Tag: Khyber Pakhtun­khwa

  • Rizwan, Fakhar, Shaheen congratulate KPK for defending National T20 Cup Title

    Rizwan, Fakhar, Shaheen congratulate KPK for defending National T20 Cup Title

    Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who are currently in a bio-secure bubble for the ICC T20 World Cup and who were also the part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) team, congratulated their team for defending the title and beating Central Punjab at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday after Captain Iftikhar Ahmed produced an all-round performance.

    “Huge congratulations to the whole KPK as we have successfully defended our title. We decided in our very first meeting to play like warriors and Alhumdulillah we managed to do that successfully. What a team. What a performance,” wrote Rizwan while congratulating his team.

    Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi also took to Twitter to congratulate their team.

    The KPK captain completed the run chase by smoking Mohammad Faizan for a four through cover on the last ball of the 17th over and unleashed a roar in the Lahore night sky. He bagged the player of the final and the best player of the tournament awards.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 152 for 3 (Iftikhar 45*, Ghulam 37) beat Central Punjab 148 (Shehzad 44, Akmal 42, Iftikhar 3-5, Imran 3-26) by seven wickets

  • KP Assembly to set daycare centre for parliamentarians

    KP Assembly to set daycare centre for parliamentarians

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly has become the first legislature in the country for setting up a baby feeding and daycare centre to facilitate women parliamentarians, reports Dawn.

    Members of the Women Parliamentary Assembly, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), and health and planning and development departments were present when Speaker Mushtaq Ghani inaugurated the daycare centre.

    Ghani said that as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, women were being empowered by ensuring their presence in the legislating process.

    The Speaker appreciated the opening of the daycare facility stating that the female parliamentarians would not have to leave their infants at home for attending assembly sessions or committees’ meetings.

  • More than half of Pakistanis ‘happy’ with Taliban takeover

    A survey conducted by a leading research firm has revealed that around 55 percent Pakistanis were ‘happy’ that the Taliban would be ruling Afghanistan, Arab News has reported. The study was released by the Gilani Research Foundation (GRF) and carried out by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan (GGP).

    The survey was conducted from August 13 to September 5 and 2,170 men and women in urban and rural areas of the Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were surveyed.

    “Some people are happy that the Taliban will now rule Afghanistan. Some are not happy about that. What is your opinion?” this question was asked in the survey.

    In response to the question, 55 percent said they were happy. Moreover, 25 percent said they were unhappy, 16 percent did not know and four percent did not respond.

    The highest numbers of respondents were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and more 65 per cent were happy with the Taliban take over. In Punjab 54 per cent, 55 per cent in Balochistan, and around 54 per cent were happy in Sindh.

     56 per cent of men and 36 per cent women were happy.

    The Taliban on September 7, announced the formation of its interim government, amid heavy criticism that not one woman was among the 33 members.

  • PTI leads in Cantonment Board polls, PML-N in second place

    PTI leads in Cantonment Board polls, PML-N in second place

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the biggest winner in the Cantonment Board elections held across Pakistan on Sunday, reports Radio Pakistan.

    According to the unofficial results, PTI got 58 seats, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) scored 51. Independent candidates claimed 49 seats.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has managed to win 14 seats and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) got 10 seats. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) won five seats while Balochistan Awami Party (BNP) got two seats.

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said the Cantonment Board election results show that the Opposition has left with no standing following a crushing defeat.

    Reacting to the ruling party’s victory, federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said: “Cantonment elections once again show the PTI not only as the largest party but also the only national party.”

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif called party leaders and congratulated them on their success in the cantonment polls.

    Province wise results:

    PTI won the most number of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — 18 — followed by 28 in Punjab, 14 in Sindh, and three in Balochistan.

    PML-N won big in Punjab, bagging 51 seats, managing only five in KP, three in Sindh, and none in Balochistan. In Lahore, the PML-N bagged 15 of 19 wards.

    PPP was surprisingly unable to defeat PTI in Sindh, instead of tying with them for 14 seats. The remaining three seats were won in KP, meaning none were won in either Punjab or Balochistan.

    Independent candidates scored big in Punjab, bagging 32 seats. They secured nine in KP, seven in Sindh, and four in Balochistan.

    MQM won all of its 10 seats in Sindh, whereas JI won five in Sindh and two in Punjab.

    ANP won two seats in KP, whereas BAP won two in Balochistan.

  • Corona Relief Funds: Auditors find fictitious purchases of items worth Rs881 million by KP govt

    Corona Relief Funds: Auditors find fictitious purchases of items worth Rs881 million by KP govt

    Investigative reporter Zahid Gishkori has revealed that the country’s top auditors have pointed out fictitious purchases, huge irregularities, wasteful expenditures, and losses to public funds of more than Rs3 billion by the health department of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to a report published in The News, a special audit team of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) found “fictitious purchases of items worth Rs881 million by the KP government”.

    “The auditors scrutinised the allocation of Rs8.8 billion made for the fiscal year 2019-20, including Rs7.8 billion released by the finance department KP government. Furthermore, auditors also audited an amount of Rs1.7 billion allocated by the finance department to the health department, home & TA department, and the Pandemic Response Effectiveness in Pakistan (PREP), KP, for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,” read the report.

    “The auditors pointed to doubtful purchases of equipment worth Rs14.358 million, which included stockpiling and logistics, noticing irregularities in an amount of Rs1 billion, which was allocated for provision of death compensation under the relief package for frontline workers dealing with Covid-19.”

    The report also features irregularities in funds of Rs140 million, which were released to the Home and Tribal Affairs Department for screening of prisoners.

    “The audit team also pointed out that the management of PDMA incurred an expenditure of Rs62 million on the purchase of PPEs without any market survey. The audit team pointed to losses of Rs117 million public funds in the purchase of some specification cardiac monitors recommending a high-level inquiry for fixing responsibility and making good the loss sustained by the government,” stated the report.

    “The AGP also questioned non-supply of ICU ventilators despite payment of Rs43.425 million and non-supply of medical equipment worth Rs150 million. Auditors also recommended a doubtful award of contract and payment of Rs11 million to M/s Dawazai & Company, pointing out a supply of 400,000 substandard masks by M/s Protech Solutions to the PDMA accordingly.”

    Meanwhile, Finance & Health Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Taimur Khan Jhagra tweeted, “[The report is] confusing, misleading & irresponsible; this article is based on an on-going audit process in the province.”

    However, as per The News, the complete audit report has been sent to President Arif Alvi.

  • Nowshera man arrested for trying to rape five-year-old granddaughter

    Police have filed an FIR against an elderly man for attempting to rape his five-year-old granddaughter in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    As per reports, a police official told The Express Tribune that a woman registered an FIR with Pabbi police, stating that she asked her five-year-old daughter to take dinner to her grandfather and when the minor girl returned, she was crying. 

    “I asked the child what happened to her and she said that her grandfather, Mir Basher tried to rape her but when she started crying, he let her go,” the mother stated, adding that the accused Mir Basher is her father-in-law and had married thrice.

    Read More: Four missing girls from Lahore found in Sahiwal: Police

    “One of his wives is dead. Another one is suffering from mental ailments and the third one is living with him but even then he tried to rape my minor daughter,” she told the police.

    Later, the victim’s father also reported the incident to the police after which an FIR was registered against the accused. Police said that the accused has been booked.

    “This man has been booked under section 50 and 53 of Child Protection Act (CPA) and has been arrested for trying to commit incest,” said an investigation officer.

    The investigation officer added that incest is more common despite a common belief that our religious society is free of such crimes.

  • Police rescue woman tied with chains, locked up by brothers

    Police rescue woman tied with chains, locked up by brothers

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police rescued a woman tied with the chains and locked up in a dark room by her brothers for over a year on Tuesday.

    As per reports, police have arrested the three brothers identified as Sahir Khan, Faheem Khan, and Nadeem Khan while the fourth brother is on the run. 

    Talking to The Express Tribune, District Police Officer (DPO) Swabi Muhammad Shoaib said they had received information about the woman they raided the house after confirmation and released her from the illegal captivity.

    https://twitter.com/etribune/status/1420023163052826639?s=20

    Mohammad Shoaib further told the media that the woman was living with her brothers after her divorce. “She wanted to move the court to claim her children’s expenses from her ex-husband but her brothers did not want this.”

    Read More: Imam Masjid arrested for ‘torturing’ 13-year-old boy in Lahore

    “There was not even a fan inside the room. When we raided the house, we saw that she had been chained like an animal and the only light coming into the room was through a window,” said another police official.

    The policeman added that the woman had been imprisoned as her brothers blamed her for the divorce and were also against her seeking a job. 

    The woman stated in her FIR that she got married 13 years ago and had two children, a girl and a boy. A case has been filed against the accused and an investigation is underway. 

  • An alcoholic concoction takes over KPK, becoming a new cause of death

    After the General Atomics US ‘Predators’ and ‘Reapers’, the unmanned aerial vehicles that caused death in the tribal regions, now an alcoholic concoction is becoming a new cause of death in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

    The alcoholic drink is aptly named, ‘Drone’, concocted by moonshiners in the remote Tirah Valley of the Khyber tribal district, which was once infamous for militancy and poppy cultivation. “The ingredients of this alcoholic drink are easily available over-the-counter drugs, syrups, and cold drinks,” reports The Express Tribune.

    A Tirah-based doctor confirmed that the brew originated in Tirah and escalated quickly to the settled districts of KP. “It has been given this funny name because it instantly makes you high and you start feeling light,” the doctor said, while speaking to The Express Tribune on the condition that he would not be identified.

    Economic depression and instability have reportedly led to an increase in the use of ‘Drone’ – a cure-all elixir – by the youth in the area.

    “Several kinds of sleeping tablets are dissolved in a popular soft-drink along with two types of sedative cough syrups, along with easily available cheap drugs to make this drink, which is sold for a few hundred rupees,” the doctor said.

    However, the explosive flooding of the drink prompted distress among members of the local Aman Committee who had to announce a ban on certain cough syrups to rein in the uncontrolled spread of the drugging drink.

    “Any shopkeeper found selling these cough syrups will be penalised with a fine – and a warning.”

  • KP’s Mashal Aamir wins Princess Diana Award for her services for humanity

    KP’s Mashal Aamir wins Princess Diana Award for her services for humanity

    A girl from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mashal Aamir has been awarded the Princess Diana Award for her services for humanity and participation in welfare activities.

    The award credits those who have shown a consistent commitment to humanitarian causes. She has undertaken social work since her childhood that focused on environmental and equality activism.

    Photo Credits: 24 News

    As per details, Mashal has completed her education in law from UK’s Cambridge University.

    She focuses on providing a platform for marginalized voices globally, mainly ethnic women and vulnerable children. Mashal was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK, an award granted to those who have made outstanding achievements in social progress and development.

    Photo Credits: 24 News

    She has undertaken work internationally such as in South Korea, America, Pakistan and The Hague including the ‘International Criminal Court’, ‘Supreme Court of Pakistan’, ‘Legal Aid USA’ and ‘Citizens Advice Bureau Scotland’ and thus was awarded a scholarship for her commitment to the field of criminal justice. She has also been selected as one of 30 Under-30 Inspiring Scottish Women and 100 Notable Women in Law.

    Princess Diana Award was established in memory of the late Princess Diana, the only award in her name and honoured by her children. “I received the award for my many years of charity work, this ranges from ICC in The Hague, America, South Korea and in Pakistan. I help Pashto speaking community with the support of my family and varied organisations that I have been involved with to bring about positive impact,” she said.

  • 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of KP

    An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Thursday evening, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre website.

    There were no immediate reports of casualties or loss of property.

    According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the earthquake struck 25 kilometres southeast of Mingora in KP and had a depth of 20 km.

    Twitterati began reporting the tremors they had felt.

    In February, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake had struck several cities in Pakistan