Saturday 19 March 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Thousands protest in European capitals to support migrants

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LONDON (AFP) - Protestors voicing their support for migrants took to the streets of European capitals Saturday, the day after the EU and Turkey sealed a deal designed to tackle the continents biggest migration crisis since World War II.Thousands of people marched in London, Athens, Barcelona, Vienna, Amsterdam and several Swiss cities as Greece rushed to put in place the measures needed to enforce the deal sealed at a Brussels summit Friday.Under the deal, all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey from midnight on Sunday will face being sent back to Turkey.The EU will take in one Syrian refugee from Turkish soil in exchange for every Syrian returned from Greece in a move designed to discourage people risking their lives by crossing the Aegean Sea in smugglers boats.In London, approximately 4,000 people joined a protest carrying placards with slogans like Refugees welcome here and Stand up to racism.Callum Nash, a web designer, said he had come to show support and solidarity for migrants, for refugees, coming from Syria.Emiliano Mellino, a financial journalist from Argentina, added: The situation right now in Syria, in Lebanon, in Jordan, in Turkey... the number of refugees they have, and the pressure those countries have, is incredible and Europe is not letting in enough people.In Athens, police said 1,500 people took to the streets while media put the figure at 3,000.The protestors, who included many Afghan refugees, particularly women and children, chanted Open the borders and We are human beings, we have rights.Were calling on the Greek government to stop aligning itself with the EUs anti-refugee policies, said pro-migrant activist Thanassis Kourkoulas.Another protest in the northern city of Thessaloniki drew around 500 people, according to police.Several thousand people marched in Barcelona carrying banners with slogans such as No person is illegal, while the figure was roughly 2,500 in Vienna. Around 1,500 people also took to the streets of Amsterdam.In Geneva, more than 600 people joined the protests to support the right of migrants to remain. Some were particularly protesting against the housing of refugees in bunkers.There were also smaller protests in other Swiss cities such as Zurich and Lucerne.

Karachi: Dacoits gun down intelligence officer

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Two dacoits riding a motorcycle late Saturday night gunned down an officer, Waqas, of the intelligence department in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 5 near NIPA chowrangi area while attempting to loot him.According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East, Faisal Chachar, both robbers also sustained injuries due to firing by the officer. One of the injured suspects was arrested who succumbed to his injuries during treatment.Police have recovered 8 bullet shells from the scene of the crime.Police are on the hunt for the second suspect. The killed officer had been appointed for the security of the family of a high officer of the intelligence department.

Lyari gangwar: Arshad Papu's brother arrested from Hub

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Lyari gangwar’s notorious gangster Arshad Papu’s brother Haji Hamid was arrested from Bhattabad area of Hub. Meanwhile four others including a girl, who burned her father alive, were arrested from several areas of Karachi.According to the details, a suspect named Haji Hamid was arrested during a police clash. Police claim that the apprehended suspect is the brother of Lyari gangwar’s Arshad Papu.Meanwhile a girl who burned her father alive 2 days ago was arrested from Peerabad area of the city.On the other hand 3 felons were arrested during action in Shireen Jinnah Colony area. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) south, the captured suspects were involved in numerous street crime cases.

Karachi: Woman arrested for burning father alive

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – A woman named Ayesha accused of burning her father alive was arrested Saturday from Peerabad area of Karachi. The apprehended girl stated that she committed the crime because her father and brother forced her to perform immoral activities and used to beat her.According to the details, Ayesha was accused of burning her father alive 2 days ago. Ayesha states that she herself wants justice and added that the police should arrest her brother Ayaz and provide protection to her other 3 sisters.Police say that Ayesha had murdered her father for refusing to allow her marriage of interest.The arrested suspect has been shifted to Liaqatabad Women police station for further investigation.

Cricket legends given spectacular welcome at Eden Garden

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Renowned cricket legends including Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younas, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood’s legendary actor Amitabh Bachan were given a spectacular welcome Saturday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata before the match between archrivals India and Pakistan.The cricket giants and others were given a sensational welcome by West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamta Banarjee.Pakistan’s former Captain Imran Khan was the first to be given a roaring reception by the crowd and was presented with a shawl and a bouquet of flowers.The King of Swing Wasim Akram was up next who was also presented with the same gifts.The Master of Yorkers and Pakistan team’s Head Coach Waqar Younas was also given a hero’s reception.After the Pakistan’s side, Indian batting legend Gavaskar was given the same dazzling welcome.‘Little Master’ Sachin Tendulkar then took the stage much to the excitement of his fans and was presented with gifts and finally amidst deafening cheers by the crowds, Bollywood superstar Amitabh also received his gifts of appreciation.The ceremony concluded with Banarjee giving a clear message to extremists, saying the players would be provided security anytime they wished to visit Kolkata.

WT20: TV sets broken as fans express outrage over Pakistan's loss

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Television sets were broken and bats set on fire as the nation’s cricket fans expressed their outrage and frustration over Pakistan cricket team’s loss against India in the WT20 match held at Eden Garden, Kolkata.Cricket fans all across the country could not contain their excitement for the highly anticipated match with the hope of seeing the Men in Green coming out victorious against India, but alas history repeated itself and fans were once again left disappointed, some more than others, over their team’s performance.Fans of the game in Karachi were beside themselves with some breaking their TV sets in a fit of rage.In Multan, heartbroken fans lighted their cricket bats on fire in anger. They said that the women cricket team of the country was better than men’s. They vowed that they will never watch a match on big screens.Lahore fans could only say that they were already expecting such a poor performance from the players.Meanwhile cricket lovers in Islamabad aguishly stated that watching their team win has once again remained only a dream.Fans in Gujranwala expressed similar sentiments.India earlier defeated Pakistan comfortably by six wickets.WATCH VIDEO BELOW:

Imran Khan's advice forgotten, Afridi admits poor bowling attack

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – With India cruising comfortably to victory with six wickets in hand, it seems the advice of cricket legend and former Pakistan cricket team Captain Imran Khan’s advice was forgotten by the green shirts as history repeated itself in Saturday’s WT20 match in Eden Garden, Kolkata.Pakistan’s cricket Captain Shahid Afridi admitted to having a poor bowling attack which failed to upset the Indian batting order.Imran Khan earlier met with the Pakistani side at the Taj Hotel ahead of their encounter with archrivals India.Khan raised the morale of the Men in Green by providing valuable advises. He said that Pakistan needs to play fearlessly against India, who seem to be under pressure, further adding that the Pakistani side needs to fight till the final ball.But it seems the most apt comment made by Khan was this:Teams do not win due to good advices but instead by good performancesThis was Pakistan’s 11th loss against India.

WT20: India Vs Pakistan, how Twitter reacted

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KOLKATA (Dunya News/AFP) - India comprehensively beat Pakistan with six wickets in hand. With exceptional batting skills from Kohli and Captain MS Dhoni, the Indian side managed to chase down Pakistans 118/5 target. The highly anticpitated match has always been a cause for excitement for millions across both countries.Heres how Indias six-wicket win over Pakistan at the World Twenty20 played out on Twitter:Australian cricket star Glenn Maxwell:Well played India. Class run chase in tough conditions. Something for the rest of the competition to learn from Good night all— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) March 19, 2016 Former Australian player Tom Moody:Its fair to say @imVkohli is playing at a level very few can match. superstar INDvsPAK WT20— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) March 19, 2016 West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara:Brilliant innings @imVkohli on a tough surface... Well done Expected more from @SAfridiOfficial and @realshoaibmalik with the ball.— Brian Lara (@BrianLara) March 19, 2016 Indian tennis playerMahesh Bhupathi:In Kohli we trust ......IndvsPak WCT20 wegotthis— Mahesh Bhupathi (@Maheshbhupathi) March 19, 2016

Torrential rains wreak havoc in Azad Kashmir, KP leaving 23 dead

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Torrential rains continue to wreak havoc Saturday in Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Kurram Agency, leaving 23 people dead including women and children in a series of collapsing roofs and land sliding episodes. Several houses were left destroyed in Azad Kashmir while land contact has been cut off in several areas.According to the details, 5 members of a single family including the wife and husband lost their lives in Muzzaffarabad’s local area of Surli Sucha when showers triggered a mountain avalanche that destroyed their home and buried them under the rubble.A young girl miraculously survived the destruction however and was recovered alive from the debris by Pak Army soldiers.In Rawalakot’s village of Chagar, two women were killed when the roof of a house caved in due to the rain.A husband and wife lost their life in Bagh while 4 of their daughters sustained injuries during a landslide incident.Two women were also killed when a house weakened by the rain collapsed in Haveli district, located at Line of Control (LOC). A woman and her daughter were also buried alive under the rubble of their destroyed home in Batul village of Abbaspur.The heavy showers also triggered landslides in various areas of Azad Kashmir which left several homes destroyed. Communication system also went down due to the rain.Many roads including Shahrah-e-Neelum have also been closed due to the heavy rains and Bagh’s contact with Islamabad was cut off.The roof of a home collapsed due to the torrential rain which killed a husband, his wife and their four children in in Gondal area of Kurram Agency.In Lower Dir, near Timur Gura in Mian Banda, 5 family members of a single family were killed while two were injured in a roof cave in incident.4 children also sustained injuries when a wall collapsed in Sadhu Khail area of Khyber Agency.

WT20: Kohli anchors India to six-wicket cruise past Pakistan

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KOLKATA (Dunya News/AFP) -Cool-headed Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten half century as India cruised to a comfortable six-wicket victory over arch rivals Pakistan at Kolkatas Eden Gardens in the World Twenty20 Saturday.India put their campaign back on track after suffering a shock loss against New Zealand in the tournament opener, extending their jinx in major tournaments against Pakistan.Chasing 119 on a track that seemed dual-paced, India lost their top three batsmen early only to see Kohli and Yuvraj Singh put together a 61-run, fourth-wicket partnership to help the hosts canter home in 15.5 overs in a game reduced to 18 overs a side because of rain.Kohli (55 not out) and Yuvraj combined caution and aggression to blunt the Pakistan bowling attack, which seemed to miss left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, who made way for Mohammad Sami.Sami did make an impression by sending back Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in his opening over to be on hat-trick but Pakistans four-pronged pace attack had no answers to Kohlis batting.Yuvraj (24) fell to Wahab Riaz, but Kohli, who was joined by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the finale, was in cruise control as his 37-ball knock was laced by seven boundaries and a six.Dhoni joins partyDhoni (13 not out) swiftly joined the party as he hit a six to level the scores and then hit the winning runs in front of a raucous crowd.Earlier, Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik played useful cameos to guide Pakistan to 118 for five, a score which looked competitive on a tricky surface.Put in to bat on a moisture-laden pitch that saw heavy rains through the day, Pakistan openers Sharjeel Khan (17) and Shehzad (25) played cautiously at first and then lost their wickets as they tried to accelerate.Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina looked dangerous in their opening spells on a track that provided turn and bounce, but the Pakistan batsmen did well to show patience.Fresh from his match-winning exploits against Bangladesh, skipper Shahid Afridi (8) promoted himself to number three but the boom was missing from his shots this time around.The hard-hitting batsman could only find a single boundary in his scratchy 14-ball stay as he walked back amid loud cheers from the capacity crowd.Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik then stitched together a crucial 41-run stand that helped Pakistan put up what seemed a respectable score.Akmal (22), whose 16-ball knock was studded with a boundary and a six, was caught behind off Ravindra Jadejas left-arm spin.Innings top-scorer Malik (26), who hit three boundaries and a six in his 26-run innings, soon joined Akmal in the dug-out after trying to force Ashish Nehras pace.Wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Hafeez finished off the innings as Pakistan got seven off the last over.But Pakistans efforts were negated by Kohli who deservedly got the man of the match award.India next play Bangladesh in Bangalore on Wednesday, while Pakistan head to Mohali to meet New Zealand on Tuesday.India InningsOvers 15.5: 1 run. INDIA WIN BY 6 WICKETS. Dhoni guides this short one from Irfan towards leg side, takes the single and India win this one comfortably. They finish at 119/4 with plenty of overs to spare.Overs 15.4: SIX MS Dhoni whacks this towards midwicket for a maximum. Scores level. Ind 118/4Overs 15.2: FOUR Wide from Irfan and Kohli is not going to miss this one. Slaps towards the off-side for a boundary. Ind 111/4Overs 14.3: 1 run. Kohli hits this one towards the leg-side and brings up his 50 with that What an innings. Ind 101/4Overs 14.2: FOUR Again he goes towards the covers and gets a boundary. Afridi is not pleased with himself. 100/4Overs 13.6: FOUR Kohli goes through the covers once again and times this one from Amir beautifully. Ind 95/4Overs 12.1: FOUR Beautiful shot through the covers from Kohli off Afridis first ball of the over. Ind 88/4Overs 11.6: OUT Much needed breakthrough for Pakistan Yuvraj tried to hit Riaz once again towards midwicket for a big one but felt short and ended up getting caught near the boundary. Ind 84/4Overs 11.1: SIX Short pitched ball and Yuvraj has smashed this one from Riaz towards midwicket for a big one Ind 80/3Overs 10.5: FOUR This time he smacks Malik towards midwicket and gets a four. India 74/3Overs 10.3: SIX Kohli violently sweeps this one off Malik and the ball ends in the stands towards leg side for a huge one. Ind 70/3Overs 9.6: No run. At the end of 10 overs, Blue Shirts are 60 for 3Overs 9.1: FOUR Disappointing start of the over for Wahab as Kohli plays it towards midwicket where Sharjeel is unable to stop the ball crashing into the boundary. Ind 58/3Overs 8.6: 2 runs. Yuvraj plays this one from Malik towards leg-side and both batsmen run at full pace grabbing two runs for their side. Ind now 54 for 3Overs 7.6: 1 run. Kohli plays this full length ball from Afridi towards the covers and grabs a single. Ind 46/3Overs 6.3: FOUR Shot through the covers from Yuvraj as Amir dives near the cover region to cut it off but is unable to do so. Ind 37/3Overs 6.1: FOUR Classy shot from Kohli towards off side off Samis short-widish ball. Ind 32/3Overs 5.6: No run. Afridis first over comes to an end as he concedes 5 runs from it. Some of his balls turned rather sharply, making life slightly tough for Yuvraj Singh. Ind 28/3Overs 4.4: OUT Unbeliveable stuff Sami grabs another one in a similar fashion Another inside edge and Raina is bowled Ind 23/3Overs 4.3: OUT Inside edge and Dhawan chops it on his stumps Sami grabs the second wicket for Pakistan. Ind 23/2Overs 4.1: FOUR Welcome to the crease, Sami He bowled it slightly short and Dhawan slaps it towards the off-side for a four. Ind 22/1Overs 3.6: No run. Change of pace from Irfan and Kohli, who looked to play it at first, leaves it alone. Ind 18/1Overs 2.1: OUT Big wicket for Pakistan Amir once again picks up the wicket of Sharma who skied this one and Malik took a brilliant catch in the end. Ind 14/1Overs 1.5: FOUR Another short one from Irfan and Sharma pulls it towards leg-side for four. Ind 13/0Overs 1.1: FOUR Short and wide from Irfan. Sharma smacks it towards off side for four. Ind 8/0Overs 0.3: 1 leg-bye. Bowled down the leg-side by Amir to Sharma. The ball touches goes behind square leg after hitting his pads and the batsmen pick a run. Ind 2/0Overs 0.2: Wide ball from Amir. Ind 1/0Pakistan InningsOvers 17.6: 1 leg-bye. End of the innings and Bumrah has bowled a splendid final over for India, giving away only 7 runs. Pakistan end their innings at 118 for 5.Overs 16.5: FOUR Improvisation from Sarfraz as he guides this wide full toss from Nehra towards fine leg for a four, Pak 111/5Overs 16.2: OUT Another big wicket falls as Malik skies this short one from Nehra and ends up getting caught at short fine leg area. Pak 105/5Overs 15.5: OUT Akmal is caught behind off Jadejas deliveryas he tried to cut it but failed. Pak 101/4Overs 15.3: FOUR Sweeps it wildly and gets a boundary towards off Jadejas ball towards square leg area. Pak 100/3Overs 14.5: FOUR Two in two from Malik This time he plays it towards the leg side as the crowd goes into deep silence. Pak 95/3Overs 14.4: FOUR Firm hit from Malik towards the covers from Bumrahs lower full toss. Pak 91/3Overs 13.6: SIX Big one Its Akmal this time and he whacks it towards long-on area for a huge one. Run-rate rises. Pak 82/3Overs 13.4: SIX Some signs of aggression. Malik lofts this one from Pandya miles into the stands towards mid-wicket area. Pakistan needs more hits like this one. They are 75/3Overs 12.6: 1 run. Low-wide full toss and Malik plays it towards the sweeper at cover region for one run. Pak 67/3Overs 11.6: 5 runs Direct hit from the fielder but the batsman was in his crease but there was no one to collect the ball and it rushed towards the boundary, giving additional four runs to Pakistan. They are 65/3Overs 11.5: OUT Afridi departs. Went after Pandyas slightly short ball and ended up being caught by Kohli at long-on. Pak 60/3Overs 11.2: FOUR Akmal smacks this short one from Pandya towards midwicket region for four. Pak 59/2Overs 10.6: 1 run. Afridi pushes this one from Jadeja towards point area and grabs a single. 3 runs from the over. Pak 54/2Overs 9.3: FOUR Short pitched ball, skipper Afridi top edged it and it landed safely at deep fine leg area and crept towards the boundary cushion. Pak 50/2Overs 9.2: OUT And he goes straight away Silly shot from Shehzad as he swung at this wildly and ended up skying it. The fielder at point area takes the catch and Bumrah grabs a wicket. Pak 46/2Overs 9.1: FOUR Shehzad goes down on one knee and flicks this one from Bumrah towards fine leg area for four. Pak 46/1Overs 8.6: No run. Shehzad tried to follow this one bowled down the leg-side from Jadeja but edged it in the process. Thankfully, the ball landed away from any fielder. Pak 42/1Overs 7.3: OUT What a catch from Pandya but he seems to have injured himself in the process as he dived forward taking this one off Sharjeels bat ending up hitting his face in the ground. Pakistan lose their first man. They are 38/1Overs 6.4: FOUR Shehzad played this one from Jadeja towards third-man knowing that there was slip in place but he survives and it the balln creeps towards the boundary rope for a four. Pak 34/0Overs 5.6: 1 run. Another good over from Ashwin comes to an end as Sharjeel seems to have no idea which way his ball is going to turn after pitching. Pak 29/0Overs 4.6: FOUR Shot through the covers from Sharjeel off Bumras slightly short pitched delivery. Pak 24/0Overs 3.3: FOUR Shehzad dances down the pitch and hits this one from Ashwin powerfully towards midwicket. Pak 18/0Overs 2.6: FOUR First boundary of the innings as Sharjeel flicks this one off his pads from Nehra. Pak 13/0 Overs 1.6: 1 bye. A wonderful first over from Ashwin as both Shehzad and Sharjeel are unable to read the spin on the ball and play accordingly. Pak 5/0Overs 0.6: No run. Nearly a chance for a wicket there Change of pace from Nehra and Shehzad did not quite pick this one up and almost played it back to the bowler. Pak 3/0Overs 0.1: 1 run. Pakistan and Sharjeel Khan off the mark. Sharjeel played this one from Nehra towards leg-side for a single. Pak 1/0India Line-upRG SharmaS DhawanV KohliSK RainaMS Dhoni (c)Yuvraj SinghHH PandyaRA JadejaR AshwinJJ BumrahA NehraPakistan SquadSharjeel KhanAhmed ShehzadMohammad HafeezUmar AkmalShoaib MalikSarfraz AhmedShahid Afridi (c)Mohammad SamiWahab RiazMohammad AmirMohammad Irfan

WT20: India-Pakistan match delayed because of wet outfield

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KOLKATA (Web Desk) - The start of the clash between the archrivals India and Pakistan at Kolkatas Eden Gardens cricket stadium is being delayed because of a wet outfield, reported Dunya News.Earlier, heavy rain was recorded in Kolkata which affected the outfield of the ground however according to latest reports, covers are being removed the pitch is being rolled.Cricketing legends from both sides were given a warm-welcome in the stadium. Chief Minister (CM) West Bengal Mamta Benergee presented shawls to Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram from Pakistan and to Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag from India. Legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachan was also in the ground.The squads of both sides are as follows:Indian squad:MS Dhoni (c), R Ashwin, JJ Bumrah, S Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, RA Jadeja, V Kohli, Mohammed Shami, P Negi, A Nehra, HH Pandya, AM Rahane, SK Raina, RG Sharma, Yuvraj SinghPakistani squad:Shahid Afridi (c), Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Imad Wasim, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Nawaz (3), Mohammad Sami, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Sharjeel Khan, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz

Two including police officer sentenced to death

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Additional District and Session Judge West on Saturday issued death sentences of constable Taj Mohammad and Abdul Basheer after proven guilty in a dual-murder case, reported Dunya News.Both were involved in murdering constable Hafiz Nisar and Raheem-ullah on January 17, 2003.The culprits were arrested by the police from Pirabad.

Pakistan, US working closely to end tuberculosis from the country: Ambassador Jillani

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Dunya News Report (Humaira Sajid)ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United States are closely cooperating in the health sector to enhance Pakistan’s capability to prevent, detect and counter infectious diseases, said the Ambassador, Jalil Abbas Jilani, in an award ceremony held in Washington.The Ambassador said that bilateral health cooperation was discussed at the highest level between the Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and President of US Barrack Obama in Oct, 2015 and the two countries have affirmed their commitment to fully implement the Global Health Security Agenda, with a view to advance global cooperation across sectors to counter the biological threats.At a ceremony organized by the USAID in Washington D.C., Ambassasor Jalil Abbas Jillani received the (TB) Champion Award 2016 on behalf of Pakistan for his commitment and the achievements made in managing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). Currently, Pakistan ranks fifth amongst TB high-burden countries worldwide. It accounts for 61% of the TB burden in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region with elevated burdens of both TB and MDR-TB.The Ambassador, Abbas Jillani, pointed out that Pakistan as a result of its concerted efforts, has one of the highest treatment success rates in the world. “Under the National TB Control Programme more than 3 million TB cases have been diagnosed & treated free of cost in 1,300 public sector TB care facilities during 2001-2015,” he said.According to figures given by the Ministry of Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, 582,110 TB patients were treated in Punjab, 124,410 in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, 179,167 in Sindh, 23,151 in Baluchistan, 4976 in Gilgit Baltistan, 16,518 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 11,557 patients in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the year 2015.In a report by World Health Organization, tuberculosis kills 4,400 people daily, a number that remains unacceptably high and it is a leading cause of death globally alongside HIV. The disease killed 1.5 million people last year, despite big strides in treatment and prevention over the past 25 years, said the UN health agency´s Global Tuberculosis Report 2015. More than half of the world´s TB cases were in China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan, the report added.According to a ‘disease prevalence survey’ held in 2011-12, every year around 420,000 people are infected with TB. Dr Ejaz Qadeer, the national manager for the TB Control Programme said that Pakistan has achieved progress in detection of the disease. In 2014 there were 300,000 cases of TB detected however, the number increased in 2015 and reached 315,000 TB cases. “We are providing free of cost treatment of the disease, but the number of its patients are increasing because TB is often not detected on early stage and its patients start transferring the virus to other people.”As stated by World Health Organization (WHO) report, there should be a 70 per cent detection rate of this disease, which Pakistan had achieved in 2015 and now the country stands among nations having highest MDR-TB success rate. Dr Qadeer said that a strategy has been adopted through which the detection rate would be taken to 80 per cent by 2020.He said efforts were being made for the availability of improved diagnostic machines and for this purpose, the federal and provincial government would allocate funds.An official from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dr. Wasim Khawaja , said that tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious bacterial disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. He was of the view that the disease is transmitted from person to person via droplets from throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease.In healthy people, infection with mycobacterium tuberculosis often causes no symptoms because their immune system acts to wall off the bacteria. He further said that the symptoms of active TB of the lung are coughing, sometimes with sputum or blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

PTI seeks explanation over Pakistan's role in 34-nation coalition

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Dunya News report (Madiha Fareed)Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers on Friday, during a parliament’s session, criticized the government for being tight-lipped regarding Pakistan’s role in the 34-nation military coalition that Saudi Arabia has put together.PTI has time and again sought an explanation from the government regarding Pakistan’s role in the Saudi-led alliance. PTI parliamentarian Shireen Mazari accused the government of not being upfront regarding the extent of Pakistan’s involvement in the Saudi-led alliance and expressed concerns if Pakistan has indeed decided to join the Saudis.Ms. Mazari accused the government for keeping the house in dark over the matters of national security and for making important decisions out of parliament, “the key diplomatic decisions are being taken on the basis of personal ties and without taking parliament in confidence”.Dr. Arif Alvi expressed concern that Pakistan’s involvement in an All-Sunni alliance could pose serious ramifications for the region as the alliance divides the Muslim world into Sunni and Non-Sunni factions.Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Khurram Dastagir defended the government maintaining that the government cannot explain its role at the moment as the details are still under discussion and no consensus or decision has been reached yet as to what Pakistan’s exact role will be in the coalition. He added that the alliance seeks to fight terrorism and is not against any country. He went on to say that the situation in Middle-East is complicated and Pakistan is only being “careful” in its approach.Earlier, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had given a similar statement regarding government’s “cautious” approach regarding the recent Saudi-Iran confrontation over execution of a Shiite cleric which prompted a strong reaction from Shiite states and led to the suspension of diplomatic ties between Saudi and Iran. Pakistan refrained from taking sides and resorted to the role of a mediator. The Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) visited Saudi Arabia and Iran in order to ease the tensions.Yesterday, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Hobardoost criticized the Saud-led 34 nation military alliance to fight terrorism in the Muslim World, terming it as “ridiculous”.“If they are so serious in the fight against terrorism then why Iran, Iraq and Syria are kept out of this alliance,” questioned the Iranian envoy while addressing a press briefing in Islamabad.Questions and speculations have been circulating regarding the 34-nation alliance, which does not include any Shiite nation. The Islamic Military Alliance of 34 Muslim nations, envisioned and put together by Saudi Arabia, was established with the mission to fight terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. The command centre of the 34-nation military bloc will be based in Riyadh. The announcement was met with surprise from Pakistan and many other countries. The initial reaction from Pakistani officials confirmed that Pakistan’s consent and consultation was not taken into account while forming this coalition. Later, Pakistani government welcomed the initiative and confirmed its participation in the “anti-terror’” alliance. Many viewed it as an attempt to mend the earlier rift caused by Pakistan’s snub to fight Saudi’s proxy war in Yemen.Pakistan agreed to share military expertise with the participating nations of the 34-nation alliance but did not commit to sending troops in other countries to fight terrorism.In 2015, Saudi had asked Pakistan to help fight Houthi rebels in Yemen who pose a threat to the Kingdom’s sovereignty, but the request was denied from Pakistan. This was an unprecedented step by Pakistan as Pakistan has always stood by Saudi Arabia. Pakistan made it crystal clear that it will not deploy its forces outside its borders except for United Nations’ Peace Keeping missions. Political analysts around the globe speculated that Pakistan’s refusal could cause irreparable damage to Saudi-Pak historic relations.Recently, Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) visited Saudi Arabia to witness the closing ceremony of the joint military exercise in which troops from 21 nations participated. It was reported that Saudi is pushing Pakistan’s General Raheel Shareef to take command of the 34-nations military alliance upon his retirement from his current post.This is no secret that KSA seeks an active participation of Pakistan in the All-Sunni alliance. Recently KSA agreed to give Pakistan $122 million in aid and soft loan in an attempt to lure Pakistan into playing a more vital role.The Government of Pakistan has time and again affirmed that it will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia against any threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty, “the attack on Saudi Arabia will be considered an attack on Pakistan”. However Iran is also a neighbor and Pakistan cannot take sides with one against the other. The relations between Saudi and Iran have never been comfortable; KSA has been an outspoken critic of Iran’s nuclear program and even hinted to side with Israel against Iran.Pakistan has to take a clear position regarding its involvement in the alliance. If Pakistan does have to play an active role, then it should lobby for the inclusion of the Shiite states in the alliance. It is also important to note that Iranian President is expected to visit Pakistan in the last week of March.

Fight till the final delivery: Imran Khan advises Pakistani side

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LAHORE (Web Desk) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former captain of the Pakistani cricket team Imran Khan on Saturday met the Pakistani side at the Taj Hotel ahead of their encounter with archrivals India at the Eden Gardens cricket stadium in Kolkata, reported Dunya News.Khan raised the morale of the Men in Green by providing valuable advises. He said that Pakistan needs to play fearlessly against India who seem to be under pressure, further adding that the Pakistani side needs to fight till the final ball.Praising the team’s captain, Khan stated that Shahid Afridi is a wonderful captain and has the ability to win the match against India. He also raised Mohammad Amir’s spirit and stated that “You have to destroy the Indian batting line-up”Pakistani captain Afridi had invited Imran Khan to meet the team and provide suggestions to them ahead of their all-important match against India.
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