Tag: islamabad

  • CDA to turn off 50% lights on Islamabad’s roads to save energy

    CDA to turn off 50% lights on Islamabad’s roads to save energy

    Under the federal government’s energy-saving plan, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to turn off 50 per cent of the streetlights in Islamabad.

    However, all the street lights will remain switched on in residential areas for maximum facilitation of the citizens at night, according to CDA spokesperson.

    The CDA is leading the charge to ensure that the government’s effort to save energy through austerity measures is effective. In order to preserve as much energy as possible, the CDA has asked inhabitants of the federal capital to limit their consumption of power in their houses.

  • India and Pakistan were close to nuclear war, claims former US Secretary of State

    India and Pakistan were close to nuclear war, claims former US Secretary of State

    Former United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed on Tuesday in his new memoir that arch rivals— India and Pakistan— were on the verge of nuclear war in February 2019.

    Pompeo, who served in President Donald Trump’s tenure, has written in ‘Never Give an Inch: Fighting for America I Love’ that he does “not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019.”

    He says at the time, he was informed by his Indian counter-partner that Pakistan had begun to prepare for a nuclear strike on India. However, he asked him to give it some time to sort out the matter. Later, he reached out to Pakistani former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    The ex-army chief told Pompeo that Indian allegations were baseless. He believed the Indians were preparing their nuclear weapons for deployment.

    Moreover, the former US official said that it took them a few hours and remarkably good work by their teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad to convince both countries to desist.

    In February 2019, Delhi launched strikes to attack Pakistan after a militant attack on Indian troops in Kashmir. However, Pakistan shot down two Indian military jets and captured a fighter pilot who later was released.

    In 1974, India became the first country in the region to become a nuclear power while Pakistan attained nuclear power in 1998.

    It is pertinent to mention that neither India nor Pakistan has commented so far on Pompeo’s claims.

  • Khan gave his Zaman Park home to Bushra Bibi in Haq meher, claims Javed Chaudhry

    Journalist Javed Chaudhry has published another column containing sensational claims about Imran Khan. In the article published on Thursday, Chaudhry gave details of a discussion he had with Khan’s former close aide, Awn Chaudhry. Over breakfast, the two discussed a host of issues including how the former Prime Minister came to marry his third wife, Bushra Bibi.

    The journalist wrote that Khan met Bushra Bibi after his divorce from Reham Khan in November 2015 at Bibi’s ex-husband Khawar Farid Maneka’s residence. Later, she rented a three-kanal house in Bani Gala, Islamabad. After that, Khan started to meet Bushra daily.

    Awn Chaudhry told the journalist that Bibi first offered her daughter’s hand in marriage to Imran Khan. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman turned down the proposal as she was quite young.

    Javed wrote that Awn was told by Khan in December 2016 that they would be going to Lahore for his and Bushra Bibi’s nikkah.

    Awn revealed that Bibi asked for Imran Khan’s Bani Gala house in her Haq Meher. Javed claimed that Awn said that he didn’t agree to this demand, however, Khan immediately agreed. Later, Imran Khan’s primary residence in Zaman Park Lahore house and a seven-kanal plot in Bani Gala were written in Haq Meher for Bibi.

    About Reham and Khan’s marriage, Awn said that Khan gave Reham a divorce the moment she landed in London in 2015, Javed claimed. He went on to say that Awn recalled that Imran Khan was depressed about the divorce and he had never seen him as worried as he was.

    Javed wrote that Awn told him that the divorce took place after Khan consulted Bushra Bibi on the matter.

  • Indian border officials bars own baseball team from entering Pakistan

    Indian border officials bars own baseball team from entering Pakistan

    The Indian baseball team, who had arrived at Wagha Border to enter Pakistan to play West Asia Cup, was barred from crossing over by Indian border officials, Dawn has reported. Nepal’s baseball team, which had travelled with their Indian counterparts, entered Pakistan.

    The West Asia Cup will start on January 27 in Islamabad.

    Indian security officials reportedly asked their team to show a NOC issued by the government.

    The Indian team had all the traveling documents and visas in their hands except the NOC. According to Dawn Pakistan Baseball Federation chairman Fakhar Ali Shah has said that they are still waiting for the Indian team’s arrival.

    “Even if they get the NOC on Jan 27, we will adjust the schedule of their matches accordingly,” Fakhar said, stating that Sri Lanka’s arrival had also been delayed and they would fly in on Thursday while Nepal joined Palestine and Bangladesh in reaching Islamabad.

    Earlier, Indian Baseball Federation general secretary Harish Kumar, who is accompanying the 20-member squad, had sent a video message to the PFB, saying it was “thankful to the government of Pakistan, especially for their all efforts for the issuance of the visas to the Indian squad”.

  • Millions in Pakistan without electricity after countrywide outage

    Millions in Pakistan without electricity after countrywide outage

    Millions of Pakistanis were left without electricity on Monday due to a nationwide power outage, which threatened to unleash chaos in the South Asian country, which is already experiencing fuel shortages during the winter.

    The country’s Ministry of Energy said in a statement the country’s National Grid went down at 7:34 am local time, “causing a widespread breakdown in the power system,” according to initial reports.

    “System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” the statement added.

    A “limited number of grids” in Islamabad and Peshawar have had power restored, the ministry said.

    The duration of the power outage is unknown, but attempts are being made to bring power back to various areas of the country.

    The disruption occurs as the country’s frail economy continues to face numerous difficulties, including a serious energy crisis.

    Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered all federal agencies to cut their energy use by 30 per cent. In addition, his administration mandated that all stores and restaurants close at 8:30 pm.

  • What is the new dress code and timings for school going students in Islamabad?

    The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has changed timings for educational institutes and announced a relaxation in uniform policy amid the extreme cold in the capital.

    Single-shift institutes will run from 8:30am to 2:30pm Monday through Thursday and close at 12:30pm on Friday, according to the official notification.

    On Monday through Thursday, evening shifts in double-shift institutions will run from 1:30pm to 7pm. On Friday, it will begin at 2:30 PM.
    Pre-I (Montessori/Prep) lessons will be offered Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

    Students are permitted to dress in any warm clothing of any colour to stay warm in the month of January to February, according to the official announcement.

  • Flour price may increase to Rs200 per kilogramme soon

    Flour price may increase to Rs200 per kilogramme soon

    The pirce of “chakki” flour in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has soared to Rs170 per kilogramme due to the country’s escalating inflation.

    The price of “chakki atta” (chakki flour), which was formerly sold at Rs150 per kilogramme, has suddenly increased to Rs170 per kilogramme. The new pricing is applicable as of Sunday, according to the price list published by the Rawalpindi Islamabad Chakki Atta Association and displayed at chakkis.

    Unfortunately, the administrations of the twin cities have not made any announcements. Nazakat Shah, president of the association, and Ali Raza, general secretary, have both signed the price list.

    According to The News, chakki owners in Rawalpindi claim that the association informed them that the price of flour may rise to Rs200 per kilogramme in the near future.

    An owner claimed that he only received 10 bags of wheat, each weighing 50 kilogrammes, with condolences from wholesalers that they would have to restrict the product and that things would only get harder as time goes on.

    The price of rice has also increased by Rs50 per kilogramme in less than a week, in a similar manner. The best rice can be found for between Rs340 and Rs380 per kilogramme.

  • Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has released its annual performance report for 2022.

    The 15 Emergency Helpline received 2,73,61,000 calls, 32,80,141 cases involving grave concerns, and cases for further action were generated by the dispatch control centre. 1,65,25,000 calls were surprisingly deemed irrelevant.

    Police investigators and the Court of Law received 2,004 pieces of audio and video evidence from the Electronic Data Analysis Center.

    According to The News, police in Lahore reported 2,34,000 suspicious observations from PSCA’s Operations and Monitoring Center. In addition to recovering 1,230 motorcycles, 30 vehicles, and 27 auto rickshaws and returning them to their owners, the PSCA Lost & Found centre assisted in the recovery of 109 missing people. 3,736 social media pages were reported to LEAs by the Media Management Center.

    Additionally, 2,790 campaign messages about road safety, effective use of the 15 emergency helplines, and other topics were carried on official social media pages and radio by MMC, PSCA WebTV, and Radio Safe City 88.6. PSCA is committed to extending its assistance and collaboration to LEAs and any other parties in need as needed. 15 helplines are available for residents to call in case of an emergency or to report criminal activities in the city.

    The Safe Cities Authority was crucial to the orderly execution of Ashura, international cricket, and other security tasks in Pakistan this year. This fiscal year, the Safe Cities Authority is attempting to create contemporary centres in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in addition to Lahore and Kasur.

  • 32,000 job seekers fill stadium in Islamabad to take police force test

    32,000 job seekers fill stadium in Islamabad to take police force test

    Pakistan is facing serious financial troubles, and rising unemployment is just making matters worse for the country. Thousands of applicants can be seen seated on a stadium field to take a written test to be hired as constables by the Islamabad Police in a video that has recently surfaced on social media.

    For the written exam, which was held on Saturday at the Sports Complex in Islamabad, at least 32,000 applicants were forced to sit outside in the cold.

    For the 1,667 openings for police constables that were announced, more than 30,000 male and female applicants from all over Pakistan, according to Islamabad police, took the written test.

    The positions of police constables have been unfilled for the past five years.

    A new debate on how to increase employment in the nation has been ignited by the massive turnout at the Islamabad Police recruitment. Pakistan’s unemployment rate has peaked. The number of unemployed people is also steadily rising because there is so little hiring for government positions. Despite this, thousands of applicants are vying for open positions in the public sector.

    Over 31 per cent of the country’s youth are unemployed, according to a report published by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in 2022. There are 51 per cent girls and 16 per cent of boys among them, and many of them have professional degrees.

    Pakistan has approximately 60 per cent of its population under the age of 30, and its unemployment rate is currently 6.9 per cent. 

  • Iesco issues two-hour load-shedding plan for Rawalpindi, Islamabad

    Iesco issues two-hour load-shedding plan for Rawalpindi, Islamabad

    All areas of Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum, Chakwal, Azad Kashmir, Murree, Attock, Pindigheb, Kotli Sattiyan, and other circles will face two hours of load-shedding, according to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco).

    According to The News, the citizens of these cities have been experiencing regular load-shedding for more than a month that lasts between six and eight hours. Muhammad Tanvir Kiani, who is head of Iesco’s technical division, stated that Iesco has announced a two-hour load-shedding timetable in each of the aforementioned locations.

    He said that the load-shedding schedule would initially last indefinitely until further instruction. Furthermore, he stated that due to an electricity shortage, load-shedding has been implemented in all areas in light of the current situation.