Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders will be offered tea and snacks if they decide to stage a long march towards Rawalpindi, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has announced. DG ISPR’s comments were in response to Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s indication that the opposition could turn the direction of its anti-government movement towards the army leadership.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a five-member gang for hacking email accounts of Punjab Police officers to gain access to the private data of citizens and selling it on WhatsApp. The gang had a network across Pakistan for sharing private data of citizens, including hacking, purchase, and sale of call detail records (CDR), ownership details, and National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) records.
The Pakistan Army announced the successful launch of multi-launch rocket system Fatah-1. The ISPR chief tweeted that Pakistan conducted a successful test flight of the locally developed guided multi-launch rocket system. It is capable of delivering a conventional warhead in a 140km range. The weapon system will give the Pakistan Army the capability of precision target engagement deep in enemy territory.
After a video of LUMS students partying at a resort in Malam Jaba went viral on social media, an FIR has reportedly been registered against the students and the hotel management for “spreading obscenity”. While many had enjoyed the viral clip, some social media users had said that male and female students dancing together was an un-Islamic act.
Pakistani women can now get more scholarships under a new merit and needs-based programme after the United States Congress passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. The Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March last year, and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote last Friday.
Almost 3,203 brick kilns in Punjab have been converted to the zig-zag methodology which is an energy and fuel-efficient process to produce better-quality bricks. The Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) and the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA), in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), have initiated the project.
The government of Punjab has decided to shut down free WiFi facilities across the province owing to heavy annual payments to service providers. Reportedly, the free WiFi facility has cost the government an extra Rs. 195 million in federal payments while heavily denting the provincial exchequer. The project was initially suspended in 2019 due to the nonpayment of dues by the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).
Educational institutions in the country will reopen in phases from January 18, the government has announced. Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that in the first phase, classes nine to 12 would be allowed to resume. He said that in the next phase, classes one to eight would resume on Jan 25. All higher educational institutions would resume from Feb 1, he added.
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has decided to reconstruct a Hindu temple that was set ablaze and vandalized by a mob in the Teri area of the district of Karak. The Karak Hindu temple was burned by a mob last Wednesday, comprising youngsters, elders, and children, drawing criticism from human rights activists and religious minorities.
Pakistan has further improved its position on the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) in 2019 due to the ongoing counter-terrorism operations. According to GTI 2020 report, Pakistan has dropped two places to 7th in 2019 from 5th in 2018 on the GTI, indicating a significant improvement in the overall security situation of the country. Note that the lower the rank on the GTI, the safer the country is considered.