A team of of foreign experts belonging to the manufacturer of the A320 plane that crashed last week near Karachi airport are examining the crash site. 43 of the 97 bodies have been identified and handed over to relatives while the DNA samples of others are being cross checked with those of their relatives. Airbus sent an 11-member team to Pakistan to provide full technical assistance to Pakistani authorities in charge of the investigation as well as the PIA.
Chinese President Xi Jingping has ordered the Chinese Army to strengthen the training of its troops and “prepare for war”, according to the state media reports. Xi’s speech comes amid rising tensions with the US and escalating clashes with the Indian army at the Ladakh border. Both armies are said to have deployed additional troops in sensitive areas along the boundary with experts predicting a lengthy standoff.
Punjab government has tightened the smart lockdown changing timings of all markets, shopping malls and shops in the province as the Eid holidays come to an end. Confectionery shops will be allowed to remain open from 9am to 7pm. From May 27, malls and markets will resume their previous timings of 9am to 5pm. Only medical stores will be allowed to remain open round the clock.
Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry says the Eid moon will be visible in Pakistan tonight (Saturday night), making Sunday Eid. The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet today to sight the moon but it is expected that they will declare Eid on Monday. Chaudhry addressed a press conference on Saturday where he said the State was trying to accommodate religious groups when it shouldn’t be.
Pakistani actors Hina Altaf and Aagha Ali tied the knot in a simple nikkah ceremony on Friday, Jumatul-Wida. Taking to their Instagram accounts, they shared a similar story to announce the news to their fans. Hina announced that the couple has gotten ‘nikkahfied’ on Friday. She added that they promised each other for making their new life filled with happiness and laughter.
Celebrity couple Ayeza Khan and Danish Taimoor have both addressed the fake news regarding them being onboard the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-8303. Soon after the crash, it was being circulated on social media that the couple were on the plane and claims of their deaths were also being made. The original tweet claiming Khan and Taimoor’s death has since been deleted.
Popular Turkish show Dirilis: Ertugrul’s cast sent their condolences to Pakistanis after the lives lost in Friday’s PK-8303 plane crash. The Dirilis Ertugrul cast took to social media and condoled over the deaths of passengers on the PIA plane. They expressed grief on the loss of precious human lives.
The passenger death toll from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-8303, which crashed on Friday afternoon has risen to 97. Only two survived the crash — the chief executive of the Bank of Punjab and a young engineer. The Karachi-bound flight from Lahore had been seconds away from landing at the Karachi airport when it crashed in the residential Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, right outside the airport’s boundary wall.
The Sindh High Court has lifted the stay it had granted against the Sindh government’s order to schools to reduce their monthly fee by 20% during the coronavirus pandemic. The court had issued the stay order after private schools had challenged the government’s directives. On Thursday, the court ruled that there was no need to continue with the order since the provincial government had approved the Coronavirus Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020.
Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed announced in a Thursday video message that single ticket counters were being opened at railway stations in some cities. The move is being taken to reduce the load on the online ticket reservation system. There are issues with the online system issue, Rasheed said, adding that it cannot take the load.