongly condemned the bomb blast in ‘which innocents were targeted by cowardly terrorists.

    https://twitter.com/GovernorSindh33/status/1499043386870927363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1499043386870927363%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F402533-quetta-three-killed-more-than-20-injured-in-blast-near-police-mobile

    CM Buzdar, while condemning the incident, said, “a handful of terrorists cannot shake the resolve of the nation.” 

    The spokesperson of the Sindh Government, Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui also condemned the incident.

  • ‘Government ready to withdraw media Ordinance under one condition’: Fawad

    ‘Government ready to withdraw media Ordinance under one condition’: Fawad

    Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that the government is ready to withdraw the controversial Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 (PECA).

    “The government has handed over the mandate to Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. If the media Joint Action Committee (JAC) could get its proposal approved, the government would also accept the recommendations,” said Fawad on HUM News programme, ‘Breaking Point with Malick’.

    “If the Joint Action Committee brings the draft in 90 days, they will amend the PECA Ordinance,” said Fawad.

    On Tuesday, JAC members had called on Elahi at the assembly chambers to discuss their reservations regarding the PECA law. 

    Fully supporting the demands of the JAC, Elahi had demanded immediate withdrawal of the amendment to the PECA Ordinance, The News reported. 

    He said the PECA Ordinance is the government’s “selective treatment of the journalist community and the people of Pakistan”.

    In February, PECA Ordinance was promulgated by President Arif Alvi. Talking exclusively to The Current, Fawad said, “A person who forwards fake news over WhatsApp can be fined and go to jail under the new law.”

    Civil society, political collectives, journalists, and rights activists condemned the new PECA Ordinance.

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that it seems like no one told the premier that there are laws for contempt other than PECA. “It seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance,” said Justice Minallah, adding that the law is used against critics here.