Category: National

FIA arrests two ATM hackers in Islamabad

The cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency has arrested two ATM hackers in Islamabad on Sunday. According to the FIA officials, they recovered thumb impressions of over 4,500 people in their laptop and a money transfer application in their cellphones. The officials said that the suspects had 10 cellphones and 13 sim cards which were being used for unlawful activities.

PIA to operate daily flights from Lahore, Islamabad to UK

PIA will be operating daily flights to the UK to send back stranded Britons and bring back stranded Pakistanis. The PIA spokesperson said the flights will start April 19 (Sunday). They will operate from Lahore and Islamabad to London, Manchester and Birmingham. The added that the permission was given after assurance that all safety measures will be implemented.

PTA extends deadline for blocking of IMEIs by 30 days

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has extended the deadline for blocking unregulated IMEIs for an additional 30 days. PTA has given extension due to the coronavirus outbreak, to provide relief and facilitation to the public. The blocking of mobile devices that are not compliant with PTA regulations will resume from May 19 and will be communicated via SMS. 

PM wants action against those posting anti-judiciary content online

Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to take strict action against social media users posting anti-judiciary content. The premier has instructed the FIA director-general to form a separate team to look into the matter and submit a report soon. The FIA has been asked to curb propaganda against Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and other Supreme Court judges.

107 shops sealed in Balochistan for violating lockdown

The police have sealed 107 shops and arrested 78 people in Balochistan for violating the lockdown. A lockdown has been imposed in the province to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). A total of 281 known cases have been reported in the province. Forty new cases emerged on Thursday, according to Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani.

Pakistan Railways to partially restore passenger train services

Pakistan Railway ministry has decided to partially restore passenger train operations across all four provinces upon the end of a lockdown. About 24 trains will start functioning for up and down operations after approval from the prime minister before April 25.  Reservation offices may remain closed even after the end of lockdown while customers will be able to purchase tickets online. 

KP converts schools, colleges into sub jails amid coronavirus pandemic

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be converting its schools, colleges and business centres into sub jails amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, the prisons of the province are highly over-crowded which poses a threat to prisoners, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has, therefore, decided to shift them to 18 places in the province that have been declared sub jails.

‘Next two weeks of lockdown in Sindh will be more intense’

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the next two weeks of the lockdown will be more intense. He appealed to the public to adhere to the restrictions. He emphasised that the reason all provinces have agreed to increase the lockdown is because our combat with the novel coronavirus isn’t over yet. He also explained explained that certain industries were exempted from the lockdown after a calculated analysis.

Punjab to increase coronavirus testing capacity to 10,000 a day

Punjab is preparing to conduct 10,000 tests for the novel coronavirus in a day, revealed Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday. More than 43,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the province so far, he said.  According to Buzdar, the province has been taking precautionary measures to contain the virus by disinfecting areas. Field hospitals with 4,500 beds have been prepared and eight new laboratories will soon be opened.

‘Students from remote areas will benefit from PTV’s Teleschool Channel’

Students and teachers from remote areas of the country will especially benefit from the new Teleschool Channel, Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said. The channel was launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 13 to make up for the academic loss faced by students because of coronavirus pandemic. The channel will also contribute to to the overall literacy rate in the country, she added.