Karachi

KARACHI - The Sindh government has established a new cell to take over the responsibilities of the public-private partnership unit being run by the Finance Department after failing to ensure that development schemes are properly implemented
The main objective of establishing the new cell is to achieve the goals, which the government had set, sources told Pakistan Today.
A few months ago, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had directed the additional chief secretary

KARACHI - Three robbers looted Rs 0.66 million from the branch of a private bank in Nazimabad No 1 within the jurisdiction of Rizvia police station on Monday.
However, police suspect that the guards, Altaf Hussain and Rizwan, are involved in the heist and arrested the two men.
DSP Sultan Khan said three armed men entered the bank at around
12:45 pm and after few minutes one of them started beating up a security guard. His two companions pulled out their weapons and held

KARACHI - Fisher folk communities of Keamari Town on Monday vowed to launch a campaign to stop mangrove-cutting in the area at meeting in Kakapir village.
They pointed out that influential people of the area are carrying out earth-filling projects to encroach mangrove land.
"These influential people collect national identity cards from fisher folk and use their names to tamper old revenue records in their favour," said former councillor Abdul Ghani, Haji Mohammed Siddique

KARACHI - The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed the National Testing Services (NTS) administrator, the Sindh chief secretary, the SHC registrar and an SHC Inspection Team member to file comments in a petition challenging the examination procedure of lower judiciary judges.
The SHC division bench comprising Justice Athar Saeed and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar also directed the respondents to submit the examination copies of the successful candidates.
The NTS test for

KARACHI - There has been no let-up in gender-based violence in Sindh, reveals a six-month report compiled by the Aurat Foundation (AF) in collaboration with Irish NGO Trocaire.
PML-F MPA Marvi Rashdi, AF Karachi Resident Director Mahnaz Rahman, AF representatives Shireen Aijaz and Fareeda Tahir, and others formally launched the report titled 'Policy and Data Monitor on Violence against Women' based on the period between July and December 2010, at the Karachi Press Club on

KARACHI - A meeting of the National Educational Conference Sindh chapter was held on Monday at the Sindh Madressatul Islam (SMI) College under the chairmanship of its principal Dr Muhammad Ali Sheikh.
The meeting reviewed the preparatory arrangements for the province's eight participating federal educational institutions and took important decisions in this respect.

KARACHI - "All art is visual, and if there is to be a dialogue, it should be between the viewer and the work itself," says Shakil Saigol.
He would prefer his audience to make its own interpretation, rather than imposing preconceived notions with jargon.
He could, if pressed, conjure an intellectual debate about his paintings. "Is it a struggle of man against beast? Is it a contrast between the human skin and the graphical physiognomy of the zebra? Is it a fascination for the

KARACHI - The launch of Benazir Mobile Banking will bring about a new era of development and ensure larger women empowerment, said Adviser to Chief Minister on Information and Archives Sharmila Farooqui.
In a statement issued on Monday, the adviser said that the system would promote e-banking in the country and women would get access to major banking systems for the first time in the history of Pakistan. "With the launch of this banking system, the president has fulfilled another

KARACHI - Two pairs of lions, seized from the owner at the Karachi airport for not having proper documents, made headlines in the print and electronic media and attracted masses to the Karachi Zoo.
While Muhammad Irfan,the owner of Osaaka Traders, was battling Sindh Wildlife Department and Pakistan Customs authorities to recover the animals which were confiscated and sent to the zoo after he had them flown in from South Africa, people, especially women and children from

KARACHI - It would come as a great shock to enthusiasts of colonial era heritage sites to see political graffiti on the 150-year-old historical building of the NJV (Narayan Jagannath Vaidya) High School.
Slogans of different political parties are chalked and spray painted on the walls and pillars of the main fa

KARACHI - Risala Police Station turned into a scene of commotion on Saturday as charged relatives and friends of a 24-year-old alleged bandit, Imran Baloch, staged a demonstration outside the police station over his death inside a lock-up on Friday.
The heirs of the victim placed his coffin outside the Risala Police Station, and raised slogans against "police brutality." Some enraged protestors also broke flowerpots placed inside the premises of the police station.
Imran's

KARACHI: The bodies of two newborn babies were recovered from separate places in the city on Sunday.
The body of an infant was found in a storm water drain near the 4-K bus stop in Surjani Town. The body was fished out and buried by rescuers of a welfare organisation at the Mewashah Graveyard.
Another body of a newborn was recovered from a garbage dump in Block 2, PECHS. The infant was buried at the graveyard in Mawach Goth after offering funeral prayers.
25 infant

KARACHI: At least 5,700 policemen would be deployed in Karachi to protect mourning processions and gatherings in an attempt to thwart possible terrorist attacks in the city, said Karachi Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Fayyaz Ahmed Laghari on Sunday while unveiling the security plan for Muharram in a press conference held at the Police Headquarter.
"Beside these 5,700 policemen, several others security personnel - including 1,000 commandos of the Special Protection Group

KARACHI: Indonesian Consul General in Karachi Rossalis Rusman Adenan called on Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at the Chief Minister's House on Saturday.
According to an official handout, the chief minister welcomed the Indonesian consul general and spoke about the brotherly and cordial relations between the two Islamic countries.
Shah said the relations between the countries strengthened when Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, as Pakistan's foreign minister, and Indonesian

KARACHI: Rangers personnel have been authorised to take action against all students disrupting the peaceful environment of the University of Karachi (KU) or found to be involved in any criminal activity.
In a meeting on Saturday, KU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui issued special instructions to the Pakistan Rangers Sindh to control the lawlessness at the varsity.
It was decided in the meeting that every student must wear the university's identity card to

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zufiqar Mirza is optimistic that the 10th of Muharram would pass peacefully this year, as the provincial government has made foolproof security arrangements.
He informed this to a delegation of the Awami National Party (ANP), which called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the Chief Minister's House on Saturday. The Awami National Party delegation discussed different issues including working relationships among coalition partners and the

KARACHI: Thirty shops at the Kohinoor Mobile Market in Saddar - commonly known as 'Electronics Market'- were robbed of cash and goods worth Rs 10 million in the wee hours of Friday. When the shopkeepers arrived at the market in the morning, they saw that the shutters' locks were broken and their cash and goods gone. The shopkeepers and union representatives closed the mobile markets located at Abdullah Haroon Road in protest and chanted slogans against law enforcers. They blocked the