Give me your poor: Lahore shelters a hit with travellers and homeless

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A shelter home set up by the Punjab government for the homeless people in Lahore. (Arab News/Shafique Malik)
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Temporary shelter tent for homeless in Lahore (Arab News/Shafique Malik)
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Temporary shelter tent for homeless in Lahore. (Arab News/Shafique Malik)
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Construction work continues on permanent shelter homes in Lahore. (Arab News/Shafique Malik)
Updated 26 November 2018
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Give me your poor: Lahore shelters a hit with travellers and homeless

  • Shelters open to everyone
  • Sites being sought in Karachi and Peshawar

LAHORE: Mianwali resident Barak Khan is delighted at having saved PKR2000, what he would earn in three days, by staying in one of five, free temporary shelters in Lahore for travellers and the homeless.

“I am a frequent visitor to Lahore as I come every week to buy stuff for my makeshift stall in Mianwali,” he says. “The visit costs me about 2,000 rupees as the hotels in the railway station area charge at least a thousand a night and for three meals it’s not less than 800. I barely save six to eight hundred a day after 12 hours of work. I spent the night at the railway station shelter, had dinner and breakfast free of charge. I am very happy,” he told Arab News on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for the first permanent shelter saying his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was “committed to building a social (safety) net for our poor citizens so everyone has a shelter over their head.”

Construction of these shelters may take months, so Khan asked Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to provide food and tents for the homeless as the cold snap approaches.

“I have asked CM Punjab to set up tents for people sleeping on footpaths and provide them food until the Panah Gahs (shelters) are built, as the weather is turning increasingly cold. Peshawar and Karachi spots also being located,” Khan tweeted.

The shelters have been set up at five different places in Lahore: —Railway Station, Thokar Niaz Beg, Fruit Mandi, Badami Bagh and Bhati Gate.

But the shelters are not only for travellers. Anyone can use them for rest or food.

“We just check the ID card of the person, write his name in the register and provide him with a bed,” Ali Kashif, administrator of the Railway Station shelter, told Arab News. “We also provide the person with dinner, breakfast and lunch. It is not necessary that the visitor is from another city. Any homeless person, traveller, visiting vendor or labourer can come, stay and have food.

“Since last night, 44 people have stayed in this camp and they have been provided with a bed and food.”

“I am a labourer and work on building sites. It is the first night that I have slept peacefully on a warm bed as I use to sleep in the cold under building sites. I ate my dinner here and also breakfast. Long live Imran Khan,” said Humayoun, a labourer in the Thokar Niaz Beg area.

“It’s been a long time since a government considered the problems of the common man and made arrangements to give them relief. It is a step in the right direction to achieve the concept of a welfare state,” said Jafar Ali, a young boy visiting the shrine of Data Sahib.

The well-off also visit the shelters: they want to provide food, blankets and other necessities.

“Residents of the area have also visited the tent and asked how could they contribute,” said Adnan Ahmad, a social worker at one shelter.


PCB appoints mentors for domestic cricket season

Updated 21 min 12 sec ago
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PCB appoints mentors for domestic cricket season

  • Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Misbal-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed named mentors
  • Pakistan Cricket Board says initiative will help spot new cricketing talent in the South Asian country

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday it had appointed five former cricketers mentors for the domestic cricket season 2024-25, following a “robust and transparent” recruitment process.
These former cricketers include Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Misbal-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed who have cumulatively played 1,621 international matches, with a total score of 32,780 runs and 1,503 wickets.
The development comes a day Pakistan’s loss to Bangladesh in the first of a two-match Test series. It followed Pakistan’s humiliating exit from the World Cup this year.
The decision to appoint mentors was aimed at precisely spotting the new cricketing talent in the South Asian country, according to the PCB.
“Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis were today confirmed as mentors of the five Champions Cup sides on three-year contracts following a transparent and robust recruitment process,” the PCB said in a statement on Monday. “Names of their sides and squads will be confirmed in due course.”
It said the first assignment to be undertaken by the mentors would be the Champions Cup being held in the eastern Punjab province on Sep 12-29 after two years.
Of the five mentors, Sarfaraz and Shoaib are two-time ICC event winners, Misbah is the 2012 Asia Cup winning captain, while Saqlain and Waqar were part of the team that played the 1999 World Cup final that Pakistan lost to Australia.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said he was pleased to welcome five “exceptional champions” as mentors of the Champions Cup teams.
“These individuals bring a wealth of cricketing experience, knowledge and expertise, which, combined with their passion for the game we all love, will help the Pakistan Cricket Board identify, develop and nurture the next generation of cricketers across all formats,” he said, highlighting that the initiative will bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.
Naqvi said the five mentors would play a role in the progression of emerging cricketers that would aid in “strategic planning and team-building processes,” apart from providing leadership and personal development support.
“The PCB is committed to strengthening Pakistan’s cricket through a robust domestic structure that offers a clear and competitive pathway for all cricketers,” he said. “The most talented and skilled players will advance through the ranks to represent Pakistan at the highest level.”


Pakistan and Bangladesh fined for slow over rates in 1st Test

Updated 34 min 39 sec ago
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Pakistan and Bangladesh fined for slow over rates in 1st Test

  • Bangladesh achieved their first victory over Pakistan in 14 Tests with a thumping 10-wicket win on Sunday
  • Pakistan slumped to eighth in the nine-team WTC points table after the defeat, while Bangladesh are seventh

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan and Bangladesh have been fined and docked World Test Championship points over slow over rates during the first Test in Rawalpindi, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Monday.
Bangladesh achieved their first victory over Pakistan in 14 Tests with a thumping 10-wicket win on Sunday after both teams struggled in hot conditions on a flat Rawalpindi pitch.
“Hosts Pakistan were found to be six overs short and lost six WTC points, while visitors Bangladesh were docked three points after being found three overs short of the acceptable rate,” the ICC said in a release.
Pakistan’s players were also fined 30 percent of their match fee and the Bangladeshis 15 percent, it said.
Pakistan slumped to eighth in the nine-team WTC points table after the defeat, while Bangladesh are seventh.
Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan was also fined 10 percent of his match fee and received a demerit point for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
“Shakib threw the ball at Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan in the 33rd over of the second innings after the latter had backed away,” the ICC said.
The second and final Test will also be played in Rawalpindi from Friday.


Ex-PM Khan’s party postpones Lahore rally saying administration not granting permission

Updated 26 August 2024
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Ex-PM Khan’s party postpones Lahore rally saying administration not granting permission

  • Last week the Islamabad chief commissioner disallowed PTI from holding Aug. 22 rally citing security threats, lack of resources
  • Islamabad rally now rescheduled for Sept. 8, PTI officials say will focus on Islamabad gathering and hold rally in Lahore afterwards 

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party has postponed its rally in Lahore that was scheduled to be held on August 27, a party member said, adding the administration refused to grant permission for the gathering despite the Lahore High Court (LHC) directives.
This is the second setback suffered by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of the jailed former premier in less than a week. The party previously deferred its rally in Islamabad.
PTI Punjab Information Secretary Shaukat Basra told Arab News they would request the Lahore High Court for permission to hold the rally in Lahore after the Islamabad gathering.
“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will hold a public gathering in Lahore after the Islamabad rally on September 8. At the moment, we want to fully focus on Islamabad public gathering,” Basra told Arab News on Monday.
“The PTI will be filing a contempt of court petition in the Lahore High Court against the administration. We will be requesting the court for permission for a public gathering in Lahore.”
On Thursday, the PTI announced postponement of its rally in Islamabad, a day after the Islamabad chief commissioner denied permission for the event, citing security threats and a lack of resources with security agencies. The rally was initially planned for July to build pressure for Khan’s release from prison following his arrest over a year ago, but the party had rescheduled it for August 22.
The PTI has struggled to hold rallies across the country since August last year when Khan was arrested on multiple charges and subsequently convicted in four cases, all of which have since been quashed by higher courts. New cases have since been filed against Khan and he remains in prison.
The party says it is facing a state-backed crackdown and the mass arrest of its members and supporters for standing by Khan. Pakistani authorities deny this.


Pakistan army chief discusses regional security with Chinese commander on day of deadly attacks

Updated 26 August 2024
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Pakistan army chief discusses regional security with Chinese commander on day of deadly attacks

  • Meeting comes against backdrop of widespread separatist attacks in Balochistan province where China has invested billions
  • As top Pakistani and Chinese military leaders meet, Pakistani military statement makes no mention of the latest attacks in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: General Li Qiaoming, the ground force commander of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, on Monday discussed regional security, military training and bilateral defense cooperation with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, the Pakistani military said.
The meeting came against the backdrop of a deadly day of violence in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and a series of attacks by separatist militants who have battled the central government for independence for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s gas and mineral resources, and seeking the expulsion of China. The Pakistani government denies the allegations.
In the past, separatists, who usually attack security forces, have also targeted Chinese interests and citizens in Balochistan, where Beijing runs the strategic southern deep-water port of Gwadar as well as a gold and copper mines in its west.
While General Li and General Munir met on Monday at the Pakistan army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, the Pakistani military statement on the meeting made no mention of the latest attacks in Balochistan.
“The meeting afforded an opportunity for in-depth discussions on matters of mutual interest, regional security, military training, and measures to further augment bilateral defense cooperation,” the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said on Monday.
“Munir underscored the robust relations between the Pakistan Army and the People’s Liberation Army, highlighting the ongoing bilateral military cooperation as a testament to the enduring brotherhood between the two nations.”
Balochistan, which borders both Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan’s largest province by size, but the least populated and remains largely underdeveloped, with high levels of poverty.
China has recently publicly raised with Pakistan the issue of the security of its workers and interests, especially since a March suicide attack in which five Chinese workers and their local driver were killed in northwest Pakistan.


Ex-PM Khan party approaches top court seeking implementation of verdict on reserved seats

Updated 26 August 2024
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Ex-PM Khan party approaches top court seeking implementation of verdict on reserved seats

  • The Supreme Court on July 12 ruled that Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was eligible for reserved seats in parliament
  • The verdict dealt a blow to the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which may lose its parliamentary majority

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Monday approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking implementation of its verdict that declared the party eligible for reserved seats in parliament, according to a PTI petition.
The July 12 verdict in favor of Khan’s PTI party dealt a blow to the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which may lose its two-thirds majority in Pakistan’s parliament. PTI candidates contested the Feb. 8 national election in Pakistan as independents after the party was barred from polls on the technical grounds that it did not hold genuine intra-party polls, which is a legal requirement.
Subsequently, they won the most seats in the election, 93, but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said independents were ineligible for their share of 70 reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims. The reserved seats were then distributed among other parties, mostly those in the ruling coalition, a decision appealed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) that was joined by Khan-backed independents to claim their share of reserved seats.
In its petition, the PTI has requested the top court to direct the ECP to accept the affiliations or confirmations of party members signed by PTI Chairman Gohar Khan and General Secretary Omer Ayub, and implement the directions issued through the short order on July 12.
“Such other relief as is deemed just and fit in all the circumstances of the case may also graciously be granted,” Khan’s party requested in its petition.
Last month, the government also filed a petition seeking review of the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats, noting that the issue of granting reserved seats to the PTI was not even in the pleadings of the SIC before the election commission, the Peshawar High Court and the Supreme Court.
“SIC and PTI are two separate political parties and two separate entities. The Order under Review, it seems has treated them as one party with different names which cannot be permissible under the Law,” the government petition read.
“It is submitted and reiterated here that PTI neither filed any case before the ECP, nor before Peshawar High Court, nor before the Supreme Court, hence it is not entitled to any relief, let alone a relief which was not even pleaded.”
All candidates of Khan’s PTI party were forced to contest the February polls as independents after the party was stripped of its election symbol of cricket bat by the ECP on the grounds that it did not hold intra-party elections, a prerequisite for any party to take part in polls.
The PTI is currently entitled to around 78 reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.
The July 12 verdict also bolstered the political position of Khan’s supporters, whose rallying cry has been that the election commission and a pro-military caretaker government that oversaw the polls indulged in “electoral fraud” to deprive it of a victory. The ECP denies this.