Abdul Rehman in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase V in 2022, has been arrested in Sweden. The breakthrough was confirmed by a senior police official on Monday.
According to Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) South Asad Raza, Nisar was apprehended by Swedish authorities.
“A Swedish police delegation has also arrived in Karachi,” the SSP said. He further said that the suspect will be transferred to Karachi in ten to fifteen days after the completion of all legal formalities.
Karachi police also made contact with Interpol to request their assistance in arresting the suspect.
According to the police, Nisar came to Karachi last year from Sweden in November. He lives there with his wife and two children.
Murder:
A heated exchange between Khurram Nisar and the police officer came to light in CCTV footage last year, in which the accused was seen pulling out his gun after getting out of a black car.
Khurram is the son of a former Deputy Commissioner. According to the authorities, he had arrived in Karachi on November 5, 2021 from Sweden, before flying back in November the next year.
Pakistan has achieved a significant milestone by introducing its groundbreaking online air taxi service, revolutionising air travel for its citizens. This innovative service offers individuals the utmost convenience in booking air travel according to their preferred time and destination.
With just a few taps on a user-friendly mobile app, individuals can now reserve an air taxi from the comfort of their homes, mirroring the simplicity of booking a regular taxi.
The official launch of the aerial air taxi service took place in Karachi, marking a momentous occasion. The lease agreement for the highly acclaimed DA 40 Diamond series aircraft was officially signed at the Civil Aviation office adjacent to Karachi Airport.
Imran Aslam Khan, the Chief Operating Officer of Sky Wings Aviation, expressed his genuine excitement as the aircraft designated for aerial tours successfully arrived in Pakistan after a flawless test flight.
Notably, this remarkable single-engine plane boasts a comfortable seating capacity of four passengers.
Imran emphasised that the primary objective of this exceptional air taxi service is to provide emergency transportation from Karachi to remote areas in rural Sindh and Balochistan through captivating aerial tours.
The German-manufactured aircraft demonstrates remarkable capabilities, with a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 2,000 kilometers, making it an ideal choice for efficient air travel across the region.
To further enhance the convenience for passengers, Imran revealed that the mobile app, which is set to launch soon, will empower citizens to effortlessly select their desired time and destination for air travel, putting the control in their hands.
Significantly, the fare for this novel air taxi service will be significantly lower compared to typical charter services, which often begin at a staggering cost of Rs2.5 million for a trip from Karachi to various cities in Sindh and Balochistan. This affordability factor opens up endless possibilities for a wider range of individuals to experience the convenience and luxury of air travel.
The initial phase of the air taxi service will commence with eight aircraft of varying capacities, with promising plans for expansion in the near future. Importantly, this remarkable service is not limited to political, religious, or business personalities.
Anchor Muhammad Junaid made the country proud when he became the first ever Pakistani journalist to participate in the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon, a feat he completed in a week.
In the Boston Marathon, held on April 17 in Eastern Massachusetts, Junaid completed the run in 3 hours, 36 min and 38 seconds. He participated along side other Pakistani-Americans like Salman Khan, Hamid Butt, Prem Kumar, Aamad Butt and Shariq Samad. Dr Salman & Hamid Butt are Abbott 6 Start Finishers.
Whereas in the London Marathon, which Junaid finished in 3 hours, 21 minutes and 38 seconds, he ran alongside others Pakistani or Pakistani origin marathons runners. Sadiq Shah, Faisal Shafi, Semeena Khan, Danish Raza, Prem Kumar, Farrukh Sadiq, Dr Jehanzeb Mughal, Danish Elahe, Imran Aleem & Ammar Mumtaz were also among them.
Saqid Shah, a Quetta born and currently a Karachi resident made history at the London Marathon by completing the race in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 20 seconds, becoming the fastest Pakistani runner in London Marathon. He appeared on the Geo News show ‘Geo Pakistan’, along with Muhammad Junaid.
The Current reached out to Junaid to chat about his recent accomplishments, and how running become one of his favorite hobbies, and the Geo News anchor gave us some interesting insights.
Q. You mentioned in your bio that you previously participated in the Boston Marathon. Is running your passion?
Junaid: I started more organised and focused running a few years ago and ran marathons in Karachi and Istanbul. Women and men of the running community realised that the number of Pakistanis in International marathons is very limited and we decided to train to run them. Every marathon has its own value but running Boston marathon can be any runner’s biggest dream. I collaborated with Pakistani Americans & partnered with South Asian Circle of Hopkinton through Hopkinton Board in Massachusetts to run Boston Marathon and open paths for more South Asians in future. It’s an achievement for South Asians in USA and Pakistanis here.
Q. Winning this race seems like an impossible task, so how did you train for this marathon? Especially considering that you’re a Karachi food lover.
Junaid: The goal is to finish the marathon in a good time, preferably faster than your previous time, for any marathon runner 70 KM per week is considered a standard mileage. Per week can vary for everyone, but yes you have got be careful with food. Protein is most important in that because it helps make and repair cells, which are critical for growth and development. So yes chicken, yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese, seafood, nut butters and then good carbs like wholegrain items, sweet potato, brown rice, and lots and lots of water, in my experience anyone involved in sports should avoid carbonated drinks because of the amount of processed sugar in them.
Q. You met politicians like MP Zarah Sultana who congratulated you for your prestigious win! How did that feel?
Junaid: For the Boston Marathon, Pakistani-American Shahid Ahmed Khan, who is currently a member of US President Joe Biden’s prestigious President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts (PACA), Irfan Nasrullah, and the President of South Asian Circle Ruta Upalekar and her team’s role was significant in helping me prepare for the marathon. From Pakistan, it was nearly impossible without support of Geo News. London Marathon was a collaboration for me with the Pakistani-British Journalist Saima Mohsin to raise funds for Scope, a UK charity working mainly for people with disabilities and facing cost of living crises. In that collaboration, we met British Pakistani MPs Naz Shah and Zarah Sultana, who are an inspiration for many and they assured us of their support to work in order to send more Pakistanis of all genders in world sports specially London Marathon.
Q. These initiatives are wonderful but sadly such things have not taken place in Pakistan. Should Pakistani politicians also start setting up running marathons, now that petrol prices are soaring and we’re looking for cheaper ways to travel?
Junaid: Pakistan does not have any international standard running events so far but Shoaib Nizami and other partners are working to organise Pakistan’s first internationally recognised marathon, Karachi Marathon, this year, which can help people here to get first hand experience of running an official marathon.
Junaid revealed that currently he is gearing up along side other Pakistani marathon runners to participate in the upcoming Berlin Marathon being held on September 24, where 50 runners from Pakistan are expected to participate.
Besides the fact that Pakistanis are underrepresented at these races, the number of women runners is even less but the running community is trying to change that. Last year, at London Marathon, Kaukab Sarwar and Hira Diwan ran in the race for TCF with the help of a friend of Pakistan, Mike Nithavrianakis. It is expected that a bigger number of women will be participating in Berlin Marathon this year. Hira Diwan, who is a British Pakistani, has run four world major marathons including New York & Chicago.
The US Embassy in Islamabad has announced the cancellation of all routine consular appointments scheduled for Monday due to security concerns. The embassy issued a security alert on Sunday, stating that there is a possibility of road closures and/or traffic delays, which could impede the movement of people.
The alert clarified that although the embassy is still operational, it is limiting the movements of its personnel to official and mission-essential travel only. The US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, however, are open for routine consular appointments, according to the notification.
US citizens who are traveling in-country are advised to be aware of potential disruptions to mobile phone service and have contingency communication plans in place. The embassy urges US citizens to remain vigilant and maintain good situational awareness of their surroundings. It also recommends that they pay attention to local media for security updates and planned road closures.
Furthermore, the US embassy strongly encourages its citizens to avoid large gatherings, unnecessary travel, and comply with all established security checkpoints. It is essential to take the necessary precautions and maintain a high level of security awareness to ensure personal safety while traveling in Pakistan.
More than 60 domestic and international flights from various airlines have been cancelled due to the unstable situation in Pakistan, with many other flights being uncertain about their arrival and departure.
The cancellations have affected flights to major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, where the number of passengers has decreased.
According to the airport schedule, more than 60 domestic and foreign flights from various airlines have been cancelled, including flights from Karachi to Jeddah, Madinah, Muscat, Dubai, Riyadh, Baghdad, and Baku. The arrival and departure schedule of Karachi Airport provides a comprehensive list of the affected flights, including those cancelled between Karachi and Islamabad, Lahore, Turbat, and Peshawar.
To ensure that their travel plans are not disrupted, passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates on flight status.
According to Minute Mirror, the following flights have been canceled according to the arrival and departure schedule of Karachi Airport:
Karachi to Jeddah: ER 811 and ER 812
Karachi to Medina: PK 743
Salam Air flight to Muscat: OV 292
Emirates Air flights to Dubai: EK 605 and 604, EK 609 and 608
Karachi to Muscat: WY 323 and 324
Karachi to Riyadh: PK 729
Flight to Baghdad: IF 331 and IF 332
PIA flight from Baku to Karachi: K 154
The following flights have been canceled between Karachi and Islamabad:
PK369
PF121
PF122
9P670
9P871
PA200
PF127
ER502
The following flights have been canceled between Lahore and Islamabad:
PK302
PK303
9P840
9P841
PF141
ER520
PA406
PK306
PF147
The following flights have been canceled between Karachi and Turbat:
PK501
The following flights have been canceled between Karachi and Peshawar:
Karachi is experiencing a crisis in flour supply as a disagreement between the flour mills association and the Sindh Food Department shows no sign of abating, ARY has reported.
The chairman of the association stated that 70 per cent of the city’s flour mills have run out of wheat, accusing Sindh government of not reaching out to them. He added that the remaining 30 per cent of mills have only 3,000 to 4,000 bags of wheat, which is insufficient to meet even 5 per cent of the metropolis’s demand for flour.
The Chairman of the flour mills association also stated that if wheat is not made available by Tuesday, all flour mills in Karachi will be closed until a new shipment arrives, as almost all mills would have run out of wheat by then.
The shortage of wheat has led to a flour crisis, according to the head of the Sindh Food Department. The Sindh government had aimed to buy 1.4 million tons of wheat, but despite purchases made since March, the target has not been met. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has already purchased 40 per cent of its required wheat.
The Sindh Food Department disclosed that the cost of flour in Karachi could rise to Rs200 per kg, as only 10 per cent of the city’s flour supply can be sustained while all flour mills are closed due to the unavailability of wheat to the millers.
First Lady of Pakistan and bestselling author Tehmina Durrani attended former Prime Minister (PM) Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s granddaughter Fatima Bhutto’s wedding which took place in Karachi a few days ago.
While sharing a picture of herself with the newlyweds, Durrani wrote: “Fatima Bhutto and Gibran’s marriage is an important message of simplicity for the entire nation.”
Fatima Bhutto & Gibran’s marriage is an important msg of SIMPLICITY for the entire nation. The example set in ZAB’s historic library at 70 Clifton must become the new trend. Ameen pic.twitter.com/Kvfc5jOLuW
It is pertinent to mention that the history of ties between the Bhutto family and Tehmina goes way back to the 1970s when she was married to former Punjab Governor Ghulam Mustafa Khar, who was one of Bhutto’s closest confidants. However, after Tehmina got divorced from Khar, she remained in touch with Bhutto’s son Murtaza’s family.
Fatima Bhutto, who is also a famous writer, got married in an intimate ceremony at her family home in Karachi’s 70 Clifton on April 28, with the simple nuptials held in her grandfather’s library.
Sri Lanka’s High Commission in Pakistan has denied reports that the island nation plans to give two elephants to the country.
Media reports had stated last week that Sri Lanka was gifting two elephants to Pakistan, after the demise of the Karachi Zoo’s Tanzanian elephant Noor Jehan. The pachyderm died after a very public battle with illness exacerbated by neglect from Zoo officials.
The news was met with backlash from Pakistani social media users, including celebrities like Nadia Jamil, who took to Twitter to condemn the possibility, pointing out that Pakistan had no proper policy about the well-being and care of Zoo animals, which had led to Noor Jehan’s death.
I beg Sri Lanka, DO NOT GIVE PAKISTAN ANY ELEPHANTS. NOT until Pakistan develops a policy to protect animals in its zoos and learns to take care of animals as they should be taken care of. Please. No more tragic deaths. Please spare more animals from suffering like Noorjehan https://t.co/cQmczn5DxB
However, a tweet posted by the Sri Lankan High Commission has put the rumors to rest.
“Sri Lanka has not taken action or discussed in providing Elephants to the Zoo’s in Karachi or Lahore, neither Government of Pakistan has made any such request. This post indicate the correct position in view of certain articles in media and discussions on going on social media.”
Sri Lanka has not taken action or discussed in providing Elephants to the Zoo’s in Karachi or Lahore, neither Government of Pakistan has made any such request. This post indicate the correct position in view of certain articles in media and discussions on going on social media. pic.twitter.com/ErMF7hJXAn
— Sri Lanka High Commission in Pakistan (@SLinPakistan) April 25, 2023
The post did clarify that there was some truth to the claims, because the Sri Lankan Honorary Counsel in Lahore Yasin Joyia, had discussed the possibility of providing elephants to Pakistan, but he did not hold any authority to execute such decisions.
ChatGPT is all the rage across the world, changing the landscape in more ways than one. Quickly and with ease, it has redefined everything- from writing essays, CVs, acing college exams and even penning novels!
If ChatGPT is good at writing fiction, then can it paint a fair picture of Karachi’s street crime and give us a good short story about it? We decided to take the challenge and pitched the idea to ChatGPT and here are the results:
“The sun had set yet the humidity in Karachi hadn’t reduced one bit. The bustling streets continued to be a buzz of traffic, street vendors, and people going about their business. However, with the rise of darkness, a sense of fear crept in the city. Crime was all too familiar, and the residents of Karachi knew to be cautious when stepping out after dark.
One such resident of Karachi was Ali. He was an honest man, who had built a life of his own after years of struggle. From selling snacks on the streets to owning a small clothing store in one of the famous markets of Karachi, Ali had come a long way. However, his success story had come with a price. The local mafia bosses would continuously extort him, and although Ali always tried to avoid any trouble, he knew it was only a matter of time before things would go out of hand.
One evening, as Ali was closing down his shop, he was approached by two men who stood lurking near his stall. They looked as if they were from the mafia and had an unmistakable air of danger around them. Ali knew better than to get into trouble with them and tried to avoid any conversation. However, it was too late. Before he knew it, the men had grabbed him by his collar and pulled him towards them.
“We need the money, Ali; you’d better be quick in delivering it. We don’t want to get our hands dirty,” one of the men sneered.
“I don’t have any money, I swear,” Ali tried to explain, hoping the men would let him go.
“Stop lying, Ali. You think we don’t know how well your business is doing in recent times. We want our share of it, and you better do it quick,” the other man shouted.
Ali realized he was in a sticky situation, and there was no way out. The mafia bosses wouldn’t leave him alone, but continuing to pay them would only put him and his family at risk. He needed a plan to protect himself and his loved ones.
Despite the intimidation that he was facing, Ali remained calm and thought things through. He knew there was only one way out – to report everything to the police. But that, he knew, was easier said than done. The police had their fair share of corrupt officers, and with the mafia’s influence, it would be difficult to get any help. But Ali had no other choice. He had worked hard to build his life, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for him.
The next day, Ali gathered all his courage and walked into the nearest police station. He narrated everything that had happened to him over the years to the police. Initially, the police officers seemed skeptical, but as Ali presented all the necessary evidence he had collected, they began to take him seriously.
After a few weeks of investigations, the police finally made their move. Undercover officers managed to gather evidence against the mafia bosses, and with the help of Ali’s testimony, they were able to make arrests. The mafia bosses were tried in court and sentenced to jail time.
In a single stroke, Ali had managed to rid himself of the mafia’s world and restore his business back to being his own. He felt a sense of pride for having stood up to the people who had been victimizing him for years. For the first time in a while, he felt like he had control over his life and could continue to run his business without any interference.
As Karachi busied itself through its daily grind, Ali went on with his life, passing through the same bustling streets each day, yet with a newfound sense of confidence. The thing with crime in Karachi was that it never quite left you alone. But with the realization that he could stand up for himself, Ali knew that he had taken the first step towards taking control of his life.”
Indus Motor Company (IMC) announced a 37 per cent decrease in its profit-after-tax (PAT) for the third quarter of financial year 2022-23, with earnings of Rs3.216 billion compared to Rs5.118 billion in the same period last year.
Despite this, the automaker saw an increase in its quarterly PAT by 142 per cent, which was attributed to an improvement in gross margins, resulting in an operating profit after two consecutive quarterly operating losses. The company also declared an interim cash dividend of Rs24.4 per share, in addition to the previously paid interim cash dividend of Rs18.4 per share.
Muhammad Abrar, an investment analyst at Arif Habib Limited, explained that IMC was able to offset the impact of currency devaluation by raising the prices of its cars significantly. The automaker’s operating expenses were also curtailed. While revenue decreased by 29 per cent due to lower units sold, IMC’s gross profit was Rs3.05 billion during 3QFY23, compared to Rs5.23 billion in the same period last year.
Pakistan’s auto sector has been struggling due to the government’s decision to curb imports and restrict issuance of Letters of Credit (LC), higher finance cost, and massive increases in car prices. Despite this, IMC’s gross margins improved to 6.3 per cent on a QoQ basis, which was unexpected, according to Abrar.
According to Brecorder, the company’s earnings per share (EPS) stood at Rs40.92, compared to Rs65.11. IMC’s board of directors met to review the company’s financial and operational performance in the first nine months ended March 31, 2023. While higher profits are expected in the upcoming quarter due to the increase in car prices and the reduction of operating expenses, the country’s auto industry reported a 66 per cent decrease in car sales compared to March 2022.
Last week, Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited also reported its highest-ever quarterly loss of Rs12.9 billion in the first three months of 2023 due to decreased sales and high finance costs.
