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  • Pak’s anti-graft body issues arrest warrant against Nawaz Sharif in land related corruption case

    The 70-year-old supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is currently in London for medical treatment.

    PTI

    Pakistan’s anti-graft body has issued an arrest warrant against embattled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a 34-year-old land related corruption case.

    The 70-year-old supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is currently in London for medical treatment.

    According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials, Mr. Sharif illegally leased the land to Jang Group editor-in-chief Mir Shakilur Rehman in 1986, when the three-time premier was the Chief Minister of Punjab province.

    “The NAB has issued arrest warrants of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in the land case involving Jang Group editor-in-chief Rehman. Sharif was served notices and questionnaires in this case but no response came from him who is in London for his medical treatment,” a NAB official told PTI on Sunday.

    The three-time premier is facing multiple graft charges.

    The official said the NAB would move the accountability court to declare Mr. Sharif a proclaimed offender over non-cooperation in the investigation.

    On March 27, the NAB sent a questionnaire to Mr. Sharif and summoned him to the bureau office on March 31 to record his statement. Again on March 15, NAB’s Lahore office summoned Mr. Sharif to appear before the bureau on March 20, but no response came from him, Dawn reported.

    Jang Group, also known as Geo Group, is a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation.

    On March 12, the NAB arrested Mr. Rehman in the case. He is in the bureau’s custody on a physical remand till April 28.

    Mr. Rehman, the editor-in-chief of Jang/Geo media group, was arrested on charges that he illegally acquired 54-Kanal (6.75 acres) land on a prime location in Lahore at a throwaway price in 1986 during the tenure of then-chief minister of Punjab Sharif.

    “Once Sharif is declared a proclaimed offender then we will pursue the process of his repatriation,” the official said on Sunday.

    “The decision to issue Sharif’s arrest warrants has been taken on his non-cooperation with NAB in the 54-Kanal land in Lahore he had awarded illegally to Mir Shakilur Rehman in 1986 when he was chief minister of Punjab,” the official said.

    Mr. Sharif left for London in November last for treatment after the Lahore High Court allowed him to go abroad on medical grounds for four weeks.

    According to Mr. Sharif’s physician Dr. Adnan Khan, the top leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is suffering from complex multi-vessel coronary artery disease and substantial ischemic and threatened myocardium for which he is due to undergo surgery.

    In a latest tweet, Dr. Khan said: “As a high risk patient, former PM #NawazSharif’s cardiac catheterisation/coronary intervention was postponed to be rescheduled at a later date amidst COVID-19 pandemic, as public/private hospitals limited their admissions/procedures. Presently managed on aggressive medical therapy.”

    The Lahore High Court had, in October last year, granted bail to Mr. Sharif on medical grounds for four weeks, allowing the Punjab government to extend it further in the light of his medical reports.

    The Islamabad High Court had also granted bail to Mr. Sharif in the Al Azizia Mills corruption case, in which the former prime minister was serving a seven-year jail term, clearing his way to travel abroad for medical treatment.

    Mr. Sharif has given an undertaking to the Lahore High Court to return to Pakistan citing his record to face the process of law and justice within four weeks or as soon as he is declared fit to travel.

    Mr. Sharif, who was diagnosed with an immune system disorder, has been advised by a PTI government’s panel of doctors to go abroad for treatment.

  • Coronavirus | Iran plans to reopen mosques in select areas, says President

    Activities in each region will be restricted accordingly, so an area that has been consistently free of infections or deaths will be labelled white and mosques could be reopened with Friday prayers resuming.

    Reuters

    Iran plans to reopen mosques in parts of the country that have been consistently free of the coronavirus outbreak as restrictions on Iranians gradually ease, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday.

    Iran, one of the Middle Eastern countries hardest hit by the pandemic, will be divided up into white, yellow and red regions based on the number of infections and deaths, Mr. Rouhani said, according to the presidency’s website.

    Activities in each region will be restricted accordingly, so an area that has been consistently free of infections or deaths will be labelled white and mosques could be reopened with Friday prayers resuming, Mr. Rouhani said.

    He said the label given to any region in the Islamic Republic could change and he did not say when the colour-coding programme would come into force.

    Iranians have returned to shops, bazaars and parks over the past week as the country eases coronavirus restrictions with the daily increase in the death toll below 100 since April 14.

    The toll rose by 60 over the past 24 hours to 5,710 with 90,481 confirmed cases, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV on Sunday.

    Seeking a balance between protecting public health and shielding an economy already battered by sanctions, the government has refrained from imposing the kind of wholesale lockdowns on cities seen in many other countries.

    But it has extended closures of schools and universities and banned cultural, religious and sports gatherings.

  • Coronavirus | 33 healthcare workers at Max Hospital in east Delhi test positive so far

    Earlier this month, a patient admitted at the hospital for dialysis tested positive for coronavirus

    PTI

    Thirty-three healthcare workers of the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj of east Delhi, including two doctors, had tested positive for COVID-19 so far, the hospital spokesperson said on Monday.

    On April 15, the hospital announced that it would test all its workers and the 33 cases were found during this process, according to the hospital.

    “The hospital is being sanitised and the staff who were tested positive were moved to Max Hospital, Saket, East Wing, which is a COVID treatment facility. Also, 145 nurses working at the Patparganj hospital have been quarantined,” the spokesperson said.

    Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj is not a COVID-19 treatment facility, and earlier this month, a patient admitted at the hospital for dialysis tested positive for the virus.

  • 27 more test positive, COVID-19 cases top 500 in J&K

    Nothing to worry as it includes 137 recoveries: Official

    The novel coronavirus topped the 500 figure in J&K on Sunday as 27 more locals tested positive spiking the number to 523.

    “Total cases now 523. But don’t let this number daunt you. This includes 137 recoveries too. We will keep doing aggressive testing and strict containment. And you have to support it,” J&K spokesperson Rohit Kansal said.

    An official said nine of the fresh cases were reported from from Anantnag, eight from Bandipora, seven from Baramulla, two from Srinagar and one from Kupwara.

    Director, Health Services, Kashmir, Dr. Samir Mattoo said the increasing number of positive patients across the Kashmir region needs a humane touch.

    “I have interacted with scores of patients in these isolation and COVID-19 facilities and I was given this notion that some of the patients have shown tremendous recovery after experiencing positive and humane touch from the frontline healthcare workers,” Dr. Mattoo said.

    He thanked the doctors and the staff of hospitals for their exemplary services.

    Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Choudhary, said a door-to-door health survey in the wake of the spread, which was started less than two weeks ago, is nearing completion in all the areas notified as red zones in Srinagar.

    An official said a population of around 25,000 people put together had been covered under the survey and the data generated submitted to health authorities for investigations.

    “Decisions for containment will be based on the results of this audit. Therefore, there must be full cooperation and participation in the exercise,” said Dr. Choudhary.

  • Over 27,300 positive cases in India: Health Ministry

    The Union Health Ministry, in its daily update of the coronavirus cases in India, said that the country has registered 27,333 COVID-19 positive cases so far, of which 20,835 are active.

    As many as 872 people have died of the infection. The country’s recovery rate is 21.9%, as 6,184 people have recovered from the disease so far.

    Covid-19 Updates:

    Delhi:

    33 healthcare workers at Delhi’s Max Hospital test positive

    Thirty-three healthcare workers of Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj of East Delhi, including two doctors, were tested positive for COVID-19 so far, said the hospital spokesperson on Monday.

    On April 15, the hospital had announced that it will test all its workers for COVID-19 and the 33 cases were found during this process, according to the hospital.

    Andra Pradesh:

    80 more COVID positive cases reported in AP

    Andhra Pradesh reported 80 new COVID-19 positive cases in six districts during the past 24 hours out of 6,517 samples tested. This is the third time the State has reported 80 or more cases in the past five days. Around 30% of the total cases reported so far were detected during the same period.

    The State COVID-19 tally has gone up to 1,177 now and the death toll remains at 31 with no new deaths reported in the past two days. Four patients have recovered, leaving 911 active cases.

    Madhya Pradesh:

    Three die of COVID-19 in Indore

    Three persons have died of COVID-19 in Indore while undergoing treatment at hospitals, taking the death toll in the city to 60.

    All three were men aged 55, 65 and 67. They suffered from diabetes and hypertension which hastened the deaths, according to a bulletin issued by the district administration late night on Sunday.

    So far, 2,121 persons have tested positive for the illness in Madhya Pradesh. As many as 106 have died of it, and 318 have recovered from the disease.

    Maharashtra:

    Cases in Pune continue to soar as district reports 55 more over 12-hour span

    At least 55 new COVID-19 cases were reported over a 12-hour span across Pune district, with the majority being from Pune city. This takes the district’s cumulative tally of active cases to 1,044, said health officials on Monday.

    Meanwhile, the death of a 48-year-old woman in the city’s Sassoon General Hospital took the district’s death toll to 78, said authorities.

    Odisha:

    In Bihar, 16 more COVID-19 positive cases have been detected, taking the total figure to 290. All cases have come from Jamalpur in Munger district.

    More details awaited.

    Karnataka:

    Patient ends life in COVID-19 ward

    Patient number 466, a 50-year-old auto-rickshaw driver from Bengaluru, who was being treated in the COVID-19 ICU ward on the sixth floor at the Emergency and Trauma Care Centre on Victoria Hospital premises ended his life on Monday morning.

    Sources in the hospital said the patient, who had suffered renal failure and was on dialysis, was depressed after the death of Patient number 465 in the ICU ward on Sunday.

    India puts its recovery rate at 21.9%

    Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan noted that 5,913 people have recovered from COVID-19 so far, placing India’s recovery rate at 21.9%.

    “The situation is improving in India as Hotspot Districts are moving towards becoming Non Hotspot Districts,” said the Minister. Dr. Vardhan said people should observe the lockdown in letter and spirit and treat it as an effective intervention to cut down the spread of COVID-19.

  • Kulgam encounter: Four militants killed, Army Major injured, Operation on, mobile internet suspended

    Kulgam: Four militants were killed while an Army Major was injured in an ongoing encounter that raged between forces and militants in Guddar area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday evening.

    Official sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that four militants were killed and an Army Officer of Major Rank has recieved bullet wound in his leg during the gunfight. “The operation was still going on in the area,” they said.

    Following specific inputs, a joint operation was carried out by Kulgam Police, 09 RR of Army and CRPF, a police spokesperson said, adding that the gunfight erupted after joint team of forces moved towards the suspected place, the hiding militants fired upon the search party, which was retaliated and resulted in the gunfight.

    He added that four militants have been killed while an Army major has suffered bullet wound when the patrolling party was attacked by the militants.

    Meanwhile, mobile internet has also been suspended in Kulgam district as precautionary measure—(KNO)

  • Hizbul Mujahideen activist held in Amritsar: Punjab DGP

    Chandigarh: Punjab police on Sunday claimed to have arrested an activist of the Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen with Rs 29 lakh cash worth Indian currency in his possession.

    Hilal Ahmed Wagay, a resident of Nowgam coming under Avantipura police station area of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, was nabbed by the Amritsar police team on April 25 near Metro Mart, Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said in a statement here.

    Preliminary investigations revealed that Wagay was sent by Kashmir valley chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, Riyaz Ahmed Naiku, for collecting money from an unidentified person near Metro Mart in Amritsar in a truck, the DGP said.

    Money was delivered to him by an unknown person, who came on a two-wheeler, Gupta said.

    The person accompanying Wagay in the truck was identified as Rayees Ahmed, a resident of Bijbehara in Anantnag district, the DGP added.

    A case was registered under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (Amendment 2012) in Sadar police station in Amritsar.(PTI)

  • Gunfight rages in Kulgam village

    Kulgam: A gunfight broke out between militants and government forces in Guddar area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday evening.

    Reports reaching news agency —Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that a joint team Army’s 09RR , SOG and CRPF launched cordon and search operation in Guddar area.

    A senior Police officer told KNO that contact has been established with hiding militants after forces zeroed in towards the suspected spot.

    As per the sources, two to three militants are believed to be trapped in the area. While this report was being filed, exchange of firing was going on (KNO)

  • Pray more this Ramzan: PM Modi appeals on Mann ki Baat

    While addressing his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister also said the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way festivals are being celebrated in India and across the world.

    PTI

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to turn the month of Ramzan into a symbol of patience, harmony, sensitivity and service and follow norms of social distancing to break the chain of coronavirus infections.

    While addressing his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister also said the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way festivals are being celebrated in India and across the world.

    “The holy month of Ramzan has also begun. While celebrating Ramzan last time, no one has thought that we will have face such a big crisis during Ramzan this time,” Modi said while speaking during the 64th edition of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

    “But now when the whole world is facing this problem, it provides us with an opportunity to make this Ramzan a symbol of patience, harmony, sensitivity and service. We should pray even more this time so that the world is rid of corona by the time of Eid and we celebrate with the same fervour and enthusiasm as before,” he said.

    Modi’s message came a day after the Muslim holy month began and when prayers in mosques have been stopped and religious gatherings banned across India to contain the spread of Covid-19.

    The Prime Minister also said that he was confident that by following the guidelines of the local administration, people will strengthen the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

    “It is essential right now to follow physical distance on the streets, residential areas and markets. I also express my gratitude to all those community leaders who are making people aware of maintaining a two-yard distance and staying home,” he said.

    Ramadan started on Saturday morning and is expected to end on May 24. Muslims fast during the daylight hours, a practice seen as one of the five pillars of Islam, over 30 days. They eat before sunrise and break their fast after dusk each day.

    The Union ministry of home affairs had on April 10 directed all states and the Union territories (not to allow any social or religious gathering and ensure strict compliance of lockdown ahead of various festivals like Baisakhi, Ambedkar Jayanti, Ramadan and others.

  • Covid-19 | Bandipora admin to screen entire population

    Bandipora: Amid the growing number of COVID positive cases in the district, the district administration has launched a massive COVID-19 Health Audit in the district under which health workers will meet every individual of the district and enquire about her/his well being.

    Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza informed that the survey is being conducted to break the chain of Coronavirus in the district.

    Giving details, DC that said under the level one, 300 Booth Area level Group (BAG) teams have been constituted comprising of a Booth Level Worker, Anganwari and Aasha worker. He said the teams will visit every household and will enquire about the well being of every individual, HE said the teams will update the health status of every individual on mobile “Swasthya Nidhi App”.

    Appealing people to cooperate with the teams to win this fight against Corona virus, Mirza said the teams will visit every household to check symptoms of virus, if any, following which a medical team (Level-II) will visit that particular household to check suspected patients, if any.

    He added that the teams will also create awareness among the masses about the symptoms and precautions besides informing them about Health App Arogya Setu, which will help the people to remain updated about the pandemic and also help them in self assessing themselves regarding COVID19.

    Mirza appealed the people to download the Aarogya Setu mobile app to help them in identifying risk of contracting the Corona virus. He said the people can also use the app to alert authorities, if they have come in close contact with a person infected with the deadly virus besides, the app will inform people if there is any symptomatic patient in their vicinity.