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Shaikh among 30 DEAD, OVER 100 INJURED AS 10 BOGIES OF Hafeez candidates shortlisted for slot of caretaker HAZARA EXPRESS DERAIL NEAR NAWABSHAH PM: Sanaullah
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Monday, 7 August, 2023 I 19 Muharram, 1445
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ARMY, RANGERS CONTINGENTS FLANKED BY RESCUERS AND VOLUNTEERS CARRY OUT RELIEF, RESCUE OPERATION
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PADIDAN STAFF REPORT
T least 30 passengers were killed and over 100 sustained injuries when 10 bogies of Hazara Express travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed near Nawabshah, the railways officials and police confirmed. Railway officials reported that the tragic incident occurred near Saharai Railway Station, located between Shahzadpur and Nawabshah when the Hazara Express was en route from Karachi. As a result of the derailment, 10 bogies of Hazara Express were veered off the tracks, leading to chaos and injuries among the passengers on board. Talking to media at People’s Medical College Hospital in Benazirabad, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah confirmed the death toll. He said that the injured could be shifted to Karachi if needed and directed the local administration and health officials to expedite relief and rescue efforts. According to Railways and Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, the accident occurred at 1:18pm and around 1,000 passengers were travelling in the Hazara Express. The injured and bodies were transferred to People Medical University (PMU) Hospital in Nawabshah. DC Nawabshah Shehryar Gul Memon said an emer-
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SAAD RAFIQUE ORDERS PROBE INTO INCIDENT, FEARING ‘POSSIBLE SABOTAGE’
gency has been declared in nearby hospitals while the rescue operation is also underway. He further said ambulances and the rescue staffers have been sent to the spot to gear up for relief operation. During rescue operation, dozens of cars, tractors, rickshaws and motorcycles were seen parked on a road that runs alongside the track at the site of accident. Volunteers were witnessed through a canal that separates the road from the railway line to help, and lifting the injured to get them assistance. Some passenger compartments were upright but off the tracks, while others lay on their side, mangled steel from the undercarriage twisted and buckled. There were chaotic scenes at the Nawabshah Trauma Centre as ambulances and private cars ferried the injured for treatment. The cause of the derailment is not yet known as officials reached the scene to probe the incident. Meanwhile, on the directions of DG Rangers Sindh, Major General Azhar Waqas, paramilitary forces have left for the spot to assist the civil administration in the rescue and relief operation. Addressing a press conference, Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique said as per initial reports, the train was moving at a normal speed. He said the ‘sabotage’ and ‘mechanical fault’ cannot be ruled out in the major train accident. Talking to media in Lahore, Minister for Railways
Khawaja Saad Rafique said that initial investigation showed that the train was travelling at a “reasonable” speed, adding that officials had reached the scene and an emergency was imposed in hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah. He said, “This is quite a big accident. There can be two reasons: first that it was a mechanical fault, or the fault was created — it might be a sabotage. We will investigate it.” The minister further stated that relevant district administrations, Rescue 1122 personnel, the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Railways staff reached the site of the accident soon after the incident and began relief activities. The incident comes a day after the Allama Iqbal Express escaped a major disaster when two of its bogies derailed near Padidan railway station in the wee hours of Saturday, resulting in the suspension of traffic on the affected railway track. However, no casualty was reported in the incident, said rescue officials. The accident was also a grim reminder of a collision between two trains near Daharki in Sindh in June 2021, which resulted in the death of at least 65 people and left about 150 others injured. In that accident, an express derailed onto the opposite track, and a second passenger train crashed into the wreckage roughly a minute later. PAK ARMY, RANGERS PERSONNEL BEGIN RESCUE ACTIVITIES: Soon afterwards, on the special instructions of Army Chief General Asim Munir, contingents of the Pakistan Army and Rangers reached site of the incident and started relief and rescue activities immediately. The contingents also brought with them food items for the affected people. More contingents of army and Rangers were called in from Hyderabad and Sakrand. Besides that, helicopters of Pakistan Army’s aviation also left for the accident site in order airlift the injured to hospitals. Images posted to local media show dozens of people at the site, with some smashing windows to help passengers clamber out of the twisted carriages and at least one coach overturned. A relief train, carrying bogies and heavy machinery, left Hyderabad for Nawabshah. Sindh Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon said that an emergency was imposed at the local hospital of Benazirabad district as soon as the information about the incident was received. Memon said that the entire machinery of the Sindh government has been mobilised to the incident site, adding that the critically injured will be transported to Karachi.
Nawaz Sharif to be next PM if PML-N voted to power, says PM Shehbaz KASUR/LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday said Nawaz Sharif would be the next prime minister of Pakistan and would change destiny of the country by initiating projects in the sectors of agriculture, industry and infrastructure. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was speaking at a public meeting here after laying foundation stone for Taray Garh interchange on Lahore-Bahawalnagar motorway and Rai Mansab Ali Khan interchange on Abdul Hakim motorway on Bucheki-Nankana road. “Nawaz Sharif will serve the people of Pakistan as prime minister for another term if voted to power. He considers the whole of Pakistan as his family and in the past selflessly had served the people,” he remarked. PM Shehbaz said Rs263 billion would be spent on the construction of motorway from Lahore to Bahawalnagar and on other projects. He recalled that in the past, Pakistan suffered from load-shedding of 20 hours every day and then Nawaz Sharif came in 2013 and he removed the darkness caused by power shortages by setting up power projects, revived industry and agriculture and brought the CPEC project of $ 30 billion with the collaboration of China. He said their government provided laptops worth billions of rupees to millions of students, adding he was unfairly criticised for delivering laptops to youth who were now using modern tools of
communication and earning livelihoods. He noted that Nawaz Sharif initiated the project of Diamer Bhasha and Dasu dams and made Pakistan a nuclear state by conducting six nuclear explosions in response to five explosions by India. He reminded that Nawaz Sharif rejected the offer of $ five billion by the then US President Bill Clinton and went on with the nuclear explosions while ignoring pressure. Nawaz Sharif also started Zarb-e-Azab led by Pakistan army to eradicate terrorism and the jawans of armed forces and people from all sections of society rendered sacrifices against terrorism. Shehbaz Sharif said unfortunately terrorists were again allowed to re-enter Pakistan and they took many innocent lives in terrorist acts.
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In the era of Nawaz Sharif, the PM said Pakistan had good relations with friendly and brotherly countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar and others. Then Imran Niazi was imposed on the country after rigged election in 2018 and his regime caused severe damage to relations with these countries including Islamic countries and he resorted to baseless allegations of corruption against companies of China, he added. Ties with China were broken by the former government of Imran Niazi despite the fact that the neighbouring country massively invested in infrastructure, power and road projects, he pointed out. The prime minister said former judge Saqib Nisar and other co-conspirators ousted Nawaz Sharif on the basis of res-
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idence permit even when his name was not among the 400 persons named in the Panama papers. Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz appeared before the court 100 times in their cases and did not evade arrests as was later done by Imran Niazi who presented a fake receipt for an expensive watch imprinted with a model of Khana-e-Kaaba and came in court with a “bucket on his head”, he added. He said those who filed false and concocted cases against opposition leaders now met divine justice. He said in the tenure of Imran Niazi, several cases of corruption surfaced including wheat and sugar scams in which money was minted by unnecessary export and import of these commodities and then these acts of fraud were never probed and citizens bore the burden of loot and plunder. He said his government faced unprecedented challenges of inflation and devastating floods. “My government distributed Rs100 billion among the flood affectees and several hundreds of billions are still required for their rehabilitation.” He said due to his government’s policies and distribution of seeds and fertilizer on lower rates, bumper wheat was produced while cotton production this year would also be at record levels. “My government saved the country from default and from difficult economic conditions, unemployment and price hikes by signing the agreement with the International Monetary Fund.”
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ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Federal Minister for Interiors Rana Sanaullah on Sunday revealed that former finance minister Hafeez Shaikh was among the candidates shortlisted for the slot of the caretaker prime minister. The minister made the revelation while speaking during Geo News show ‘Naya Pakistan’, saying that the coalition partners had developed a consensus recently that a person considered “neutral” should be appointed to the post. Asked whether Hafeez Shaikh was willing to take up the responsibility, Sanaullah said, “He surely would be.” Shaikh’s name was among those earlier reported to have been included in a list of five finalised by parties in the ruling coalition for the caretaker prime minister. The purported list was also said to have included former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani. In an apparent reference to him, when Sanaullah was asked on the Geo News programme whether a retired judge of the apex court was also among the shortlisted candidates, his reply was vague. “Yes, there are people from all segments,” he said. Asked whether former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan had been shortlisted, he said: “I don’t think so. He is a senior member of our party … and I don’t consider him neutral. “How could a person from a political party be neutral?” The minister also referred to the commotion following reports of Finance Minister and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar’s name being proposed for the caretaker prime and said “since there has been stress that a “neutral” person should be appointed, the caretaker PM would not be from a political party”. Sanaullah said the name of the caretaker PM was expected to be announced on Tuesday and Wednesday. “And just one name would be announced,” he added. CONSULTATIONS ON CARETAKER PM: The minister’s revelation of today comes just three days before the date given by the government for the dissolution of the assemblies, following which a caretaker setup would take the country’s reins until a new government is elected. Meanwhile, the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement coalition has upped the ante on consultations for the appointment of a “mutually agreed” name for the caretaker PM. On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz chaired a virtual meeting of his allies on a three-point agenda — the dissolution of national and provincial assemblies, selection of caretaker PM and polls on the basis of the 2023 census.
Pakistan decides to send cricket team to India for ICC World Cup 2023: FO ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with politics so it has, therefore, decided to send its cricket team to India to participate in the upcoming 13th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, scheduled to take place there in October and November this year. “Pakistan has consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with politics. It has, therefore, decided to send its cricket team to India to participate in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday. “Pakistan’s decision shows its constructive and responsible approach vis-à-vis India’s intransigent attitude, as the latter had refused to send its Cricket Team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, adding “Pakistan, however, has deep concerns about the security of its cricket team. “We are conveying these concerns to the International Cricket Council and the Indian authorities. We expect that full safety and security of Pakistan cricket team will be ensured during its visit to India.” Sunday’s long-awaited decision follows weeks of doubts about Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, as the government delayed approving the team’s visit to India citing security concerns. The FO said in its statement that Pakistan authorities continued to have “deep concerns” about the security of the country’s cricket team in India. “We are conveying these concerns to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Indian authorities. We expect that full safety and security of the Pakistan cricket team will be ensured during its visit to India,” the statement read. It added: “Pakistan believes that the state of bilateral relations with India should not stand in the way of fulfilling its international sports-related obligations.
Bilawal, Wang Xi vow to take Pakistan, China friendship to ‘greater heights’ ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan and China have reiterated their commitment to take iron-clad relationship and friendship connected by mountains and rivers, to ‘greater heights’. The resolve was expressed during a telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his Chinese counterpart Wang Xi in which they also discussed bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors. Bilawal Bhutto said that there was a productive discussion with the Chinese counter-
part on bilateral issues. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that no matter how the international situation changes, China will, firmly support Pakistan in defending its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. He said Beijing firmly supports Islamabad in development, and its more active role in international and regional affairs. It is pertinent to mention here that a special ceremony was held last month to celebrate the completion of the first decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). High-level leadership attended the event from Pakistan and China, including Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping’s Special Representative, and the Vice Premier of the State Council of China He Lifeng. Senior ministers of China and Pakistan, high-ranking officials from both countries and corporate executives of leading Chinese companies working in Pakistan also participated in the event. Addressing the event, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Vice Premier He Lifeng paid rich tribute to CPEC for its positive contribution to Pakistan’s socio-economic development, and progress and prosperity of the peoples of the two countries.
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