Tag: Sindh government

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 29): ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’ to ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 29): ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’ to ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 29, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a press conference with opposition bigwig Shehbaz Sharif, said,“Ab Shehbaz Sharif tandrust hain aur hukoomat mukhalif tehreek ki inqalabi qiyadat krnay k liye tayaar hain.” Shehbaz, in response to this, said, “Bilawal k jawaan kandho par zimadari dali hai… yeh humein lead karein ge.” 

    While opposition alliance is once again gearing to get rid of the government, many believe this attempt too wouldn’t be successful for the PPP and the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) won’t be able to work together.

    ‘Ab kya gul khilayga?’

    According to Daily Jang, Punjab Information Minister Punjab Fayazul Hasan Chohan has termed the meeting between Shehbaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazulur Rehman as the between “political orphans”. “Sindh mein Maulana ki Asif Ali Zardari aur Bilawal se mulaqaat ka chand Ziaur Rehman ki bataur deputy commissioner tayinaati ki surat mein charrha tha… ab dekhein Maulana ki Shehbaz se maulaqaat kia gul khilati hai.”

    Fazl’s brother had been appointed the deputy commissioner of Karachi’s District Central despite not being a qualified CSS officer. Amid severe backlash and criticism, the federal government on Monday approved a letter by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government requesting the repatriation of his services back to the province.

    ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    Daily Dunya has quoted the Corona Expert Advisory Group as saying that, “Corona cases aur amwaat mein kami Allah ki ghayebi maddad hai kyun k kami ki hatmi waja samnay nahi aa saki.”

    The statement comes as both COVID-19 cases and deaths in Pakistan continue to drop over the past three weeks. While some are praising the government for its efforts aimed at curbing the outbreak, others believe lower testing and people choosing to stay back home is the actual reason.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 28): ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’ to ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 28): ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’ to ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 28, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari has thanked the Sindh government for its hard work in draining out rainwater from different areas of Karachi.“Saari raat sarrko’n ki nigraani krnay pr Sindh government ka shukriya adaa krti hun. Sab saaf hogya lekin badqismati se hum barsaati maindako’n k masaail hal nahi kr saktay jo baarish hotay he nikal aatay hain.”

    Daughter of the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari was taking a dig at the critics of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led Sindh government who had been raising their voices after Karachi was flooded following heavy moonsoon rains.

    ‘Churrailo’n ne Pakistan k dou tukrray kiye’

    Prominent senior journalist and analyst Suhail Warraich, in his column for Daily Jang, has written, “Yeh churrailei’n he theen jinho’n ne Mashraqi aur Maghrabi Pakistan mein ghalat fehmiya’n paida ki aur humein judaa kr dia. Agar churrailei’n larraayi naa krwatee’n to Ziaul Haq 90 din mein election krwa kr chalay jatay.”

    ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    According to Daily Dunya, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said, “Agly aath [8] din buhat eham hain. Agar halaat theek rahay to tamaam cheezei’n khol di jayein gi.”

    The minister’s statement comes as the Punjab government imposes a province-wide smart lockdown ahead of Eidul Azha. It will remain in place until August 5.

  • [GRAPHIC VIDEO] All terrorists, who attacked Pakistan Stock Exchange, killed

    [GRAPHIC VIDEO] All terrorists, who attacked Pakistan Stock Exchange, killed

    Police killed all four assailants who attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) compound in Karachi on Monday morning, police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon confirmed to media.

    Citing Memon, Reuters reported that the gunmen had attacked the compound on I I Chundrigar Road with grenades and guns. “Four attackers have been killed, they had come in a Corolla car,” Nabi said.

    Initial reports said that four attackers entered the building around 10 am and opened fire. A grenade attack was carried out at the entrance.

    At least two civilians were killed in the attack and multiple were injured.

    Police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi said that five bodies and seven injured including policemen were brought to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital in Karachi.

    Other reports said that four guards and a policeman were also martyred.

    [GRAPHIC WARNING]

    Police and Rangers’ officials arrived at the scene soon after the attack and killed all four attackers, Sindh Rangers said.

    A clearance operation is underway in the vicinity. Weapons and hand grenades have been recovered from the attackers.

    “An unfortunate incident took place at the Pakistan Stock Exchange,” said PSX director Abid Ali Habib. “They made their way from our parking area and opened fire on everyone.”

    He said that the militants had stormed the Railway Ground parking area and fired outside the PSX ground. They made their way to the main gate of the building and stormed it after trading fire with security guards. 

    Habib said that the firing by militants caused panic among the people in the building.

    The PSX building and surrounding areas were sealed by law enforcement agencies. People inside the PSX building were evacuated from the back door.

    Police said the militants conducted the assault with sophisticated weapons and were carrying a bag filled with explosives. 

    Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Raja Omar Khattab said that police would try to find out details about the car used by the attackers. “CCTV cameras are being monitored by law enforcement agencies to obtain clues.”

    An earlier statement by the PSX said that its compound had been attacked by militants and that the “situation is still unfolding”.

    “There was an attack on the PSX compound earlier today. The situation is still unfolding and management, with the help of security forces, is managing the security and controlling the situation,” tweeted the PSX.

    “We will issue a more detailed statement in due course once the situation is under control and more details are known,” it said in a subsequent tweet.

    For now firing has stopped and reinforcement are in place, it added.

    Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail condemned the attack.

    “Strongly condemn the attack on PSX aimed at tarnishing our relentless war on terror,” he said, vowing to protect Sindh at all costs.

    The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which was declared a global terrorist group by the United States (US) last year, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

  • PTI lawmakers from Sindh urge Imran to improve ties with PPP govt

    PTI lawmakers from Sindh urge Imran to improve ties with PPP govt

    Lawmakers of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have urged Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to strengthen relations between the Centre and the provincial government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) so that they are able to resolve public issues in their respective constituencies more efficiently.

    The premier met the MPAs at the Governor House during his two-day visit to the province.

    The delegation praised the premier’s suggestions in the new finance bill and decisions that were taken by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus. They also commended the PM on reaching out to the poor segment of the society through the Ehsaas Programme.

    “Public service is the first mission of the PTI government,” PM Imran said, urging the PTI lawmakers to be more proactive in resolving public issues.

    Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Zaidi and Special Assistant Dr Sania Nishtar were also present in the meeting.

    Among the MPAs were Omar Amari, Dr Syed Imran Ali Shah, Arsalan Taj Hussain, Bilal Ahmed, Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Jamaluddin Siddiqui and others.

    The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) delegation was also present during the meeting.

    According to reports, the delegation demanded Sindh’s share in the NFC award and discussed the privatisation of steel mills and eradication of locusts from agricultural fields in the province.

    The GDA delegation included Sardar Abdul Hakim, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Arif Mustafa Khan Jatoi and Irfanullah Marwat.

  • ‘Imran’s Naya Pakistan is Gen (r) Musharraf’s Pakistan’

    ‘Imran’s Naya Pakistan is Gen (r) Musharraf’s Pakistan’

    Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is following the footsteps of former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has ruined national consensus.

    Speaking to PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on the coronavirus crisis and the evolving political situation in the country, Zardari criticised the government, saying that it wants to curtail constitutional and financial powers of provinces.

    “This government is fighting the opposition instead of fighting coronavirus,” he said.

    Referring to PPP’s past tenure, the former president stated that when he came to power in 2008, the country was a victim of terrorism and division. “We conducted the Swat operation through national consensus and brought peace [throughout the country],” the former president asserted.

    The PPP and the PTI have been trading barbs over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, after being criticised for the second consecutive day by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the Parliament House, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had demanded that the foreign minister either withdraw his statement against PPP or resign from his position.

    The minister had spoken at length about PPP’s style of governance and the participation of the province in national decision-making, saying that the former ruling party was focused on only provincial politics rather than thinking of the entire country.

  • Bilawal seeks Imran’s voluntary resignation over ‘coronavirus failures’

    Bilawal seeks Imran’s voluntary resignation over ‘coronavirus failures’

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan should voluntarily resign and appoint someone else in his stead, as tensions between the Centre and Sindh government continue to rise as COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country.

    Talking to Sindhi language news channels, Bilawal slammed the premier for a lack of consensus in the country on how to tackle the persisting coronavirus situation.

    “We [PPP] have been demanding the prime minister to step down since day one,” said the PPP chief. “Keeping in mind the coronavirus situation, I am not asking for his resignation. But Imran Khan should start working as a prime minister. He should play his role in uniting provinces in this crisis.”

    Bilawal urged PM Imran to voluntarily resign under these difficult circumstances and appoint someone else in his stead. The PPP chairman said that a national consensus was necessary to win the fight against the coronavirus. “The whole state should be on the same page against the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the prime minister was responsible for the absence of it. “The federal government is responsible for ensuring a consensus is reached.”

    Bilawal praised the Sindh government for providing relief to the masses as cases in the province continue to surge. “Sindh government is taking brilliant steps to provide relief to people,” he said. “CM Sindh has also joined hands with welfare organisations. People are being provided relief today due to the initiatives taken by the PPP,” he added.

    He said that Sindh government was about to kick off “phase two” of its plan to ward off the coronavirus. “We are providing relief to the people despite facing a shortage of resources,” he said.

    Referring to criticism over his statement on Karachi and Sindh a few days ago, Bilawal said that some people were presenting his remarks in a negative light and taking them out of context. “I consider it an insult to answer these [accusations],” he said, adding that those who were criticising him were working on their agenda to break up Sindh.

    The remarks came a few days after the PPP chairman hit out at the federal government in a fiery presser, slamming it for neglecting doctors and medical officers throughout the country.

    “Can you imagine Pakistan declaring war and sending its army without guns, bullets, and a uniform?” he had said.

    The PPP chairman had lamented that the doctors were only demanding two things — protective gear and a reduced burden on hospitals so that they may carry out their jobs more effectively.

    “The prime minister has failed to deliver […] He mentioned daily wagers in all of his addresses, but sadly none of them has received a single dime yet,” he had regretted.

    It is our responsibility to provide for them like we would provide for our armed forces, he said, adding: “We are trying to provide for our doctors who are in contact with COVID-19 patients, I know that all provincial governments are playing their due role as well.”

    “But the Centre should also play its role in supporting the provinces in the war against coronavirus,” he had said.

  • Surge in number of dead on arrival, near-death patients at Karachi hospitals amid COVID-19

    As the country, especially Punjab and Sindh, remains in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, it has emerged that the number of deaths at Karachi hospitals has recorded a significant increase with a large number of patients being brought in dead or in a near-death condition.

    According to The News, over 300 such patients were brought to both public and private sector hospitals within the past two weeks. All of them were either declared dead on arrival (DOA), or showed COVID-19 symptoms.

    The report in the English daily quoted a doctor on emergency duty at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) as saying that a 35-year-old woman was brought in dead. An X-ray revealed that she was suffering from some respiratory disease as a large patch could be seen on her lungs.

    He said the report was sent to a senior pulmonologist treating coronavirus patients, who said that it was most likely a case of COVID-19.

    Doctors also told the media outlet that only a few such cases could be examined in this regard as a majority of deceased patients could not undergo any tests or an autopsy.

    A critical care specialist at JPMC said that the number of patients, who either died on arrival or within a few hours, rose every day for the past few weeks. The patients were mostly 45 to 60 years old.

    Within the past 15 days, 109 patients have been brought in dead and 90 others were brought in a very critical condition and died mysteriously in a very short time at JPMC.

    While private hospitals are reluctant to share any details in this regard, they have confirmed that the number of pneumonia-like symptoms in patients has been climbing. Indus Hospital sources also admitted that the number of patients in critical condition had soared sharply.

    Sindh Health Department officials, on the other hand, refused to comment on the report.

  • Sindh for stricter lockdown as ‘greater than world average’ tests positive in 24 hours

    Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah on Saturday cautioned that there wasn’t “much good news” and the province needed a stricter lockdown as 20 per cent of coronavirus tests, conducted in his province in the past 24 hours, had come out positive, ringing danger bells as Pakistan continues to struggle in the battle against the global COVID-19 pandemic.

    In a video released by his office’s Twitter account, CM Shah disclosed that the number is greater than the world average at the moment. According to him, 919 people are still under treatment in the province.

    National coronavirus tally currently stands at 4,901. These include 2345 cases in Punjab, 1318 in Sindh, 656 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 220 in Balochistan, 215 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 114 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 33 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).

    The number of cases has continued to soar despite the country being under lockdown for the third consecutive week now.

    While the death toll, according to the national database, stands at 71, some 762 people have so far recovered.

    Meanwhile, the KP government has asked people to remain extra careful for the next few weeks.

    “The next few weeks are going to be critical for us. People are requested to follow the precautionary measures we have put in place,” KP CM’s Advisor on Information Ajmal Wazir said during a media briefing.

    According to Wazir, the people of the province have responded well to the government’s call for precautions.

    “However, we are facing the problem of accommodating daily wage workers and as per the prime minister’s instructions, we are working to provide them with daily necessities,” he said.

  • Slain reporter Aziz Memon offered resistance at time of murder, says autopsy

    Slain reporter Aziz Memon offered resistance at time of murder, says autopsy

    A meeting of the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the murder of Aziz Memon, the journalist who exposed train march of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari from March 2019, has been summoned after the post-mortem report of the victim hinted that he did not go down without a fight.

    The post-mortem report issued by forensic experts found traces of particles of more than one person other than that of the victim under his nails. The report said that it shows that the journalist offered resistance before being murdered.

    The brother of the victim, Hafeez Memon, while commenting on the report said that it proves that he was killed.

    The JIT meeting has been summoned at the office of the Shaheed Benazirabad deputy inspector general (DIG), wherein the members would decide to pursue the case as per the findings of the autopsy.

    The JIT also summoned former SHO [Station House Officer] of Mehrabpur area and others in the light of the video statement released by the journalist before his murder. The JIT has also summoned the victim’s brother.

    READ: Reporter, who ‘exposed’ Bilawal’s train march, ‘murdered’

    A local court had on March 12 ordered to exhume the body of the journalist after approving the plea of the JIT probing to ascertain reasons for his death.

    The investigation team had said they found many flaws in the previous post-mortem report that stated the cause of death was suffocation but it did not mention the details of Memon’s murder.

    Memon, who was a resident of Mehrabpur city and an employee of Kawish Television Network (KTN) as well as Sindhi daily Kawish, was found strangled to death in an irrigation ditch in Naushahro Feroze earlier this year.

  • VIDEO: Pakistan opens up first coronavirus drive-thru screening, testing facility

    VIDEO: Pakistan opens up first coronavirus drive-thru screening, testing facility

    The Sindh government has opened up Pakistan’s first drive-through coronavirus screening and testing facility in Karachi, as part of its attempts to stem the spread of the pandemic in the province, where the toll is rising, AFP reported.

    Established in the Jahangir Kothari Parade area of Clifton, the testing centre will enable suspected patients to get themselves tested without having to wait in long hospital queues.

    The doctors, paramedical staff and other personnel deployed at the facility have been provided with all the necessary protective equipment and gear to safeguard against the virus, a press release said.

    According to the Sindh government, people who visit the testing station will be registered and given a number, but for the test to be conducted, they should possess a travel history or certain symptoms of the virus.