ISLAMABAD: A submarine cable fault reported yesterday, Monday, near the United Arab Emirates and which caused degradation in services across Pakistan has been repaired, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said on Tuesday.
The authority announced on Twitter that the faulty cable would be “fully functional” soon.
“A submarine cable fault was reported yesterday near Fujairah, UAE due to which some users may have faced degradation in services,” PTA said. “The faulty cable segment has been repaired & work is underway to make the services fully functional.”
“PTA is monitoring the situation and will continue to update on it.”
The AAE-1, one of the six international submarine cables landing in Pakistan, had reportedly been cut, which disrupted Internet services across the country, with many users reporting slow connections.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), worked with the International Submarine Consortium, to restore services across the country.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and will notify you as soon as the services are fully restored. Thank you for your patience,” a PTCL spokesperson said, without disclosing a timeline for complete restoration of services.
Internet services were also disrupted countrywide in February this year when one of the six international submarine cables developed a fault near Abu Talat, Egypt. The fault was later repaired by Trans World Associates, one of the two license holders for international landing stations of submarine cables.
Faulty submarine cable near UAE that caused Internet disruption in Pakistan repaired
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Faulty submarine cable near UAE that caused Internet disruption in Pakistan repaired
- Pakistan Telecommunications Authority says faulty part of cable would be “fully functional” soon
- Internet services were disrupted countrywide in February when cable developed fault near Abu Talat, Egypt
Two Pakistani men indicted in $10 million Medicare fraud scheme in Chicago
- Prosecutors say defendants billed Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent services
- Authorities say millions of dollars in proceeds were laundered and transferred to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted in Chicago for allegedly participating in a $10 million health care fraud scheme that targeted Medicare and private insurers, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
A federal grand jury charged Burhan Mirza, 31, who resided in Pakistan, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, who lived in Texas, with submitting fraudulent claims for medical services and equipment that were never provided, according to an indictment filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Medicare is the US federal health insurance program primarily serving Americans aged 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” he added. “We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
Prosecutors said that in 2023 and 2024, the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to bill Medicare and private health benefit programs for nonexistent services.
According to the indictment, Mirza obtained identifying information of individuals, providers and insurers without their knowledge and used it to support fraudulent claims submitted on behalf of shell companies. Iqbal was allegedly linked to several durable medical equipment providers that filed false claims and is accused of laundering proceeds and coordinating transfers of funds to Pakistan.
Mirza faces 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.
Three additional defendants, including an Indian, previously charged in the investigation, have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing.
An indictment contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
