LAHORE: Heavy monsoon rain has turned the road and streets of the provincial metropolis into streams while people are facing hardships due to water that lashed Lahore. Other parts of the province as well as country witnessed the heavy spell of monsoon but the weather turned pleasant.
Heavy downpour in different areas inundated roads and streets in the provincial capital and commuters faced immense difficulties while trying to carry on with their routines.
Several Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) feeders tripped due heavy rain in Lahore, which started on Wednesday night, plunging half of the city into darkness.
Rain was also reported in other parts of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Joharabad, Khushab, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Kasur, Jhang, Bhakkar, Sheikhupura, Nankana, Chiniot and other cities . Meanwhile, Met Office has predicted more rain during next 24 hours.
According to Pakistan Meteorological Department, strong monsoon currents are penetrating Pakistan that will produce widespread rains during next three to four days in the country.
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has selected September 9 framing charges against former president Asif Ali Zardari in the Toshakhana reference.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari appeared before the accountability court Monday to attend a hearing in the reference.
The PPP leader arrived in Islamabad from Karachi on Sunday evening with his son and party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the party leadership had advised workers not to attend his hearing.
As soon as the former president arrived in the courtroom, Bilawal called upon all party workers to leave the premises. He urged even the attorneys’ assistants to leave the courtroom due to the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic.
Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naek complained to the court that he was not allowed inside the courtroom despite being a senior lawyer. “This is neither a military court not an in-camera trial,” he said. “I am a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court and police pushed me away with their shields,” he added.
Naek pointed out that former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani contracted COVID-19 after appearing before the court. He wondered who will be held responsible if the same happened to Zardari.
Abdul Ghani Majeed’s lawyer requested the court to allow the suspect to be presented before the court.
The accountability court judge said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s matter before the court will be heard on August 25
The accountability court judge said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s matter before the court will be heard on August 25. “By that time, the IHC’s verdict will also be released,” he said.
The court refused to proceed further against Nawaz till the verdict of the IHC was released. Responding to complaints of the lawyers regarding the police, the judge said that even he encountered difficulties when reaching the court premises.
“I was also stopped at the police checkpost and had to take a u-turn to arrive at the court from another road,” said the judge, adding that he would take up the matter with the administration so that such disturbance doesn’t take place in the future.
The judge then proceeded to say that September 9 has been fixed as the date when charges against Zardari will be framed. Gillan and Abdul Ghani Majeed have also been summoned to court on the same day.
The NAB reference filed against Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif accuses them of obtaining the cars from Toshakhana (gift depository) by paying 15% of the price of the cars.
Zardari also received cars as gifts from Libya and the UAE when he was president and used them for his personal use instead of depositing them in the treasury, the anti-graft body had alleged
Former premier Yousuf Raza Gillani has been accused of facilitating Zardari and Nawaz in this matter. The anti-graft body has accused Gillani of relaxing the procedure for acceptance and disposal of gifts.
Khawaja Anwar Majeed and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, owners of the Omni Group, are also nominated as accused in the reference.
According to reports, Nawaz was not holding any public office in 2008 but was given a vehicle without any justification. NAB says the leaders have been charged with corruption under sub-sections 2, 4, 7 and 12 of Section 9 (A) of the NAB Ordinance.
The Toshakhana (gift depository) gift from any country to the head of the state remains the property of the government unless sold at an open auction. Rules allow officials to retain gifts with a market value of less than Rs10,000 without paying anything.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary Information and Broadcasting Akbar Hussain Durrani planted a sapling as part of the national tree plantation campaign at Press Information Department, Islamabad.
Principal Information Officer Shahera Shahid, Director General Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Ambreen Jan, Director Administration and Finance PBC Raza Abbas Naqvi, Managing Director APP Tariq Mehmood and head News and Current Affairs PTV Quatrina Hosain also planted saplings at the PID premises.
ISLAMABAD: Coronavirus has shown improvement in Pakistan as during last 24 hours 8 new deaths were reported besides 634 persons were tested positive across the country.
With the 634 new coronavirus cases confirmed during last 24 hours, the toll of COVID-19 cases surged to 284,121 while with 8 new deaths were confirmed the nation-wide tally of fatalities has jumped to 6,082.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) has confirmed that 634 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours and 8 more people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the country.
According to figures released on National Coronavirus Dashboard of the NCOC at 11:00am on Sunday August 9, the toll of coronavirus positive cases reached to 284,121 and Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of infections with 123,546 cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.
The figure shows that 123,546 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 94,360 in Punjab, 34,635 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,884 in Balochistan, 15,241 in Islamabad, 2,321 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 2,134 in Azad Kashmir.
As far the death toll in concerned the figures shows overall 6,082 deaths were reported in the country as Sindh crossed the toll of deaths in Punjab. 2,262 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in the province, 2,169 in Punjab, 1,230 in Khyber Pskhtunkhwa, 137 in Balochistan, 171 in Islamabad, 55 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 58 in Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan has so far conducted 2,127,699 coronavirus tests and 23,390 in last 24 hours. 260,248 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 791 patients are in critical condition.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam said that right now we are facing locust attack from India.
He stated this while chairing the meeting of National Locusts Control Centre(NLCC) along with Lieutenant General Moazzam Ejaz, Coordinator NLCC in Islamabad.
The meeting was informed that till now 49 million Hectares (HA) have been surveyed and 11 million HA have been treated. Right now locusts is present in only one district i.e. Tharparkar. FAO shared its locust forecast. As per the forecast, in Southwest Asia, the situation has improved in Iran where few if any locust infestations remain.
However, the current situation remains serious along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border where monsoon breeding is underway by spring-bred swarms, including those returning from northern India, and substantial hatching and band formation are expected in August. A second generation of summer breeding will start in September.
Extensive control operations are in progress in both countries. Pakistan Meteorological Department mentioned that Rain/wind-thundershowers are expected in Sindh, south Punjab and Balochistan. Rain-thundershowers are also likely to occur in upper Punjab, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa and Kashmir. Heavy fall in Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Panjgur, Kech and Gawadar. It was mentioned that Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission of Pakistan (SUPARCO), is using space-based information to analyze areas with regards to their suitability as desert locust habitats based on vegetation, soil type and other factors.
The results support surveillance and control operations by helping demarcate locust-prone areas. National Information Technology Board(NITB) also briefed about NLCC website.
Punjab mentioned that 15 million HA have been surveyed and 458,960 HA have been treated. Recent operation is being carried out in Cholistan?Balochistan mentioned that 16 million HA have been surveyed and 472,487 HA have been treated.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has surveyed 8 million HA and 62535 HA have been treated. Sindh has surveyed 10 million HA and 101,168 HA have been treated.
ISLAMABAD: British Airways has announced that it will resume flight operations to Pakistan from the UK, signalling the continued importance of ties between the two countries.
The airline said it would start direct flights three times a week to and from Heathrow Airport and Islamabad. The first flight will land in Islamabad on 14 August, and will be taking extra precautionary measures for the safety of its crew and passengers.
Today’s announcement is another important step in reconnecting the trade ties and people-to-people ties between the UK and Pakistan.
On this occasion, The British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner said the resumption of British Airways direct flights is a big boost for the hundreds of thousands of travellers who travel regularly between our two great nations, many who have had their travel plans disrupted by the pandemic.
He further thanked to the Government of Pakistan, British Airways and team in Pakistan who have worked hard to deliver this welcome news.
British Airways direct flights restarted in June 2019 after a break of 10 years. The carrier first flew to Islamabad in 1976.
From London Heathrow the flights will be on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, departing at 20:30 and arriving in Islamabad at 04:20. From Islamabad flights will be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, departing at 06:15 and arriving in London at 15:00.
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad ruled on Monday that terrorism charges would be dropped in former judge Arshad Malik video leak case.
The verdict was announced by Judge Raja Jawad Abbas. He remarked that the video leak case is not of terrorism.
The suspects named in the case had challenged the terrorism charges included by the FIA. The authority forwarded the case to the ATC.
The case will now be heard by an anti-cyber crime court.
Malik, an accountability court judge who had announced the verdict against former PM Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia Steel Mills reference, was dismissed on July 3.
He was suspended last year after PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz claimed that the judge was blackmailed into convicting Nawaz without any evidence and had admitted to it. According to her, Judge Malik had himself called PML-N leader Nasir Butt to his house to clear his conscience. She also aired a video clip from their meeting.
Malik, however, had said the video clip was not representative of their conversation. He had said it was cut and edited and was not reflective of what he said. The judge had said the PML-N, more notably Nawaz’s family, tried to bribe him during the former premier’s trial and when he didn’t cooperate, they threatened him.
ISLAMABAD: Dr Faisal Sultan, Prime Minister’s focal person on COVID-19, outrightly brushed aside the notion that Pakistan is carrying out testing far lower than its capacity “under some conspiracy or design”.
In a post-press conference question/answer session in Islamabad, alongside information minister Shibli Faraz and the premier’s aide on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus, Dr Sultan said that a lower testing rate is being witnessed due to a “reduction in symptoms being witnessed in people”.
“When the spread was more rapid, we carried out a greater number of tests,” he said.
Dr Sultan said that during mid-June, there was an average of more than 32,000 tests conducted daily. In the last 24 hours, 23,000 tests were carried out, he said.
When asked what the current testing capacity for the country is, he said that Pakistan is currently capable of carrying out testing in excess of 50,000 tests a day which can further be ramped up to 75,000 if need be.
He said there is no “grand master” who can move the number of tests up or down.
“There are 102 labs operating all across the country,” he said, adding that they are carrying out testing more under the contact tracing mechanism now.
He said that demand is “based on symptoms or perceived need” and that “health-seeking behaviour can obviously affect testing numbers”.
Dr Sultan said that the current situation is much better than what the country was faced with three months back and appreciated the federal agencies and provincial governments for their collaborative efforts to fight the spread of the contagious disease in the country.
“Ask any hospital or medical facility. Coronavirus cases have declined drastically,” he said.
Dr Sultan’s remarks come at a time when the country is under scrutiny for figures being under-reported by the government.
The country has so far confirmed more than 270,000 cases and nearly 5,800 deaths.
Observers have however warned that the numbers do not reflect the true extent of cases in Pakistan, with many people reluctant to get tested.
Earlier, while addressing the media briefing, Aidrus said that with effective implementation of coronavirus strategies, Pakistan now has “a single-digit” positivity rate for the disease, which is an accomplishment for the government and the people who abided by standard operating procedures. She did not specify what the exact rate currently is.
The premier’s aide underscored that “long-term measures were taken instead of temporary steps to stem the rapid spread of coronavirus, due to which positive cases have seen a noticeable decline”.
Aidrus said that decision making was focused on not only equipping the country to deal with the current pandemic but any other pandemic that comes along. She stressed that the country needed a strategy that would simultaneously keep the economy afloat and keep the pandemic at bay.
“We couldn’t do millions of tests a day, so we had to come up with a testing strategy. Therefore, we introduced the Testing, Tracing, and Quarantine Strategy (TTQ) that enabled us in controlling the mushrooming numbers of coronavirus,” she said.
While crediting the role of the National Operation Control Centre (NCOC) which recommended strategies on the basis of projections when the government did not have adequate data for the disease, Aidrus also highlighted the cooperation by provinces in the fight against COVID-19.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders on Tuesday said that jugglery is being staged in the name of accountability in the country.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday flanked by party leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Asif while paying tribute to Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the brothers have endured hardships, adding that Saad Rafique still stands like a rock with his leader.
He said that the acquittal of both brothers is the start of a process and justice will prevail in the time to come, adding that I salute the judiciary.
On the occasion, Shaihid Khaqan Abbasi said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) does not look into the cases of government benches.
“The Supreme Court’s verdict in Saad Rafique’s case has mentioned that the anti-graft watchdog’s action have ended the credibility of the institution,” he said and added the Bureau violates all rights. “It was written in the judgement that NAB has been a tool to crush the opposition for the last 20 years.”
The PML-N vice president said that not even Khawaja brothers case but the purpose of all other cases is to harass and imprison people.
“The judgement is not a trivial matter,” he said adding that the anti-graft agency and the government should decide to abolish the institution today after the judgement.
Abbasi further said that a jugglery is being staged in the name of accountability in the country. He said these are the same things that we have been saying for the last two years and now the top court has written in its ruling. “Khawaja Saad Rafique’s verdict has historical significance.”
The former prime minister said that said that if NAB chairman understands the words of the verdict, then he must show moral courage.
Meanwhile, Ahsan Iqbal said that the children were separated from their father in an unconstitutional manner by force. He said that the people had bowed down before the NAB during former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s tenure.
The soldiers of former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif s love constitution, democracy, adding that Khawaja brothers were kept in jail for 16 months.
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad has decided to indict former president Asif Ali Zardari in the Thatta water supply scheme reference on August 4.
In a written verdict, the court has directed NAB to make all arrangements for the indictment. Zardari is expected to attend the proceedings via video link.
NAB has nominated 13 people in the case, including former government officials. They are accused of misusing their authority to illegally award contracts to private contractors and receiving kickbacks via fake accounts.
The court has declared Ashfaq Laghari, one of the people named in the reference, absconding. A separate trial will be held against him once he has been arrested.
Zardari, the PPP co-chairperson, is also expected to be indicted in money laundering and Park Lane references. These cases are both part of the fake accounts cases being investigated by NAB.
