Tag: Punjab

  • A Punjabi female doctor faces harassment at Karachi hospital

    A Punjabi female doctor faces harassment at Karachi hospital

    A senior female doctor who works at a major public sector hospital in Karachi says that she is being harassed and blackmailed for the last several months on gender and ethnic grounds and being forced to quit her job.

    The doctor is in-charge of the hospital’s gastroenterology and hepatology ward. She claims she is the only female gastroenterologist working at any public sector hospital in Pakistan.

    “I’m in charge of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Ward at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the only female gastroenterologist working at any public sector hospital in entire Pakistan. I have been harassed and blackmailed for the last several months on the basis of my gender and ethnicity,” Dr Nazish Butt told Waqar Bhatti of The News.

    She showed several messages sent to her, accusing her of being a “non-Sindhi” and “a draconian lady”, who is not allowing ‘natives’ to work at the hospital. She said she was constantly receiving calls from unknown numbers.

    “First of all, I’m a Pakistani citizen who was born in Karachi. I have studied in this city and graduated from the Sindh Medical College. I even married a person who is Sindhi-speaking, but still, some people, including some staff members [of the hospital], are harassing me. They are doing negative propaganda against me, which has made me mentally disturbed,” the publication reported her as saying.

    “I have filed several complaints with the relevant authorities against this harassment and blackmailing. but now I want to make my ordeal public and urge the high authorities to take notice of this hooliganism. They call me a Punjabi woman, hurl abuses at me, put baseless posts on Facebook, and then send it to me and my colleagues on WhatsApp. This should end now,” she added.

    Dr Butt stated that she was bringing this issue to the notice of the newly-appointed executive director at the JPMC, Dr Shahid Rasool. She also urged provincial health minister Dr Azra Pechuho to take notice of this harassment.

    According to a recent study, Pakistan lacks trained and qualified female gastroenterologists even though more than 80% of students who graduate from medical colleges are women.

  • PM Imran shares pictures of Bushra Bibi

    Yesterday, Prime Minister, Imran Khan took to Instagram and posted a few pictures of his wife, Bushra Bibi, visiting the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore.

    The premier captioned the pictures, “First Lady, Bushra Bibi visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Lahore and was briefed on the facilities provided there.”

    First Lady Bushra Bibi visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore on Wednesday. The video of her visit shows Bushra Bibi visiting different departments and checking the facilities at the institute.

    Bushra Bibi was briefed about the facilities provided by the institute. The staff told her about the timings when patients are fed and the activities of the women admitted there.

  • VIDEO: Bushra Bibi visits Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore

    VIDEO: Bushra Bibi visits Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore

    First Lady Bushra Bibi visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore on Wednesday. The video shows Bushra Bibi visiting different departments and checking the facilities.

    Bushra Bibi was briefed about the facilities provided by the institute. The staff told her about the timings when patients are fed and the activities of the women admitted there.

    Earlier, Bushra Bibi visited a Panah Gah (shelter home) in Lahore to inspect the facilities given to the people residing there.

  • Fact Check: Lahore’s Butt Karahi was NOT sealed for serving dead animals

    Claim: Butt Karahi Lahore was sealed for serving dead animal meat

    Fact: Butt Karahi Lahore was sealed for violating Covid-19 protocols

    On Sep 13, 2021 several Twitter users came out in protest against Lahore’s famous Butt Karahi, tweeting and condemning them for serving dead animal meat. Some of these posts can be found here, here, here and here.

    However, Lahore’s Deputy Commissioner, Umer Sher Chattha, took to Twitter to clarify that the eatery was sealed for violating Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

    Chattha wrote in a tweet, “Clarification AC city sealed it due to Covid SOP violation, not because of serving dead animal.” Butt Karahi fans were quite relieved to see this clarification.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • PTI leads in Cantonment Board polls, PML-N in second place

    PTI leads in Cantonment Board polls, PML-N in second place

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the biggest winner in the Cantonment Board elections held across Pakistan on Sunday, reports Radio Pakistan.

    According to the unofficial results, PTI got 58 seats, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) scored 51. Independent candidates claimed 49 seats.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has managed to win 14 seats and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) got 10 seats. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) won five seats while Balochistan Awami Party (BNP) got two seats.

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said the Cantonment Board election results show that the Opposition has left with no standing following a crushing defeat.

    Reacting to the ruling party’s victory, federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said: “Cantonment elections once again show the PTI not only as the largest party but also the only national party.”

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif called party leaders and congratulated them on their success in the cantonment polls.

    Province wise results:

    PTI won the most number of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — 18 — followed by 28 in Punjab, 14 in Sindh, and three in Balochistan.

    PML-N won big in Punjab, bagging 51 seats, managing only five in KP, three in Sindh, and none in Balochistan. In Lahore, the PML-N bagged 15 of 19 wards.

    PPP was surprisingly unable to defeat PTI in Sindh, instead of tying with them for 14 seats. The remaining three seats were won in KP, meaning none were won in either Punjab or Balochistan.

    Independent candidates scored big in Punjab, bagging 32 seats. They secured nine in KP, seven in Sindh, and four in Balochistan.

    MQM won all of its 10 seats in Sindh, whereas JI won five in Sindh and two in Punjab.

    ANP won two seats in KP, whereas BAP won two in Balochistan.

  • Six-year-old child raped, murdered in Chiniot

    A six-year-old girl child was raped and then murdered in Punjab’s Chiniot, Samaa News reported

    According to the victim’s family, the child was abducted on her way to her grandmother’s house. “After looking for her for almost 12 hours, we found her body from the nearby fields,” her father told the police.

    The post-mortem report of the child has confirmed the rape.

    An FIR has been filed against unidentified men under sections of rape and murder.

    The police have arrested a number of suspects and have sent their DNA samples to the laboratory. “We have begun questioning people in the neighbourhood as well,” the investigation officer said.

    Earlier, a girl in Gujrat died after three men allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped her.

    Three men abducted a girl from Chak Ghazi in Gujrat district on September 1. The accused gave a tranquilliser to the girl and then raped her, leaving the victim in a critical condition.

  • ‘Zero exceptions’, Murad Raas warns Aitchison for not implementing SNC

    ‘Zero exceptions’, Murad Raas warns Aitchison for not implementing SNC

    The Punjab Government warned Aitchison College, a school for boys in Lahore, via a letter on Tuesday for not implementing Single National Curriculum (SNC) within its campus.

    In a tweet, Education Minister Punjab Murad Raas, while sharing the official letter stated, “Letter sent to Aitchison College Lahore for not implementing SNC in its entirety by Punjab Curriculum Textbook Board. Zero exemptions. I will not let anyone challenge the writ of the government.”

    The letter was issued to Aitchison College Principal Michael A Thomson by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) stating, “You are again requested/advised to kindly do not prescribe those books which have not been given Non-Objection Certificate (NOCs) by PCTB.”

    Furthermore the letter reads “It is to apprise you that the PCTB reviews and issues NOCs to the books after due process not on the request of an educational institution (school/college), but on the request of book developer (person/agency/private publisher) who apply for the same.”

    Parents at Aitchison told Dawn that the administration had implemented the SNC from Tuesday. Science, Islamiat and history books were introduced in Urdu.

    Prior to this notice, Federal Minister Education Shafqat Mahmood also said that there would be no exemption for Aitchison College or any other school.

    Aitchison College Principal Mr Thomson hasn’t commented on this issue yet. Earlier, when an official questioned him about it, he replied that the school did not fall within the department’s purview.

    What is SNC?

    It is a ‘uniform system of education, which means the same curriculum for everyone but has been highly controversial because of the content and images in the books approved for the curriculum. Sindh has decided not to implement the curriculum since education is a provincial issue.

    According to the new curriculum, Schools will be free to teach additional material or even additional subjects.  In the beginning, three subjects — Islamic Studies, Social Studies and General Knowledge will be taught in the Urdu language at the primary level (Grade 1-5). Quranic learning with translation will also be mandatory in Grade 6-12.

    Mehmood had earlier announced the SNC would be implemented from the new academic session on August 2 in all public and private schools as well as madrassah of Punjab.

  • Despite partial lockdown in Punjab, over 4,000 COVID cases reported in 24 hours

    Despite partial lockdown in Punjab, over 4,000 COVID cases reported in 24 hours

    Pakistan reported 4,062 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours in country for the first time in seven days.

    According to National Command Operation Center (NCOC), a total of 63,161 COVID-19 tests were taken on Thursday, out of which 84 people lost their lives to the deadly virus, pushing the toll to 26,497. 

    All Punjab educational institutions were closed last week due to the high spike in cases. Punjab government has also imposed lockdown in various areas of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad.

    Currently, the country is fighting against the fourth wave of the global pandemic and the average daily case count has been fluctuating between 3,000-4,000 range for almost a week.

    The positivity rate now remains at 6.43%. Moreover, Pakistan is reporting 3,778 new infections on average each day.

    Last week, the country averaged about 1,192,780 administered vaccine doses each day.

  • 12-year-old girl killed after rape in Bahawalnagar

    12-year-old girl killed after rape in Bahawalnagar

    A 12-year-old girl was murdered after the alleged rape in Manchinabad area of Punjab’s Bahawalnagar district, ARY News reported on Thursday.

    According to details, a 12-year-old girl was killed after being raped in Manchinabad. The police detained the two suspects in the case after it was reported.

    Taking notice of the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has also asked for a report from IG Punjab and ordered strict action against the persons involved in the crime.

    CM Punjab Usman Buzdar also assured the victim’s family that justice will be served.

    Earlier, a girl in Gujrat died after three men allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped her. Three men abducted a girl from Chak Ghazi in Gujrat district on September 1. The accused gave a tranquilliser to the girl and then raped her.

  • Fayyaz Chohan compares PTI to Trump regime for repeated changes in Punjab govt

    Fayyaz Chohan compares PTI to Trump regime for repeated changes in Punjab govt

    Spokesperson Punjab Government, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, made a comparison between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the regime of former United States (US) President Donald Trump.

    “Donald Trump’s administration’s 38 positions were changed around three to six times during his five years in power,” said Chohan while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

    Chohan was questioned about the continuous changes in the bureaucracy and police in Punjab.

    “No one from the world except for PTI would have made a comparison with Trump’s regime,” said anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada.

    Adding to his response, Khanzada said, “Changes in administration should be based on performance. Trump’s regime was blamed that the repetitive changes in his administration were mostly because of his partiality, political disliking, and preferences. PTI too is being blamed for the same reason.”

    In 2018, IG Kaleem Imam was changed over the dispute with Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Pakpatan. Muhammad Tahir was changed because he refused to abide by the instruction on the Model Town case. Amjad Javed Saleemi was changed because he was not cooperating with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during the leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz’s arrest.

    “All the people who have been removed from their positions have been because of personal preferences,” commented Khanzada.

    “If people are being changed for better results, it is fine,” added Fayyaz Chohan.

    “These changes are better than Ahad Cheema, Fawad Hassan Fawad or Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, who were involved in money laundering, murders and doing things on behalf of the chief minister (CM),” said Chohan.

    “None of the claims against these people were proved by the government. So my question is: what is the criteria to check the performance?” asked Khanzada.

    “I don’t think administrative changes have anything to do with or in any way has an effect on the performance of the government,” said Fayyaz Chohan.

    Yesterday, the federal cabinet approved the appointment of Kamran Ali Afzal as the Punjab chief secretary and Sardar Ali Khan as Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) with immediate effect.

    Afzal is the fifth Punjab chief secretary while Khan is the seventh IGP during the three years of PTI’s government.

    CM Usman Buzdar had reportedly recommended the names.