The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has shut down around 22 educational institutions across the country for not following government-approved standard operating procedures (SOPs) and health protocols in the last 48 hours.
“During the last 48 hours, 22 educational institutions across Pakistan have been closed due to non-compliance of health SOPs/protocols and disease prevalence,” read a statement by centre monitoring the pandemic.
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood had earlier shared the proper guidelines for reopening of educational institutions on Monday.
As many as 16 educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), one in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and five in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have been closed, as per the NCOC media release.
Educational institutions were reopened on Tuesday (September 15). Prime Minister Khan tweeted to welcome children back to school after a long break due to Covid-19.
The law & duty bearers must always come forth to protect the women & girls of this country. The Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat & @MashwaniAzhar played a key role in the culprits arrest pic.twitter.com/MXWY3TAfVF
Recently, Fatima shared her story of being harassed and tortured by a guy named Ibsham Zahid. The girl shared images and video clips that show how she was being forced into a ‘relationship’ by Ibsham.
As per the girl’s account, Ibsham started threatening her after she refused to get into a relationship with him. The girl shared a video in which Zahid is threatening to kill her father if she doesn’t agree to his demands.
Soon after her post went viral, people on social media started demanding strict action against the guy and #IbshamZahidBehindBars started trending on Twitter.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill has hit out at Frieha Altaf and Sarwat Gilani, referring to them as ‘badbakht elite’ after a video of theirs on their way to the celebrity protest went viral on social media.
In the video, Sarwat and Frieha are telling their followers that they are on their way to the protest to demand justice for the motorway gang-rape victim and show a poster which reads ‘Rapped’ instead of ‘Raped’.
اکیلی عورت ذمہ داری ہوتی ہے؟ کس کی بھائی؟ اور یہ rapped کیا لفظ ہے مطلب کیا کوئی نیا پاپ/پوپ کلچر سے نکل کے آیا یہ لفظ؟ خواجہ سرا ہمارے ستاروں کے پاس ہی احتجاج کر رہے تھے مگر یہ توفیق نہ ہوئی کہ انکے ساتھ یکجہتی کا اظہار کر لیں بلکہ انکی طرف متوجہ میڈیا بھی اپنی طرف راغب کر لیا pic.twitter.com/SQkWXgha1b
It is incredibly difficult to call out women fighting for the same cause because you don’t want to hurt the cause and you want to be a good soldier for this war to protect women.
But honestly I’m exhausted by the fauxtrage, the empty words & the activism that goes with this https://t.co/SPdBU0axu0
Stop turning towards mediocrity. Write your own narrative. Stop looking towards anyone in the entertainment industry because unfortunately ours is just full of tripe. There are thousands of amazing women and men who are shouting slogans for the rights of women. Support them.
While Frieha and Sarwat are yet to respond to Dr Gill’s comments, Sarwat earlier clarified that a second protest was held because “a lot of celebrities were busy with work on the first protest’s date, [so] we decided to get out a day when most of us were available.” According to details, the protest was organised by Yasir Hussain, Frieha Altaf and Asim Jofa.
Sarwat has now made her Twitter account private and only those who follow her can view her tweets.
Meanwhile, fashion designer Maheen Khan, who was also part of the protest, also responded to some users who questioned why the celebrities felt the need to organise a separate protest. She also addressed the allegations that they hijacked the transgender’s protest.
Some of them attended that too . #stoprape was part of the Aurat march agenda and the Monday one was purely for #stoprape . The more people stand up against these atrocities the better. The momentum must not be lost
To all thosewho r questioning the #stoprape protest,the whys&the wherefors.The transgenders whobtw wereverymuch therewith us.Please remember these men&women came because they care about the terror raging in our country.not enough came but those that did i salute them . pic.twitter.com/dLkuxZ3PFZ
Other celebrities present at the protest include Mahira Khan, Sarah Khan, Ayesha Omar, Adnan Siddiqui, Ali Rehman Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Bushra Ansari, Anoushey Abbasi and Gul-e-Rana.
A woman allegedly cut off the genitals of her ‘boyfriend’ in Lahore’s Harbanspura area.
As per reports, the woman was infuriated over the victim’s attempt to blackmail and harass her.
According to the complaint, the 37-year-old resident of the Vehari district came to Lahore six months ago for work. He claimed that he had a date with the woman, who also lived in the same area, for the last 18 years.
The man claimed that the woman had called him over to her place a few days back, revealing that, “She attacked me with a sharp weapon and cut my genitals and then locked me in a room”.
When he cried out for help, some neighbours took him to a hospital.
The police have filed a case, recorded statements of witnesses and gathered all evidence from the crime scene.
According to details, the man was involved in harassing and blackmailing the culprit forcing her to take the law in her own hands and take this step as a ‘self-defense’ move.
Eight teachers of Government Higher Secondary School Rashkai in Peshawar have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
According to the Elementary and Secondary Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the infected teachers have been sent to their homes on 15 days leave.
Meanwhile, academic activities are ongoing under strict precautionary measures.
Cavit Çetin Güner, who plays Dogan Alp in the superhit Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul has arrived in Pakistan as per his latest Instagram stories.
The actor first shared a picture of his boarding pass and later a short video of his hotel with the caption: “Gooood Morning.”
While Güner himself did not share why he is visiting Pakistan, it appears that the actor is here to inaugurate a private housing society in Islamabad. And he seems to be having a great time already, judging from the pictures being circulated on social media.
Earlier in August, Güner had promised his fans that he would visit Pakistan soon. In a note written in Urdu, the actor had said: “I apologise to Pakistanis. I met a man named Musawair Abbasi in Turkey, who was a lawyer and we talked and agreed on a business plan. However, later I found out that the business plan was fake and Musawir Abbasi lied.”
“We have a mutual love for Pakistani people but due to current circumstances, I won’t be able to visit Pakistan. I believe that I will meet trustworthy people and will meet you soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, the lead actor of the series Engin Altan Düzyatan is coming to Pakistan in October.
According to a press release by London-based events management outfit Frontiers World, “Engin Altan Düzyatan has finally confirmed his much-awaited visit to Pakistan. He looks forward to meeting many of his fans in three ticketed-only events in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. The Turkish star will hold an exclusive on-stage question and answer sessions during the events.”
The three-day tour has been titled ‘Jashn-e-Ertuğrul’ and will take place from October 9-11.
Senior journalist Kamal Siddiqui has poked fun at the police for “having an anti-eggary unit to save our children” by making sure that “they do not eat too many eggs”.
“So in Pakistan, we have a special police unit that saves children from eating too many eggs,” he jokingly wrote while tweeting a picture of an anti-beggary unit mobile minus the ‘B’.
“Let’s save our children” could also be seen inscribed on the Sindh police vehicle.
CRACKDOWN ON BEGGARS IN SINDH:
In line with Sindh cabinet’s ban on child beggary and directions to the social welfare department to pick up children begging at traffic intersections and in streets and rehabilitate them at welfare centres, the aim of the anti-beggary unit is to tackle beggary, especially in the port city of Karachi.
According to the findings of a committee on the issue of beggary, there are enough laws available to deal with the issue such as Section 7 of the West Pakistan Vagrancy Ordinance 1958 that prohibits beggary.
A 2018 report of the committee said that beggars have also been seen with children who they use to create empathy in the givers’ eyes. This is a violation of Section 49 of Sindh Child Act 1955.
It pointed out that in 2011, the Sindh assembly had passed the Sindh Child Protection Authority Act 2011 which called for ensuring the rights of the children in need of special measures and to provide matters ancillary thereto.
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah, in consultation with the cabinet, had earlier decided to ban beggary all across the province. He had also directed the Social Welfare Department to launch a special drive against child beggary.
He had directed the district administration and the police to help the Social Welfare Department in the drive and round up the child beggars and send them to Sweet Home and Street Children Centre, Korangi, where they would be rehabilitated.
TikTok star Adil Rajput’s wife Farah Rajput recently shared a video of herself crying and announcing the news of her husband’s death.
“Adil is no longer with us,” she said in tears. Farah said she got a call and was told that Adil had passed away in a road accident.
So this woman claimed that her husband died. They’re a famous tiktok couple, Adil Rajput and Farah Rajput. The video got over 12 million views pic.twitter.com/qHqwhAlCs7
Following the backlash, Farah recorded another video in which said that she got a call from Adil’s brother. She shared that Adil was unconscious for hours because of which his brother “panicked” and declared him dead.
“Please, I request you all to stop spreading fake and authentic news,” asserted Farah.
Hailing from Rahim Yar Khan, Rajput is a famous TikToker with over 2.6 million followers.
Malaysian auto giant Proton has collaborated with Al-Haj — the makers of FAW automobiles in Pakistan — to launch its crossover SUV X70 by December along with a sedan named Saga.
According to reports, the said cars, that are actually Chinese manufacturer Geely’s vehicles directly imported and licensed by Proton for the Malaysian market, will be offered in completely built-up (CBU) form in Pakistan.
The company will start assembling the cars locally in the year 2021.
X70 is powered by a 1.8 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 182 horsepower, 285 newton/meters of torque, and comes mated to a 6-speed automatic or a 7-speed DCT gearbox. The vehicle will be available in both Front-Wheel Drive and All-Wheel-Drive forms.
The car is loaded with features such as an air purifier system, rear air vents, automatic dual-zone climate control, steering wheel switches, tilt, and telescopic adjustment, advanced gauge cluster with an LCD information screen, central door locking with auto-lock, a push-start button and a myriad of other modern features. Given that the X70 is a compact crossover SUV, it will go up against the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson.
— High Commission of Malaysia, Islamabad (@MYHCIslamabad) December 14, 2019
The other car, Saga, is a compact sedan that has recently entered its 4th generation. Saga features a 1.3 liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 94 horsepower, 120 newton/meters of torque and is mated to a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed CVT automatic transmission.
The vehicles will be launched at a relatively lower price for success in the Pakistani market.
The gang-rape of a woman on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway has sparked nationwide outrage, with countless protests being organised across the country to demand justice for the victim and safe space for women in the country. Members of the Pakistani Entertainment Industry also took the initiative of organising a peaceful protest outside the Karachi Press Club to raise their voice on the matter and give it more momentum.
Among those present at the occasion was Mahira Khan, Sarah Khan, Ayesha Omar, Adnan Siddiqui, Ali Rehman Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Frieha Altaf, Bushra Ansari, Sarwat Gilani, Yasir Hussain, Asim Jofa, Anoushey Abbasi and Gul-e-Rana.
Sharing pictures from the event, Mahira said: “We demand a secure nation for all women! At home, on the streets, at work, alone, not alone, with kids, without kids, in a skirt or in a burkha. Wherever she may be, whoever she may be – we demand basic rights of safety.”
Holding a placard, which read “Real men don’t rape”, Sarah Khan said: “No mercy for rapists.”
Sarwat Gilani said that the entertainment fraternity came out to “demand justice and security for our women and children”. Sarwat also lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to punish rapists with castration — the process of removal of testicles of a man.
We stand together as one voice,” said Ali Rehman. “One voice to demand the protection of our women, children and transgenders. One voice to demand their freedom. “We stand together.”
Aijaz Aslam held a placard which read: “Stop rape”.
Mansha Pasha said she stepped out after a long time to “join a protest and speak about the state of women’s safety in Pakistan and the fact that there is none.”
“We aren’t safe on the street, at work or even in our homes,” she added.
“Rape happens because of: 1) Rapist; 2) Failure of law enforcement agencies,” asserted Mansha.
Yasir Hussain and Adnan Siddiqui addressed the protesters gathered at the venue.
Bushra Ansari stood by her earlier stance, saying that hanging the rapist is not enough.
According to details, the protest was organised by Yasir Hussain, Frieha Altaf and Asim Jofa.
Meanwhile, some social media users are criticising the actors for holding a separate protest instead of attending the main one organised by the Aurat March.
Glad to see that celebrities protested today but it would be more helpful to have consolidated efforts. A massive protest took place on Saturday outside Karachi Press Club. Celebrities should’ve thrown their weight behind that instead of keeping a separate protest for themselves
I really want to believe their hearts are in the right place, but wtf? This is cringe-worthy. And can someone explain why the celebrities felt the need to have their own protest against #motorwayincident vs getting more support for the first one? pic.twitter.com/Ezjwpu2opU
Sarwat later clarified that a second protest was held because “a lot of celebrities were busy with work on the first protest’s date, [so] we decided to get out a day when most of us were available.”
