Tag: Lahore

  • US embassy in Pakistan issues security warning, cancels appointments

    US embassy in Pakistan issues security warning, cancels appointments

    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.

  • PM Shehbaz will visit Corps Commander House in Lahore to show unity

    PM Shehbaz will visit Corps Commander House in Lahore to show unity

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will visit Lahore today to examine the aftermath of the protests Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held in the Cantt area.

    Along with Interim Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi, he will visit the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore, with the PM scheduled to go to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) to meet injured officials in order to show his support to the army.

    It is pertinent to mention that after PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, many of his supporters barged into the Corps Commander’s House and damaged the property, burning the building and looting personal possessions.

    The Corps Commander House is Jinnah House, a property owned by the founder of the country which he willed to the state.

    In an unusually harsh-worded statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that May 9 would go down in history as a “dark chapter”.

  • Pakistan travel disruption: Over 60 domestic and international flights cancelled

    Pakistan travel disruption: Over 60 domestic and international flights cancelled

    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:

    1. Karachi to Jeddah: ER 811 and ER 812
    2. Karachi to Medina: PK 743
    3. Salam Air flight to Muscat: OV 292
    4. Emirates Air flights to Dubai: EK 605 and 604, EK 609 and 608
    5. Karachi to Muscat: WY 323 and 324
    6. Karachi to Riyadh: PK 729
    7. Flight to Baghdad: IF 331 and IF 332
    8. PIA flight from Baku to Karachi: K 154

    The following flights have been canceled between Karachi and Islamabad:

    1. PK369
    2. PF121
    3. PF122
    4. 9P670
    5. 9P871
    6. PA200
    7. PF127
    8. ER502

    The following flights have been canceled between Lahore and Islamabad:

    1. PK302
    2. PK303
    3. 9P840
    4. 9P841
    5. PF141
    6. ER520
    7. PA406
    8. PK306
    9. PF147

    The following flights have been canceled between Karachi and Turbat:

    1. PK501

    The following flights have been canceled between Karachi and Peshawar:

    1. PK350
    2. PK351
  • Wheat prices soar in Lahore, hitting Rs5,100 per 40kg bag

    Wheat prices soar in Lahore, hitting Rs5,100 per 40kg bag

    In Lahore, the price of a 40kg bag of wheat has surged to Rs5,100, which is significantly higher than the government’s fixed rate of Rs3,900. The leader of the flour mills association has stated that the government’s rate is not being implemented in the market.

    As a result of the increase in wheat prices, the price of a 20kg bag of flour has risen to Rs2,750, as opposed to the government’s fixed rate of Rs2,316.

    The flour millers have explained that they are unable to sell the wheat at lower rates after procuring it at an exorbitant price from the open market.

    Last month, officials from the Punjab Food Department foiled an attempt to smuggle wheat and flour to Afghanistan. More than 70 containers loaded with wheat and flour were being smuggled to Afghanistan from Rawalpindi Motorway.

    During the inspection, district food authority officials seized 46 containers loaded with wheat and 16 containers of flour. The wheat and flour were being transported from Punjab to Afghanistan, despite a ban on wheat transportation from the province. The containers were sealed and 16 people were booked in connection with the incident.

  • Imran Khan arrest kyun huvay hain?

    Imran Khan arrest kyun huvay hain?

    In an unexpected development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been arrested from inside Islamabad High Court (IHC) by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) today (Tuesday).

    NAB bought arrest warrants with them, which were issued by the accountability watchdog’s Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad Butt on May 1. As per details, Khan was taken into custody under Section 9A of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999. 

    According to Islamabad police, Imran has been arrested in a case in which Bahria Town allegedly gave land worth Rs530 million to Khan and Bushra Bibi’s Al-Qadir Trust in return for a settlement.

    What is the Al-Qadir Trust case?

    In 2019, more than £190m of assets were seized from Malik Riaz by National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK.

    Later, NCA returned this amount to Pakistan’s national treasury, however, the Khan-led cabinet of the time decided to submit millions of pounds to Supreme Court on behalf of Malik Riaz.

    A few weeks later, the Al-Qadir Trust was founded by Khan, Bushra Bibi, Zulfi Bukhari, and Babar Awan. Malik allotted 458 kanals to them to establish a university that apparently has only 35 students.

    However, according to senior journalist Kamran Khan, the former Prime Minister (PM) was arrested for making accusations against the top brass in the army including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir.

    Earlier, Khan made serious allegations that General Faisal Naseer plotted his assassination. Later, when Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) condemned his words, he said that he can prove that ISI took over the judicial complex in Islamabad to murder him.

  • Islamabad High Court provides relief to Khan, extends bail

    Islamabad High Court provides relief to Khan, extends bail

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday approved an extension in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s bail in nine different cases.

    The former Prime Minister appeared before the court after travelling from Lahore to Islamabad amid tight security as a warning from the court of bail revocation over his continuous absence loomed ahead.

    Khan entered the court in a wheelchair. On the previous day, his doctors had advised him to bed rest, citing insufficient healing of his injured leg.

    Earlier in the day, the PTI chief revealed in a video message that he was the target of a second murder attempt on March 18 in the judicial complex in Islamabad.

    In a video message, the former Prime Minister said, “If anything happenes to me, I believe Dirty Harry and his gang will be responsible,” adding that he is not under threat by an outside enemy.

  • Raid pe raid: Police reach Elahi’s Gujrat residence to find him

    Raid pe raid: Police reach Elahi’s Gujrat residence to find him

    Former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi’s residence in Gujrat was searched thoroughly by the Punjab police and anti-corruption officials in the late hours of Monday.

    Pervaiz’s son Moonis Elahi alleged that although the police did not have a search warrant to conduct the raid, he allowed them access to the premises.

    According to media reports, police forcefully entered the premises when their knocking at the doors went unanswered.

    After the episode, Elahi moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to prevent his arrest, however, the court rejected his plea.

    Prior to this, on Friday, the same officials’ squad used an armoured vehicle to break down the main gate of Elahi’s Gulberg residence in Lahore and entered the house.

    Officials are trying to arrest Elahi in a corruption case, however, according to his lawyers, pre-arrest bail has already been taken from a court until May 6 in the particular case.

  • Dar tells PTI that govt has nothing to do with raid at Elahi’s residence

    Dar tells PTI that govt has nothing to do with raid at Elahi’s residence

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has talked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi via telephone, discussing last night’s raid at former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi’s residence in Lahore.

    Dar distanced the federal government from the incident and blamed the Punjab government for it, while expressing grief over the raid that has been criticised for using excessive force.

    The minister said that he would forward PTI’s reservations to the ruling alliance and would get back to them.

    Meanwhile, Dar’s party fellow and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal criticised the PTI leaders for “using women and children” as a shield to evade arrest.

    Apparently justifying the raid, the minister said both PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Elahi were not arrested when police conducted a raid at their residence.

    The raid has put talks between PTI and the government, to reach a consensus on a date for election, in jeopardy. The final and third round of negotiations will be held on May 2 (Tuesday).

  • After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    In the late hours of Friday night, a heavy contingent of officials from anti-corruption department and police reached the Gulberg residence of former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore to arrest him in a corruption case.

    According to Elahi’s lawyer, pre-arrest bail had already been taken from a court until May 6 in the particular case. However, the team insisted that they need Elahi in a new case and they would not leave without arresting him.

    Sometime later, the raiding team used an armoured vehicle to break down the main gate of Elahi’s house, arresting multiple staff members. Female police officers also took women into custody.

    The plan was to arrest Elahi too, however, after a thorough search they couldn’t find him.

    They also tried to force their way into the adjoining residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but they were resisted by Shujaat’s sons.

    After the episode, Elahi’s son moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to stop the police. Many politicians, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, strongly condemned the raid.

  • Sri Lanka is not sending elephants to Pakistan

    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.

    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.”

    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.