Day: June 20, 2021

KARACHI:As many as 37 more patients died of coronavirus in Pakistan during the last 24 hours while 1,050 new virus cases emerged. The country-wide death toll from the virus has surged to 21,977 so far since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020.

According to a Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination report issued on Sunday, a total of 948,268 people have been tested positive for the coronavirus disease in the country since its outbreak in February 2020, out of which 331,659 cases were in Sindh, 344,970 in Punjab, 26,585 in Balochistan, 136,973 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 82,344 in Islamabad, 5,803 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 19,934 in Azad Kashmir. However, 892,319 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

KARACHI:Provincial Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu said on Sunday that Imran Khan’s government had ignored the youth of Sindh in federal Jobs.

The rural Sindh quota in federal jobs is 11.4%. Under the rural quota, 1,08,799 employees should have been appointed in federal institutions but only 73,545 jobs have been given to the youth of Sindh,” he said in a statement.

He further said that the rural Sindh had got 35,254 jobs less than the quota. He questioned why Punjab and KP provinces were given more than one lakh additional jobs. Rahu said that 7,755 from Punjab and 94,423 employees from KP are more than their quota in federal institutions while Sindh, Azad Kashmir, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan were ignored in the federal recruitment.

“The provincial quota system is not being implemented on recruitment in federal agencies which is violation of constitution of Pakistan,” he said. The provincial minister said that the federation had robbed Sindh of water, jobs, gas, NFC award and development schemes.

He observed: “PTI allies from Sindh are also silent over this matter as they are afraid that their ministries will be taken away from them if they raise their voice on the issues of Sindh.” He said that PPP was the only party which had delivered for the masses of Sindh.

KARACHI:In a bid to provide safe and reliable electricity to its consumers, K-Electric said in a statement on Sunday that continued its drive against the menace of Kunda and generator mafia across the city.

With the support of Electric Inspector Karachi (EIK) representative, Khalid Qaimkhani, KE media and security teams alongside Law Enforcement Agencies, 08 generators located in 06 different areas of Liaquatabad were successfully disconnected.

More than 1,750 residential and commercial buildings were being powered through illegal installations of 75 KVA to 150 KVA generators in Block 3, 4, 10, Quwait ul Islam Colony and Nairang Commercial zones in Liaquatabad.

Similarly, during another raid in Landhi an extremely hazardous underground cable being used for illicit extraction of electricity was disconnected by KE teams of IBC Landhi. While the residents have been urged to abstain from such malpractices and shift to legal and safe metered connections.

During the crackdown, KE teams were faced with aggressive resistance from the area locals backed by the generator mafia, who were neither following Covid-19 safety protocols. Officials of EIK also issued warning to the owners of the generators, and initial reports were filed, while further raids are expected over the days to come.

The unauthorized use of KE infrastructure, by generator mafia, for illegal power supply, poses severe public-safety hazards and causes serious accidents in *monsoon season*. It was further clarified that provision of electricity in License Area, other than by K-Electric, is in violation of NEPRA Act 1997, section 21, and there is an urgent need to take action against such malpractices.