CMYK
23 August, 2020 I 3 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 54 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
naB deCides to Bring BaCk 'aBsConder' nawaz g
SHAzAD AKBAR SAyS FORMeR PM FAILeD TO FULFIL ANy CONDITION RATIFIeD By HIM PRIOR TO HIS DePARTURe
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
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He National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to approach an accountability court to declare former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a “proclaimed offender” in a reference accusing him of receiving luxury vehicles and gifts from Toshakhana, it emerged on Saturday. According to ARy News, NAB officials have said that the bail granted to the former premier has become ineffective, and he was apparently an absconder now. Sharif has been residing in London since November last year after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended for eight weeks his sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference and granted him permission to fly abroad for medical treatment. while any extension in the duration of his stay abroad was subject to a review of his latest medical reports, Sharif, the government claims, failed to update authori-
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
292,566
LAST UPDATED AT 9:53 AM ON AUGUST 22, 2020 DAY'S DEATH TOLL: NEW CASES:
12
586
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
275,317
6,234
SINDH:
PUNJAB:
96,057
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
35,720
FAwAD CHAUDHRy SAyS NAwAz SHARIF’S STAy IN LONDON DeNTINg PTI’S NARRATIve
ties on his health. Multiple reports suggest the bureau has also decided to inform the IHC that PML-N supreme leader is absconding. The agency will file an appeal in IHC for implementation on Nawaz’s sentence in the Al-Azizia case. According to APP, the watchdog will also approach the United Kingdom government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the deportation of former prime minister. The accountability court of Islamabad had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Sharif over his failure to attend the trial proceeding in the Toshakhana reference and had also initiated the process to declare him a proclaimed offender. Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz on Thursday said that the government will bring back former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan. ‘NO CONDITIONS MET’: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on accountability Shahzad Akbar said on Saturday that Nawaz Sharif had left the coun-
Coronavirus in
127,965
g
12,473
2,241/2,638 15,472
try for treatment on certain conditions and that none of these have yet been fulfilled. Akbar said that Nawaz was permitted to get medical treatment from abroad on the condition to return within the stipulated time frame. He added that the former premier was bound to submit his medical reports and updates on his treatment periodically to the court, and the Punjab government. Akbar claimed that Nawaz had not submitted any “such report” to the concerned authorities. Reviewing the rulings of that time, Akbar said that on October 29, 2019, the former premier was granted bail by the IHC for eight weeks on medical grounds, in the Al Azizia case. “The bail was given on the condition that after eight weeks, in case he does not recover, the Punjab government will take up the matter under CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) and conduct a proper hearing,” Akbar said. On November 16, Shehbaz Sharif filed an undertaking in Lahore High Court that Nawaz will return to Pakistan once the required medical procedures are completed, he recalled. Later, on December 23, after the expiry of the eight-week, Nawaz appealed to the Punjab government for an extension in his bail, Akbar said. “Because the bail was granted on medical grounds, the Punjab government constituted another medical board. The board demanded fresh reports of Nawaz’s treatment in London,” he told the media, adding that the board was not satisfied with the reports as the PML-N supremo had “not even been administered an injection” over there. The medical board had then suggested that he should not be given an extension in bail.
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Rescue work underway as rains inundate Karachi streets KARACHI TLTP
Pakistan Army's rescue teams are working along with the civil administration in the areas affected by the monsoon rains in the port city after roads and streets turned into rivers and nullahs owing to the latest spell of monsoon downpour. The process of water drainage is underway in the low-lying areas of the city where rainwater has entered the house. The rescue teams recovered bodies of two people who were drowned in Karachi’s gujjar Nullah on Friday night. At least three people drowned in the gujjar Nullah on Friday and on Saturday morning. The rescue officials have retrieved two bodies while a search for the remaining person is underway. The victims have been identified as Nasir and Bilal. According to rescue officials, three people, Nasir, his son Bilal and brother Adnan were swept into the drain by strong water currents as the area flooded due to heavy rain on Friday. The fifth spell of monsoon rains in Karachi has submerged many areas of the metropolis, damaging houses and vehicles in low-lying areas. A dilapidated water drainage system in the port city is said to be a major cause of the flooding in the metropolis during rainfall. Unplanned
Int’l publications skeptical over Pakistan’s ‘mysterious’ Covid-19 recovery NEWS DESK International publications have expressed skepticism regarding a sharp decline in Covid-19 cases in the country despite a lax following of coronavirus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the population. During June 2020, the daily death toll due to the virus had hit almost 150, with hospitals reporting lack of space and resources to accommodate further coronavirus patients. Since then the daily death toll has fallen to approximately around 20. The cause of the drastic fall however, remains uncertain. As per a report published in The Telegraph, the fall in the Covid-19 cases initially coincided with a fall in testing with people alleging that the government had reduced testing in order to hide the prevalence of the disease. However, other indicators like hospital admissions and proportion of positive tests have also seen a drastic drop which negates the theory that the government had purposefully reduced Covid-19 tests. As of mid August, a number of hospitals in Lahore which had been filled in excess of their capacity, have now closed special
land conversions for commercial gains, the rise of informal settlements, many situated dangerously on the edge of nullahs, and lack of proper planning played havoc with the urban infrastructure, including the storm-water drains in Karachi. People in Surjani Town’s Sector 4-B are trapped inside their houses as the authorities failed to drain out the rainwater. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) weather report, Surjani area received a maximum 186 millimetres of rainfall, in Karachi on Friday. According to rain figures, North Karachi received 106.4 millimetres of rainfall, North Nazimabad, 106 mm; gulshan-e-Hadeed, 84 mm, Masroor Base, 54 mm; Saadi Town, 37mm; University Road, 28mm; Landhi, 25mm; Faisal Base, 22 mm; Jinnah Terminal, 21mm; Saddar 20 mm; Old Airport, 14 mm; and Keamari, 12mm. Meanwhile, the district council on Saturday imposed a ban on bathing in Malir river after overflow of water at Malir spillway. Chairman District Council Salman Abdullah Murad visited the spillway with a team of experts to inspect the damage to the structure. The engineers team inspected the damage and started a survey for filling in the breach at Malir Spillway.
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more inside
Nawaz went abroad for treatment on Punjab govt’s request: Marriyum STORY ON PAGE 02
Centre agrees to give 40pc of gas revenue to Balochistan STORY ON PAGE 03 wards built specifically to cater to Covid-19 patients. Those hospitals that still have such wards or quarantine centers are reporting a decrease in the number of patients. Moreover, the report suggests that stigma and the prospect of forced quarantine attached to the disease has meant that a large number of people do not get themselves tested despite having symptoms of the disease. This keeps the total number of reported cases low despite possible death occurring from the virus. According to a report published by BBC, during June 2020, Miani Sahib, which is the biggest graveyard in the city, re-
ceived 1,176 burials compared to 696 in June 2019. However, only 46 of the 1,176 bodies buried belonged to reported Covid-19 patients. Such a drastic increase in burials could have been linked to unreported Covid-19 cases. However, since June burials rates have fallen back to normal levels. Similarly, reports further suggest that Pakistan’s relatively young population might have played a major role in bringing Covid-19 cases down since young people are less likely to be severely affected and have stronger immunity.
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Pakistan urges world to prosecute Indian personnel for state terrorism in IOK STORY ON PAGE 02
13 of 15-member UNSC oppose US push for Iran embargo STORY ON BACK PAGE