Tag: Attock

  • Rain, snowfall on its way

    Rain, snowfall on its way

    The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain and strong winds in Karachi today. In Lahore, strong winds have caused the temperature to drop.

    According to the Meteorological Department, it may drizzle at some places in Karachi, Sajawal, and Thatta today. Strong winds will continue to blow in Karachi till this evening with cloudy skies.

    There is a possibility of rain and snowfall in the mountains today in the Pothohar region, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North Balochistan, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, reports Geo News. Various areas of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Kohat, Malakand, Muzaffarabad, Diamar, Chilas, and Chaman received rain while snowfall was recorded in the mountains.

    Rescue teams have been put on high alert in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Murree due to strong winds and rain.

    Commissioner Rawalpindi said that they are monitoring the situation caused by wind and rain in Murree, the Deputy Commissioner has given specific instructions to Murree for necessary arrangements.

    On the other hand, in Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, heavy snowfall occurred in Neelum Jhelum Valley, which affected the movement of traffic due to slippage on connecting roads, the weather became colder due to snowfall in Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Karam district.

    Abbottabad and Mansehra are experiencing rain in the plains and light snow in the upper reaches, with up to 2 inches of snow in Shogran and 4 inches in Naran.

    Additionally, the western system of rainfall entered North Balochistan after which heavy rain and hailstorms occurred in Pak-Afghan border areas including Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Muslim Bagh, Toba Kakadi, Toba Achakzai, and Sheila Bagh.

  • ‘Abh Shakira nahi chalay gi’: Attock fruit vendor singing Waka Waka goes viral

    ‘Abh Shakira nahi chalay gi’: Attock fruit vendor singing Waka Waka goes viral

    Mangoverse of Madness?

    A fruit vendor from Attock, Pakistan has become the new darling of Indian publications for his extraordinary singing skills and his knack for bringing a hilarious twist to Shakira’s popular song ‘Waka Waka’.

    A video of the man was posted by a meme account with the name Hamza Choudhary, amassing more than 400,000 likes, with fans writing down all sorts of hilarious captions.

    “Shakira crying in the corner”, one user wrote.

    It’s lovely to witness

  • Two young sisters kidnapped, raped for four months

    Two young sisters kidnapped, raped for four months

    Two young sisters were kidnapped, kept in confinement and then raped for four months allegedly by a landlord and his employee.

    The horrifying incident took place in the Khaur police station area of Pindigheb town in Attock.

    According to the survivors’ father, who is a labourer, his 16-year-old and 18-year-old daughters were abducted by the local landlord and his personal employee four months ago.

    He said that the suspect kept his daughters in illegal confinement and raped them. Later, the girls escaped from confinement, reached their home and narrated the whole incident.

    After a medical examination by the police, it was confirmed that the teenagers were raped, which led to the registration of a case against the suspects.

    However, no arrest has been made so far.

    In Lahore, another incident took place where a 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and then murdered. The murdered girl allegedly went swimming at a pool with her brother and five-year-old sister.

    The police are investigating the case.

  • Pakistan starts oil and gas production from Dhok Sultan DS X-1

    Pakistan starts oil and gas production from Dhok Sultan DS X-1

    Pakistan’s state-owned natural gas and petroleum products supplier Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has started production from the recently installed Oil Handling Facilities (OHF) in the Dhok Sultan Block in Punjab province.

    The business claimed in a filing on May 6 that it is the operator of the Dhok Sultan Block and owns 75 per cent of the working interest, while Government Holdings (Private) Limited (GHPL) owns 25 per cent.

    As per the filing, The present production figures from DS X-1 are 5 MMscfd gas, 3000 bbls/day oil, and 25 M.Ton/day LPG. The Dhok Sultan OHF is in charge of oil production, while the Meyal Gas Processing Facilities (MGPF) of Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL) in District Attock is in charge of gas processing.

    The gas production from this facility will go to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, while the oil will go to Attock Refinery Limited, according to the business.

    This finding is currently in the Extended Well Testing (EWT) production phase, and the data obtained during this phase will aid in its continued development. Through indigenous hydrocarbon production, the start of production from DS X-1 will contribute to increasing energy security and saving significant foreign cash for the country, according to the company.

    Considering the high demand, Pakistan’s economy is significantly reliant on fossil fuels, with petroleum products and other fuels accounting for a large portion of the country’s import bill.

    Read more: Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves down by $328 million

    Due to its surge in the global market, Pakistan’s oil imports have increased dramatically in recent months. The overall petroleum group’s imports were $14.812 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year (2021-22), up from $7.553 billion in the same time in 2021.

  • WASA to initiate a crackdown on service stations in Lahore that waste water

    The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has taken note of the car wash facilities in Lahore that are wasting water and will penalize those responsible.

    The Managing Director (MD) of WASA, M. Tanveer summoned a meeting of key personnel, who organized units to conduct a crackdown operation. The teams would comprise officials from the operations and revenue departments who will provide the Managing Director with a daily status report.

    Tanveer called for immediate action against vehicular washing facilities that do not have a water recycling facility.

    Car wash stations will be given a warning at first and will face severe consequences if they do not install a recycling plant.

    According to a recent high court appeal, service stations consume around 200 liters of water for a small car and 300 liters for a bigger vehicle.

    WASA instructed that service stations must recycle 70 per cent of the water they use, or they will be shut down. The authority will also impose hefty fines on anyone who tosses trash into drainpipes and sewer lines in order to avoid sewage from blocking.

  • After hundreds of train accidents, casualties in two years, PM says ‘role of railways crucial for Naya Pakistan’

    After nearly 200 major and minor train accidents that have caused hundreds of casualties since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took reins of the country in 2018, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the role of Pakistan Railways is “crucial” in the journey to Naya Pakistan.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the Hassan Abdal Railway Station in Attock, the premier underlined that across the world, trains were a cheap and comfortable way to travel.

    “Railways are important because it’s a commute for the poor and common people of Pakistan,” he said.

    “Unfortunately, we did not develop the railway system provided by the British,” PM Imran said, adding that for the first time, the largest investment to Pakistan Railways was coming through the ML-1.

    ML-1 or Main Line 1 is one of the four main railway lines in Pakistan. The Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line begins from Karachi City station or Kiamari Station and ends at Peshawar Cantonment Station. The total length of this line is 1,687 kilometers with 184 railway stations.

    The line serves as the main passenger and freight line of the country as it is used by 75% of both sorts of rail traffic. It is currently undergoing a six-year Rs886.68 billion upgrade and renovation as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with average rail speeds expected to be doubled to 160 kilometers per hour upon completion.

    The premier said the journey from Karachi to Lahore through ML-1 would come down to seven hours, and the project “will be an important step towards self-reliance”.

    Railways would play an important role in Pakistan’s economic development, he remarked.

    RAILWAYS SINCE 2018:

    While the premier has highlighted the significance of railways for the materialisation of his dream of a new Pakistan, it merits a mention that a significant spike in train accidents over the past two years has further marred the department’s safety record.

    According to Dawn, over 100 train-related incidents, including some fatal accidents took place in 2019 besides 111 incidents of engine failure within the first five months of the year alone.

    These come on top of minor derailment incidents at least one of which is reported every week with the last reported three weeks ago near Ghotki in Sindh.

    Here’s a list of major untoward incidents involving trains since 2018…

    September 16, 2018:

    Nine bogies of the Peshawar-bound Khushal Khan Khattak Express from Karachi derailed near Attock. 20 passengers were injured.

    September 27, 2018:

    Another Peshawar-bound train derailed in which 11 bogies overturned in Sehwan, Sindh.

    December 18, 2018:

    At least 12 children were injured as a passenger train crashed into a school van near Narowal in Punjab. Local witnesses said the accident happened due to dense fog and because the gate at the crossing was left open.

    June 9, 2019:

    As many as 23 bogies of a Karachi-bound freight train derailed in Sukkur.

    June 20, 2019:

    Three people were killed when a passenger train collided with a stationary cargo train in Makli Shah near Hyderabad.

    July 11, 2019:

    A Quetta-bound train collided with a cargo train near Sadiqabad in Punjab, killing 24 people and injuring over 100 others. The accident was later found to be caused by a delay in switching the train tracks.

    October 31, 2019:

    Fire engulfed a train near Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, killing 65 people. The cause of the incident was discovered to be a gas explosion. A canister had been carried by passengers to cook on the train amid the authorities’ failure to keep a check on the travellers’ luggage.

    February 28, 2020:

    At least 19 people were killed when a train collided with a passenger bus near Sindh’s Rohri.

    July 3, 2020:

    At least 20 people died and ten others were injured when Shah Hussain Express collided with a bus near Sachcha Sauda Railway Station in Sheikhupura. Most victims were members of the Pakistani Sikh community.

  • VIDEO: Zulfi Bukhari’s speech disrupted after disgruntled Tiger Force volunteers turn guns on him

    VIDEO: Zulfi Bukhari’s speech disrupted after disgruntled Tiger Force volunteers turn guns on him

    A protest led by members of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Tiger Force on Saturday disrupted Special Assistant to the PM (PM) for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari’s speech as disgruntled workers raised slogans against him as well as the ruling party’s leadership, reportedly forcing Bukhari to leave the rostrum.

    The premier’s Corona Relief Tiger Force is part of an ambitious multi-pronged strategy by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to impose movement restrictions and shut down industries while also ensuring that Pakistan’s poorest citizens — many of whom rely on daily wages to survive — continue to receive adequate supplies of food and other essentials.

    Hundreds of thousands of volunteers from across the country, who signed up for the force, are reportedly discharging their duties as the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

    While Saturday’s event organised in Attock seemed to be in violation of social distancing among other government guidelines to curb the spread of the virus, things took an uglier turn as soon as Bukhari took the floor to address the gathering.

    According to reports, the volunteers raised slogans against Bukhari as well as other leaders of the ruling PTI in protest against the force’s focal person, namely Qadri Ahmed, “not being invited to the ceremony despite working hard for over a month”.

    The volunteers were then seen leaving the venue, raising slogans in Ahmed’s favour.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    A member of Bukhari’s staff, however, denied media reports and said that no one left the stage as it was “only a two to four-minute issue between [Adviser to PM on Climate Change] Malik Amin Aslam and the local president.

    “Bukhari ended up completing his speech,” they said.

    PTI Punjab lawmaker Syed Yawer Abbas Bukhari among other local leaders were also present on the occasion.

  • Rescue services received 106 pranks calls a day in 2019

    Rescue services received 106 pranks calls a day in 2019

    Rescue 1122 in Attock received 39,000 prank calls in 2019, troubling officials at the main control room who remained alert round-the-clock to fight emergency cases.

    According to reports, District Emergency Officer Ishfaq Mian revealed that emergency calls were only 16,332 while pranks calls amounted to 39,000. The officer lamented that these pranks calls wasted the precious time of rescuers.

    “The fake phone call phenomenon has troubled our human resource and sometimes leads to a tragedy because many genuine calls are then missed and not responded to on time,” he said.

    He asserted that citizens should understand the importance of emergency numbers and try not to deprive real victims of their right to be provided with emergency medical treatment. Rescue officers are directed to ensure immediate emergency care to citizens without any discrimination.

    Punjab Emergency Service (PES), Rescue 1122 Attock handled 16,332 cases in which 17,720 people were saved and given trauma services. Reports reveal that help and support was provided to 2,473 road accident victims, 11,216 medical emergencies, 297 fire incidents and 27 drowning cases.

    Rescue staff maintained their standard response time is seven minutes to emergency. He said during the year 27,000 volunteers from different schools, colleges and other educational institutions were also given rescue and emergency training.