Showing posts with label Lahore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lahore. Show all posts

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Three killed in rain related incidents in Lahore





LAHORE: Three persons including two sisters were killed and two others were injured in different rain related incidents in Lahore, Geo News reported on Tuesday.

According to the rescue sources, two sisters lost their lives when the roof of their fragile quarter came down in Singhpora area of Lahore due to heavy rain last night. The deceased sisters were identified as Iqra aged 16 and Muskan, 10.
On the other hand, a man was killed when one of the walls of his house collapsed in Badami Bagh area of Lahore last night. Two others also sustained injuries in the incident who were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Monday, 23 June 2014

Dr Tahirul Qadri refuses to get off at Lahore airport





ISLAMABAD: Emirates Airline flight EK-612 carrying Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has landed at the main terminal of Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore on Monday morning after being diverted from Islamabad.

According to media reports, Dr Qadri has refused to leave the plane as the authorities took him to Lahore instead of Islamabad.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) earlier told that the flight EK-612 of Emirates Airline carrying Dr Qadri was diverted to Lahore who was arriving from Dubai and landed at 9:35 am at the main terminal of Lahore airport.

The authority further told that other passengers will be flown to Islamabad after Dr Qadri is escorted at the Lahore airport.

On the other hand, a temporary helipad has been prepared at the Minhaj ul Quran Secretariat for the helicopter that will safely carry PAT chief to the secretariat.

Strict security measures were witnessed at the Lahore airport before Dr Qadri’s arrival.

Earlier, a larger number of PAT workers crossed all barriers to reach the Benazir International Airport to welcome their chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri who was expected to land in the federal capital earlier.

Dr Qadri's supporters clashed with police and chanted slogans against the government as law enforcers tried to prevent them from reaching the airport. The police baton charged the supporters and resorted to using tear gas to disperse the crowd near Faizabad.

Following clashes with supporters, the police finally had to retreat after enraged activists pelted them with stones. Dozens of policemen were injured in the clashes, hospital sources told.

The protesters carrying banners and flags of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, defying section 144 imposed by the government in the wake of the Qadris’ arrival continued their march to the airport.

Monday, 16 June 2014

Taliban threatens to burn palaces in Islamabad, Lahore




MIRANSHAH: The Pakistani Taliban on Monday warned foreign firms to leave the country and vowed retaliatory strikes against the government after tanks, ground troops and jets were deployed in a long-awaited offensive in a troubled tribal district.

The warning came as Pakistan´s major cities braced for revenge attacks by ramping up security at key installations and ordering soldiers to patrol the streets, while hospitals in the northwest prepared for incoming casualties.

The offensive on North Waziristan, a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants, was launched a week after a brazen insurgent attack on Pakistan´s main airport in Karachi which left dozens dead and marked the end of a troubled peace process.

Pakistan´s Western allies, particularly the United States, have long demanded an operation in the mountainous territory to flush out groups like the Haqqani network which use the area to target NATO troops in neighbouring Afghanistan. But authorities had held back from a final push -- possibly fearful of angering pro-Pakistan warlords and of opening too many fronts in their decade-long battle against homegrown Islamist insurgents.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) main spokesman Shahidullah Shahid warned foreign countries to stop doing business with the government and supporting their "apostate army". "We warn all foreign investors, airlines and multinational corporations that they should immediately suspend their ongoing matters with Pakistan and prepare to leave Pakistan, otherwise they will be responsible for their own loss," he said in a statement.

"We hold Nawaz Sharif´s government and the Punjabi establishment responsible for the loss of tribal Muslims´ life and property as a result of this operation," he added, vowing to "burn your palaces" in Islamabad and Lahore. The warning came as major cities beefed up their security, with troops seen patrolling the streets of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

"The security of the capital was already on alert, but a new alert has been issued," an Islamabad police spokesman told AFP. Police in Pakistan´s economic hub Karachi have declared a "red alert" and cancelled leave for all 27,000 personnel, spokesman Atiq Shaikh told AFP. And in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province which borders the tribal zone, the government has declared a state of emergency in all hospitals and asked them to prepare for incoming casualties, provincial health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai said in a statement.

Pakistani air force jets have been pounding suspected militant hideouts in the region since Sunday and have been joined by tanks and infantry engaging in heavy artillery strikes. An AFP reporter in the region´s main town of Miranshah said tanks were now occupying the bazaar as troops fire intermittently in the air to warn people not to leave their homes.

More than 2,000 troops could be seen at new posts set up in the mountains. Pakistan already had troops stationed in the tribal district, but these were reinforced in the days leading up to the offensive.

The death toll from the offensive so far stands at 177, according to the military, the majority through air strikes but some through sniper fire. The figures cannot be verified independently. In the town of Bannu 10 kilometres (6 miles) east of North Wazirstan, hundreds of military trucks with machine guns installed on top were on their way toward the fighting zone, as were oil tankers and a military field hospital.

At the Kashoo Bridge area, some 25 kilometres northeast of Bannu, tractors were busy levelling the ground to set up a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs).

Arshad Khan, Director General Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) said: "We have made arrangements to accomodate IDPs in two camps. "Some 62,000 people have fled the region so far into other parts of Pakistan according to official data, with "hundreds of thousands" eventually expected.

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

Govt only seems to own Lahore, Rawalpindi: Khursheed Shah





ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah Tuesday said failure to take timely decisions on part of the government has led to a clash among institutions which is ‘extremely dangerous’.

“Mr Prime Minister, lets join hands and save the country,” Khursheed Shah asserted while addressing the legislators from the floor of lower house.

He lamented that the incumbent government only seems to own Lahore and Rawalpindi.

“Had the government invested Rs40 billion on electricity project instead of Metro Bus it would have served the people better,” he argued, adding when the urban centers are enduring up to 12-14-hour duration of power outages per day what to talk of the rural parts of the country.

He said Khawaja Asif, dressed in a suit and tie, used to frequent the Supreme Court to take the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to task during the previous government. “Today he (Khwaja Asif) himself is the Minister for Power, what is stopping him now to resolve the electricity crisis,” he asked.

Khursheed Shah said his party stands with the present government for strengthening the democracy. But, the government will have to abandon the anti-people policies, he warned.

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Three minor sisters burnt alive in Lahore

LAHORE: Three minor sisters were burnt alive when their one-room house caught fire here on the Zaildar Road, Ichhara, on Wednesday.

Four-year-old Khadeja, two-year-old Aliya and three-year-old Noor Fatima were caught in flames when a fire broke out in their house due to a short circuit. Police said the incident occurred at the residence of Muhammad Saleem, a mason by profession. The parents, Saleem and his wife Shabnam, were not home.

“It is a tragedy beyond description,” said a local Mazhar Khan. “All the dead were minor girls.” Another neighbour said: “There were at least three children in the house. It is just terrifying to think that something like this could happen. The victims’ parents are poor and both had gone out to earn their living.”

Some locals saw smoke billowing from the house. They banged on the door, shouted and that seemed to wake the children up. They tried to get into the house through the front door but it was locked. Risking their lives, they entered the house after breaking down the door and brought out the affected girls.

The first thing that struck the rescuers was the conspicuous absence of tap water in the area as most of the locals living there did not have water tanks or containers at their homes. Locals bought bottles of mineral water to douse the flames. By the time, the three innocent children were burnt alive.

Khadeja and Aliya were brought dead to the Services Hospital. Noor was first rushed to the Services Hospital and later removed to the Burns Unit, Mayo Hospital, but the hospital refused to facilitate the three-year-old Noor. She was rushed back to the Services Hospital where she died of her burns.

A local said that the fire broke out in the house at around 10:54am and they informed the 1122 Rescue at 11am. He said that the rescue teams reached the spot at 12:22pm. By that time, the girls had been pulled out of the house and rushed to hospital.

The locals strongly condemned the Rescue 1122 and said that despite making repeated calls, the rescuers did not reach the spot. They demanded of the higher authorities to look into the negligence of the Rescue 1122 and the doctors who did not accommodate the minor girl Noor, who had become a bone of contention between the two hospitals and subsequently succumbed to her burns.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed deep grief over the death of three minor girls. According to a handout, he announced financial assistance of Rs500,000 for the bereaved family. He ordered an inquiry into the incident and appointed the DCO Lahore as the inquiry officer.

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Two minor girls burnt to death in Lahore





LAHORE: Two minot girls were burnt to death and another critically injured in their house in Ichhra area of Lahore, Geo News reported.

Rescue sources said the fire erupted in the house when the mother of the ill-fated girls turned on the stove in the kitchen and went to buy some commodities from the market.

On the other hands, some sources said the fire erupted due to short circuit.

Rescue personnel and local residents doused the fire that killed the siblings aged between 3-5 years.

Friday, 30 May 2014

Lahore: Four arrested in 'honour killing' case



LAHORE: Police investigating the murder of a pregnant woman bludgeoned to death outside a court have arrested four men including her uncle and two cousins, a senior officer said Friday.

Farzana Parveen was killed on Tuesday outside the Lahore High Court by more than two dozen attackers armed with bricks, including numerous relatives, for marrying against her family´s wishes.

The brazen, brutal nature of the killing, in broad daylight in the centre of Pakistan´s second largest city, has triggered outrage around the world.

Police were apparently at the scene, but did not intervene.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday told Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is his brother, to take immediate action on the case.

"Special investigation teams set up by police on the directive of the chief minister arrested four more people including an uncle and two cousins of the slain woman and a driver on Thursday night," senior police official Zulfiqar Hameed told on Friday.

The new arrests bring the number held over the killing to five, after Parveen´s father was detained at the scene of the attack.

Shahbaz Sharif has ordered police to round up all those involved within 24 hours.

He has also directed that the case should be heard in an anti-terrorism court. This should mean it moves more quickly than in a regular court.

Pakistan´s regular courts are notoriously slow, with many cases dragging on for years with little progress.

The country´s Supreme Court took suo moto and demanded a police report on the incident within 48 hours.

The United States branded Parveen´s killing as "heinous", with a State Department spokeswoman denouncing "violence that occurs in the name of tradition and honour, such as so-called honour killings".

In a macabre twist to the case, on Thursday Parveen´s husband Mohammad Iqbal admitted to that he had strangled his first wife -- but was spared prison because he was forgiven for the act by his son

"I was in love with Farzana and killed my first wife because of this love," Iqbal said.

When she was killed, Parveen was arriving at court to testify in Iqbal´s defence after he was accused by her relatives of kidnapping her and forcing her into marriage.

Friday, 23 May 2014

First Pakistani metro train to run in Lahore


 













SHANGHAI: The first metro train in the history of the country will run in Lahore. The historic 27-kilometre-long elevated mass transit project will cost $1.6 billion and is aimed at facilitating the commuters through the city.

Pakistan and China on Thursday signed the framework agreement on the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project.Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif signed the pact from Pakistan’s side at a ceremony, which was also witnessed by President Mamnoon Hussain and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chairman of the Chinese National Development Reforms Commission signed the pact.

Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz said that the metro train would be a unique project and a milestone in Pakistan’s history. He further said that the metro train project would facilitate the commuters.

The train route will start from Ali Town to Thokar Niaz Baig, from Multan Road to Scheme Mor, Chowburji, MAO College, Mall Road, Lakshmi Chowk and Railway Station, from Garhi Shahu Bridge to GT Road and UET and from Pakistan Mint to Dera Gojran.

He said the project would begin by the end of this year and Chinese authorities would invest, design, construct and monitor the project.

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Fire engulfs Lahore godown



LAHORE: A fire erupted at a godown located near a Utility Store in Hinjarwal area of the city on late Saturday night.

According to reports, the huge fire engulfed a Ghee godown within minutes and fire fighters were unable to douse the blaze through the night.

According to latest reports, Fire Brigade was still trying to douse the fire.

Friday, 2 May 2014

The News Lahore team condemns attack on Hamid Mir

LAHORE: The News Lahore team Thursday organised a protest demonstration outside Jang/Geo offices at Davis Road to condemn the murder attempt on senior anchorperson Hamid Mir and to express solidarity with Jang/Geo.

The protesters, carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favor of Hamid Mir and Jang/Geo, condemned in strongest words the attack on the anchorperson. They termed the attack on Hamid Mir as an attack on the whole independent media. They demanded Hamid Mir’s attackers’ arrest as soon as possible.

They said journalists of Jang/Geo have rendered great sacrifices for democracy, freedom of press and freedom of expression and it would continue the same in future as well. They said through such coward acts like attacking and threatening journalists, the journalist community would not be scared and it would continue expressing its right of informing public about the truth. They said the government should introduce a law for all secret agencies to have a check on their working to avoid such circumstances, adding that the government should also adopt protecting measures for journalists.

Those who participated in the protest include Mansoor Ahmed, Babar Dogar, Ali Raza, Amer Malik, Khalid Khattak, Faizan Bangash, Waqar Gilani, Shehzada Irfan Ahmed, Sadia Salahuddin, Khan Numan Wahab, Sajid Bashir, Shahid Aslam, Sher Ali, Rubina Nazir, Akmal Bhatti, Mansoor Ahmed and Tariq Saeed and others.

Thursday, 10 April 2014

Blast leaves 12 injured in Lahore



LAHORE: At least 12 people were injured in a blast at a shop located at Pakistan Chowk in Ichra area of the city, Geo News reported Friday.

The shop owner said he had been receiving threat calls for the last some days. He said he had informed the police about the phone calls in which he was asked to Rs2 million extortion.

He said that the extortionists had also fired shots at his residence last month.

The rescue sources said injured were taken to the Services Hospital for treatment.

Police rushed to the area following the explosion. The Bomb Disposal Squad said that 250 to 300 gram explosive material was used in the blast.

Sunday, 30 March 2014

Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif invited for cultural conference in Lahore

Big B O

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Katrina Kaif have been invited for the annual Literary and Cultural Conference to be held in Lahore, organisers said.
According to a report in Dawn newspaper, Amitabh Bachchan, 71, and Katrina Kaif are among the many foreign dignitaries, who may attend the event organised by the Lahore Arts Council.
The organisers are hopeful that both Bachchan and Kaif will attend the proceedings in Lahore.
“We have sent invitations to 12 personalities from India, mostly writers, including two prominent faces from Bollywood-Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. Hopefully they will attend the conference,” Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi, Programmes Deputy Director, said.
Other personalities who have been sent invitations include Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and Shamim Hanfi.
This year, the conference is themed around nostalgia, and the title is ‘Beetay Huway Din Yaad Atay Hain’.
Renowned people from all fields have been invited to speak at the conference, which will be held from May 24-26 at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Walima of Asma Jahangir’s son held in Lahore

LAHORE: The walima ceremony of Jilani Jahangir, son of former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and noted human rights activist Asma Jahangir, was held at Royal Palm Country Club here on Saturday evening.

Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, judges of Supreme Court, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, former president of SCBA Ali Ahmad Kurd, MQM leader Farooq Sattar, ANP leader Afrasiab Khattak, former Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, PCB Chairman Najam Sethi, prominent journalists Hamid Mir and Sohail Warraich, a large number of lawyers and people from different walks of life attended the ceremony.

Friday, 28 March 2014

Lady wardens to manage Lahore city traffic





LAHORE: The City Traffic Police (CTP) Lahore on Thursday restarted its first seven-member lady traffic warden motorcycle-patrolling batch to monitor traffic issues and maintain traffic flow on major roads of the city.

Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Sohail Chaudhry inaugurated the ceremony at Liberty Market’s parking lot, where lady traffic wardens started patrolling after two months’ training.

The headquarters SP, senior traffic officers, officials and a number of citizens were also present on this occasion.

The first batch of lady traffic wardens started patrolling from the Liberty area to Fawara Chowk on Gulberg’s Main Boulevard, and then returned to Liberty Market. Senior traffic officers, officials and others were also with them.

A number of citizens who stood on both sides of the road observed the traffic troop along with lady traffic wardens on 250cc heavy bikes.

The CTO said that lady traffic wardens completed their two-month training under the supervision of qualified traffic officers. Sikh traffic warden Gulab Singh trained them driving heavy bikes.

He said that experts from Atlas Honda also provided them complete mechanical training. He added that initially these lady traffic wardens would patrol on specified city roads where they would also perform their duties to maintain the traffic flow in any emergency situation.

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Three dead in Lahore fire





LAHORE: At least three people were killed as a fire engulfed the Hardware Plaza in Bakara Mandi area of the city.

The three died of suffocation due to accumulation of smoke at floor where they had taken shelter after the fire erupted.

The three bodies have been retrieved after hectic efforts

Friday, 28 February 2014

Another record broken: Biggest art class held in Lahore



LAHORE: Over 5,000 school children set a new world record on Friday by sitting through the largest art lesson of the world at Punjab Stadium.
The record was previously held by Chinese Taipei with 4,810 children.
As many as 6,000 students from Beaconhouse School System exhibited great discipline in the 30-minutes class as they painted the Mughal-era style buildings.
The Guinness Book team then counted the papers prepared by the children and affirmed 5,351 valid, declaring Pakistan the new record holder. The stadium echoed with slogans of Pakistan zindabad as the announcement came.
Addressing the participants, Sports Board Punjab Director General Usman Anwar praised the students and said that Pakistani children had the potential to regularly set and break records.
Sports Secretary Muhammad Khan Khichi was also present.
Young scientists
An exhibition was organised at the Lahore Expo Centre as part of the festival under the aegis of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Several government, private and educational institutions, including the National University of Science and Technology, the Pakistan Engineering Council, the National University of Oceanography, the Pakistan National Accreditation Council, the Center for Applied and Molecular Biology, the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority and the National Institute of Electronics Islamabad.
Thousands of students from 47 universities arranged 75 stalls at the exhibition. Students displayed models of dams, bridges, important buildings, roads and electronics and won praise from the audience.
An electronic bicycle model by Muhammad Tauseef of Government College of Technology, Sialkot, earned great appreciation from the large gathering. A jury would announce the winners on Saturday (today) after examining the models and listening to students’ presentations.
Separately, a large book fair has also been organised at the venue, where publishers have displayed a large number of academic, religious, historic and scientific books. A digital Quran has also been displayed.
Farming
An exhibition of Best Agricultural Produce is also underway at the Lahore Expo Centre. Department of Agricultural Information Punjab, Ayub Agricultural Faisalabad, Agricultural Department, Institute of Rice Research Kala Shah Kaku and many other research institutes are participating in the exhibition.
Information is being given to farmers on how to protect their crops from disease. Farmers are also being educated on methods of preserving fruit and vegetables. Several agricultural experts talked on the occasion. They said farmers could not get more production and profit since they were unaware of the use of modern technology.