ISLAMABAD: Confirmed cases in the country jumped to 132,405 on Saturday after new cases were reported in Islamabad, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the national dashboard, 2,705 new cases were reported in Punjab, 464 in the federal capital and 40 new cases in AJK.
The death toll also climbed to 2,551 after Punjab reported 48, Islamabad 11 and AJK reported one new death in the last 24 hours.
At Global ;evel it was reported that the coronavirus pandemic has killed 425,282 people with the US still the country with the most recorded deaths at 114,643, ahead of Brazil with 41,828 deaths, and Britain 41,481 deaths.
Meanwhile, US records another 839 #coronavirus -related fatalities in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll to 114,613, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, with 2,044,572 infections at 8:30 pm Friday (0030 GMT Saturday)
Brazil reported a total of 828,810 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 25,982 new infections and another 909 fatalities, raising the death toll to 41,828, the Health Ministry said.
BAHAWALPUR: For facilitating cooperation in academic research, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad and Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) on Thursday.
Vice President of CGSS Major General (Redt) Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, Senior Member Advisor Board CGSS Brigadier (Retd) Abdullah Khan, VC IUB Engr. Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Senior Head of Departments and Faculty Members attended the ceremony.
As per MoU, both the institutions will work and explore opportunities to involve the academia in the multilateral fields. It was decided that CGSS will link Islamia University of Bahawalpur with various international universities and will also initiate student exchange programs.
ISLAMABAD: President Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F)) Maulana Fazlur Rehman slammed the federal government for its policies during the coronavirus pandemic and demanded that the problems of overseas Pakistanis be resolved immediately.
Moulana, addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, said: “Whomever takes up the mantle of the prime minister is tasked with the responsibility of representing the entire country. The federal government has its own stance and the provinces their own.
“What message are the people getting from the chaotic manner in which the country is being managed by the state elements?”
He said that looking at the neighbouring countries, it is important that Pakistan form a national consensus. “Those who cannot even manage the country’s affairs, how could they form a national consensus?” he asked.
Highlighting the plight of overseas Pakistanis, he said that they were in dire need of the government’s assistance. “When a person dies abroad, no one helps them in transporting the dead bodies to the hospitals.”
“If they [overseas Pakistanis] want to bring back the dead bodies […] They receive no assistance from the government and this act is condemnable,” he said.
The consulates are not ready to contact the Pakistanis living abroad, he claimed. “People will knock on the door of their consulates; where else will they go? But the consulates have closed their doors to the people and have failed to provide relief to overseas Pakistanis.”
Rehman said that his party supports all the demands of the overseas Pakistanis and wants the government to pay attention to their issues which they have failed to resolve so far.
“The JUI-F wants to bring overseas Pakistanis issue to the state’s attention over which the incumbent government has become an symbol of incompetence.”
‘Bodies of COVID-19 patients be respected’
The JUI-F chief said that the bodies [of coronavirus patients] are not being handed over to the heirs. “No evidence suggests that coronavirus is transmitted from the deceased,” he said.
“Even doctors tell us that if you sleep, the virus becomes inactive, so if a person dies then the virus also dies with it,” he claimed.
Rehman said that during the burial of a COVID-19 infected corpse, the body is “desecrated” and “is thrown into the grave”.
He demanded that the burial be done in a “respected manner and in light of religious teachings”.
Expensive testing is an ‘injustice’
The JUI-F president said that it was an “injustice” for people to pay Rs8,000 to get themselves tested when the government had spent billions of rupees in its response to the pandemic.
“Fear of the virus is being spread. There is no cure for the virus, but if you fear the virus, then your immune system becomes weak and it is harder to tackle the virus then,” Rehman claimed, adding: “The death toll is being exaggerated. I don’t know what are they planning to do.”
‘Educational institutes should be reopened with SOPs’
Talking about educational institutes, he expressed disapproval that they are closed like all the government offices.
“The government failed to implement SOPs [in the mosques] and upon its failure to do so, they blamed the staff of the mosques, disrespected them, and threw them into jails,” he said.
The government educational institutions remain closed in June, July, and August every year, whereas madrassahs operate as per the Hijri calendar. They have holidays during Shaban, Ramadan, and Shawwal.
“Their holidays have come to an end. If they are not engaged in classrooms, then they will indulge in activities that the state might not approve of,” he said.
“The madressahs should be reopened conditional to adherence to SOPs,” he urged.
He said that when we talk about closing all the educational institutions, we should understand that the education sector is facing a huge loss for which the government has not planned anything.
The JUI-F leader said that his party believes that all educational institutions should be reopened with all the SOPs and safety measures.
The party leader, in support of the traders association, said that small traders suffered a huge loss due to the pandemic and that the government should provide a special relief package for them.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted its reply in court on Tuesday after a petitioner had claimed that the agency was not taking action against the US blogger for her unsavoury remarks against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Atta Rabbani in Islamabad heard the case as a duty judge. The petitioner said that the FIA is not taking action on a complaint filed against Ritchie for slandering PPP leader Benazir Bhutto on social media.
The court issued a notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and a reply has been sought from the authority on the matter till June 13.
Talking to media, the counsel for the petitioner said that the FIA has agreed to register the case against Ritchie. The court said that they also issued notices to the US blogger and demanded an answer on her allegations against the slain PPP leader, Benazir Bhutto.
Ritchie’s tweet about the late Benazir had prompted a war of words between her and PPP supporters and party leaders on social media a few days ago. On Friday, she made headlines after an explosive statement in which she accused former interior minister Rehman Malik of raping her.
Meanwhile, contents of a letter Ritchie wrote to the FIA after a complaint was filed against her by the PPP, emerged a few days later.
“I am a freelancer and pay taxes to FBR and report my income to IRS in USA. I am not on government payroll. I take projects (such as KP Dept of Archaeology/Engro/and some cleared NGOS) as matters of personal and professional interest,” she wrote, adding that she has been in Pakistan for “10+ years”.
She said she has been working on an “investigative film”. “To be fair, I’ve wanted to do a documentary on Bilawal as a potential future leader. I have no interest in fighting PPP,” Ritchie said.
Last week, the PPP advocate had moved a complaint with the FIA’s cybercrime wing against Ritchie for her “slanderous” remarks against late party leader Benazir Bhutto.
“Through this application, it is brought to your notice that a woman, who goes by the name of Cynthia D Ritchie on Twitter has passed extremely derogatory and slanderous remarks about Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, through her Twitter handle/account,” the letter dated May 28 read.
“Her remarks being false, untrue, defamating and slanderous as they are, have caused immense pain and agony to the millions across Pakistan who revere and hold Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in high esteem,” it said.
“Your office is requested to take immediate action and initiate proceedings against this woman as prescribed by the law and under your mandate. A photocopy of the tweet, a true portrayal of her sick and disgusting mind is attached with the application,” the letter added.
Former interior minister Malik has vehemently denied the rape accusation, terming it “baseless, shameful, and inappropriate”.
The PPP leader’s spokesman, in a statement, said that the purpose behind the US blogger’s allegations was to damage the reputation of Malik.
“The US woman made the inappropriate allegations against Rehman Malik upon the instigation of a certain individual or a group,” said the spokesman on behalf of the former interior minister.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the government will ensure thousand ICU beds this month.
The federal minister held a news conference in Islamabad and said the federation is trying to improve the health system by working together with provinces.
Asad Umar said, “The federal government provided 250 ventilators to provinces in one week. Coronavirus can only be controlled by taking precautions.”
Let it be known that COVID-19 cases in Pakistan have passed one lac mark as 103,671 individuals have been affected by the pandemic. The country has confirmed 65 more deaths in one day and the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 2,067.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 4,728 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours.
Till now 38,903 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Punjab, 38,108 in Sindh, 13,487 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6,516 in Balochistan, 5,329 in Islamabad, 932 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 396 in Azad Kashmir.
Furthermore, 715 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 650 in Sindh, 575 in KP, 54 in Balochistan, 52 in Islamabad, 13 in GB and 8 in Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan has so far conducted 705,833 coronavirus tests and 22,650 in last 24 hours. 34,355 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas many are in critical condition.
ISLAMABAD: The Justice of Peace in Islamabad has summoned US blogger Cynthia Ritchie along with officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the Federal Investigation Agency’s cybercrime wing on June 9.
The summons have been issued in connection with the ongoing feud between PPP and Ritchie which seemed to have begun with her “slanderous” remarks against Benazir Bhutto, but what the blogger claims likely stem from “dirt” she has on the party.
American blogger Cynthia Dawn Ritchie, who is currently based in Pakistan, made startling allegations against senior PPP leaders in a Facebook live video while addressing cyber harassment targeted at her.
PPP district president in Islamabad, Advocate Shakeel Abbasi, in a conversation with Geo News said that the sessions judge was approached after the FIA did not file a case against Ritchie for her remarks against the late PPP leader.
“Cynthia Ritchie, FIA and the Islamabad SSP have been summoned on my request under Section 22-A [of the Code of Criminal Procedure],” he said.
According to the CrPC, the Justice of Peace is a district and sessions judge or an additional district and sessions judge nominated by the former assigned the additional task of keeping peace in the area.
The judge “on receipt of information of the occurrence of any incident involving a breach of the peace or of the commission of any offence within such local area” will make inquiries into the matter.
His powers extend to handling complaints, issuance of recommendations to the duty police officers regarding registration of criminal cases, and transfer of investigation from one officer to another.
Meanwhile, contents of a letter Ritchie wrote to the FIA after a complaint was filed against her by the PPP, have emerged.
“I am a freelancer and pay taxes to FBR and report my income to IRS in USA. I am not on government payroll. I take projects (such as KP Dept of Archaeology/Engro/and some cleared NGOS) as matters of personal and professional interest,” she wrote, adding that she has been in Pakistan for “10+ years”.
She said she has been working on an “investigative film”. “To be fair, I’ve wanted to do a documentary on Bilawal as a potential future leader. I have no interest in fighting PPP,” Ritchie said.
Last week, the PPP advocate had moved a complaint with the FIA’s cybercrime wing against Ritchie for her “slanderous” remarks against late party leader Benazir Bhutto.
“Through this application, it is brought to your notice that a woman, who goes by the name of Cynthia D Ritchie on Twitter has passed extremely derogatory and slanderous remarks about Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, through her Twitter handle/account,” the letter dated May 28 read.
“Her remarks being false, untrue, defamating and slanderous as they are, have caused immense pain and agony to the millions across Pakistan who revere and hold Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in high esteem,” it said.
“Your office is requested to take immediate action and initiate proceedings against this woman as prescribed by the law and under your mandate. A photocopy of the tweet, a true portrayal of her sick and disgusting mind is attached with the application,” the letter added.
ISLAMABAD: At least 15 more staffers of the Senate and National Assembly (NA) have contracted coronavirus during the last three days.
The National Institute of Health Islamabad has sent a report to the National Assembly Secretariat regarding the rising number of COVID-19 infections among staffs of the Parliament House.
More than 15 staff members of the National Assembly detected with coronavirus within three days.
The health authorities had conducted 110 screening tests of employees yesterday and 45 workers detected with the virus including the staffers working at the office of Senate Deputy Chairman.
The number of Parliament House staffers affected by the coronavirus had gone up to 16 after 11 more employees tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday.
According to details, 77 samples of COVID-19 were taken, of which 16 came out positive. The NA secretariat has decided to conduct more tests of Parliament House employees.
NOWSHERA: Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Jamshed ud Din Kakakhel passed away due to the coronavirus on Wednesday, said the deputy commissioner of Nowshera.
According to the DC, the PTI MPA Jamshed ud Din Kakakhel was under treatment at a private hospital in Islamabad and was also on a ventilator since the last three days.
Kakakhel was elected in the 2018 elections on from KP Assembly seat PK-63 in Nowshera.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of 13 Kashmiris in a single day by Indian occupation forces in the disputed territory, ramping up tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.
A statement by the Foreign Office said Pakistan was deeply concerned over unabated extrajudicial killings of Kashmiri youth in fake encounters and so-called “anti-infiltration” operations.
“While the international community is preoccupied with fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, India is busy intensifying its brutalisation of the Kashmiri people,” it said, adding that the killing of the Kashmiris speaks volumes about Indian government’s continuing crimes against humanity.
“To hide these crimes, the Indian authorities use the oft-repeated, unsubstantiated allegations of “training” and “infiltration” of Kashmiri resistance fighters,” the Foreign Office said. “India must realize that its malicious propaganda carries no credibility with the international community. The RSS-BJP combine stands exposed before the world for its illegal and inhuman actions and extremist ‘Hindutva’ agenda.”
The Foreign Office added, “India must realize that neither can its brutalisation break the will of the Kashmiri people nor can its anti-Pakistan propaganda divert attention from India’s state-terrorism and egregious violations of human rights in occupied Kashmir.”
It added the martyrdom of each Kashmiri will further fortify people’s resolve for freedom from Indian occupation. “Kashmiris will never give up their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions and the leadership and people of Pakistan will never flinch in their commitment of full support for the Kashmiris towards that end”, Geo News Reported.
The Foreign Office further urged the international community to take immediate steps to stop India from committing serious crimes against the Kashmiri people and hold it accountable under international law and relevant human rights Conventions.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza says wearing masks at crowded places has been declared mandatory to prevent spread of Coronavirus.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad this afternoon, he said in view of growing number of Corona cases and deaths due to this disease, the government has left no option, except to declare wearing of masks a must at mosques, markets, shopping malls, public transport, and other crowded places. He appealed the masses to strictly follow precautionary protocols and other measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Zafar Mirza said that 78 people, including four health workers, died of Coronavirus in last 24 hours, which is the biggest tally in a single day in Pakistan. He said health workers are the frontline force in fight against COVID-19 and the government has taken a number of measures to protect health workers under ‘we care’ programme.
Regarding some messages, circulating on social media based on disinformation, the Special Assistant urged the opinion makers to guide people how to prevent the contagion instead of forwarding and promoting fake news on digital platforms. He also urged families of COVID-19 patients to demonstrate patience, while interacting with health workers at hospitals, who are treating Corona affected people.
The Special Assistant said recovery rate of Corona patients is 36 percent, while locally transmission rate stands at 92 percent and despite rise in Corona cases, only around 25 percent of our health system has been engaged so far.
Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant on National Security Moeed Yusuf said we have brought back 33 thousand stranded Pakistanis from over 55 countries after the outbreak of Corona virus.
He said from 1st to 10th of next month, 20 thousand more overseas Pakistanis will be brought back home.
Moeed Yousuf said facilitating laborers in gulf countries is our priority.
He said taking care of balance between health and economy, Civil Aviation Authority has opened outbound flights.
He said a comprehensive policy to facilitate the stranded Pakistanis will be announced soon.
Talking abound land borders, he said our frontiers with China and India are closed while goods transport has been allowed on Torkham and Chaman border for six days a week.
