Headlines 12pm: Court to indict Shahid Abbasi, COVID-19 cases spike

Here are the headlines from SAMAA TV’s 12pm bulletin.

• Five civilians were injured in the Nikial Sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in a ceasefire violation by Indian troops on the Line of Control on Sunday, according to the Pakistan Army’s media wing. The injured people included two young boys and two elderly women.
• Former president Asif Ali Zardari was not indicted in the Park Lane reference on Monday after his lawyer filed a last-minute petition against the proceedings. Farooq H Naek filed a petition in an Islamabad accountability court, saying the indictment should be stopped as the proceedings against Zardari were not legally justified. He said loan defaulting was a matter concerning the State Bank of Pakistan.
• The JIT report of the Baldia factory incident has been made public. It revealed that 261 employees of the factory were burnt alive over the owners’ refusal to give extortion money of Rs2 billion. The crime was committed by MQM’s Hammad Siddiqi, Rehman Bhola and Zubair Chirya. The JIT has requested to register a new case. Another JIT report on Lyari gang leader Uzair Baloch and former Fishermen Cooperative Society chairperson Nisar Morai will be released today. Speaking on SAMAA TV’s programme Naya Din, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani questioned why Ali Zaidi is highlighting the JIT reports now and not five years ago when they were written. He said the court should decided on the matter instead of someone else.
• Court will indict former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other suspects in a case pertaining to illegal recruitment in PSO. Abbasi has been provided with a copy of the reference. All suspects have been directed to appear before the court on the next hearing for indictment.
• CPEC Authority Chairperson Asim Saleem Bajwa says there will be a signing ceremony for the Azad Pattan Hydel Power project with the China Gezhouba Group Corporation. PM Imran Khan will be the chief guest.
• Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry has asked the UK government to “hand over” former PM Nawaz Sharif and MQM founder Altaf Hussain. He posted this on Twitter.
• Unannounced load-shedding continues across Karachi. Some major localities that have been facing extended load-shedding include Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Malir and Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Farooq Sattar and PTI’s Haleem Adil Sheikh have criticised K-Electric on the matter.
• Four robbers cut locks and looted 10 mobile shops in a mall in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Monday morning. They had reportedly first held the mall’s security guards hostage. It was located near Gulshan Chowrangi.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In a tweet on Monday, he said that he was diagnosed with the deadly virus with mild symptoms and has isolated himself at home.
• Another 50 people have died in Pakistan due to the coronavirus. So far, 95,407 active infections have been reported and over 131,600 people have defeated the virus.
• Oxford University’s Dr Tom Jefferson believes that China may not be the coronavirus’ birthplace. He says viruses are present everywhere in the world and become active when conditions are favourible.
• The Met Office has forecast rain in Karachi today. Hyderabad and Tando Allahyar have experienced downpours as well.

from Coronavirus – SAMAA https://ift.tt/38u7cgA