ISLAMABAD: District Administration in the federal capital have closed nine more schools amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
The development comes as Pakistan reports more than 5,000 new infections in the last 24 hours. The country is battling a fifth wave of COVID-19, fueled by the highly transmissible omicron strain.
21 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in nine more government educational institutions in the federal capital amid surge in coronavirus cases following which the District Health Officer (DHO) has ordered immediate closure of educational institutions.
A notification has also been issued in this regard.
According to the letter issued by the DHO, the educational institutions reporting Covid case should be closed immediately and the institutions will remain closed till further intimation.
Earlier Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said on his Twitter handle, “Due to covid rise Islamabad Administration has started sealing schools for a period of ten days so that contact tracing can be done and positive cases are prevented to interact with other kids.”
The per day COVID-19 positivity rate has crossed 10 percent in Islamabad, according to the official.
He said the city s administration had also launched a crackdown on those violating the government-prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Please wear masks and get everyone around you vaccinated as soon as possible,” the deputy commissioner urged.
ISLAMABAD: The electoral body on Tuesday rejected the request of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for not to make public the report of Scrutiny Committee into party’s finances in ‘Foreign Funding Case’ till the arrival of Scrutiny Committees’ reports of PML-N and PPP,
The Election Commission of Pakistan sought progress reports from the scrutiny panels regarding probe into accounts of the two opposition parties within 10 days.
During the proceedings, the commission expressed shock over such an order and said that the report has already become a public document.
A three-member bench of Election Commission of Pakistan led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising of Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi heard the high-profile case 16 months after it first directed the Scrutiny Committee to furnish report into PTI’s finances by August 2020.
During the hearing, PTI’s counsel Advocate Shah Khawar requested the bench that the Foreign Funding Case related to PTI, PML-N and PPP be heard simultaneously, once the reports of Scrutiny Committees related to the two opposition parties were received.
He also requested the electoral body not to make public Scrutiny Committee’s report related to PTI till the arrival of related reports concerning the N-League and PPP. “How can we stop this report from being made public,” remarked Durrani, the Member ECP.
The CEC seconded him. “Do we have the authority to stop anyone from making a report public,” he asked the PTI counsel. “We cannot do that,” Raja added. The bench then directed that copies of the Scrutiny Committee’s report related to PTI’s accounts be provided to all the parties in the case. On PTI’s request, the bench directed the Scrutiny Committees investigating the funding of PML-N and PPP to furnish progress reports into related probes within 10 days The case has been adjourned for 15 days.
Later, speaking to media outside ECP, Planning Minister Asad Umar said the ECP also formed Scrutiny Committees to probe PML-N and PPP accounts in Foreign Funding Case. “The Scrutiny Committees’ reports about these two parties should also be furnished like that of PTI,” he said. The minister said Foreign Funding Case would have “positive effects on Pakistan’s political landscape if probed impartially and thoroughly.” Information State Minister Farrukh Habib also demanded that Scrutiny Committees reports related to PML-N and PPP be furnished “so that everything comes out in black and white.” He said ECP should hear Foreign Funding Case in an ‘open kachehri’.
Foreign funding case: ECP directs scrutiny committee to refurnish its report
However, Akbar Sher Babar, one of the founding members of PTI, who had moved the ECP accusing the PTI of being a foreign-funded party and seeking action against it in accordance with the related constitutional provisions, said: “The delay in concluding this case has cost Pakistan a bit too dearly. Had this case been concluded timely and logically, these rulers would not have been imposed on Pakistan.”
Ahsan Iqbal from PML-N said Prime Minister Imran Khan is looking for “lame excuses and delaying tactics to stop this case because his lies have been exposed.”
The ECP, last month, fixed Foreign Funding Case related to PTI for regular hearing from January 4 keeping in view that Scrutiny Committee submitted its report to the electoral body related to PTI in November.
On August 27 last year, the Scrutiny Committee submitted its first report to ECP regarding PTI’s finances in Foreign Funding Case but the commission rejected this report, termed it incomplete and directed the committee to refurnish the report latest by October 22, 2020, but the committee failed to meet this deadline.
On October 23, 2020, the ECP expressed ‘satisfaction’ over the Scrutiny Committee’s progress into Foreign Funding Case and allowed the panel to go ahead with the probe and complete the final report as ‘early as possible’ but did not specify any timeframe in this regard.
In November last year, the committee finally completed its probe and submitted the report to the ECP.
ISLAMABAD: Local government elections will be held on April 15 in federal capital through electronic voting machines (EVMs).
According to details, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the federal government to provide 3900 electronic voting machines for the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the concerned officials to provide the machines to ECP.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz has also assured that the commission will be provided the machines before the election.
KARACHI: Two bogies of the Green Line train traveling from Karachi to Islamabad derailed in Ibrahim Shah near Padidan area of Sindh on Friday morning. According to officials, 91 passengers were aboard.
All the passengers on board along with staff are safe, Railway officials said, adding fortunately, no loss of life or injuries were reported.
The passengers traveling in the bogies have been moved to other carriages and the journey to Islamabad has resumed. The accident has, however, affected traffic on the up-track.
The chief officer of the Pakistan Railways Sukkur Division has said that to prevent delays, trains on the route will only be run on the down-track. He revealed that the last two bogies of the train, economy and power plant, derailed.
A rescue crain has been dispatched from Rohri to resume operations on the Up track. Meanwhile, the Sukkur Express and Khyber Mail have been delayed at the Kot Lalu and Padidan railway stations.
The majority of train passengers in the country are working-class people who cannot afford the quicker bus journeys.
RAWALPINDI: Four Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on Friday in Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement stated that one terrorist was apprehended along with weapons and ammunition, adding that the four soldiers were martyred during an “intense exchange of fire.”
The names of the martyred soldiers are: Havaldar Munawar, 40, resident of Bahawalnagar, Sepoy Zaka Ullah, 31, resident of Laki Marwat, Sepoy Farhan, 34, resident of Kohat and Sepoy Sheraz, 30, resident of Abbottabad.
In another IBO, two militants were gunned down by security forces while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the militants.
The two terrorists killed during the IBO have been identified as Shahzeb alias Zakir and Daniyal. “These terrorists were involved in terrorist activities against security forces, target killing and kidnapping for ransom,” it added.
ISLAMABAD: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Friday organized a protest demonstration in front of Indian High Commission Islamabad against state sponsored terrorism by India in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in which 355 people were killed in 2021.
The protestors also highlighted Indian attempt to covert Muslim majority into minority, and continuous detention of Hurriyet leaders in Kashmir.
APHC General Secretary released data of human rights violations in Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in the year 2021.
From January 01 to 30 December 2021, the Indian occupying forces launched the 467 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs).
The data of different human rights violations shows that 355 people lost their lives killings, 134 houses were destroyed and Kashmiris were 1686 arrested.
In 85 illegal encounters 178 militants died fighting Indian occupying forces during the year. As many as 128 Indian occupational forces were also killed which include 29 who committed suicide in different parts on IIOJK
During encounters, at least 135 houses were vandalized and destroyed by the Indian occupying forces. APHC said 49 civilians were killed in different violence related accidents including extrajudicial killing of Top Hurriyet leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehraie by Indian occupational forces and mother-daughter duo by mysterious blast in Handwara.
On 1st of September, APHC chairman Syed Ali Geelani also died after prolonged illness at his home which was turned into sub-jail
There were 122 instances of internet blockades recorded. In the out going year 1686 persons were detained by Indian occupational forces and lodged in different jails across India.
Indian authorities booked another 410 under draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) while as 178 persons were booked under Public safety Act.
SRINAGAR: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, raising the number of slain youth to six since yesterday.
The troops martyred the three youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Verinag area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in.
The troops martyred three other youth during a similar operation in Mirhama area of Kulgam district, last night.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) led Federal Government is ready to overburden already crushed masses by presenting the mini budget worth Rs350 billion today (Thursday) that will cause renewed wave of inflation in the country.
Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned a meeting of the federal cabinet that will approve the mini-budget at noon today Thursday. The federal cabinet, with PM Imran Khan in the chair, will give a go-ahead to the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021.
Later, the Finance Amendment Bill 2021 will directly be presented in the National Assembly as part of the government’s effort to get the IMF package worth $6 billion.
Earlier, PM Khan will chair a meeting of the members of the PTI’s parliamentary party who will be briefed on the mini-budget.
Following the passage of the mini-budget, prices of several commodities, including power, gas and petroleum products, will hike owing to the tough conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to sources.
Besides rolling back subsidies worth Rs350 billion, taxes and duties on more than 1,700 items will also be increased in the mini-budget, said sources, adding that taxes on all imported and luxury items will be increased.
ISLAMABAD: Three more COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant were reported from Islamabad, health ministry officials said.
With the recently surfaced cases, the total number of Omicron infections in the federal capital rose to 20.
Officials said that the people who live with the new Omicron patients and those who came in contact with them are being traced.
The first case of Omicron variant in Islamabad was reported on December 25.
The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, had confirmed that so far 79 cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed in Pakistan, including 35 in Karachi where the first case was reported on December 13, 2021 while Lahore reported 13 cases.
Apart from the new cases, 17 cases of the Omicron variant have so far been reported from Islamabad.
Pakistan may experience the fifth wave of Covid-19 in the mid of February 2022 with daily detection of around 3,000-4,000 cases per day as community transmission of Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 or Coronavirus has begun in the major cities of Pakistan, especially in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad where so far 75 people were found infected with the Variant of Concern (VoC), officials warned on Tuesday.
“Transmission of Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 has started in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and we fear a rise in COVID-19 cases all over the country in the coming two weeks.
Pakistan may experience the fifth wave of COVID-19 in the middle of February 2022 with the number of daily cases rising to 3,000 to 4,000,” an official of the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) told The News.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported three new deaths and 291 new positive cases during last 24 hours by novel coronavirus across the country.
According to the latest figures displayed on National Coronavirus Dashboard of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 291 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours while 3 more people have lost their lives to the deadly disease.
With 291 more people contracted the coronavirus the overall number of positive cases surged to 1,294,031. The nationwide tally of fatalities after 3 more people died of the
virus has jumped to 28,912 on Tuesday morning.
According to the province wise figures of the National Command and Operation Center, Punjab still remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
With 28,912overall deaths recorded in the country out of which 13,066 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,663 in Sindh 5,922 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 966 in Islamabad, 746 in Azad Kashmir, 363 in Balochistan, and 186 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
So far 1,294,031 overall positive cases were reported across the country out of which 480,901 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 444,670 in Punjab 181,247 in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 108,502 in Islamabad, 34,657 in Azad Kashmir 33,625 in Balochistan and 10,429 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Pakistan has so far conducted 23,234,148 coronavirus tests and 41,869 in the last 24 hours. 1,255,204 patients have recovered in the country whereas 636 patients are in critical condition.
The COVID-19 positivity ratio was recorded at 0.69 per cent.
So far, 92,086,806 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 771,159 in last 24 hours. 65,149,948 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 841,430 received their second dose in last 24 hours.
The number of total administered doses has reached to 148,265,690 with 1,336,509 in the last 24 hours.
