PAK DESI NEWS

KARACHI: A deadly road accident between an oil tanker and passenger coach late Saturday night left at least 59 dead with scores wounded as both vehicles caught fire.       “We have received more than 59 dead bodies but the death toll may rise as most of them are completely burnt and stuck to each other,” Doctor Semi Jamali at Karachi's Jinnah hospital said.       Jamali said the bodies of at least six children were stuck to women who may have been their mothers, adding it was impossible to separate the remains. “They are beyond recognition, they can only be identified by DNA test,” she said. Gul Hassan, a resident of Karachi, said he lost nine relatives including the 80-year-old head of the family and a two-year-old child.       The dead also included two women and another child, Hassan said. “They were travelling in the same bus. I cannot recognise any of them, all the bodies are completely burnt,” he said. The overloaded bus, carrying mo...

Islamabad: As speculations regarding the marriage of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan with DawnNews anchor Reham Khan persist, the party’s central information secretary said on Thursday the wedding will be a low-key affair.        Dismissing reports that the wedding would be a fundraising event for Imran’s Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital, Shireen Mazari told Dawn: “As far as I know, it is an extremely private affair. There are no such ticketed cards and no grand function.” “Imran is in no mood to celebrate after the Peshawar tragedy,” Mazari added. “This is not a time to celebrate.” Mazari hinted that a  nikah  ceremony was likely to take place “today or this week” and that a purported marriage document doing the rounds on Twitter was “absolutely fake”. She added that Imran has been cautious about the announcement as he wanted to inform his children first. “He was not going to do anything until he spoke to his sons first....

ISLAMABAD: The government finalised on Friday a plan to set up gas-based power projects in Sindh and Punjab of 5,600MW, with those in Hyderabad and Sukkur scheduled to start producing about 2,000MW by May this year.       The plan was firmed up at a meeting of a ministerial committee headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and comprising Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Water and Power Minister Khwaja Mohammad Asif.       The cabinet committee on energy headed by the prime minister had directed the ministerial committee to present the plan within a week for its approval and implementation.        A senior government official told Desi that the plan would be submitted to the prime minister for formal approval by the cabinet committee, most probably on Monday.       He said the plan consisted of two stages. In the first stage, about 2,000MW would be generated through trailer-mounted small power projects of ...

RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) dissident has announced that she is launching her own party to make a ‘new’ Pakistan.        Hina Manzoor, former Punjab north secretary general and PTI candidate for NA-54 in the 2013 elections, claimed that many other dissidents would be joining her party. “The homework for the launch of Front National  has been done. Many people from the PTI will join us,” she told Desi.     Ms Manzoor resigned from the post after Imran Khan suspended 10 office-bearers from Punjab north and Rawalpindi district for beating his nephew Ahmed Niazi during the sit-in outside Parliament House in November. “I resigned from the party due to a major shift in the ideology and political structure of the party. I had no choice but to resign. Now we have registered a new political party.” She added: “We will not work to derail democracy and topple any elected government but provide a platform to the people to raise ...

ISLAMABAD: After the restoration to the Army Act (Amendment), the Pakistan Army can take any action against attackers of civil, military institutions in the country.      According to the bill presented in National Assembly today, an amendment to Article 175 was also presented, along with amendments to the Army Act 1952.      Under applicable law, any attackers using weapons in the name of religion would also be liable to punishment. Any individual or group suspected to be carrying, hiding, or transporting any explosive material would also be liable to punishment. Anyone accused of kidnapping would also be punished. Any financing of illegal activities would also be liable to punishment.     Under the Army Act, the final verdicts for any terrorist acts being tried in special courts would be taken by the federal government.     All applicable laws under the Army Act would be in effect for a total of two years, after whi...

SHAKARGARH: Unprovoked firing by Indian forces along the Silakot Working Boundary killed a 13 year old girl and injured an eight year old child on Saturday.      Intermittent and unprovoked firing at the Working Boundary by Indian forces continued, despite the previous incidents during the last few days.      According to a statement by the ISPR, aggressive firing by Indian forces left a 13-year-old girl from Chak Nihala area in Zafarwal sector, severely injured. She was being immediately taken to District Headquarters Hospital, but died on the way.      Firing by Indian forces in Shakargarh sector also left an eight year old child critically wounded.      The Pakistan Rangers also retaliated with intermittent firing at the Working Boundary.      On December 31, two personnel of the Punjab Rangers were martyred in an unprovoked firing incident during a visit for a flag meeting invitation by ...