A new week begins with a flurry of activities today, Monday, August 30, 2021. As schools in Sindh reopen and over 50 lawmakers head to the GHQ for an important briefing on Afghanistan, we follow these and other developments and some stories from Sunday night.
Sindh schools reopen
The Sindh government has allowed public and private schools to open from today, but with a caveat. Pupils will be allowed in only after producing their parent’s vaccination certificates. Although Sindh Education and Literacy Department has said in a notification that educational institutions shall operate six days a week with 50% attendance, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced Sunday that schools will open only three days a week.
Universities are also opening today in the Sindh province.
GHQ Briefing
An important meeting is being held to discuss the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan. Over 50 lawmakers from the Senate and the National Assembly will be briefed by the country’s top brass at the Pakistan Army’s General Head Quarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The treasury and the opposition lawmakers on the defence committees of both houses are likely to spend up to six hours at the GHQ. They will be briefed by the director-general military operations (DGMO) and have an interactive session with the Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, according to a report.
The situation in Afghanistan is a cause of concern for Pakistanis. On Sunday night two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred when terrorists from across the border fired at Pakistani positions in Bajaur.
PDM’s power show
The opposition conglomerate Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Sunday held its first power show in Karachi since it parted ways with the Pakistan People Party (PPP). Leaders declared that they would march on Islamabad with tens of thousands of people to remove the PTI government. There were different estimates on the number of participants. Read the full report here.
The PDM rally is a new topic for TV shows and Twitter debates. You are likely to hear about it all day, today.
Covid restrictions
The federal and the Sindh governments have announced key decisions on Covid-19 related restrictions. The federal government has extended the restrictions to a total of 27 cities. On the other hand, the Sindh government has issued a notification easing restrictions for all Sindh cities except Karachi and Hyderabad. The notification can cause envy among the citizens of the two cities. However, the government says they face a bigger threat of the virus spreading during its fourth wave.
Noor Mukadam Case
The police are likely to present a challan (police investigation report) in the Noor Mukadam murder case before a district court in Islamabad.
The police challan holds Zahir Jaffer responsible for Noor’s grisly murder on July 20. His parents and others including the Therapy Works’s CEO have been named as accomplices. Last month, Jaffer beheaded Noor, 27, after an argument at his Islamabad home.
SC hears journalists
The Supreme Court is to hear applications about journalists who are being harassed by government bodies, according to the applicants. The bench-II headed by Chief Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and comprising Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail would hear the case. Earlier, Justice Faiz Isa had issued notices to the relevant officials on the same applications invoking suo motu jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, but a larger bench under Justice Umar Ata Bandial nixed his notices. The bench, however, fixed the application for today’s hearing.
At today’s hearing, prosecutors are likely to plead for a speedy trial after the police submit the challan, the first crucial step towards a formal indictment.
Factory fire losses
It is the fourth day since the families of 17 factory workers lost their loved ones to a fire that could have been extinguished much earlier had the fire tenders been dispatched from the nearest fire station and other fatal delays avoided, Aamir Majeed reveals his incisive report that you can read here.
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