ISLAMABAD: Federal Capital Islamabad and other parts of the country experienced tremors on Saturday as an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck the Hindukush region, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
According to the PMD, the earthquake occurred at 04:16:09 UTC and had a depth of 210 kilometres with its epicentre in Afghanistan. Its longitude was 71.10 East and latitude was 35.63 North.
Tremors were felt in the federal capital and adjoining areas including Rawalpindi and Taxila, as well as Sargodha, Chiniot and Hafizabad. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Peshawar, Charsadda, Swat, Mardan and other areas also experienced tremors along with various districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, according to the report.
No injuries or damages have been reported yet.
Tremors were also felt in parts of India, according to local media reports.
On January 14, an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale had jolted Islamabad and northern areas of the country.
Earlier in the month, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale had struck Pakistan’s northern areas on Jan 1.
No casualty or damage was reported in the two quakes.
ISLAMABAD: The trend of Kitchen gardening is increasing in Islamabad as the dwellers of Capital are taking a keen interest to grow fresh and nutritious vegetables, fruits, and spices (Condiments) on their terraces and rooftops.
Faiza Warraich, a housewife in Islamabad was of the view that she was no more worried about spending hundreds of rupees on daily meals.
She grew 12 to 15 vegetables and condiments at home which would help her run the kitchen easily throughout the year. “Three years ago, I did not know anything about kitchen gardening.
Then, I started watching videos on YouTube and now I am a master in kitchen gardening. We live in a 5 Marla house and have enough space on the roof to place 20 pots for gardening” she told.
Umer Naseer, 20 years old student told that he had a great interest in kitchen gardening since childhood and he used the home’s terrace for growing mint, onion, tomatoes, gourd, lemons, and cucumber.
“Homegrown vegetable items not only provide hygienic food to our family but also help us save thousands of rupees monthly” he added. Naaima Afzal Zaki, a working lady in Islamabad, told that she lived in a hostel and faced great difficulty with healthy food, but since she started to grow vegetables and fruits on her balcony, her problems had been solved.
“Plants of strawberry, cucumber, bitter gourd, lemon at balcony not only provide me an opportunity to make fresh juices but also add more beauty to my ambiance which provides fresh vibes to me every day” she expressed.
Zeeshan Mirza, a dweller of the I-8 sector, said he was overweight and the doctor suggested him to eat uncooked vegetables as much as he could. “I daily take turnip, carrot, icicle radish, lemon and mint in the salad which I grow in pots at my roof that really helps me to lose my weight” he added.
Program Leader Vegetables, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) Dr. Ghulam Jellani, told that the coming spring season is ideal weather for kitchen gardening especially for the growth of daily home used items like onions, tomatoes, green chilies, bitter gourd, cucumber, and capsicum in pots.
“Always try to use clay pots and avoid using plastics pots for kitchen gardening as high temperature affects the roots of plants in summer” he added.
He said PARC always encouraged kitchen gardening in Pakistan and in this regard we provide training to different groups, farmers, individuals and distribute seedlings as well.
“If you are a home Gardner enthusiast and you know nothing about home gardening, come to PARC, we will train you and provide seedlings as well,” he said.
JEDDAH: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi has urged the United Nations and the OIC to send their fact finding missions to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to monitor the gruesome human rights violations being committed by the brute Indian forces in the territory.
He expressed these views during a meeting with Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lt Gen (Retd) Bilal Akbar in Jeddah.
The AJK Prime Minister said India is involved in genocide of Kashmiri people through fake military encounters in the held valley.
He said India has enforced black laws in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in order to crush the freedom movement of Kashmiris for attaining their fundamental right to self-determination.
Abdul Qayyum Niazi lauded the role of Pakistan for advocating the right of Kashmiris, particularly Prime Minister Imran Khan for effectively projecting the Kashmir issue in its true perspective at international fora.
ISLAMABAD: Coronavirus fifth wave has again caused havoc all over Pakistan as with eight new deaths country reported 7,195 new positive caused during last 24 hours by novel coronavirus.
According to the latest figures displayed on National Coronavirus Dashboard of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) stated that 7,195 persons tested positive for COVID-19 across the country and eight new deaths were reported in the past 24 hours on Monday morning.
As per the figures of the NCOC 7,195 new positive cases were reported in the country which took the overall tally to 1,374,800. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 29,105, as during last 24 hours eight more people lost their lives to the deadly virus.
Giving the province wise data of the deadly disease the NCOC reported that Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and coronavirus.
According to NCOC nation-wide toll of overall deaths jumped to 29,105 out of which 13,108 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,741 in Sindh 5,975 in coronavirus, 976 in Islamabad, 751 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan, and 187 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The NCOC data revealed that overall figure of the positive cases across Pakistan surged to 1,374,800, out of which 526,899 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 464,431 in Punjab 185,340 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 118,292 in Islamabad, 35,400 in Azad Kashmir 33,941 in Balochistan and 10,497 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Giving details pf the tests the NCOC stated that Pakistan has so far conducted 24,590,353 coronavirus tests and 57,401 in the last 24 hours. 1,269,078 patients have recovered in the country whereas 1,113 patients are in critical condition.
As per NCOC the positivity ratio of the coronavirus pandemic was recorded at 12.53 per cent on Monday morning.
Regarding the over vaccination the NCOC stated that so far, 102,975,552 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 286,593 in last 24 hours. 78,860,543 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 470,601 received their second dose in last 24 hours.
The number of total administered doses was reported by NCOC has reached to 170,711,868 with 786,027 in the last 24 hours.
LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi launched the kit for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The Qalandars have unveiled two new kits of light green and red colours. The green is for home, while the red one will be worn by players in away matches, as the tournament is scheduled to be played in Karachi and Lahore.
The seventh season of the country’s biggest cricket tournament will kick off on January 27 in Karachi and conclude a month after, in Lahore.
Newly-appointed captain Shaheen Shah Afridi unveiled the kits and said he was honoured to do it. “My team is preparing well and we will make it exciting, just wait and watch,” Afridi added.
ISLAMABAD: The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have been directed to exercise “extreme vigilance” after the recent terror incidents in the country, a notification from the Ministry of Interior said Saturday.
The interior ministry, in the notification, asked the LEAs of all provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan to take extra security measures to thwart any unforeseen incident.
“In view of recent terrorist attack in Anarkali Bazar, Lahore and threat posed by activities of anti-state elements, all provincial and special area governments/Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) are requested to exercise extreme vigilance and be on alert to deal with any untoward situation,” the notification said.
At least five people were killed and more than 25 injured in two different terror attacks in Lahore and Islamabad.
Three people died from Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar blast, while the LEAs have arrested two facilitators from Ravi Road Friday morning and identified the terrorist involved in the gruesome incident, according to The News.
In Islamabad, a policeman was shot dead and two others were injured at a checkpoint during a gun battle with terrorists. The police also shot down two militants in the process.
“This was not an incident of dacoity or theft. Terrorists opened fire on them [police officials]. This is a signal for us that terror incidents have started taking place in Islamabad,” Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed had said on Tuesday.
A day back, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had also reiterated the resolve of the Pakistan Army to fight against terrorism till the elimination of this mena
ISLAMABAD: New spell of rain on Saturday has lashed different parts of the country including Lahore and Islamabad.
According to details, Bhakkar, Sangla Hill, Darya Khan, Pakpattan and other areas also received showers. Meanwhile, Rain emergency has been declared in Rawalpindi.
On the other hand, snowfall has also witnessed in Swat, Galyat, Murree, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other hilly areas.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stated that the current spell of rain and snowfall will continue for another two days.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Government has ordered to block 35 YouTube channels and two websites based in Pakistan, claiming that they were running “anti-India propaganda”.
Indian Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in a statement, said that the websites and channels had a total of 120 million subscribers and were running “fake news” on former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the Indian media reported on Friday.
“The YouTube channels, websites, and other social media accounts blocked by the ministry were used by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news about sensitive subjects related to India,” it said.
It was observed that these YouTube channels had also started posting content to undermine the democratic process of the upcoming elections in five states, the statement said.
The statement further said that some of the YouTube channels were being operated by anchors of Pakistani TV news channels.
It may be mentioned that New Delhi has been caught red-handed spreading ‘fake news’ and misinformation against Islamabad lately. In 2020, an independent non-profit organisation focused on tackling sophisticated disinformation had exposed the latest iteration of an Indian influence campaign aimed at defaming Pakistan within the EU institutions.
According to an investigation by the EU DisinfoLab, a Brussels-based NGO, a coordinated influence operation, to malign Pakistan’s reputation, was being led by the New-Delhi-based Srivastava Group and amplified by Asia News International (ANI), an Indian news agency.
The operation’s mission was to discredit nations in conflict with India in the region, in particular Pakistan and also China to a certain extent. In the long run, the campaign was aimed at bolstering India’s global perception, which would ultimately allow New Delhi to bag more support from international institutions such as the EU and the UN.
In August last year, a sustained disinformation and propaganda campaign by India and previous Afghan administration to sabotage the Afghan peace process and target Pakistan, was uncovered, showing the extent of the fifth-generation warfare.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf had revealed that many Indian and Afghan social media accounts were involved in maligning Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan took a cautious approach on the demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier as Islamabad did not out-rightly rejected the India’s proposal nor accepted it.
“Pakistan was committed to improve relations with India and have a dialogue which is meaningful, constructive, result-oriented and sustained”, said a spokesperson of the Foreign Office, during the weekly media briefing.
The spokesperson went on to say that on multiple occasions, the prime minister and the foreign minister have expressed our position on this matter (dialogue). “But India has vitiated the environment — the conditions are not there. We have repeatedly said that onus lies on India to take necessary steps for an environment conducive for constructive dialogue,” he added.
He was asked about Pakistan’s reaction on any possibility of India’s demilitarization of the Siachin Glacier. Recently, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had said that India was not averse to the possible demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier provided Pakistan accepted the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) that separates Indian and Pakistani positions.
“Pakistan has a policy, which is derived from the principle of friendly neighborhood. We want peace and friendship in our neigborhood, good relations with all including India,” the spokes-person said.
“But you have seen how the developments have unfolded in our region; you have witnessed the very hostile Indian attitude especially during the last a couple of years and since the illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 in IIOJ&K, the situation has further deteriorated and in this context we have to see how we can move forward,” added the spokesperson.
In his opening statement, the spokesman said it is encouraging that the international community is increasingly realizing the gravity of the situation in IIOJ&K towards which Pakistan has been drawing attention all these years.
“You would have followed example the Russell Tribunal on Kashmir held in Sarajevo last month, and the filing earlier this week of an application by a London-based law firm with the British Police seeking arrest of Indian officials over their alleged role in war crimes in IIOJ&K,” he opined.
Reportedly, the law firm has submitted report based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021, providing extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian military and civil leadership were responsible for the torture, kidnapping and killing of activists, journalists and civilians.
“It is self-evident that India can no longer escape international and legal censure for its rampant human rights violations in IIOJ&K, and we call upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and international human rights and humanitarian organizations to hold India accountable”, said the spokes-person.
He added that the world needs to do more because the kind of reaction and response that is there is not enough, and that is why Pakistan continues to raise its voice and mobilize international opinion and support for the Kashmiri people.
Regarding the latest position on the Indian request to send wheat assistance to Afghanistan through the land route of the Wagah Border, the spokes-person responded, “As you would recall Pakistan has allowed on humanitarian grounds on exceptional basis.
We have conveyed to the Indian side, necessary details of arrangements put in place by Pakistan, and for about 3 weeks now, are awaiting further response from India about the date of dispatch and other information regarding the first consignment”, he added.
Turning to Afghanistan and the issue of Pakistan recognizing Kabul, the FO spokes-person said this was an important issue and has been discussed and deliberated by many countries.
“There are obviously diverse views about it, as there are diverse expectations as well. There is also a priority attached to the immediate concerns such as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that requires consistent engagement. We think the best way of doing this is in consultation and coordination with the neighboring countries and others in the international community. We are of the view that a broader approach on this is going to be useful,” he said.
Turning to the problems Pakistani students are facing while being unable to return to China to continue their studies, the spokes-person said this issue has been discussed between both countries on several occasions.
A list of 492 students has been shared with the Chinese Embassy with the request to treat them as first priority for return to China.
PESHAWAR: Three policemen sustained injuries in a hand grenade attack on law enforcement patrol in northwestern city of Peshawar on Tuesday.
As per the details garnered, some unidentified men attacked on a police mobile van in Budha Bair area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wounding three police personnel including a sub-inspector and two constables.
According to police, the injured cops including Sub-Inspector Fareed Khan were shifted to local hospital for medical assistance.
SSP Operations Haroon Rasheed visited LRH Hospital where he inspected the injured police personnel. SSP Operations directed to provide best medical facilities to the injured.
Haroon Rasheed said that the police personnel were on mobile duty within the precincts of Budh Bair police station.
Following the attack, law enforcement agencies reached the spot, cordoned off the area and launched extensive search operation for the arrest of the culprits.
