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  • Founder of ACF Animal Rescue shares harrowing story of animal abuse in Karachi

    Founder of ACF Animal Rescue shares harrowing story of animal abuse in Karachi

    The Ayesha Chundrigar Animal Rescue has filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the mass killing of animals being conducted throughout Karachi and Sindh after their rehabilitated dogs were found dead. In an announcement, the foundation shared that the primary purpose of the petition is to ensure that Government Authorities draft a uniform policy on how to contain the population of dogs in the city.

    Prior to filing a petition, Ayesha, who is the founder of the animal shelter, shared an emotional video in which she shared that people were brutally killing dogs they had rehabilitated and released back on the streets.

    Explaining the rehabilitation process, Ayesha said that when strays or injured dogs come to the shelter, they are taken care of, vaccinated and neutered and when they recover completely there are released into far off areas, such as Malir, marked as safe zones. These areas have less human population and are away from the city. Ayesha explained that once they are released, members and volunteers of the shelter keep an eye on the dogs and make sure they are doing fine.

    Sharing a particularly harrowing incident, Ayesha said that her team found two of their dogs dead with their legs tied up. According to her, the dogs were given poison after which their legs were tied together so that they don’t run away for help. The wounds on their bodies indicated that they were also tortured and beaten.

    Ayesha added that she has no idea how to keep the remaining dogs safe. She said that this was not an isolated incident and dogs across the city are being killed and poisoned regularly. She said sometimes they are skinned and their meat taken. The activist further said that in such incidents, it is impossible to track the perpetrators and hold them accountable.

    “Where is our society going,” questioned Ayesha. “It seems all these DMCs want to literally drive us to suicide. They are well aware that we are in Malir yet instead of working with us as we have asked them to countless times, they do this.”

    “We can’t take it anymore. They win. We’ve fallen apart, trying like absolute fools in this lawless city of millions. Can’t do it anymore. We’re tired and hopeless and can’t keep looking for ways out,” she continued.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CBnj90MpmWK/

    To know more about ACF Animal Rescue and Ayesha Chundigar, watch The Current‘s feature on the shelter.

    Following the incident, Feroze Khan requested his fans to be kind to animals.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CByWGyXB7vd/

    Meanwhile, earlier, while hearing a case against the Marghazar Zoo, Chief Justice Islamabad High Court banned dog culling in the city.

    Read more – Cash reward for catching stray dogs in Peshawar

    Meanwhile, KP has introduced a more humane way to contain the population of stay dogs. The KP Livestock Department has set up a special centre to neuter and vaccinate stray dogs. They are offering a cash reward to whoever brings in a stray dog.

  • Tareen got Asad Umar fired; Asad settled score by getting rid of him: Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has made some explosive revelations by claiming that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) failed to bring “tabdeeli” [change] due to the in-fighting between Asad Umar, Jahangir Tareen and Shah Mahmood Qureshi after the formation of its government, which was followed by the ouster of the political class from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s core team.

    “This political vacuum was then filled by new and non-elected people who did not have anything to do with politics,” the minister said in an interview with VOA Urdu.

    Talking to senior journalist Suhail Warraich, Fawad revealed that Tareen was responsible for Asad Umar losing his Finance Ministry portfolio. When asked why was there so much in-fighting among PTI ranks, he said when Umar was the Finance Minister, Tareen got him fired.

    “Now when Umar got back in the government, he got rid of Tareen. Qureshi and Tareen also had meetings but things didn’t work out between the two.”

    He maintained that party groupings were a norm but PTI’s internal fighting between top leaders led to their replacement by bureaucrats, which compromised PM’s reform agenda.

    Fawad added that the PTI government was now just another government as its agenda of carrying out police and judicial among other reforms now faced an uncertain future.

    CIVILIAN SUPREMACY AND OPPOSITION:

    To another question, he said that people say there should be civilian supremacy and the military’s role in politics should be curtailed, but they should also take a look at the parliament and provincial lawmakers. “How can there be civilian supremacy under such leadership?” Ultimately, this is about human resources, he added.

    Criticising the opposition for having a limited vision due to dynastic politics, he also questioned why PM Imran had not developed any new and capable leadership.

    “We can understand why Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto put weak people in important positions because their vision was to transfer leadership to their own children. Imran doesn’t have this problem. He should have placed the best at powerful positions but somehow, he was advised by someone to place weak people in powerful positions so that they can be dictated. This only damaged Imran. He is far bigger than what he looks like right now.”

    ALL-POWERFUL TECHNOCRATS:

    When asked how bureaucrats and special advisors to the PM were all-powerful without any resistance from the political class, he said that most people worked with the status quo. “If you can’t balance politics and governance, then it is a problem. PM Imran knows this… he recently warned his cabinet that we have five and a half months to improve our performance, otherwise time will run out for us.” He added that they didn’t have a political or governance-reform team.

    PRESIDENTIAL FORM OF GOVT?

    Fawad said that in a parliamentary form of government, experts are brought in to consult in the decision-making process but decision-making has to be done by elected politicians. “This is the basic difference between parliamentary democracy and a presidential system.”

    When asked if the country was now moving towards a presidential form of government, he said that the appointment of so many advisors or special assistants, and elected people not being invited to participate in key decision-making, put a question mark on parliamentary form of government. “Imran Khan’s failure is not the failure of an individual; the entire nation’s hopes are pinned on his success. If the military and other state institutions are supporting the PM, it is because there are no other political options.”

    He also said that while parliamentary form of government was not the most competent, it was still the most powerful. “Ideas cannot be implemented without a good team and human resource.”

    It is not the first time Fawad Chaudhry has criticised the PTI government for favouring non-elected or weak people in key positions. Last year following a major cabinet reshuffle that led to Asad Umar losing his ministry while Fawad Chaudhry and several others were given new portfolios, Chaudhry lamented in an interview that at times, important decisions were taken “and we don’t even know”.

    WATCH VIDEO:

  • Govt to reopen schools with strict COVID-19 SOPs: Shafqat Mahmood

    Govt to reopen schools with strict COVID-19 SOPs: Shafqat Mahmood

    Federal Education Minister on Monday said the government was considering reopening of schools under the implementation of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

    Talking to the media after a meeting at the minister’s office, the minister said suggestions had been taken from the private schools and Madaris of all provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

    Mahmood said a meeting had also been arranged with the Ministry of Health in this regard, and that the decision would be taken keeping in view the NCOC data. He said the education ministry also discussed with those countries that had opened schools under various SOPs through UNICEF.

    The minister said according to the Gallup Survey, around 70% of parents were willing to send their children to school under COVID-19 SOPs.

    “We want to end the uncertainty on the basic important issue like education,” he said.

    The minister hinted at holding a press conference on the issue to take parents into confidence after the preparation of a road map.

    While the Provincial Minister of Punjab for School Education took to Twitter and stated that there is no definite date announced for reopening of schools in the province.

  • Memes break the internet after Zartaj Gul’s COVID-19 gaffe

    Memes break the internet after Zartaj Gul’s COVID-19 gaffe

    While explaining the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul, in a talk show, said that COVID-19 means that the coronavirus has 19 points that can be applied to any country based on the immunity levels of the people.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CBq1pYBp0TU/

    Soon after the minister’s statement, memes started pouring in on social media as the public began to troll Gul for her comments.

    Read More – ‘My Plans vs 2020’ memes accurately sum up the year 2020

    https://twitter.com/im_Noman_javid/status/1274919276445683713?s=20

    Meanwhile, Zartaj was unfazed by the criticism and said that such trolling does not bother her.

  • Ayesha Sana goes into hiding after arrest warrants issued in fraud case

    Ayesha Sana has reportedly gone into hiding after arrests warrants were issued against her in a case of fraud. The actor apparently gave handed cheques which bounced.

    According to a report in The Express Tribune, a case had been registered against Sana at Defence-B police station in Lahore on the complaint of Mian Ali Moeen, who said that Ayesha was a family friend of his. Moeen alleged that Ayesha borrowed Rs 2 million from him for her domestic needs and then vanished. He said that later when he met her, Ayesha gave him a cheque which bounced.

    Read more – Uzma Khan’s sister Huma says wasn’t tortured, sustained injuries due to fallen glass

    On his complaint, the police booked the actor in a fraud case. However, when she refused to cooperate with the authorities, arrest warrants were issued.

    Meanwhile, it is being said that Ayesha has taken money from various parties, including her designer friends and event organisers, under the pretence of ‘committees’. While some reports say that she owes multiple people a total of Rs 20 million, others suggest that she owes them Rs 60 million.

  • Patient dies after ‘family unplugs ventilator to turn on air cooler’

    Patient dies after ‘family unplugs ventilator to turn on air cooler’

    A 40-year-old man died at a hospital after his family members allegedly unplugged the ventilator he was on to plug in an air cooler.

    Hospital authorities said a three-member committee will probe the incident.

    According to reports, the patient, who was suspected to be suffering from COVID-19, was brought to the ICU of the government-run hospital in the Kota city of India’s Rajasthan state on June 13. His test report, however, came negative later.

    The man was shifted to an isolation ward on June 15 as a safety measure after another patient in the ICU tested positive for the disease.

    Since it was very hot in the isolation ward, his family members bought an air cooler the same day. On finding no socket for the cooler, they allegedly unplugged the ventilator.

    They immediately informed doctors and medical staff, who administered CPR upon the patient, but he died.

    Hospital Superintendent Dr Naveen Saxena said the committee comprising the deputy superintendent, nursing superintendent and chief medical officer on duty will probe the incident and submit a report.

    The committee has recorded statements of medical staff in the isolation ward but the family members of the deceased patient are not responding to the panel, he alleged.

    The family members allegedly did not seek permission to plug in the cooler and when the patient died, they “misbehaved” with the medical staff and the resident doctor on duty, other hospital authorities said.

  • Hajj to be held with a limited number of people this year: Saudi Arabia

    Hajj to be held with a limited number of people this year: Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia has announced that it will strictly limit the number of people who can take part in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage because of the coronavirus, putting to rest the fears that Hajj might be cancelled altogether. Saudi Hajj Minister Mohammed Banten had asked Muslims to delay finalising their plans “until the situation is clear” back in March.

    In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that the annual Holy pilgrimage would be restricted to a very limited numbers of pilgrims of all nationalities who are already residing in Saudi Arabia. The statement said that as COVID-19 cases continue to grow globally, and because of the risks of coronavirus spreading in crowded spaces and from other countries, the Hajj will “take place this year with a limited number of pilgrims from all nationalities residing in Saudi Arabia only, who are willing to perform Hajj.”

    “This decision is taken to ensure Hajj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective while observing all preventative measures and the necessary social distancing protocols to protect human beings from the risks associated with this pandemic and in accordance with the teachings of Islam in preserving the lives of human beings,” the statement added.

    The Ministry also tweeted that people’s health and safety “is our priority”.

    Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri shared the Urdu version of the press release and said that the KSA’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah contacted him via telephone to let him know about Saudi Arabia’s decision about this year’s Hajj.

    Hajj is one of Islam’s most important religious obligations. Recently, singer Atif Aslam expressed his desire to recite the Azaan at the Holy Kaaba in Makkah.

  • ‘I will kill you’: Sania Mirza tells Babar Azam

    ‘I will kill you’: Sania Mirza tells Babar Azam

    Babar Azam and Indian tennis player and Shoaib Malik’s wife Sania Mirza were involved in a fun conversation during an Instagram live on Malik’s account.

    In the live conversation, both the Pakistani players’ Malik and Azam talked about their experiences, played a few games and when Shoaib asked the T20 captain about his favourite bhabi (brother’s wife), Azam replied that former captain Sarfraz Ahmed’s wife Khushbakht is his favourite.

    As Babar was answering this question, Sania commented: “I will kill you.”

    She also said that she won’t let him sleep on their couch anymore.

    Not only Sania, former Pakistani cricketer Azhar Mahmood’s wife, Ebba Qureshi also reacted for not being chosen as the favourite bhabi.

    Later, Azhar Ali laughed on their comments and said: ‘Ye tu hoga.’ Malik also liked Azhar’s response.

    Meanwhile, Khushbakht thanked Babar for choosing her.

    Watch the full live session here:

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBqgTczlmd_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • Three Pakistani cricket players test positive for COVID-19

    Three Pakistani cricket players test positive for COVID-19

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that three players – Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan – have tested positive for COVID-19.

    The board said that the the players had shown no symptoms until they were tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s tour to England.

    According to a press release, the PCB medical panel is in contact with the three who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation.

    Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari, who were also screened for the virus in Rawalpindi, tested negative and will travel to Lahore on 24 June.

    Read more – Mohammad Amir reveals why he backed out of England tour

    The statement further added that “other players and team officials, barring Cliffe Deacon, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis, underwent tests at their respective centres in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar on Monday.”

    Their results will be announced as soon as they are received.

    “Until then, the PCB will not make any further comment,” added the statement.

    Meanwhile, PCB on June 12, had announced a 29-player squad for three Tests and three T20Is against England to be played in August-September.

    “An extended squad, including white-ball specialists, is being sent to England as the players, in accordance with series SOPs in the wake of COVID-19, will remain in England from start to finish,” stated a press release.

    According to details, the Pakistan Cricket Team is scheduled to depart on June 28 for Manchester, before driving to Derbyshire for their 14-day quarantine period during which they will be allowed to train and practice. Apart from training and practicing, there will be intra-squad matches to compensate for the lack of practice matches due to non-availability of local teams as the ECB is yet to commence its domestic season.

  • Areas in Islamabad to be sealed in 36 hours

    Areas in Islamabad to be sealed in 36 hours

    Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqat has announced that following a sharp rise in cases in Sector G-6/2, G-6/1, G-10/4, G-7/2 and Ghori Town, the areas will be sealed in next 36 hours. The DC asked residents to plan their activities accordingly.

    Earlier, Sector G-9/2, G-9/3 were also sealed to curb the coronavirus cases.

    While talking to the Arab News, Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat told that the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan’s federal capital has significantly decreased in the wake of the smart lockdown in the city.

    10,912 coronavirus cases have been reported in Islamabad so far.