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02 NEWS Security beefed up in iSlamabad after lahore exploSion

ISLAMABAD

Monitoring rePort

SECURITy was beefed up across Islamabad, police said, days after three people were killed and 22 wounded by a bomb in Lahore. The nation has suffered a string of blasts and attacks since December when a truce between the government and the proscribed Afghanistan-based Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) lapsed.

But Thursday ’s bomb blast — in the busy Anarkali market — was claimed by the Baloch NationalistArmy (BNA), the newest of several militant groups to emerge.

Police spokesman Naeem Iqbal told AFP that security would be tightened in Islamabad, the seat of the government and home to dozens of embassies and other international institutions.

He said uniformed and plain-clothes officers would fan across the city, particularly in crowded areas such as markets.Earlierthisweek,apolicemanwaskilledandtwo others wounded in a drive-by motorcycle shooting in the capital by two TTPmilitants who died in return fire.

The BNA said it carried out the Lahore attack “in response to the killing of women and children by forces in Balochistan” , but provided no evidence to cement its claim.

Militant groups, often funded by India, have been waging a low-level insurgency for years in the province.

In Lahore, officials raised the death toll from Thursday ’s blast to three after another victim succumbed to injuries.

K-electric ensured uninterrupted power Supply as the Gusty Winds continue to batter Karachi

KARACHI

Pr

As the strong and gusty winds continue to blow in the port city which started from Friday, K-Electric ensured that the power supply to the city and its adjoining areas remain stable and uninterrupted. K-Electric’s Director Communications Imran Rana commented, “Our systems remained predominantly intact as strong gusts of wind continued to batter the city with different intervals at the speed of 36-45 km/h for two days. We ensured that the city is provided with safe and reliable power supply without any interruption. However, in areas where theft and kundas were prevalent, a few feeders were temporarily shut down on Friday out of caution owing to safety hazards in these areas which were swiftly restored after receiving clearance from the on-ground teams. ” In an unfortunate turn of events, an electrocution case was also reported in Defence Phase 6 on Saturday. Findings revealed that the incident occurred when the victim who was apparently a thief, tried to steal copper wires from a Pole-Mounted Transformer (PMT) and received electric shock as a result. Cognizant of the ongoing intensified weather, KE strongly urged citizens to exercise caution and keep a safe distance from Billboards, streetlight poles, trees, broken wires, TV and internet cables. The utility company also remained available 24/7 for any queries or complaints via its WhatsApp number +92348-0000118, 118 call center, SMS service 8119, KE LiveApp, and social media platforms.

europe suspension of pia operations to continue: agency

ISLAMABAD

StAFF rePort

The European UnionAviation SafetyAgency (EASA) retained a 2020 suspension of the authorisation for Pakistan InternationalAirlines (PIA) to operate in Europe. The agency had placed the ban on the national airline, initially for a period of six months, in June 2020 in a move following the grounding of 262 pilots after they were suspected of cheating on mandatory licence tests. Earlier this month, the International CivilAviation Organisation (ICAO) gave the Pakistan CivilAviation Authority (PCAA) the all-clear in terms of resolving significant safety concerns. The ICAO “has withdrawn its objection on significant safety concerns, ” PCAA spokesman Saifullah Khan said at the time. Following the development, the airline said it expected to restart Europe operations in February or March. However, the agency, in its response to a letter of PIA, said while it was pleased to hear that ICAO was able to remove the Significant Safety Concern (SSC) raised against Pakistan Personnel Licensing (PEL) following the on-site Universal Safety OversightAudit Program (USOAP) activities performed from November 29 to December 10, the decision does not affect the EASAban on the flights as it still needs to evaluate the performance of PCAA. “The closure of this SSC was an important step towards a potential lifting of the suspension of PIAThird Country Operators (TCO) Authorization (TCOA), ” it said.

Karachi murder convict takes top school score, wins prestigious scholarship

KARACHI

reuterS

An inmate serving a life sentence for murder in an overcrowded Karachi prison has won a scholarship for further study after taking one of the highest scores in the higher secondary school exams last year.

Syed Naeem Shah, 35, scored the highest in the general high school exams among private candidates — that is, among non-traditional students — last year in the Sindh capital, winning a scholarship for further studies from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).

“What I have achieved while languishing in jail is not possible if one does not have conviction, ” Shah told Reuters in an interview in Central Prison Karachi, built by the British in 1899.

The prison, like many others in the country, is notorious for being overcrowded, holding nearly 6,000 inmates in space meant for 2,400.

Prisons across Pakistan overall are at 130 percent of capacity and are poorly ventilated, with insufficient beds and limited access to medicines, safe water and bathing facilities, according toAmnesty International.

Speaking in a classroom inside the prison grounds, Shah said he enjoyed school as a child but that his family could not afford to continue his education. In jail, older inmates who were also taking classes motivated him and helped him prepare for exams.

Shah is one of 1,200 inmates studying in Central Prison Karachi, but his success is unparalleled, said Saeed Soomro, deputy superintendent of the prison.

“His results are (also) tantamount to our success, ” Soomro said, in giving him the opportunity to study and providing him with books and materials.

Shah was sentenced to life — 25 years in Pakistan — in 2018 for the shooting and killing of another man in a personal disagreement in 2010. years spent as a prisoner on trial, plus time off for academic achievements, good behaviour and blood donations, leaves him with about six years to serve.

Shah still has to pass an entrance exam to formally take up the scholarship, an ICAP official said, requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media.The scholarships, of Rs1 million, are offered to students earning the top four scores in intermediate exams, regardless of whether “they are in jail or outside” , the ICAP official said.

“I feel it will be very difficult for me to pursue this scholarship from prison, ” Shah said, given the technical and specialised subjects he will be pursuing.

Even before his exam success, Shah said he had filed an appeal against his conviction that is pending in Sindh High Court (SHC).

“I appeal to the president of Pakistan, prime minister and chief minister of Sindh to consider my case for remission. ”

Pakistan proud of pig-to-human heart transplant pioneer

KARACHI

AFP

Friends and former classmates of the Pakistan-born surgeon behind the world’s first pig-to-human heart transplant say they earmarked him for greatness from his medical school days.

Karachi-born Muhammad Mansoor Mohiuddin made headlines last week as the co-founder of the US university programme that successfully transplanted the heart of a genetically modified pig into a gravely ill American man.

While hailed as a medical breakthrough, the procedure also raised ethical questions — particularly among Jews and Muslims, who consider pigs to be unclean and avoid pork products.

None of that worried Mohiuddin’s friends and former colleagues in Pakistan, who remember him as an ace student with a passion for medicine.

“He would be so interested, always there, always available and always ready to get involved in surgery, ” said Muneer Amanullah, a specialist who attended Karachi’s Dow Medical College with Mohiuddin in the 1980s. College vice-chancellor Muhammad Saeed Qureshi said pride in Mohiuddin’s achievement had flooded the campus.

“There was exhilaration that this has been done by a graduate from this college, ” he toldAFP.

Mohiuddin was quick to share the limelight with a team of 50 from the University of Maryland Medical School.

“They were all experts of their respective fields, ” he toldAFPby phone. “They are the best surgeons, the best physicians, the best anaesthetists, and so on. ”

While the prognosis for the recipient of the pig’s heart is far from certain, the surgery represents a major milestone for animal-to-human transplants.

About 110,000Americans are currently waiting for an organ transplant, and more than 6,000 patients die each year before getting one, according to official figures.

To meet demand, doctors have long been interested in so-called xenotransplantation, or cross-species organ donation.

“We were working on this model for 18 years, ” Mohiuddin said. “Those 18 years were dotted with different phases of frustration — as well as breakthroughs — but finally we have done it. ”

The surgery is not without controversy, however, especially given Mohiuddin’s Islamic faith.

Pigs are considered unclean by Muslims and Jews — and even some Christians who follow the Bible’s Old Testament literally.

“In my view, this is not permissible for a Muslim, ” said Javed Ahmed Ghamdi, a prominent Islamic scholar, in a video blog where he discussed the procedure.

But another Islamic scholar gave the procedure a clean bill of health.

“There is no prohibition in sharia [Islamic law], ” Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi told AFP, calling it a “medical miracle” .

“In religion, no deed is as supreme as saving a human life, ” added Mohiuddin.

In Karachi, the surgeon’s fellow alumni feel their former colleague may now be destined for even greater glory — medicine’s top prize.

“I think […] the whole team is in for it, in for the Nobel Prize, ” said vice-chancellor Qureshi.

Inflation, price hikes hit people across the world

APP

Inflation and price hikes have become a global phenomenon in recent months, hitting the lower and middle income classes harder across the world.

A new poll found that nearly 60 percent of Canadians are having a hard time providing enough food for their families.

The results of poll, released by the Angus Reid Institute on Friday, showed that 57 percent of Canadians reported having a difficult time feeding their family recently, an increase from 36 percent when the question was last asked in 2019.

Inflation played a role in this figure, the report indicated, as Canadians were dealing with the highest level of inflation in 30 years. Data released on Wednesday from Statistics Canada found that items such as cooking oil (41.4 per cent) and white sugar (21.6 per cent) have already seen significant price spikes between December 2020 and December 2021.

The Angus Reid Institute also calculated the “Economic Stress Index (ESI), ” which combines concern over debt, housing costs, household food costs, a participant’s financial situation compared to the past year and expected financial situation next year, and divided respondents into four categories –thriving, comfortable, uncomfortable and struggling.

Using the ESI, the Angus Reid Institute found that a whooping 98 percent of those struggling found it difficult to feed their families.

“For those who are thriving, food costs are manageable, or an afterthought, ” the poll states. “For those who are uncomfortable or struggling, putting food on the table can be a substantial challenge. ”

Those in the struggling category were not very optimistic about their future wealth either, as just 8 percent indicated that they expect to be in better financial standing this time next year.

Overall, 27 percent of respondents fell into the struggling category, compared to 24 percent in each of the thriving and comfortable categories, and 25 percent in the uncomfortable category.

The poll also found that 39 percent of Canadians believe their financial standing worsened in the past year, which marks the highest number of Canadians reporting a worse-off financial situation in the 13 years of tracking from theAngus Reid Institute.

According to BBC, prices have also gone up at their fastest rate in nearly 30 years in the United Kingdom.

But there is worse to come, experts have warned.

Soaring food costs and the energy bill crisis drove inflation to 5.4 percent in 12 months to December, up from 5.1 percent the month before, in another blow to struggling families.

Last time, the inflation was higher in March, 1992, when it was 7.1 percent. And with gas and electricity costs set to rise further in the spring, analysts predict it will reach that level again. Inflation in the United States rose 7 percent in 2021, an increase not seen since June 1982, the US Department of Labor said this week. With energy and food prices removed from the equation, the “core” inflation rate in the US was 5.5 percent in 2021, the greatest rate increase since 1991. High fuel costs and inflationary trends have also worsened the economic situation in countries in European Union and Asia, including India, South Korea, Pakistan and Kazakhstan among others. The upsurge in fuel prices precipitated a political crisis in Kazakhstan, where people took to the roads to protest against rising inflation.