Rawalpindi | Pakistan

At least four bodies have been recovered after a Rawalpindi-bound hi-ace van plunged into River Jhelum on Thursday, with four others missing, Rescue 1122 said. The van, carrying 12 passengers, was coming from Hajera in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and plunged into the river while navigating a turn near Garari Bridge in the Kahuta area of Rawalpindi on Thursday morning, as per Rescue 1122 sources. According to Rescue 1122, four people have been confirmed among the drowned. District Emergency Officer 1122 Rawalpindi Sighbatullah said that four people have been rescued so far and were rushed to the Kahuta Tehsil Hospital in Rawalpindi. Superintendent THQ hospital, Dr Samina, also confirmed that the rescued persons had been shifted to the medical facility. The Rescue 1122 official also confirmed that “four bodies of the drowned victims, including a female, had been retrieved and shifted to hospitals, where their identity was being ascertained”. He added that the van had been pulled out of the water, and a search ...

• PTI slams water cannon ‘assault’ on Imran’s sisters and party workers, warns against his transfer to another jail • Privilege motion moved in NA after Khattak injured in melee • Opposition plans ‘national conference’ on Dec 20-21; says party founder inseparable from nation, politics • PM’s aide says all doors to talks with PTI now closed as party passed ‘point of no return’ • Gohar wants ‘common sense’ to prevail, questions move to isolate major party RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Politi­cal temperatures rose further on Wedne­sday, as Rawalpindi police sought a legal opinion on the question of registering an FIR against PTI leaders and supporters over a protest outside Adiala jail, even as the party moved a privilege motion in the National Assembly over alleged use of force against its workers, and voiced alarm at reports of Imran Khan’s possible transfer to another prison. The PTI also joined other opposition parties in warning that efforts to “minus” the incarcerated former premier and clamp down on peaceful prot...

Local public transporters on Sunday announced a wheel-jam strike for tomorrow (December 8) in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, rejecting the local administration’s request to delay the protest against the new traffic ordinance, which has raised fines for heavy vehicles. The strike was announced on the call of the Punjab Public Transport Association. Before the announcement, representatives of the association, along with the Goods Transporters Association, met City Traffic Police officer Farhan Aslam and Regional Transport Authority Secretary Asad Shirazi. The administration urged transporters not to observe a wheel-jam strike in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. However, local transporters refused to withdraw their decision, insisting they would go ahead with the strike to pressure the provincial government into repealing the ordinance. “We tried to convince the transporters not to go for a wheel-jam strike, but they demanded to abolish the new amendments, and it was beyond our authority to do anything ab...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday announced the allocation of 80 electric buses for Rawalpindi, aiming to improve public transportation and reduce congestion. The chief minister was scheduled to inaugurate the new transport system in the garrison city on October 15, but the ceremony was cancelled due to the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan protest in Islamabad. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the electric bus initiative in Rawalpindi today, CM Maryam said, “The electric buses are equipped with modern amenities, including air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and charging ports.” The initiative, the chief minister highlighted, is part of a broader effort to enhance infrastructure and public services in Rawalpindi. Other projects include signal-free corridors, flyovers, and hospitals. “The government has allocated significant funds for road construction and improvement,” she said, adding that the electric buses are part of a larger plan to promote sustainable transportation and reduce pollution. “The bu...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said the suicide bomber involved in the blast at Islamabad’s judicial complex was “related to Afghanistan”, while Rawalpindi’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested seven suspects who allegedly facilitated the attack. Speaking on the Senate floor, Naqvi termed the alleged links to Tuesday’s blast incident, which killed 12 people and injured 35, a “very serious” concern. He noted that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif have also been informed about the matter. Referring to the attack on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan on November 10, the interior minister said the suicide bomber involved in that incident was also from Afghanistan. “It is becoming very difficult for us; the way people from Afghanistan are coming here and attacking us,” he said, adding that with Deputy PM Ishaq Dar also taking up the issue, they will do “whatever is possible” to tackle it. Naqvi said the government was ensuring that illegal Afghans residing in...

LAHORE - The Pakistan Railways has decided to remove engineering obstacles between Lahore and Rawalpindi within a month, a move aimed at reducing travel time for passengers.

Rawalpindi - As many as 45 Chinese electric buses have arrived in the garrison city of Rawalpindi to operate on 10 routes starting this week.

A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) again issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, on Wednesday in a case pertaining to protests staged by the PTI in November last year over her absence from the hearing. This is the fourth time that the court has issued an arrest warrant for Aleema in the case. November 26 protests, as they famously came to be known as, saw more than 10,000 PTI protesters surge into Islamabad, defying a ban on public gatherings and a lockdown to skirmish with 20,000 security forces enlisted to turn them back. A day of clashes between security forces and protesters in the city’s Red Zone had ended in the PTI leadership’s hasty retreat, with the party announcing that it was calling off its planned protest sit-in “for the time being”. Subsequently, cases were registered against several PTI leaders under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Two of these cases were registered at the Taxila police stat...

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Monday again issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khanum, in a case pertaining to the November 26, 2024 protests by the PTI. The warrant was reissued due to Aleema’s continued absence from case proceedings. On November 26 last year, more than 10,000 PTI supporters surged into the federal capital, defying a ban on public gatherings and a lockdown to skirmish with 20,000 security forces enlisted to turn them back. As the demonstrators inched towards the heavily barricaded D-Chowk, the police and security troops employed intense teargas shelling to disperse them. Earlier this month, the ATC had issued a bailable arrest warrant for Aleema over non-appearance in the court in the same case, registered at Sadiqabad Police Station, adjourning the hearing to October 11. Later, on Oct 14, the court issued a non-bailable warrant due to her continued absence, noting that she had now failed to appear twice. During today’s hearing, presided over by AT...

Pakistan Railways has announced the addition of extra coaches to all major trains—particularly those operating between Rawalpindi and Lahore—to accommodate the surge in passengers caused by widespread road closures and suspension of public transport.

Rawalpindi - The number of dengue patients continues to rise in the garrison city as 23 new cases were reported in last 24 hours on Saturday and 20 cases on Friday.

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi police have arrested a man accused of performing black magic after digging up the grave of a seven-year-old girl in a graveyard in Dhamial. The accused was presented before a court, which granted four days’ physical remand on Friday for further investigation. The remand was approved on the police’s request after the court expressed satisfaction that more inquiry was required in the sensitive case. A police spokesman said a shroud was found near the grave of the girl in the last week of August. Following the discovery, Dhamial police launched an investigation and arrested the suspect accused of desecrating the grave. According to initial findings, the suspect dug up the grave for witchcraft purposes and then attempted to cover it again. Police immediately responded to the information and had the grave exhumed. No direct evidence of desecration of the body was initially observed. However, forensic reports are awaited for a conclusive determination. Samples were collected during the exhuma...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi dismissed on Friday the PTI’s plea that contested the decision to make incarcerated party founder Imran Khan appear in trial proceedings of the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case via video link. Imran’s arrest on May 9, 2023 sparked violent protests across the country, during which state buildings and military installations, including the GHQ, were torched and vandalised. He was expected to attend today’s hearing at the ATC via video link, but his counsel argued before Judge Amjad Ali Shah against this arrangement on the PTI’s application. For his part, prosecutor Zaheer Shah contended that trial proceedings were transferred to the ATC from Adiala Jail — where Imran is imprisoned — on the Punjab government’s executive order. “The authority to review the executive order lies with the constitutional court,” he added. He further argued that in 2016, the Code of Criminal Procedure was amended to allow suspects to appear in courts via video link. Shah also cited Sect...

Pakistan Railways has announced plans to introduce a high-speed train service between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, aiming to ease daily commutes and cut travel time to just 20 minutes.

ISLAMABAD - Funeral prayers of Major Adnan Aslam Shaheed (age: 31 years, resident of Rawalpindi) who embraced martyrdom while undergoing treatment at Combined Military Hospital were held at Chaklala, Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

The police said two women were arrested on Friday for throwing an egg at PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum during a media talk in Rawalpindi outside the Adiala Jail, where a hearing of the Toshakhana case was held earlier. Footage of the incident was widely shared on different news channels and social media accounts, capturing the expression of shock on Aleema’s face when the egg was hurled at her. @dawn.today An egg was thrown at PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum on Friday while she was holding a press conference in Rawalpindi. The footage of the incident was widely shared on different news channels and social media accounts, capturing the expression of shock on Aleema’s face when the egg was hurled at her. DawnToday ♬ original sound - Dawn.com - Dawn.com A statement released by the Rawalpindi Police said that the two arrested suspects were PTI supporters, who had travelled to Rawalpindi with other members of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance and the All Pakistan Clerks Asso...

ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) has declared that constant CCTV surveillance of employees amounts to workplace harassment. Announcing the decision, Ombudsperson Fauzia Viquar also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on the head of a private teaching institution for misusing CCTV surveillance and harassing a female officer. The decision arose in the case of a subordinate employee at the institution in Rawalpindi against its chief executive officer where the complainant alleged that she was subjected to excessive surveillance and intimidation. After reviewing the evidence, the ombudsperson found that the accused had engaged in unjustified and targeted monitoring, including sending CCTV screenshots to the complainant, which created a hostile and distressing work environment. The ombudsperson declared this behaviour to be harassment under the law and ordered payment of Rs50,000 in compensation to the victim and a penalty of censure against the CEO. The ombudsperson also directed ...

Rawalpindi - Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi on Saturday announced that the first-ever Mother and Children Hospital of Rawalpindi Division, with a capacity of 1,000 beds, will be completed this year.

RAWALPINDI: For the first time since 2011, the number of dengue patients in Murree has surpassed Rawalpindi, as confirmed cases in the hilly district rose to 62. Meanwhile, 59 dengue patients have been reported in Rawalpindi district so far this year. This year, dengue cases in Murree have been reported from Ghel and Paghwari union councils and the numbers are still rising. In the Rawalpindi division, 62 cases have been confirmed in Murree, 59 in Rawalpindi, one in Jhelum, four in Chakwal and five in Attock. Majority of the cases in Murree have been reported from Ghel and Paghwari union councils A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that dengue surveillance in Murree had not been conducted earlier due to a shortage of staff. Surveillance began only after the virus started spreading. He said the Rawalpindi District Health Authority was managing health affairs in Murree despite it being declared a separate district. He added that once dengue cases were detected, the Murree district administ...

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Seismic Network of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in a statement. According to the statement, the quake was felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, KP’s Peshawar, Swat, Chitral, and Abbottabad. The PMD’s press release said that the earthquake originated at 10:20am PKT. Its epicentre was the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, at a depth of 190 kilometres. Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority reported that the earthquake was also felt in the province’s divisions of Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Multan, Sahiwal and Sargodha. No casualties have been reported so far, and according to KP’s Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi, an emergency has not yet been declared. Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines mean...