Civil judge, wife acc used of tor turing 14-year- old maid, police launch manhunt

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The civil judge and his wife, accused of inflicting severe torture on their 14year-old maid, have gone into hiding, leaving the police in pursuit

Efforts to locate Civil Judge Asim Hafeez and his wife Somia included raids on their residences in Islamabad and Gujranwala However, authorities have so far been unable to ascertain their whereabouts Police have also been in contact with the victim’s parents who lodged the complaint in the case The investigation is set to widen after recording the victim girl s statement once she is out of danger

Currently the young maid Rizwana is still in critical condition at Lahore General Hospital s Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

A medical board comprising 12 members has been constituted to oversee Rizwana’s condition She has already undergone a major procedure in the hospital including a CT scan of her head and minor surgery to clean her head wounds Doctors plan to perform two operations on her fractured arms The victim s father, who had sent his daughter to the judge’s house in Zartaj Housing Society for a monthly salary of Rs10 000 through an acquaintance revealed that the civil judge s

Pakistan

LAHORE a p p

As the world gradually recovers from the gripping challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) is poised to host a momentous event that promises to reshape the landscape of intra-D-8 tourism cooperation

Set to take place on August 4-5 amidst the enchanting beauty of Bhurbhan, Murree, this 4th D-8 Senior Officials Meeting and 3rd D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Tourism Cooperation marks a pivotal milestone for Pakistan as it embraces its role as a beacon of opportunity within the esteemed D-8 Organization for economic cooperation Initiated in 1997, the D-8 Organization for economic cooperation brings together eight ambitious developing nations, namely Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia Nigeria Pakistan and Turkey Guided by the shared vision of fostering implements them in all medical and dental institutes for undergraduate and postgraduate education

The board s primary functions are to frame medical and dental undergraduate accreditation standards including curriculum standards of medical Education / CME / CPD academic standards of foreign institutions and examination standards including the MDCAT National Registration Examination and National Equivalence Board Examination It is pertinent to mention here that since the Academic Board was not constituted, PMDC adopted the policies framed by the previous academic board in the broader interest of the students and doctors which included the MDCAT NRE and NEB examinations

The meeting was presided by the Chairman Academic Board Prof Dr Zahid Aman Dean Khyber Girls Medical College Peshawar while Dr Syed Azhar Ali Shah assisted the forum as Secretary to the Board The meeting was attended by all the members of the Academic Board

Balochistan suspends mobile phone, internet services ahead of Ashura

QUETTA

S ta f f R e p o R t

The government of Balochistan took a significant step on Wednesday by suspending mobile phone and internet services in the provincial capital, Quetta, ahead of Ashura to ensure the maintenance of law and order in the city According to a notification, the internet and cellular services will remain suspended on the 7th 9th and 10th of Muharram in Quetta This decision came in response to a request from the head of Balochistan police The schedule for service suspension is as follows: on Muharram

7, services will be suspended from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, while on Muharram 9, residents will experience suspension from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm On Muharram 10 mobile phone services will be restored after the culmination of processions The suspension of services is in observance of Ashura days Muharram 9 and 10, which are set to be observed on July 28 and 29 These days hold great significance for Muslims as they remember the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his companions in the battle of Karbala During these sensitive days the authorities are taking precautionary measures to ensure public safety and security

However, the suspension of mobile phone and internet services may cause inconvenience to the residents wife broke the girl’s arms and legs

He urgently appealed to higher authorities to take stringent action against the accused

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered against the accused at Humak police station in Islamabad, the civil judge’s wife, Somia, attempted to strangle Rizwana, leaving visible marks on the girl’s neck Shockingly the victim s grandmother further alleged that her employer even forced acid into Rizwana s mouth She recounted that when Rizwana’s mother came to Rawalpindi to retrieve her daughter, Somia threw the injured girl near her and promptly fled the scene

PTI leader Shahbaz Gill declared absconder in sedition case

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

An additional district and sessions court on Wednesday declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill as an absconder following his constant failure to show up in a sedition case Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the ruling after the suspect failed to show up in court for long despite issuance of multiple summons The court started the process to seize properties of Gill as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) have submitted details of his properties The court also directed the authorities concerned to fix notice of absconder at his Faisalabad residence During the hearing, the court also rejected two pleas by the PTI leader for virtual appearance and stay on trial Judge Sipra remarked that the proceedings for declaring a suspect proclaimed offender could not be halted unless the suspect appeared in court He said Gill had been facilitated to move abroad Gill’s lawyer said the PTI leader went abroad for treatment In previous hearing the court directed National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman to block the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) Later, the court adjourned the hearing till Aug 31 In March, the Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Gill on March 29 to travel to the United States (US) for four weeks It is pertinent to mention here that a case was registered against Gill at the Kohsar police station Islamabad He was accused of creating a divide in the state institution on Pakistan s untapped tourism potential while simultaneously exploring tourism trade opportunities among the member states As Awn Chaudhry passionately expressed during the Inter-ministerial meeting on the preparation and organization for the D-8 Ministerial Meeting the event endeavours to unleash new avenues for socio-economic development within the region

The journey towards this momentous occasion began in the 2nd D-8 Ministerial Meeting held in Malaysia back in 2019 when it was decided that Pakistan would have the privilege to host the 3rd D-8 Ministerial Meeting preceded by the 4th D-8

Senior Officials meeting However due to the unforeseen disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic the meeting was regrettably postponed in 2021

Nonetheless, the year 2023 brings renewed hope, as Awn Chaudhry, the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Tourism & Sports and Chairman of PTDC took decisive action to ensure the event s realization In March 2023 he held a crucial meeting with the Secretary General of the D-8 Secretariat and together they resolved to organize the long-awaited gathering later in the year The primary ambition behind convening this gathering is to shine a bright light

Among the multitude of objectives that this esteemed gathering seeks to achieve, paramount is the identification of potential pathways to enhance intra-D-8 tourism

In the wake of the pandemic crafting incentives and initiatives to support the revival of the tourism sector becomes a vital endeavour

By bringing together tourism experts from the member states, this meeting aims to foster capacity-building and the formulation of effective strategies for the postCovid-19 tourism era

Furthermore this convocation provides an invaluable platform for member states t o s h a r e k n o w l e d g e , e x c h a n g e b e s t p r a ctices, and cultivate cooperation opportunit i e s A s t h e w o r l d e v o l v e s c o l l a b o r a t i v e efforts to promote bilateral tourism can be a driving force in fostering mutual understanding and cultural appreciation among the D-8 nations