While spread of the novel Coronavirus has wrecked the economy of Pakistan, certain businesses are booming. Corona patients have strained an already weak healthcare system, however, private hospitals with their better services are taking good advantage of the situation. On the other hand, various media reports suggest an organized mafia in Punjab has been actively minting millions of rupees through sale of blood plasma.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Hussain Chaudhry has predicted that Eid-ul-Azha will fall on Friday, July 31. Chaudhry said that the prediction is based upon the ministry of science’s five-year lunar calendar. The minister also noted that the Zilhajjah moon will be sighted on July 21, and will be visible over Karachi and its adjoining areas.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has announced that the number of coronavirus cases are expected to double within next two weeks and can reach 1.2 million cases by the end of July. The minister also said that testing capacity by the end of July will be increased to 100,000 tests daily from 30,000 daily tests currently.
Governor of the Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has made the teaching of the Quran with Urdu translation mandatory in all universities in the province. The notification issued on Sunday, states that all university students, except non-Muslims, will be awarded a degree only after studying the Quran with translation. In a tweet, Sarwar revealed that it is a unanimous decisions of vice-chancellors of all universities in the province.
As cases reach new high is Pakistan, the government of Punjab has decided to completely lockdown several areas of Lahore for two weeks. Speaking at a press conference, Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid said that the areas will be under lockdown from midnight Monday. Food stores and pharmacies are to remain open in these areas. The areas to be locked
Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi has tested positive for the coronavirus, he revealed in a tweet on Saturday. Afridi said that he had been “feeling unwell since Thursday and his body had been aching badly”. He requested his fan’s prayers for a “speedy recovery”. Cricketers of Pakistani team have also wished Afridi well.
Two Indian spies were arrested by security forces from an area along the Line of Control (LoC) in Gilgit-Baltistan region on Friday. The spies were handed over to G-B police, which recovered Indian currency, identify cards and other documents from the spies. Gilgit SSP Raja Mirza Hassan alleged the duo belonged to India-occupied Kashmir and had been forcibly sent to Pakistan for spying.
Another Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, PK-605, was denied take-off due to a technical fault. The aircraft which had arrived at Gilgit Airport from Islamabad was cancelled out of safety concerns. Upon inspection by the Civil Aviation Authority, it was discovered that the landing gear wheel was missing a bolt. This is the second case of fault in PIA plane since the deadly crash on May 22nd.
Federal Minister of Industries and Production Hammad Azhar presented Rs7.14 trillion ‘tax-free’ budget 2020-21 on Friday. The budget for fiscal year 2021 comes amid a health crisis that caused our GDP to shrink by Rs3,300bn, and has been referred to as the ‘corona budget’. As Azhar highlighted the PTI-led government’s efforts to streamline the economy, he was challenged by the opposition’s loud jeering.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, has announced that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has approved the first made-in-Pakistan testing kit for Covid-19. The kit was developed by the scientists at National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Attaur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB). Fawad shared the news on Twitter and congratulated the developing team.