Category: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: As the nation continues its fight against the coronavirus pandemic with another consignment of vaccine from China scheduled to arrive on Sunday (today), the government has not overlooked the Pakistani travellers stranded in other countries after some international airlines cancelled their flights.

Presuming ease of travel restrictions by the authorities, the airlines had sched-uled extra flights to Pakistan and made bookings as well but then cancelled those flights af ter the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) maintained travel curbs considering the rise in Covid cases in some areas.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) took up the matter with five international airlines, directing them to accommodate the passengers on the earliest possible flights of the same or any other airline to Pakistan besides hotel accommodation and payment of damages to passengers.

The CAA also cautioned those airlines that it would be constrained to initiate regulatory action against them, which may include financial penalty, cancellation of one or more flights and revocation of schedule authorization.

In its letter to five airlines i.e. Qatar Airways, Turkish Airline, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Fly Dubai, the CAA took up the issue of inconvenience caused to passengers by flight cancellations. `It has been seriously noted that a huge number of passengers have been affected by flight cancellations of your airline to Pakistan in recent weeks. Keeping in view the imposition of flight operation restrictions (i.e. 20pc of approved inbound scheduled flight operations) since 5th May 2021 and subsequent periodic extensions of the restrictions which were duly communicated to the airlines through timely NOTAMs, the reservations made by your airline after 5th May 2021 or such passengers on such flights, were unjustified,` stated the aviation regulator.

ISLAMABAD: On the intervention of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaier, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has decided to pay the Covid-19 health risk allowance to the frontline health workers.

However, the healthcare workers complained that the ministry wanted to pay the allowance to selected employee despite the fact that all healthcare workers faced the risk of contractingthe virus.

Last year, the health risk allowance was paid to a majority of healthcare worl(ers but there were complaints that some of them were paid more compared to others.

During a session of the National Assembly on June 28, the speaker pointed out that the healthcare workers had not been paid the Covid-19 health risk allowance for 11 months.

`I direct the secretary Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) to address the issue till noon by June 29,` he had said.

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre on Saturday said that the Moderna vaccine will be available starting Monday at designated vaccination centres across Pakistan.

Inoculations using the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have meanwhile already begun at a mass vaccination centre in Islamabad’s F-9 Park area.

NCOC also shared a list of the vaccination centres across the major cities of Pakistan where the Moderna vaccine will be available.

According to the list, it will be available at 15 locations in Punjab, 13 locations in KP, six locations in Gilgit-Baltistan, five locations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, five locations in Islamabad Capital Territory, three locations in Balochistan and two locations in Sindh.

The forum also highlighted the criteria that must be met by the recipient of the Moderna vaccine.

The vaccine will be administered to the following categories, provided they are 18 years of age or older and have NOT received any other currently available COVID-19 vaccines.

1. Those with comorbid conditions, e.g diabetes, hypertension, congestive cardiac failure, renal failure, chronic liver disease, malignancy, etc. – Those who are chronically immunosuppressed:
2. Post organ transplantation, the patient may receive the vaccine 3 months after transplantation procedure.
3. Post chemotherapy, the patient may receive the vaccine 28 days after chemotherapy.
4. Individuals with a mandatory requirement of vaccination for travel.

– Overseas workers who have a mandatory need for travel for employment overseas with valid work visas/iqama in a country where Chinese vaccines are not accepted at present

– Students

– Those travelling for official or business purposes

Women who are pregnant and lactating, falling under the above-listed categories CAN receive the Moderna vaccine.

More doses of the Sinopharm vaccine have also arrived in Pakistan, officials of the ministry of health told media.

A shipment of 700,000 doses arrived from China, said the officials.

LAHORE : Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri inaugurated samadhi of Sir Ganga Ram here on Saturday.

The work of samadhi of Sir Ganga Ram has been completed. The minister was given briefing on the occasion.

The minister said Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman (ETPB) was working according to vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said there were many services of Sir Ganga Ram for the humanity.

A celebration was held in Lahore on Saturday. Dr Aamir Ahmed, Imran Gondal, Deputy Secretary, Amir Hashmi, Rushan Fawad and other participated in the celebrations.

Sir Ganga Raam had served Lahore with giving Lahore the best architecture.

Sir Ganga Ram was born in 1851 in Mangtanwala, a small town about 64 km from Lahore.

He supervised the construction of high court, Cathedral and constructed the Aitcheson College.

During the period of his posting as executive engineer of Lahore, he had designed and constructed the magnificent buildings.

These included the majestic buildings of Lahore Museum, which remains a masterpiece till date, the famous and unique Mayo School of Arts which is now known as the National College of Arts and the building of which is used in several television commercials and serials, the General Post Office building on The Mall, the Albert Victor Wing of the Lahore Mayo Hospital and the Government College’s Chemical Laboratory.