PML-N leader Abdul Qadir Baloch decides to resign from party

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Lieutenant General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch on Saturday decided to resign from the party.

The party's provincial president took the decision after PML-N's controversial decision not to invite former Balochistan chief minister Sanaullah Zehri to the recently held Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally in Quetta.  

According to Express News, the PML-N leader will announce his resignation in a press conference. Sources said that PDM's secretary-general, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, had refused to invite Zehri after consulting his party's top leadership. 

Baloch has served as a federal minister in PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif's government and is currently the president of PML-N in Balochistan. 

Opposition parties, campaigning against the government from the joint platform of PDM, held a rally on October 25 in Quetta. PDM leaders highlighted the issue of enforced disappearances and other grievances of the people of Balochistan and pledged a turnaround for the province and the rest of the country.

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N's Maryam Nawaz and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman addressed the rally. 

Other leaders who addressed the rally included Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, ANP’s Amir Haider Khan Hoti, JUP’s Owais Noorani and JUI-F's Ghafoor Haideri.

 

 

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Veteran journalist Saleem Asmi passes away in Karachi

Veteran journalist and former president of the Karachi Press Club Saleem Asmi passed away in Karachi on Saturday, according to family members.

As was also the former editor of English daily Dawn and had served as a news editor in the same publication and Khaleej Times. 

Asmi also served as the president of the Karachi Press Club (KPC). The date and time of his funeral are yet to be decided.

Condolences for the veteran journalist poured in as colleagues and friends reacted to the news of his passing. 

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said Asmi "carried exceptional courage around him like a casual accessory, never talking about it, just using it when needed".

Sorry & sad that Pakistani journalism lost one of its best and brightest.Carried exceptional courage around with him like a casual accessory, never talking about it, just using it when needed, which was often. Saleem Asmi was also one of the kindest persons I’ve known. #RIPAsmisb https://t.co/EpwczN1jSy

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) October 31, 2020

Saleem Asmi sb, former editor of Dawn and an institution in himself, has passed away. He was a guiding light for so many seeking to understand journalistic standards and practices. The qualities he possessed are so rare today. He will be sorely missed... pic.twitter.com/M2NZozSCHn

— Bilal Farooqi (@bilalfqi) October 30, 2020

Senior journalist Hamid Mir said Asmi supported him in getting his interview with Osama bin Laden published. 

Saleem Asmi no more with us.When I interviewed OBL in Nov 2001 my paper was reluctant to publish I gave it to Dawn.Musharraf regime tried to stop it Dawn editor Saleem Asmi asked me switch off ur phone and disappear I will handle next day it was published. https://t.co/Y0jx7F97Oy

— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) October 31, 2020

 

 

 

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NCOC enlists public's aid for compliance of Covid-19 SOPs

The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Saturday decided to seek the help of citizens for compliance of standard operating procedure (SOPs) established to curb the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said the decision was taken in view of the pandemic's second wave and continued violations of SOPs. .

With arrival of the 2nd wave & continued widescale violation of sop's, NCOC has decided to seek citizens help for sop compliance. Wherever you see violations taking place..Mask wearing in crowded places, social distancing.. Take a pic & send to 0335 3336262 alongwith location pic.twitter.com/Piry5hlEmp

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) October 31, 2020

The NCOC has launched a Whatsapp number for registration of Covid-19 related violations by the public.

Umar said citizens should report violations, such as no masks being worn in public places or lack of social distancing measures, on a Whatsapp number established by the NCOC. The number is 0335-3336262.

The NCOC noted on Wednesday that the spread of the virus and the increased positivity ratio in 11 major cities of Pakistan.

The national body has made it mandatory to wear face masks in public places including bazaars, shopping malls, while using public transport and at restaurants.

Special Assistant to the PM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, in a news conference on Tuesday, stated that with the beginning of the second coronavirus wave, strict restrictions would need to be imposed again and a plan would for this purpose would be chalked out son.

1. Wear a mask (OR cloth covering) in public places especially in tight and crowded spaces
2. Avoid large gatherings & crowds
3. Maintain ~6 ft distance from others
4. Wash your hands

If we don't adopt these measures, we will have to increase restrictions to slow transmission.

— Faisal Sultan (@fslsltn) October 29, 2020

He added that the restrictions would be tightened in the cities where the positivity ratio of the virus was high.

The PM’s aide said new recommendations would be presented soon in consultation in all the provinces.

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Prices of petroleum products likely to go down by up to Rs2

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Saturday recommended up to Rs2 decrease in prices of petroleum products for the month of November, reported ARY News.

The authority forwarded a summary in this regard to the Ministry of Finance for approval.

According to the details disclosed by the summary, the OGRA has recommended a Rs1.50 cut in the per litre price of petrol and Rs2 in the price of high-speed diesel (HSD). The finance ministry will announce new fuel prices for November after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s approval.

Authorities said the government may keep the prices of petroleum products unchanged by increasing petroleum levy.

On September 30, the government had cut the price of high-speed diesel by Rs2.40 per litre and kept that of petrol and other petroleum products unchanged for a fortnight with effect from October 1.

Later on October 15, the government decided to keep fuel prices unchanged for the rest of the month.

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Report presented on crackdowns against hoarders, profiteers in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The monthly report on ongoing crackdowns against hoarders and profiteers in Punjab with the assistance of Tiger Force volunteers was presented in a session jointly chaired by the provincial chief secretary and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, ARY News reported on Saturday.

It is noteworthy to mention here that the provincial authorities conducted crackdowns across Punjab over the reports of Tiger Force volunteers and seized hoardings of essential commodities including wheat, sugar, flour and ghee worth millions.

The session was attended by secretary industries Zafar Iqbal and Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and other high-level officials.

Read: Raids conducted in KP after Punjab to curb inflation, hoarding

During the session, the monthly report on crackdowns against hoarders in Punjab was presented.

It stated that that the authorities seized different commodities from hoarders worth over Rs144 million besides imposing heavy fines on responsible persons worth more than Rs51.4 million and registered 1,288 First Information Reports (FIRs) for overcharging besides arresting 1,200 people during one month.

It read that 25,000 sacks of sugar weighing approximately 1,300 tons were seized which worth more than Rs100 million.

The statistics of actions carried out between April 2020 to October 2020 were also presented in the session.

Read: Tiger Force comes into action against artificial inflation, hoarding

It read that Rs7.1 billion worth hoardings were seized during the period of April 2020 and October 2020, whereas, fines of over Rs596.6 million were imposed against hoarders during the last six months.

The authorities arrested 9,543 responsible persons and registered more than 9,000 FIRs.

Punjab chief secretary appreciated the local administration over the positive outcomes of crackdowns and decided to expedite the series of raids over the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The participants of the session were told that many spots have been spotted where the local administrations would make major recoveries within a few days.

PM Imran Khan had given the first task to the Tiger Force volunteers for discouraging hoarding while chairing a high-level session regarding the ongoing efforts for price controls.

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Another doctor dies from coronavirus in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A senior medic died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in Peshawar.

The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) confirmed the news. Dr Sultan Zeb was being treated at Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar and was on a ventilator.

He was shifted to the hospital after his health deteriorated earlier this week. The PDA said the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 20 doctors and 40 health workers in the province.

Since the pandemic began, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 39,458 cases of the virus.

Earlier today, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19 decided to enlist the help of the public to enforce the government-defined SOPs to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, who heads the NCOC, today tweeted: “With arrival of the 2nd wave & continued widescale violation of sop’s, NCOC has decided to seek citizens help for sop compliance.”

He asked people to take a picture wherever they see any SOP violations, including those of mask-wearing and social distancing rules, and send it on Whatsapp number 0335-3336262 along with its location for authorities to take legal action.

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Dry weather prevails in most parts of country, cold in North

KARACHI: Most of the country experiencing dry weather and temperatures going down as winter knocking the door in Pakistan.

Cold weather will likely to prevail in northern parts of the country on Saturday (today), Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in its weather report.

Dry weather with cool night and hazy morning is likely to prevail in Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

According to the weather report, Karachi would have cool night and sunny day, while the maximum temperature will remain between 34–36 ºCelsius and minimum at 17.5 Celsius.

The wind direction will be Northerly/Northeasterly becoming Westerly/Northwesterly in the port city.

Most parts of Balochistan experiencing dry weather, and the mercury goes down in mountainous region of the province.

Minimum temperature today recorded at Leh with minus-05 temperature, while minus-2 at Kalat and Skardu and minus one Celsius at Kalam, according to the weather report.

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