Tag: Sindh government

  • 600-year-old statues discovered in Thar

    Statues dating back almost 600 years were recovered during a recent campaign in Thar while restoring a heritage site in the area.

    According to a report in Dawn News, volunteers of the Endowment Fund for Trust for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh found the statutes while restoring a temple in the desert district.

    “Statues were unearthed during restoration works at the Nagarparkar City Temple by Endowment Fund for Trust for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh,” read a brief announcement by the organisation. “The temple will shortly be handed over to the Culture Department, Government of Sindh, along with the statues of (sandstone and marble) Mahavira and other Tirthankaras of Jainism.”

    Read more – 1,300-year-old Hindu temple discovered in KP

    Hameed Akhund of the Endowment Fund for Trust for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh said that the statues were likely to have been discovered long ago.

    “We think when the war began in 1971 between India and Pakistan, someone dumped them in a cave-like space where we were doing our project. We found them in the same place,” said Akhund, adding that they will be handed over to the Sindh government.

  • VIDEO: Was PTI’s Haleem Sheikh tortured in Karachi jail?

    VIDEO: Was PTI’s Haleem Sheikh tortured in Karachi jail?

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh has accused the Sindh government of trying to harm in jail through its alleged goons in the light of a video released by PTI’s Karachi chapter showing the Sindh opposition leader running for his life.

    According to PTI, the MPA was attacked by “goons” in jail and he was running from them to save himself. In a video statement, Sheikh said he had come to Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital allegedly after he was beaten up in jail, adding that PTI workers, including Samir Mir Shaikh, Amjad, Hafeez Chandio and three other people who are in Central Jail are being “tortured”.

    Maritime Minister Ali Zaidi also alleged torture on Sheikh. “Sheikh was hospitalised after being attacked by 50 PPP goons inside Central Jail Karachi,” he claimed.

    POLICE CONTRADICT SHEIKH:

    However, Karachi Central Jail Superintendent Hassan Sahito rejected the claims made by the PTI leader. He said “nobody raised a hand on Haleem Adil Sheikh or slapped him”, adding that some prisoners raised slogans against Sheikh and PM Imran Khan when the PTI leader was being shifted to another ward.

    “Haleem Adil Sheikh was being moved to the Mohammad Ali B-class ward […] and was passing through the waiting area when some prisoners raised slogans. He was moved back to the superintendent’s office in 26 seconds,” Sahito said.

    Sheikh was later moved to the security ward, he added.

    According to the police officer, Sheikh was moved to a hospital because he had submitted an application for treatment. According to Sheikh, he suffered from blood pressure issues and had heart problems and he was regularly treated at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).

    The Sindh government also denied the allegations levelled by the PTI leaders, saying Sheikh was arrested on the orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan.He further said that Sheikh could be seen “happy and healthy” in the hospital which shows that he wasn’t tortured at all. “No torture was done on him in jail,” Wahab stressed.

  • Karachi by-polls: Sindh police detain PTI MPA over violation of ECP code of conduct

    Karachi by-polls: Sindh police detain PTI MPA over violation of ECP code of conduct

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh was detained by the Sindh police on Tuesday for violating election rules, as the former claimed that his vehicle was fired upon by unknown persons during the polling in Malir’s Darsano Chana.

    The by-polls in PS-88 constituency were conducted after Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, the minister for human settlement, died of COVID-19.

    Meanwhile, the PTI MPA was quoted by Samaa, saying the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers allegedly attacked him. He showed a bullet mark on his windshield, saying his bulletproof vehicle was attacked by the PPP. The bullets were fired in the presence of the police,” he alleged.

    SHEIKH DETAINED:

    The PTI leader was arrested by the provincial police even though the reports of his arrest were refuted earlier. According to Geo, the MPA will be taken to the Memon Goth police station in armoured vehicle.

    As the arrest took place, riot police were stationed outside the SSP’s office. Water cannons and additional troops were also ready to deal with any protests. All the police personnel were given anti-riot gear.

    Before the arrest, the MPA was expelled from the constituency following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s orders for violating the code of conduct and was subsequently detained. Dawn reported that that Sheikh’s guards “resorted to firing” at a polling station in Ghulam Hussain Jokhio Goth after the chief election commissioner’s “prompt orders to evict the leader of the opposition from the constituency”.

    Furthermore, the PPP also accused the PTI leader of violating the ECP rules. The PPP wrote a letter to the ECP and urged it to take notice of the alleged rule violations by Sheikh. According to the letter: “Sheikh could be seen roaming the constituency with armed persons and was harassing voters.”

  • Sindh health official suspended after out-of-turn vaccination of PML-N leader’s daughter

    Sindh health official suspended after out-of-turn vaccination of PML-N leader’s daughter

    The Sindh government has suspended a senior health official over out-of-turn vaccination of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair’s daughter and son-in-law against COVID-19.

    As per the details, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho took notice of the incident after the couple posted on social media pictures of them receiving the vaccination shots.

    Reports quoted provincial government sources as saying that Karachi East Deputy District Health Officer Dr Anila was suspended as coronavirus vaccines were administered to acquaintances at other centres as well.

    A three-member committee has been formed to report its findings to the Sindh health minister within 72 hours.

    “If Mohammad Zubair had his family administered the vaccines privately then there is nothing wrong in it,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz told SAMAA TV.

    “But if it were the government-procured vaccines, then this was not the right thing to do,” he added.

    Earlier, a team of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) led by Dr Faisal Sultan also met Sindh health officials and Planning Minister Asad Umar on Sunday.

    It directed the Sindh government to only vaccinate frontline health workers for now.

    The Sindh government on Friday had announced launching COVID-19 vaccination programme in 10 districts of the province and unveiled a detailed phase-wise plan to inoculate people, beginning with 170,000 frontline health workers.

    According to Dawn, In addition to the 82,359 doses to be received from the Centre, the provincial government also shared its plan for the procurement of the vaccine on its own though federal authorities are yet to respond to its request for permission for the procurement.

    “We are starting the vaccination from Wednesday [next],” Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah at a press conference. He was accompanied by a member of the Sindh vaccination taskforce and provincial lawmaker Qasim Soomro.

    Shah said 10 districts had been identified in Sindh where COVID-19 jabs would be provided. “This programme will be initiated in all the seven districts of Karachi along with Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Shaheed Benazirabad.

  • Condoms in gutters blamed for Karachi’s sewerage problems

    Disposal of used contraceptives, such as condoms, in gutters has been causing sewerage problems in Karachi, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has said.

    According to reports, KWSB recovered a massive amount of used condoms while clearing a sewerage line on Thursday, which were affecting the flow of sewage and causing serious blockage problems.

    A KWSB official said the huge quantity of used contraceptives was found while a team was cleaning a sewerage line in Clifton Block 2. But this isn’t an isolated incident: the KWSB often finds items like these in sewer lines across the city.

    Water inflates the condoms up to 400 times their size, which blocks manholes and sewerage lines, the KWSB spokesperson explained. Such items must be disposed of in trash cans, he urged.

    The KWSB stressed the need for generating awareness about the issue and urged government departments and social organisations to play their role.

  • Medical test proves Arzoo Raja is a minor

    Medical test proves Arzoo Raja is a minor

    A medical test has proven that Arzoo Raja, the teenage Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being forcefully converted and married to a Muslim man, is around 14 years of age, social activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir announced on Monday.

    According to Jibran, who is part of the legal team fighting the case on behalf of Arzoo’s parents, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has also recognised NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority) documents stating Arzoo’s age to be 13 as true.

    “[The court] declares prima facie [at first sight] she contracted child marriage. Arzoo to remain in shelter home till next hearing,” he tweeted.

    In a subsequent tweet, Jibran added that the court has not disposed off the petition and the next hearing will be held after two weeks.

    “Court is yet to determine whether #Arzoo is sui juris [of one’s own right] to convert religion of free will given her age of 13. At this stage, only question of child marriage has been addressed and resolved,” he said further.

    Earlier, amid public outrage, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab had announced Arzoo’s recovery.

    Speaking to Dawn, acting Karachi police chief Additional IG Arif Hanif had confirmed that the 13-year-old girl had been recovered safely and her purported husband had also been arrested.

    The city police chief had said the girl would be sent to a shelter home as per the directions of the SHC while the suspect would be presented before the court.

    “The judge has ordered the girl be recovered by police and relevant agencies and shifted to a shelter home. Next hearing fixed for Thursday morning [November 5]. My lawyer has informed the court that an intervener will be filed on my behalf,” Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari had said in a tweet.

    Officials, including Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, have been reiterating resolve of the authorities concerned to resolve Arzoo’s case at the earliest.

  • Karachi has worst transportation system in world: report

    Karachi has worst transportation system in world: report

    Karachi has one of the worst public transport systems in the world, with roads littered with potholes and traffic signals barely functional.

    Bloomberg, in a report on Karachi’s attempt to modernise its transport system, said public transport serves about 42 per cent of the commuters in decades-old buses that use the roof as a second deck for passengers at time.

    The report said that MA Jinnah Road, which connects central Karachi to the port, constantly faces severe traffic jams due to the absence of transportation infrastructure.

    Multiple attempts have been made to bring modern transportation to the port city, but they have hit a snag for lack of funds among other reasons.  “Multiple bus projects have been announced over the years but either they never started or were unable to sustain for more than a few years,” the news report said.

    Adam Weinstein, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Washington, said: “Karachi was once well-connected by a circular railway but corruption and mismanagement in the transportation sector brought the city to a grinding halt in the 1990s.”

    Many of the railway tracks have become illegal slums, where people have settled from smaller towns, he added.

    “Karachi, despite its importance, is a political orphan,” said Arsalan Ali Faheem, a consultant at Development Alternatives Incorporated, an international company that advises on development projects.

    A development project valued at Rs162 billion was announced in March last year by Prime Minister Imran Khan, but the city officials reported that no funds were released. The federal government in response said that it has spent Rs24.65 billion, and an allocation of Rs17.9 billion has been made for the current fiscal year.

  • VIDEO: India loses it again, claims Sindh govt overthrown by army, civil war in Karachi

    VIDEO: India loses it again, claims Sindh govt overthrown by army, civil war in Karachi

    Amid the controversy surrounding Sindh police following Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar’s arrest in Karachi, India has once again lost it and is claiming that clashes are taking place between the army and provincial police as a civil war erupts in the port city.

    According to a report now retracted by News 18, Karachi is burning with shootouts between civil and military bodies after the army took over the provincial metropolis and the control of all police stations as well as government buildings.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Here’s a screenshot of the tweet that has now been deleted:

    This time, however, it isn’t just Indian media that is making baseless claims that will crack you up…

    READ: After police’s rebellion, army to probe ‘kidnapping’ of Sindh IG

    “10 police officers of Sindh police martyred during their line of duty of saving people of Karachi from atrocities of army [sic],” prominent Indian lawyer Prashant Patel Umrao claimed.

    https://twitter.com/ippatel/status/1318743674105233408

    He went on to say that the United States (US) Navy may enter Karachi port soon, drawing strong reactions from Twitterati, and not just those from Pakistan.

    READ: IG among senior officials of Sindh police seeking leave after Capt (r) Safdar’s arrest controversy

    “Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability,” tweeted the deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center, Michael Kugelman.

    “Dangerous and disturbing; several of these accounts are verified, with large followings. Ugh,” he added.

  • IG among senior officials of Sindh police seeking leave after Capt (r) Safdar’s arrest controversy

    IG among senior officials of Sindh police seeking leave after Capt (r) Safdar’s arrest controversy

    A day after it was reported that Sindh police was pressurised to register a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Safdar, high ranking officers of the force have sought a 60-day leave.

    According to reports, several senior officers, including Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Mahar, have decided to go on leave.

    The officials also include the additional inspector general (AIG) of Karachi, Special Branch AIG and several deputy inspector generals (DIGs).

    An application signed by AIG Special Branch Imran Yaqoob, a copy of which is available with The Current, says that he submitted the request for leave after the police high command was “ridiculed and mishandled” leading to the demoralisation of all ranks of the Sindh police.

    A day earlier, soon after the “inappropriate” arrest of Capt (r) Safdar from his hotel room in Karachi, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led Sindh government had distanced itself from the development.

    Amid criticism aimed at alleged rifts among the ranks of the joint opposition — the PPP purportedly going after allied PML-N — it was claimed that the provincial police chief had actually been forced to go after Capt (r) Safdar.

    Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday reportedly took notice of the incident.

    “Taking notice of Karachi incident, COAS has directed Karachi Corps commander to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

  • ‘Police in Pakistan now have an anti-eggary unit to save kids from eating too many eggs’

    ‘Police in Pakistan now have an anti-eggary unit to save kids from eating too many eggs’

    Senior journalist Kamal Siddiqui has poked fun at the police for “having an anti-eggary unit to save our children” by making sure that “they do not eat too many eggs”.

    “So in Pakistan, we have a special police unit that saves children from eating too many eggs,” he jokingly wrote while tweeting a picture of an anti-beggary unit mobile minus the ‘B’.

    “Let’s save our children” could also be seen inscribed on the Sindh police vehicle.

    CRACKDOWN ON BEGGARS IN SINDH:

    In line with Sindh cabinet’s ban on child beggary and directions to the social welfare department to pick up children begging at traffic intersections and in streets and rehabilitate them at welfare centres, the aim of the anti-beggary unit is to tackle beggary, especially in the port city of Karachi.

    According to the findings of a committee on the issue of beggary, there are enough laws available to deal with the issue such as Section 7 of the West Pakistan Vagrancy Ordinance 1958 that prohibits beggary.

    A 2018 report of the committee said that beggars have also been seen with children who they use to create empathy in the givers’ eyes. This is a violation of Section 49 of Sindh Child Act 1955.

    It pointed out that in 2011, the Sindh assembly had passed the Sindh Child Protection Authority Act 2011 which called for ensuring the rights of the children in need of special measures and to provide matters ancillary thereto.

    Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah, in consultation with the cabinet, had earlier decided to ban beggary all across the province. He had also directed the Social Welfare Department to launch a special drive against child beggary.

    He had directed the district administration and the police to help the Social Welfare Department in the drive and round up the child beggars and send them to Sweet Home and Street Children Centre, Korangi, where they would be rehabilitated.