Key changes in NAB law

The key amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) made by the present government in December last to inculcate confidence in bureaucrats to freely take decisions instead of sitting on files will run out on April 24 with the parliament’s session not being in sight for their approval.

These amendments had taken out of the domain of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) the decisions taken by bureaucrats and public officeholders that entailed no monetary gain, swelling their assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The ordinance provided that no action will be taken against them unless it is shown that they materially benefited by gaining any asset or monetary benefit which is inconsistent with their known sources of income and that there is evidence to corroborate such material benefit.

The repeated emphasis in the amendments on this fact was intended to make it mandatory for NAB not to touch officials and public officeholders, who have not got any monetary benefit from their actions performed in their official duty.

Another key feature of the changes was that trials pertaining to federal or provincial taxation, levies or imports stand transferred from the accountability courts to the criminal courts, which deal with offences under the respective laws relating to these matters.

Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to promulgate this ordinance after several complaints that the bureaucracy has become dysfunctional due to the fear of the NAB. He expressed the view after issuing the ordinance that the officials would be free to take decisions for which they would not be asked questions by anybody.

Since neither the National Assembly nor the Senate can be or has been summoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these amendments are lying unattended. The rules do not provide for the parliamentary sessions through video-conferencing, as floated by some MPs.

To have the video-conferencing mode in place, Speaker Asad Qaisar has formed a nine-member bipartisan committee to amend the rules for virtual sessions during prevalence of the coronavirus.

Former speaker and senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, whose names figures in the body, told The News when contacted that the opposition has no hesitation to change the rules so that the National Assembly is enabled to transact its normal business. Despite a kind of urgency, the committee has not so far been convened, he said.

He said that a way could be found to hold the session even without amending the rules – a certain number of members of both the government and opposition can be asked to attend the sittings at one time by maintaining a wide distance in the debating hall and others can be allowed to do so at another time. Ayaz Sadiq said as speaker he had got installed hand sanitizers inside the corridors and lobbies and outside of the offices in the Parliament building in 2017. The incumbent speaker is beefing up the system.

The major opposition parties are unlikely to oppose the approval of the present amendments in the NAB law although they say that their key under-trial leaders have not taken any advantage of it.

The NAB ordinance that is going to lapse after nine days on the expiry of its 120-day constitutional life has not thus far benefited the public officeholders or bureaucrats being tried for irregularities. Only former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was acquitted by a Lahore accountability court in February in a reference about illegal recruitment in Gujrajanwala power electric company while an Islamabad court denied similar relief to him and others in the Rental Power Projects case under the new amendments. More than 100 accused arraigned by the NAB for having committed irregularities have approached the accountability courts. The NAB continues to oppose their acquittal pleas

Coronavirus crisis: IMF agrees to give major debt relief to Pakistan

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday  said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has  agreed to give a one-year relief to Islamabad, keepin in view the country's struggle against the coronavirus pandemic.

“Developing nations have been hit the hardest with the pandemic,” Qureshi told Geo Pakistan.

The foreign minister’s remarks follow the announcement of the G20 nations on Wednesday to give one-year debt relief to world's poorest nations as they struggle to financially cope with the coronavirus pandemic

“Prime Minister Imran Khan had appealed to IMF for debt relief for developing countries which was accepted by the Fund. IMF has announced it would give one-year relief to 70 developing nations including Pakistan,” Qureshi said.

The foreign minister said the relief by the Washington-based organisation would be for one year and is expected to be given from May 1.

The prime minister on Sunday had appealed for a “Global Initiative on Debt Relief", stating that the coronavirus pandemic had posed unprecedented health and economic challenges.

The premier had appealed to the international community that the global pandemic could be contained with a strong, coordinated and well-crafted global response.

Earlier, the IMF and World Bank had announced they would back the Group of 20 nations’ decision to give one-year debt relief to world's poorest nations as they struggle to financially cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

These developments might pave the way for debt rescheduling for Pakistan for the next two years as Islamabad desperately looks for any such facility to create much-needed fiscal space for increasing spending on neglected health sector of the country.

The unemployment as projected by all the multilateral lenders as well as by the independent economists will increase pressure on the budgetary side to jack up funding for social safety nets.

The G20 finance ministers and central bankers endorsed "a time-bound suspension of debt service payments for the poorest countries," and in the communique following their virtual meeting, said, "All bilateral official creditors will participate in this initiative."

The initiative will "provide north of $20 billion of immediate liquidity" for poor countries to use "for their health system and support their people facing COVID-19”.

In a joint statement issued by World Bank Group President David Malpass and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, “We strongly welcome the decision of the G20 to respond to our call to allow the poorest countries of the world that request forbearance to suspend repayment of official bilateral credit on May 1.”

The leaders of the IMF and World Bank hailed the announcement, calling it "a powerful, fast-acting initiative that will do much to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of millions of the most vulnerable people."

The Washington-based lenders have rushed to roll out emergency financing and have received requests for aid from 100 countries.

The G20 called on private creditors, working through the Institute of International Finance, to participate in the initiative which extends to the world's 76 poorest countries.

The IMF has called the economic crisis the "Great Lockdown," warning it will slash $9 trillion off of global growth as the world economy contracts by three% this year, the most severe downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

The situation could get much worse if the pandemic lingers into the second half of the year or resurges.

The G20 officials also reiterated their commitment to deploy "available tools" to deal with the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

"Our efforts must continue and be amplified," the communique said.

The IMF estimates the 20 governments already has committed about $7 trillion towards combating the virus and providing economic lifelines to households and companies struggling to weather the crisis.

But more will be needed to restart the global economies once the pandemic has passed.

PCB to bid for ICC events with Emirates Cricket Board - Ehsan Mani

The PCB is planning to team up with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to bid for ICC events in the cycle that runs from 2023 to 2031. According to Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, the Pakistan board intends to bid for five to six major events, aiming to win at least two of those.

The ICC had invited expressions of interest from its Member nations until March 15 for 20 global events that will be held in the 2023-2031 cycle but due to the coronavirus pandemic the meetings have been deferred indefinitely. Mani, meanwhile, has opted to initiate discussions with the ECB about the possibility of making joint bids and co-hosting events with a view to increasing the chances of winning the bids.

Since becoming an affiliated member of the ICC in 1952, Pakistan have hosted two global cricket events: the 1987 and 1996 World Cups. They were supposed to host the 2008 Champions Trophy (which was later postponed and staged in South Africa) and the 2011 ODI World Cup but lost the hosting rights as several nations refused to tour Pakistan over security concerns in the wake of rising terrorist attacks in the country.

"It is very important for Pakistan cricket and its development that some of the ICC events are played in Pakistan," Mani said in a PCB podcast. "We intend to make a very serious expression of our interest on this matter and we will be getting full government support as well. The ICC delegation did met with Dr Fahmida Mirza, the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination who also handles sports in the country, and they [the ICC] got a very positive impression [of our intent and ability to host global events].

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani speaks at the PSL 2019 draft Getty Images/AFP

"We had expressed an interest to host five to six events and, frankly, it is likely we won't be getting more than one or two. But we also thought out of the box to bid jointly with another country. I have already begun speaking with the Emirates Cricket Board for a team-up to increase the chances of hosting some of it together but, again, it needs cooperation. There are a few events with 16 games and then there are events with 30-40 games, so depending on the scale, the workload can be divided between us."

For the best part of the decade following the terrorist attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in March 2009, international cricket on Pakistani soil remained an impossibility, with the PCB also stripped of hosting rights to ICC events. But in May 2015, the PCB convinced Zimbabwe to visit for a short limited-overs series after guaranteeing them a USD 500,000 pay package. Two years later, the final of the 2017 Pakistan Super League (PSL) was held in Lahore, with an eight-member overseas contingent taking part in the high-octane clash. Since then, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and a World XI side have toured Pakistan for international matches across formats and the PSL, too, has made a gradual comeback in its entirety.

"We have demonstrated through the PSL that Pakistan has what it takes to hold international games at a large scale," Mani said. "Those 30 games were free of any untoward incidents; they were well run despite some logistical challenges, which we were able to overcome to send the message loud and clear that we have the ability to stage big matches. It's premature to tell which events we would be bidding for but we have indicated to the ICC about our interest across the board: from youth cricket to the senior World Cups. We have full confidence in our logistic capability and infrastructure to hold them.

"But there are other countries, too, who are likely to present a strong case for their bids. But unfortunately when the "Big Three" (India, Australia, and England) emerged as a combined force and Pakistan and a few other boards couldn't stop that from happening, the ICC had distributed all major events between them. But this won't happen this time around. All the major broadcast markets in the world for the ICC to earn its revenue from is in the South-Asian region and Pakistan is well placed time-zone-wise as well. So, our case is really quite strong."

Economy revivable but dead humans ain’t: Govt to decide on extending lockdown today

The National Coordination Committee (NCC) Tuesday (today) may announce an extension in the nationwide lockdown to another 14 days on the recommendation of Sindh Chief Syed Murad Ali Shah who said the economy was revivable but not the dead humans.

Shah attended the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan through a video link and briefed it on the seriousness of the situation in Sindh, media reports say.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will announce the post-April 14 way forward today as chair of the National Coordination Committee (NCC), which will meet with the participation of chief ministers of all the provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah asked the federal government to give a clear stance on the future policies adding there should be a unified national policy to counter the current situation and all decisions should be coming from the PM himself.

He suggested that theprime minister should announce his decisions on Tuesday (today) which would be followed by the provinces to the letter. He said in case of no extension in the lockdown, the decision should come from the PM so that there was clarity about the situation.

“Whichever sectors are to be reopened, their SOPs should be provided to all the provincial governments,” he added. He also advised the federal government to acquire assurances from the people receiving financial assistance to self-isolate themselves for 14 days.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry Monday extended the closure of all the borders to another two weeks in order to control the spread of COVID-19. “As per the decision of National Coordination Committee, the interior ministry has decided to extend closure of all borders of the country to further two weeks,” said a notification issued by the ministry.

Tainted Pakistan cricketers should open grocery stores: Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistan captain and current cricket commentator Ramiz Raja aired his views on his country’s tainted cricketers and said that they could opt to “open grocery stores”.

Slamming the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for reinstating players like Mohammad Amir (who served prison time and a faced lengthy ban for spot-fixing), into the national team setup.

“You ask me I would say these tainted cricketers should open their grocery shops,” PTI quoted him as saying

“I have no doubt that giving concession to big names also damaged Pakistan cricket,” he said, referring to Amir.

“There is once again talks of redrafting Sharjeel Khan into the team which is not right and can damage Pakistan cricket,” he said.

Raja also praised batsman Babar Azam and said he is a world-class player who needs a conducive atmosphere to express himself.

“There is no doubt about Babar Azam’s ability, he is a world-class player,” said Ramiz.

“When people ask me about a comparison between Babar Azam with the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith I would say he can do even better than Kohli but he needs a conducive atmosphere and the freedom to express himself more as a player and as captain.”

“I have nothing personal against Muhammad Hafeez or Shoaib Malik who are senior players and have served the country for a long time. But I think now the selectors need to think about replacing them with youngsters and groom them properly.”

Shah Rukh Khan slaps Farah Khan’s husband over mockery: blast from the past

While Bollywood films are filled to the brim with drama and sensationalism, the real lives of the stars who we see on the silver screens, aren’t any less filmy either.

A throwback interview is pointing the spotlight towards the shaky ties that Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan shares with director and choreographer Farah Khan.

The feud dates all the way back to 2011 when SRK’s then-freshly-released film Ra. One had opened to an abysmal response at the box office resulting in many taking jabs at the actor over the failure.

Amongst those was Farah Khan’s husband Shirish Kunder who had tweeted about Khan’s flop: “I just heard a Rs150 crore firework fizzle.”

Things turned sour when the two were invited to the same party in Juhu by Sanjay Dutt. While SRK interacted with everyone except for him to maintain the peace of the gathering, Kunder pushed his buttons by murmuring something in his ear from the back which became the last straw for our Bollywood hunk.

An eyewitness claims: “Khan refused to acknowledge Kunder at the party. Even when Dutt escorted SRK outside the venue to introduce him to a close friend, Kunder unabashedly followed them. Kunder placed himself right behind SRK and murmured something into his ear."

It was then that Khan took Kunder by his collar and slapped him. Reports revealed that Dutt had to step in to mediate the fight and calm things down. And since then, SRK’s relations with Farah Khan have only been deteriorating. 

Zoa Morani discharged from hospital, Indian singers warned against online collaboration with Pakistani artistes

Actor Zoa Morani has been discharged from Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital after recovering from the coronavirus. She took to her Instagram stories to announce the good news with a selfie. In the picture, Zoa is seen wearing a surgical mask, with hospital staff wearing hazmat suits visible in the background.”

FWICE warns Indian singers collaborating with Pak artistes: ‘Pakistan is still busy killing our soldiers’

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has warned Indian singers and musicians against working with Pakistani artistes and said that failure to comply would lead to “strict disciplinary action”. The film body issued this warning after a collaboration between Indian artistes and Pakistani singer Rahat 

Sara Ali Khan’s glam photo to Kartik Aaryan’s ‘sasta bunny’ selfie: How Bollywood celebrated Easter in pics

Several Bollywood celebrities on Sunday took to social media to extend their best wishes to their fans and friends on the occasion of Easter.Actors including Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan, Farhan Akhtar and others extended their Easter wishes to everyone in different ways.

When Deepika Padukone did not want to commit to Ranveer Singh, wanted a casual relationship

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have been setting indomitable couple goals ever since they started dating during the making of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. While they officially announced their relationship only in 2018, weeks before their wedding, their adorable displays of love over the years were for all to see.

Chahatt Khanna breaks silence on ‘quarantine love’ with Mika Singh

Television actor Chahatt Khanna and singer Mika Singh’s recent social media posts are all about ‘quarantine love’, sparking speculation that the two are in a relationship with each other. However, she has finally broken her silence and revealed that it is all for the promotion for their single titled Quarantine Love.

Umar Akmal won't contest PCB's corruption charges

Umar Akmal  has foregone the right to defend himself against the PCB's corruptions charges and will instead wait for a sanction to be confirmed.

His case will go directly to the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel after Akmal decided against requesting a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal. All that remains, then, is for the charges to be confirmed by the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan and the sanction handed out.

The confirmation of the offences will be followed by levying applicable sanctions, which in Akmal's case range from a six month suspension to a life ban. Though the PCB confirmed there had been no formal or informal discussions with Akmal surrounding the charges, his decision to, in effect, accept whatever sanctions come his way, could potentially impact any punishment incurred favourably.

The PCB formally charged Akmal with two breaches of its anti-corruption code for two unrelated incidents on March 20. The charges come under Article 2.4.4, which deals with: "Failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code".

Akmal had been provisionally suspended on February 20, and was issued the notice of charge on March 17. "Until the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel has announced his decision, the PCB will not comment on the matter," a PCB media release said.

This isn't Justice Chauhan's first involvement in high-profile cases affecting Pakistan cricket over the recent past. He was on the Anti-Corruption Trial tribunal that the PCB referred Nasir Jamshed's case for adjudication to, as well as the independent adjudicator on the case concerning a misconduct complaint against PCB Board of Governors member Numan Butt.

Corona infects 100 doctors, paramedics

Around 100 doctors and paramedics treating patients at different hospitals across the country have fallen victim to the coronavirus, it has been learnt.

Of the affected doctors, 25 were affected in Karachi, 18 in Multan, 16 in Dera Ghazi Khan, five each in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Gujrat, 15 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 21 in Balochistan.

Fourteen people succumbed to coronavirus in Pakistan during the last 24 hours —the highest in a day — raising the death toll to 93, disclosed Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza in his daily briefing here on Sunday.

Half of the confirmed patients so far are indigenous cases with no history of foreign travel, meaning that local transmission of the deadly virus is fast multiplying across populated areas. “Of the 50 people who were on the ventilator until yesterday, 14 have lost their battle,” he said.

The number of confirmed cases stood at 5,362, with Sindh reporting 1,411 cases, Punjab 2,594, Balochistan 230, KP 744, Islamabad 119, GB 224, and AJK 40 till the filing of the report at 1:55am.

Dr Zafar warned that the numbers could increase in the days to come, “which is why we keep repeating the importance of social distancing, personal hygiene, self-isolation, and other protective measures.”

Zafar said 37 critical patients in Pakistan were currently on the ventilator, while hospital admissions had soared to 1,440. Of the 5,038 confirmed cases (as of 6.30 p.m.), 254 were reported during the last 24 hours only —again a high number.

Sindh reported maximum cases (104) in the last 24 hours, followed by Punjab (89), KP (45), Balochistan (8), ICT (6), AJK (1), and Gilgit-Baltistan (1). Dr. Zafar said half of the confirmed patients acquired the virus from local inhabitants and had no personal travel history to any of the Covid-19 affected countries.

In terms of recovery, 1,026 patients have regained health after falling prey to the disease. As many as 17,332 people are registered in quarantines across the country. Of these, 2,684 have tested positive; the percentage of positive cases in quarantines is 18%, which is a declining trend.

The case fertility rate in Pakistan is now 1.7 as against the global 6.1. Dr Zafar urged the medical fraternity to desist from misuse of N95 masks and other protective gear and to spare the specialized equipment for the frontline workers directly engaged in the treatment and management of patients.

“Let there be rational use of PPEs in line with WHO recommendations. Every health worker does not need N95 mask, and those who are indiscriminately using them are doing so at the cost of those who need them the most. Please act responsibly,” Dr. Zafar urged.

He particularly praised the Gilgit-Baltistan government for efficient handling and management of COVID-19, and astute monitoring of individual cases. “Despite the difficult terrain, they have done a tremendous job, particularly with reference to creation of quarantine facilities for the 2,000 pilgrims returning from Iran.

“As many as 1,488 tests have so far been done in GB, with 216 confirmed cases, of which 146 have recovered, 57 are in the recovery process, and 3 have died,” he shared, assuring that the food security and testing-related challenges being faced in GB will be responded to soon.

Dr. Zafar said the prime minister would hold a press conference tomorrow after chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee, in which important decisions for the coming weeks were likely to be taken.

He added that how the situation will evolve in the days to come will depend entirely on how meticulously we follow the simple but critical precautions against the disease. “This is within our hands; it is a preventable problem, and we can prevent it if we protect ourselves and the people around us,” he concluded.

Earlier in the day, Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umer chaired the daily review meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

The session primarily focused on formulating recommendations for the April 13 NCC meeting, which will announce further containment measures post-April 14. The participants discussed various options, weighed their pros and cons, and finalized recommendations.

The progress achieved during the last 47 days — right from detection of the first case on February 26 —was discussed, with health projections till April 30, medical supply line management, and procurement and distribution plan of critical requirements. Asad Umer emphasised the need for effect-based measures to overcome the pandemic.

“Local transmission is increasing, particularly in populated areas. This warrants immediate containment measures,” he proposed. Pakistan’s strategy was termed being on the right track in the light of international best practices and grey areas.

The forum appreciated all provinces, AJK, GB, and ICT for efficient enforcement and containment measures. Minister for industries gave a detailed plan of action on domestic transport (land and rail) and industries.

The possibility of phased easing of industries was the central theme of the plan, which will be presented in the NCC meeting for final decision-making. The meeting was attended by ministers for interior, industries, energy, economic affairs, food and security, and commerce, among others.

Meanwhile, as many as 39 new Covid-19 patients were reported across Punjab Sunday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 2,594. Out of total confirmed patients, 758 are preachers of Tableeghi Jamaat, 701 pilgrims who recently returned from Iran, 80 prisoners and 925 citizens who either had travel history or fell victim to local transmission. So far 21 patients have died in the province while 39 defeated the deadly virus.

Of the 758 confirmed Covid-19 preachers, 463 are at quarantine centre in Raiwind, 57 in Bhakkar, 35 each in Hafizabad, Sargodha and Jhelum, 25 in Vehari, 19 in Sialkot, 16 in Layyah, 13 in Mandi Bahauddin, 10 in Gujrat, nine in Bahawalnagar, eight in Sheikhupura, seven in Mianwali, six each in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, four in Rahim Yar Khan, three in Narowal, two each in Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala and Khushab and one in Rajanpur. As many as 10,263 preachers who have recently attended Tableeghi Ijtema are at quarantine centres in 33 districts for testing and isolation.

Out of 701 confirmed patients from amongst pilgrims, 457 are at quarantine centre in Multan, 221 in Dera Ghazi Khan and 23 in Faisalabad. So far 925 citizens have also been tested positive for the virus from across the province. These persons either have a travel history or they got infected through local transmission. The highest number of cases has been reported from Lahore where 426 patients are under treatment at different centres.

As many as 134 patients are under treatment in Gujrat, 69 in Rawalpindi, 38 in Gujranwala, 31 in Faisalabad, 29 in Jhelum, 27 in Sialkot, 22 in Rahim Yar Khan, 18 in DG Khan, 16 in Nankana Sahib, 13 in Vehari, 12 in Hafizabad, 10 each in Mianwali and Sheikhupura, nine in Kasur, eight each in Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal and Chiniot, five each in Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur, four each in Chakwal and Multan, three each in Khushab and Lodhran, two in Toba Tek Singh and one each in Attock, Layyah, Okara and Jhang.

Out of the 80 Covid-19 patients in jails, 59 are in Lahore, 14 in Sialkot and seven in Gujranwala. Punjab Health Department has forwarded SOPs to the home department for handling of coronavirus patients and saving other prisoners in jails.

According to spokesperson for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, critical patients were immediately shifted to the High Dependency Units (HDUs). He urged people to stay at home, frequently wash hands and use hand sanitizer. He advised social distancing and adopting precautionary measures while attending sick family members.

On the other hand, police shifted 13 corona-hit persons of two families living in Rustam Park, Gulshan-e-Ravi, to local hospitals. Police also locked the houses and sealed the area after discovering six and seven members of two families suffering from coronavirus.

Meanwhile, thirteen doctors, four paramedics and two visitors have tested positive for corona at the Nishtar Hospital in Multan. The affected health personnel had attended a corona suspect in the hospital and later his report came positive. Among the infected doctors are postgraduate registrars, house officers and a majority of them is serving at the hospital ward no 11. The two female doctors are being treated at the Nishtar Hospital while others are expected to be shifted to the Muzaffargarh Tayyip Erdogan Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, 55 corona suspects, including nine doctors, were admitted to the Nishtar Hospital. They were under treatment at the hospital wards no 26, 27, 28 and 29. The suspects belong to Multan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Khanewal districts while 19 of them were women.

The suspects are Dr Ali Ammar, Dr Umair, Dr Fawad, Dr Shahzeb, Dr Rana Mubashir, Dr Ehtesham, Dr Yousaf Gilani, Dr Amir, Dr Asif, Dr Mahnoor, Dr Qaisar, Dr Fakhir, Humaira, Surraiya, Rabia, Fiza Kanwal, Sadia, Amber, Maria, Rehana, Sumaira, Majida, Nazia, Rozina, Abeel, Tahir, Naeem, Javed Masih, Waleed, Javed, Husnain, Naseem, Iqrar, Zahid, Salman, Zafar Rizwan, Ehtesham, Mohiza Mehrban, Shahbaz Ismail, Khadim Walidad, Ali Raza, Jahangir Ali, Haroon, Najeebullah, Hafeez, Abbas, Dr Zeeshan, Dr Athar Saeed, Dr Sajjad, Shah Zaman, Parveen, Zulfiqar, Rehmatullah and Hameeda.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Sunday said during the last 24 hours 93 new cases of coronavirus had been detected while two more patients succumbed to the infection.

He said during the last 24 hours, 569 tests were conducted, of which 93 were diagnosed as positive. “The number of tests conducted so far comes to 13,309, while tally of the positive cases has risen to 1411,” he said.

He said during last 24 hours two more patient died raising the death toll to 30 or 2.1 percent of the total patients. The number of patients recovered during the last 24 hours is 18, Mr Shah said, adding that so far 389 patients had recovered and returned to their respective homes.

The percentage of cured patients in terms of the total positive cases is 28 percent, the chief minister calculated.

Giving details of the patients, Mr Shah said at present, 645 were in home isolation, 60 at isolation centers and 992 under treatment at different hospitals.

Talking about frequency of the age of the patients, Mr Shah said that 71 patients were between 1 to 10 years, 118 between 11 to 20 years, 311 between 21 to 30 year, 260 between of 31 to 40 years, 196 of 41 to 50 years, 226 between 51 to 60 years, 152 between 61 to70 years, 47 between 71 to 80 years and five between 81 to 90 years. “This shows that the people of every age is prone to the virus, therefore we all have to be careful in our movement and must maintain social distancing even at home,” he urged the people.

The chief minister also disclosed a new data under which he said 68.3 percent male and 31.7 percent female have been affected.

“The ratio show that the male members have been affected more than the female because male members frequently go out of their homes and do not care of social distancing as has been advised by the experts,” he said and added then the male members become carriers of the virus and bring it back to their homes.

He once again urged the people to maintain social distancing, observe lockdown properly, otherwise we would not be able to contain the virus.

Meanwhile, three more people died of coronavirus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, raising the death toll 34. Also, with 47 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of total positive cases reached 744.

In the last 24 hours, according to the officials, the three dead persons had a history of Tableegh travel. Out of a total of 744 confirmed patients, 211 are admitted to various hospitals of the province with 202 stable and nine on the ventilator.

‘Country making atom bomb can’t make ventilators, test kits’

Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said Pakistan was a nuclear state but it was strange that it could not make its own ventilators and test kits and had to import them.

In a private TV telethon, he urged the nation to adopt as much precaution as possible to check the fast spread of the novel coronavirus. He said besides using its own resources, the government was raising funds because the impact of the COVID-19 will worsen further. He emphasised that there was a danger of further spread of the virus and those confining themselves as much as possible would be safe. He said there was a greater risk of the virus spread in big gatherings and emphasised social distancing, as in case of rapid spread of the virus, pressure on hospitals would increase accordingly and there were not enough ventilators for 4 to 5 per cent people needing to be shifted to the ICU or needing emergency care.

He said with increased care, there would be lesser spread of the virus. He noted that initially decisions weremade all of a sudden and one province straight away went for the lockdown, to which he had not agreed, as locking down 220 million people was an impossible thing to do.

The lockdown was imposed when there were 26 confirmed cases and not a single person had died. Keeping in view the data and the evolving situation, decisions should have been made, he said, adding that the lockdown added to poverty and rendered daily wagers and labourers jobless.

He pointed out that the situation in Pakistan was entirely different to the one in Europe or the United States and noted that once the virus spread, even the most advanced city in the world like New York could not do much.

He noted that maintaining social distancing in poor localities was impossible, where even clean drinking water was not available. He wondered how could there be social distancing when eight people would sleep in one room.

In the past, he regretted nobody thought about the wellbeing of the down-trodden and there was no registration of informal labour in the country. He assured the nation that provision of financial assistance to the deserving families under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme (EECP) would be purely transparent, merit-based and apolitical and without any meddling.

He maintained again that continuous lockdown adversely impacted the global economy, and the pandemic did not even spare Pakistan. “The government would launch a website within next few days, where philanthropists would be able to provide financial assistance to the poor,” he said.

The prime minister expressed confidence that Pakistan would emerge victorious in the fight against coronavirus through coordinating efforts of all stakeholders concerned and with full support and cooperation of the nation.

He said in spite of limited resources, Pakistan announced a historic package to provide relief to the corona-hit population, covering various segments and sectors of life. The prime minister assured that the government would provide every possible facility to the frontline paramedical staff, engaged in treating patients in various hospitals.

He said services of doctors and paramedics registered with the Prime Minister's Corona Relief Tiger Force would be hired to mitigate the adverse impacts of the pandemic. In a related development, the prime minister extended the date of registration with the Corona Relief Tiger Force and thanked those, who have got themselves registered so far.

“I want to pay tribute to you on behalf of the nation that you decided at this difficult time to wage this jehad against the virus along with us,” he said in a video message. The prime minister said so far 0.85 million had got themselves registered with the force adding that the government wanted to more to be its members that was the date of registration had been extended from April 10 to April 15.

“Our effort is that our health workers, including doctors, nurses and those having experience in medicines, should register with us, as God willing, as the force is being established, the difficulties in the coming days and weeks will be fought collectively by the nation, including the army, the administration, bureaucracy and the Tiger Force,” he said. The prime minister wanted those related to the health sector be part of the force by April 15.

Actress Ushna Shah apologises to doctors after facing backlash on social media

TV actress Ushna Shah recently faced backlash for criticizing doctors for taking breaks while treating coronavirus patients.

The actress had objected to videos that appeared on social media showing doctors dancing in hospital rooms.

Ushna on Friday took to Instagram to tender an apology for her remarks. She wrote a lengthy to explain her position.

Here is what she said earlier:

"Hi everyone! I wanted to quickly post this to clarify and apologize for a tweet that has caused some offense. I recently tweeted that I was conflicted about choreographed dances in hospitals that have been making the rounds, I tweeted that although I believe healthcare workers deserve a break I was unsure about the time-consuming practice; these particular dances seemed complicated, from what I've seen in the media hospitals are understaffed & staff is in dire need of sleep. I wanted to hear everyone's take before I formed an opinion because I was slightly confused. However, that momentary confusion was tone-deaf and unwarranted. I don't work in a hospital, I don't know what the frontliners are going through. Frankly, I don't even get to have an opinion on this. Although I have made it a point to thank them in my social media and other media outlets in the recent past: let me say it here again: THANK YOU. And that I vehemently apologize for any offense caused what so ever. I am in absolutely no position to question anything doctors and nurses do to take the edge off. We owe them our lives! I believe in free speech and the right to questioning things however in this case, anything other than a THANK YOU to our hardworking medical professionals is offensive. An absolute idiot moment on my part. Thank you for risking your lives and continue to do whatever makes you happy to get through this tough time, however much time it takes is none of my business.

(That being said, please be clear that this apology is not for the trolls who foam at the mouth and get personal and disrespectful every time they read something they don't like. )." 

Amir Khan Shares Snaps of his Newborn Baby Boy

British professional boxer, promoter, and philanthropist, Amir Khan, married model Faryal Makhdoom in 2013. The two of them already had two daughters when their son, Zaviyar, was welcomed into the world on 22nd February.

Recently, they took to social media to let their fans in on their son’s adorable pictures. Everyone thinks he’s oh-so-cute! And, we agree.

Amir Khan’s whole family looks incredibly amazing together. They’re all picture-perfect! And with the new addition in the family, they look like one big happy unit!

Suniel Shetty on Hera Pheri’s 20 years: ‘Akshay Kumar and I slept on newspapers, our clothes weren’t ironed’

As iconic comedy film Hera Pheri completes 20 years, actor Suniel Shetty revealed what it was like to shoot for the film. He talked about all the tricks director Priyadarshan used to get the best performances out of his actors.

Speaking to IMDb, Suniel said him, Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal were made to sleep on the ground during the film’s shoot. “I don’t know how the film was made, it just happened. We arrived on the sets every morning, the costumes were basically just stretched and given to us, not even ironed. The director would ask us to sleep in the afternoon on paper, so we used to sleep on newspapers. He (Priyadarshan) said I don’t want you to be comfortable. When you get up, you should have rested, but stay uncomfortable. So, we wore no makeup, nothing. Akshay Kumar, me and Paresh ji were constantly together, constantly rehearsing our lines, constantly improvising and Priyan sir is one man who knows when to say cut,” he said.

In Hera Pheri, Suniel and Akshay played Shyam and Raju, tenants at the Mumbai home of Babu Bhaiyya, played by Paresh. The three devise a plan of earning a quick buck off a child’s kidnapping but things don’t always work in their favour.

The film was a hit and is considered among the best made Hindi comedy films ever. It also starred Tabu and Om Puri.

Suniel also talked about how him and Akshay were majorly action stars before this film. “It was a film where action heroes were doing comedy and being controlled by someone like Babu Bhai, so audiences must have found that very amusing,” he said.