ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Wednesday sealed Bhara Kahu, a densely populated locality on the outskirts of the federal capital, by closing all entry and exit points after a group of people tested positive for coronavirus in the area.
“The area has been completely locked down for all kind of movement … our teams are surveying the locality for more suspected cases,” Hamza Shafqaat, Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner, told Arab News.
He said that a total of 16 people had tested positive for coronavirus from the area while another 15 were quarantined at their homes on the suspicion of contracting the virus. “We are expecting their test reports by evening today [Wednesday],” he said.
The deputy commissioner said the army troops had taken charge of the area along with Rangers and police to ensure the safety and security of the public.
Pakistan has 1,000 diagnosed patients of coronavirus as of Wednesday, and it has recorded eight fatalities due to the viral infection since February 26, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.
The country is struggling to contain the spread of the virus through different initiatives, including testing suspected cases, establishing large quarantine centers and restricting movement of people through partial lockdowns.
The capital administration on Monday placed Islamabad’s union council of Kot Hathial under quarantine after six members of Tablighi Jamaat residing in the area tested positive for coronavirus. After a man from Kyrgyzstan who was part of the preaching team tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, samples were sent for testing of other members of the delegation as well.
Shortly after that, 16 people of Bhara Kahu neighborhood tested positive on Wednesday, compelling the army troops to move in and seal the whole area including grocery shops and pharmacies.
“This area is being sealed on the government’s directives as coronavirus has spread in the locality,” security forces announced through a megaphone while requesting people to stay at their homes.
According to the district administration, at least six check posts have been set up at the entry and exit points of the locality with special teams from the National Institute of Health (NIH) screening hundreds of people to prevent further spread of the virus.
The administration has advised the people to self-quarantine at homes as a precautionary measure along with warnings against violating the restrictions.
“A penalty of 6-month imprisonment or 100,000 rupees fine will be imposed if anyone violates the restriction orders,” Inspector Naeem Iqbal, a police spokesman, told Arab News.
Coronavirus: Army seals Islamabad’s neighborhood after 16 test positive
https://arab.news/pvpuy
Coronavirus: Army seals Islamabad’s neighborhood after 16 test positive
- At least 15 suspected cases are quarantined at their homes in Bhara Kahu and their test reports are awaited, says the deputy commissioner
- Anyone violating the restrictions could face 6-month imprisonment or Rs 100,000 fine
Sindh assembly passes resolution rejecting move to separate Karachi
- Chief Minister Shah cites constitutional safeguards against altering provincial boundaries
- Calls to separate Karachi intensified amid governance concerns after a mall fire last month
ISLAMABAD: The provincial assembly of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Saturday passed a resolution rejecting any move to separate Karachi, declaring its territorial integrity “non-negotiable” amid political calls to carve the city out as a separate administrative unit.
The resolution comes after fresh demands by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and other voices to grant Karachi provincial or federal status following governance challenges highlighted by the deadly Gul Plaza fire earlier this year that killed 80 people.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most densely populated city, is the country’s main commercial hub and contributes a significant share to the national economy.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah tabled the resolution in the assembly, condemning what he described as “divisive statements” about breaking up Sindh or detaching Karachi.
“The province that played a foundational role in the creation of Pakistan cannot allow the fragmentation of its own historic homeland,” Shah told lawmakers, adding that any attempt to divide Sindh or separate Karachi was contrary to the constitution and democratic norms.
Citing Article 239 of Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution, which requires the consent of not less than two-thirds of a provincial assembly to alter provincial boundaries, Shah said any such move could not proceed without the assembly’s approval.
“If any such move is attempted, it is this Assembly — by a two-thirds majority — that will decide,” he said.
The resolution reaffirmed that Karachi would “forever remain” an integral part of Sindh and directed the provincial government to forward the motion to the president, prime minister and parliamentary leadership for record.
Shah said the resolution was not aimed at anyone but referred to the shifting stance of MQM in the debate while warning that opposing the resolution would amount to supporting the division of Sindh.
The party has been a major political force in Karachi with a significant vote bank in the city and has frequently criticized Shah’s provincial administration over its governance of Pakistan’s largest metropolis.
Taha Ahmed Khan, a senior MQM leader, acknowledged that his party had “presented its demand openly on television channels with clear and logical arguments” to separate Karachi from Sindh.
“It is a purely constitutional debate,” he told Arab News by phone. “We are aware that the Pakistan Peoples Party, which rules the province, holds a two-thirds majority and that a new province cannot be created at this stage. But that does not mean new provinces can never be formed.”
Calls to alter Karachi’s status have periodically surfaced amid longstanding complaints over governance, infrastructure and administrative control in the megacity, though no formal proposal to redraw provincial boundaries has been introduced at the federal level.
