Tag: Peshawar

  • Peshawar residents step out to feed the strays amid lockdown

    Peshawar residents step out to feed the strays amid lockdown

    Residents of Peshawar have stepped out to feed stray dogs and cats as the country is still under lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

    According to reports, a group of volunteers have given food to over 100 strays in different streets of the city. The stray animals, which usually feed on leftovers, have had a tough time in view of the lockdown and have bee starving.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, a volunteer said, “This is such a difficult time for people, so imagine what the animals must be going through. We have been doing this for the last two weeks.” 

    Read More: Residents distribute food among policemen doing duties amid lockdown

    People who want to help strays can feed them in the following ways:

    • Put food and water outside your homes
    • If you are leaving your house to feed them, make sure you are wearing a mask, gloves and carrying sanitizer with you
    • Choose one day to feed the strays
  • Scenes from KP’s quarantine facility for foreign travellers will give you nightmares

    Scenes from KP’s quarantine facility for foreign travellers will give you nightmares

    As coronavirus continues to spread across the country, the federal and all provincial governments are taking strict measures to contain the outbreak. One of the many steps being taken by the authorities is quarantining foreign travellers before they are allowed to interact with anyone in Pakistan.

    Amid reports that travellers are being transferred to the quarantine facilities set up across the country right from the airport, one of the quarantined passengers, who had travelled from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Peshawar during the wee hours of Wednesday, reached out toThe Current and shared pictures of the nightmarish conditions they are being forced to live in.

    “We are stuck here at Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Postgraduate Paramedical Institute in Peshawar after being told that we’ll be tested and then allowed to leave. It will soon be two days since we were locked up here and no one has conducted our tests yet,” the traveller said.

    They said they were being treated like criminals, and it was unfortunate how the conditions they and several others were being forced to live in were entirely different than what was being claimed by government officials in front of media.

    “Test us as soon as we land and just let us go. We were obviously also tested by the country we are coming in from,” the traveller said further, adding that the procedure didn’t take more than two hours but the negligence of the authorities had led to their suffering.

    The district administration had last month declared educational institutions in Peshawar as coronavirus quarantine facilities.

    A notification issued by the administration had said the premises declared as the quarantine facilities were student hostels at Peshawar University, sub-campuses of other universities and educational institutes within these premises, Postgraduate Medical Institute Peshawar, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Postgraduate Paramedical Institute and Pakistan Academy for Rural Development.

    The administration had also asked the police to ensure deployment across the facilities to prevent any unauthorised movements in or out of the premises.

  • Residents distribute food among policemen doing duties amid lockdown

    The residents of Peshawar helped the policemen positioned on the roads to protect them.

    As per reports, a few volunteers gave food packets to the officers performing lockdown duties in the city.

    Health professionals and medical workers are undoubtedly fighting against coronavirus on the front lines, but we can’t ignore the role being played by the police, said a volunteer.

    The policemen thanked the volunteers for the gesture.

  • Pashtun singer spotted shooting TikTok video at KP CM’s official residence

    Pashtun singer spotted shooting TikTok video at KP CM’s official residence

    Months after heated debates regarding TikTok star Hareem Shah’s connections within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) made headlines, a viral video has shown renowned Pashtun singer Sofia Kaif walking around what reports claim is the official residence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan.

    According to reports, Sofia, who was present at the CM House in Peshawar for a ceremony held in one of its lawns, went inside to record the TikTok video shot in a hall of the provincial chief executive’s residence. In the video, the staff of the CM House can also be seen facilitating her.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    This is not the first time a TikTok video has shown an internet celebrity walking around an official building.

    Before Sofia, who had reportedly been invited as a singer to the ceremony at the CM House, Hareem Shah, who had become an internet sensation after her viral videos with influential political leaders took the country by storm, had also been spotted walking around the Foreign Ministry’s office in a TikTok video.

    An investigation had been launched into Hareem’s video, following which multiple controversies involving senior political figures had allegedly forced her to leave the country.

  • Peshawar’s Sunheri Masjid allows women to offer prayers after two decades

    After a gap of over two decades, women in Peshawar will now be able to offer Friday prayer in congregation at the historic Sunheri Masjid (Golden Mosque).

    According to reports, women would offer Friday prayer in congregation at the mosque, located in the Peshawar Cantonment, until the mid-1990s. However, due to terrorism in the city, the practice was abandoned.

    Following an improvement in the security situation, authorities have decided to allow women to participate in Friday’s congregational prayers and have also made the required arrangements for it.

    A banner which reads “women are now welcome to offer Friday prayer at Sunheri Masjid” has also been placed outside the mosque.

    Scores of terrorist attacks took place near the mosque which led to its closure for women almost 25 years ago. In 2016, 16 people were killed and dozens wounded when a powerful bomb went off as a bus carrying mostly government employees passed by the mosque in Saddar’s crowded marketplace.

  • Daren Sammy’s honorary Pakistani citizenship request sent to President Alvi

    Daren Sammy’s honorary Pakistani citizenship request sent to President Alvi

    Daren Sammy, one of the first cricketers who agreed to play the PSL 2 final in Pakistan in 2017, might just get honorary Pakistani citizenship. The owner of the PSL team Peshawar Zalmi, Javed Afridi, requested the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board to help get his team captain a green passport.

    Sammy, who is active on Twitter, tweeted about how great it was to be back in Pakistan

    “We requested honorary citizenship for Daren Sammy and it is almost on the table of president,” Afridi said during the unveiling of PSL 2020 trophy in Karachi. Afridi also said that the request might be approved if the PCB Chairman pushes for it or ‘makes a phone call’.

    Afridi also said that he has Sammy’s voice notes that are, ‘too emotional for Pakistan”. A formal request has been made to the President and a decision is pending.

    Sammy is often referred to as ‘Daren Sammy Khan’ because of his loyalty to the team from Peshawar.

    Recently he tweeted in Urdu using google translate which got him into some fun trouble.

    Sammy has played international cricket for the West Indies and is a two time T20 World Cup winning captain. He plays as a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium bowler. 

  • Manzoor Pashteen arrested from Peshawar

    Manzoor Pashteen arrested from Peshawar

    Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen has been arrested from Shaheen Town of Peshawar during the wee hours of Monday, Dawn reported.

    According to reports, the Pashtun rights activist was arrested in a case registered against him at the City Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18 under sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 124 (sedition), and 123-A (condemning the creation of the country and advocating the abolishment of its sovereignty) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

    Confirming the arrest, officials at the Tahkal Police Station said that Pashteen was currently in the custody of Peshawar police, but will be shifted to Dera Ismail Khan.

    “Police will present Pashteen before a judicial magistrate for his transitory remand,” the official was quoted as saying.

    Meanwhile, senior PTM leader and lawmaker Mohsin Dawar has condemned the arrest. “This is our punishment for demanding our rights in a peaceful and democratic manner. Manzoor’s arrest will only strengthen our resolve. We demand the immediate release of Manzoor Pashteen,” he tweeted.

    PTM is a rights-based alliance that, besides calling for the de-mining of the former tribal areas and greater freedom of movement in the latter, has insisted on an end to the practices of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions, and for their practitioners to be held to account within a truth and reconciliation framework.

    The party has been critical of the army’s policies in the country’s tribal belt, where a massive operation against terrorists was conducted in recent times leading to large-scale displacement and enforced disappearances.

    Internet is divided over the arrest, as it is on the policy and aims of the social movement.

  • Groom shot dead over filming woman at his wedding

    Groom shot dead over filming woman at his wedding

    A groom in Peshawar was killed on the day of his Walima ceremony
    over a dispute on filming the women who were present at the function.

    According to the family of the deceased, an argument over recording
    a video of the women dancing at the event led to the shooting incident.

    As per reports, some of the guests were offended by the act, which
    is considered unethical in most areas of the Khyber-Pakhtunkwa province.

    The suspect identified as Abid shot down the groom a few minutes
    before he was leaving for the reception.

       The accused, including one
    of the brothers-in-law of the groom, ran away after the incident. According to
    police, the body was shifted to the hospital for a postmortem with search to
    arrest the accused underway.

    A special team headed by the Faqeerabad DSP has been formed to
    arrest the suspects.

  • Peshawar’s first 3D cinema to open on Dec 26

    Peshawar’s first 3D cinema to open on Dec 26

    After a long wait, Peshawar is finally getting its first 3D cinema on December 26. The city’s historic Naz Cinema, built in 1942, is being renovated and converted from a normal theatre to a cineplex.

    According to a report in Samaa News, the screen test of the cinema has been completed and the work on seating, carpeting and the cafeteria will be completed in few days.

    The cinema’s owner, Jawad Raza hopes that the cinema will appease to the movie lovers who will get a chance to watch films with the latest technology. He said that the cinema will also provide “a pleasant atmosphere to families,” and that their comfort is top priority.

    Raza shared that for the security for families 32 secret cameras and round-the-clock security guards will be in place.

    A Naz Cinema mobile app will also be introduced for online booking of tickets.

    Most film lovers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa often go to cinemas in Islamabad but Naz Cinema will give them an opportunity to enjoy movies in the city.

    Over the years, the cinema industry of KP had witnessed a sharp decline because of terrorist attacks and various other reasons. However, things are looking up now. 2019’s highest-grossing film Superstar, featuring Bilal Ashraf and Mahira Khan has also been shot in the city.

  • Here’s when and how you can observe rare solar eclipse

    Here’s when and how you can observe rare solar eclipse

    On December 26th, people living in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia will witness the rare annular (ring-shaped) solar eclipse. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the solar eclipse will be visible in Pakistan as well.

    According to PMD, this
    rare eclipse was last witnessed in Pakistan 20 years ago. The annular solar
    eclipse will begin at 7:00AM and will end at 1:00PM and will be visible in
    Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Gilgit.

    Here are the details:

    Islamabad

    • Begins: 07:50 AM
    • Best View: 08:58 AM
    • Ends: 10:15 AM
    • Duration: 2 hours 26 minutes

    Lahore

    • Begins: 07:47
    • Best View: 08:58 AM
    • Ends: 10:19 AM
    • Duration: 2 hours 32 minutes

    Karachi

    • Begins: 07:34 AM
    • Best View: 08:46 AM
    • Ends: 10:10 AM
    • Duration: 2 hours 37 minutes

    Peshawar

    • Begins: 07:48 AM
    • Best View: 08:56 AM
    • Ends: 10:13 AM
    • Duration: 2 hours 25 minutes

    Quetta

    • Begins: 07:39 AM
    • Best View: 08:48 AM
    • Ends: 10:08 AM
    • Duration: 2 hours 29 minutes

    The annular solar eclipse is also called the ‘Ring of Fire’ because only the boundaries of the sun will be observable from behind the moon.

    In the excitement of witnessing this rare eclipse, don’t forget to take some abolutely necessary precautions.

    Those want to see the eclipse are advised not to look at the sun directly. The ultraviolet radiation from the sun can be harmful for the eyes.

    You should use these while looking at the eclipse:

    • Eclipse glasses
    • Solar filters
    • Projectors

    Do not use these when
    looking at the eclipse:

    • Sunglasses of any kind
    • Color film
    • Medical X-ray film
    • Smoked glass
    • Floppy disks