Tag: Karachi

  • Bodies of 12 girls found drugged and dumped in Karachi, says Sindh Police

    Bodies of 12 girls found drugged and dumped in Karachi, says Sindh Police

    In a shocking discovery by the Sindh Police, bodies of at least twelve young girls have been found over a short span of time. They are suspected to be killed by overdose of prohibited drugs at dance parties in different farmhouses in Karachi.

    The body of the first girl was found in the jurisdiction of Sachal Police Station on September 27. In a first of its kind case, Sindh Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) SSP Junaid Sheikh has revealed that as per the records of rescue agencies, 12 young girls have been found in the past few weeks. They were given illegal drugs before being dumped at unknown locations.

    Police could not find any related records of the deceased, leading them to connecting the dots and starting an investigation into the deaths as a continuation of previous occurrences.

    SIU has sealed the farmhouse of a government servant and arrest four caretakers, including a woman and a manager. They are being interrogated about the corpses.

    The police have also taken rescue agencies on board to prevent such cases in future.

  • Karachiites to have hot, humid weekend

    Karachiites to have hot, humid weekend

    The weather department has warned Karachiites of an impending heat wave in the coming three days. It is predicted that the temperature will rise, while the weather will be hot and humid.

    Temperature may range from 35 to 37 degree celsius. Warm breeze blowing from the south-west of the city will keep the climate generally dry. Sea-breeze is suspected to tone it down in the evening.

    Contrary to low temperatures in the northern plains, major parts of Sindh are experiencing an episode of hot and dry weather. However, there is a prediction of heavy rainfall in some districts of Qambar Shehdad Kot and Jacobabad.

  • 16-year-old househelp raped and poisoned to death in Karachi

    16-year-old househelp raped and poisoned to death in Karachi

    Sonia, a 16-year-old working as a housemaid in a bungalow located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal 13-C in Karachi, was allegedly raped and poisoned to death by her employer’s sons.

    Sonia’s mother has said in a statement given to the police that the teenager had gone to work on Sunday as usual. On her return she was in a critical condition, therefore taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College for an examination. However the girl died during treatment.

    Police has started its investigation but the mother of the victim has accused the sons of the employer-who was not at home at the time Sonia went there-of rape and poisoning.

  • Father passes away while saving his children from drowning

    Father passes away while saving his children from drowning

    A video featuring a father and his two children struggling in the sea near Defence Phase VIII in Karachi has gone viral.

    Shehbaz Younas, accompanied by his two children, went to the beach to play, however, his children reportedly got stuck in a riptide. Younas jumped in to help his children. Security guards hurried to get them out of the sea and they were taken to the nearby private hospital, as confirmed by DG South.

    In a heart wrenching turn of events, the father could not survive while the children are now out of danger.

  • Peshawar students protest after schoolmate shot dead by robbers

    Peshawar students protest after schoolmate shot dead by robbers

    On Thursday, students from Edward College, Peshawar, gathered to protest against the murder of their fellow student who was killed in broad daylight on Wednesday.

    The 17-year-old student, Hasan Tariq, was on his way home after school in a rickshaw when two robbers stopped him and asked for his phone. Tariq, however, resisted, so they shot him on the spot.

    Dawn reported that the incident took place in the red zone area which encapsulates the provincial assembly, Peshawar High Court, Corps Commander House, Governor’s House and other government offices.

    The students demonstrated outside Peshawar Press Club, had closed Saddar Road for the time being, while some protested outside the provincial assembly.

    The young protesters held placards, chanted slogans, and raised concerns about the increasing crime rate in Peshawar. They also condemned the police administration and called for justice for their school-mate.

    Tariq’s parents were also present at the demonstration.

    Caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan has taken notice of the incident.

    According to a statement, he ordered suspension of the relevant station house officer and directed the police chief to submit a report into the student’s killing.

    “Those involved in the murder will be arrested and brought to justice,” Khan stated.

    Simultaneously, the caretaker minister for information, Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel, visited the Manga Dargai area of Charsadda district, the native village of Hasan Tariq.

    He also visited Edwards College and met with Principal Shujaat Ali Khan and other faculty members.

  • Karachi’s Mangroves, vital for the city, are depleting, Senate Committee told

    In the wake of an incident of deforestation being reported in the Mangrove forest of Manora, Karachi, the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change headed by Senator Seeme Ezdi paid a visit to the WWF-P Wetland Centre at Hawke’s Bay. The delegation included Senator Muhammad Humayun Mohmand, Senator Khalida Ateeb, Senator Abida Muhammad Azeem, and Senator Keshubai.

    Committee members were briefed by WWF-P Director Hammad Naqi Khan and Chief Conservator of Forests Riaz Ahmed Wagan on the efforts made for rehabilitation and conservation of the mangrove forests along the coastline.

    Mangroves are the biggest source of preventing climate vulnerability of Pakistan in form of tsunami, cyclones and storms.

    The committee was told that the forest cover in the Indus Delta that was reduced to less than 86,000 hectares in 2005 has now increased to over 2,40,000 hectares in 2023.

    On the other hand, the mangroves around Karachi have reduced from 2,000 hectares in 2010 to 18,00 hectares today, with housing and commercial enterprises encroaching on the land.

    However, the aim is to increase the area to 5,00,000 hectares in coming years.

    Senior Manager Conservation WWF Sindh Altaf Sheikh delineated the committee about different programmes in Pakistan which include ongoing work on 18 different landscapes from mountains to mangroves. The Indus Delta being the fifth largest arid ecosystem hosts the seventh largest mangrove forest in the world contributing 98 percent of shrimp catch and more than 77 percent of marine fish.

    Major challenges include sea intrusion and soil erosion amplified by deforestation resulting in the severe loss of biodiversity too.

    The senators also highlighted the importance of mangroves by talking about the financial and environmental significance. A single hector can earn thousands of dollars and carbon credits which are more crucial and is already standing on a steady number of $40 million.

  • Karachi’s Regent Plaza to be purchased by SIUT for Rs14.5 billion

    Karachi’s iconic landmark, the Regent Plaza hotel on Shahrah-e-Faisal, owned by Pakistan Hotels Developers Limited (PHDL) might be changing ownership.

    On October 9, Pakistan Stock Exchange received an offer letter of Rs14.5bn (almost $52 million) by the prestigious Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) which aims to convert the 47,00 square feet built structure into a tertiary healthcare facility within a period of an year. The letter was then delivered to PHDL on October 10. In response to it, a meeting of the Board of Directors was called urgently for October 12.

    To put things in context, renowned financial wizard Shabbar Zaidi expressed, “Karachi badly needs another tertiary-care health facility and constructing a large health facility by acquiring land would take years. In these circumstances, it is the best option to acquire a built structure in the heart of the city and convert it into a health facility.”

    The noble cause of SIUT was founded by Dr. Syed Adibul Hassan Rizvi nearly four decades ago with an eight-bed ward in the Burns Unit of Karachi Civil Hospital. It has expedited its projects from organ transplant surgeries to areas of research in urology and nephrology. The hospital has been run through charity funds and provides financial and medical support to patients.

    Deliberation between the two parties has been going on since the mid of September but was not announced formally earlier. It is because in the first nine months of 2022-23, PHDL reported a net profit of Rs45.5 million, i.e. a 38.3 per cent decrease from the previous year. The occupancy rate of this 400 room space has dropped from 20 per cent for the year 2021-22 to 9 per cent in the previous year. The downward spiral can be credited to Covid-19 but has put the owners in a position to think otherwise of the property.

  • Pakistan expected to export cars to Kenya

    Pakistan expected to export cars to Kenya

    Master Changan Motors, a noteworthy Pakistani-Chinese collaboration, has initiated the export of its Oshan X7 mid-size crossover to Kenya.

    The sight of containers laden with Oshan X7 vehicles en route to the port in Karachi has confirmed this export venture.

    Reliable sources affirm that a substantial quantity of Oshan X7 SUVs will soon grace Kenyan roads.

    While the official announcement of this export endeavour is yet to be made, it is anticipated to be unveiled at a ceremony scheduled for October 12, hosted at their Karachi manufacturing facility.

    In the past, Changan Pakistan’s CEO, Danial Malik, articulated the company’s intention to export right-hand drive vehicles initially designed for the Pakistani market to various other regions.

    Historically, the parent company produced left-hand drive vehicles exclusively for its domestic clientele.

    Danial Malik also emphasised that Changan’s Pakistan-assembled vehicles would find their way to distributors in South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other countries where right-hand drive vehicles are customary.

    This development unfolds against a backdrop of considerable economic challenges confronting Pakistan, including soaring inflation and the burdensome cost of conducting business. Exacerbating the situation, interest rates are presently at historic highs, resulting in decreased demand for automobiles.

    Furthermore, car prices within Pakistan have surged significantly, amplifying the financial strain on hard-pressed consumers.

    In response, the government has been strongly encouraging the automotive sector, which is heavily reliant on imported materials, to bolster its exports. The initial objective was to achieve 2 per cent of the total imports, a target unmet in FY23.

    According to Samaa, in May 2022, Pakistan marked a milestone by exporting its first vehicle crafted by Master Changan Motors under the newly implemented Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP 2021-26). Notably, Pakistan stands as the sole country outside China to manufacture the latest Changan Oshan X7 model.

    Concurrently, the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) disclosed on October 11 that car sales in Pakistan had risen by 10 per cent in September compared to the preceding month, with a total of 8,312 units sold. 

    Nevertheless, this apparent short-term upturn can be attributed to improved access to raw materials, whereas the year-on-year data indicates a substantial 26 per cent decrease in sales for the corresponding period.

  • ‘I believe in protecting every citizen’, Murtaza Wahab says in light of harassment cases

    ‘I believe in protecting every citizen’, Murtaza Wahab says in light of harassment cases

    On Friday, police arrested the suspect who sexually harassed a woman on a street in the Samanabad area of Karachi.

    The incident reportedly took place on October 5 while the accused was identified as Asif Ali.

    CCTV footage shows Ali harassing the woman, escaping the scene right after.

    After the video came to light, social media reacted, with people demanding the man be arrested immediately.

    A statement issued by the District Central Police said that the accused, a resident og Bhanguria Goth of Azizabad, has been arrested. He runs a mobile bakery service on a motorcycle.

    Moreover, the FIR of the incident was also lodged which included sections 294 and 354 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    The Current spoke with Murtaza Wahab, Mayor of Karachi and a member of Pakistan People’s Party, in regards to the persistent harassment cases in the city.

    “As Mayor Karachi, I believe in protecting every citizen. Such incidents of sexual violence are horrific and shameful and will not be tolerated at all. The culprit in this video has been arrested. Police have also arrested another person for a similar offence,” he said.

    Similar incidents have taken place in the previous months.

    Earlier this month, a video showed a young man riding a motorcycle on Rashid Minhas Road harassing university students travelling in a bus.

    In July, a man stripped himself naked and sexually harassed a woman in broad daylight.

  • Man hypnotised and robbed in Karachi

    A man in Karachi was robbed after being hypnotised in Saadi Town area.

    The victim’s brother said that the accused claimed that his card was stuck in the ATM, after which his brother put his card and password in the machine in front of him at his request.

    The accused fraudulently took his brother’s ATM card and fled in a car.

    The suspect is said to have withdrawn Rs 40,000 from the ATM on Jinnah Avenue, and blocked the brother’s card.