Tag: KP

  • Restoration work on Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor’s ancestral homes to start after Eid

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has issued final notices to the owners of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s ancestral houses as the government plans to take over the properties after Eid, Geo News has reported.

    As per details, KP Archaeology and Museums Department Director Dr Abdul Samad has said that restoration work on both houses will take place following the take over. 

    Dr Abdul Samad added that the “deputy commissioner has sent the final notices to the landlord”.

    Meanwhile, the owners of the properties will be summoned on May 18, and they can demand the KP government or the court for a higher price and can submit their objections.

    Earlier this year in January, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan approved Rs 23.56 million to purchase the ancestral houses of two Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar, but the owner of Kapoor Haveli in Peshawar refused to sell the house to the government at the price set by the authorities.

    As per reports, the value of Raj Kapoor house is Rs 15 million, while Kumar’s home is worth Rs 8.56 million. Both houses will be converted into museums after restoration work.

  • Gen Bajwa ‘summoned’ PTI ministers, ‘advised’ replacing Punjab, KP CMs: journalist

    Senior journalist Najam Sethi has claimed that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently “summoned” six cabinet ministers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and put forth three topics for “some plain talking”.

    While the veteran journalist did not name the ministers, according to him, the PTI government’s “abysmal performance” was discussed as what was hurting the image of the military and other bigwigs.

    Sethi claimed that removal of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief ministers (CMs), and the need for the federal government to constitute a more efficient and credible team “at least for putting the economy on track”, was also discussed.

    “Time’s running out, he implied darkly,” the journalist claimed in his The Friday Times editorial.

    “As a consequence of such ‘advice’, Imran Khan has blithely sacked Nadeem Babar and Hafeez Shaikh, even though he was lauding their singular expertise not so long ago. Indeed, he had pitched Mr Shaikh to the Senate so that he could continue as full-fledged minister of finance.”

    He further wrote, “Some more chopping and changing is on the cards. But given Imran Khan’s track record of picking his political teammates, we shouldn’t expect any qualitative improvement in performance.”

    Sethi also opined that change in Punjab, in particular, “would be a hard bone to swallow”.

  • 1,300-year-old Hindu temple discovered in KP

    1,300-year-old Hindu temple discovered in KP

    A Hindu temple, believed to be 1,300 years ago, has been discovered by Pakistani and Italian archaeological experts at a mountain in Swat district. The discovery was reportedly made during an excavation at Barikot Ghundai.

    According to Fazle Khaliq of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Archaeology, the temple discovered is of Lord Vishnu. It was built by the Hindus 1,300 years ago during the Hindu Shahi period, he said.

    The Hindu Shahis or Kabul Shahis (850-1026 CE) was a Hindu dynasty that ruled the Kabul Valley (eastern Afghanistan), Gandhara (modern-day Pakistan), and present-day northwestern India.

    During their excavation, archaeologists also found traces of a cantonment and watchtowers near the temple site. Experts also found a water tank near the temple site which they assume was used by the Hindus for bathing before worship.

    Khaliq said that the Swat district is home to numerous ancient archaeological sites, some of which are thousands of years old, but traces of the Hindu Shahi period have been found for the first time in the area.

    Dr Luka, the head of the Italian archaeological mission, said this was the first temple of the Ghandhara Civilisation discovered in Swat district.

    Swat district is among the top 20 sites in Pakistan which is home to every kind of tourism such as natural beauty, religious tourism, cultural tourism and archaeological sites.

    Several places of worship of Buddhism are also situated in Swat district.

    Read more – KP Police arrest offenders involved in vandalising ancient Buddha statue

    Last year in October, archaeologists and historians discovered another temple, reportedly built in the 7th century, during the Turki Shahi period, on the top of Ghwandai mount at Bazira in Barikot Swat.

  • Historical British-era tunnel restored and reopened in Ayubia

    Historical British-era tunnel restored and reopened in Ayubia

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, on Thursday, reopened a 129-year old historical ‘Motto Tunnel’ at Ayubia National Park.

    Read more – Sindh Govt comes under fire for ‘painting ancient archaeological sites white’

    The tunnel has been reopened for tourists after almost 20 years. Restoration work on it has been done by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife.

    According to a press release, Aslam while inaugurating the tunnel said that unsustainable and exploitative tourism practices in various parts of the country, particularly in biodiversity-rich and environmentally-sensitive areas, over last several years have badly harmed local fragile ecosystems that house wildlife species and their habitats.

    The special assistant said: “Given the realisation, the incumbent government is taking all-out measures to usher in sustainable models of eco-tourism in consultative with local partners and communities as a part of Prime Minister’s vision for Clean and Green Pakistan.”

    Sharing details about the tunnel, Aslam said that the tunnel was built in 1891 between Ghora Dhaka (presently Ayubia) to Khaira Gali (Murree) beneath the road and residential area in Ayubia Town. The tunnel had remained in terrible condition due to lack of maintenance over the last several decades.

    He said that this tunnel is 12 kilometres long and has a flat track. This track was 4 kilometres long before 12 more kilometres was added to it – it is now 16 kilometres in total.

    “Besides, reopening and renovation of the different segments of the tunnel, the tunnel site has also been provided with various facilities for tourists including paved track to the tunnel, information centre, guiding facilities, sitting and resting areas and coffee shop,” highlighted Aslam.

    The PM’s aide hoped that the glorious cultural icon would add value to the natural beauty of the national park and provide added attraction to tourists.

    He said: “We are taking practical steps to promote tourism. The restoration of this tunnel is also a link to the same series.”

  • Earthquake hits Swat on 15th anniversary of deadly 7.6 quake

    Earthquake hits Swat on 15th anniversary of deadly 7.6 quake

    A moderate intensity earthquake has jolted Mingora in Swat and adjoining areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on the 15th anniversary of the deadly 7.6 quake.

    According to reports, the intensity of tremors was recorded 4.7 on the Richter scale.

    The depth of the quake was 100 kilometres with its epicentre in the Hindukush Mountain range, according to seismological reports.

    The 2005 Kashmir earthquake also occurred on October 8. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad and had also affected Balakot city in KP. The quake claimed thousands of lives and caused massive damage to infrastructure, especially in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and KP.

    On Thursday, the 15th anniversary of victims of the deadly earthquake was observed across Pakistan, including AJK. Last year in September, a 5.8-magnitude quake hit different parts of AJK. The quake hit some urban and rural parts of the region, including Muzaffarabad, Kotli and other areas.

    At least 40 people died and more than 500 were injured as a result of the earthquake. Around 6,000 houses were destroyed completely, while 7,100 cattle farms were also damaged.

  • Rare striped hyena rescued in DI Khan

    Rare striped hyena rescued in DI Khan

    WARNING: This article may contain graphic images which may be distressing for some people

    The DI Khan police have rescued an endangered striped hyena, which was captured by some locals to take part in a dog fight, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MPA Faisal Amin Khan has shared. The hyena, which has been identified as a female, has been sent to Peshawar for treatment before it can be released back into the wild.

    Khan also shared that hyena was being cared for and that Chief Conservator Wildlife KP is “personally taking care” of the injured animal.

    Read more – Cher thanks Pakistani govt for freeing lonely elephant Kaavan

    According to Deputy Commissioner DI Khan’s official Twitter account, the hyena was caught by some tribal locals and their hunting dogs.

    From the limited details available, it can be understood that the animal had been captured by the locals to take part in a dog fight.

    The matter of the captive hyena had come to light after a Twitter account dedicated to saving Pakistan’s wildlife “from the threats of hunting, loss of habitat and pesticides” raised alarm and shared videos of people capturing the hyena. Sharing the location of the incident, they had urged the authorities to take swift action and rescue the animal.

    https://twitter.com/wildpakistan/status/1266341857895878656?s=20

    Meanwhile, conservationist Javed Mahar shared some characteristics of the rare animal, called lagar bagar in the local language, and said that they are mostly found in Sindh along the Kirthar National Park.

  • VIDEO: Unusual snowfall in Ayubia in May after a century

    VIDEO: Unusual snowfall in Ayubia in May after a century

    In an unusual occurrence, the lush green mountains of Abbottabad district’s Ayubia village, after over a century, have received snowfall in the month of May that is known for bringing warmer weather.

    According to The Express Tribune, nearby areas, including the Galiyat region, also received light snowfall on Tuesday, which was very unusual even for the local population.

    A report by the local English daily quoted a 90-year-old resident of Ayubia as saying that he hadn’t seen such weather since the British colonial rule. The resident said that his elder brother told him how in the 1920s the beautiful hilly region received snowfall for the last time in the month of May, while back when his forefathers resided in the region, the cold weather used to be very harsh even in June.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Galliyat Development Authority (GDA) Director General (DG) Muhammad Raza Habib said he had received reports from his team in Ayubia about the weather, adding that there was no causality or disturbance for civilian life in the region due to the unexpected snowfall.

    Rina Saeed, an Islamabad-based writer and author, said the changes in weather were due to coronavirus pandemic as most of the world was under lockdown.

    READ: Improved air quality leads to breathtaking view of Kashmir from Sialkot

    “The environment is much cleaner now as compared to pre-coronavirus period. Since there is no pollution in the atmosphere, the flora and fauna of this region would benefit from it,” she said.

  • KP public health director tests positive for COVID-19

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Public Health Director Dr Ikramullah Khan has tested positive for the new coronavirus — COVID-19 –, provincial Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra revealed on Monday.

    The minister paid tribute to Dr Ikramullah, thanking him for his service and calling him an asset everyone was proud of. He also lauded the efforts of “thousands of other frontline workers” fighting the virus in the province and all across Pakistan.

    The minister was of the view that the next few months would be difficult on many fronts but he and his team members were committed to beat the virus with “resolve, discipline and unity”.

    KP’s focal person on coronavirus, Zain Raza, also wished Dr Ikramullah “speedy recovery and health”, acknowledging his role as being on the frontline of the province’s coronavirus response team.

    https://twitter.com/smzrz/status/1249608325085396992?s=20

    The number of infections in Pakistan, by the time this report was filed, stood at 5,478, of which 744 cases were from KP.

  • Kp govt to launch ‘Online Sabzi Mandi’ with free home delivery

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to launch an Online Sabzi Mandi with free home delivery option to ensure the provision of quality household commodities at citizens’ doorsteps, a private media outlet has reported.

    According to the details, the KP government is developing a mobile app which according to the Directorate General Information of KP, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan in January.

    The citizens with the help of this app will be able to order groceries and fruits online at government notified rates without any delivery charges and it will be available on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

    In the first phase, the online service will be launched in four districts of the province including, Mardan, Abbottabad, Peshawar, and Dera Ismail Khan.

    This online platform will provide all household items such as vegetables, fruits, grains and other food items on government applied rates.

  • KP woman ‘forced to resign’ for bringing baby to work

    An NGO [non-governmental organisation] in Peshawar named Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) has allegedly forced a woman to resign for bringing a 6 months baby to work.

    According to the details, Zeenat Khan — who worked as a media coordinator at CAMP’s office — while talking to Naya Daur said that when she started bringing her child to the office her employers raised objections and “told her to drop the kid at home or hire a maid”, adding that it was not much of an issue as the child used to sleep most of the time.

    Zeenat further said that she told her employers that she was unable to leave her kid at home as her parents and in-laws did not live in Peshawar.

    “I offered to arrange and pay for daycare facilities at the office, but my employees made excuses about there not being any space available for this purpose” said the mother, adding that they even told her that such a measure would increase their expenses.

    She said that the organization was well-funded and they had rented a bungalow in one of the most posh areas of the city.

    Zeenat revealed that the project she was working for — called Da Khor Barkha (behn ka haq) — was aimed at women empowerment and funded by the Commonwealth.

    “Despite being a project aimed at empowerment of women, most of those employed were men at high salaries” she added.

    In her resignation letter, Zeenat wrote about how the management had raised concerns over her bringing her kid to the office, and spoke of all the reasons why she had to bring her child to the office, and that she had offered to pay for daycare facilities as well.

    The organisation responding to Zeenat’s resignation letter has told her that the resignation was ‘her own decision’, and that they had advised her to make arrangements for childcare at home.

    https://twitter.com/saqiburrehman/status/1204593798552129542