PTI workers gather at Zaman Park to 'protect' Imran from arrest

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers gathered outside Zaman Park, the residence of PTI Chairperson Imran Khan, in the wee hours of Wednesday to protect the former premier after reported intel that he may be arrested in the night. The official Twitter handle for the PTI announced that there were reports that the “puppet government may try to arrest Chairman Imran Khan tonight”. It furthered that PTI members were reaching Zaman Park in an effort to “protect their leader”. اطلاعات ہیں کہ کٹھ پتلی حکومت آج رات چئیرمین عمران خان کو گرفتار کرنے کی کوشش کرے گی تحریک انصاف کے کارکنان اپنے لیڈر کی حفاظت کے لیے زمان پارک پہنچ رہے ہیں — PTI (@PTIofficial) January 24, 2023 A video posted by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, hours before the Islamabad Kohsar police arrested him on sedition charges, showed several party supporters and workers outside Zaman Park in the early hours of the morning. The crowd could be heard chanting slogans of unity with Imran. Zaman Park Imran Khan Residence at this hour pic.twitter.com/eO2270D9K6 — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 25, 2023 PTI leader Zubair Niazi feared Imran’s arrest, while Musrat Jamshed Cheema appealed to workers to reach Imran's residence for his safety. Fawad Chaudhary and Hamad Azhar had reached Zaman Park Lahore along with their workers after receiving the information. 'Nationwide protest if Imran arrested' Talking to media personnel, Fawad detailed that it was reported that the police were trying to and could potentially arrest Imran. He added that the former premier’s arrest would be a conspiracy against the country and that the “fools” were unaware that his arrest would hasten the PTI movement. “If Imran is arrested, there will be a nationwide protest,” he maintained. Read PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry arrested from Lahore According to Fawad, thousands of workers reached Zaman Park within half an hour of receiving the message. He furthered that the police should arrest Imran Khan if they had the courage to do so, and urged the authority to work within the law. “If you take our decency for weakness, you are mistaken. The [PTI] workers will not allow fascism to be established in the country,” he stated. He added that the incumbent government was “afraid” of the people and involved in Imran’s arrest even during an economic crisis. Fawad said the middle-class people supporting the PTI were not armed. “The only solution to the problems is immediate elections,” he emphasised. PTI leader Hammad Azhar also spoke to the media and said that an environment was being created for the arrest of Imran Khan. He added that PTI workers were to protect the party chief and urged the assurance that Imran would remain safe in Zaman Park. He furthered that the “nation was angry” and that no one had the courage to arrest Imran Khan.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/z1wd7vK

PTI protests against caretaker Punjab CM

Workers and supporters of the PTI, responding to the call of their party chief Imran Khan, on Tuesday staged protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office to denounce the body’s decision to appoint Mohsin Naqvi as Punjab caretaker chief minister. A large number of people holding placards, banners and party flags assembled in front of the commission’s building in the provincial capital, picketing it to condemn the commission’s alleged biased decision that favoured PTI's archrival PML-N. A number of party leaders, including Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar, Yasmin Rashid and Azam Swati addressed the protestors. A day earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had announced that the party would stage protests throughout the country against Naqvi’s appointment, calling the new appointee “an enemy of PTI”. “We will not accept a ‘corrupt’ person as an interim chief minister. We will hold a series of protests in all the cities of Pakistan,” the PTI chief told a news conference via a video link on Monday. The Election Commission of Pakistan had on Sunday appointed Naqvi the caretaker chief minister for a 90-day interim period – a decision that drew vehement criticism from PTI and its key ally PML-Q who had already forewarned that any ‘controversial’ appointment would be challenged in the court. Smelling a rat in the election watchdog’s decision, the PTI-PML-Q alliance unanimously stated that they would knock on the doors of the court and take to the streets against the decision. Addressing the crowd during Tuesday’s protest rally, PTI senior leader Shafqat Mahmood lashed out at Mohsin Naqvi over his alleged pro-government leanings, recalling that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari used to consider him as his “child”. “They want to run away from the elections and steal the mandate of people,” Shafqat alleged and asserted that, “We will not let them take away the people's mandate”. Meanwhile, PTI leader and former energy minister Hammad Azhar echoed party chief Imran Khan’s allegations regarding Naqvi’s hand in his ouster, alleging that the man was the main character in the “regime change operation” orchestrated to topple Imran last April. He went on to warn that the brewing discontent among the masses could tip over into full-blown revolution and “Zardari’s son cannot stave off that”. “The nation stands an inch away from the revolution.” “And Zardari’s children like Mohsin Naqvi cannot avert the revolution,” he added. Denouncing ECP’s decision, senior minister Mian Aslam Iqbal demanded that the election watchdog remove “the person foisted upon the province” immediately. PTI to stick to its guns In line with its resolve to up the ante against the ECP's decision, the PTI has also decided to continue agitation against the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as interim chief minister and other controversial measures of the election commission. The decision was taken during a meeting under PTI chief Imran Khan on Tuesday, which was attended by the former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, PTI Secretary General Asad Umer and Fawad Chaudhry, Senator Azam Swati and Hammad Azhar. Elahi apprised Imran and other leaders of his proposals regarding future political affairs. The meeting deliberated upon constitutional options available to counter these measures. In this regard, views were exchanged in detail to approach superior judiciary and political options. Meeting participants expressed concern over about election date not yet being given in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the uprooting of bureaucracy in Punjab. While criticising the ECP's conduct, leaders condemned the massive uprooting of bureaucracy and took notice of the alleged directives issued to clamp down on PTI’s agitation. The meeting was told that orders had been given to deploy officers that unleashed an aggressive crackdown on PTI protestors during the party’s rally last year’s May 25. Similarly, the process of arresting people and whisking them away from their homes has also been kicked off. The participants of the meeting bemoaned the “partisan” conduct of ECP and stated that the body had failed to discharge its responsibility impartially. The party also reaffirmed its resolve to challenge the decision of appointing a “controversial person” to the office in the courts. “By refusing to give a date for elections, a constitutional responsibility was being violated, the most controversial officers and officers known for their antipathy against PTI were being posted on key posts,” the participants of the meeting were quoted as saying.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/INOvohc

SC stresses govt to promote use of electric vehicles

The Supreme Court has stressed the federal government to encourage and promote the use of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) instead of applying “irrational interpretations” resulting in unwarranted restrictions on the exemption already in field. “The technology of HEVs is well accepted and internationally acclaimed technology in the modern world. Besides being fuel efficient, it is also an alternative solution to cautiously concentrate on the issue of global warming,” a 15-page judgment authored by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar said while upholding the Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruling. “The proper and futuristic use of this technology will progress our country, and will not only improve and recuperate the atmosphere and ecosystem, but also alleviate destructive facets of climate change by lessening smoke emissions in order to effectively implement the Climate Change Act of 2016 and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA), 1997,” the judgment noted. According to the fact of the case, the federal government vide SRO 499(I)/2013 dated 12-06-2013, had exempted customs duty, sales tax and withholding tax on import of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) falling under PCT Code 87.03. During the audit, deputy collector customs (import) dry port, Model Customs Collectorate, Peshawar observed that used Hybrid Suzuki, Hustler, Wagon-R, Mazda, Cross-over, Suzuki IGNIS were cleared illegally on 50 per cent exemption of duty and taxes in terms of SRO 499(I)/2013 dated 12-6-2013. Show cause notices were issued to the importers and customs clearing agents under section 32 (3A) of Customs Act 1969 read with Section 3(1) of Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950, Section 3(1)(b) of Sales Tax Act, 1990, Section 148 and 182 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and section 33(5) of Sales Tax Act, 1990 and after submission of replies, the deputy collector customs (adjudication) through order-in-original upheld the show cause notice. The respondents preferred appeals to the collector of customs (appeals) but all appeals were dismissed, following which, they approached the customs appellate tribunal and the appeals were allowed. Later, the petitioner filed customs reference against the customs appellate tribunal judgment but all reference applications were dismissed. A three-judge bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial while hearing the customs department plea noted that though the SRO granting exemption on HEVs did not specifically encapsulate this particular purpose but, on the face of it, the exemption on the import of HEVs was logically issued for protection against climate change, and to minimise its adverse impact in the future which was a step forward towards the implementation and compliance of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA), 1997. "It is also the need of the time and a pressing priority to promote and encourage HEVs more and more, rather than applying irrational interpretations resulting in unwarranted restrictions on the exemption already in field," the judgment said. The court noted that they cannot lose sight of the most important reason of promulgating the Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017 which envisioned compliance with international conventions relating to climate change and adoption of comprehensive mitigation policies, plans, programmes, projects and other measures required to address the effects of climate change. "In the definition clause, "climate change" means a change in the climate system which is caused by significant changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases as a direct or indirect consequence of human activities and which is in addition to natural climate change that has been observed during a considerable period; whereas "emissions", in relation to greenhouse gas, means emissions of that gas into the atmosphere caused by human activity; while "greenhouse gas" means any gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation produced by solar warming of the earth's surface and includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride, nitrogen trifluoride and any other direct or indirect greenhouse gas as recognized by UNFCCC and IPCC from time to time." "The function of the Council includes the obligation to co-ordinate, supervise and guide the mainstreaming of climate change concerns into decision-making by Federal and Provincial Governments to create enabling conditions for integrated climate-compatible and climate-resilient development processes in various sectors of the economy; approve and monitor implementation of comprehensive adaptation and mitigation policies, strategies, plans, programmes, projects and other measures, whereas the Functions of the Authority encompasses the formulation of comprehensive adaptation and mitigation policies, plans, programmes, projects and measures designed to address the effects of climate change and meet Pakistan's obligations under international conventions and agreements relating to climate change and within the framework of a national climate change policy as may be approved by the Federal Government from time to time; establish institutional and policy mechanisms for implementation of Federal and provincial adaptation and mitigation policies, plans, programmes, projects and measures, including plans for renewable energy and clean technology measures for energy efficiency and energy conservation and awareness-raising and capacity-building programmes; carry out a Technology Needs Assessment and prepare a Climate Change Technology Action Plan in accordance with international best practices for seeking technical and financial support etc." The schedule appended with reference to Sections 2, 4, 17 and 18 to the aforesaid Act integrates the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Rio De Janeiro, 1992; Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC, 1997; The Paris Agreement, 2015; including any other agreement relating to climate change to which Pakistan is a signatory," the judgment said. The judgment noted that in unison, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA), 1997 also ropes in various provisions for protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of the environment, and for control of pollution, promotion of sustainable development, conservation, rehabilitation, improvement of the environment, prevention and control of pollution, promotion of sustainable developments which has close proximity and nexus to the Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017. "In this Act too, "pollution" means the contamination of air, land or water by the discharge or emission or effluents or wastes or air pollutants or noise or other matter which either directly or indirectly or in combination with other discharges or substances alters unfavourably the chemical, physical, biological, radiational, thermal or radiological or aesthetic properties of the air, land or water or which may, or is likely to make the air, land or water unclean, noxious or impure or injurious, disagreeable or detrimental to the health, safety, welfare or property of persons or harmful to biodiversity. Section 12 of this Act is directly related to the regulation of Motor Vehicles which provides that no person shall operate a motor vehicle from which air pollutants or noise are being emitted in an amount, concentration or level which is in excess of the National Environmental Quality Standards or, where applicable, the standards established under clause (g) of sub-section (1) of section 6 and for ensuring compliance with the standards mentioned in sub-section (1), the Federal Agency may direct that any motor vehicle or class of vehicles shall install such pollution control devices or other equipment or use such fuels or undergo such maintenance or testing as may be prescribed." "Last but not least, under Section 31, the Federal Government is vested with the powers to make rules including the rules for implementing the provisions of the international environmental agreements, specified in the Schedule to this Act which includes International Plant Protection Convention, Rome, 1951; Plant Protection Agreement for the South-East Asia and Pacific Region (as amended) Rome 1956; Agreement for the Establishment of a Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Eastern Region of its Distribution Area in South-West Asia (as amended), Rome, 1963; Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, Ramsar, 1971 and its amending Protocol, Paris, 1982; Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention), Paris, 1972; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Washington, 1973; Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Bonn, 1979; Convention on the Law of the Sea, Montego Bay, 1982; Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Vienna, 1985; Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Montreal, 1987 and amendments thereto; Agreement on the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 1988; Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal, Basel, 1989; Convention on Biological Diversity, Rio De Janiero, 1992 and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Rio De Janiero, 1992." The judgment noted that in a nutshell the niceties of both the laws are intermingled and focused on the commitments and responsibility of the concerned Council and Authority constituted under the Acts to make sincere efforts to ensure the prevention and control of pollution, promotion of sustainable development, conservation, rehabilitation, improvement of the environment and address the effects of climate change in our country with a further obligation to implement different conventions and treatise. "The mere legislation of laws without effective implementation and execution is useless and ineffectual. Instead, sincere efforts are required by the concerned authorities to safeguard the climate and reduce the adverse environmental impact of human activity." According to the US Department of Transportation Report, updated on August 24, 2015 motor vehicles are a leading source of air pollutants that affect human health. Vehicle emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog), which can trigger health problems and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses. The aforesaid report further articulates that the levels of traffic-related air pollution are higher near major roadways that have high traffic volume but the air quality may be improved through HEVs. Different research documents also suggest that toxic pollutants in the air or deposited on soils or surface waters can impact wildlife in a number of ways. "Like humans, animals can experience health problems if they are exposed to sufficient concentrations of airborne toxins over time. It can also damage crops and trees in a variety of ways. Ground-level ozone can lead to reductions in agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased plant susceptibility to disease, pests and other environmental stresses," the judgment said.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/EmROyLK

Toshakhana data to be made public

  The federal cabinet gave permission on Tuesday for making all the data of Toshakhana public and approved a nationwide public awareness drive for conservation of power, water, gas and other resources. Chairing a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that any repeat of Monday’s power breakdown across the country would be unacceptable and ordered for the preparation of a comprehensive strategy to prevent major power supply disruptions in the future. During the meeting, a comprehensive report based on the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee formed regarding Toshakhana – the federal repository where gifts received by the country’s leadership during their foreign visits are stored – was presented to the federal cabinet. The committee also presented the draft of a new policy of Toshakhana. The cabinet members presented their recommendations on the committee’s proposals and the new Toshakhana policy. The prime minister directed the committee to amend its report accordingly. The cabinet expressed anger over Monday’s power breakdown. The prime minister stressed that action should be taken against those responsible. He ordered for the preparation of a comprehensive strategy to permanently remedy the factors that caused countrywide outages. Shehbaz said that the inconvenience caused to the people by the power breakdown was unacceptable and any such happenings in the future would not be tolerated. He called for fixing responsibility of the power outage and instructed the authorities concerned to identify the factors behind it. The cabinet meeting was informed that a committee formed by the prime minister on the power outage had started its investigation and it would furnish a comprehensive report after deliberating on all the factors. The energy minister told the meeting that as per initial report, the power supply tripped at 7:34am on Monday, due to a technical fault – voltage fluctuation and frequency disruption. He added that all-out resources were used and power supply was restored to the major cities by 10pm. The cabinet was further informed that all the 1112 grid stations were restored by 5am Tuesday. On the prime minister’s directives, the gas-powered power plants had been made operational to overcome the energy shortfall caused by the breakdown, the minister added. However, the cabinet was told that the operations of nuclear and coal-based power plants would take another couple of days to restart as per standard operating procedures (SOPs), though the power generation from the rest of the power plants was in progress. Meanwhile, the cabinet approved the first-of-its-kind nationwide public awareness campaign to promote the habit of conserving electricity, water, gas and other resources. The ministers called for including best international practices on energy conservation in the educational curriculum. On the occasion, Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb gave a briefing on the awareness drive, under which a comprehensive and long-term campaign was under way in the country. The campaign had been designed while keeping in view the latest trends and public’s interests. Prior to the campaign, the information ministry conducted a comprehensive survey, whereby the opinion of the people from every sector, class and age was obtained. The campaign would focus on changing people’s habits, lifestyle, thinking and attitudes, the cabinet was informed. The ministry would also seek the support from print, electronic and social media as well as the public opinion makers and experts for the awareness drive which would be run in collaboration with the public and private institutions. The basic concept of this campaign was that every citizen would be made to realise that he should save electricity, gas and water, which will not only benefit him personally but also reduce the economic pressure on Pakistan as a whole. The meeting was informed that due to continuous increase in the import of petroleum products, the import bill was increasing. In 2017, the ministers were informed, the import bill of petroleum products was 18% of the total imports but in 2022 the share had been increased to 29%. The prime minister directed all the ministries to support the information ministry in this campaign. He also directed for taking the caretaker governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa into confidence regarding the energy saving projects. The cabinet meeting also endorsed the Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decisions taken in its meetings of January 3 and 11, 2023, as well as Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases decisions taken on January 6, 2023.

from Punjab News Updates and Insights - The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/le5tf4Y

Raiwind man poisons three young daughters, attempts suicide

Raiwind City police booked a man on Tuesday for poisoning his three young daughters—aged seven, 10, and 14 years—before attempting to take his own life. The man, a resident of a neighbourhood in Raiwind on the outskirts of Lahore, reportedly cited financial and mental stress as the motive for his actions. He said that he was struggling to make ends meet due to rising inflation and its effects on the cost of living. Also read: Video of girl being tortured at Lahore school goes viral According to the mother of the victims, her husband had dropped her and her two sons at her parents' house, promising to take them back in a short while. However, when he did not return for half an hour, she got worried and left for her home on her own. Before they could reach home, she stated, her husband approached on a bike and took them home. "When I entered home, I saw my 10-year-old daughter vomiting," she told police. When she inquired, her daughters said their father had forced them to swallow poisonous pills. According to reports, her husband also swallowed poison when she raised a hue and cry. Also read: Lahore school expels five, including bullying victim The condition of the father and three daughters deteriorated over time, and they were shifted to hospital for treatment. However, the eldest daughter, aged 14, could not survive and died at the hospital. The man has been booked under murder and attempt to murder charges and an FIR has been registered at the Raiwind City police station.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/2KeDtbs

Three-day annual festival starts at Kalat's Kali Mandir

The three-day annual festival of the Hindu community at the Kali Mata Mandir, the historical temple of Hindus located in Kalat, began with traditional and religious fervor on Tuesday. Hindu community from across the country reached Kalat in large numbers to participate in the annual festival. The Hindu community also organized special prayers for the prosperity of the country. Special food stalls have also been set up and free food is being distributed among the participants of the religious gathering. Mana Mall, a local leader of the Hindu community, said that the main purpose of the festival was to bind and unite the people with love, peace, affection, and brotherhood. Also read: India denies visas to 200 Pakistani pilgrims Expressing his satisfaction over relations of Muslims with Hindus in Pakistan, he said that other countries of the world should learn lessons from Pakistan where there is no discrimination on the basis of religion and where minorities are enjoying all facilities as being availed by their Muslim brothers. He further said that “Pakistan is our country and we have all kinds of religious freedom. We are very happy to participate in the annual historic festival." Law enforcement agencies have made effective security arrangements at all entrance and exit points for the festival. The second-largest Kali Mata statue in Asia is placed at the temple and because of that, the Hindu community from India also frequently visits the mandir in large numbers.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/lWdU0so

Thousands of mobile phone towers go offline

Thousands of mobile phone towers have gone offline across Pakistan due to a nationwide power cut on Monday, an industry source told Reuters, raising the spectre of a telecommunications blackout in parts of the country. Pakistan's national grid suffered a major outage on Monday leaving millions of people without electricity. The disruption has begun hitting the country's approximately 40,000 telecommunication towers. The telecommunication industry source raised fears that if power is not switched back on soon, it could lead to a communications blackout as mobile phone towers run out of backup fuel and batteries. He added that service degradation had begun in some parts of the country as some towers went offline. Some social media users in Pakistan complained of mobile signals disappearing in major cities of the country, including Islamabad. "No signals at the Karakoram apartments, Diplomatic Enclave, Islamabad," former Senator Sehar Kamran said on Twitter. Separately, the country's telecommunication regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), warned of outages. "Due to country wide power outage, users may face service disruptions," PTA said in a statement. It said operators have been instructed to inform subscribers and to do their utmost to refuel backup power on the maximum number of mobile tower sites. A spokesperson for PTA did not respond to a question on how many of Pakistan's telecommunication towers were offline. Global internet monitoring group Netblocks said on Twitter that metrics showed telecommunications in most regions of the country had been impacted by the country-wide power outage and that there had been a significant decline in internet access. Pakistan has 194 million cellular subscribers and 124 million broadband subscribers, according to PTA.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/UT6CSAj