After being stranded in New York for several weeks, Meera has managed to return to Pakistan on a special flight arranged by the Government of Pakistan to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in the United States.
In a video message posted to Instagram, the actor shared that she is back in Pakistan and gave a special shoutout to the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the New York Consulate for assisting her. Meera appreciated the work of the Pakistan Embassy and Consulate in the US and said that they facilitated her – and all other stranded passengers – at every step. She also requested people not to pass negative comments or lash out at them because they are trying to do their best to help everyone as much as they can.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGl83fjaA6/
Last month, Meera had appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring her back home. In a video message, the actor had said that she was stranded in New York for the past two months and that she was running out of resources and funds to sustain herself. Meera urged the Government of Pakistan to facilitate her journey back home as soon as possible because New York was turning into a graveyard and she did not want to die in a foreign land.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Asad Khan had earlier shared pictures and videos of the first special flight taking off from the US for Lahore.
Saw off the first of six special charter flights being organized by the Govt in conjunction with @Official_PIA for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in the US from @Dulles_Airport today. The safe return of Pakistanis stranded abroad is Govt’s top priority. @ForeignOfficePkpic.twitter.com/nDsnAfAOTQ
Saw off the first of six special charter flights being organized by the Govt in conjunction with @Official_PIA for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in the US from @Dulles_Airport today. The safe return of Pakistanis stranded abroad is Govt’s top priority. @ForeignOfficePkpic.twitter.com/fKleovUXG5
Almost all 371 members of the Punjab Assembly are at risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus as the speaker of the provincial house and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, continues to chair assembly sessions despite coming into contact with Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
CORONAVIRUS PATIENT:
As per the details, Mazari tested positive for the novel virus days after he returned from Dubai by a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight along with his two cousins just over a week ago. After landing at the Multan airport, they reportedly left for Lahore without being quarantined there.
“As their departure was against the official Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Mazari had told a joint team of the district administration and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that they would isolate themselves,” sources told The Current, adding that the deputy speaker, however, continued with his routine in Lahore and came into contact with dozens of people, including Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi, as well as property tycoons Syed Rehan Gilani and Syed Salman Gilani.
While Mazari claims he is following all SOPs and has stayed in self-isolation since after returning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) despite his first test coming out negative, the above picture from days leading to the deputy speaker’s second test that came out positive, as well as an album shared to his social media account on May 4, suggests otherwise.
“He interacted with several people, including his friends, colleagues and Punjab Assembly staffers, until his second test confirmed that he had contracted the virus. All those people he met must have come into contact with hundreds of others,” sources said.
Speaking to The Current, Mazari confirmed all developments while clarifying his position. “I landed in Multan where I was received by the district administration. I told them how I had to rush to Lahore for a very important official meeting and was allowed to do so.”
He said he coordinated with the officials concerned in Lahore and quarantined himself along with his cousins at a local hotel as per government SOPs. “I stayed there until I took the test that came out negative. I shared my reports with the hotel management and government officials concerned, who allowed me to leave.”
“I was congratulated by Pervaiz Elahi Sahib and others over my reports and told to resume discharging my duties… and so I did,” the deputy speaker said, confirming that he went on to attend the meetings this scribe highlighted.
When asked why did he not follow government instructions as per which any international passenger who tests negative “will be advised compulsory self-isolation to complete a 14-day period”, Mazari said he did what he was told to and wasn’t aware of “any changes to the SOPs that have now been made”.
“It wasn’t until the first week of May that I tested positive, which was seven or eight days after my return to the country. Since then, I am in complete isolation and am doing fine.”
He went on to say that he had informed the Punjab Assembly speaker of his infection and advised him to get tested. “I think Chaudhry Sahib has also taken the test. He, undoubtedly, won’t take it lightly and ensure all precautionary measures.”
Mazari also announced that once he has recovered, he will be donating blood plasma to help critical patients fight the virus. “We must take care of ourselves and others. That’s the only way to defeat coronavirus,” he said.
MPAs AT RISK:
While Moonis Elahi is now in Gujrat, his father, who also met Mazari last week, is going on to chair the sessions of the Punjab Assembly for the past four days.
When contacted, Pervaiz Elahi’s close aide, who is also a member of the speaker’s personal staff, Chaudhry Iqbal, confirmed that the speaker had not isolated himself.
To a question, he said that Elahi had come into contact with Mazari but neither had he gone into self-quarantine nor was he planning to do so. “He is chairing a 150-member session of the Punjab Assembly right now.”
It may be noted that as per the SOPs for holding assembly sessions amid the COVID-19 outbreak, only 100 out of 371 MPAs are being allowed to attend the session each day so as to ensure social distancing inside the house where, so far, at least three staffers have tested positive for the virus.
The ratio of 52 and 48 has been set which means that only 52 MPAs from the government and 48 MPAs from the opposition benches can attend the proceedings.
The entry of guests and staff of MPAs is also completely banned while only the minister concerned will answer the questions of lawmakers during the question-hour.
The assembly secretariat has also installed a disinfection tunnel at the entry gate while lawmakers will use masks and gloves to protect themselves from the virus. Only those MPAs will be asked to attend the proceeding who have their questions on the agenda item.
Major Muhammad Asghar “laid his life in the line of duty at Torkham border” after losing the battle against coronavirus, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported Sunday.
“Major Muhammad Asghar laid his life in the line of duty at #Torkham border in fight against #COVID-19. Evacuated to CMH Peshawar with breathing problems, was put on ventilator but succumbed to Corona Virus. There is no cause bigger than serving the Nation,” the media’s military wing tweeted.
Major Muhammad Asghar laid his life in the line of duty at #Torkham border in fight against #COVID-19. Evacuated to CMH Peshawar with breathing problems, was put on ventilator but succumbed to Corona Virus. There is no cause bigger than serving the Nation.#OurMartyrsOurHeroespic.twitter.com/3mtCKyRycq
Pakistan climbed to the 20th spot on the global coronavirus ranking on Sunday after the nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients crossed 30,000 after Sindh reported 709 new cases.
Asghar is the first security official to have lost his life in the war against the pandemic in Pakistan.
By the time this report was filed, the country had reported 30,446 COVID-19 cases with 662 fatalities.
A day after the government announced to repatriate students from the Chinese city of Wuhan, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez on Saturday confirmed that a special flight of the national flag carrier will bring back stranded nationals on May 18.
According to Hafeez, some 250 students will be brought back on the first flight which will land in Islamabad.
The schedule for three more flights will be announced next week, he added.
The announcement was originally made by Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistani Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari on Twitter. “I’m very happy for the 1st flight going to Wuhan to bring back our Pakistani students on 18/05/2020,” he wrote.
I’m very happy for the 1st flight going to Wuhan to bring back our Pakistani students on 18/05/2020. You guys have been the bravest soldiers, PM @ImranKhanPTI & Pakistan are proud of you.
A woman was shot and injured in what was allegedly a robbery incident in the posh Model Town neighbourhood of Lahore.
According to the details, a robber shot and injured the woman at an ATM and made off with cash from her at the colony’s Bank Square market.
“The robber intercepted the woman and demanded cash and upon resistance, he opened firing leaving the woman injured,” an eyewitness said.
Rescue 1122 responded to the emergency and shifted the victim to Hameed Latif Hospital while police reached the crime scene and collected forensic evidence.
An official, on the condition of anonymity, told The Current that while it seemed like a robbery, it is highly unlikely for robbers to shoot a victim multiple times and that too in broad daylight.
Meanwhile, an Instagram user, who claims to know the woman, has shared further details of the alleged robbery and an update on the victim’s health while also posting a horrifying video of the incident.
It merits a mention here that while coronavirus lockdowns across the country have seen a significant decrease in street crime, experts believe such incidents of robberies are being led to owing to the economic crisis due to the pandemic.
Ahead of Mother’s Day, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the world’s governments to maintain life-saving services for pregnant women and newborns that are under increasing threat from strained health services and supply chains as a result of coronavirus’ outbreak.
The UN agency estimates that 116 million babies have been born since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Pakistan grouped among the countries that have the highest numbers of forecast births.
It said that new mothers and their babies are facing systems in crisis, including overwhelmed health centres; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of skilled birth attendants, including midwives.
“Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was,” Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement.
“They now must prepare to bring a life into the world, as it has become – a world where expecting mothers are afraid to go to health centres for fear of getting infected, or missing out on emergency care due to strained health services and lockdowns”.
Mother’s Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday, is recognised by more than 128 countries.
In her remarks, the UNICEF Chief warned: “This is a particularly poignant Mother’s Day, as many families have been forced apart during the coronavirus pandemic…It is hard to imagine how much the pandemic has recast motherhood”.
In the nine months span dating from when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the countries with the highest numbers of forecast births are expected to be India (20.1 million), China (13.5 million), Nigeria (6.4 million), Pakistan (5 million) and Indonesia (4 million). Most of these nations had high neonatal mortality rates even before the global health crisis.
And wealthier countries are also being seriously impacted, as trust and supplies run low. The sixth highest country for expected births, the United States, is projected to see in excess of 3.3 million babies born between 11 March and 16 December.
In New York City, authorities are looking into alternative birthing centres as many women are worried about delivering their babies in hospitals, due to the risk of infection.
UNICEF warns that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not at greater risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 than other groups, countries still need to ensure they have access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.
Likewise, sick newborns need emergency services and new mothers require breastfeeding support, as well as medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy.
While it is not yet known whether the coronavirus can be transmitted from a mother to her unborn baby, UNICEF recommends that all pregnant women protect themselves from the virus, closely monitor themselves for COVID-19 indications and seek medical advice if they have concerns or experience symptoms.
They are advised to also practice physical distancing, use online health services and seek early medical care if they live in at-risk areas and have fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
And they should speak to their midwife or doctor about the safest place to give birth along with making a birth plan to reduce anxiety.
Mothers with COVID-19 should wear a mask when feeding their baby, wash hands before and after touching the child, routinely clean and disinfect surfaces and continue to hold their newborn.
Henrietta H. Fore said, ” We are living in time for unity, a time to bring everyone together in solidarity”.
“We can help save lives by making sure that every pregnant mother receives the support she needs to give birth safely in the months to come”, the UNICEF chief added.
A British-Pakistani man woke up from a 25-day coma to discover that his mother had passed away from COVID-19.
According to a report in Geo News, Sohail Anjum went into a coma for almost a month after contracting a severe form of the deadly virus. He was admitted to the Croydon University Hospital in London. When he regained consciousness, he was told that his mother, 81, had passed away a few days after he was admitted to the hospital.
Hospital staff lauds Sohail as he leaves the hospital
Speaking to the publication, Anjum shared that he was in an induced coma when his mother passed away. He said that his brother was allowed to meet their mother under “exceptional circumstances” as the hospital had been put under lockdown and no visitation was allowed.
He said that his mother asked his brother about him [Sohail] and told him that she was praying for his health.
“I was told that while I was in a coma, it was only when she passed away that my vitals started improving. I believe it was my mother’s prayer before she passed away that saved my life,” said Anjum, who has now returned home after spending six weeks in the hospital. He shared that though he has recovered, he still feels weak and will be requiring physiotherapy to get back on his feet again.
“It’s been an emotional homecoming. I guess I’m not used to not seeing mum around anymore,” said Anjum, in another interview. “She would be the first person I would see whenever I came home and she was constantly checking up on me as mothers do.”
While Anjum is not exactly clear how he contracted the virus, he shares that he regularly travelled on London’s public transport network and could have contracted it from there. He developed symptoms around the second week of March and remained in self-isolation at home. The doctors told him to have paracetamol but when his health worsened and he started having difficulties in breathing, he was taken to the hospital where the doctors put him to an induced sleep. Anjum remained on a ventilator for over three weeks and was then placed under sedation. He woke up after a week. Doctors didn’t tell him his mother passed away to save him from trauma.
However, Anjum said that when he woke up, he was almost certain that his mum had passed away.
“I had a suspicion she had died. It may sound strange, but it came to me in a vision,” he said, adding “We never even got to say goodbye.”
Anjum’s mother had started showing symptoms a few days after he was admitted. She was taken to the same hospital, where she passed away a few days later.
Anjum, who is an entertainment executive, has worked with prominent Bollywood and Pakistani celebrities as a photographer. His case garnered a lot of media attention and well-wishes poured in for him from all over the world.
The federal government has decided to gradually lift the lockdown restrictions, imposed to contain the coronavirus, from Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced after the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting on Thursday.
The announcement came in spite of the 46 deaths, highest recorded so far in the country, as the total number of coronavirus cases shot to 24,954 with the addition of over 1,300 cases in a single day. From April 28 to May 7, 297 coronavirus deaths have been reported in the country; these account for more than 49.7 per cent of the total number of deaths till May 7, which stands at 593.
Pakistan is recording 1,000 new coronavirus cases on average daily, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily situation report about the disease in the country.
The WHO report, dated May 6, stated that the number of cases reported per day has risen to 1,000 on average this week in Pakistan, doubling since mid-April.
Punjab and Sindh have the highest number of infection, with 9,195 and 9,093 cases, respectively. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have reported 1,725 and 3,956 cases each. In Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, the infection swelled to 521 and 388, respectively. However, Azad Kashmir has the lowest number of cases, with 76 infections so far.
As per the WHO report, the highest case density is reported from Gilgit-Baltistan, followed by Islamabad and Sindh.
Comparing the testing numbers of each province and the federating units, the report notes that Islamabad has the highest testing per million of its population, followed by Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Majority of the country’s case fatalities have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the situation report.
Moreover, 84% of the confirmed cases are between the ages of 20 and 64 years, while the highest mortality rate, 74%, is amongst the age bracket of 50-79 years.
Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara has called on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and announced that the EU had allocated 153 million euros to support Pakistan in its war against the new coronavirus — COVID-19.
She briefed the premier on measures by the EU to strengthen Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, over which PM Imran expressed satisfaction on the growing momentum in Pakistan-EU bilateral relations.
Further steps to deepen the Pakistan-EU partnership in all its dimensions were also discussed during the meeting.
This is not the first relief effort aimed at supporting cash-stripped Pakistan as it fights the global pandemic.
Earlier, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had announced to provide around $1.4 billion to help the country address the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.
“IMF Executive Board approves a US$1.386 billion disbursement to Pakistan to address the COVID-19 pandemic,” the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had said in a statement last month.
The announcement had come after the global lender said the disbursement under its Rapid Financing Instrument would enable Pakistan “to meet the urgent balance of payment needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the Pakistani economy. The domestic containment measures, coupled with the global downturn, are severely affecting growth and straining external financing. This has created an urgent balance of payments need,” said Geoffrey Okamoto, acting chair of the IMF Executive Board, in a statement.
“In this context of heightened uncertainty, IMF emergency financing under the Rapid Financing Instrument provides strong support to the authorities’ emergency policy response, preserving fiscal space for essential health spending, shoring up confidence, and catalysing additional donor support.”
He also acknowledged the country’s “swift action” to curb the spread of the virus and other measures to support citizens.
The total number of infections in Pakistan, by the time this report was filed, stood at 24,954 with 593 deaths.
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood has announced the cancellation of all board exams across the country as the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen.
Speaking after the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting in Islamabad Thursday, Mehmood said that all provinces have decided to keep schools closed till July 15, whereas all students of grades 9 and 10, besides those of intermediate parts I and II, will be promoted on the basis of their results from the previous class.
“All board exams have been cancelled and students of class 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be promoted for the next class on the basis of results obtained in the previous class,” he said, adding that student can seek admissions to universities on the basis of their results from the 11th grade.
Two important decisions taken by PM Imran Khan in the NCC today. One, All educational institutions will remain closed till July 15. Two, ALL Board exams throughout the country have been cancelled. Students would be assessed on their previous performance in Board exams.
The minister further said that the decision was taken with the consensus of all provinces and students will be able to enroll in the next class as soon as schools reopen in July.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to begin lifting lockdown restrictions from Saturday (May 9), Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced.
