A 105-year-old man in Punjab has been discharged from hospital after successfully fighting against COVID-19.
According to reports, the recovered man has served in the Pakistan Army. Fazal Rauf was tested positive and had been isolated in the hospital since then.
Rauf was tested for the virus again on Thursday and test results came out negative. He was shifted back to his home on Friday and his condition is stable.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases are 234,482 so far in the country.
Pictures of a nine-year-old Balochi girl surfing the waves are doing the rounds on social media and people cannot stop praising her for her talent. The girl’s name has not yet been identified.
A few Twitter users also wished her to represent Pakistan at an international level.
Kuwait has signed a government-to-government bilateral framework agreement with Pakistan to hire its healthcare professionals on a regular basis, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari has said.
“We [have] signed an agreement with the government of Kuwait to send an increased number of Pakistani doctors, nurses and paramedics to work there,” Bukhari tweeted.
He also expressed gratitude to the government of Kuwait for recruiting Pakistani medical professionals on a priority basis. “I thank our Kuwaiti brothers for preferring Pakistani healthcare professionals. This is a big step towards bringing our two great countries further closer,” the SAPM said.
He also shared the news release of Pakistan’s Embassy in Kuwait, which confirmed the development.
According to the release, the agreement was signed by Kuwaiti Undersecretary Ministry of Health Dr Mustafa Ridha and Pakistani Ambassador Syed Sajjad Haider on behalf of Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) at the Ministry of Health of Kuwait.
The cooperation agreement would institutionalise the recruitment of healthcare professionals from Pakistan for Kuwait on a regular basis as per the requirements of Kuwait’s Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s International Health Relations Department Director Dr Rehab Al Watyan was quoted by Kuwait’s state news agency as saying that the agreement would enhance cooperation between the medical community of Pakistan and Kuwait and “would provide an opportunity to benefit from their experiences in dealing with disasters and epidemics, and to address the COVID-19 epidemic”.
When an Indian Twitter user tried to troll Prime Minister Imran Khan and Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the minister had a savage response for her.
Replying to Chaudhry’s video in which he was announcing that PM Imran Khan has handed over the first batch of ventilators to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), a Twitter user Mishupreet Kaur said: “Imran ne to bola ghabrana nhi hai ye ghabrah kyu raha hai (Imran said not to worry, then why is he getting nervous).”
Responding to the tweet, Chaudhry said PM Imran Khan said that to the people of Pakistan and not to the Indians.
“You have to worry,” he added. “Rest assured[d], under Modi India will be Endia.”
Meanwhile, PM Imran on Monday inaugurated inaugurated the facility of country’s first-ever indigenously made ventilators and handed over the first batch of ‘SafeVent SP100’ portable ventilators to NDMA.
According to APP, the facility in the northern town of Haripur has a production capacity of up to 300 ventilators a month.
“It’s a landmark achievement for Pakistan,” PM said, congratulating the team behind the project, the engineers and scientists at National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) and the Ministry of Science & Technology.
He further said that the country has “abundant talent to take us to self-reliance in new technological innovation and the government will strongly support any initiative to harness the potential of our youth”.
Pakistani mangoes are popular worldwide and recently a Pakistani Supermarket started a ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’ drive that went viral in Dubai as it offers a short joyride in the supercar.
It has doubled the sales of mangoes since its launch in mid-June. Minimum order of Dh100 is required to avail the offer.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, managing director of the Pakistan Super Market Dubai Jhanzeb Yaseen said, “There is no commercial aim behind the campaign. I want to spread the message of happiness and love and the response is overwhelming.”
He said mango sales had increased by more than 100 percent and most of the customers are now registered for ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’ with a minimum waiting time of one week.
The regular van delivery service is also available but customers are keen on receiving their purchase in the supercar, he added.
“I was expecting a good response from Pakistani and Indian community as they love mangoes. But I’m surprised residents from Western countries are also huge fans of Pakistani mango varieties such as Langra, Sindhiri, Anwar Rattole and Chaunsa, among others,” he said.
“The campaign has gained popularity since the Lambo mango delivery videos have gone viral on social media. Now I’m planning to extend the service to five days a week to cater to more buyers and clear the backlog,” he said.
Pakistan is home to about 250 varieties of mangoes and is the fifth largest producer of the fruit in the world after India, China, Thailand and Indonesia.
Accounts of sexual harassment that were shared on social media last month by students of Lahore Grammar School’s (LGS) 1A1 branch were harrowing to say the least.
Four male staffers were subsequently terminated while the principal, administrator and coordinator were suspended as they have been accused of covering up the scandal.
We must say that it was very brave of the victims to recount their trauma and raise this issue on social media when all other avenues failed. More power to these girls who did not back down for demanding justice for themselves and their fellow students.
To think that this had been going on for four years under the administration’s nose makes one wonder why senior members of the administration did not pay any heed to multiple complaints by students. Sexual harassers are of course the main culprits here and they must be punished according to the law but those who abetted them by covering up their crimes cannot shirk responsibility either. Once a student had approached the administration to report sexual harassment, it should have been investigated right away and proper measures should have been taken instead of blaming and shaming underage girls for ‘leading on’ these predators.
Victim-blaming is not just mentally damaging and demeaning, in this case it was downright criminal. The commitment of Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas as well as Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari to the LGS case is commendable. However, Raas’s suggestion that only female teachers should teach at all-girls’ schools is a stop-gap arrangement of sorts. This policy cannot be dictated and it should not be implemented either. By this token, do we think that any man who teaches girls in schools cannot control himself? What about all-boys schools where male teachers have abused? This sort of messaging is not appropriate. Male teachers must be taught to treat their students as ‘students’ and not any sexual beings. Parents send their children to school for education, believing they are sending them to a safe environment where they will be looked after by the school management just like families look after their own.
A school is quite literally a child’s second home where he or she learns, makes friends and prepares for their future. It should never have been a place where underage girls were sexually harassed by faculty members with unwanted and inappropriate pictures, messages, etc.
Educational institutions – from schools and colleges to universities – should have a proper and clear policy on sexual harassment. This policy should be public and awareness sessions should also take place regarding this issue. Psychologists should also be hired by educational institutions to provide free counselling to children and not just for sexual harassment but also for other issues they might be facing. Just like some schools have career counselling, there should be counsellors – like ombudspersons – to hear complaints about sexual harassment at schools. These are just the basic things that all educational institutions must comply with.
A private media outlet that had claimed credit for getting stopped the construction of Islamabad’s first Hindu temple later retracted its story amid severe backlash.
As per the details, the construction of the first Hindu temple in the federal capital has been stopped by the authorities after fierce opposition from religious hardliners as well as an ally of the ruling party, Chaudhrys of Gujrat’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML).
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday stopped construction of the boundary wall on the plot meant for the temple citing legal reasons.
A joint team of the CDA’s enforcement and building control departments reached the site of the temple in Sector H-9/2 and directed workers to stop constructing the boundary wall.
According to reports, a CDA official said that the building control laws of the civic authority clearly stated that no activity could take place on a plot until the building plan was approved.
However, according to another CDA official, it was possibly the first time that this clause had been enforced as all owners were allowed to construct boundary walls and ensure possession of their plot while formalities regarding approval of the map continue.
READ: Islamabad to get its first Hindu temple
Meanwhile, a private media outlet, 92 News, claimed the credit for stopping the construction of the temple.
“Owing to successful efforts of 92 News, the CDA stopped the construction of a temple in Islamabad on Friday,” the news channel said in a report titled “92 News Efforts Bear Fruit As CDA Stops Construction Of Temple In Islamabad“, which has now been retracted.
Earlier, the construction of the temple had been opposed by religio-political among other right-wing organisations.
A leading religious school had issued a fatwa against construction of the temple, calling it “un-Islamic”, while parties like Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had voiced their concerns over the same for they said it was “against Pakistan’s ideology”.
PML leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi had also said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and construction of a temple on its soil “was against the very spirit of Islam”.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the coronavirus situation in the country is improving as the number of COVID-19 cases “decrease owing to effective measures taken by the government and a majority of people following social distancing guidelines”.
But the statement the minister made while addressing a press conference at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) last Friday, has been contradicted by the government itself as its data suggests that COVID-19 cases have declined over the past one week because of low testing rate.
READ: Govt is grossly under-reporting coronavirus deaths and infections: PM’s task force head
As many as 5,000 to 6,000 cases were being reported on a daily basis in Pakistan by mid-June, which had prompted the government to impose selective lockdowns in different parts of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh, and the number of daily infections has now dropped to 3,000 to 4,000.
While data from June 15 to June 29 shows that the number of cases reported in the country after June 19 has comparatively been lower, contrary to Umar’s claims, a major reason behind the drop has been that the number of tests performed to diagnose COVID-19 across the country also dropped significantly during the said period.
The rate of testing came down from 31,000 to 20,000 while the target set by the government to achieve in July was the enhancement of Pakistan’s testing capacity to 100,000.
LIVE BLOG: COVID-19 pandemic
If you look at the statistics, it is clear that Pakistan has conducted 1,327,638 (1.3 million) tests so far, while according to Worldometers, Pakistan ranks 32nd out of 49 Asian countries in terms of testing capacity. Countries including Iraq, Bhutan, Iran and Maldives have a higher testing capacity than that of Pakistan.
According to Punjab health officials, the government is continuing to enhance testing capacity in the country but the testing rate has dropped because patients are less exposed to the virus amid lockdowns.
“A test is conducted when a suspected patient comes forward after complaining of symptoms or as part of a random testing drive in hotspots,” they said, adding that both instances had seen a significant drop amid lockdown restrictions
Dr Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on national security, has denied the impression that Pakistan has been a source of the coronavirus in other countries, saying that the country has “been the most responsible” in the world.
Last week, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) temporarily stopped receiving passengers on flights coming from Pakistan. The suspension, the UAE civil aviation authority said, will last until a special laboratory to conduct coronavirus tests is established. The decision was taken after as many as 30 passengers aboard an Emirates flight tested positive for coronavirus.
“Over the past three months, Pakistan conducted tests and quarantined several people so that they won’t be the source of spread. No one appreciated us for that […] We will not allow Pakistan to be singled out,” Yusuf said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
He said that Pakistan’s government had also contacted the British High Commission and the latter’s officials had assured that this was not the position of the United Kingdom’s government.
Yusuf told reporters that only 30 people who had travelled from Pakistan had tested positive. “This [impression to ‘export’ coronavirus] is absolutely false,” he said.
Yusuf also urged people to avoid unnecessary travel as the government “cannot guarantee that the airspace will remain open three weeks from now”.
He said that Pakistan has been “the most responsible among all developing countries in repatriating people as well as sending them away”.
According to him, any passenger who is showing symptoms will not be allowed to leave the country. The SAPM told people to follow the guidelines set by the airlines they are travelling from and their destination countries as it would be a source of embarrassment for the country if the rules were violated.
Amid controversies surrounding the licences of several Pakistani pilots, which have also led to the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorisation to operate in European Union (EU) member states and the United Kingdom (UK), a newspaper clipping pertaining to the launch of army’s Askari Airline has left Twitterati in doubts.
“Preparations for the launch of Askari Airline completed; licence issued,” read the undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet.
It added that “the chief of army staff (COAS) would inaugurate the project that was in its final stages owing to the efforts of the Army Welfare Trust (AWT)” — Pakistani conglomerate also known as Askari Group of Companies — and mentioned details of the airline’s fleet.
The clipping drew the ire of a majority of netizens who attempted to draw a link between the downfall of the national carrier and the alleged impending launch of Askari Airline, compelling The Current to look into the claims.
According to prominent aviation journalist Tahir Imran, Askari Airline was given approval a few years ago, which suggests that the clipping is not a recent one.
When contacted, Imran said that Askari Airline was among six new airlines that had applied to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for regular public transport (RPT) licences in 2018.
“These airlines are Liberty Air owned by Chaudhry Munir and Mian Amir, Go Green Airways owned by Elahi Group, Askari Air owned by AWT, United Airways Pakistan Limited owned by Adnan Tabani, AirSial owned by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Afeef Zara Airways owned by Rashid Siddiqui,” he said, adding that even though they had been granted licences, no other airline except AirSial was for now in a position to launch flight operations.
“But even AirSial faces an uncertain future as its launch scheduled for May 2020 has indefinitely been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic among other reasons. It might see the light of day by 2020’s end… but everything depends on how the current situation pans out.”
To a question regarding the fate of Askari Airline, Imran said that no appointments in this regard had so far been reported, let alone any progress towards its launch. “Askari, as well as other upcoming airlines except AirSial, lack the required infrastructure for now and their launch within the ongoing year doesn’t seem possible.”
ASKARI AVIATION SERVICES:
Speaking of Askari Aviation Services (AAS), he said it was run by AWT and its activities included domestic and international travel as well as transportation by Askari Charter Services (ACS), ground handling services at Islamabad airport by Askari Airport Services (AAPS), domestic and international air travel ticketing by Askari Travel & Tour (AT&T), ground, cabin and flying training of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft by Askari Flying Academy (AFA) beside aircraft and helicopter maintenance and operation services through Askari Aviation (Pvt) Ltd (AAL).
“In addition to its integral fleet of helicopter and aircraft, AAS also enjoys the backing of Pakistan Army Aviation and is providing international charter services to the army for its United Nations (UN) peacekeeping troops deployed around the world,” he said.