Tag: Pakistan

  • Govt launches ‘Sehat Tahaffuz’ helpline to provide health-related information

    Govt launches ‘Sehat Tahaffuz’ helpline to provide health-related information

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza introduced the ‘Sehat Tahaffuz’ helpline ‘1166’ at a ceremony in Islamabad to provide health-related information services to the public.

    As per reports, through the helpline, people will be able to get instant assistance to their queries and concerns, particularly related to polio and routine immunization services.

    The helpline will also provide information and address queries of parents related to the vaccine. It will be active from eight in the morning to twelve midnight daily.

    Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where the poliovirus is still prevalent.

    There is a strong national and international commitment to eradicate polio. It is a collective responsibility to ensure all children are protected and vaccinated against the poliovirus.

  • Coronavirus: Let’s do what needs to be done

    According to the National Health Commission’s latest figures, coronavirus has so far killed 636 people and infected 31,161 in mainland China. The death toll includes 73 new ones reported Thursday. Two people have died in Hong Kong and the Philippines, while 25 countries have confirmed cases of the novel virus.

    Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) is also ringing alarm bells to address the global outbreak.

    Although Pakistan has not yet confirmed any case of coronavirus, panic is running through the country due to trade worth over $15 billion between Islamabad and Beijing, besides China being a geographical neighbour. Pakistan has around 500 students in Wuhan — the epicentre of the coronavirus — and multiple video messages from Pakistanis in the Chinese city, who want the government to extract them, have also flooded the internet. Many other countries have rescued their nationals from Wuhan, while Pakistan, so far, hasn’t officially done so even though flights from China have resumed.

    The reason Pakistani health officials have been reluctant to bring Pakistanis back from Wuhan is not only because they feel that Pakistan is not capable of providing basic medicare to coronavirus patients and/even suspected cases, but also maybe because they know that not everyone would be risking their lives to save others, as seen in China. An evidence of this remains the Sindhi youth, who was not even provided necessary aid after doctors suspected he had contracted the virus from China.

    We don’t have proper quarantine facilities either. Others feel that these are just excuses and if countries like India and Bangladesh can bring back their citizens and quarantine them, so can Pakistan. It was quite insensitive of our embassy officials in China to tell those stuck there that death can come anywhere, be it Pakistan or China. Even if we could not evacuate them, there is a way of saying it in a more sensitive way rather than telling them that “one could die anywhere”. Our diplomatic staff definitely needs a crash course in diplomacy!

    It would be a tragedy if something were to happen to any corona-infected Pakistani in China. They and their loved ones deserve the full support of our government. Given the proximity to China and the presence of the Chinese workforce in Pakistan, we should definitely be prepared to deal with the virus in any case. We should not just be ready to deal with coronavirus cases, but we should also have special quarantine facilities ready in every major city. Our airports should have proper monitoring systems in place for people coming back from China. Preemptive measures should be our top priority.

    While this is what The Current believes should be done in times of this global health emergency, another thing — a rather social aspect — remains the apparently unintentional racism against Chinese nationals. At a time when certain people are antagonising the Chinese on the basis of their nationality, the least we can do is to not let our inner racist take over us as we try to help the world deal with the menace that is the coronavirus.

  • Prime accused of APS attack, Ehsanullah Ehsan, claims breaking out of military jail

    Former spokesperson of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ehsanullah Ehsan, who is a prime accused in the 2014 Army Public School (APS) Peshawar massacre and has also claimed responsibility for life attempts on Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and journalist Hamid Mir, has claimed to have escaped from the custody of Pakistani security authorities along with his wife and two children.

    According to The News, Ehsan, whose real name is Liaqat Ali, released an audio message to confirm his dramatic escape from the custody of Pakistani security agencies.

    “I am Ehsanullah Ehsan. I am the former spokesman of TTP and Jamaatul Ahrar. I had surrendered to Pakistani security authorities on February 5, 2017, under an agreement. I honoured this agreement for three years, but Pakistani authorities violated it and kept me in a prison along with my children,” he alleged in the statement released to the media.

    He claimed he had faced hardships during his imprisonment for three years, was compelled to make a plan for escape from their custody, and executed it on January 11, 2020.

    “On January 11, 2020, with the help of Allah, I succeeded in escaping from custody,” Ehsan claimed, adding that he would release a detailed statement later and mention the agreement he had made with Pakistani security authorities.

    “I will also mention on whose approval this accord was made with me. And what were the terms and conditions of the agreement and which prominent figure had assured me that the agreement will be implemented,” he said and added that he would also share details of the conditions in which he and his family were held in Pakistan.

    Speaking to The News later, Ehsan claimed he had arrived in Turkey along with his family. However, he refused to mention how he had managed to escape and safely shift to another country. “I can’t tell you more than that I am in Turkey at the moment along with my wife, son and daughter. Don’t ask me how I reached here as I can’t tell you right now,” the report quoted the former TTP spokesperson as saying.

  • Police arrest woman for supplying drugs in a rickshaw

    Police arrest woman for supplying drugs in a rickshaw

    Police officials claimed to have arrested a woman along with her partner from the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi over charges of providing ice drug to posh areas and universities using an auto-rickshaw.

    As per reports, the woman used to sell ice and other types of drugs through rickshaw that was usually driven by her husband or son so that she could not be caught by the police

    The arrested woman, Gul Bibi, and her accomplice identified as Inayat used to smuggle ice drug from Balochistan.

    During the raid, the police team seized ice drugs and other narcotics from their possession. According to police, the gang had been arrested twice in the past while further investigation is underway.

  • ‘PCB owes me Rs40-60 million,’ report quotes Younis Khan as saying

    Former national cricket team captain Younis Khan has claimed that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) owes him Rs40 million [Rs4 crores] to Rs60 million [Rs6 crores], but he is ready to join forces with them and work towards the betterment of the sport in Pakistan.

    Khan, who is the country’s all-time leading run-getter in Tests, also said that he had never asked for money from the board as “it had never been an issue”. “In terms of money, PCB owes me 4-6 crore rupees if you look back. But I have never demanded money, money is never an issue,” he reportedly said.

    “It’s destiny from Allah, you get what is destined for you so you should never run after money, I never ran after money and have always been willing to work with PCB. I was one of the few players who retired and left, players rarely do that. I have 17-18 years of services for Pakistan and PCB.”

    “I don’t know why we can’t come on board together. I played cricket so I want to help in the field of cricket. Why we don’t come on board… perhaps PCB doesn’t change or Younis Khan doesn’t change.”

    “I don’t think anyone in Pakistan would be so personal that he wouldn’t want to work with Younis Khan. Even if I was a big critic of Younis Khan, I would like to still work with Younis Khan. What things are there with my demeanour or what is it with PCB that doesn’t allow us to come on one page,” he added.

     The statement was also tweeted by renowned sports journalist Saj Sadiq, who is also the editor of the media outlet that reported it.

    Younis also reportedly gave his thumbs up to the work done by head coach cum chief selector Misbahul Haq, whom he claims has gotten Pakistan cricket team back on track.

  • Chitral man booked for spreading coronavirus rumours

    Chitral man booked for spreading coronavirus rumours

    Amid growing fears of the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan, a man in Chitral has been booked on charges of spreading misinformation on social media.

    An FIR has been registered against Irshad Mukarer, a resident of the Darosh area of Chitral district, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

    According to Wali Khan, the SHO of Darosh Police Station, a Chinese citizen working on the Lawi Hydro Power Project in Chitral visited a local hospital for having pain in his stomach where doctors prescribed him some medicines.

    Irshad took his picture at the hospital and posted it on social networking websites saying the Chinese man was infected with coronavirus, medically named ‘2019-nCoV’, SHO Khan added.

    The wrong information circulated spreading fear among the locals. Authorities took serious notice of the incident and the police registered FIR against Khan, who managed to get pre-arrest bail.

    While Irshad denied sharing any post on social media. “I was visiting the hospital to meet an ailing relative where I saw the Chinese man who was in severe pain and I asked for his proper diagnosis. ”Irshad went on to add that the charges against him were baseless and that the police twisted his words and registered the FIR against him.

    The coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan has claimed many lives and the World Health Organization (WHO) also declared a global health warning.

  • ‘Thank you for being there as we live yet die every day,’ Love, Kashmir

    Dear Pakistan,

    Over six months ago, we woke up like it was yet another day for caged birds that sing to the deaf in a dark and lonely corner of a pet shop. It wasn’t that bad. You get used to never feeling free, able to be outside, go to school, get groceries with soldiers watching your every move. We were used to it but we would always wish to get what we deserve.

    We deserve to live and breathe as freely as you… yes you… dear Pakistan.

    We would like to thank you for standing up for us when we need it the most. And also for not limiting your support to what you call ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.

    We pray that you never have to live through the pain of losing a loved one, but do you have any idea how it feels to lose one when you aren’t even sure if they’re gone forever? Do you have an idea what it feels like to lose touch indefinitely?

    We had woken up to a bright August morning. It was just another Monday, and like the rest of the world, Mondays are hard for us too. Little we knew, that this Monday was going to rob us of even the paltry autonomy we had struggled to achieve for decades.

    The government led by fascist Narendra Modi announced abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, revoking the special status of this troubled heaven, spelling misery for us yet again. We weren’t sure what would follow, some of us had no idea what even it meant, but it wasn’t later that we realised how it was the beginning of the end.

    As protests gripped the valley, Indian forces stooped to a new low. While activists and political leaders were arrested, kids were tortured; communication blackouts were set in place and certain parts of the disputed territory still remain under lockdown.

    Of the 4,000 people, one of the 144 children picked up by Indian occupying forces between August 5 and September 23 last year, was a nine-year-old. His mother had passed away and he was abandoned by his father. He was detained when he went out to get a loaf of bread, and had to spend two days in detention until he was set free by the sweet relief of death.

    In a village in southern Kashmir, a 22-year-old was picked up in a midnight raid and tortured for more than an hour along with a dozen other Kashmiris. He was beaten with sticks, rifle butts and they kept asking him why he went for a protest march. He kept telling them he didn’t, but they didn’t stop. After he fainted, they used electric shocks to revive him.

    While some mothers have lost their children to Indian brutality, others have lost their unborn babies to the lockdown. Besides that, pellet guns being shot in abdomens of pregnant women and eyes of infants, is but the terrible tale of every other Kashmiri family.

    Within minutes of the abrogation, the internet was blocked. People were expecting mobile networks to be shut by the government as well in order to restrict communication in the valley. Our social media accounts have been deactivated due to inactivity, and our loved ones we managed to send out of Kashmir for a better life, don’t even know if we’re dead or alive.

    Don’t take us wrong, dear Pakistan, we’re not scared. We never were. Death, torture or detentions are not new to us. Tens of thousands of us have been killed since the rebellion erupted 30 years ago. But we just want you to know what it means to us when you express your support.

    We just want you to know what it means for us, knowing that you are not forgetting us like many others.

    We have not lost hope, but only because neither of us has lost each other.

    Here’s to a new life… here’s to our love for you and your support for us…

    Here’s to freedom…

    Love,
    Kashmir

  • Doctor ‘beats up nurse for refusing to be photographed’

    Doctor ‘beats up nurse for refusing to be photographed’

    A doctor at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Jhang, Punjab allegedly beat up one of the nurses for not allowing him to take pictures of her. An FIR has been registered against the doctor for the attack.

    The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident shows the doctor getting angry at the nurse and then slapping her repeatedly.

    An FIR has been registered against the doctor at the Shorkot Police Station on the request of the nurse. In her complaint, the nurse claimed that the doctor in question entered the nursing room at night when she was on duty and asked her to accompany him on rounds.

    She added that when she paused to collect medical files for the rounds, the doctor started taking pictures of her. When she tried to stop him from taking her pictures, he started beating and slapping her.

    Meanwhile, the doctor has reportedly secured a pre-arrest bail till February 14th from a local magistrate.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGovY20_gOM
  • Pakistani girl chops off man’s penis for trying to rape her

    Pakistani girl chops off man’s penis for trying to rape her

    A man’s penis was cut off after he attempted to rape a woman in Punjab’s Jaranwala.

    As per reports, a 24-year-old woman chopped off the 30-year-old man’s genitals when he tried to rape her on January 30. The FIR was registered on the complaint of the survivor’s father at the Jaranwala City police station.

    Her father’s statement reads that his daughter told him that the suspect broke into her house with a knife. He threatened to kill her and attempted to rape her. On getting a chance, the woman grabbed the knife from him and chopped off his penis after which the man ran off screaming.

    The police say the man is in police custody and under treatment at a hospital. The case is being investigated.

    In an initial statement to the police, the suspect has not only denied the accusations against him but also alleged the woman of calling him to her house and of attacking him, the police said. 

    The FIR has been registered under Article 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which states:

    1. Whoever commits rape shall be punished with death or imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years or more, than twenty-five years and shall also be liable to fine.
    2. When rape is committed by two or more persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such persons shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life.

  • Pakistani doctor wins hearts for volunteering to treat coronavirus patients in Wuhan

    A Pakistani doctor from Jhelum has won appreciation for volunteering to treat coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China.

    Dr Usman, a Pakistani teacher at Changsha Medical College, is the first foreign doctor who stepped forward to volunteer to treat infected people in Wuhan.

    The Chinese Embassy thanked the doctor saying, “We appreciate Dr Muhammad Usman Janjua, a foreign doctor to join the fight against coronavirus in China as a volunteer. He is a teacher from Changsha Medical University, China and hails from Deena, Jhelum, Pakistan”.

    On January 27, Usman formally applied to the Foreign Experts Service office of the Hunan Science and Technology department, hoping that he could go to the Wuhan for medical assistance.

    Usman told media that when the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus began in China, he kept an eye on the continuously updated figures and situations every day.

    “The staff of the foreign expert service sent me the methods of epidemic prevention every day asking me to protect myself and solving many difficulties for me.”

    Usman, 29, had dreamed of becoming a doctor since he was a child. He graduated from Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a bachelor’s degree in 2012 and returned to Pakistan to practice medicine for four years.

    During the four years of stay in his hometown, he had always been unable to forget China and Changsha. He said that China had provided him with good opportunities for education and employment.

    In 2016, he returned to China and began studying for a Master’s degree in medicine at Central South University in Changsha. After graduation, he became a foreign teacher at Changsha Medical College.