Tag: Sindh

  • Special rescue services to be launched in Sindh

    Special rescue services to be launched in Sindh

    The director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) announced that a unified rescue service like Punjab’s ‘Rescue 1122’ will be initiated in six divisional headquarters of Sindh.

    As per reports, the future rescue service will have different teams for firefighting, ambulances and rescue operations.

    The sections will be divided among different organisations as the firefighting operations will be managed by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and ambulances will be checked by Aman Foundation.

    The PDMA will run the urban search and rescue operation, whereas, a unified call center will be set up for collecting all complaints of the three categories.

    According to the plan presented by PDMA, seven teams will be made for urban search and rescue besides dedicating services of two teams for Karachi and others for each division province. In order to follow the international standard, 60 to 62 persons will be part of the urban rescue team.

    A total of six stations will be established for the urban rescue team in the provincial capital Karachi, whereas, expert swimmers will be appointed in two stations to be established near the beach to handle the drowning incidents.

    The PDMA director-general said that the project has been planned with the help of a global consultant and PC-1 of the rescue service will be submitted to the planning and development department.

    He added that the unified rescue service project will be launched within a period of one and a half years by the fund of the World Bank (WB) after getting approved by the government.

  • Sindh Govt comes under fire for ‘painting ancient archaeological sites white’

    The Sindh Government has come under fire after they shared pictures of restoration work done on Tando Fazal Monument (Masjid) Hyderabad. Their efforts did not sit well with the public who accused them of destroying heritage sites and whitewashing them. Following the criticism and backlash, the culture department deleted the tweets from social media.

    Read more – Pakistan’s forgotten heritage sites

    Social media users did not hold back from expressing their outrage over the matter.

    Some users urged the government and Supreme Court to look into the matter.

    Meanwhile, others made a meme out of the scenario.

    https://twitter.com/SyedXaidi110/status/1293567234397396994?s=20

    Later, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Sardar Shah explained the process and steps that were taken to restore the monument.

  • PM Imran refuses to accept Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s resignation

    PM Imran refuses to accept Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s resignation

    Televangelist and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker in the National Assembly, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, has claimed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has rejected his resignation letter.

    “After a long meeting with PM Imran Khan, my four-page resignation was rejected. I opened my heart told the PM everything. The PM hailed my efforts for raising my voice for Karachi’s issues and said thinking about the public was the role of an elected leader,” he tweeted on Monday.

    Earlier in the day, Hussain had posted on social media that he was on his way to the PM House to submit his resignation.

    Last week, he had announced resigning as an MNA from Karachi over prolonged unannounced power outages in the port city.

    “I confess that I am a helpless MNA of Karachi. I am unable to provide electricity to the people of my city. I cannot see the people of my city suffer. I will ask the prime minister for time and submit my resignation,” he had said.

    A spike in power outages is spelling misery for a major chunk of the metropolis’ residents with some areas having interrupted electric supply for weeks now.

    This, however, is not the first time that the PTI MNA has been in the news for being upset at his party.

    In 2018, a month after the general election, reports had emerged of differences between Hussain and the PTI after he had expressed anger with the party over failure to invite him to a dinner hosted at the Governor’s House.

    According to reports, Liaquat left a WhatsApp group comprising PTI Sindh’s leaders over the issue.

  • ‘Raj Rani’: Sindhi channel introduces new show inspired by ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    ‘Raj Rani’: Sindhi channel introduces new show inspired by ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    Ertuğrul fever in the country continues to run strong.

    After Ertuğrul-inspired cakes, dresses and even snacks named after the TV show, we now have a drama serial inspired by the superhit Turkish historical series. Kawish Television Network (KTN), a private Sindhi TV channel, has released the teaser of their upcoming drama serial titled Raj Rani, which appears to be heavily inspired by the Turkish series.

    The short 30-second teaser shows an intense sword fight with an ancient fort in the background. It is interesting to see the inclusion of women in the sword fights, something that is unusual on Pakistani television.

    While further details are not yet known about the series, watch the teaser below:

    Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in Pakistan ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to details, more than 58 million people viewed the first episode on PTV’s YouTube channel in two months, and the entire show has had more than 250 million views. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with more than 6 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • Cop martyred in Pakistan Stock Exchange attack was to retire two days later

    Cop martyred in Pakistan Stock Exchange attack was to retire two days later

    One of the martyred security personnel who thwarted the attack on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in Karachi on Monday, was due to retire from service two days later, SAMAA reported.

    Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Muhammad Shahid of Lyari recruited 33 years ago in 1987, was due to retire on July 1.

    Senior police officials have paid tribute to the martyred officer. They say the city owes its peace to such valiant police personnel.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa among others have also paid tribute to the brave cops and security guards who laid down their lives to foil the attack by killing all four gunmen affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) before they could enter the compound.

    Constable Muhammad Rafiq Soomro and Constable Khalil Jatoyi are also being praised for their valour and the critical role they played in thwarting the attack within eight minutes of its launch.

    Earlier, panic and fear swept across Karachi after four terrorists tried to storm the PSX building on I I Chundrigar Road Monday. The assailants came in a car and tried to enter the building, according to the police.

    They were intercepted by security guards after which the militants threw a hand grenade at them and opened gunfire. All four attackers were killed after a brief encounter with commandos of the Sindh Police’s Rapid Response Force.

  • Temporary visit turned all-time love, tourist doesn’t want to leave Pakistan

    Temporary visit turned all-time love, tourist doesn’t want to leave Pakistan

    A UK citizen Stephen David Sheen, who visited Pakistan as a temporary destination on his way to India, where his cousins live, ended up staying here because of the country’s hospitality. He has been living in Pakistan for the past decade.

    Popularly known as Steve among his students, Sheen is currently serving as a school Principal in Khairpur, Sindh.

    In an interview with Independent Urdu, Sheen said that he made a plan for a train trip to Europe and then to India in 2010. He first visited Turkey from where he took a train to Iran and finally to Pakistan. He stayed in Quetta for the initial time before going to Karachi, and from there to Khairpur.

    Steve has learned to speak fluent Sindhi and teaches Mathematics, Physics, and English to the students of Sojhro Faiz High School. The school is now famously known as the ‘Angrez ka School’ among the locals in Khairpur.

    He had volunteered to teach at the school for one summer camp but decided to stay and teach its students permanently.

    Steve mentioned that everywhere around the globe, people make money off tourism, but in Pakistan, the hospitality of the people doesn’t allow them to earn because here, people present him with free food, accommodation, and travel.

    On learning Sindhi, Steve mentioned that when he first arrived in Khairpur, he was invited to an Eid dinner. Everyone at the dinner party was talking to each other in Sindhi, and he felt isolated. That is when he decided to learn the language and now he speaks it fluently.

    Other than teaching and running a school, Sheen also enjoys woodwork. He makes wooden tables and chairs, and some of his students also join him in this activity from time to time.

  • Sindh’s Marsh Crocodiles witness an increase in population

    Sindh’s Marsh Crocodiles witness an increase in population

    With humans under lockdown, wildlife all over the world is getting a chance to flourish. And according to latest reports, the population of marsh crocodiles living in the wilderness of Sindh is believed to have increased in at least four locations across the province. The locations include Haleji Lake, Nara Wetland Complex, Chotiari Wetland Complex and Wagni village near the Ghotki and Hub Dam.

    While an exact number is not known, a representative of the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) said that over 200 crocodiles have been sighted in Haleji Lake and its surroundings and as many in the Nara Wetland Complex.

    He added that these were just rough estimates and that there is no exact tally of the crocodile population in the province.

    Sharing his excitement, SWD Conservator Javed Mahar said: “Crocodiles coming out of the water to bask at Haleji Lake is a sight to see. Crocodiles opening their mouths and sunbathing is called basking, which is a natural process. It re-energises them.”

    Mahar further shared that these carnivores were once found in abundance in the region but their population shrunk after a canal irrigation system was constructed in the region.

    “The fragmentation of their habitat, illegal hunting and illegal trade also contributed to their declining numbers,” said Mahar, adding that records show that they also used to reside in creeks near Karachi.

    Read more – Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    He said that though illegal hunting of these animals has now been banned, hunters continue to target these animals to polish their shooting skills. Meanwhile, others kill these animals in fear that they would attack and hurt them.

    “But they [marsh crocodiles] are not aggressive and do not attack people. I have not heard of any incident of them attacking people,” he said.

  • ‘We cannot afford this anymore’: Traders in Sindh, KP, Balochistan to reopen businesses from today

    Traders across the country have said that they would resume operations from today (April 15), however, the business community in Punjab has urged the government to permit activities for a limited time.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in his address to the nation on Tuesday, extended the lockdown till April 30, saying that some industries such as construction would be allowed to operate from Wednesday.

    The business community in Karachi said that they would resume operations from April 15 and that the traders would follow preventive measures. “We cannot afford the imposed restrictions anymore,” said a representative of Karachi’s trader community while addressing a press conference.

    “The businessmen have paid their employees a month’s salary but we will be unable to do so if the lockdown extends,” he said, adding that they would hand over the keys to their shops to the officials at the Chief Minister (CM) House and protest outside the provincial chief executive’s office if they are kept from resuming business activities.

    Voicing the traders in Sindh, Balochistan’s business community said that they would also resume operations from April 15. They said that the traders could no longer bear the lockdown restrictions, adding that activities would be conducted and precautionary measures would be followed. “The provincial government has been informed regarding the decision to resume operations.”

    Furthermore, the traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) said that they could not afford the lockdown further and that they would open shops from April 15 as well.

    United Business Group President Ilyas Bilour said that small scale traders were forced into starvation due to the lockdown, and lamented that labourers were severely affected due to the closure of business centres.

  • Sindh govt directs schools to only charge fees monthly

    Sindh govt directs schools to only charge fees monthly

    All schools and educational institutions in Sindh have been ordered to charge monthly fees from their students instead of issuing quarterly or bi-monthly challans, a notification issued by the government reads.

    The provincial government has directed private schools to give full salaries to the teaching and other school staff on time.

    “None of the staff will be terminated during this period as well,” the notification added.

    If any schools defies the rules, their registrations will be suspended or cancelled.

    The schools have been shut down and a lockdown has been imposed across the province to prevent the spread of coronavirus

  • PICTURES: Social distancing in Pakistan

    After the outbreak of coronavirus, health experts have urged people to stay at home and practice social distancing. Social distancing involves “remaining out of mass settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance” whenever possible to limit the ability of the virus to spread.

    Section 144 has also been imposed in Pakistan under which more than four people cannot gather together in an area.

    Considering essential activities cannot completely be closed, here’s how Pakistanis are maintaining social distance at grocery stores, banks and police stations:

    Social distancing in Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
    A police station in Lahore
    Mithi, Sindh.