Tag: Pakistan

  • Sindh revives student unions after three decades

    Sindh revives student unions after three decades

    The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the Sindh Students Union Bill 2019 to revive student unions. According to the bill, a student union will be formed in every private and government educational institute.

    Students will be able to vote for or participate in the student union, according to the bill. The bill defines the student union as “a body or association of students of any educational institution by whatever name called for promoting the general interests of its members as students for academic, disciplinary, extra-curricular or other matters related to the affairs of the students in the educational institutions”.

    As per the bill, students would be able to form a union with seven to 11 student members through elections every year. The union will have representation in the institute’s syndicate, senate, and anti-harassment committee.

    The bill states that no student will be allowed to use or keep firearms on campus. The bill states that educational institutes will decide the rules and regulations related to the union two months after the bill is passed.

    During General Ziaul Haq’s military government, student unions were banned throughout the country in 1984.

  • Pakistan declared hybrid regime, ranks 104 out of 167: Democracy Index

    Pakistan declared hybrid regime, ranks 104 out of 167: Democracy Index

    Global democracy continued its decline in 2021, according to the latest edition of the Democracy Index, for The Economist Intelligence (EIU).

    The annual survey, which rates the state of democracy across 167 countries on the basis of five measures—electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture, and civil liberties—finds that more than a third of the world’s population lives under the authoritarian rule while just 6.4 percent enjoy full democracy.

    According to The Economist’s new intelligence index, Democracy Index 2021, Pakistan ranks 104th out of 167, and Pakistan’s overall score in 2021 is 4.31. India is 46th while Bangladesh is 75th. Norway ranks first in the index, followed by Norway, and Afghanistan ranks 167th.

    Democracy in Pakistan is declining compared to 2016 and previous years. Pakistan was included in the list of countries with a hybrid system because there is neither complete democracy nor dictatorship. Only three countries in Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, have full democracy.

    Poor democracies in 10 Asian countries, hybrids in six countries, and dictatorships in seven countries. The report also mentions the negative effects of code, measures such as lockdowns and travel restrictions, hindering civil liberties in developed democracies and dictatorial regimes. The situation of democracy in 167 countries of the world was reviewed.

    According to this, only 21 countries in the world including Norway, New Zealand, Finland, and the UK have full democracy.
    In addition, 34 countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, where the electoral process is not transparent, while civil society and the rule of law are very weak. These countries are considered hybrid democracies. One-third of the world’s population, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea, face authoritarian regimes or dictatorships, and the index ranks 59 countries without democracy.

  • PTI decides to bring resolution against Shehbaz Sharif in NA

    PTI decides to bring resolution against Shehbaz Sharif in NA

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reportedly decided to bring a resolution against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif in the National Assembly (NA), reports Geo News.

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcas­ting Farrukh Habib will present the resolution in the Lower House. Geo News’ sources state that Sharif will not be allowed to address the House till the final decision of his money-laundering case.

    It is to be noted that both PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership are meeting with other Members of National Assembly (MNAs) and political party leaders to bring a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    A few days ago, Sharif met the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) delegation.

    

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    10-year-old allegedly raped in washroom of private school
    
			
    10-year-old allegedly raped in washroom of private school
    
			
    A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the washroom of a private school in Lahore and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Dawn has reported.
    

    The incident was brought to light after the child, a third-grade student, was found in a terrible state in the washroom after the school had closed.
    

    According to the initial investigation, she went to the washroom after school, when the suspect reached inside and locked the door. Police officials suspect that the rapist is a male student at the institution.
    

    The victim cried out for help when she was being sexually assaulted, according to the police officer. Her class fellows told the police that they had informed the school management about her cries, but that they were ignored since “children used to make noise frequently” on school grounds.
    

    The victim was taken to the hospital, where sexual assault was confirmed by medics. The school’s CCTV cameras, as well as those located outside, are being used to assist the police.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ’Go out for dinner’, Nurse allegedly harassed by hospital’s administration
    
			
    ’Go out for dinner’, Nurse allegedly harassed by hospital’s administration
    
			
    Parveen Rind, a practising nurse at Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women (PUMHS), Nawabshah alleged that she had been harassed by the university administration since her first year at the university, reports BBC Urdu.
    

    Rind alleged that “we were told to be friends with them, go out to dinner or else they would fail, cancel the admission and would beat us or harass us if we did not comply with their demands.”
    

    She added that on the morning of February 9th, three masked women barged into her hostel room, attempted to kill her and threatened her that if she tells anyone about the harassment, she would be dead. After the incident, the victim immediately told her family.
    

    In a video that is circling around social media, Rind can be seen saying that no girl is safe at the university’s hostel. She said that no student had committed suicide at the hostel, apparently referring to the mysterious deaths of Dr Nimrita and Dr Nosheen Shah in their hostel rooms in Chandka Medical College, Larkana, Naila Rind’s death in her hostel room in Sindh University, and Dr Asmat Rajput’s ‘suicide’ in her home in Sita Road town. “All had been killed”, she claimed.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    After protesting against the university administration and repeated complaints, the Sindh health minister Dr Azra Pechuho formed a three-member inquiry committee, reports Dawn.
    

    The chairman of the committee informed the PUMHS Vice-Chancellor (VC) that he would conduct an inquiry into the incident on February 11 (today) at 10am. As per the media, they have started the investigation without waiting for the report.
    

    However, the university’s registrar rejected Rind’s statement in a press release and said that no such incident had taken place.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    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.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Instagram music feature is now available in Pakistan
    
			
    Instagram music feature is now available in Pakistan
    
			
    Instagram music is now available for Pakistani users, who were deprived of using this feature till now. 
    

    Instagram music feature was introduced in June 2018 but due to some legal issues, it was not available in Pakistan. Reportedly, Instagram did not acquire a music license for this region earlier, which is why Pakistani users would get a message, “Instagram Music is not available in your region.”
    

    Now Pakistani users will be able to use the Instagram music feature and add any music genre of their choice from all over the world. 
    

    To add this feature, you are required to tap on the sticker option and add the music feature to photos and videos in your stories.
    

    

    

    

    You can either choose from the dropdown list or browse music of your choice to add to your stories.
    

    

    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    PML-N Ishaq Dar appeals to take Senate oath virtually from UK
    
			
    PML-N Ishaq Dar appeals to take Senate oath virtually from UK
    
			
    Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) senior leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar has reportedly written a letter to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in which he expressed his willingness to take his oath as a member of Senate “virtually” from the United Kingdom (UK) due to his illness, states Dawn.
    

    The letter, dated February 2nd reads, “It is requested that arrangements may please be made to enable me [Dar] to take the required oath, virtually, through any electronic mode as you may deem convenient; the same being within the applicable legal framework and being used by the apex court of Pakistan.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    The former finance minister attached his medical report along with his appeal. He stated that because of his “prolonged illness and ongoing medical treatment” in the UK, he cannot return to Pakistan to take the oath in person.
    

    In 2018, following the elections, Dar’s rival candidate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ‘s (PTI) Nawazish Ali Pirzada, approached the Supreme Court (SC) against Dar’s selection as a senator. At the time, the top court suspended the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) notification, which declared the PML-N leader’s victory. However, on January 10, the SC gave its verdict in favour of Dar.
    

    Dar has been living in London since 2017 (before the 2018 general elections). He went there at a time when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was dealing with a corruption case against him.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Pakistan announces ‘Solidarity Day’ to support Indian Muslim women
    
			
    Pakistan announces ‘Solidarity Day’ to support Indian Muslim women
    
			
    Pakistan’s government announced a ‘Solidarity Day’ to show support to Indian Muslim women which will be observed on Friday. This announcement was made by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi on Wednesday.
    

    The decision was made after an incident with an Indian Muslim girl, Muskan Khan who was harassed and bullied by saffron-wearing Hindu boys in the Indian state, Karnataka on her college premises.
    

    He also condemned the discrimination and brutal treatment against the Muslim community on a basis of religion.
    

    Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said, “One daughter bravely challenged the violent mob and she made proud all the Muslims.”
    

    While giving an interview to NDTV, Muskan Khan revealed that she only came to college to submit an assignment.
    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    She was praised for her bravery and courage in standing against saffron-wearing boys across the border by several Pakistani politicians and journalists.  
    

    Last week, the Indian state, Karnataka, banned religious clothes in educational institutions amid a controversy over the hijab and saffron scarves.
    

    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Noor was murdered by someone else at a drug party: Zahir Jaffer
    
			
    Noor was murdered by someone else at a drug party: Zahir Jaffer
    
			
    Zahir Jaffer, the prime suspect in the Noor Mukdam murder case, has retracted his confessional statement. Zahir said that Noor called her friends at his house for a drug party, and she was murdered by someone else, maybe someone present at the drug party, and not him.
    

    “Hours later, when I regained consciousness, I found myself tied up in the lounge,” Zahir’s statement added, which he gave before an Islamabad court. “She [Noor] came to my house with a large number of drugs and asked me to throw a drug party, but I refused,” claimed Jaffer. He further added that he was “rescued” by the police.
    

    Zahir said that Noor’s father is an influential man, and he has fabricated charges against him with the help of the police.
    

    Earlier this month, a local court in Islamabad, requested the Islamabad High Court (IHC) grant additional time to complete the trial. The murder trial began in October 2021.
    

    Noor Mukadam was brutally murdered at a residence in Islamabad’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20. Her death sparked national outrage, including protests and candlelight vigils across the country. The Islamabad police arrested main suspect Zahir on the night of July 20 from his house.