Category: Metropolitan Cities

The timings of federally-run educational institutions have been revised due to the increasing risk of heatwave on Friday.

As per details, Secretary of Education Mohiuddin Wani stated that due to the rise in temperature intensity, the working hours of federal educational institutions have been changed.

According to the Secretary of Education, federal educational institutions will now open from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The new timing has been enforced with immediate effect and will remain until summer vacations.

The Secretary of Education mentioned that the purpose of changing the timings is to protect students and teachers from the expected heatwave.

On the other hand, the Meteorological Department has said that the weather in Karachi will remain hot and humid today as well, with daytime temperatures expected to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius.

According to the Meteorological Department, the heat intensity can be felt between 41 to 42 degrees Celsius, with the minimum temperature recorded at 28 degrees Celsius.

Heatwave Conditions are likely to develop over most parts of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh from Tuesday. Farmers are advised to remain extra cautious and plan agricultural activity accordingly. NDMA also advised the general public to take necessary precautions.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Unicef Country Representative Abdullah A. Fadil in their meeting at CM House today agreed to launch a Child Protection Program to strengthen evidence-based policy and legislation.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Secretary School Educatio0n Zahid Abbasi, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Health Rehan Baloch, Secretary Social Welfare Sajid Jama Abro, PD Zubair Channa. The UNICEF delegation members include Chief Field Officer Prem Chand, Executive Officer Ms Xene, health Specialist Dr Kamal and others.

Child Protection: The CM and the Unicef country chief after a thorough discussion agreed that Unicef would foster enabling Environment to strengthen evidence-based policy and legislation under child labour survey; child protection policy; birth registration by-laws; protection from child online abuse and exploitation; prevention strategies would be carried out to reduce child protection violations and harmful traditional practices.

The key points of the program for Child Protection include prevention of child marriage, parenting packages for positive parent-child interaction, Child Online Protection- ethical and safe use of cyber technology; Strengthening of community-based protection structures, Service Strengthening to deliver equity-based gender-responsive services for children and adolescents, Case management and referral system including Certified of Proficiency in information system management (CPMIS), Capacity strengthening of the child protection workforce and Community-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) including in humanitarian situation.

Health: The CM was told that UNICEF was supporting strengthening the health system for inclusive, resilient, equitable, and gender-responsiveness within the framework of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). UNICEF also supports improving Maternal and Neonatal Child Health (MNCH) services for equitable access and utilisation,” he said.

The meeting agreed that UNICEF would support the health department for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) for better immunisation services for full immunisation of all children.

Nutrition: In the meeting, the chief minister and the UNICEF Country chief agreed to launch a strong nutrition-responsive system in the health department to ensure optimal nutrition for mothers and children, improved nutrition for adolescents and middle-aged children, functional multisectoral coordination for Early Childhood Development (ECD) and nutrition.

UNICEF committed $300,000 for a responsive system for which the CM directed the health department to fulfil the requirements so that funds could be channelised.

Polio: The chief minister said that the eradication of Polio was his top priority. He added that his government with the support of UNICEF and other partners have controlled polio.

Mr Shah said that the health department was working for better integration of EPI and expanded delivery of additional services to priority communities, as well as cultivating opportunities for increased community engagement. Supporting Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) with technical and human support for Polio eradication

Education: The chief minister was told that UNICEF was working with the school education department on certain initiatives such as the Robust Out-of-School Children Initiative with a focus on social mobilisation and institutional strengthening and scale-up of professional development of teachers.

WASH: The chief minister and the UNICEF Representative discussed the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program.

It may be noted that UNICEF provides technical support to the provincial government on climate-resilient infrastructure through urban and rural water supply and sanitation structures along with community mobilisation for the sustainability of services. Moreover, UNICEF also provides technical support to the Government in improving monitoring, information management, climate resilience, and environmental degradation.

Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bughti on Thursday said the Balochistan Youth Policy would be the manifestation to give effective representation to the youth of Balochistan; therefore, suggestions from all stakeholders be sought for framing the policy.

These views were expressed by him while chairing a meeting held at Chief Minister Secretariat regarding the Balochistan Youth Policy-2024. Domki said that counselling of youth in right direction was essential, adding Balochistan Youth Policy be framed in accordance with the requirements of Balochistan’s youth.

Gender equality be kept into consideration in Balochistan Youth Policy, he said, adding that providing opportunities to the youth to demonstrate their abilities be made the part of Balochistan Youth Policy. He directed the authorities of Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Balochistan to submit draft recommendations for framing Balochistan Youth Policy within a period of ten days.

The meeting was attended by MNA Nawabzada Jamal Raisani, Chief Secretary Balochistan, Shakeel Qadir Khan, Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Javed Anwar Shahwani, Chairperson Balochistan Women Commission, Fozia Shaheen and others.

The interior ministry told National Assembly (NA) on Thursday that Pakistan had witnessed 1,514 terrorism inicidents in 2023.

The interior ministry submitted a written report in the National Assembly regarding law and order situation of Pakistan. The report stated that 572 security personnel were marytred and 1292 were injured in the terror incidents in 2023, while 358 citizens lost their lives and 700 sustained wounds.

The report highlighted the worsening law and order situation in the country specially in KP, where 858 terror attacks were reported that claimed lives of 402 security personal and 178 civilians.

As many as 148 security personal were martyred and 198 were injured in 626 terror attacks in Balochistan during the past year, the report of the interior ministry said.

In Sindh, 8 security forces were martyred, 26 were injured, while 6 civilians also lost their lives in the terror incidents in 2023. Punjab witnessed eight terror incidents in 2023 that claimed lives of 11 seucirty personnel and a civilian. Nine security officials and 2 civilians were also injured.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, three security officials and six civilians were martyred in three terror incidents.

Islamabad High Court (IHC) today sought the record from Zartaj Gul’s counsel on a petition seeking the name removal of PTI leader and MNA Zartaj Gul from the Exit Control List (ECL).

IHC’s Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the case on Zartaj Gul’s name removal from ECL. During the hearing, the state counsel stated that Zartaj Gul’s name has been included in the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).

Upon inquiry from the court, the state counsel informed that Zartaj Gul’s name was included in PNIL on the order of Islamabad and Punjab police, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was responsible for including the name in PNIL.

State counsel added that five cases were registered against Zartaj Gul in Islamabad and Punjab. The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Usama, disclosed that Zartaj Gul has been granted bail in those cases. He reiterated that the name was being included in the PNIL list despite being on bail.

During the hearing, Justice Tariq Jahangiri inquired about how many cases Zartaj Gul has been granted bail in and ordered the petitioner to appear before the court in the next hearing. Consequently, IHC has adjourned the case hearing until next week by directing Zartaj Gul’s counsel to appear before the court in the next hearing with records.

Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan convened a meeting on Thursday at Jati Umrah in Lahore, where they vowed to prioritize sustainable development and elevate the standard of living for citizens in the province.

In a cordial exchange, CM Maryam extended her congratulations to Governor Khan on assuming office, underscoring their shared commitment to working for the progress of Punjab. Discussions encompassed a wide array of topics including economic development, governance, education, healthcare, law enforcement, climate change, and other pertinent issues.

Both leaders affirmed their dedication to fostering cooperation across various sectors to ensure the welfare of citizens throughout the province. CM Maryam particularly highlighted the ongoing upgrades to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and the initiation of several projects in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and information technology.

Moreover, she emphasized the implementation of a special social protection program designed to alleviate the hardships faced by underprivileged segments of society.

Governor Khan echoed these sentiments, pledging to exert every effort to alleviate public burdens and uphold constitutional and legal norms across Punjab. He assured full cooperation from the governor’s house in facilitating the prevalence of law and order.

Pronouncing a reserved verdict, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday dismissed the petition filed against the appointment of Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar as the country’s deputy prime minister.

Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan pronounced the reserved verdict on the petition filed by Ashaba Kamran in which she had argued that despite the fact that Dar already held the portfolio of a foreign minister, still he was appointed as the deputy prime minister.

The petitioner was of the view that the office of the deputy prime minister was neither mentioned in the constitution nor had any legal strength. She prayed to the court to declare the appointment of the respondent as deputy prime minister unlawful and unconstitutional.

A law officer told the court that the foreign minister had only been nominated, and not appointed as the deputy prime minister. Replying to a court query, he also said that Dar was not drawing a single penny against the office of the deputy prime minister.

The court after hearing both the sides at length reserved its verdict. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed as the country’s deputy prime minister two weeks ago.

“The prime minister has been pleased to designate Minister for Foreign Affairs, Muhammad Ishaq Dar as the deputy prime minister with immediate effect and until further orders,” a statement from the prime minister Office said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Dar’s son is married to the daughter of a three-time Prime Minister and Shehbaz Sharif’s elder brother, Nawaz Sharif.