Tag: Pakistan

  • Govt sets up first COVID-19 vaccine centre in Islamabad

    Govt sets up first COVID-19 vaccine centre in Islamabad

    The government has established the first COVID-19 vaccination centre in Taralai area of the federal capital.

    According to details, citizens can register themselves for the vaccine using the helpline 1166. The government has installed a special chiller at the centre so that the vaccine remains safe and lasts long.

    The federal health ministry has also set up a training centre for the vaccinators at the site.

    The centre was set up a day after Secretary for Ministry of National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid said that Pakistan is expected to get the first COVID-19 vaccine batch by the end of January.

    According to Radio Pakistan, Dr Hamid said that the government was “urgently” drafting a database of all public and private medical workers to get them vaccinated in the first phase.

    However, it has not yet revealed which vaccine it is and from which country Pakistan would procure it.

    A week earlier, Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan would purchase 1.2 million doses of virus vaccine from China’s Sinopharm.

    Last month, China had approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by an associate of the state-backed pharmaceutical giant.

  • Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst for international travel in 2021

    Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst for international travel in 2021

    The Henley Passport Index has released its annual report ranking the world’s strongest and weakest passports despite there being limited travel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel spots. Asian residents continue to have the world’s most powerful travel documents. 

    As the report doesn’t take temporary restrictions into account, Japan tops the list offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival service to tourists from 191 destinations around the world.

    The best passports to hold in 2021 are of Japan with 191 destinations, Singapore with 190, South Korea and Germany with 189, Italy, Finland, Spain and Luxembourg with 18, and Denmark along with Austria with 187 destinations.

    Followed by Denmark are Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Ireland with 186 destinations.

    Many countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to less than 40 countries. 

    Passports with the lowest ranking include North Korea with 39 destinations on the 103rd rank, Libya and Nepal with 38 destinations, 105 Palestinian territories with 37, and Somalia along with Yemen on the 106th rank with 33 destinations to offer visa-free arrival.

    Pakistan ranks 107th on the list with 32 destinations for the second time in a row, followed by Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan.

    UAE is on the 16th position rising from 62nd position from 2006 back when the index began. UAE provides visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 173 destinations.

  • PM meets Ertuğrul founding team while Mach victim families still wait for him

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has come under criticism for meeting the founding team of hit Turkish drama series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ days after the Mach massacre, victim families of which await him even after the passage of five days.

    Earlier, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass on Sunday after 11 coalminers belonging to the Hazara community were brutally executed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack by terrorists at a residential compound near a mine site in Mach area of Bolan, some 100km away from the provincial capital.

    While the protesters have been seeking the government’s support and assurance for an end to sectarian killings that have once again shot up in the area, they have been demanding that the premier personally meets them.

    Amid delays in PM Imran’s travel to Balochistan, and subsequent criticism by opposition members as well as the general public, it has emerged that he on Thursday met the founding team of the hit Turkish series that has broken viewership records in Pakistan.

    The meeting in Islamabad was also attended by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Kashmir Committee Chairperson Shehryar Afridi and personalities from Turkish and Pakistani film industries.

    The meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of Pakistani entertainment industry.

    The premier, however, did tweet on the Mach massacre once again on Wednesday.

    He had also condemned the incident and assured the grieving community of the government’s support earlier, on Sunday.

  • TikTok launches new video competition in Pakistan

    TikTok launches new video competition in Pakistan

    TikTok has announced a competition for its users in Pakistan for the first time. Contestants can participate in the competition ‘1 Million Audition’  by sending creative videos.

    The #1MAuditionPK campaign started on January 6 and will continue till January 22. The campaign invites all TikTokers to showcase their creative streak, across various talent categories.

    TikTokers in Pakistan will have to use the #1MAudition hashtag for the campaign. They can also add the category in which they would like to compete such as #1MAComedy, #1MATalent, #1MASing&Dance.

    There will be nine winners in each category. Winners will be selected based on video quality and engagement on the video. The final winners will be announced on January 22.

    TikTok will gift a voucher worth US$1000 to one winner in each category. The runner up in each category will get an $800 voucher and while the second runnerup will receive $500. 

    This campaign was launched in 2018 in many other countries by TikTok.

    As per a press release, the move is aimed to encourage and promote creative expression in Pakistan.

  • Delivery boy robs people by hiding gun in food delivery bag

    The police arrested a delivery boy for robbing people using a weapon hidden inside his delivery bag.

    As per details, the suspect from Karachi’s Ferozabad area bore the uniform and a box of online food delivery service in which he put his weapon.

    The delivery boy, Abdul Rauf told the police he had only recently joined the online food delivery service and admitted he was tempted to rob people as he had no money.

    “I bought this gun back in 2011”, Rauf admitted to police.

    Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) East Sajid Sadozai told media the suspect knocked at house doors pretending to be a food delivery person and then robbed them with his partners.

    The police are still searching for his alleged aides involved in criminal activities.

    Rauf has confessed to at least 21 robberies, SSP Sadozai said.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi condemns Hazara killings

    Hamza Ali Abbasi condemns Hazara killings

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has expressed his sorrow and grief over the horrific attack that took place on Sunday in Balochistan’s Bolan district and left 11 coal miners belonging to the Shia Hazara community dead. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    “The horrifying tragedy inflicted by a few evil men on the Hazara community is so heartbreaking that all I can tell myself to feel some peace is that God is watching everything,” wrote Hamza on social media.

    “May Allah bless the souls of the victims and give courage to the families,” added the actor.

    People from Hazara community are currently protesting at the Western Bypass, Quetta, saying they won’t bury their dead till Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits them and assures them of security.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan has requested the Hazara community to “please bury your loved one so their souls find peace”, adding that he “shares” their pain and will come to them soon.

  • VIDEO: Ostrich on the loose in Karachi

    VIDEO: Ostrich on the loose in Karachi

    A video of an ostrich running across a road in Karachi is doing rounds on social media.

    As per reports, the bird had escaped a private park and made its way to a road in the city’s Korangi No 4 area.

    “Ostriches are afraid of water. This one escaped from a private park when water entered it” said the police. “The park’s employees ran after it and captured it later.”

    Meanwhile, other reports have stated that the bird escaped from the Landhi Korangi Zoo.

  • Govt to name artificial forest after Guru Nanak

    Govt to name artificial forest after Guru Nanak

    Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has announced that an artificial forest near Head Baloki will be named after Baba Guru Nanak.

    Talking to the media on Baba Guru Gobind Singh’s birth anniversary, Governor Sarwar said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is involved in the killing of minorities and Kashmiris living in India. The governor asserted that the UN should declare India and Modi terrorists.

    He said minorities in Pakistan have full religious freedom.

    Minority MNA Shaneela Ruth and MPA Mahindra Pal Singh, who were also present on the occasion said: “We are proud that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is ensuring the provision of all basic facilities to the minorities and standing by the deserving families during the corona crisis.”

    Sharing his thoughts on the ongoing PDM rallies, the governor said that PM Imran Khan will complete his constitutional term, commenting that are as many narratives in PDM as there are parties.

    “I am sure that the general elections in Pakistan will be held on time. Since the formation of the opposition alliance PDM, none of its promise or claim has been fulfilled, so there is no doubt that the PDM is clueless about its strategy,” said Sarwar.

    Meanwhile, Governor Sarwar also announced mass marriages of 15 deserving Sikh couples and promised 2% quota for employment of minorities in the Higher Education Department.

  • Russia shows interest in registering its COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan

    Russia shows interest in registering its COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan

    Russia has expressed interest in getting their COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik-V’ registered in Pakistan, claiming that it is the first-ever anti-corona vaccine. Sputnik-V was developed last year in August and will be available for public use in the coming few months.

    As per reports, Russia wrote a letter to Pakistan asking for details of the process of vaccine registration as well as the demand in the country for the batch of dozes.

    In the letter addressed to Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Faisal Sultan, the Russian Direct Investment Fund’s (RDIF) Head, Kirill Dmitriev has said that the Sputnik-V had an emergency use certificate and it was 91.4% effective.

    The vaccine made by Russia would be available for the public in February 2021.

    The letter has also claimed that the vaccine would be cheaper compared to other vaccines. Its single doze would cost less than $10 (Rs 1605) and it can be stored at -2 to 8 degree centigrade temperature.

    Russia’s vaccine was registered in August 2020 and the country offered to sell it to Pakistan in November. Meanwhile, the country has initiated the limited use of their vaccine from last November.

    Pakistan is currently experiencing the second wave of the virus. In the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 59 deaths and 1,903 new cases in Pakistan.

    As per the data shared by the NCOC, the confirmed cases reported are 2,118 whereas 4,033 people recovered from the contagion during the last 24 hours.

  • US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    The US Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that allows more Pakistani women to avail scholarships under a merit and needs-based programme.

    According to the Congress website, the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March last year and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote last Friday.

    It has now been forwarded to US President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

    The bill requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to give at least 50% of scholarships to Pakistani women under Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and under current eligibility criteria.

    Sharing the news on social media, Malala thanked the Congress for passing the legislation, saying that she is “very excited to see where they lead us”.

    Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban as she was returning home from school in Swat Valley, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts for children’s rights in 2014.

    She is now internationally known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children.