Tag: islamabad

  • Terrorism threats: Five places to remain closed on New Year’s eve

    Terrorism threats: Five places to remain closed on New Year’s eve

    Local authorities have decided to close down five key recreational points ahead of New Year’s Eve in Islamabad as threats of terrorist attacks loom over the capital.

    According to Samaa News, the decision has been taken to prevent large gatherings on New Year’s eve out of fear of terrorism.

    The places include F-9 Park, Centaurus Mall, Safa Mall, Lake View Park, and Faisal Masjid. Residents of the city won’t be allowed to go to these places to welcome 2023.

    The Deputy Commissioner (DC) has directed Assistant Commissioners (ACs) to implement the orders.

    Moreover, to prevent any untoward incident, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have also decided to beef up the security of the federal capital and called in 1,000 Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel to assist the police at checkposts.

    These decisions have been taken following a suicide car bomb blast in Islamabad on December 23 that left one policeman martyred and 10 injured.

  • US embassy issues warning to American staff based in Pakistan of a possible attack

    The embassy of the United States of America (USA) has warned its Islamabad-based staff of a possible attack on the Marriott Hotel and “prohibited” them from visiting the hotel during the Christmas holidays.

    On Sunday, the embassy issued a security alert stating: “The US government is aware of information that unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays. Effective immediately, the embassy in Islamabad is prohibiting all American staff from visiting the hotel.”

    The US also urged its staff to refrain from non-essential travel in Islamabad during the holiday season.

    Meanwhile, the Islamabad police raised security levels to high alert in the capital. The police said that checking was increased at all entry and exit points, requesting residents to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

    The capital administration has also put a ban on all types of gatherings for two weeks and declared a high alert in the city for 48 hours.

    The American embassy directive followed a suicide bombing in I-8, a residential area of Islamabad on Friday, which killed a police officer and wounded 10 people.

    Pakistan is facing a resurgence of terrorism since the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in late November.

    Seven separate blasts ripped through Balochistan on December 25 killing six soldiers and injuring dozens of others.

    Last week, TTP militants seized control of the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and held hostages inside the compound for almost two days.

  • Govt launches 20,000 paid internships for engineers

    Govt launches 20,000 paid internships for engineers

    The Federal Government has launched an internship program for over 20,000 engineers across Pakistan, providing them with a monthly compensation of Rs. 40,000.

    Speaking at the 56th Annual general meeting of Institution of Engineers Pakistan, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, revealed that the government is working on promoting the engineering sector of Pakistan.

    Iqbal further stated that a budget amounting to Rs 6.5 billion has been approved for five universities, with the government also deciding to establish an institution bearing the name of the late nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan.
    Ahsan Iqbal had stated last month that over 20,000 scholarships would be offered to unemployed graduates in Pakistan, and under the Youth Development Initiatives program launched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, these scholarships will be offered to students from remote parts of Pakistan.

  • ‘Suicide blast’ in Islamabad’s I-10: One policeman martyred, several injured

    ‘Suicide blast’ in Islamabad’s I-10: One policeman martyred, several injured

    A suicide blast in a vehicle left a policeman martyred and at least six people injured in Islamabad’s I-10/4 sector on Friday, the federal capital’s police said in a statement.

    Shortly afterwards, the Islamabad Police declared a “red alert” in the city.

    According to Deputy Inspector General of Police Sohail Zafar Chattha, the police spotted a “suspicious vehicle” with a man and a woman aboard at 10:15am in the area.

    “When the police stopped the vehicle, the couple came out of the car. The long-haired man, while being checked by the officers, went inside the vehicle on some pretext and then detonated himself,” he said in a media briefing at the crime scene alongside Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon.

    Police officials said that cops had stopped a “suspicious” taxi for snap checking when the explosion occurred.

    In a tweet, the Islamabad police said police officers were conducting snap-checking when they signalled to the suspicious vehicle to stop.

    “A suicide bomber aboard the vehicle detonated a bomb soon after the car stopped near the officers,” it said.

    Injured cops were moved to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

    All the hospitals in Islamabad have been put on high alert, a notification issued by the Ministry of National Health Services said. The ministry said to ensure the attendance of all the medical and paramedical staff.

    The Ministry of Health said that all federal hospitals should be kept on high alert keeping in view the current situation.

    Soon after the blast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned a report of the suicide blast and also condemned the terror incident.

    The PM also paid tribute to the martyred policemen, adding that the nation pays tribute to its martyrs. He added that the whole nation will fight against terrorism. 

    “The plan to shed innocent blood has failed due to the action of the law enforcement agencies,” said the PM. He also announced a martyr package for the family of Head Constable Adeel Hussain.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed that “two terrorists” were killed in the blast.

    “The vehicle used in the blast was registered in Chakwal. The car entered Islamabad from Rawalpindi […] it was packed with explosives and headed for a high-value target in the capital,” he said.

    Sanaullah added that had the car reached its target, it would have caused heavy losses.

    The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on Friday.

  • Toshakhana case: Court summons Imran Khan to appear in person on Jan 9

    Toshakhana case: Court summons Imran Khan to appear in person on Jan 9

    A district and sessions court in Islamabad has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to appear in person before the court on January 9 (Monday) and issued a notice to him in this regard.

    The court has admitted the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plea against Khan in the Toshakana case.

    On December 12, the court reserved its verdict after a plea filed by ECP.

    Last month, ECP, in a consensus verdict in the Toshakana reference, disqualified the former prime minister and ruled that the PTI chief was no more a member of the National Assembly.

    The ECP stated that the PTI chief had submitted a false affidavit and was found involved in corrupt practices under Article 63(1)(p).

  • PTI’s Azam Swati shifted to Islamabad after court’s order that no cases should be registered against him

    PTI’s Azam Swati shifted to Islamabad after court’s order that no cases should be registered against him

    Senator Azam Swati — who has been in detention since November 27 over his controversial tweets about senior military officials— has been shifted to Islamabad and taken into police custody. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    On Thursday, Sindh Prosecutor General Faiz H Shah informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) of the development. During the hearing, the high court ordered that no cases should be registered against him.

    A two-member SHC bench, comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Arshad Hussain Khan, took up the plea.

    The prosecutor general informed the bench at the hearing that Swati had been transferred to Islamabad and all cases registered against him in Sindh were being disposed of as C-Class, which means disposal of the case for being non-cognisable.

    “Consequently, all FIRs will now become ineffective,” he said.

    Speaking to the media after the hearing, Swati’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor Khan said that 34 cases were registered against his client in Sindh and all have now been categorised as “C class”.

    Swati was initially booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad over a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions” and subsequently arrested by the agency.

    Later, multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan for using “derogatory language” and “provoking the people against the army”.

    Earlier this month, PTI chairman Imran Khan slammed Quetta police’s decision to take Swati from Islamabad despite his health concerns.

  • Arshad Sharif murder: Govt forms new investigation team after SC suo motu

    Arshad Sharif murder: Govt forms new investigation team after SC suo motu

    The federal government has formed a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif after the Supreme Court (SC) took suo motu of the slaying and ordered that a new team be formed.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan, (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, is heading the five-member bench that is hearing the suo motu case.

    During Thursday’s hearing, the federal government informed the apex court that a new JIT has been constituted, including members DIG Islamabad Owais Ahmed, Director Cybercrime FIA Waqaruddin Syed, Sajid Kayani from Intelligence Bureau, Murtaza Afzal from Military Intelligence and Mohammad Aslam from Inter-Services Intelligence.

    Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Amir Rehman informed the court that an investigation into the murder is being launched immediately, specifying that the JIT would first record the statement of the slain journalist’s mother.

    “The JIT will probe all relevant persons in Pakistan and then start investigations in Kenya,” the AAG added.

    The chief justice stressed an impartial and transparent investigation and directed the JIT to submit a progress report fortnightly. The top court also said that “JIT can approach the Supreme Court in case it faces any hurdle.”

    Moreover, the SC stated that the team should submit progress reports to judges in chambers for review.

    A day earlier, the apex court sought the names of senior and competent for the JIT from the government.

  • Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs164,200 per tola

    Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs164,200 per tola

    Despite a $4 decline in the international market price to $1,794 per ounce, domestic gold prices rose to an all-time high of Rs164,200 per tola and Rs140,604 per 10 grammes on Monday. This is an increase of Rs700 and Rs601 from Saturday.

    The president of the All Sindh Saraf and Jewellers Association (ASSJA), Haji Haroon Rasheed Chand, claimed that the pressure on bullion rates has been caused by exchange rate changes.

    He claimed that despite the ongoing peak wedding season, jewellery sales remained low due to high gold prices.

    On January 1, the price of a tola and ten grammes of gold was Rs126,200 and Rs108,196, respectively, while the price of the precious metal was $1,830 per ounce on the world market. In the interbank market, the dollar was worth Rs177, while the current exchange rate was Rs223.99.

  • Azam Swati turns to Supreme Court for help

    Azam Swati turns to Supreme Court for help

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati has approached the Supreme Court (SC) to request the transfer of all cases registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan to Islamabad.

    In a petition to the apex court, Swati has said that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him in a false case, adding that multiple cases were registered against him in the country, and he faces a security threat when appearing in various courts.

    The senator also appealed to the court that the “operation of FIRs” registered against him be suspended till his plea is heard.

    In Lahore, PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid also filed a petition against Swati’s arrest at the SC registry in the provincial capital, terming it “illegal”. Rashid claimed in her petition that the senator was arrested on political grounds.

    On Sunday, Swati was once again arrested from his farmhouse in Islamabad by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for speaking against senior military officers. Later, on Tuesday, his physical remand was extended for four more days.

  • PTI marches towards Islamabad for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’

    PTI marches towards Islamabad for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that there is a “threat to his life” but he is coming to Rawalpindi for the nation despite the injury.

    “My nation will come to Pindi for me,” a tweet posted from PTI’s official account quoted Khan as saying.

    Islamabad Police shares traffic update

    PTI leaders tweets on march