KARACHI: Police on Monday arrested a domestic help on charges of killing a woman and her son in Nazimabad.Bodies of 58-year-old Shaista Jamal, and her 27-year-old son, Hadi Jamal, were found from a well inside their home in Mujahid Colony, Nazimabad-4.The police said the victims had gone missing for the past few days and an FIR regarding their disappearance was lodged on Sept 18.The bodies were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to fulfill medico-legal formalities.A police spokesperson said that Noor Shafa, daughter of the deceased woman, had lodged a missing report, stating that two cars were also missing from the home.With the help of technology, the police detained one employee, Faisal. Initially, there were discrepancies between his statement before the police and the technical information.During further interrogation, the held suspect emerged suspicious. Later, on a lead provided by him the police arrested another suspect, Waheed. It emerged during the investigation that Faisal, along with Waheed and another accomplice, had entered the home to commit a robbery.“Since Faisal was the victims’ employee, he along with his two accomplices strangled the woman and her son with the help of a rope for fear of being identified and threw their bodies in the well inside the residence, which was covered by them,” the spokesperson said.After the murder, the three suspects took away their two cars. The police said efforts were underway to arrest the third suspect.Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023

LAHORE: Three Ahmadiyya places of worship were allegedly desecrated by police in Sheikhupura district.The first incident occurred in the Kirto area of Narang Mandi, followed by the desecration of a place of worship in Nano Dogar in Sharqpur, late on Sept 23 and Bedaadpur Virkan near Muridke, all in the district of Sheikhupura. In each case, the minarets of the places of worship were demolished.Ahmadiyya people have accused the Sheikhupura district police of being complicit in the desecration, rather than providing necessary protection for their places of worship.They alleged Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers pressured the police and local residents to bring down the minarets in Kirto Narang Mandi.Earlier, residents from Sunni and Shia sects issued a written statement asserting peaceful coexistence with the Ahmadiyya people in their village. However, a police team, led by a superintendent of police, demolished the upper part of the minarets, eventually ordering the remaining portions to be covered.A police officer said Ahmadiyyas had constructed the minarets of the places of worship against the law, and they were told to remove them.He said the police had received several complaints about Ahmadiyya places of worship resembling Muslim mosques, which was against the law.The TLP had previously organised a protest outside the district police officer’s office in Sheikhupura on Aug 28, during which they demanded demolition of all minarets on Ahmadiyya places of worship in the district by Rabiul Awwal 11. They warned if their demands were not met, they would take matters into their own hands.A spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community said the place of worship had been built before 1984 and cited a Lahore High Court ruling stating that their places of worship built prior to Ordinance XX of 1984 were legal and should not be razed or altered. Despite presenting these court orders to the authorities, their pleas went unanswered.The spokesperson alleged that Punjab police officials succumbed to the pressure from TLP protesters and initiated actions against their places of worship in Sheikhupura.The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) released a statement expressing concern over these incidents.The HRCP reported that the Ahmadiyya community had faced at least 34 incidents of place of worship desecration since January, some involving the alleged complicity of the police.The HRCP called on the government to take immediate action to protect the rights of religious minorities and assign special police units to safeguard these sites, as per the 2014 Jillani judgment. These disturbing events have drawn attention to the plight of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, raising questions about religious freedom and tolerance in the country.The HRCP and other advocacy groups have called on the government to take decisive action to address this issue and protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs.Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023

KARACHI: Academic activities at Karachi University (KU) would resume on Tuesday (today) after teachers’ representatives called off their strike on Monday evening following their successful negotiations with government officials.Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC) chairman Dr Tariq Rafi, SHEC secretary Moin Qureshi, and universities and boards secretary Noor Ahmed Samoo had invited the protesting teachers after the caretaker chief minister took notice of the strike that had been continuing on the campus for several days.KU Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Iraqi also attended the meeting held at the SHEC head office.“Almost all our key demands have been accepted and we have no reason to continue with the strike,” Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) president Prof Soleha Rahman said, while expressing gratitude to the chief minister for taking immediate notice of their grievances.The demands included release of Rs70 million in 10 days to pay off the pending dues of the evening classes, third-party audit of university’s finances, approval of the university budget by the Senate and release of funds for enhanced salaries once this subject gets the nod of the university syndicate.“Dr Rafi and Mr Sammo have guaranteed that these steps would be implemented,” she said, adding that teachers’ had also received the assurance that the university would get a new director of finance.Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023

LAHORE: The outbreak of pinkeye (conjunctivitis) continues to afflict Punjab, with state-run hospitals across the province reporting 500-600 patients, with Lahore topping the list among other districts.The alarming surge in cases has had a noticeable impact, as evidenced by emerging reports indicating that the infection is affecting people of all age groups.A large number of school-going children have been complaining of eye infections, primarily because they are not adhering to precautions at school.There have been reports that school administrations are allowing students to stay home as soon as they contract the virus and are advising parents to take special care of their children.Medical experts say that pinkeye is spreading rapidly in densely populated cities where people are exposed to unfriendly environments, such as factories, bazaars, markets, and shopping plazas.They have also highlighted that the eye infection is wreaking havoc in Lahore, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the disease burden, with over 200 patients flooding hospitals daily.Eye experts have issued warnings about the significant risk of widespread transmission of the infection due to a lack of precautions, known as viral conjunctivitis.Senior ophthalmologist and former vice chancellor of King Edward Medical University Prof Dr Asad Aslam says that it is premature to assess the true impact of viral conjunctivitis or pinkeye, as much work remains to officially record the exact number of reported cases.He said that pinkeye is a common and self-limiting condition that affects the lining of the eyelid and eyeball, adding that it is treatable at any stage.Prof Aslam added that the infection can easily spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, close contact with infected people, and even through conversations. He advised patients to exercise extreme caution.He recommended that people with pinkeye should wear black glasses, separate their bedding and utensils immediately.“We saw every year the spike in the pinkeye cases in Punjab but this time the intensity of the outbreak was much more than the previous reported cases,” he said.Regarding high-risk transmission, he explained that the virus spreads when a patient touches their eyeball and then contacts other surfaces or people.Pinkeye can also result from bacterial infections or allergic reactions, and he stressed that if symptoms do not improve within 12 to 24 hours, people should seek a doctor’s appointment to prevent complications.Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023

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