Posts Tagged ‘pakistan news’

2 Patients Died In Hospital Fire

2 Patients Died In Hospital Fire:Two patients on mechanical ventilation died of suffocation when the fire broke out in the ICU Jinnah Hospital early Tuesday morning.

In accordance with the hospital, a short circuit resulting in fire. While the evacuation began immediately, two patients can not be saved in the intensive care unit was filled with smoke.

Management claims that the ICU began to function again immediately after the fire was extinguished early this morning, however, they later retracted their statement and said that the SIS will be implemented over the next 12 hours.

15 people Die As Bus Swept Away In Tonsa

A bus carrying passengers carried away by the fate of tidal currents, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 people and 20 others missing.

According to police sources, the bus on the route from Karachi to Peshawar when it was swept away in Bazdar Sharkey on the Indus Highway from the flood tide, pouring from the Suleman Range.

According to DSP Tonsa, at least 45 passengers on board the bus, of which 15 people were killed and 20 others are missing. Although the 10 lucky ones managed to swim to safety with a menacing flood.

Rescue sources said bodies of five people were evacuated and the other search is conducted.

Japan Send Helicopters To Help Pakistan

Japan said Thursday it will send a military helicopter unit to assist with relief efforts in Pakistan following the devastating floods.
Defense Toshimi Kitazawa ordered the armed forces Thursday to prepare for sending in response to a request by the Pakistani government, his ministry said in a statement.

Japan is expected to send a unit of six transport helicopters and 300 troops for the relief mission, Kyodo News agency reported.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Katsuya Okada told reporters that the advance team of about 20 employees were to leave for Pakistan on Thursday.

Okada said that Japanese troops are likely to work in southern Pakistan, where security situation is relatively stable, to provide food and medicines, and transport people in the international relief effort.

“We also bear in mind the importance of Pakistan in addressing the issues of Afghanistan, which is considered a hotbed of terrorism,” said Okada.

He said that the United States also “unofficially” asked Japan to provide assistance to Pakistan.

The Japanese government fact-finding team visited Pakistan from Friday to assess the needs of the country, the security situation and other conditions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Tokyo has already sent 14.4 million dollars as emergency assistance to help Pakistan cope with the disaster.

Pakistan suffered its worst floods in 80 years from the end of July, with millions of people affected by the flood, which prompted the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to urge the world to increase international assistance.

3.5 Million Children At Risk Of Deadly Diseases

According to UN estimates, up to 3.5 million children are at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases in Pakistan following the devastating floods in the country, the UN envoy said Monday.

Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the World Health Organization is also preparing to provide aid to tens of thousands of people in the case of cholera.

The World Health Organization is preparing to help nearly 140,000 people in the event that any of cholera, but authorities have not informed us of any case is confirmed.

“Up to 3.5 million children at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases including diarrheal diseases, such as watery diarrhea and dysentery, he said, estimating the total number at risk of such diseases, for 6 million.

Typhoid, hepatitis A and E are also concerns, he said.

“What concerns us most of the water and health. Clean water is essential to preventing deadly water-borne diseases. Water during floods, badly polluted. There is a shortage of clean water,” he added.

Ocha said he feared that Pakistan is on the verge of “a second wave of death”, if more donor funds are justified.

“Mortality of the prevalence of these diseases increases. We do not have the figures at the moment, but WHO is working around the clock to support the Government to make the numbers,” said Giuliano.

“Assistance To India’s Proposal Under Deemed”

“Assistance To India’s Proposal Under Deemed”:Pakistan on Friday seemed to know how to respond to the $ 5 million aid offer from India to help it meet its flood crisis.

The proposal was made by Indian Foreign Minister S. Krishna in a phone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Mr Krishna described the proposal as a “gesture of solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their hour of need”, the statement of the Indian High Commissioner here said.

In a statement the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on appeal, Mr. Krishna did not mention India’s proposal to help. However, sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that he was under consideration.

“We have not rejected the offer immediately, but the decision will be taken soon.

10 killed In Road Crash In Mach Tehsil

At least 10 people were killed and 13 injured when a van collided with a trailer with Mach Tehsil on Thursday.

The accident occurred when the driver lost control of the trailer, police said.

The victims were taken to Civil Hospital Quetta.

Staging area for staff reached the spot and took two cars into custody.

Floods Hit Economy:Finance Ministry

Pakistan catastrophic flooding means that she will miss this year’s 4.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) target this year, although it is not yet clear to what extent, an official of the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday, floods, the worst in 80 years, will lead to serious economic losses as a donor and investor concern over the impact of rising catastrophe on the fragile economy.

“It is too early to talk about the extent of damage and crop losses. But yes, this is a major disaster and will have negative consequences for economic growth,” said the spokesman of the Ministry of Finance Asif Bajwa.

The Government stated that the process of assessing the damage, but it will be essential, especially in the agricultural sector which accounts for more than 21 percent of GDP and employs 45 percent of the workforce.

Economic growth of 4.5 per cent target in 2010/11 (July-June) financial year should be revised downward after the amount of damage was known, he said. Growth was 4.1 per cent last year.

The government was forced to turn to the IMF in November 2008 for emergency funding of $ 11.3 billion. Since then, she tried to meet fund guidelines and are expected missied goal deficit for the quarter ending June 30.

Ukraine and IMF officials are due to meet on August 23 to discuss the sixth tranche of the loan and Bajwa said that the IMF could provide more financial opportunities in the light of flooding.

Floods caused by unusually heavy monsoon rains in the upper basin of the Indus River over the past 10 days, the band cultivated the destruction of more than 1000 km (600 miles) long from the northern part of Pakistan, in the south, killing more than 1600 people and making the 2000000 people homeless .

After touching a 1-month low Monday on concerns about the economic consequences flooods, the main index barely changed on Tuesday in very thin trading, as most investors stayed on the sidelines.

President Asif Zardari Open To Taliban Talks

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday he would consider talks with the Taliban in his country, a statement that came against the background of the allegations he has done to fight terrorism.
Zardari said the Associated Press, that his country would never shut the door to negotiations with the Taliban.
“We never closed the dialogue,” said Zardari, bypassing the question of when the talks might resume. “We had an agreement that they violated. Negotiations will resume when they feel that we are strong enough and they can not win, because they will not win.”
Last year the government made a deal with the Taliban in Swat, which gave them effective control over the region. The militants do not abide by the agreement and moved to another region, causing all-out offensive against the Pakistani army.
Nevertheless, some politicians and their supporters to support the idea of talking with the Taliban. They are usually general-purpose traffic, wishing Islamist state free from U.S. influence.
United States of America and Pakistan, other Western allies urged countries to continue to fight the Pakistani Taliban, and not talk to them. The movement was behind dozens of bloody attacks in Pakistan, killing thousands of people during the last 3 years. The fact that the West wants Pakistan to expand and go after other groups.
Group, which is partly based in the tribal areas near the Afghan border, took part in a failed car bomb Times Square and a suicide attack on the base of the CIA in December in Afghanistan, which killed seven CIA officers. She has ties to al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban fighting across the border in Afghanistan.
During the past 4 years, Pakistan has tried to negotiate with militant groups operating in north-west. But the truce quickly broke down, and usually allows them to regroup and become stronger.

Gilani Talks About Target Killing In Karachi

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday accepted the proposal to establish a commission to investigate recent killings in Karachi and goal to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Mr. Gilani, who met separately ANP and the MQM delegation in the House of the Chief Minister, urged the coalition partners to stop blaming each other and assured them that those involved in the murder of Syed Raza Haider and other innocent people will be brought to justice.

He reiterated his concern about the mass killings in the town, and highlighted the need for maintaining law and order with the courage and determination.

According to sources, the idea of the commission came to the Prime Minister’s meeting with a delegation headed by the ANP Afrasiab Khattak. Mr. Gilani ordered the commission must complete its work soon.

ANP reported their complaints and called on Mr Gilani to order the payment of compensation to the bereaved families and those whose shops, trucks and other vehicles were burned.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the Chief Minister of Sindh province Qaim Ali Shah and Interior Minister Zulfiqar Mirza also attended the meeting.

ANP has denied the allegations of his involvement in the killings Haider Raza, or other people, and claimed that the party and the Pashtuns in general were the target.

MQM delegation also demanded an investigation into the murder Raza Haider. He again demanded tough action against drug traffickers and land which he said were responsible for the bloodshed and violation of peace in the city.

Earlier, Minister of the Interior has made two estranged coalition partners together at a meeting of the Liaison Office of Crisis Management Cell, and held extensive discussions with their leaders.

Both sides agreed on a Code of Conduct for the restoration of peace in the city.

After the meeting, Mr. Malik said, representatives of both sides exchanged views on the congenial atmosphere, and a series of proposals.

The meeting agreed that the plan on the basis of proposals will be implemented after discussions with the leadership of the party.

Mr. Malik said the final decision will be made prime minister.

He welcomed the cooperation of the MQM chief Altaf Hussain and ANP leader Asfandyar Wali.

He said that both sides will think about the problems to sort. At the beginning of the meeting Fateha was offered for the victims of targeted killings and the recent crash in Islamabad.

The delegation of the MQM was the provincial Minister Raza Haroon, Wasay Jalil, Kanwar Naveed Jameel and Siddiqui, Hammad, and ANP was represented by its provincial general secretary Amin Khattak, a senior manager Afrasyab Khattak and Bashir in January

Nevertheless, the orders of the Minister of the Interior placed Rangers to shoot intruders on the site, as well as his meeting with the warring parties do not bear fruit for at least another six people were killed and property destroyed on Friday in the raging violence.

Floods Threaten Power Plants In Pakistan

Massive floods in Pakistan threatens the power plant, forcing units to close in a country suffering from a crippling energy crisis, officials said Friday.

“The flood water reached to the boundary wall of 1200 MW plant Côte Addu Power Company on Thursday evening, Director General of State Power Co., Pakistan, Mohammad Khalid.

“Now, only three of the 12 are working and produce only 300 megawatts of electricity,” Khalid. But the water recedes, “he said.

Khalid said that in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three grid stations in Dera Ismail Khan, Swat and Shangla were closed by floods.

Two private power plants produce 350 megawatts each are also closed for excess water in the courtyard of one plant, he said.

Sohail Tipu, a senior official in the central province of Punjab, said the city of Côte Addu was cut off due to flooding, and that the Government was making “every effort” to save people.

Ukraine produces only about 80 percent of electricity it needs, which led to massive power outages and street protests against the government in the summer.