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			<title>Imran Khan was taken to PIMS, not Shifa, for medical examination: Tarar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624978/imran-khan-returns-to-adiala-jail-after-overnight-medical-examination-at-shifa-tarar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624978/imran-khan-returns-to-adiala-jail-after-overnight-medical-examination-at-shifa-tarar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 04:24:24 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Minister says Imran returned to Adiala jail after overnight medical examination; was found to be 'medically fit']]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was taken to Islamabad&rsquo;s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), rather than Shifa International Hospital, for his medical examination, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday, clarifying that doctors from Shifa were present during his medical examination.

The Supreme Court (SC) ordered on Tuesday that Imran be moved to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family. In response, the government had filed a review petition before the SC, calling its order &ldquo;discriminatory in nature&rdquo;.

Tarar said Imran was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa &ldquo;in view of the security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa Hospital&rdquo;.

&ldquo;The medical examination was conducted at PIMS Hospital, in which doctors from Shifa Hospital were also present,&rdquo; he said.



کچھ مزید تفصیلات:

طبی معائنہ پمز ہسپتال میں کرایا گیا جس میں الشفا ہسپتال کے ڈاکٹرز بھی موجود تھے۔

پی ٹی ائی کے کارکنوں کی طرف سے جو سیکیورٹی کی صورتحال الشفا ہسپتال کے راستے میں اور باہر پیدا کی گئی اس کے پیش نظر ان کو پمز ہسپتال لے جایا گیا اور طبی معائنے کے مطابق وہ صحت&hellip; https://t.co/soNoD1bmu1
&mdash; Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) August 21, 2026


According to Tarar, Imran was found to be medically fit following the examination. He said the PTI founder had previously been provided with medical facilities and would continue to receive treatment whenever required.

&ldquo;He has been provided medical facilities in the past as well, and medical facilities will continue to be provided whenever he needs them,&rdquo; Tarar said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazl Chaudhry later reiterated the information minister&#39;s point, saying that&nbsp;Imran&rsquo;s sister, Uzma Khan, had remained present throughout the process. A medical board comprising specialist doctors declared Imran&rsquo;s condition stable after the examination, Chaudhry said in a post on X.



عمران خان کے مکمل طبی معائنے اور ضروری تشخیصی مراحل کے دوران ان کی ہمشیرہ عظمیٰ خان بھی ان کے ساتھ موجود رہیں۔ ماہر ڈاکٹروں پر مشتمل میڈیکل بورڈ نے معائنے کے بعد ان کی طبی حالت کو مستحکم قرار دیا۔

الشِفا انٹرنیشنل ہسپتال کے باہر غیر معمولی رش اور سکیورٹی صورتحال کے باعث انہیں&hellip;
&mdash; Dr. Tariq Fazal Ch. (@DrTariqFazal) August 21, 2026



He said Imran was moved to PIMS because of the &ldquo;unusual rush and security situation&rdquo; outside Shifa, where he underwent a detailed medical examination, necessary diagnostic procedures and treatment under the supervision of specialists.

&ldquo;All necessary medical procedures have been completed, and the situation is clear,&rdquo; Chaudhry said, urging all parties not to turn the &ldquo;sensitive matter&rdquo; of Imran&rsquo;s health into a political controversy or unnecessary sensationalism.&nbsp;He called on all sides to act responsibly and keep the facts in view.

In an earlier post on X, Tarar said Imran had been taken to a hospital during the night of August 20 and 21 under &ldquo;appropriate security arrangements&rdquo; in accordance with the SC&rsquo;s orders.

&ldquo;A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician, conducted his detailed examination and declared him medically fit,&rdquo; Tarar said.



سپریم کورٹ کے فیصلے کی روشنی میں، قیدی کو 20 اور 21 اگست 2026 کی درمیانی شب مناسب حفاظتی انتظامات کے تحت ہسپتال لے جایا گیا۔ ماہرِ امراضِ چشم، ماہرِ امراضِ قلب اور فزیشن سمیت مستند ڈاکٹروں کی ٹیم نے ان کا تفصیلی معائنہ کیا اور انہیں طبی طور پر صحت مند قرار دیا۔ ان کی ہمشیرہ&hellip;
&mdash; Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) August 21, 2026


He added that Imran&rsquo;s sister, Uzma Khan, remained present throughout the medical examination and treatment process.

&ldquo;After completion of the entire process, he was transferred back to Adiala jail at approximately 0500 hours on August 21, 2026,&rdquo; the minister said.

According to reports received late Thursday night, Imran was being transferred from Adiala jail to Shifa International Hospital shortly after midnight on Friday following the order by the SC.

It was reported that Imran was taken via Chakri to the hospital, where he was medically examined and was expected to be treated. The hospital and its surrounding areas were surrounded by the police, while several roads leading to the hospital were temporarily closed by installing barbed wire. A heavy police contingent was deployed around the hospital, and no unrelated person was allowed to go near it.

The Islamabad police chief and senior personnel were also present outside the hospital ahead of the 12am deadline to inspect the security situation.

Read: Imran transferred to Islamabad&#39;s Shifa International Hospital with heightened security in place

PTI leaders had also urged party workers not to gather outside Shifa, in line with the SC&rsquo;s direction that no political activity or media conferences be held outside the hospital during Khan&rsquo;s treatment.

The transfer took place after the government had faced criticism from Imran&rsquo;s lawyers and PTI leaders over delays in implementing the SC&rsquo;s August 18 order. Imran&rsquo;s lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry had warned on Thursday that he would file a contempt of court petition in the SC over the government&rsquo;s failure to comply with its court order regarding his client&rsquo;s transfer to Shifa International Hospital.

SC orders Imran&rsquo;s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment

On Tuesday, SC ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family.

The hearing came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail Superintendent submitted to the SC on Monday recommended more frequent meetings between Imran and his immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, highlighting concerns over the former premier&#39;s blood pressure (BP).

A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing cases concerning Imran&#39;s access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical record.

The court further ordered that Imran&rsquo;s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, be granted access to him and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, and a cardiologist along with Dr Sultan.

His sister, Dr Uzma, will also be associated with the newly established medical board, according to the order. The SC directed that Imran&rsquo;s family bear the cost of his treatment at the hospital.

The court also instructed Imran&rsquo;s family and lawyers not to share his medical report with the media, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan ordering that the report be kept completely confidential.

&ldquo;We assure the court that the medical report will remain completely confidential,&rdquo; Raja said. The court further directed that no political activity, media talks or press conferences be held outside the hospital.

Read more: Govt calls SC order to shift Imran to private hospital &#39;discriminatory&#39;, files review petition

&ldquo;Do not engage in politics outside the hospital,&rdquo; Justice Afghan said. &ldquo;There are other patients in the hospital,&rdquo; he added, stressing that other patients should not be affected.

Raja and PTI Parliamentary Secretary Shahid Khattak assured the court that no political activity would take place outside the hospital. &ldquo;Our political activities will remain completely separate,&rdquo; Raja said.

The court also directed that arrangements be made for Imran to have telephone conversations with his children.

The SC ordered that Imran&rsquo;s medical reports not be used for political purposes. The court warned that the order could be withdrawn if its directives were violated, while allowing the government and other parties to approach the court if they believed the orders were not being implemented.]]>
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			<title>Gohar questions dialogue prospects after Imran’s transfer to PIMS</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625056/gohar-questions-dialogue-prospects-after-imrans-transfer-to-pims</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625056/gohar-questions-dialogue-prospects-after-imrans-transfer-to-pims#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 07:16:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2625056</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says PTI cannot remain part of the National Assembly like this, will make a decision soon]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan on Friday questioned how political negotiations could move forward after the government failed to implement a Supreme Court (SC) order directing the transfer of party founder Imran Khan to Islamabad&rsquo;s Shifa International Hospital.

Gohar was responding to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar&rsquo;s statement that Imran had not been admitted to Shifa hospital, as had been expected following the SC&rsquo;s order, but had instead been taken directly to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for examination before being returned to Adiala jail. Tarar said doctors from Shifa were present during the examination and that Imran was found medically fit.

The SC ordered on Tuesday that Imran be moved to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family. In response, the government had filed a review&nbsp;petition before the SC, calling its order &ldquo;discriminatory in nature&rdquo;.

Speaking to reporters outside before the National Assembly session, Gohar said the government&rsquo;s handling of Imran&rsquo;s transfer to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), instead of Shifa, had undermined PTI&rsquo;s efforts to resolve political issues through dialogue.

&ldquo;What happened was very unfortunate. We did not expect this. There is someone who does not want any solution to the problems. We made a great effort,&rdquo; he told reporters outside Parliament before the National Assembly session.

Gohar said the SC&rsquo;s order was clear and required Imran to be shifted to a hospital, kept there and undergo the necessary medical tests. &ldquo;If there had been any ambiguity in it, a review could have been sought. There was no ambiguity in the SC&rsquo;s order,&rdquo; he said.

He said the PTI had been assured that the order would be implemented and that he had personally checked on the arrangements.

&ldquo;There was absolutely no expectation that he would be shifted to another hospital, or which hospital he would be shifted to, or that it would not even be told which hospital he had been shifted to,&rdquo; Gohar said.

He questioned what tests had been conducted on Imran, what the PTI founder had said during the examination and why his family had been left waiting for information. &ldquo;But the Supreme Court&rsquo;s order has been violated,&rdquo; he said.

Responding to the prime minister&rsquo;s offer of talks, Gohar said the PTI had continued to seek a political solution but criticised the manner in which the government had approached dialogue. &ldquo;You do not shake hands like this. Negotiations do not happen like this,&rdquo; he said.

He then questioned how democracy could function if the government could not provide a major political party with space or comply with an SC order.

&ldquo;If you are not giving such a major leader and such a major party this much space, and if it is difficult to shift him to a hospital, and if it is difficult to implement an order of the Supreme Court, then democracy does not work like this,&rdquo; he said.

Later, speaking in the National Assembly, Gohar warned that the PTI could reconsider its participation in Parliament. &ldquo;Perhaps you do not want us to remain part of this system,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Perhaps after a few days, we will no longer be part of this assembly.&rdquo;

He added that the party would decide within a few days whether it would continue its participation in the assembly.

Imran taken to PIMS, not Shifa

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday morning that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan had been taken to PIMS, rather than Shifa International Hospital, for a medical examination, with doctors from Shifa also present.

Tarar said Imran had been taken to hospital during the night of August 20 and 21 under &ldquo;appropriate security arrangements&rdquo; in accordance with the Supreme Court&rsquo;s order. He said Imran was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa &ldquo;in view of the security situation created by PTI workers on the route to and outside Shifa Hospital&rdquo;.

The clarification came after information emerged late on Thursday night that Imran was being transferred from Adiala jail to Shifa shortly after midnight following the Supreme Court&rsquo;s order. He was taken via Chakri, while heavy police contingents were deployed around Shifa and several roads leading to the hospital were temporarily closed with barbed wire. The Islamabad police chief and senior officers were also present outside the hospital.

Tarar said the medical examination was conducted at PIMS, where doctors from Shifa were also present. A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician, conducted a detailed examination and declared Imran medically fit, he said.

Imran&rsquo;s sister, Uzma Khan, remained present throughout the medical examination and treatment process, Tarar said, adding that the PTI founder was transferred back to Adiala jail at approximately 5am on Friday.

SC orders Imran&rsquo;s transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment

On Tuesday, SC ordered that Imran be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for treatment for the next few days and directed the government to arrange weekly meetings between him and his family.

The hearing came after a medical board report and a report by the Adiala Jail Superintendent submitted to the SC on Monday recommended more frequent meetings between Imran and his immediate family and spouse to help manage his blood pressure and anxiety, highlighting concerns over the former premier&#39;s blood pressure (BP).

A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing cases concerning Imran&#39;s access to his sisters and personal physicians, as well as his medical record.

The court further ordered that Imran&rsquo;s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, be granted access to him and directed the formation of a medical board comprising an eye specialist, a general physician, and a cardiologist along with Dr Sultan.

His sister, Dr Uzma, will also be associated with the newly established medical board, according to the order. The SC directed that Imran&rsquo;s family bear the cost of his treatment at the hospital.

The court also instructed Imran&rsquo;s family and lawyers not to share his medical report with the media, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan ordering that the report be kept completely confidential.

&ldquo;We assure the court that the medical report will remain completely confidential,&rdquo; Raja said. The court further directed that no political activity, media talks or press conferences be held outside the hospital.

Read more: Govt calls SC order to shift Imran to private hospital &#39;discriminatory&#39;, files review petition

&ldquo;Do not engage in politics outside the hospital,&rdquo; Justice Afghan said. &ldquo;There are other patients in the hospital,&rdquo; he added, stressing that other patients should not be affected.

Raja and PTI Parliamentary Secretary Shahid Khattak assured the court that no political activity would take place outside the hospital. &ldquo;Our political activities will remain completely separate,&rdquo; Raja said.

The court also directed that arrangements be made for Imran to have telephone conversations with his children.

The SC ordered that Imran&rsquo;s medical reports not be used for political purposes. The court warned that the order could be withdrawn if its directives were violated, while allowing the government and other parties to approach the court if they believed the orders were not being implemented.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan, Google sign MoU for AI centre, free Gemini access for students</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625007/pakistan-google-sign-mou-for-ai-centre-free-gemini-access-for-students</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625007/pakistan-google-sign-mou-for-ai-centre-free-gemini-access-for-students#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:48:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2625007</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Both sides to expand Google’s Career Certificates programme in Pakistan, Google targets 150,000 certificates in 2026]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan and Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday under which Google will provide Pakistani students with free one-year access to advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)&nbsp;tools including Gemini, and work with the government to establish an AI Centre of Excellence in Islamabad, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO).

The MoU comes days after Google opened its first office in Pakistan, with the company saying the move reflected its confidence in the country&rsquo;s digital future and talent. Google has also partnered with the government on digital-skilling programmes and other initiatives supporting developers, startups, gaming, hardware manufacturing and online safety.

The MoU was signed during a reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in honour of the Google team. Under the agreement, the two sides will work to expand Google&rsquo;s Career Certificates programme in Pakistan, with Google targeting 150,000 certificates in 2026 to help develop digital skills.

They also agreed to increase Pakistani students&rsquo; access to Google&rsquo;s advanced artificial intelligence tools, with students set to receive free one-year access to tools including Google AI Plus and Gemini.



The MOU aims to strengthen cooperation in Pakistan on digital skills, IT exports and innovation, while Google has set a target of issuing 150,000 career certificates in the country in 2026. Pakistan and Google have also agreed to expand Pakistani students&rsquo; access to advanced AI&hellip; pic.twitter.com/oeZjodugBY
&mdash; Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) August 21, 2026


Pakistan and Google will also cooperate on establishing an AI Centre of Excellence in Islamabad, which will train young people and other human resources in skills aligned with global market requirements.

The agreement also covers cooperation to strengthen the global competitiveness of Pakistan&rsquo;s mobile application and gaming industries, promote digital payments and expand digital commerce.

The two sides will explore the use of AI to improve public service delivery and government operations, including the use of AI-powered data analytics in the Federal Board of Revenue&rsquo;s digitisation project.

In agriculture, Pakistan and Google will cooperate on using AI for crop monitoring, forecasting and sustainable farming practices.

The agreement also envisages the use of digital platforms to help Pakistani small and medium-sized enterprises access international markets.

A task force comprising the government, Google and relevant stakeholders will be established to prepare a roadmap for Pakistan&rsquo;s IT exports and competitiveness, according to the PMO. The task force will identify obstacles to IT exports and assess opportunities for growth.

Read: PTA, Google sign agreement to make digital platforms safer for children

The government said the agreement marked progress towards Prime Minister Shehbaz&rsquo;s vision of increasing Pakistan&rsquo;s IT exports and digital economy to $30 billion by 2030.

&ldquo;The cooperation between the Government of Pakistan and Google will lay the foundation for a new era of digital transformation and innovation in Pakistan,&rdquo; the PMO said.

The agreement was the second MoU signed between Pakistan and Google this week, following the establishment of Google&rsquo;s first office in Pakistan earlier this week. On Thursday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Google signed an MoU to strengthen child online safety and promote safer use of digital platforms.

Under the agreement, the two organisations agreed to collaborate on a child safety programme focused on &ldquo;awareness, education and capacity-building&rdquo;, including initiatives to equip parents and teachers with practical tools to help children navigate the digital world safely.

The programme will also include awareness content in English and local languages, training programmes in educational institutions and a nationwide outreach campaign connecting families with localised online safety resources and tutorials.

Read More: Pakistan starts assembling Google Chromebooks

Google expanded its engagement with Pakistan in recent years through digital-skilling, artificial intelligence, app development and online-safety initiatives, as well as support for local technology businesses. The company opened its first office in Pakistan on Wednesday, with the government saying its presence would help strengthen the country&rsquo;s technology ecosystem and attract further international investment. It has also worked with the government on digital security and online safety.

On Tuesday, a senior Google delegation met Minister of Interior for State Talal Chaudhry to discuss digital security, countering terrorism through social media, the timely removal of harmful online content and greater cooperation. Chaudhry urged Google to take Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;specific circumstances&rdquo; into account, while the company said it would continue working with the government to help ensure a safe digital environment.

Google&rsquo;s partnership with Pakistan has also included skills development. The government said around 350,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships had been completed since 2022, while Google-backed developer groups had reached hundreds of thousands of developers. Other initiatives have focused on AI, gaming, app development, online safety and the training of public officials.]]>
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			<title>Syria mulls joining Makkah pact</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624981/syria-mulls-joining-makkah-pact</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624981/syria-mulls-joining-makkah-pact#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:03:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Kamran Yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624981</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PM reaffirms support for Syria’s sovereignty]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on Thursday said Damascus was considering its options on whether to join or cooperate with a new defence grouping formed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, while welcoming the recently signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Speaking to journalists in Islamabad on Thursday, Shaibani said Syria would make its own decision on whether to become part of the grouping, describing Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as important countries in the region, according to BBC Urdu.

His remarks came during his first visit to Pakistan by a Syrian foreign minister in nearly two decades, as Damascus seeks to rebuild its regional and international relationships following years of conflict and political upheaval. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed earlier this month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, provides for an armed attack against one of the three countries to be treated as an attack against all.

Pakistan has maintained that the agreement is not directed against any particular country and has said other Muslim countries could join the initiative. Shaibani welcomed the agreement during delegation-level talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, according to the Foreign Office.

He also commended Pakistan&rsquo;s role in promoting regional peace and stability, including its efforts to reduce tensions in the context of the US-Iran conflict. However, there was no decision during the Syrian minister&rsquo;s visit on whether Damascus would join the grouping. Shaibani&rsquo;s visit assumes Syrian FM added significance amid growing tensions between Syria and Israel and heightened Israeli-Turkish tensions following an Israeli strike near Aleppo on August 18.

Israel has claimed that Syria was preparing to alter the existing security arrangements by allowing Turkish forces to be deployed at the Abu al-Duhur airbase. Asked about Turkey&rsquo;s role in Syria, Shaibani strongly defended Ankara&rsquo;s position.

&ldquo;Turkey has stood with Syria and its people over the past 14 years and is an important ally,&rdquo; he said, adding that Israel had no right to dictate who Syria could regard as an ally or partner. &ldquo;Israel has no right to tell us who our ally or partner can be,&rdquo; the Syrian foreign minister said.

Pakistan backs Syria&rsquo;s sovereignty

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who received Shaibani at the Prime Minister&rsquo;s House, reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s support for Syria&rsquo;s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. The prime minister also said Pakistan would firmly support Syria&rsquo;s position on the Golan Heights, which remains under Israeli occupation. Welcoming Shaibani and his delegation, Shehbaz conveyed his best wishes to Syrian President Ahmed alSharaa and recalled his recent interactions with him.

He stressed the need to translate the longstanding Pakistan-Syria friendship into greater cooperation in politics, defence, trade, investment, education and human resource development. The prime minister also highlighted the importance of restoring direct air links between the two countries, saying this would promote people-to-people contacts and facilitate Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Syria.

Shaibani conveyed President al-Sharaa&rsquo;s greetings to Shehbaz and briefed him on Syria&rsquo;s political transition and reconstruction efforts. He thanked Pakistan for its consistent support to Syria and expressed Damascus&rsquo; interest in revitalising bilateral ties, including through early institutional mechanisms for cooperation. Shehbaz also invited President al-Sharaa to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.

Asked about Syria&rsquo;s relations with Iran, Shaibani said Pakistan had not offered to mediate between Damascus and Tehran during his visit. He nevertheless indicated that Damascus would not object to a Pakistani mediation effort under certain circumstances. &ldquo;If Iran recognises its past role with Syria and the Syrian people, and Pakistan then offers mediation between the two countries, Damascus would have no objection,&rdquo; he said.

The comments come against the backdrop of Syria&rsquo;s efforts to redefine its regional relationships following the fall of Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s government and the emergence of the new Syrian leadership. During their talks, Dar and Shaibani also discussed Palestine, the Golan Heights, Afghanistan, the situation in South Asia and developments in the Middle East.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and continuing engagement aimed at promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The Syrian foreign minister&rsquo;s visit is the first by a holder of the post to Pakistan in nearly two decades and signals an effort by both sides to revive a relationship that had remained relatively limited during Syria&rsquo;s prolonged conflict. Earlier, Dar held wide-ranging delegation-level talks with the Syrian Foreign Minister, with the two sides reaffirming the longstanding brotherly ties between Pakistan and Syria and agreeing to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

They further exchanged views on regional and international developments, including Palestine, the Golan Heights, Afghanistan, the situation in South Asia, and developments in the Middle East.

DPM reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s support for Syria&rsquo;s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. The Syrian foreign minister welcomed the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and commended Pakistan&rsquo;s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability, including its efforts towards de-escalation in the US-Iran context.

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to continued engagement and cooperation for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and beyond.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>PM strikes conciliatory tone</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624982/pm-strikes-conciliatory-tone</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624982/pm-strikes-conciliatory-tone#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:13:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624982</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Holds out an olive branch to opposition]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday once again invited the opposition to the negotiating table, saying the government was ready for meaningful talks but it was now up to the opposition to decide how quickly it was prepared to engage in constructive dialogue to strengthen Pakistan&rsquo;s economy and democracy.

Addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet, the prime minister said matters would have to be resolved through dialogue to strengthen the country&rsquo;s economic development and democratic system. &ldquo;Both hands are needed to clap. Now it is up to the opposition how soon it is ready for constructive dialogue,&rdquo; he said.

The prime minister said the Ministry of Petroleum had succeeded in reducing the price of diesel by Rs32 per litre, saying the reduction was a welcome development.

He said the government would provide relief to ordinary citizens wherever possible by making savings. He said the situation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz had created difficulties not only for petroleum supplies but had also forced the closure of refineries and gas plants in several countries.

&ldquo;The entire region is going through a very difficult situation, and Pakistan is also affected because our country is a major energy buyer,&rdquo; he said.

Shehbaz said the government had immediately responded after the war began by imposing a Rs128 billion cut on the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to provide funds to shield the public from sharply rising petroleum prices.

He said the government had taken immediate measures to protect ordinary citizens and the provinces had also played their part. The prime minister expressed hope that the situation would improve in the coming days, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s efforts would bear fruit.

&ldquo;We are trying to reduce tensions,&rdquo; he said, adding that the measures taken by the government over the past two-and-a-half years to improve the economy were gradually beginning to produce results. He said a return to normalcy in the security situation was essential for the process.

The prime minister also said the government had launched an application for retailers the previous day and expressed hope that the business community, whose input had been sought while formulating the measures, would be satisfied. He said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had been given clear instructions to formulate plans in consultation with traders and warned that anyone attempting to harass them would be held accountable.

Shehbaz praised the performance of the finance minister, minister of state for finance and their team, saying the government had introduced a good scheme for traders for the first time. The prime minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s IT exports were gradually increasing, registering an 18 per cent rise in July 2026. &ldquo;This is a great achievement, for which I congratulate the federal minister for information technology and his team,&rdquo; he said.

He said a Google delegation was currently visiting Pakistan and that he had met its representatives two days earlier. The prime minister said Google&rsquo;s office in Pakistan had also been inaugurated, adding that the government was taking steps towards digitalisation in every sector.

&ldquo;The entire system of governance should be digital,&rdquo; he said. Renewing his offer to the opposition, Shehbaz said he had already extended the invitation in the National Assembly as well as before the cabinet. &ldquo;I want to repeat today that we are ready.

From this forum, I invite the opposition to come and sit with us and resolve matters through dialogue so that we can strengthen Pakistan&rsquo;s economic development and democracy,&rdquo; he said.]]>
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			<title>Public hospitals staff to be tested across Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251863/public-hospitals-staff-tested-across-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251863/public-hospitals-staff-tested-across-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:29:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sameer.mandhro]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251863</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Health department to restart contact tracing for coronavirus]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Sindh government issued directives on Saturday for all public hospitals to get its staff tested for Covid-19 as well as begin coronavirus contact tracing again.

In a letter issued by Sindh health director general Dr Irshad Ahmed Memon, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, the heads of all public-sector hospitals have been asked to get their respective facility's staff tested for the coronavirus on priority basis. Besides, they have been instructed to continue tests for the diagnosis of other suspected Covid-19 cases.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Memon stressed the need for all hospital employees to get tested, claiming, however, that Sindh had the least number of infected health department employees among the provinces.

Another health department official, also emphasising the need for "immediate" screening of healthcare professionals, said the decision had come late.

"It is feared that most health workers do not [properly] follow standard operating procedures. This eventually leads to multiplying the number of infected persons, even in far flung areas," he explained.

This was confirmed by other officials, too, who pointed out that SOPs were particularly ignored at private clinics. They can then carry the virus to public hospitals, the officials added.

Saying that health department officials did all they could to monitor health workers and ensure they followed SOPs, they noted that it was near impossible to keep a watch over private facilities.

According to the health department, there are 1,500 rapid response teams in Sindh that collect samples for Covid-19 testing, besides serving at various healthcare facilities and helping Covid-19 patients in getting admissions to hospitals.

"But after several of them contracted the infection, the number of tests conducted daily was reduced," explained a senior health department official. He, however, added that other reasons also factored in reducing the number of tests. "[Following this], routine testing was disrupted," he explained.

Speaking on the matter, Pakistan Medical Association general secretary Dr Qaisar Sajjad also called for the immediate screening of healthcare professionals. "We had asked for it in March but orders for it have only been issued now."

He was also of the opinion that the government was giving rise to confusion by decreasing the number of tests.

"While the number of tests [conducted daily] is going down, the number of cases are shooting up," he observed, explaining that fewer cases being reported had led to people disregarding SOPs.

"Over 60 per cent citizens have stopped wearing masks," he claimed.

Contact tracing

With the health department also announcing to recommence Covid-19 contact tracing, a health department official told The Express Tribune that the exercise was stopped due to "some confusion."

"But we are starting it again so that [suspected] cases can be traced and screened," he confirmed.

The health dept's silence

Meanwhile, all senior department officials, including spokespersons, have reportedly been instructed not to talk to the media for reasons unknown. "Only a few are privy to this development," a health official, on condition of anonymity, disclosed to The Express Tribune. "We have been told not to share any information with the media." He added that none of the department's officials had access to the daily update on pandemic statistics given by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

"This is the only department for which the CM releases data," the official said. "And while we work in the health department, we don't have access to it." 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020. ]]>
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			<title>MQM-London ‘hitman’ apprehended</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252248/mqm-london-hitman-apprehended</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252248/mqm-london-hitman-apprehended#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 18:29:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2252248</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police claim he was involved in over 100 murders]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) police claimed on Saturday to have arrested a notorious target killer, allegedly belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) and involved in over 100 murders, during a targeted operation in Orangi Town. The police reportedly seized arms and ammunition from his possession as well.

According to SIU SSP Irfan Bahadur, the suspect, namely Shakeel alias Haddi, was a member of MQM-L’s ‘death squad’ and had confessed to the killings of Pirabad police SI Aleem Shah and Orangi Town police constable Rana Sohail in 2011, during his initial interrogation.

Bahadur added that he was also involved in an attack on Awami National Party (ANP) leader Bashir Jan and the targeted killing of ANP’s Shah Faisal Colony in-charge, Nabi Gul, among others.

The SSP claimed Shakeel had also killed a medico-legal officer at Qatar Hospital and MQM-Haqiqi’s Asif Malang, while also setting fire to the ‘astana’ of Khalid Baba, burning three people to death.

According to the police, Shakeel admitted to involvement in over 100 murders on the basis of ethnicity, sect and politics, on the orders of the MQM-L leadership.

Cases against him and other members of the ‘death squad’, including Ajmal Pahari, Saeed alias Bharam, Danish alias Mama, Omar alias Mullah, Zeeshan alias Dada, are registered in several police stations across the city, as well as with the SIU. Further investigation is underway.]]>
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			<title>2,179 people diagnosed with coronavirus in Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252371/2179-people-diagnosed-coronavirus-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252371/2179-people-diagnosed-coronavirus-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 23:50:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2252371</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[CM Murad says province's daily testing capacity has been stretched to 12,000]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah shared on Sunday that 2,179 people were diagnosed with coronavirus overnight, of the total 9,244 samples tested on the day.

Shah added that 435,393 samples have been tested to date in Sindh, of which 80,446 have been positive, which constituted around 18.4 per cent of the total.

The CM apprised that the testing capacity in the province has been stretched to 12,000 a day, courtesy of the laboratories established in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Gambat and Sehwan, which have been functional for the last month.

According to Shah, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Hyderabad could conduct 2,000 tests, Syed Abdullah Shah Institute in Sehwan 100, Gambat Institute 300 and Ghulam Mohammad Maher Medical College in Sukkur could screen 100 samples.

Moreover, the chief minister stated that 26 more people succumbed to the contagious disease overnight, taking the death toll to 1,269 in the province. He claimed that the government has curbed the mortality rate by spreading awareness among the masses.

Shah added that 34,654 people were currently infected by the virus, of whom 33,110 were in home isolation, 88 were quarantined at isolation centres and 1,456 were being treated at different hospitals. He added that 655 patients were in critical condition and 94 of them have been put on ventilators.

Meanwhile, he said that 1,079 more patients had recovered from the contagious disease, pushing the number of recovered people to 44,523 - around 55.5 per cent of all those affected.

Furthermore, the provincial capital saw 1,406 new Covid-19 cases. He presented the district-wise breakup, saying 555 were diagnosed with the virus in East, 358 in South, 171 in Korangi, 138 in Central, 109 in West and 75 in Malir district.

Separately, Sukkur had 86 new cases, Hyderabad 54, Ghotki 40, Khairpur 38, Jamshoro 26, Mirpurkhas 22, Thatta 19, Larkana 17, Sanghar 14, Naushero Feroze 12, Matiari 12, Shikarpur 12, Shaheed Benazirabad nine, Umerkot eight, Dadu seven, Kashmore and Tando Allahyar three each, and Jacobabad one.]]>
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			<title>Youngster killed while shooting TikTok video in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252250/youngster-killed-shooting-tiktok-video-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252250/youngster-killed-shooting-tiktok-video-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 18:39:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category><category><![CDATA[archives]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2252250</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Faraz lost control of car due to speeding, rammed into tree]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A youngster was killed and two of his friends injured in a car accident while filming a video for popular video-sharing platform TikTok in Korangi on Saturday night.

The deceased, identified as Faraz, lost control of the car he was driving due to speeding and ran into a tree. As a result, he and his friends, Ayaz and Ahsan, were injured. They were rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment, where Faraz succumbed to his injured.

According to the police, the car was completely wrecked in the collision. They added that the statements of the injured could not be recorded till the filing of this report.

The body was handed over to the family after the completing of medico-legal formalities.

This is not the first time that a life has been lost while filming a TikTok video. On June 21, a 17-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself while making a video. He was reportedly filming himself while holding his father’s pistol to his temple when he accidentally pulled the trigger.

Karachi teenager shooting TikTok video ‘accidentally’ kills himself

Meanwhile, in April, a 22-year-old man died after being hit by a train while shooting a video at the Jumma Goth railway station in Bhens Colony.

According to the Landhi Railway police, Kashif had been running on the railway tracks while doing a TikTok challenge when the train hit him, causing critical head injuries. His friends, who were also filming videos, took him to JPMC, where he succumbed to his wounds.]]>
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			<title>Illegal plasma sale thrives in Lahore</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251888/illegal-plasma-sale-thrives-lahore</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251888/illegal-plasma-sale-thrives-lahore#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:56:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Imran Adnan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251888</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[First Covid-19 patient recovered through trial treatment last month]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Following a surge in confirmed coronavirus cases and a significant increase in the number of patients recovering, a black market of blood plasma has emerged across the country, particularly in the provincial capital.

People are selling blood plasma of the patients who have recovered from coronavirus for tens of thousands of rupees, The Express Tribune learnt on Saturday.

The blood plasma or convalescent plasma is currently being trialled as a possible treatment for coronavirus disease in different countries, including Pakistan, as it contains antibodies developed by the immune system of people who have won the battle against the virus.

Though a large number of patients overcoming the disease are willing to donate plasma free of charge, some black sheep are using popular social media platforms to contact critically ill coronavirus patients seeking donation.

A patient who wanted to sell his blood plasma after his recent recovery said, “I don’t want to earn money but to recover my expenses incurred on the treatment since thousands of rupees were spent on medicines, consultation and food. I believe there is no harm in recovering the cost while people are selling their blood plasma for tens of thousands of rupees in the city.”



Other people involved in the unethical trade also have their own reasons. Thousands of posts are available on social media indicating that the illegal activity is happening openly without the fear of law enforcing agencies or accountability.

On June 13, a Twitter user posted her thoughts on the issue: “People are making money by selling their plasma to patients in Pakistan.

Humanity is dead.” Meanwhile, many people were of the view that there was nothing wrong with it. They commented that people also sell kidneys and blood.

Besides blood plasma, people have posted requirement for medicines such as Remdesivir, Besimivir and other drugs considered beneficial in coronavirus treatment. To save the lives of their loved ones, some people have expressed their willingness to pay any amount for these scarcely available drugs. In May, the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) confirmed that the first coronavirus patient who had been treated with plasma therapy had recovered.

The sale of oxygen cylinders is also on the rise in the online black market. A 6-litre cylinder along with regulator and stand is being offered for Rs23,000, while an 8-litre variant is being sold for Rs28,000 and 12-litre equipment is available for Rs35,000.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, an oxygen cylinder dealer, Rashid Malik, highlighted that the prices has increased three-fold owing to very high demand. “Mostly these cylinders are being imported from China, Turkey and Russia. In normal days, we were selling a 12-litre cylinder for Rs12,000 to Rs15,000 and 6-litre for Rs6,000 to Rs7,000,” he disclosed.

The Ministry of National Health Services has already announced action against illegal trading of blood plasma and black marketing of life-saving drugs used for coronavirus patients in the country. Health experts are warning citizens not to pay donors for blood plasma since it is still an experimental therapy.

As per the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 2012, commercial dealing and trade of human organs and tissues is illegal in the country.

Section 11 of the law highlights that whoever makes or receives any payment for the supply of, or for an offer to supply, any human organ; seeks to find a person willing to supply for payment of any human organ; or offers to supply any human organ for payment shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and with fine of up to Rs1 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Woman commits suicide with two daughters</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251906/woman-commits-suicide-two-daughters</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251906/woman-commits-suicide-two-daughters#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:41:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Tariq Saeed Awan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251906</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Victim’s husband wanted to marry off girls against their wish]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A mother of seven children ended her life by consuming poisonous pills along with her two daughters over a domestic dispute in Mohalla Selwan, Kundian on Saturday.

A sense of shock and mourning spread in the neighbourhood after the incident.

As per details obtained by The Express Tribune, Muhammad Tahir Qureshi, son of Allah Din, a resident of Mohalla Selwan, and his wife had a dispute over marriage proposals for their daughters. The husband allegedly pressured his daughters to accept the marriage proposals as per his wishes, while the wife and daughters did not agree to the proposals.

As a result of the dispute, Tahir’s wife and daughters, 12-year-old Anza and 11-year-old Asma, swallowed a poisonous substance.

The mother and two daughters were shifted to a rural health centre, where doctor referred them to the Mianwali DHQ Hospital after immediate medical aid. However, the three victims could not survive.

As soon as the incident was reported, Kundian police and Rescue 1122 teams reached the spot. After postmortem was conducted and police completed the legal procedure, the bodies were handed over to the heirs.

Cases where multiple members of the same family committed suicide or were killed by their own family have been also been reported earlier in the province.

On Monday, a woman reportedly poisoned herself and four other members of her family due to financial problems in Okara.

A poor labourer of Okara, Nazar Mohammad, who failed to repay a loan, was struggling to make ends meet due to which his family often quarreled over financial issues.

Nazar’s son, 20-year-old Waqas Ahmed, married 19-year-old Naheed two months ago. The couple lived in Ghouspura neighbourhood of Basirpur Town, Okara with Nazar, his 45-year-old wife, and sons, 18-year-old Ashfaq Ahmed and 16-year-old Sattar Ahmed.

The family reportedly had a debt of Rs150,000. The whole family was worried about paying back the debt and there were often altercations in the house.

Naheed’s in-laws often pressured her to bring money from her father to settle the debt.

Reportedly, Naheed was fed up with the daily quarrels and allegedly fed her in-laws food containing poison, due to which her husband Waqas and brother-in-law Ashfaq died, while her other brother-in-law, 16-year-old Sattar Ahmed, and mother-in-law were severely affected.

In March last year, a man shot and killed his wife and three children, over a domestic dispute, before committing suicide in Rai Chand area of Chiniot.

In April 2019, a man committed suicide after killing his father and sisters over a family dispute regarding his ex-wife, whom he wished to remarry, in Shafiqabad, Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Letter to Punjab IGP seeks ban on PUBG video game</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251900/letter-punjab-igp-seeks-ban-pubg-video-game</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251900/letter-punjab-igp-seeks-ban-pubg-video-game#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:45:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251900</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Official says excessive violence in game triggers aggressive behaviour among youth]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A letter written to the Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) on Saturday sought a ban on online game Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

The letter was penned by SSP Liaqat Ali Malik on the instructions of CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed. It mentioned that the online video game has devastating impacts on the mental health of the youth and two incidents of suicide have been reported in the city.

It stated that excessive violence triggers aggressive behaviour among the youth and they become addicted to the game. The CCPO said the game should be banned and an awareness campaign should be launched.

A matric student had committed suicide in Gulshan-e-Abbass Phase-II a few days ago. The boy was found hanging in his room. The police also spotted a smartphone beside the body with the PUBG game app running on it.

His parents also confirmed to the police that they had stopped the boy for playing the game. In another incident, a 20-year-old student of second year at the FC College University Lahore also reportedly committed suicide after being scolded by his parents for playing the PUBG. The victim identified as Jonty Joseph was living in North Cantonment. On the day of the incident, his father reportedly reprimanded him for playing the PUBG for a long period.

He took the punishment so seriously that he locked himself inside a room. The next day when he did not open the door, the family broke it and found him hanging.

The victim also worked part-time to assist the family financially and after work would remain busy in playing the game late at night.

On May 18, a man approached the Lahore High Court to ban the video game. “The game has a negative impact on children. They are becoming more ruthless and violent,” maintained the petitioner.

The PUBG, which has been developed by a South Korean company, is a 2017 survival game in which players are dropped onto an island to battle it out against others. The multiplayer game allows players from all over the world to compete against each other or in teams.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>NGO offers transgender people foreign scholarships</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251895/ngo-offers-transgender-people-foreign-scholarships</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251895/ngo-offers-transgender-people-foreign-scholarships#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:51:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Asif Mehmood]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251895</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Programme will allow selected persons to attend month-long training in host country]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[&nbsp;

While educational opportunities have been few and far between for gender minorities in Pakistan, a local NGO has stepped in to create an international platform for the development of the country’s transgender persons. The Gender Guardian (TGG), a non-governmental organisation working to train and educate transgender persons in Pakistan, has partnered with various foreign NGOs to allow transgender citizens the opportunity to participate in a month-long training program in four different countries.

Transwoman Sania Abbasi, who is a makeup artist and has been associated with TGG as a teacher for the past several months, is among the many aspirants of the training scholarship. If selected for the coveted programme, Ms Abbasi says it will bring her immense pride to be one of Pakistan’s first transgender persons sent abroad for training in social work and welfare. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to represent our country on an international platform and I have been working tirelessly towards achieving my goals. I can’t wait to work alongside international NGOs. I want to learn from them and also share my personal experiences with the world.”

According to The Gender Guardian (TGG) Head Asif Shehzad, his organisation is committed to providing equal opportunities to transgender people through the provision of free vocational training and formal education. “We have taught and trained dozens of transgender people in various skills such as driving, cooking, makeup, sewing and etc over the last couple of years. However, through this scholarship the selected participants will be able to use share their skills and talent with the world and for the first time, have access to international cultural exchange and training,” said Shehzad. Speaking further about the scholarship programme, Shehzad also informed that The Gender Guardian has been working towards compiling a digital database of transgender persons registered with TGG as well as other people who donate to the organisation. “So far, we have partnered with NGOs working in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Using our database, we will select candidates every six months to be sent to these four countries for a month-long training, while people from the same four countries will also have the option to come and train in Pakistan. Our selected candidates will be working alongside their host country’s NGOs and represent Pakistan on an international level,” he explained.

Sania Abbasi, believes this scholarship will allow the people of the world to see the skills and talent of Pakistan’s transgender person, who often tend to be stereotyped as people limited to sex work. “As a gender minority, we have little no resources for pursuing higher education or going abroad, because of which we have very limited opportunities for work. However, this scholarship opportunity for transgender people to showcase their abilities and break the stereotypes associated with them,” she asserted.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>‘Pakistan’s progress linked to Balochistan peace’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251914/pakistans-progress-linked-balochistan-peace</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251914/pakistans-progress-linked-balochistan-peace#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:35:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251914</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[NA speaker chairs parliamentary committee meeting to discuss issues facing province]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Saturday asked Balochistan parliamentarians and public representatives to suggest solutions to the socio-economic problems being faced by the province and its people.

Chairing the maiden meeting of the special parliamentary committee on Balochistan in the Parliament House, Qaiser said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) emanated from Gilgit-Baltistan and culminated in Balochistan, which increased the significance of the province.

“Balochistan and its issues are always a priority of the incumbent government,” he said. “Parliament and public representatives are the best option to put forth solutions to the socio-economic issues faced by Balochistan and its people,” he said.

“Pakistan’s progress is linked to peace and progress in Balochistan,” Qaiser said, stressing the need for the committee to look into the matters related to ensuring transfer of the real benefits of CPEC to the local people.

Committees in the parliamentary system across the world, Qaiser said, played a recommendatory role, therefore, this committee would make all-out efforts to recommend the best possible solutions to the issues faced by Balochistan.

The speaker mentioned that the issuance of an executive order, regarding immediate implementation of 6% employment quota in all federal departments, underscored the seriousness of Prime Minister Imran Khan towards addressing the issues of Balochistan.

On the occasion, the speaker formed a four-member sub-committee, headed by Dr Fehmida Mirza, to develop comprehensive terms of reference (ToRs) encompassing all the issues related to Balochistan. It was also decided that a representative from the Balochistan National Party and Defence Minister Prevaiz Khattak would be invited to assist the sub-committee in developing the ToRs.

Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri appreciated the initiative of the speaker to constitute the special committee.

He noted that the government was seriously looking into the resolution of the issues confronting peace and development in the province.

Mirza, the inter-provincial coordination minster, told the committee that Balochistan’s issues had always been the top priority of the parliamentarians.

She pointed out that comprehensive ToRs were essential to make the committee more effective. Khattak said that the government had taken various steps to mitigate the grievances of the people of Balochistan.

Representing Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, National Assembly lawmaker Agha Hassan Baloch contended that the issues of Balochistan were getting intense since 2006 and needed to be redressed forthwith.

He called for examining the recommendations, proposed after a meeting between previous parliamentary committee, headed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and late Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Balochistan collects Rs2.5b from mineral sector</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251919/balochistan-collects-rs2-5b-mineral-sector</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251919/balochistan-collects-rs2-5b-mineral-sector#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:38:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[APP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251919</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Computerised weighing scales have been installed]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Balochistan government has collected Rs2.5 billion from the minerals sector during the current financial year, despite coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown that was imposed to curb virus spread.

The government has collected the huge amount from mining sector and deposited in the provincial treasury, an official of the Balochistan government said. Computerised weighing scales have been installed besides increasing mining check posts in the province, he added.  

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>First phase of HingIaj road construction completed</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251913/first-phase-hingiaj-road-construction-completed</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251913/first-phase-hingiaj-road-construction-completed#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:35:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mohammad.zafar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251913</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Project was approved at a cost of Rs120 million]]>
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				<![CDATA[The first construction phase of Hinglaj Mandir Link Road project has been successfully completed with the special funds from Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal.

The Hindu community of Lasbela has expressed gratitude to the government of Balochistan, according to official sources, as 90% of technical work of the temple stands completed.

The project was approved at a cost of Rs120 million to construct a 13km road to the temple which is adjacent to the Gwadar Coastal Highway.

The first phase of the 4.7 km Link Road project has been completed this week while phase two of the project will be completed in the next financial year.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Bilawal, Mengal agree on joint strategy for budget</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251810/bilawal-mengal-agree-joint-strategy-budget</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251810/bilawal-mengal-agree-joint-strategy-budget#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 00:50:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Khalid Mehmood]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category><category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251810</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Both leaders express concern over spread of coronavirus in country]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto telephoned Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal on Saturday and discussed the current political situation in the country.

According to details, both the leaders agreed on a joint strategy for the next year’s fiscal budget.

They also exchanged views on the 18th Constitutional Amendment and government’s measures on the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

“By criticising the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Imran Khan is attacking the constitution,” Bilawal said.

They expressed concern over the growing number of Covid-19 patients in the country and deliberated the holding of all parties’ conference next week.

Bilawal, Shehbaz reject federal budget

“PTI-IMF budget is anti-people. We cannot accept it,” the PPP chairman said.

“Due to the incompetence of the government, coronavirus has spread everywhere,” he added.

Both the leaders also rejected the increase in the petroleum price and noted that this was the time to provide maximum relief to the people.

A few days back, Mengal announced his party's withdrawal from its alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led federal government over its failure to implement accords with the party.

Speaking during a session of the National Assembly, he said: "I am officially announcing that our party is ending its alliance with the PTI. We will stay in Parliament and will keep talking about issues."

Mengal added that the PTI had signed two agreements with the party at the time of government formation after the 2018 elections and later during the presidential elections, but not a single point of the accord was implemented.]]>
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			<title>K-P wants revival of tourism hit hard by Covid</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251918/k-p-wants-revival-tourism-hit-hard-covid</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251918/k-p-wants-revival-tourism-hit-hard-covid#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 10:37:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251918</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[CM Mahmood Khan orders early opening of provincial tourism authority]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[In an effort to boost the tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the provincial chief executive has directed for expediting efforts for opening the newly established provincial tourism authority.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan issued these orders while presiding over the 22nd board meeting of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Corporation of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (TCK-P).

CM Mahmood directed to finalise formalities for opening the newly established K-P Cultural Tourism Authority immediately.

The chief minister also ordered to take steps for liquidation of TCK-P and handing over its assets and liabilities to the culture and tourism authority. The TCK-P employees would be absorbed in the authority, he added.

The chief minister termed tourism as a major economic sector and said its promotion is a top priority of his government.

The meeting was briefed on the progress so far made on the liquidation of the TCK-P after the establishment of the Culture and Tourism Authority as provided in the K-P Culture and Tourism Act, 2019.

The meeting decided to constitute a committee headed by K-P Additional Chief Secretary Shakil Qadir to streamline and expedite all the legal, administrative and financial matters with regard to the liquidation of the TCK-P in a prescribed manner.

The committee would draft and present its recommendations to the competent forum within a week. Other members of the committee would finance secretary, law secretary, tourism secretary and establishment secretary.

K-P Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, Additional Chief Secretary Shakil Qadir, Finance Secretary Atif Rehman, Tourism Secretary Khushal Khan and TCK-P Managing Director Junaid Khan, private sector members of the board and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Poor internet access for students echoes in K-P assembly</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251303/poor-internet-access-students-echoes-assembly</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251303/poor-internet-access-students-echoes-assembly#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 20 09:14:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shahid.hamid]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251303</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Debate on Rs55.42b supplementary budget completed]]>
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				<![CDATA[Lawmakers on Friday took up the issue of poor internet connection for students in the remote areas of the province, noting that the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic means that online classes are the only means for obtaining education for students now.

This was discussed as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly resumed on Friday to debate the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2020-21.

MPAs raised questions on online classes in the province. They urged the provincial government to ensure students have access to 3G and 4G networks, especially in the merged districts, so that they can access classes.

Moreover, they lamented that a girls college built in the Mohmand tribal district has yet to start functioning even though its structure was completed years ago.

During the discussion on the supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2019-20 worth Rs55.42 billion, the issue of a laptop scheme was raised.

Opposition lawmakers including Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Nighat Orakzai, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Inyatullah Khan, Mir Kalam Wazir, Shafiq Afridi, Baseerat Bibi, Khushdil Khan, Shagufta Malik and others said that a handsome amount had been allocated for the information technology sector in the supplementary budget to provide laptops to teachers.

They noted that if teachers can be provided laptops, then what about the students and called for greater transparency in the programme.

The opposition benches also raised concerns over the plight of the inmates in prisons across the province during the pandemic. They slammed the government for losing control of the bureaucracy.

Police reforms

On the directions of Deputy Speaker Mahmood Khan for a senior police officer attend the assembly proceedings, an SP level officer arrived at the assembly on Friday.

However, the deputy speaker did not allow him to enter the session as he expressed his anger over the absence of senior officers.

He then directed a DIG level officer to attend the session.

Later, Peshawar CCPO Ali Gandapur visited the assembly lobby and marked his presence.

Lawmakers from across the aisle pointed to the need for police reforms. They also asked the CCPO to explain reports of extrajudicial killings and the harassment of citizens at checkpoints set up across the province.

Members of the opposition expressed their reservations over the dormant status of the public safety commission. With no check and balance on the department, they claimed that the police was doing what it wants.

The secretary of the home department was also accused of deliberately delaying the process of activating the commission. Opposition lawmakers also pointed to the incident in the Zangi area where a motorcyclist was killed when he failed to stop at a checkpoint.

Discriminatory allocations

Shafiq Afridi from the Khyber Tribal District accused the government of dividing development funds based on the personal likes and dislikes of the finance and chief ministers. Moreover, he said that lawmaker of the merged districts has been completely ignored. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>K-P up in arms against custodial torture</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251292/k-p-arms-custodial-torture</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251292/k-p-arms-custodial-torture#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 20 09:19:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondents]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251292</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Govt asks PHC to probe yet another instance of police high-handedness]]>
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				<![CDATA[Scores were left injured on Friday as police and protesters clashed in the Tehkal area of the provincial capital as the latter demonstrated against the excesses of the former.

The clashes came even as the government wrote to the provincial judiciary, asking it to probe reports of police detaining an Afghan national, stripping and parading him naked and then torturing him for abusing officers in a video.

Several protests and rallies were held across the province on Friday to protest the torture of Rafiullah alias Amir of Tehkal.

The largest protests were staged in the Tehkal area, outside the Peshawar Press Club and in front of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly building. Protesters filled the road from Saddar to the press club, blocking it for all sorts of traffic. Former Awami National Party (ANP) provincial assembly member Alamgir Khan Khalil and members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Youth Wing also participated in the protest.

They held aloft banners condemning the police brutality and of filming a detainee in a compromised position and then leaking the videos. Chanting anti-police slogans, they demanded a judicial inquiry into the case and kept the road closed for nearly two hours.

As the protesters neared the provincial assembly, they were charged by police in riot gear. At this, the protesters started pelting police officers with stones.

To disperse the crowd, the police resorted to firing tear gas canisters.

The clashes left scores of protesters and police officers injured.

Meanwhile, protests against police excesses were also held in Mardan, Swabi, Bajaur, Charsadda, Nowshera, Malakand, Lower and Upper Dir, Swat and other southern districts. Lawyers, social workers, students and local political leaders participated in those protests.

Judicial inquiry

In a media briefing at the Information Cell in the Civil Secretariat on Friday, Adviser to the K-P Chief Minister on Information Ajmal Wazir said that the provincial government has written to the Peshawar High Court’s registrar to nominate a judge who will lead a judicial commission to probe the Tehkal incident under the K-P Tribunal of Inquiry Ordinance.

Wazir said that soon after the video went viral on social media, the provincial government had taken immediate action by suspending and booking the four police personnel involved, including an SHO. Moreover, the SSP Operation was removed from his post.

On the judicial commission, he confirmed that the PHC had been requested to form the probe body. He added that the body will be tasked with identifying those responsible for the incident and that later they will be tried as per the law.

Noting that the commission has been directed to complete its inquiry within 15 days, Wazir said that the government will make the inquiry public.

The adviser, however, urged the public not to malign the entire police department due to the actions of a few

“The misconduct and wrongdoings of a few personnel should not be blamed on the entire police department,” he said, reiterating the immense sacrifices rendered by the provincial police force in the war against terror apart from serving on the frontlines against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Another case of police excesses surfaces</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251290/another-case-police-excesses-surfaces</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251290/another-case-police-excesses-surfaces#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 20 09:19:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Yawar Hayat]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2251290</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The report further showed that the additional SHO had been previously found guilty of framing a man in a fake case]]>
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				<![CDATA[After Peshawar, a case of police excesses has emerged from Haripur where a senior police officer allegedly beat up a clerk at a filling station for refusing service to his son.

A report submitted to the district police officer's (DPO0 office stated that additional SHO SI Muhammad Nawaz's son had gone to a filling station in the Batrassi area of Haripur to get fuel for his motorbike. Because he was not wearing a face mask nor a helmet, the clerk on duty refused to provide him with service as per a campaign being run by the district police.

At this, additional SHO Nawaz and his driver arrived at the fuel station where they beat up the workers. Nawaz’s driver also allegedly snatched cash from the cashier's pocket and then fled.

The owner of the filling station and workers subsequently approached the DPO and urged him to intervene. The DPO took notice of the incident and suspended Nawaz and launched an inquiry.

The report further showed that the additional SHO had been previously found guilty of framing a man in a fake case and allegedly took a bribe to set the case aside.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2020.]]>
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			<title>Virus cases in Indian Occupied Kashmir top 7,000</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252336/virus-cases-indian-occupied-kashmir-top-7000</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252336/virus-cases-indian-occupied-kashmir-top-7000#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 23:11:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jammu &amp; Kashmir]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2252336</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[2,700 infections, including 41 virus-linked deaths, confirmed in last 2 weeks]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Coronavirus cases in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&amp;K) region crossed the 7,000-mark including 94 deaths, officials said on Sunday.

As many as 127 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the national tally to 7,093, according to the latest data by the government.

Since June 13, the data revealed, about 2,700 cases have been registered while 41 people, including a 15-day-old baby, have died.

The Doctors Association of Kashmir has warned of community transmission, saying that more than 90% of the region's population is susceptible to the infection.

AJK president lauds Joe Biden for urging India to restore people’s rights in IOJ&amp;K

Dr Suhail Naik, who heads the association, told Anadolu Agency the recent numbers indicate that the virus has arrived in the community, and is going to spread amid an ease in restrictions.

“We cannot bear the excess load of cases in our underdeveloped healthcare systems... the only remedy available is social distancing, hygiene and prevention,” he said.

While educational institutions remain closed, and public transport is still suspended in the region, some businesses have reopened.

As the pandemic crisis is looming, Indian forces continued their human rights violation in the valley, killing over 130 freedom fighters in over 40 gunfights in 2020 so far.]]>
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			<title>AJK president lauds Joe Biden for urging India to restore people’s rights in IOJ&amp;K</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252239/ajk-president-lauds-joe-biden-urging-india-restore-peoples-rights-iojk</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252239/ajk-president-lauds-joe-biden-urging-india-restore-peoples-rights-iojk#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 22:27:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jammu &amp; Kashmir]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2252239</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US former vice president has said restrictions on dissent, such as preventing peaceful protests, weaken democracy.]]>
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				<![CDATA[While welcoming US Democratic presidential nominee and former vice president Joe Biden’s statements over the restoration of rights of Kashmiris, Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has said that Biden’s remarks are a proof that the world community has refused to buy the Indian narrative on Occupied Kashmir.

Biden has asked New Delhi to take all necessary steps to restore rights of all the people of Kashmir and asserted that restrictions on dissent, such as preventing peaceful protests or shutting or slowing down internet, weakens democracy.

The US ex-vice president also expressed disappointment over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the enforcement of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in different states of India.

“We welcome the US Democratic Party leader’s remarks and urge Indian-Americans and Muslim-Americans to applaud Joe Biden’s policy statement together because nobody wants India to be ruled by theocratic fascists. Kashmiris’ liberties and fundamental rights, especially their right to self-determination, should be restored. It’s a just demand,” President Masood said in Muzaffarabad on Sunday.

Earlier addressing a function held in connection with the disbursement of cash grant among the affectees of Indian shelling living along the Line of Control (LoC), the AJK president said that relief being provided by the federal government to 610,000 members of 80,000 families is the recognition of their sacrifices as well as acknowledgement of the responsibilities being shouldered by the state government.

"Azad Kashmir is not only a strong defence line of Pakistan, but the people living close to the LoC and facing India's direct aggression are the defenders of the motherland," he added.

While commenting on Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement to include more than 100,000 people affected by the Indian firing at the LoC in the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme and to issue health cards to 1.2 million people of Azad Kashmir, he said that the people of occupied and the liberated territory want to become part of Pakistan not because of geographical location but on the basis of their faith and ideology.

Joe Biden seeks restoration of peoples’ rights in Occupied Kashmir

The AJK president said that India's ruling party BJP and the RSS have planned to eliminate the Kashmiri people, occupy their lands, reduce the number of Muslims in the assembly of Occupied Kashmir, and to turn the whole state into a colony of India, but the people of both the liberated and occupied parts of Kashmir would offer stiff resistance.

He went on to say that it is high time that the government and the people of Pakistan as well as the valiant people of Azad Kashmir adopt an aggressive policy to counter India because "India is constantly threatening to attack Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan".

"Instead of saying that we will defend Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, we should also talk about the liberation of Khalistan, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Mizoram, and tell the world that India is no longer a secular state but it has emerged as a fascist state," he added.

President Masood also said that India's anti-Muslim moves have awakened the Muslims across the world, and a wave for the renaissance of Islam has risen in the whole Muslim world. "It is now clear that whether it is Kashmir or Palestine, the Muslims are prepared to safeguard their interest."

Referring to Azad Kashmir, he said that the liberated territory can emerge as an economic engine for Pakistan. At present, he maintained, that 2,000 megawatts of electricity is being generated in Azad Kashmir while the territory has a potential of producing another 8,000 megawatts of electricity "though our own demand is between 300 and 400 megawatts, and the surplus electricity is injected into the national grid".

On completion of Kohala, Gulpur, Azad Pattan, Dudhnial and many other projects in the coming decade, Azad Kashmir will become the biggest electricity generating region of Pakistan.

President Masood said that Azad Kashmir is not only strategically important for Pakistan's defence but it can also play an important role in the economic uplift of the country. "That is why, we say that Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir and Kashmir has no identity without Pakistan."]]>
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			<title>Hinduism being masqueraded as secularism in India, says AJK president</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251761/hinduism-masqueraded-secularism-india-says-ajk-president</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2251761/hinduism-masqueraded-secularism-india-says-ajk-president#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 20 00:33:43 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jammu &amp; Kashmir]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Masood says 13,000 Kashmiri boys have been abducted and kept in prison houses where they're being subjected to torture]]>
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				<![CDATA[Sardar Masood Khan, the president Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), has said that after grudgingly accepting the independence of Pakistan, India adopted a secular doctrine, an insincere attempt to hide prevalent Hindu nationalism under the guise of secularism.

He made these remarks while addressing two separate web-conferences organised by the Institute of Policy Studies on the topic of “India: Past, Present &amp; Future: Perceptions of the Muslim World”; and by the Pakistan High Commission UK on the topic “Seeking Justice for Kashmiri Victims of Sexual Violence and Physical Torture, and Widows”.

Speaking at the IPS session – which was attended by leading international experts from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nigeria – the president said Hindu fascists romanticise an imaginary state of "Akhand Baharat" that they claim to have existed before the arrival of Muslim rulers in the sub-continent. This notion, he said, is not only unsubstantiated by history, it is also counterintuitive.

Referring to the faux secularism adopted by India, the AJK president said that over the decades, this glue of secularism had has come off and the real face of India’s political masters has been exposed. "Not long after independence, on 27 October 1947, India began working on its imperialistic agenda, and invaded the Jammu and Kashmir State. Driven by its Hindu-extremist policy, India has carried on with this agenda over the years," he said.

Masood Khan said that lawmakers and the leadership of BJP, the RSS and their affiliates have publicly declared that they would do away with Muslims from within India. This, he said, has caught the attention of Hindu zealots from across India which has consequently impacted the larger political landscape of the neighbouring country.

This BJP-RSS nexus has waged three wars in the region; one against its minorities inside its own borders, the second one against Kashmiris in the occupied territory of Kashmir and the third one against all its neighbouring countries. "Considering Pakistan as enemy number one, they have threatened to wipe off Pakistan from the face of the earth by the use of nuclear weapons," he informed.

The AJK president said that India’s ambition of becoming a colonial and imperial power in the region has led it to using the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh for sabotaging the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It has also formed a four-member alliance QUAD – comprising of India, USA, Japan and Australia – to oppose the BRI and, especially, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“India is the biggest barrier for progress in the region. SAARC has been struggling for decades and that too because India has been standing in the way of economic integration as it wants to establish its hegemony in South Asia,” said the president.

'Existing tensions surfacing in new China-India row'

Speaking about the situation in IOJ&amp;K, he said that India is practicing the policy of lebensraum by reoccupying the State of Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating it and now bringing it under the direct rule of Delhi. He compared the new domicile rules introduced in the occupied valley, to the policy followed by Nazi Germany against the Jews, based initially on economic strangulation, followed by demonisation and marginalisation and finally physical extermination.

The president apprised that in IOJ&amp;K political leaders have been incarcerated, the youth are being killed and tortured in jails all over Occupied Kashmir and northern India. He added that 13,000 Kashmiri boys have been abducted and kept in prison houses where they are being subjected to torture and brainwashing. Bipin Rawat, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, has said that these boys (some as young as 10 years old) are more dangerous than a pellet-firing shotgun because they raise the slogan of Azadi (freedom) and self-determination, he said.

The AJK president said that members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should start a boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against India, while the corporate sector of these countries should be discouraged to invest in India as they are committing human rights violations against Kashmiris and Muslims of India.

"Start by banning the import of non-halal meat into OIC countries and the formation of a Kashmir Humanitarian Fund with the help of the Islamic Development Bank and Islamic Solidarity Fund.”

He also suggested an international civil society movement be mobilised to delegitimise Hindutva and campaign to declare RSS a terrorist organisation. “The biggest and the most trained terrorist organisation in the world is the RSS. They have openly declared to target Muslims not only in South Asia but all over the world”, he added.

Appreciating the supportive role of the OIC, Masood Khan appealed to the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council to raise their voice against Kashmir and call out the egregious human rights violations taking place in IOJ&amp;K.

Speaking at the web-conference hosted by Pakistan High Commission, the president appealed to powerful nations to make moral and legal choices for bringing India to justice and helping dismantle this machine of torture in IOJ&amp;K. “Silence is a crime when such torture is openly taking place in any part of the world”, he said.

He added that 25,000 Hindus from all over India have been given domiciles of IOJ&amp;K; and in the same manner, in which Muslim Indians have become second class citizens, Kashmiris have to run from pillar to post just to prove that they are state subjects. “If we don’t stop this now, IOJ&amp;K won’t be a recognisable entity like it is today. Two million Hindus will be brought in over the coming years” he said.

The AJK president said that India’s non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council will lead to three setbacks in the Council. Firstly, it will try to delete the agenda from the UNSC calendar; secondly, they would make efforts to stop us from holding informal meetings on Kashmir; and thirdly, they will imperil funding of the mandate of the UNMOGIP. “As a permanent member of the UNSC, the United Kingdom can stop this and create a balance in the UNSC,” said the president while speaking to his audience.

He urged the British citizenry and its civil society to lead the campaign of letter writing and awareness-raising on Kashmir in the international realm.

He also thanked MP Steve Baker for his active and vocal role in raising his voice for the Kashmir people by authoring a letter. He urged him to use his clout with 10 Downing Street and the FCO to mobilise the UK towards Kashmir advocacy in both the British Parliament and the UNSC.

The web-conference hosted by the Pakistan High Commission London was attended by Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Nafees Zakaria, MP Afzal Khan, MP Naz Shah, MP Steve Baker, MP Tony Lloyd, MP, Imran Hussain, MP Khalid Mahmood, Lord Qurban Hussain, Councillor Aasim Rashid, Mr Muzammil  Ayub Thakur, Chairman JKSDMI Raja Najabat Hussain, President Tahreek-e-Kashmir UK Fahim Kiyani, Dr Nazir GIllani, Syed Ali Raza, Shaista Safi and other leading members of the civil society.]]>
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			<title>World leaders urged to help end Indian atrocities against Kashmiris</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250999/world-leaders-urged-help-end-indian-atrocities-kashmiris</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2250999/world-leaders-urged-help-end-indian-atrocities-kashmiris#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 20 21:06:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[​ Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jammu &amp; Kashmir]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[On International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, AJK president condemns BJP-RSS regime]]>
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				<![CDATA[Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has urged the international community and United Nations to help end the most "cruel, inhumane and degrading" treatment of the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&amp;K) by occupation forces,

“We fully agree with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s statement that torturers must never be allowed to get away with their crimes, and systems that enable torture should be dismantled or transformed,” he said in a video message released on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture observed across the globe on Friday.

The AJK president said that torture is a crime against humanity and it is prohibited by international law and all religions. "Yet, this crime is committed everyday by the Indian forces and authorities in the occupied territory, most brutally and systematically."

He appealed to the United Nations not to generalise and blur the focus on torture where it is pervasive. In Occupied Kashmir, he said, torture is most rampant and most egregious.

“Torture has been committed by the BJP-RSS regime by reoccupying and colonising Jammu and Kahsmir against the will of its 14 million people, dividing their state into two parts, and enforcing decrees whereby the entire territory is now ruled by a foreign capital, Delhi."

While lambasting the Modi-led government, President Masood said: “As we mark this day today, Kashmiri young men are hunted down and killed in cold blood in fake encounters, demonstrators are blinded and sexual molestation is used as a weapon of war.”

Kashmiris, he went on to say, are being deprived of their homeland by bringing Hindus from all over India and settling them in the occupied territory through new domicile rules.

“Stripped of their permanent residence rights, Kashmiris are being robbed of their jobs, livelihoods, businesses and land. Systematically, the demography of the disputed valley is being altered permanently."

PM urges int'l community to hold India accountable for atrocities in IOJ&amp;K

The AJK president said what India is doing in occupied region is a war crime according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the ICC Statute and international humanitarian law.

Referring to arbitrary arrest of political leaders and political activists, he said thousands of political detainees  – illegally incarcerated – are being subjected to the vicious torture leading in many instances to death and disability.

President Masood demanded that political prisoners in the Tihar jail in India - Yasin Malik, Asiya Indrabi, Shabbir Shah - should be released forthwith and Syed Ali Geelani and other Hurriyet leaders - hundreds of them holed up in cramped prisons - should be set free.

Some 13,000 boys and children, as young as 10, are caged in concentration camps where they are being tortured and brainwashed, he said while calling for the international community led by the United Nations to play ts role for their release.

He also made a demand that India should be asked to repeal all draconian laws that empower occupation forces to commit crimes with impunity.

“Kashmiris are citizens of planet Earth. Listen to their screams of SOS. Save their bodies; save their souls. Silence too is a crime while such massive torture is taking place right before our eyes.”]]>
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			<title>Tarbela full, Rabi water outlook strengthens</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625008/tarbela-full-rabi-water-outlook-strengthens</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625008/tarbela-full-rabi-water-outlook-strengthens#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:50:30 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2625008</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Slower Mangla filling keeps water managers cautious]]>
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				<![CDATA[As the country heads into the upcoming Rabi cropping season, a substantially stronger water position was recorded on Thursday after Tarbela Dam reached its maximum conservation level.

However, the slower filling of Mangla Reservoir remains a concern for water managers ahead of winter irrigation requirements.

The country&#39;s three major reservoirs were holding 10.970 million acre-feet (MAF) of water as of August 19, equivalent to 83.43 per cent of their combined storage capacity of 13.149 MAF.

Tarbela has already reached its maximum conservation level, while Chashma is also close to full capacity. However, Mangla remains comparatively less filled because of subdued inflows into the Jhelum River, leaving a narrower margin for comfort ahead of the Rabi season.

The healthy storage position provides an important water cushion as monsoon flows begin to recede and river discharges normally decline during the upcoming winter months.

The stored water can be released through the irrigation system during periods when natural river flows are insufficient to meet agricultural requirements, making reservoir levels particularly important for the sowing and subsequent growth of Rabi crops, especially wheat.

Tarbela&#39;s position is particularly significant. The reservoir has reached its maximum conservation level of 1,550 feet, with storage at about 5.58 MAF. Its full storage means water managers have a substantial reserve available for regulating Indus flows after the monsoon season and supporting irrigation requirements during the low-flow period.

Meanwhile, Mangla is the weaker link in the current storage picture. Its slower filling reflects relatively weak inflows into the Jhelum system and below-average monsoon flows in parts of the Jhelum and Chenab systems.

With Mangla still below its maximum conservation level, water managers will be watching inflows closely over the remaining monsoon period.

The difference between the two reservoirs matters because Pakistan&#39;s irrigation system relies on seasonal storage to bridge the gap between abundant summer flows and substantially lower winter flows. The reservoirs capture water during the monsoon and make it available later for agriculture and other uses.

For farmers, the current position remains broadly positive but does not eliminate the need for careful water management. A full Tarbela gives the irrigation system an important buffer, while Mangla&#39;s slower recovery means that the overall Rabi outlook cannot yet be declared completely comfortable.

Wheat, the country&#39;s principal Rabi crop, is likely to be among the biggest beneficiaries of healthy carryover storage. Adequate water availability during the sowing period is particularly important because shortages at that stage can affect the area brought under cultivation as well as subsequent crop yields.

Other Rabi crops, including gram, fodder and oilseeds, would also benefit from a stable irrigation supply. Strong reservoir levels can help farmers maintain sowing schedules and reduce the risk of water stress during critical stages of crop development.

However, experts have also pointed out a longer-term challenge. Reservoir storage capacity has been affected by sedimentation, while Pakistan&#39;s increasingly variable hydrological conditions are making seasonal water management more difficult.]]>
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			<title>Let the system be 'fully exposed', remarks SC judge</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625020/let-the-system-be-fully-exposed-remarks-sc-judge</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625020/let-the-system-be-fully-exposed-remarks-sc-judge#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:50:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2625020</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It's better not to seek our opinion on IHC system: Justice Afghan]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Supreme Court on Thursday heard appeals seeking suspension of the sentences handed down to Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan remarking that the court would remain present even if a case disappeared from the system.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Afghan heard the appeals.

During the hearing, Justice Afghan asked when the Islamabad High Court&#39;s (IHC) summer recess would end. The additional attorney general said the high court would resume regular proceedings from Sept 6. The additional attorney general argued that the appeals seeking suspension of the sentences were not maintainable.

Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim asked where was it mentioned in the law that such appeals were not maintainable.

Counsel Faisal Siddiqui told the court that the Supreme Court had directed the IHC to decide the sentence-suspension appeals within two weeks, but the order had not been implemented.

The additional attorney general said the IHC had its own system under which cases were fixed for hearing. &quot;It&#39;s better not to seek our opinion on the IHC&#39;s system,&quot; remarked Justice Afghan.

Siddiqui said the cases had suddenly been fixed before the IHC for Sept 8, adding that whenever the apex court was about to decide the matter, the cases were fixed before the high court. &quot;Let the system be fully exposed,&quot; Justice Afghan remarked.

Siddiqui said the cause list had not yet been issued and expressed concern that the case might disappear from the system.

&quot;The case may disappear from the system, but we will not. Don&#39;t worry, we are here and, if life permits, we will be here in the future as well,&quot; Justice Afghan remarked.

Justice Ishtiaq observed that the court had only been asked to decide the sentence-suspension applications, adding that the court could also dismiss the plea.

Justice Afghan said that at the next hearing, either the bench would be deciding the matter or the petitioners would be withdrawing their applications.

The court adjourned further proceedings until September 17.]]>
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			<title>Govt tightens social media rules for civil servants</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625014/govt-tightens-social-media-rules-for-civil-servants</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625014/govt-tightens-social-media-rules-for-civil-servants#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:50:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Irshad Ansari]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2625014</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Action will also be taken against those using fake accounts to defame govt]]>
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				<![CDATA[The federal government has decided in principle to take action against civil servants found violating rules governing social media use, while tightening scrutiny of their personal social media accounts, sources said.

According to sources, the government has decided to strictly enforce the new Civil Servants (Conduct) Rules 2026, under which officials&#39; personal social media accounts also fall within the scope of the regulations.

Civil servants involved in promoting anti-government activities or narratives will face disciplinary action, while action will also be taken against those using anonymous or fake accounts to defame the government or state institutions, sources said.

Officials will also be barred from using their personal social media accounts to promote official work for personal publicity. Similarly, government social media accounts cannot be used for personal promotion, branding or self-projection.

Sources said officials may be required to provide details of their official or personal social media accounts when asked by the authorities.

Official social media accounts will only be created and operated with prior written permission, while only verified government information and official activities will be published on such accounts.

An official leaving office will be required to relinquish control of all government social media accounts and hand over login credentials, archived data and administrative access to their successor.

The rules also prohibit civil servants from publishing opinions or information contrary to government policy or the official position.

According to sources, the regulations cover television, radio, podcasts, blogs, videos, websites and social media platforms.]]>
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			<title>FCC bars extra land compensation claims</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625012/fcc-bars-extra-land-compensation-claims</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625012/fcc-bars-extra-land-compensation-claims#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 26 05:50:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Sets aside SC, PHC &amp; LHC judgments]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has ruled that landowners who accepted compensation in accordance with law at the time their land was acquired are not entitled to additional compensation merely because the value of the land was subsequently enhanced.

The court declared that a Supreme Court judgment directing payment of enhanced compensation to such landowners was not in accordance with law. It also set aside judgments of the Supreme Court, Peshawar High Court and Lahore High Court concerning compensation for land acquired for public purposes.

A 45-page judgment authored by Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court Justice Aminud-Din Khan was issued in the case. Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah authored an additional note, while Justice Ali Baqar Najafi agreed with the judgment.

The court observed that compulsory acquisition of land must be accompanied by fair compensation in accordance with law. It held that ensuring uniform compensation for all landowners was the responsibility of the legislature, while the role of the courts was to enforce the law.

In his additional note, Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah clarified that any additional amount already paid to the landowners would not be recovered.

According to the judgment, the land in question had been acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, for various public purposes, including defence projects, educational institutions, grid stations and motorways. Some landowners approached the courts seeking enhancement of compensation.]]>
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			<title>Imran Khan will not confront military if freed, Zulfi Bukhari says</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624972/imran-khan-will-not-confront-army-if-freed-zulfi-bukhari-says</link>
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			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 26 19:03:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says if Imran ​Khan was released tomorrow, 'he wouldn't do anything that would effectively damage the country']]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan would not confront the military if freed, one of his closest aides told Reuters, portraying the army chief as able to extend a &quot;healing ​hand&quot; after a legal breakthrough this week.

The comments, which came after the Supreme Court ordered Imran to be moved to Shifa International Hospital for treatment, appeared to mark a significant shift in the PTI&#39;s rhetoric.

PTI supporters have for years rallied against the establishment after Imran was ousted from power through a vote of no-confidence.

Read: Security beefed up at Islamabad&#39;s Shifa hospital as Imran transfer deadline nears

But in an interview on Wednesday, Zulfikar Bukhari, a PTI spokesperson, sent one of the strongest signals so far that the party was ​willing to reconcile with the military, potentially easing one of the tensest stand-offs in recent political history, even as doubts remained whether Imran himself shared that wish.

&quot;If Imran ​Khan was released tomorrow, hypothetically, he wouldn&#39;t do anything that would effectively damage the country,&quot; Bukhari said, describing him as &quot;magnanimous&quot;.

&quot;That doesn&#39;t mean you ⁠go loggerheads with the establishment, with the military leader,&quot; he said. &quot;You control your own hurt. You curb your own pain. You swallow it for the betterment of your country.&quot;

Bukhari called the Supreme Court ruling a &quot;new ray of hope&quot; and said PTI would comply with the court&#39;s instruction that its workers and leaders not gather outside ​the hospital. As of Thursday night, Imran had still not been transferred, and it was unclear if the government would resubmit a challenge that was rejected on technical grounds earlier today.

Bukhari said there were no talks between PTI and the military.

If the army chief woke up &quot;one fine morning&quot; and said: &quot;Enough, I &zwnj;need to show ⁠I&#39;m the father of the nation at the moment&quot;, then he could &quot;rub his healing hand on to the country&quot;, Bukhari said. &quot;I would feel that every political prisoner would be out within 24 hours.&quot;

Analysts cautioned that Imran&#39;s thinking may differ from that of the PTI leadership that has escaped arrest.

It&#39;s unclear if &quot;PTI&#39;s leadership have the capacity, so long as Imran is in jail, to present a common front in any potential engagement or negotiation with the state&quot;, ​said Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow at the ​Atlantic Council.

PTI to go ahead with protests ⁠in September

Party leaders last spoke with Imran eight months ago, said Bukhari, who is in self-imposed exile in Dubai.

There have been no recent comments by Imran, who has been kept in what human rights groups have described as solitary confinement.

Since he lost power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, Imran has faced multiple legal cases, including over state gifts, instigating violent attacks on military and state installations, and an accusation of an unlawful marriage.

All convictions but one have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.

Despite signs of a careful rapprochement, Bukhari said the PTI would still proceed ⁠with a ​nationwide march on September 27 regardless of whether Imran was transferred to hospital. It would demand implementation of his ​court-ordered treatment, access for his family, doctors, lawyers and party leadership, prompt hearings in his cases and, ultimately, his release.

Read More: PTI decided to hold long march towards Islamabad on Sept 27 after consulting allies: K-P info minister

Senior PTI leaders driven into hiding would participate or help organise the mobilisation, he added.

&quot;You&#39;ll probably see a lot of leadership ​come out of hiding,&quot; he said. &quot;Even if you don&#39;t see them, you&#39;ll see them mobilising.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Gross debt flow in FY 2025-26 was Rs364b against Rs400b target</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624636/gross-debt-flow-in-fy-2025-26-was-rs364b-against-rs400b-target</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624636/gross-debt-flow-in-fy-2025-26-was-rs364b-against-rs400b-target#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 26 21:16:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624636</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[K-Electric's payment shortfall was a major contributor to the increase]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Power Division said on Tuesday that the increase of 709% in Gross Circular Debt (CD) Flow in FY 2025-26 compared to last year needs to be assessed in the context of macroeconomic conditions, one time LPI waivers, K-Electric payment shortfall and prior-year adjustments.

A Spokesperson of the Power Division while commenting on the report published by The Express Tribune, said that the Gross CD Flow during FY 2025-26 was Rs364 billion against the prescribed target of Rs400 billion, remaining Rs36 billion below the target.

The spokesperson added that the Net CD Flow target was zero, while the Circular Debt Stock target could not be fully achieved. &quot;The deviation was primarily driven by significant payment shortfalls by K-Electric and lower-than-planned subsidy releases, which constrained sectoral cash flows and resulted in an increase of approximately Rs61 billion in the Circular Debt Stock.&quot;

The spokesperson said that the increase in Circular Debt should be viewed primarily against the backdrop of K-Electric&#39;s outstanding payment obligations. The K-Electric&#39;s payment shortfall was a major contributor to the increase, accounting for approximately Rs194 billion of Circular Debt Flow during FY 2025-26,&quot; it added.

&quot;This was fundamentally a payment and cash-flow issue rather than a deterioration in DISCO operational performance,&quot; the Power Division stated. At the same time, the government has made substantial progress in containing the accumulated Circular Debt, the spokesperson continued.

As of 30 June 2026, according to the spokesperson, the Circular Debt Stock stood at Rs1,675 billion, compared with Rs2,393 billion at the end of FY 2023-24, showing a fall of Rs718 billion over two years. &quot;This reflects a significant improvement in the management of the sector&#39;s accumulated financial liabilities,&quot; it said.]]>
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			<title>5,000 Pakistani passports seized in Saudi Arabia</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624642/5000-pakistani-passports-seized-in-saudi-arabia</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624642/5000-pakistani-passports-seized-in-saudi-arabia#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 26 21:16:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624642</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Minister says passports were obtained through Afghan nationals]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the National Assembly on Tuesday that 5,000 Pakistani passports had been seized in Saudi Arabia from individuals who had allegedly obtained them through Afghan nationals.

He said some of the individuals holding those passports had reportedly been involved in various crimes, including begging.

Addressing the lower house, the state minister said the government was prepared to provide details of every passport seized or scrutinised. He added that reforms had already been introduced to improve the system and reduce the time required for passport issuance.

Chaudhry told the lawmakers that the FIA had arrested more than 100 agents in operations over the past month.

Responding to points of order raised by MNAs, the state minister stated that the government had adopted a customer-focused approach to improve passport services. He said passport security features had also been improved.

The government was working with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to provide passport services at all its centres, he added. &quot;This will help reduce queues at passport offices and make the process easier for citizens,&quot; he said.

Chaudhry noted that criminal cases had also been registered against officials found facilitating passport agents.

Action would be taken against any official or passport office found treating citizens improperly, he said.

He rejected allegations that passports of people from Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa were being deliberately delayed or withheld.

On the issue of identity cards in Balochistan, Chaudhry rejected the impression that identity cards were blocked or cancelled simply because an individual belonged to a particular province or area.]]>
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			<title>Fact check: Viral video of girl hitting sixes in men's tape ball match is doctored</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624787/fact-check-viral-video-of-girl-hitting-sixes-in-mens-tape-ball-match-is-doctored</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624787/fact-check-viral-video-of-girl-hitting-sixes-in-mens-tape-ball-match-is-doctored#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 26 17:43:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Fact Check By iVerify]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624787</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Batter on the crease is replaced by a girl in the visuals circulating online from the original Aug 2 clip]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Multiple users, a majority of whom appear to be cricket fans based on their past posts, have been sharing a video across social media platforms since August 18, 2026, claiming it shows a girl hitting sixes in a men&rsquo;s tape ball match. However, the video is AI-generated.

On August 18, a social media user who appears to be a cricket fan shared a video on Facebook showing a girl hitting sixes in a men&rsquo;s tape ball match. &ldquo;Check the shot,&rdquo; the caption read.

The post racked up 75 million views.

The same user shared a close-up angle of the same video as well, which garnered 5.4m views.

On TikTok, a user shared the same clip with the caption: &ldquo;Huge six by Mehak Pindi Wali.&rdquo; The post gained 10.9m views.

Another TikTok user also posted the clip, calling the six &ldquo;unbelievable&rdquo;. It accumulated 262,000 views.

The video also gathered attention on X, where an account that shared it garnered 190,000 views. &ldquo;You must have seen boys hitting sixes in tape-ball cricket. Today, take a look at the sixes hit by &lsquo;Mehak Pindi Wali&rsquo; as well,&rdquo; the caption read.

Several other cricket fan accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok also shared the clip, as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 405,000 views.

Separately, similar clips of the girl in different outfits and angles were shared on TikTok, as seen here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 5.7m views.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to high virality and keen public interest in local cricket.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible Pakistani or international media outlets had recently reported on a young girl gaining attention for her performance in a tape ball cricket match, but it yielded no results.

A reverse image search was conducted to trace the origin of the viral clip, which yielded a video shared by the TikTok account TapeBall Voice on August 2, 2026.



@tapeballvoice2

Big Deal 😲🤝🏏 Hassan Penda Join US Brand Rawalpindi #tapeballcricket #hassanpenda #viralfyp #viral1million
♬ original sound - TapeBall Voice



It featured all the elements visible in the viral video: the second batter, the wicketkeeper, the pitch, and the lights. However, the batter on the crease in the August 2 clip has been replaced by a girl in the visuals circulating online.



The video was subsequently analysed using AI-detection tools. While several AI detection tools did not flag the video, Hive Moderation found it to be 54.6pc AI-generated.



Meanwhile, NVIDIA gave the video a synthetic score of 33.3pc, greater than the threshold of 30pc, adding that the clip was likely synthetic or AI-generated.



Fact-check status: False

The claim that a viral video shows a girl hitting sixes in a men&rsquo;s tape ball match is false.

The clip is AI-generated.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan &mdash; a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.]]>
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			<title>Google opens doors to Pakistan's digital future</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624684/google-opens-doors-to-pakistans-digital-future</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624684/google-opens-doors-to-pakistans-digital-future#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 26 01:10:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Naeem Asghar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Islamabad]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624684</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PM Shehbaz also appreciated Google's contribution to Pakistan's digital economy]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday inaugurated Google&#39;s first office in Pakistan, marking a significant expansion of the technology giant&#39;s presence in the country as the government seeks to accelerate digital transformation, expand information technology (IT) exports and equip young Pakistanis with skills for an increasingly artificial intelligence-driven economy.

The inauguration took place at the Prime Minister&#39;s House in Islamabad during a meeting between the Shehbaz and a nine-member Google delegation led by Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson White. US Charge d&#39;Affaires Natalie Baker also accompanied the delegation.

Shehbaz, White, Baker and other dignitaries jointly unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the opening, which the government described as an important development in Pakistan&#39;s digital transformation journey.

Welcoming the Google delegation, Shehbaz said Pakistan was undergoing a major digital transformation in governance, including the digitisation of the economy, and outlined the government&#39;s vision of &quot;Digital Nation Pakistan&quot;.

He said several initiatives aimed at developing the country&#39;s digital ecosystem were already at an advanced stage of implementation, while the government remained committed to upgrading IT infrastructure and expanding training programmes for young people in information technology and artificial intelligence.

The prime minister stressed the importance of working with a global technology company such as Google to achieve these objectives and welcomed the establishment of its local office, saying it would further strengthen the partnership between Pakistan and the company.

Shehbaz also appreciated Google&#39;s contribution to Pakistan&#39;s digital economy and its initiatives aimed at helping young Pakistanis acquire skills and secure productive employment. He expressed hope that the company would further expand its programmes for youth upskilling and empowerment following the establishment of its local presence.

Google&#39;s Cluster Director for Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand, Farhan Qureshi, said the company&#39;s decision to establish an office reflected its confidence in Pakistan&#39;s digital future and the capabilities of its people.

&quot;We are opening Google&#39;s office in Pakistan because we believe deeply in the country&#39;s digital future and its talent,&quot; Qureshi said, adding that the local presence would strengthen Google&#39;s commitment to accelerating Pakistan&#39;s digital transformation.

He said the office would build on years of partnerships and initiatives designed to create long-term opportunities, while the company&#39;s engagement with local partners in Chromebook assembly would support Pakistan&#39;s ambition of becoming a regional technology and export hub.

Qureshi said Google&#39;s programmes, combined with the growing local hardware ecosystem, could help drive higher-value, AI-powered growth across the country.

White briefed the prime minister on the Google&#39;s future plans and said the local office would deepen the company&#39;s commitment to accelerating Pakistan&#39;s digital transformation and build on its existing partnerships to create long-term opportunities for young people and help local businesses reach international markets.

He also expressed satisfaction over the Chromebook assembly line established by Google with local partners, saying there was strong potential for devices assembled in Pakistan to be exported to other countries in the region.

White said Google recognised the significant potential of Pakistan&#39;s young population and was interested in expanding its upskilling programmes in information technology, artificial intelligence, gaming and other emerging areas.

Google said its engagement with Pakistan had already produced several initiatives focused on digital skills, entrepreneurship, developers, gaming, hardware manufacturing and online safety.

Under its digital-skilling initiatives, Google said it had partnered with the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication to expand digital and AI skills, support the growth of startups and the gaming industry, and introduce localised AI tools.

Since 2022, Google said it had awarded 350,000 Career Certificate scholarships in Pakistan, with more than 80% of graduates reporting either a new job or business growth within six months of completing their programmes.

The company said its Google Developer Groups had reached 300,000 developers in Pakistan, while its &#39;AI Seekho&#39; programme had trained 50,000 developers in generative AI and Google Cloud technologies.

Google also highlighted its efforts to strengthen the country&#39;s gaming and applications ecosystem through its Think Apps initiative and App Design Masterclasses, saying the programmes had supported 120 local gaming and app studios developing applications that have achieved significant international downloads.

Another major component of Google&#39;s engagement has been the local assembly of Chromebooks. Google, Tech Valley, Allied and the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation launched a local Chromebook assembly line with a target of producing 500,000 devices.

The company said the initiative was intended to support education, create employment and strengthen Pakistan&#39;s capacity to manufacture and potentially export technology hardware.

Google also pointed to its Digital Safar initiative, through which it said more than 300,000 students and 5,000 educators had been trained in digital citizenship and online safety. The programme integrates &#39;Be Internet Awesome with Gemini Academy&#39; to promote responsible use of digital technology.

According to Google, its various programmes and initiatives have equipped more than one million teachers, students, developers and creators in Pakistan with digital skills. The company further stated that its products and programmes had supported Rs3.9 trillion in economic benefits for Pakistani businesses and households and sustained 965,000 jobs.

With a permanent office now established in Pakistan, Google said its focus would shift towards expanding these programmes in cooperation with the government and partners across the country&#39;s digital ecosystem.

The company said its broader objective was to help build a &quot;Future Forward Pakistan&quot; that could benefit from artificial intelligence, digital skills and technology-driven economic opportunities.

The development comes as the government seeks to expand Pakistan&#39;s IT sector and strengthen its position in the regional digital economy. The opening of Google&#39;s local office is expected to provide a more permanent platform for cooperation in areas including digital skills, AI, software development, hardware manufacturing, online safety and support for local businesses.

Shehbaz said the government would continue to invest in Pakistan&#39;s young population and modern technology, while Google&#39;s representatives reaffirmed the company&#39;s interest in expanding its engagement with the country&#39;s rapidly developing digital ecosystem.]]>
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			<title>Over 300,000 put under 1,291 smart lockdowns</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2242020/smart-lockdown-imposed-1292-areas-across-pakistan-ncoc-told</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2242020/smart-lockdown-imposed-1292-areas-across-pakistan-ncoc-told#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 20 15:20:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Razya Khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2242020</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Punjab, Sindh cross grim mark of 50,000 cases]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was informed on Saturday that smart lockdowns had been enforced in 1,292 localities across the country during the last 24 hours to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.

The forum, which serves as the nerve centre of the country’s unified efforts to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, heard that a total of 308,600 people now remain under the restrictions in various parts of the country.

A total of 10 localities in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), having a population of 60,000, were put under smart lockdown, the forum was told. The smart lockdowns had been enforced in 844 localities of Punjab, confining 15,200 people.

Similarly, the lockdown had been imposed in 414 localities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with a population of 11,000, seven localities in Sindh with a population of 7,000, 12 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and five areas in Gilgit-Baltistan.

It was also informed that the federal and provincial authorities were ensuring compliance with the health guidelines and instructions, particularly regarding workplaces, industrial sector, transport, markets and shops, besides pursuing the track, trace and quarantine (TTQ) strategy.

The NCOC meeting, chaired by Planning Minister Asad Umar, was also informed that over 13,116 violations of health guidelines were observed across the country in the last 24 hours and punitive actions were taken against 1,541 markets and shops, 33 industrial units and 1,429 vehicles.

Later, the NCOC released details of ventilators and beds’ availability for Covid-19 patients across the country. According to a statement, 379 beds, 68 oxygenated beds and 43 ventilators were available in AJK. Though there was no patient on the ventilator there.

In Balochistan, 2,148 beds, 262 oxygenated beds and 36 ventilators were available for the virus patients. It said that no Covid-19 patient in the province was on ventilator. There were 151 beds, 43 oxygenated beds, 28 ventilators available in Gilgit, where one patient was on ventilator.

Islamabad had 514 beds, 262 oxygenated beds, 90 ventilators, while 18 patients were on ventilators, the NCOC said, adding that 4,856 beds, 1,081 oxygenated beds and 340 ventilators were available in K-P, where 85 patients were on ventilators.

In the most-affected provinces, 9,276 beds, 3,500 oxygen beds and 387 ventilators were available in Punjab, where 233 patients were on ventilators, while 8,274 beds, 739 oxygenated beds and 368 ventilators were available in Sindh, where 83 patients were on ventilators.

50,000 cases

Punjab and Sindh, two of the most populous provinces of the country, each crossed the grim mark of 50,000 coronavirus cases on Saturday, as the country endured another day of over 6,000 new infections amid a record-breaking surge in the pandemic.

In the last 24 hours, each of the two provinces recorded more than 2,000 new cases. According to the official data released on Saturday morning, the number of recoveries also crossed 50,000. However, as the day progressed, more Covid-19 positive cases were confirmed.

By midnight, the nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients stood at 135,943 with 50,087 cases in Punjab, 51,518 in Sindh, 17,450 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 8,028 in Balochistan, 1,093 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 7,163 in Islamabad and 604 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has so far, claimed at least 2,597 lives.

The NCOC said that some 839,019 people had so far been tested, with nearly 30,000 tests conducted over the past 24 hours. The data showed that death ratio in confirmed cases also rose to 2%, from 1.7% earlier, while recoveries also climbed from 20% to 32%.

Spread among medical staff

According to the data, 3,858 health workers, treating the virus coronavirus patients, have also fallen victims to this pandemic. The disease has so far, claimed the lives of 36 health workers – 14 in Sindh, 7 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 5 in Balochistan, 6 in Punjab, 2 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 2 in Islamabad.

According to the report, the health workers affected by coronavirus included 2,327 doctors, 476 nurses and 1,055 other staff. Among them, 266 health workers are being treated in various hospitals, including 3 on ventilators due to their critical condition. Over 1,450 have recovered so far.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)]]>
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			<title>Tales of survivors: ‘Isolation, not coronavirus, was my worst nightmare’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2188962/tales-survivors-isolation-not-coronavirus-worst-nightmare</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2188962/tales-survivors-isolation-not-coronavirus-worst-nightmare#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 20 17:32:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Sher Wali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2188962</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[I was convinced that if my time is not up, this virus can never kill me]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[I’ve lived my worst nightmare. It wasn’t the coronavirus, but the prolonged treatment [read: observation] in isolation that made it a hellish experience. Imagine being confined to a tiny room with no social interaction whatsoever for almost a month. Doctors and nurses were the only visitors, who, too, would check on me once or twice a day.

If you’re sick, you need your loved-ones around you. The sense of having someone who cares about you gives you strength to fight illness. Conversely, social isolation makes you more vulnerable to sickness. Your immune system doesn’t respond properly in isolation and it takes you longer to heal.

In my case, it wasn’t me alone; my wife also shared the isolation ordeal at Mohammadabad Hospital, in Danyore, Gilgit-Baltistan. Interestingly, she didn’t have any symptoms, but tested positive for the virus. We both were in the isolation ward, while our five kids were at home – alone and worried.

The ordeal started after a trip to Iran. My wife and I went in a group of 22 pilgrims to visit the holy shrines in Iran. We mostly stayed in Qom, though our pilgrimage also took us to Mashhad, and to neighbouring Iraq.

Tales of survivors: ‘Never before had I seen doctors dressed up like aliens’

On Feb 22, we were preparing to return to Pakistan when we heard about the outbreak of some contagious disease in Qom. Until then, I didn’t know much about the coronavirus.

On Feb 25, we took a flight for Lahore. At Tehran airport, they didn’t allow anyone to board the flight without screening. Neither of us was sick. At Lahore airport, we were screened again. We drove to Rawalpindi where we stayed for two days. While fellow pilgrims dispersed, we took a bus for Gilgit on Feb 28 and reached our village Nomal, some 15km from Gilgit city, in the evening.

In the night I felt feverish. I took it for travel fatigue, took over-the-counter fever reducers from my neighbour and tried to sleep. It didn’t help. I started having chills.

Next morning, I called up the District Headquarters Hospital Gilgit and told medics about my travel and fever. A team of doctors immediately came to see me and my wife. We were then driven to the DHQ hospital in an ambulance. They took samples to test us for the novel coronavirus, while we were shifted to the Civil Hospital Basin. The samples were sent to National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad for PCR test because the facility wasn’t available in Gilgit-Baltistan. I lost my appetite but I tried to force-feed myself so that I could gather some energy to fight off my illness. After a couple of days, our test reports were received from NIH: both of us were positive for COVID-19.

After the diagnosis, they shifted us to the Mohammadabad Hospital, where we were to stay for the next 25 days. Interestingly, by now my fever was gone, while I had no cough, no muscle soreness, no sore throat, and no shortness of breath. My appetite returned to normal [I started eating more than I normally do]. My wife remained asymptomatic throughout all this time.

Tales of survivors: How I became Pakistan's first COVID-19 patient

I’m a 51-year-old ex-serviceman and my wife is 45. I had heard that the coronavirus could be fatal for people of my age and older. Doctors sought to reassure me. But honestly, I wasn’t scared one bit. It is part of our faith that every living being has to die one day. I knew if I was destined to die, I’d die no matter what. But if my time is not up, this virus can never kill me.

We were tested several times during our 25-day nightmarish sojourn. We had no symptoms, but would still test positive. I’ve heard that my wife’s reports were mixed up with another patient’s at the NIH.

Luckily, the PCR testing facility was made available in Gilgit in the meantime and we were tested locally for the first time. The results were negative and a repeat test a day later confirmed the virus was out of our bodies. It was a huge relief.

We were discharged from the hospital on March 28, but doctors said we should avoid socialising for 14 days. We’ve rented a house in Gilgit city to spend these two weeks here. It’s been five days now and we are counting the days till we are completely in the clear.

My advice to the sick: Don’t dread this virus. Keep your faith in God and power up your will, Inshallah you will defeat it. To everyone else, I say take all precautions possible. If not out of concern for the virus, then think of the ordeal isolation can create.

 (Narrated to Naveed Hussain)]]>
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			<title>'We honour his sacrifice': Dr Usama's fight against COVID-19</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2182160/honour-sacrifice-dr-usamas-fight-covid-19</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2182160/honour-sacrifice-dr-usamas-fight-covid-19#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 20 06:55:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shabbir.mir]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2182160</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It is a national tragedy and we will award him the status of national hero, says G-B CM]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[“We will again see what the issue is, and if they [quarantined pilgrims] need further treatment, they will be shifted to DHQ or city hospital, but if they can be treated here, we will provide treatment to them here.”

These were the last words of young doctor Usama Riaz, heard in a video recorded at a quarantine centre at Sakwar, Gilgit – where he ultimately ended up contracting the novel coronavirus while checking pilgrims returning from Iran and Iraq.

“Usama was continuously on duty and unfortunately was without proper protective gear necessary to handle coronavirus patient,” said a doctor referring to his video in which Riaz is seen wearing an ordinary mask. The video went viral on social media attracting sympathies for the young doctor.

Pakistani volunteers 3D-print ventilators, join war against COVID-19

According to relatives, Riaz returned home on Friday night from duty and went to bed. “But he couldn’t wake up next morning,” said the relative, adding he was rushed to combined military hospital (CMH) and then the district headquarter (DHQ) hospital where a CT scan machine was found to be out of order. The relatives appealed for airlifting him to Islamabad for treatment but that did not materialize either.

The 26-years-old Riaz, who was a resident of Chilas town, was then put on a ventilator at DHQ Gilgit, where he remained for the next three days before passing away on Sunday.

“It’s a national tragedy and we will award him the status of national hero,” Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman told The Express Tribune.

“He was our frontline defence and we honour his sacrifice.”

Riaz’s death brings the tally of fatalities to five in Pakistan. The country has so far above 800 known cases of the virus. Sindh has reported the highest number of cases.

Mehtabur Rehman, a local journalist, who visited the quarantine centre said, “I visited the centre where Usama was deputed and found the situation deplorable”.

“As far as protective gear, there was no such thing on the ground,” said the journalist who was later put on quarantine on ‘suspicion’ of visiting the centre without following the standard operating procedures. Rehman termed the quarantine as a vendetta for exposing the government’s false claims.

Young doctor screening coronavirus patients dies of COVID-19 in Gilgit

The Pakistan Medical Association of Gilgit-Baltistan (PMA G-B) reacted to Riaz’s death and accused the government of showing negligence towards genuine issues of the doctors.

“Dr Riaz had contracted COVID-19 due to the negligence of government and its health department,” said President PMA G-B Dr Zulfiqar Ali while addressing a press conference in Gilgit.]]>
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			<title>New coronavirus case emerges in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan's tally rises to 20</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2173948/new-coronavirus-case-emerges-gilgit-baltistan-pakistans-tally-rises-20</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2173948/new-coronavirus-case-emerges-gilgit-baltistan-pakistans-tally-rises-20#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 20 09:27:47 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The 14-year-old boy, a resident of Skardu, was held at an isolation centre where he tested positive for COVID-19]]>
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				<![CDATA[The second coronavirus case of Gilgit-Baltistan emerged on Wednesday, raising Pakistan’s tally of total confirmed cases to 20.

The 14-year-old boy, a resident of Skardu, was held at an isolation centre where he tested positive for the mysterious viral pneumonia-like disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

So far 20 Pakistanis have been tested positive for COVID-19 with 15 of them belonging to Sindh, four in Gilgit-Baltistan now and one in Balochistan.

First coronavirus case surfaces in Quetta, raising Pakistan’s tally to 19

On Tuesday, the first coronavirus case emerged in the Balochistan capital. The 12-year-old patient had arrived in Quetta along with his parents from Iran via Taftan border, head of a government hospital said.

The family belongs to Dadu district in Sindh, said the medical superintendent (MS) of Fatima Jinnah Hospital, adding that parents, three siblings and paternal aunt of the child are tested negative.

One patient has already fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital in Karachi last week.

Meanwhile, Dr Zafar Mirza, the de facto health minister, has said the federal government is looking closely at the changing situation and new cases are being provided with the best medical care.

“No need to worry… the situation is completely under control. The federal and provincial governments are jointly making all-out efforts to protect the masses from coronavirus on war footing,” he wrote using his official Twitter handle.

Dr Mirza admitted that the coronavirus cases in Pakistan had doubled in the last 24 hours.

“This is not surprising. Disease has spread in 106 countries. All 19 cases have brought this from abroad. All are stable. There is no evidence of local spread as yet. If we act responsibly we can avoid spread,” he wrote.

He also advised the public to observe hygiene by washing hands properly, avoid touching face and keeping distance with sick people.

“The government is working hard to contain the spread, but we all need to take our part in this fight,” he added.

All educational institutions in Sindh and Balochistan have been closed till March 13 over fear of the contagious disease’s outbreak.

The mysterious COVID-19 virus, which originated in a vet market of the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has since then spread to more than 110 countries of the world, killing over 4,000 and infecting over 115,000 people, mostly in China thus far.

But new outbreaks in Europe, the Middle East and in Asia have fanned fears of the contagion taking hold in poor nations that lack the healthcare infrastructure to cope.

There are growing fears in Pakistan — sandwiched between China and Iran, both hotspots for the disease — over how the country would deal with the outbreak.]]>
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