ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Consul General in Jeddah, Khalid Majid said on Thursday he urged the Pakistani community to “strictly comply” with precautionary measures put in place by Saudi authorities to curb the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement, the Consul General extended his best wishes to the Pakistani community residing in the western region of the Kingdom in the wake of the outbreak of the global pandemic which has so far claimed four lives in Saudi Arabia with 1,203 confirmed cases.
“I also request the community to remain calm and continue praying to Almighty Allah for His mercy,” Consul General Majid said.
“I would like to extend my deep appreciation and complete support to the Saudi government’s proactive and effective measures to ensure safety and protection of its citizens and residents against COVID-19 threat,” the statement read, and added the consulate would remain accessible round the clock to the Pakistani community for information and guidance.
The Kingdom has called on citizens to adhere to social distancing measures by staying at home during the curfew applied throughout the country.
Saudi police arrested four citizens in Riyadh who violated the curfew set in place to curb the spread of the virus, state news agency SPA reported on Sunday.
Jeddah consul general urges Pakistani community to comply with kingdom’s virus restrictions
https://arab.news/jp37q
Jeddah consul general urges Pakistani community to comply with kingdom’s virus restrictions
- Says appreciates Saudi government’s rules for safety against COVID-19 threat
- Over 1,200 people have been infected in Saudi Arabia with four fatalities
TV reporter dies after falling from rooftop during Pakistan kite-flying festival
- Pakistan's Lahore marked the Basant festival on Feb. 6-8 after the Punjab government lifted an 18-year-old ban on kite flying
- Malik Zain, a reporter affiliated with GNN news channel, fell from a four-storey building while flying a kite, Lahore police say
ISLAMABAD: A television reporter died after falling from a rooftop while flying a kite during the Basant spring festival in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, police and hospital authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Pakistan's Lahore marked the Basant festival on Feb. 6-8 after the Punjab provincial government this year lifted a ban on kite flying after 18 years, with extensive safety measures in place.
The festival, which marks the onset of spring, was banned in 2008 after deaths and injuries to motorcyclists and pedestrians from stray kite strings, sometimes coated with metal to make them more formidable in mid-air battles.
Malik Zain, a reporter affiliated with private news channel GNN, fell from the rooftop of a building during the final day of Basant celebrations in the eastern Pakistani city, according to police.
"Lahore journalist Malik Zain died after falling from the fourth floor while flying a kite in Gulshan-e-Ravi during Basant," the Lahore police said in a statement.
The reporter was shifted to the government-run Mian Munshi District Headquarters Hospital where he was pronounced dead, with cardiopulmonary arrest mentioned as the cause of death.
"Head injury due to fall from height," hospital authorities diagnosed in their report into Zain’s death.
The development came hours after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz extended timings for Basant till early Monday morning.
“I am pleased to announce that Basant celebrations timings are being extended till 5:00 AM tomorrow morning,” CM Nawaz said in an X post on Sunday, highlighting the festivity, unity and joy across Lahore.
“This extension is a reward for the people of Lahore for celebrating Basant with great discipline and for responsibly following all safety SOPs (standard operating procedures).”
The Punjab government banned the use of metallic or chemical-coated strings during the festival. Kites and strings had to bear individual QR codes so they could be traced, and motorcyclists had to attach safety rods to their bikes to fend off stray thread.
Some 4,600 producers had registered with the authorities to sell kites and strings ahead of the festival. Authorities had made it mandatory for owners to register rooftops with 30 or more revelers, while dozens of roofs had been declared off-limits after inspections.
