Pakistan records 3,946 fresh corona infections during last 24 hrs

Coronavirus has claimed 63 more lives in Pakistan during the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 14,028, reported on Thursday.

The latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed the COVID-19 has claimed 63 more lives and 3,946 fresh infections were reported during the period.

The total count of active cases is 36,849.

A total of 38,858 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Since the detection of the first COVID-19 case in the country, overall 9,934,373 tests have been conducted so far.

Read more: Govt issues guidelines for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

2,587 patients are in critical condition across the country, whereas, 27,47 people recovered from the deadly disease during the last 24 hours. Overall 588,975 have regained their health from the COVID-19.

Sindh remains top on the list with 263,815 cases reported in the province so far, followed by Punjab with 205,314 COVID cases so far.

81,787 cases have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 53,684 in Islamabad, 19,395 cases in Balochistan, 12,016 infections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,977 cases have been detected in Gilgit Baltistan.

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Live: Pakistan Day military parade underway in Islamabad

The military parade in connection with Pakistan Day celebrations is currently underway in Islamabad on Thursday.

President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, Defence Minister, Pervez Khattak, Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Naval Chief, Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi and other distinguished guests are attending the cermony.

The contingents of the three armed forces and other security forces will conduct march past whilst fighter jets will present aerobatic maneuvers.

As per notifications of Deputy Commissioners Islamabad and Rawalpindi, there is a local holiday in the twin cities in connection with the military parade.

To facilitate the Parade, Islamabad Traffic Police will restrict traffic on Islamabad Expressway from Khanna Bridge to zero points between 5:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon.

Islamabad Traffic police have specified alternate routes to facilitate Traffic flow.

It is to be noted that the Parade scheduled to take place on March 23, was postponed owing to inclement weather.

According to fresh directives issued by the ISPR, all participants/guests attending the parade had been strictly directed to follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Face masks have been made mandatory for all participants attending the Pakistan Day parade0 Every person coming to attend the Pakistan Day Parade would undergo temperature checks while it has been directed to staff to ensure the presence of hand sanitizers/masks at all entry gates of the parade.

The sitting arrangement for guests has been made keeping in view Covid-19 SOPs.

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Islamabad markets to remain closed on Friday and Saturday in line with new NCOC directives

Islamabad's administration has amended days for commercial activities in line with the National Command and Operations Centre's (NCOC) recommendations that will remain in place till April 11.

In a notification, the District Magistrate's Office said all commercial activities, establishments, and areas will close by 10pm on weekdays and shall remain completely closed on weekends — Fridays and Saturdays.

Indoor dining in restaurants has been banned, however, outdoor dining is permitted till 10pm on weekdays only. On weekends, both indoor and outdoor dining will be prohibited in the capital, whereas takeaway and home delivery will be permitted.

"50% work from home policy will be implemented in ICT with immediate effect," the notification said, adding the cinemas and shrines will continue to remain closed.

The ban imposed on indoor gatherings will remain in place, while outdoor events will be allowed with a cap of 300 persons — with strict adherence to COVID-19 SOPs.

"There shall also be a complete ban on sports, festivals, cultural and other events," the notification said.

All types of marriage halls, community centers, and marquees shall remain closed, and only outdoor functions in open areas shall be allowed till 10pm, with a maximum of 300 people and a duration of two hours.

The intercity public transport will now operate at 50% of its capacity.

All medical services and pharmacies, medical stores, tire puncture shops, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, atta chakkies, postal and courier services will remain open throughout the week, with no time restrictions.

Petrol pumps, telecom services, LPG outlets, agriculture machinery workshops, spare parts shops, the printing press can also operate without restrictions.

Islamabad's district health officer said the capital recorded 460 cases in the last 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 8.8% — the lowest this week.

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Pakistan schools in coronavirus hotspot areas to stay closed till April 11

Schools in Pakistan that are located in coronavirus hotspot areas will remain closed till April 11, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced Wednesday.

He was speaking to the media after an important meeting of education and health ministers at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to decide on the closure of schools amid an alarming rise of coronavirus cases in the country.

The number of COVID-19 active cases has doubled in the last three weeks while the positivity ratio has remained above 8% in the last few days. According to the NCOC data, the number of active cases was 17,352 on March 6 which reached 36,849 on Wednesday.

Mehmood said the government will hold a meeting with the Cambridge exams board to see whether examinations can be postponed or not.

Board examinations of classes nine to 12 will be held as per the timetable, he said.

We have seen that the number of cases in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir has increased, he said. “The number of infections is relatively less in Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Balochistan,” Mehmood said.

The education minister said keeping in view the coronavirus situation, the provincial governments will decide the districts where educational institutions will remain closed.

Mehmood said the government is cognizant of the fact that the closure of educational institutions is affecting the education of children. However, he said the health of children is priority.

The federal minister said that the next meeting of the education and health ministers will be held on April 7 to review the whole situation.

On Sunday, Mehmood took to his Twitter account and reminded the masses that the third wave of the coronavirus is serious, therefore, it requires careful review.

"All education/health ministers will meet Wednesday, March 24, at the NCOC to take a decision regarding opening or further closure of educational institutions," the minister wrote.

"The health of students, teachers, [and staff is of] primary consideration."

In a separate statement on Monday, Mehmood said that he was not in favour of shutting down educational institutes but the NCOC believed that there’s a high risk of coronavirus in schools.

“50 million children are linked with education and if someone got infected, the disease would spread," he said.

It is pertinent to note that schools, colleges and universities were allowed to resume regular classes from March 1 but the Sindh government did not follow suit saying the situation has not improved.

On March 10, the federal government had announced a two-week Spring Break in Islamabad, Peshawar and seven Punjab cities where the positivity was high and imposed restrictions to control the spread.

The health officials have warned that the UK variant, which has wreaked havoc in Punjab and the federal capital, spreads faster and is more deadly.

In view of a surge in coronavirus cases in the country, the NCOC on Monday issued renewed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the virus, saying that these would be implemented with immediate effect.

As per the new guidelines, all businesses will only be allowed to operate five days a week, while all commercial activities will be closed by 8:00pm in areas with a positivity ratio greater than 8%.

The forum expressed grave concern over the current COVID-19 situation in the country and unanimously agreed to implement some high impact interventions in cities and districts with a high positivity ratio.

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Islamabad markets to remain closed on Friday and Saturday in line with new NCOC directives

Islamabad's administration has amended days for commercial activities in line with the National Command and Operations Centre's (NCOC) recommendations that will remain in place till April 11.

In a notification, the District Magistrate's Office said all commercial activities, establishments, and areas will close by 10pm on weekdays and shall remain completely closed on weekends — Fridays and Saturdays.

Indoor dining in restaurants has been banned, however, outdoor dining is permitted till 10pm on weekdays only. On weekends, both indoor and outdoor dining will be prohibited in the capital, whereas takeaway and home delivery will be permitted.

"50% work from home policy will be implemented in ICT with immediate effect," the notification said, adding the cinemas and shrines will continue to remain closed.

The ban imposed on indoor gatherings will remain in place, while outdoor events will be allowed with a cap of 300 persons — with strict adherence to COVID-19 SOPs.

"There shall also be a complete ban on sports, festivals, cultural and other events," the notification said.

All types of marriage halls, community centers, and marquees shall remain closed, and only outdoor functions in open areas shall be allowed till 10pm, with a maximum of 300 people and a duration of two hours.

The intercity public transport will now operate at 50% of its capacity.

All medical services and pharmacies, medical stores, tire puncture shops, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, atta chakkies, postal and courier services will remain open throughout the week, with no time restrictions.

Petrol pumps, telecom services, LPG outlets, agriculture machinery workshops, spare parts shops, the printing press can also operate without restrictions.

Islamabad's district health officer said the capital recorded 460 cases in the last 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 8.8% — the lowest this week.

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Pakistan schools in coronavirus hotspot areas to stay closed till April 11

Schools in Pakistan that are located in coronavirus hotspot areas will remain closed till April 11, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced Wednesday.

He was speaking to the media after an important meeting of education and health ministers at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to decide on the closure of schools amid an alarming rise of coronavirus cases in the country.

The number of COVID-19 active cases has doubled in the last three weeks while the positivity ratio has remained above 8% in the last few days. According to the NCOC data, the number of active cases was 17,352 on March 6 which reached 36,849 on Wednesday.

Mehmood said the government will hold a meeting with the Cambridge exams board to see whether examinations can be postponed or not.

Board examinations of classes nine to 12 will be held as per the timetable, he said.

We have seen that the number of cases in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir has increased, he said. “The number of infections is relatively less in Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Balochistan,” Mehmood said.

The education minister said keeping in view the coronavirus situation, the provincial governments will decide the districts where educational institutions will remain closed.

Mehmood said the government is cognizant of the fact that the closure of educational institutions is affecting the education of children. However, he said the health of children is priority.

The federal minister said that the next meeting of the education and health ministers will be held on April 7 to review the whole situation.

On Sunday, Mehmood took to his Twitter account and reminded the masses that the third wave of the coronavirus is serious, therefore, it requires careful review.

"All education/health ministers will meet Wednesday, March 24, at the NCOC to take a decision regarding opening or further closure of educational institutions," the minister wrote.

"The health of students, teachers, [and staff is of] primary consideration."

In a separate statement on Monday, Mehmood said that he was not in favour of shutting down educational institutes but the NCOC believed that there’s a high risk of coronavirus in schools.

“50 million children are linked with education and if someone got infected, the disease would spread," he said.

It is pertinent to note that schools, colleges and universities were allowed to resume regular classes from March 1 but the Sindh government did not follow suit saying the situation has not improved.

On March 10, the federal government had announced a two-week Spring Break in Islamabad, Peshawar and seven Punjab cities where the positivity was high and imposed restrictions to control the spread.

The health officials have warned that the UK variant, which has wreaked havoc in Punjab and the federal capital, spreads faster and is more deadly.

In view of a surge in coronavirus cases in the country, the NCOC on Monday issued renewed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the virus, saying that these would be implemented with immediate effect.

As per the new guidelines, all businesses will only be allowed to operate five days a week, while all commercial activities will be closed by 8:00pm in areas with a positivity ratio greater than 8%.

The forum expressed grave concern over the current COVID-19 situation in the country and unanimously agreed to implement some high impact interventions in cities and districts with a high positivity ratio.

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Senate chairman poll, IHC reserves verdict on Gillani’s petition

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved on Wednesday a verdict on former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani’s petition challenging the election of the Senate chairman.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah took up the petition. After a preliminary hearing, the court reserved its judgement on the maintainability of the petition, which is likely to be announced shortly.

During the hearing, the top IHC judge suggested that the petitioner could send a reference to the National Assembly speaker under Article 63 to have his grievance redressed.

“Has the Senate chairman ever been removed from the post in the past?” Justice Minallah asked Farooq H Naek, who represented Gillani. “What is the procedure for removal of the Senate chairman?” he further asked.

The judge observed that the court abstains from unnecessarily intervening in the matter. “You can take the matter to a Senate committee,” he suggested. At this, the counsel said no committee has powers to dislodge the Senate chairman.

Senator Gillani moved the petition through his counsel Farooq H Naek requesting the high court to declare the result of the election of Senate chairman held on March 12 “illegal, unlawful and void”.

He further demanded that the IHC declare the rejection of seven votes polled in favour of the petitioner illegal and suspend the notification dated March 13 regarding the re-election of Sadiq Sanjrani as Senate chairman and restrain him from carrying out his duties in this capacity until this petition is decided.

Gillani alleged in his petition that the government attempted to influence the result of the election to the seat of Senate chairman to win it by hook or crook.

“During the process of counting of votes the Presiding Officer (Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah) arbitrarily rejected 7 of the votes (the rejected votes) cast in the petitioner’s favour on the ground that stamp is affixed on the name of the petitioner despite protest of the petitioner’s polling agent Senator Farooq H. Naek that the stamp had been fixed within the box containing the name of the petitionern,” he contended.

“The votes rejected by the presiding officer clearly evince the voter’s intent to vote for the petitioner and no one else,” the petitioner argued. Moreover, he added, these are in compliance with the notice affixed near the polling booth as well as the understanding conveyed by the Senate secretary.

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