Tag: Pakistan

  • We accept the Chinese version on Uyghurs in Xinjiang: PM Khan

    We accept the Chinese version on Uyghurs in Xinjiang: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday said that the relationship between Pakistan and China is very deep. “It’s not just the governments, but it’s a people-to-people relationship.”

    “Whatever will happen…[the] relationship between our two countries, no matter what pressure is put on us, is not going to change,” PM Khan said in response to a question.

    Speaking to Chinese journalists as Beijing marked the centenary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the premier said the Chinese version about the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang was completely different from what was being reported in the western media.

    “Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version,” added PM Khan.

    He said that it was hypocritical that while the Uyghur situation and Hong Kong were being highlighted, attention was not being given to the human rights violations in Indian-Occupied Kashmir.

    “It is hypocritical. There are much worse human rights violations taking place in other parts of the world such as in occupied Kashmir. But western media hardly comments on this,” he said.

    PM Khan praised the Communist Party. He said that until now, it was believed that electoral democracy is the best way to bring leaders on merit and hold them accountable.

    “But China’s process to hunt talent and then polish it is better than any electoral democracy.”

    PM Khan also praised President Xi for his success in the fight against poverty and corruption in China.

    “China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in a few years, which is a great achievement. We want to further develop political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.”

    PM Khan said that Pakistanis are impressed by the Chinese president’s fight against corruption and consider him “a great politician of modern times”.

    “President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign is effective and successful.”

    PM Khan said that it is unfair of the US and western powers to expect countries like Pakistan to take sides. “Pakistan will not downgrade its relations with China.“

    “The United States expects Pakistan to choose a side. This is not appropriate,” he added.

  • Eidul Azha: Govt issues guidelines for cattle market to curb Covid-19 spread

    Eidul Azha: Govt issues guidelines for cattle market to curb Covid-19 spread

    The Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination on Tuesday issued guidelines for Eidul Azha in line with the government’s Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

    As per reports, the document has been issued to provide health guidelines to the general public, cattle vendors and customers to control the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing and  following precautionary measures at the cattle market while buying or selling a sacrificial animal.

    Guidelines for sellers:

    • Animal vendors will have to follow the following guidelines while selling an animal at the cattle market.
    • It is necessary for all animal vendors and sellers to get vaccinated with any of the available COVID-19 vaccines in the country. Those without proof of vaccination (first dose or complete course) may not be allowed to do business in the market.
    • Every seller must wear a face mask covering nose and mouth all the time.
    • The seller should wash their hands with soap and water frequently or use an alcohol-based (70%) hand sanitiser.
    • Stalls should be set up at a distance of at least two metres from each other while ensuring enough space between animals. The supporting arrangements must be made by the local authority.
    • Seller and customers should try and maintain a safe distance of two metres. 
    • Seller and customer must not shake hands and avoid any other physical contact 
    • The seller must keep a disinfection formulation with 0.5% diluted bleach or 60%-80% dilute alcohol solution to disinfect the most frequently used surfaces by customers. 
    • Each salesperson must wear gloves for touching the animals. 
    • Any seller with symptoms of cough, sore throat, fever etc., would not be allowed to sell animals in the market. They will have to arrange a replacement for themselves.
    • Each seller must ensure queue control and maintaining the advised two metres distance in his allocated space in the market/ mandii. 
    • The sellers must keep themselves aware of the updated instructions issued by the government and should strictly follow them.

    Read More: Eid ul Azha: 5 things that can only happen in Pakistan

    Guidelines for Customers:

    • The buyer must wear a surgical/medical mask properly (cover nose and mouth) at all times.
    • The customers should not go to the market/ mandii if they are feeling any flu-like symptoms, cough, sore throat or fever.
    • Sanitise hands properly before and after going to the market.
    • Buyers should also wear gloves if they plan to touch the animals.
    • People visiting the market should avoid touching the surfaces in the market unnecessarily. 
    • Maintain two metres distance from the seller or other peoplepresent in the market.
    • Follow the safety guidance provided by the local management and cooperate with the staff
    • If a customer observes non-compliance to the guidelines by the individual seller, remind them and/or report to the local authorities.

  • Fawad Chaudhry slams Sindh High Court’s decision to ban TikTok

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has criticised the Sindh High Court (SHC) for banning the video-sharing app TikTok. On Monday, SHC banned TikTok across the country till July 8 for spreading immorality and obscenity in the country.

    “Pakistan will never come out of its economic crisis if judicial reforms are not undertaken,” the minister wrote in a tweet.

    Fawad Chaudhry further added: “My head is spinning after reading yesterday’s verdicts on TikTok ban and the removal of the NBP president. What are our courts doing?”

    Chaudhry said that the country has already suffered losses worth billions of dollars due to judicial activism.

    TikTok ban has been imposed for the third time in Pakistan. Earlier this year in March Peshawar High Court (PHC) banned TikTok, over immoral content, but the ban was later lifted in April.

    Last year, Pakistan blocked the app on October 9, 2020. The ban was lifted after the TikTok management assured the Pakistani authorities that it will block all accounts repeatedly involved in spreading obscenity and immorality.

  • Karachi among world’s 10 most stressful cities to live in for 2021

    Karachi among world’s 10 most stressful cities to live in for 2021

    Karachi is listed among the world’s top 10 most stressful cities to live in, according to a list by German company VAAY.

    The index is made by analyzing 15 important stress indicators including governance, environment, finance and security.

    As per reports, the list claims cities are selected for their size and significance as well as for the accessibility of comparable and reliable information.

    The cities with the most stressful social, environmental and economic conditions make it to the bottom while the most stable and happy ones top the list.

    Karachi is at number 93 on the list, which is slightly better than Baghdad ranking at 94, Kabul at 95 and Moscow being on the 96th position.

    Iceland’s serene capital, Reykajavik, tops the list as the least stressful city, followed by Bern (Switzerland), Helsinki, (Finland), Wellington, Melbourne, Oslo, Copenhagen, Innsbruck (Austria), Hannover (Germany) and Graz (Austria).

    Mumbai ranks at 100 as the most stressful urban centre. Ranks of other major international cities are Sydney at 19, Abu Dhabi at 28, Toronto at 30, Singapore at 33, Tokyo at 34, Berlin at 36, Chicago at 40, Rome at 42, Los Angeles at 45, Washington at 47, Buenos Aires at 48, Cape Town at 51, Prague at 52, Budapest at 54, Tel Aviv at 55, Paris at 62, Doha at 65, Kuwait at 66, Rio de Janeiro at 67, London at 69, Kuala Lumpur at 76, Riyadh at 77, Shanghai at 83, Tehran at 86, Bangkok at 87, Cairo at 88 and Istanbul at 90.

    The selected cities are not necessarily the most and least stressful cities in the world; instead, they were chosen for their global comparability.

    The list aims to showcase good governance to inspire and pave way for cities lagging behind.

  • ‘Humans can’t live there,’ Jacobabad heat intolerant for human body

    ‘Humans can’t live there,’ Jacobabad heat intolerant for human body

    Jacobabad, the city with 200,000 citizens in the Sindh province has long been known for its severe heat but recent research has conferred an unwelcome scientific distinction.

    The mixture of heat and humidity in the city has made it one of the hottest places on earth. The temperature there is hotter than the human body can handle.

    The city’s temperature rises to 52 degrees Celsius forcing its residents to remain inside their homes. Few have air conditioners in their homes and loadshedding in the city worsens the situation. The hospital fills with heatstroke cases from those whose livelihoods demands them to step out.

    Speaking to the telegraph, a resident, Zamir Alam said, “When it gets that hot, you can’t even stay on your feet.”

    “It’s a very, very difficult time when it goes beyond 50°C. People do not come out of their houses and the streets are deserted,” Abdul Baqi, a shopkeeper, added.

    Mr. Matthews, who is a lecturer in climate science at Loughborough University with his colleagues analysed global weather station data last year and found that Jacobabad and Ras al Khaimah, northeast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, have both temporarily crossed the deadly threshold. The milestone had been surpassed decades ahead of predictions from climate change models.

    The researchers inspected what are called wet bulb temperatures. These are taken from a thermometer covered in a water-soaked cloth so they take into account both heat and humidity.  Wet-bulb thermometer readings are significantly lower than the more familiar dry bulb readings, which do not take humidity into account.

    Researchers say that at a wet-bulb (thermometer covered in a water-soaked cloth) reading of 35 degrees Celsius, the body can no longer cool itself by sweating and such a temperature can be fatal in a few hours, even to the fittest people. 

    Read More: How to beat the heat without AC

    According to reports, Jacobabad crossed the 35 degrees Celsius wet-bulb threshold in July 1987, then again in June 2005, June 2010 and July 2012. Each time the boundary may have been breached for only a few hours, but a three-day average maximum temperature has been recorded hovering around 34°C in June 2010, June 2001 and July 2012. The dry bulb temperature is often over 50 degrees Celcius in the summer.

    As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, difficulties with farming, irrigation, disease and labour are predicted by 2050 to badly hit people’s quality of living in parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

  • Pakistan should not issue rhetorical statements against FATF: European diplomat

    Pakistan should not issue rhetorical statements against FATF: European diplomat

    Daniel Ferrie, a spokesperson for the European Commission, says financing terrorism and preventing money laundering are European Union’s (EU) top priorities, reports Geo News.

    The EU spokesperson was asked why Pakistan has been placed on the Finance Action Task Force (FATF) grey list despite implementing 26 out of 27 points.

    “You may have noticed that many of the steps we have taken in recent years are important not only for the European Union but also for the world,” he said.

    A diplomat based in Europe told Geo News that such a statement is not serving Pakistan and was rather received negatively by European capitals.

    Pakistan recently raised a question about whether FATF is a technical or political body.

    He said such statements are “not only counterproductive but also harmful to Pakistan’s interest”.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently said it needed to be looked into whether FATF was “being used for political purposes”, adding that “some powers desire to keep the sword of FATF hanging over Pakistan”.

  • How to get your Covid-19 vaccination certificate

    How to get your Covid-19 vaccination certificate

    As the coronavirus vaccination drive is speeding up in Pakistan, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has allowed restaurants to operate at 50 per cent indoor capacity for vaccinated individuals only.

    One of the most common questions on people’s minds these days is how do I get my vaccination certificate? Here is how you can get it:

    Step 1

    The first step is to visit the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) website and enter the details of your computerised national identity card (CNIC). The certificate’s fee is Rs100 that can be paid through your debit or credit card.

    The certificate can also be downloaded if you have received only your first shot of the vaccination or you can visit a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) centre to get your vaccination certificate.

    Step 2

    In the next step, enter the required details, i.e. your name and nationality.

    Step 3

     Enter your payment details.

    Step 4

    After paying the amount, you can download a receipt, check your information and then your certificate will be ready to download.

  • Registration of pet dogs starts in Karachi

    Registration of pet dogs starts in Karachi

    The Cantonment Board on Monday made registration of pet dogs compulsory, days after two dogs attacked a lawyer in the Karachi’s Defence area.

    The CBC, in a notification, said under section 119 and the Cantonment Act 1924, it is now mandatory for all dog owners to get their pets registered. The rate of the form has been fixed at Rs250 while the registration fee will be Rs2,000 per dog.

    The form requires the name of the dog owner, ID card number, address of the place where the dog is kept, mobile number, email ID, the colour of the dog, breed, sex, and why the owner is keeping it.

    As per details, the date of vaccination of the dog will also be written in the form.

    A vaccination card, with the signature of the dog owner, a photograph of the dog, a copy of the owner’s ID card, the vaccination report given by the doctors and a copy of the fee payment challan will be attached with the form.

    Once the form is submitted, it will be the choice of the CBC whether it will allow the citizens to keep the dog or not.

    The CBC said the non-registration of a dog will make it impossible for the board to determine whether the dog has been muzzled and is disease-free or not.

    Thus, keeping an unregistered dog will be illegal and it will lead to the detention or culling of the dog, imposition of fines, or legal actions.

    The dog registration form will be available at the cantonment board’s office.

    Last week, a video went viral that showed two dogs attacking a resident in DHA.

    On Saturday, a Karachi court had ordered the police to arrest the owner of two pet dogs who attacked a lawyer five days ago.

    The Additional District and Sessions Judge South issued the orders after rejecting the appeal for pre-arrest bail of the owner, Humayun Khan, whose two dogs had attacked the lawyer Mirza Ali Akhtar leaving him severely injured.

    The court said that “it was due to the negligence of the owner that the dogs attacked the lawyer, whose life is now in danger”.

  • ‘Stop harassing him’: Murad Ali Shah helps visually impaired street vendor

    ‘Stop harassing him’: Murad Ali Shah helps visually impaired street vendor

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah recently stopped at a roadside stall set up by a visually impaired old man in Karachi to address his complaints.

    As per reports, the old man requested different Karachi authorities, including the chief minister, by writing a note on a board behind his refrigerator that stated: “Please don’t harass me and have mercy on this old man.”

    Murad Ali Shah was reportedly on a visit to a location nearby when he spotted the board and stopped to have a cold drink. CM Shah, along with other ministers, asked the man who was troubling him. The man replied that the police and the administration were creating some problems for him.

    CM Shah instantly called Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) East, SSP East and the Administrator KMC and asked them not to bother the elderly man.

    CM also told them that they should buy soft drinks from the man whenever they visit the area.

    Murad said that the man is working hard to earn an honest livelihood to fulfil the needs of his children. “This old man is the best example of hard work and self-sacrifice and we need to encourage him,” he further said.

  • ‘DID NOT go to Israel’: Zulfi Bukhari denies reports of secret visit to Israel, again

    ‘DID NOT go to Israel’: Zulfi Bukhari denies reports of secret visit to Israel, again

    Former Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari has denied going to Israel again, after Israel Hayom — an Israeli national Hebrew-language daily newspaper and news website — claimed on Monday that Zulfi Bukhari paid a brief visit to Israel in the last week of November 2020. The reported cited an unnamed source in Islamabad. Zulfi Bukhari tweeted that he did not go to Israel.

    This is Bukhari’s second denial regarding an alleged visit to Israel, months after Middle East Monitor claimed in a report that an adviser of PM Imran Khan visited Tel Aviv in November on his British passport. Middle East Monitor later apologised to Zulfi Bukhari for misreporting. “We accept Mr Bukhari’s refutation of the claims made in the report and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience it has caused,” concluded the letter dated December 23.

    Today, Zulfi Bukhari tweeted: “DIDNOT go to Israel. Funny bit is Pakistani paper says I went to Israel based on ‘Israeli news source’ & Israeli paper says I went to Israel based on a ‘Pakistani source’-wonder who this imaginative Pakistani source is.” He further added,” Apparently, I’m the only one who was kept out of the loop.”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khurram Dastgir Khan asked for a clarification from the government despite Zulfi’s denial.

    In November 2020, PM Imran Khan had said that the United States and some Muslim states, which he cannot name because of good ties with them, have been pressuring Pakistan to recognise Israel. However, PM Khan reiterated that Pakistan will never establish relations with the “Zionist” state until a just settlement of the decades-long Palestinian issue.