Pakistan

Suspects involved in Islamabad suicide bombing ‘arrested’

Published

11 months ago

Farwa

Sanaullah says four to five suspects, including handlers, in custody.
Says banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan accepted responsibility.
The suicide attack left one cop dead and wounded several others.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Tuesday said that the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have arrested suspects involved in last week’s suicide bombing in Islamabad.

“The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) accepted the responsibility for the attack,” the minister told Geo News, about the incident, which claimed the life of a policeman and wounded several others.

He said the “taxi driver is innocent”, and he was not involved in the attack as the suspects had taken the cab on rent from him. The suspects, according to Sanaullah, travelled from Kurram Agency to Rawalpindi.

Last Friday, a suicide attacker, riding a cab with a woman, blew himself up when four bike-riding cops of Eagle Squad intercepted them at Sector I-10/4 — sending the federal capital into a frenzy.

As a result of the blast a police official was martyred, while seven — including a policeman and civilians were injured — police told the media. Later, a joint investigation team (JIT) was formed to probe the suicide bombing.

“We have rounded up four to five suspects and their handlers have also been apprehended,” the security czar said as several embassies — including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Australia — warned their citizens not to travel unnecessarily in the federal capital.

The first was the US, which advised its mission personnel to avoid “non-essential and unofficial” travel in the federal capital throughout the holiday season. Later, other countries issued similar advisories.

Pakistan is battling a fresh wave of terrorism after the outlawed TTP announced ending a ceasefire with the country and upped attacks on civilians and security forces alike.

As many as nine intermittent blasts hit Balochistan leaving five soldiers, including a captain, martyred and injuring 15 others on Sunday.

Earlier this month, militants took over a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) compound in KP’s Bannu area, which was cleared by the Pakistan Army three days later. However, four soldiers embraced martyrdom and 10 sustained injuries.

But the government and the army have expressed the resolve to ensure that the rising terror will be nipped in the bud before it grows out of hand.

In his address during a ceremony a day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his resolve to uproot the menace of terrorism by using all resources available in Pakistan.

“We are working hard to prevent them. We will employ all resources to uproot terrorism to bring peace in Pakistan,” he added.

Pakistan

Sindh schools winter vacations from Dec 22

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Thursday announced the winter vacation schedule for public and private educational institutions across the province.

According to a notification issued by the Sindh School, Education, and Literacy Department, the educational institutions in the province will observe winter vacation from December 22 to 31.

“In pursuance of decisions taken in the steering committee meeting, all public and private educational institutions under the administrative control of School Education and Literacy Department Government of Sindh shall remain closed w.e.f 22-12,023 to 31-12,023 for Winter Vacation.”

Sindh schools winter vacations from Dec 22

After the winter break, the educational institutions will reopen on Friday (January 1, 2024).

Meanwhile, the new academic year in the public and private schools across Sindh will commence on April 15, 2024, and August 1, 2024, in the colleges.

The matriculation and intermediate exams will be started from the last week of May 2024, while the results will be announced on July 31 and the second week of August, respectively.

Pakistan

COAS Gen Asim Munir meets Kuwaiti crown prince

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to meet Kuwaiti crown prince today.
Both army chief and PM are in Kuwait on official visit.
PM Office says multiple MoUs expected to be signed during visit.

Army chief General Asim Munir on Tuesday met Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as part of his official visit to the gulf country, reported Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The meeting was also attended by Caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam, Pakistan Ambassador to Kuwait Malik Mohammad Farooq and other members of the delegation.

Meanwhile, PM Kakar has also arrived in Kuwait City after concluding the UAE visit and is expected to meet the crown prince today, the PM Office said on Wednesday.

The premier will also meet his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The PM office said that a number of memorandum of understanding (MoUs) will be signed for mutual cooperation in various sectors including manpower, information technology, minerals and mining, food security, energy and defence.

In UAE, Pakistan signed several MoUs worth multi-billion dollars in a range of areas on Monday to boost economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries, PM Kakar said.

The prime minister said with the signing of the MoUs, the bilateral economic and strategic relations had entered into a new era of bilateral cooperation.

Congratulating the people of Pakistan and the UAE, he said the foundation of friendship with Pakistan which was laid by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, had been taken forward by his son Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to a new era.

PM Kakar expressed the hope that the MoUs that were signed by the two countries would turn into tangible projects very soon.

Pakistan

Haj 2024: Pakistanis to get ‘free SIMs with internet’

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

Caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed said Tuesday that the government would provide free-of-cost mobile SIMs with roaming internet packages to Pakistanis performing Haj in 2024.

In conversation with a private news channel, the caretaker minister said abayas would also be given to female pilgrims, having a Pakistani flag on the backside, and 13kg suitcases would be given to all.

The minister called the reduction of around Rs100,000 in the Haj cost a “historic step” taken by the caretaker government, noting that a further Rs50,000 would be slashed and the amount would be refunded to the people in their accounts.

He said a new mobile application has been designed to assist pilgrims, which will provide navigation support and enable constant communication between pilgrims and relevant officials.

Initially available in English and Urdu, the application will later incorporate various regional languages, he said, adding, that the app would also provide digital training programmes to every pilgrim.

The minister also disclosed a project that Haj ministry, with the collaboration of the education ministry, has planned to convert city mosques into schools to enroll out-of-school children where the mosques’ imams would play a leading role.

The minister said that mosques will play their role as community centers in every city areas, adding that imams will resolve community issues as well after offering prayers.

He said that haj ministry is taking all four provinces on board and enhancing the connectivity of mosques.

While describing another project, the minister said that his ministry with the collaboration of the health ministry has another project in the works, in which medical clinics will also be part of mosques.