Tag: Karachi

  • Grave of legendary Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan in ruins

    Grave of legendary Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan in ruins

    Legendary singer Mehdi Hassan’s grave is in bad condition. He is buried in Karachi.

    Twitter user Bilal Gilani posted a video with the latest condition of his grave.

    “This is apparently grave of Mehdi Hassan, the greatest ghazal singer of our times, recipient of hundreds of intl awards and if nothing else singer of dosens of Milli naghmas He deserves better treatment.”

    He also requested Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab to do something about the condition of the grave.

    Salman Sufi in a tweet said that the video is ‘disturbing’ and has said that the Salman Sufi Foundation will renovate the gravesite. Talking exclusively to The Current, Sufi said, “The main structure has been badly damaged.” He added that even the headstone has a verse that is written wrong and the area has litter all around.

    Talking about the renovation Sufi said, “We are going to renovate the entire columns and get proper calligraphy work done.”

    Mehdi Hassan passed away in 2012. He was born in July 1927. His career spanned 50 years.  Some of his most famous songs and ghazals include, “Mujhay Tum Nazar Say”, “Jaag Utha Insaan”, “Gulon May Rang Bharay” among many other countless hits.

  • Samaa TV producer killed in Karachi robbery

    Samaa TV producer killed in Karachi robbery

    Samaa TV’s producer was killed during a robbery. The incident took place when the TV producer was on its way and came across two men robbing a citizen at gunpoint. To prevent the mugging, he banged his car into the suspects’ motorcycle.

    In retaliation, the men opened fire on the victim’s car and then fled from the crime scene, after robbing another man. 

    Athar Mateen, senior producer at Samaa received gunshot wounds to his head and chest, was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he breathed his last.

    Police said that 9mm pistol was used in the attack and a shell was recovered from the site.

    The locality is popular for muggings and robberies, special early morning and late at night.

  • Pakistan rescues woman in love gone wrong, saves wife left in Indian jail by husband

    Pakistan rescues woman in love gone wrong, saves wife left in Indian jail by husband

    Pakistan has issued a nationality certificate, which will lead to becoming a citizen of Pakistan, to a stateless woman, Sumaira who has been stranded in India for four years. It was issued after verification by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and her family. Pakistan Interior Minister has sent her nationality certificate to Foreign Ministry.

    Pakistan High Commission in India, New Delhi will issue travel documents and she will be able to come to Pakistan with her daughter who is four-years-old.

    According to her lawyer, Sohana Biswapatna, Sumaira was born in Qatar to Pakistani parents who moved from Karachi for employment. She married an Indian Muslim for love in Qatar without the consent of her parents. She illegally moved to India with her husband in 2016.

    Sumaira and her husband were arrested in 2017. However, her husband, who faced the charges of facilitating a foreign intruder, was released on bail after a few months. She remained in jail.

    She gave birth to a daughter in prison.

    The message she sent through her lawyer to BBC, “I have been punished by law for the mistake I made, but my sorrows and pains are not diminishing. The family had already separated, but now the husband in India has also turned away. At the moment, my only recourse is my country, Pakistan.”

    According to Sumaira, she wanted to confess her crime but her husband stopped her from giving a statement. The husband thought that India would deport her if she confessed. He was trying to find a way to release her from jail and settle her in India.

    Her case was stalled in India for three years as she did not confess to her crime.

    Her husband stopped visiting her and attending her calls without any explanation around after two to three years. After losing hope of reunion, she confessed to her crime.

    She was sentenced to a three year imprisonment, which she has already completed.

    Currently, she is living in a state shelter in Bengaluru, Karnataka, a state of India.

  • Two alleged rapists killed in encounter by police

    Two alleged rapists killed in encounter by police

    Police claimed killing two robbers suspected to be involved in an alleged gang-rape of a teenage girl in Surjani Town a few days during a shootout on Wednesday.

    The teenager was raped by four men, who barged into her house on Sunday night and locked other family members in a room after robbing valuables.

    Karachi District West Police said on Wednesday that two alleged rapists were killed in a police encounter.

    SHO Haji Sanaullah said the encounter occurred when the two fired gunshots at a mobile. The cops returned fire, killing both suspects on the spot. They seized two pistols, a cell phone and a motorcycle after the exchange of fire.

    SHO Sanaullah said the suspects were the same who had allegedly gang-raped the teenage girl during a burglary in Surjani Town a few days ago. He said the victim’s family had identified the culprits.

  • Getting direct with Australia: PIA to fly directly down under for the first time

    Getting direct with Australia: PIA to fly directly down under for the first time

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced plans to launch two weekly flights to Australia, cutting travel time to and from the country by around one-third, The News reports.

    PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez says that if it (flights to Australia by a Pakistani carrier) happens, it would be happening for the first time.  He said that PIA has conducted a feasibility study, which concluded that it would be beneficial to the airline.

    PIA intends to operate two weekly flights from Karachi and Lahore to Sydney at first. Later, it might also include Islamabad.

    Flights might commence in late March or early April, according to the national carrier. The airline, however, has yet to receive authorisation from the Australian aviation authority.

    Direct flights would shorten a traveler’s flight duration to 12:30 hours and 13 hours, if one is going to Australia or coming to Pakistan respectively.

    Because there are no direct flights between Pakistan and Australia, passengers must travel for 34 to 35 hours with stopovers, which adds to their travel time.

    “Every airline must touch their hub before flying on to their destination,” stated Nadeem Sharif, Chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP). “There may be eight-hour layovers or even overnight stays, which adds to the travel time.”

    He added that, for example, if a person travelling to Australia via Qatar Airways from Pakistan, he or she must first fly to Doha, Qatar Airways’ hub, and then be carried to Australia from there. Similarly, when a person travels from Australia to Pakistan, the same thing happens.

    PIA’s fleet is expected to grow from the current 29 to 49 by 2026, comprising 16 wide body, 27 narrow body and 6 turbo propeller aircraft. PIA’s share price increased by 1.24 percent on Tuesday to Rs4.09.

  • PPP announces party’s long march schedule towards the capital

    PPP announces party’s long march schedule towards the capital

    Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the party’s long march, which is set to take place on February 27.

    PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will start the long march from Karachi and will reach the capital in 10 days.

    According to the schedule, the long march will start from Karachi’s Mazar-e-Quaid on February 27.

    The marchers’ will reach Multan on March 3, where they will be hosted by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

    The march will reach Lahore on March 6 . The last stop of the march will be Islamabad on March 8.

    The PPP, however, has not disclosed the final venue where the participants will stay after reaching the capital from all over the country.

    PPP office-bearer, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the leadership would decide the duration of the stay in Islamabad after seeing the response of the masses and assessing the situation. However, he said, many party leaders believed that the past history showed that indefinite sit-ins staged by political parties had never remained successful.

  • All you need to know about today’s PSL fixtures

    All you need to know about today’s PSL fixtures

    The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is moving forward in full swing and is almost about to complete its second leg.

    Former PSL champions Peshawar Zalmi will be taking on Quetta Gladiators today at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore at 7:30pm.

    United are placed on the third position of the points table with eight points to their name as they have won four games from the seven they have played so far.

    Their last encounter with the Kings last night was a nail-biter but they managed to defend their total on the last ball.

    Meanwhile, Kings are at the last position of the points table with zero points, as they have lost all seven games played so far.

  • Large mob lynches man over alleged blasphemy, PM Khan condemns

    Large mob lynches man over alleged blasphemy, PM Khan condemns

    A man was brutally tortured and killed by a violent mob when accused of allegedly burning pages of the Holy Quran in a village in Khanewal, Punjab on Saturday.

    The incident took place in a village called Mian Channu after Maghrib prayers. Thousands of people gathered after the announcement was made that a man had torn some of the pages of the Holy Quran and set them on fire in a mosque.

    People were not ready to tho listen to the mentally handicapped man who reportedly claimed innocence. People hanged him on a tree and then threw stones and bricks until he took his last breath.

    Local police came to the spot after receiving a call from a villager. They reached to arrest suspects but villagers started stoning them when they tried to release the man. The violent mob grabbed him from police’s custody and continued beating him.

    The victim’s elder brother revealed that the victim had been mentally ill for about 17 to18 years and was living with another brother in Karachi. He also had remained hospitalised for treatment but he could not recover. His wife also divorced him because of his illness. He had two sons and a daughter.

    He further added, “He went to buy some cigarettes and did not turn up till evening and they later learned that he was killed on blasphemy charges.”

    While talking to Dawn News, he claimed that neighbours also knew about his mental condition. He said that the violent mob stoned his brother to death in the presence of police and they did not protect his brother from the mob. He also complained that his brother’s fingers were missing after the frightful incident.

    Police claimed that they have arrested 85 suspects after they conducted more than 120 raids on Sunday.

    The police have registered two First Investigation Reports (FIR) for alleged blasphemy under Section 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code and the second one related to the lynching under Sections 302, 353, 186, 148, 149 of the PPC and Section 7A of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

    Also Read: Sri Lankan factory manager tortured to death in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi soon after arriving at Khanewal Circuit House, condemned the incident and said no one should take the law into their hands.

    He emphasised that there are laws to protect religion and against blasphemy. Such matters should be reported to the police and let them proceed under the law.

    Prime Minister, Imran Khan condemned the tragic incident on his Twitter. He ordered a detailed report from the Punjab police chief. He directed authorities to take strict against the perpetrators of the lynching incident.

    Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari also condemned the incident and asked the Punjab government to take strict action against the assailants involved.

    Netizens also criticised Mazari for not taking enough efforts to prevent such tragic incidents. They are saying that tweets are not enough to stop such brutality.

    Some users questioned the appreciation award which was given to Shireen Mazari by Prime Minister Imran Khan last week, and how it wasn’t well deserved.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also strongly condemned the incident.

    “The tragedy of Mian Channu has once again humiliated the entire nation,” he said.

    The deceased victim was buried in Mian Channu on Sunday.

  • 61% drinking water in the country unsafe to drink: report presented to Parliament

    61% drinking water in the country unsafe to drink: report presented to Parliament

    The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources has revealed that 61 per cent of drinking water in Pakistan is unsafe. The research also revealed that 93 per cent of water in Sindh’s capital Karachi is also unsafe. As per research, the water in 29 major cities is dangerously unsafe.

    “Overall, 62 per cent of the drinking water quality of these [29] major cities is unsafe. Underground water of these cities is full of turbidity, hardness, chloride, TDS, bacteriological and other chemicals,” reads the research produced by the PCRWR, which was presented before parliament earlier this month.

    “Long-term consumption of arsenic beyond the safe level may result in various health implications — symptoms of long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic which ultimately is developing skin cancer,” read the official document.

  • Orphan to get CNIC after four years

    The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has confirmed that Muhammad Ahsan, an orphan who has been trying to get a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) for four years will finally get his identity card within a week.

    Nadra responded to a tweet of SAMAA News correspondent Irfanul Haque and confirmed that they would issue a CNIC.

    Nadra chairman has taken notice of an incident and gave directions to the concerned authority to resolve the issue at its earliest.

    A few days back, an abandoned orphan, Muhammad Ahsan, a resident of Orangi Town in Karachi, approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) and filed a petition against Nadra under section 199 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for not issuing a CNIC.

    Ahsan had been trying to get CNIC for four years to get admission to a university but every time he did, Nadra refused to let him apply for an identity card. He was asked to come with blood relatives.