Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has announced that Pakistan Television (PTV) will live telecast Tarawih prayers during Ramadan.
In a tweet, Awan said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed PTV to live telecast tarawih prayers so that people can take part in the prayers from their homes and practise social distancing. The tarawih prayers will be broadcast live on PTV News every night at 9:30 pm.
رحمتوں اورمغفرتوں کےبابرکت ماہ صیام کا آغازہونےجارہاہے۔وزیراعظم کی ہدایت پرپی ٹی وی نےنمازِتراویح براہ راست دکھانےکااہتمام کیاہے۔ ہمیشہ کی طرح ماہ رمضان کی رحمتوں سے ہرگھرروشن ومنورہوگا۔ وباکے اس دور میں عوام اپنے گھروں میں رہتے ہوئےنمازتراویح میں شریک ہوکر فیوض وبرکات سمیٹیں گے۔ pic.twitter.com/MffJFnuVb0
— Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousAwan) April 23, 2020
Meanwhile, a consultative session of religious scholars chaired by President Arif Alvi on April 18 agreed to a 20-point preventive measure plan against the highly contagious novel coronavirus disease during prayers in the month of holy Ramadan.
The government, in a conditional agreement, allowed congregational prayers and taraweeh in Ramadan with preventive measures.
President Alvi in the meeting said that the people should perform ablutions for prayers at homes and during prayers “a space of two persons should be left between two people offering prayers in a row.”
It was further agreed that the floor of mosques should be washed with water mixed with chlorine and that no collective Sehri or Iftar arrangements will be made at the mosques.
The Okara police is using drone cameras to stop people from flying kites in the city.
The police have created teams in each neighborhood to monitor the problem and each team has been given a drone.
Speaking to a news oultlet, Okara SHO Malik Tariq Awan said the drones have made it easier to catch the kite flyers.
“Earlier, it was tough for us to know which house’s roof the kite flyers were standing on because Okara is very populated and houses are built close to each other,” said Awan.
Flying kites has been banned in Pakistan since 2005 when the Supreme Court imposed a ban on its production. The ruling decision was made to prevent the loss of lives due to kite strings that are laced with chemicals.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will collect donations from the public for the PM’s Corona Relief Fund while appearing on different channels today at 4 pm.
According to PTI Senator Faisal Javed, a large number of philanthropists and humanitarians would be part of the telethon. The donations would be made to an account in the Karachi branch of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).
He announced that religious scholar, Maulana Tariq Jameel will also be a part of the telethon today.
مولانا طارق جمیل صاحب آج ہونے والی پرائمنسٹر احساس ٹیلیتھون میں دعا کرائینگے انشاءاللہ – آپ سبکو شرکت کی دعوت دیتے ہیں آج شام 4 بجے PST آپکی ٹیلیویژن سکرین پر -اس تاریخی ٹیلیتھون میں شرکت کریں اور دل کھول کر عطیات کریں – اللہ سب کا حامی و ناصر ہو آمین#PMIKEhsasTelethonpic.twitter.com/AOvnoZi1y6
Earlier, the senator has tweeted that every citizen can also contribute towards Prime Minister’s COVID Relief Fund by sending a text message “Fund” at 6677.
You can SMS “Fund” at 6677 and contribute Rs. 20 per SMS towards Prime Minister’s Covid Relief Fund. Contribute as much as you can as it will reach those who are in need. Together we can and together we must. #PMFundForCovid19pic.twitter.com/D0PXI0d0Vk
PM Imran had announced the relief fund on April 1 to fight the pandemic in the country.
“Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund-2020 has been set up to help us fight this pandemic. I want everyone to donate towards this fund which will be used to take care of all those who have been made destitute by the lockdown,” the premier said on Twitter.
PM Imran asked the citizens to send their tax-deductible donation to account number 4162 786 786 set up at the main branch of National Bank of Pakistan in Karachi.
The PM had said money from the fund will be used to buy essential items for their families.
The Saudi Embassy in Pakistan delivered 150 tonnes of dates as a gift from the Saudi Arabia to Pakistan ahead of Ramzan.
As per reports, the gift was delivered by the Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Saeed Al Malki, during a ceremony that was held at the Saudi Embassy’s headquarters in Islamabad.
The ceremony was attended by the Director of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Branch in, Pakistan Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Othmani.
At the entrance of an Istanbul mosque, racks usually reserved for the shoes of the faithful are loaded with pasta packages, oil bottles, biscuits — like a supermarket. But they aren’t for sale. Instead, they are destined for the needy, hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The sign on the mosque’s window ask anyone, who can, to leave something, and says those in need can take something.
Abdulsamet Cakir, 33, imam of the Dedeman mosque in the Sariyer district, came up with this idea of reaching out to the poor via the place of worship after Turkey suspended mass prayers in mosques until the risk of outbreak passes, AFP reported.
The young imam, who takes the products from the floor and places them on the shelves at the entrance, said he was inspired by a donation culture in the Ottoman period called “charity stone” — a small pillar stone erected at certain locations of the city to connect rich people with the poor.
In this Ottoman system aimed at giving charity in a dignified manner without offending the needy, people with means would leave whatever amount they wanted in a cavity on the top of the charity stone. Those who were in need would then take the amount they needed and leave the rest for others.
“After the coronavirus pandemic, we have thought about what we can do to help our brothers in need,” said Cakir, who would already help the poor in his neighbourhood before the outbreak.
“With the inspiration from our ancestors’ ‘charity stone’ culture, we decided to fill the racks in our mosque with the help from our brothers with means,” he added.
Cakir hangs a list on the wall of the mosque where citizens who need help write their names and telephone numbers.
The imam later sends the list to local authorities who check whether the names are really in need and his team then sends a message that they can visit the mosque and receive whatever they need: eight items at maximum.
The mosque has been providing services for two weeks and reaches out to 120 people in need per day. And the list includes over 900 people.
A maximum of two people wearing masks and gloves enter the mosque and take what they need, while others wait outside, standing a few paces from each other.
“We spread the services through the day. We call 15 people for each half an hour so that we respect social distancing and do not cause big queues,” the imam said. “We are doing our best to help our sisters and brothers in the best possible way without offending them.”
The mosque does not accept cash donations and instead receives aid packages and the mosques shelves are full of products sent from all over Turkey and even abroad.
“Producers also donate. A miller brings in flour, a baker brings in bread, a water distributor brings in water,” Cakir said, adding, “Everyone does whatever they can to help people in need. For example, a brother who lives in France did online shopping and directed the aid to our mosque.”
People, receiving the aid, are very thankful to the mosque for arranging this service. They said that due to the coronavirus lockdown, they are facing unemployment and with Ramzan a few days away, the situation appeared to be very bleak.
Turkey’s official death toll from the virus now stands at 2,259 after 119 more deaths were reported on Tuesday, and major cities including Istanbul will be under lockdown for four days from Thursday.
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late November 2019. Since then, the virus has spread across the globe, infecting over 2.5 million people as of April 22.
However, the disease that has wreaked havoc in the developed world, has failed to prove as severe in a developing country like Pakistan. While the number of confirmed cases has risen far beyond a few hundred thousands in countries such as the United States (US) and Italy, Pakistan’s tally of COVID-19 cases stands at a relatively meager rate of 10,072 of which 2,156 have recovered and 212 have lost their lives.
This raises an interesting question: how has a country with far less resources successfully weathered a storm that has brought wealthier states to their knees?
The first possible explanation can be that the countries’ populace is more resistant to being infected by the virus. Usually, this resistance can only be imparted to humans based on previous exposure to the organism, which is also the basis of most vaccinations used to immune the masses.
The second possibility can be other diseases and vaccines that most probably granted resistance to people living in these areas.
Many diseases are endemic to this part of the World. Tuberculosis is one of the most commonly seen conditions, the treatment of which is also available. The Bacillus-Calmette Guerin (BCG) Vaccine is mandatory for newborns in countries such as Pakistan, India and Nigeria.
This same vaccine, however, is not mandatory in the developed world. It seems that countries that administer the BCG vaccine have reported far less cases of COVID-19 than those who do not.
No direct evidence, however, has so far surfaced in this regard.
Another disease endemic to these parts of the world is Malaria. At least 19 countries, including Pakistan bear 98 per cent of the global Malaria burden and hydroxychloroquine is used to treat it.
It has been observed that countries, where Malaria is rampant and hydroxychloroquine is routinely administered to patients, have encountered far less cases of COVID-19. Pakistan, India and Nigeria are among these countries. Unfortunately, just like the BCG vaccine, the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19 cases has not yet been proven, but it has been approved for use in emergency cases by the US’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The diseases commonly encountered in a region are not the only distinctive feature of the environment of that region — a widely held perception is that COVID-19 is less dangerous in warmer parts of the world. It is to be noted that warmer countries have also been hit by the pandemic.
Several other factors can be at play here.
Perhaps a less virulent strain of COVID-19 is encountered by people in these regions?
COVID-19 exists as two strains; a less common S-type strain (seen in 30% of COVID-19 cases) which was the original strain, and the more frequently encountered L-type strain (inflicting 70% of COVID-19 cases).
The World Health Organization (WHO) believes it is natural for viruses to mutate from one form to another and no strain is particularly more dangerous than the other. Age may play an important role in how rapidly the virus spreads as countries such as Italy and France, which have a higher percentage of old people, have fared worse against COVID-19 than countries such as Pakistan with a younger population.
There is also the possible case that less people are being tested for COVID-19 in developing countries leading to a lower number of confirmed cases. It must be noted, however, that the mortality rate is lower as well.
Clearly more research has to be conducted into what has allowed countries such as Pakistan to handle the COVID-19 pandemic better than the others across the globe. It could be any one of the factors discussed here or a combination of the variables that allowed it to withstand the worst of the COVID-19 situation.
While most of us remain isolated in our homes, healthcare workers and doctors across the world are putting their lives at risk and are fighting on the frontlines against the pandemic. Mahira Khan and Mansha Pasha recently paid homage to those by sharing personal stories.
Mahira shared that her baby cousin, Mehek is “fighting every day to save lives.”
“Meko, I’m saluting you, thanking you and hugging you. I love you,” wrote the actor, adding, “Also a big big thank you to all the healthcare workers in Pakistan and around the world for standing on the frontlines of this pandemic.”
We thank you Maham for your service to humanity, for being an ambassador for Pakistan. May ALLAH keep you safe. (Many thanks to your friend who nominated you for this appreciation post but did not want to be named)#coronavirus#FrontLineHeroes
Earlier, Mansha had also revealed that her sister was a doctor in the United Kingdom and in a live session with The Current shared how tough it can for the workers as well as their families who are worried about their safety and health. She also said that the UK also lacks proper protective gear. But despite all the odds, her sister and other healthcare workers continue to fight against the virus which has killed thousands across the world.
In a rather insensitive statement, President Dr Arif Alvi, while speaking of the damning investigation report regarding independent power producers (IPPs), has said the way mafias looted the country was “not rape but gang-rape”.
The federal cabinet on Tuesday decided to make public the investigation report on deals that allowed IPPs to earn illegal profits worth billions of rupees and also gave the nod to the formation of an inquiry commission to further probe into the matter.
The decision came two days after the president and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan reportedly discussed the report.
“I first read the executive summary of the 300-page [IPPs] report. I discussed it with the PM a day before we met [on Monday]. My exact words were… forgive me for what I am about to say and let’s not forget how the report doesn’t yet include the opinion of all stakeholders… but my exact words to the premier were that the country has not only been raped but gang-raped by mafias,” he said in a conversation with senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir.
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WHAT DOES THE REPORT SAY?
A nine-member committee headed by former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Mohammad Ali was formed last year to investigate reasons behind the high cost of electricity, especially in connection with IPPs.
According to the report prepared by the committee, deals were signed at the expense of interests of the consumers and the government. The national exchequer suffered a loss of over Rs4 trillion in the last 13 years because of circular debt and subsidies being given to power producers.
The report further disclosed that 16 IPPs invested around Rs51.80 billion and earned over Rs415 billion in profits – having dividends taken out in excess of 310 billion — in a period ranging from two to four years.
“Pakistan has regionally the highest power tariffs consequently raising the cost of manufacturing,” read a summary of the report. “This has been one of the prime reasons for loss of competitiveness of our industry and the stagnation of our exports,” it read.
It was noted that the profits generated by most of these IPPs were 18.26 times than their investment and the dividends taken out were 22 times higher.
Six companies earned an annual return on equity (ROE) between 60% and 79%. Four of them earned an ROE of 40%.
The report further revealed that 13 residual fuel oil- and gas-based plants in the last eight to nine years of their operations earned profits of Rs203 billion against their combined investment of Rs57.81 billion.
Excess payments of 6.33 billion to four bagasse-based plants were also identified.
“Coal companies with government connivance obtained a tariff which is more than 50% higher than the market rate leading to an annual over payment of $477 million per annum or $14.5 billion over the life of these projects,” the report read.
“Thermal IPPs set under the 2002 Power Policy and Nepra [National Electric Power Regulatory Authority] tariff determination were entitled to a 15% rate of ROE on a cost plus basis. However, the projects set up under this policy have been posting returns in dollar terms in excess of 50%. This could only have been possible if the tariff setting process of Nepra was compromised.”
It was noted that the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park was instrumental in getting a very high upfront tariff for solar power approved at US cents 14 levelised and 18 cents for first 10 years through influence peddling and corruption.
The solar tariff in India at that time was between 7-8 cents with similar cost structure, while a much higher upfront tariff and capital cost allowed by Nepra, causing a massive loss to the country.
“The first project in the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park established by the Punjab government involved a kickback of approximately $50 million,” the document read.
The committee found that private companies had provided false oil statistics to secure better tariffs.
Malpractices by IPPs with respect to project setting up costs, actual fuel use being less than the invoices submitted to Nepra, kickbacks in commission on fuel were also identified.
The report suggested that the power tariffs could be cut down by Rs3 per unit by adopting three measures: converting the payment to IPPs from dollar to rupee, switching from “take-or-pay” to “take-and-pay” option, and reducing capacity payments.
A pilot of Icelendair — flag carrier airline of Iceland — has drawn a heart in the sky over hospitals in the capital city of Reykjavík to thank healthcare workers for their bravery and dedication during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to The Reykjavík Grapevine — an Icelandic magazine –, during a recent flight from China, the anonymous pilot of the Boeing 767 aircraft drew a large heart with the plane’s flight path. It was an important journey of nearly 5,600 miles, as the Icelendair flight was importing much-needed medical supplies.
Before the flight landed, the plane doubled back to doodle a heart above two of the capital city’s hospitals. Though the change in course reportedly added another nine minutes to the flight, it was a heartfelt salute for the nation’s healthcare personnel.
The plane marked the last of three flights from China that have carried a total of some 50 tonnes of various medical supplies, including masks and protective suits, intended for Iceland’s healthcare workers treating those infected with the coronavirus.
As of Wednesday, 1,778 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus had been reported in Iceland. The viral disease has also claimed the lives of at least ten people in the Nordic island nation.
A school teacher from Assam, India, had gone to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai for the treatment of his father and got stuck there because of the lockdown. He then had to cover a distance of 2,700 km in an ambulance to reach home.
The 60-hour journey cost them 1,60,000 Indian Rupees in total.
“My father has blockages in his heart. On March 4, I, along with my brother, took him to Chennai in a train ambulance. There, doctors found that he had problems in his kidney as well. He was recovering and our return flight to Guwahati was on March 18. But on March 17, my father’s health suddenly deteriorated and he had to be admitted to the ICU,” said Baharul Islam.
On March 30, doctors said he could be brought back home in an ambulance with ICU and oxygen supply provisions. Islam, with the help of his friend arranged an ambulance and started the journey.
“They charged me Rs 1.6 lakh for the ambulance. Along with my father, my uncle also came with us. There were two drivers and between them they drove for 23 hours each day. We started from the hospital at 10am on March 31 and reached home at 10pm on April 2,” Islam said.
“It wasn’t the best of the journeys for me…carrying two patients cramped in an ambulance from Chennai was an experience that I will never forget. But I am happy to be back home safe. We stopped a few times on the way to have food. We drove very fast as there was hardly any traffic,” Islam said.
Islam added that they were stopped by police twice.
“They checked our papers and let us go. As we reached Kajalgaon near our home, one of the drivers received a call to stop at the nearest hospital. All of us then went to the nearest hospital where doctors did a check-up and sent us, including the two drivers, to home quarantine for 14 days, which ended on April 16,” Islam added.
