Tag: #multan

  • Wet autumn or dry winter? The forecast is here

    Wet autumn or dry winter? The forecast is here

    Last week’s spell of rain helped bid farewell to summers. So, what’s next? Will we have more rains to make autumn a wet one? Or are we heading for our traditional dry winters?

    Read on for details.

    One last spell of monsoon is about to hit the upper parts of Pakistan and will likely impact the entire country.
    A weather advisory issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that the westerly rain-producing wave is likely to enter upper regions of the country on the evening or night of Thursday, September 28.

    Under the system, moderate to heavy rains with wind and thunderstorms is expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, areas of Kashmir including Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur, and areas of Gilgit Baltistan including Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar from September 28 to 30.

    Isolated spells of rain and thunderstorm with hailstorms are also expected in Kohat, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Haripur, Kurram, Waziristan, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Kasur, and Sheikhupura between September 28 and 29.

    Meanwhile, Zhob, Barkhan, Layyah, Bhakkar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar are also expected to witness similar weather conditions during the said period.
    Moreover, snowfall is expected over the high mountains of the upper areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan during this period.

    Under the possible impacts, the Met Office has also predicted a significant drop in the temperature in the areas affected by the spell.
    PMD advised farmers and tourists to manage their crop activities and remain cautious to avoid any untoward situation during the period, respectively.

    Meanwhile, the general public has been advised to stay at safe places during windstorms, lightning, and downpours as loose structures like electric poles, solar panels, billboards etc. may be damaged by the gusts.

  • New tax to be imposed on citizens soon

    New tax to be imposed on citizens soon

    The local government has unveiled a new tax that has drawn mixed reactions from citizens. 

    This latest tax, to be imposed in lieu of garbage collection, will be collected from households, shops, petrol pumps, and industrial units on a monthly basis.

    Starting from October, Multan and its neighboring areas will see this sanitation tax in effect. The tax rates are set at Rs50 for houses, Rs200 for shops, Rs1,000 for petrol pumps, and Rs2,000 for industrial unit owners on a monthly basis. 

    The government anticipates an annual revenue boost of approximately Rs4.28 billion through this tax initiative. However, the move has not been met with unanimous approval among citizens, many of whom have criticised it. 

    Meanwhile, amid ongoing discussions concerning the surging costs of electricity production in Pakistan, the Kot Addu Power Company has submitted an application to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), seeking approval for what could potentially become the country’s most expensive electricity generation tariff.

    The proposal suggests an electricity tariff of Rs77.31 per unit, a significant increase from the current rate of twenty-eight rupees per unit. The power company attributes this substantial hike to rising production costs.

    Notably, the Kot Addu Power Company recently secured a sixteen-month extension during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration. However, this extension has not escaped controversy, as the Senate Power Committee has declared it illegal, further fueling the debate over electricity tariffs in the country.

  • CM orders treatment for baby born with heart outside chest

    CM orders treatment for baby born with heart outside chest

    A baby boy born at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Muzaffargarh had the rare congenital defect of having his heart outside of the chest.

    According to Pakistan Observer, surgeons confirmed that the baby’s heart was located outside the chest cavity, and had a congenital heart defect with a hole.

    24 News has confirmed that on the instructions of Punjab’s Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the baby, named Abdulllah, will be shifted to Lahore’s Children’s Hospital on Tuesday for treatment.

    Before being taken to Lahore for further treatment, the child was admitted to Children’s Hospital, Multan.

    The chief minister also gave instructions for special arrangements to be made for the child’s treatment.

    The baby’s congenital defect is referred to as Ectopia Cardis, an extremely rare condition in which the heart develops outside of the chest wall.

    The condition, often accompanied by other birth defects such as cleft palate or a curved spine, can be fatal if left untreated.

  • England beat Pakistan by 26 runs to win second Test

    England beat Pakistan by 26 runs to win second Test

    On their first tour since 2005, England defeated Pakistan in the Test series, winning the second Test match in Multan by a score of 26 runs. Since winning a Test series in Pakistan in 2000, England hadn’t won a Test series in the country in 22 years.

    This marks the third Test series victory for England against Pakistan.

    The England team led by Nasser Hussain defeated Pakistan 1-0 over the course of a three-match series in 2000. Pakistan eventually defeated England 2-0 in the subsequent Test series there in 2005.

    Since then, Pakistan has played its home games in the United Arab Emirates, where they have never lost to England in two Test tours in 2012 and 2015.

    Pakistan lost the first two games of the three-match series because they had no response against a powerful English team. Despite a valiant effort on the part of Saud Shakeel, Imam-ul-Haq, and Mohammad Nawaz, the Men in Green were unable to successfully chase down a target of 355 runs during the Multan Test.

    As they held Pakistan to 328 in the last innings of the second Test, English bowlers struck frequently. When the two teams square off in the final Test match at Karachi on December 17, the Three Lions will be looking to sweep the series.

  • England hires chef ahead of Pakistan tour to maintain the quality of food served

    England hires chef ahead of Pakistan tour to maintain the quality of food served

    In the early stages of Brendon McCullum’s time as head coach, the England Test team has been letting go of support personnel. A chef, however, has been added to the group for their impending visit to Pakistan.

    The appointment follows a recap of the limited-overs team’s seven-match T20I series experiences in the country. Players and support personnel said that the cuisine, especially at match locations, was not that good, and a few experienced stomachaches at various points during the tour.

    The difficulties experienced were by no means severe; nobody fell ill for a protracted length of time, and England went on to win the thrilling series 4-3. But given the demands of a Test match, not to mention the back-to-back format of the three-match series over 21 days in three different cities (Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi), having someone oversee food preparation and customise menus in accordance with specific needs and preferences felt necessary to control.

    While on the T20 trip, Moeen Ali, playing the role of interim captain, made light of the rivalry between Lahore and Karachi’s culinary traditions “I’ve been a little let down by Lahore’s cuisine. Karachi was quite pleasant.” Those who want to try the regional cuisines may relax knowing that Lahore is not on the schedule this time around and Karachi will host the third Test.

    According to ESPNcricinfo, Omar Meziane, who served in a comparable capacity with the England men’s football team at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, will fill the position.

    The change by the Test squad will satisfy picky diners while also putting Jack Leach at rest. The left-arm spinner has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, and must follow a rigorous diet in addition to taking immunosuppressant medicine to treat his condition.

    Leach experienced serious food illness on a visit of New Zealand in November 2019, which led to his hospitalisation and sepsis. Despite being able to go for the next South African Test tour, he was unable to participate in any of the activities due to the consequences of the earlier sickness and had to leave the trip early.

    The ECB has previously provided food when travelling, even though this may be the first time they have deliberately hired a chef for a trip. The Sydney Morning Herald obtained a file titled “Test catering criteria” that was provided to all hosting venues prior to the dismal 2013–14 Ashes.

    The 82 pages, which included 194 recipes for everything from protein-rich “banana and peanut bars” to Moroccan spiced griddled chicken fillets with lime and coriander mayo, were dubbed “modern pretentious” by the Herald. It didn’t help England in their humiliating 5-0 loss.

  • ‘Was four bodies but were in pieces so looked like more’, Nishtar Hospital clarification doesn’t make sense

    ‘Was four bodies but were in pieces so looked like more’, Nishtar Hospital clarification doesn’t make sense

    Nishtar Medical University’s (NMU) Head of Anatomy Department, Dr Mariam Ashraf, appeared on Geo News’s programme Ajj Shahzeb Khanzadan Kay Saath on Friday night in which she said that the facility does not keep bodies only for research purposes but also has to keep corpses for safekeeping that are given by rescue and police officials.

    In the show she also claimed that there were only 4 bodies on the rooftop. However, the videos that are circulating on social media show a large number of bodies piled up in a semi enclosed space on the roof.
    “Edhi Foundation has not been picking up bodies from our hospital since they do not have burial space in their graveyard,” she said.
    “The only reason for keeping bodies on the roof is that their influx is huge and they aren’t being returned back to police stations in the numbers that they should,” she said.

    According to Ashraf, the bodies that the police give to the hospital are kept in the morgue for a month and then sent back to the police for burial if no one comes forward to claim them.
    “Usually, the abandoned bodies that we receive have already decayed to an increased extent. We follow all our SOPs, we do not refuse to take decayed bodies as well.”

  • Uber ceases operations in 5 Pakistani cities

    Uber ceases operations in 5 Pakistani cities

    According to a statement released by Uber on Tuesday, it has stopped operating in Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and Islamabad.

    A statement on the company’s website says, “Uber is dedicated to Pakistan. We will continue to serve these five cities via our subsidiary brand Careem and continue to run the Uber app in Lahore.”

    Uber will keep providing its services in Lahore while also introducing new products to “help earners through these challenging times.”

    It declared that it would inform its customers and business partners in the five locations of how to use and seamlessly switch to Careem.

    “When we acquired Careem, it was always our belief that the two companies could come together to complement each other’s strengths and better serve the region through tailored experiences,” the statement added.

    According to Dawn, the company said it was aware this was a “difficult time” for its teams, which had “worked incredibly hard to build this business over the past few years”.

    “We greatly appreciate everyone’s contributions and our priority is to minimise the impact on our employees, drivers, riders, and Hero partners who use the Uber app during this change in Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Peshawar,” the statement reads.

    Uber finalised the $3.1 billion acquisition of rival Careem in 2020. At the time, it was said that Careem and Uber will continue to operate as distinct businesses and provide their own regional services.

    By the time the purchase was completed, Uber had acquired Careem’s mobility, delivery, and payments operations throughout the larger Middle East, including its key markets in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

  • PM Shehbaz expresses grief over tragic Motorway accident

    The collision between a passenger bus and an oil tanker left at least 20 people dead and six others injured on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) at Jalalpur Peerwala interchange in the early hours of Tuesday, August 16. The ill-fated bus left from Lahore for Karachi at 9pm.

    Following the incident, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the deceased and their families.

    “I am saddened by the loss of 20 precious lives in the accident. My prayers are with the bereaved families,” he tweeted.

    Multan Commissioner Amir Khattak confirmed the development on Twitter. According to him, the tragic accident had taken place around 4am. He also shared photographs of the scene.

    However, a statement issued by Rescue 1122’s provincial monitoring centre in Lahore said the accident took place at 2:20am.

    A Motorway Police spokesperson revealed that the tanker was carrying thousands of litres of petrol. He added that the apparent cause of the accident was the bus driver falling asleep, reports Dawn.

    According to the Motorway Police, both vehicles the oil tanker and the bus caught fire soon after the collision. The officers of the Motorway Police immediately reached the spot after the accident took place. Local police and Rescue 1122 teams also reached the spot.

    The police added that the fire was so intense and terrifying that it was visible from a distance. At least nine passengers were safely rescued from the burning bus.

    According to the bus company sources, there were two drivers aboard the bus. All staff was to be changed in Sukkur. There were a total of 24 passengers on board. Two passengers were going to Hyderabad, while the others were en route to Karachi.

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi demanded a report on the incident from the Multan commissioner. He also expressed grief over the loss of lives.

  • Dynastic politics: PTI slammed for giving ticket to Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter

    Dynastic politics: PTI slammed for giving ticket to Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Meher Bano Qureshi is contesting the upcoming by-polls for a National Assembly (NA) seat vacated by her brother Zain Qureshi.

    She will contest the election from NA-157, Multan. Addressing a press conference, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that they had filed nomination papers after the approval of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

    “Meher Bano has a sense of the next generation. If we want to get our country out of this difficult situation, then mothers and daughters have to play a role because a mother has more sense of what will be the future of her child.”

    Meher Bano said that she has been working with the social media team of PTI since 2018.

    “My father has chosen me to keep Imran Khan’s narrative alive, contrary to tradition.”

    However, in Multan, PTI workers came to protest against their own party’s candidate, Meher Bano Qureshi, outside the Election Commission office and raised slogans of disapproval for dynastic politics. They argued that Mahmood couldn’t find anyone within the party for the candidacy.

    “First Mahmood gave a party ticket to his son, now her to his daughter,” they complained.

    A local PTI member, Engineer Waseem, who was also a part of the protest, said that if the party does not give him a ticket, then he would contest the election as an independent candidate.

    People on social media are expressing their disappointment over PTI continuing with the tradition of dynastic politics.

    https://twitter.com/Zara75520916/status/1555522618228445184?s=20&t=nDRe3scpPcj4cUJJzB3taA

    https://twitter.com/__Mugal/status/1555581107739004929?s=20&t=nDRe3scpPcj4cUJJzB3taA

    Reacting to the backlash, Meher Bano tweeted: “I have come across so many spreading fake news, doctored images and posters and attributing false statements to me. I wonder if it would have been different had I been a man. Anyhow, happy to work hard and prove myself.”

    Shah Mahmood’s son Zain Qureshi won PP-217 in the Punjab by-polls held on July 17. After becoming a member of the Punjab Assembly, he vacated his NA seat. His sister will now contest the election for the NA seat vacated by him.

    PTI Chairman Imran Khan himself has condemned and attacked the Pakistan Muslim-League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for dynastic politics on multiple occasions.

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Zardari to be new neighbours?

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Zardari to be new neighbours?

    Former President Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly bought two bungalows of 14 kanal in one of the elitist areas of Gulberg in Lahore, reports The News.

    According to media reports, discussions to purchase another bungalow of 6 kanal for residential purposes in Lahore are ongoing. This bungalow is situated in front of PPP’s rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s house near Gaddafi Stadium.

    If the deal finalises, Zardari and Qureshi would become neighbours. It is pertinent to mention that Qureshi left PPP in 2011 after almost two decades of serving under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto. Since then, he is on bitter terms with PPP.

    Zardari and his son Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s current residence in Baharia Town in Lahore will be converted into a farmhouse.

    Earlier, the former president hinted at buying a residence in Gulberg so that he can hold more meetings with people, as it gets difficult for people to come to his residence in Bahira Town.

    Stronghold in Punjab

    According to Geo Urdu, Zardari is currently in Islamabad. However, he will later visit Lahore and hold meetings to discuss the political crisis in Punjab.

    Prior to this, the PPP co-chairman claimed that his party will form the next government in the Centre after winning the next general elections.

    “The next government (in the Centre) will be the PPP’s. I promise if I get a chance to return to power, I will turn around Pakistan 110 degrees. The PPP has the capability to help the country negotiate all the challenges,” said Zardari.

    Talking about politics in Punjab, Zardari said, “The PPP has to sacrifice its politics to save Pakistan. I will myself look into the party affairs in Punjab and ensure its revival here.”

    “We will strengthen our party in Punjab and ensure we get our fair share in the province,” he said.

    Criticising former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Zardari said that the policies of the “anokha laadla” (favourite) had caused price hike and inflation in the country.

    The PPP is currently ruling Sindh, where it is in power for the third time in a row, while it is also a major stakeholder in the incumbent federal government.