Islamabad intensifies anti-virus drive as 25 new dengue cases reported in 24 hours

A worker fumigates a street as a preventive measure against diseases-carrying mosquitoes during the monsoon season in Karachi on September 25, 2022. (AFP/File)
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Updated 09 October 2025
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Islamabad intensifies anti-virus drive as 25 new dengue cases reported in 24 hours

  • Deputy commissioner orders intensified fumigation as larvae detected at over 900 sites
  • Anti-dengue teams in the capital fog 2,500 locations and detain 20 for safety breaches

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad authorities have ramped up anti-dengue measures after 25 new cases of the mosquito-borne virus were reported in the capital over the past 24 hours, an official statement said on Thursday.

Dengue, a viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, spreads rapidly during the monsoon season and can cause high fever, severe joint pain and, in some cases, internal bleeding. Health officials have urged residents to clear standing water, cover containers and avoid conditions that allow mosquitoes to breed as part of a citywide prevention campaign.

“The district administration of Islamabad has become active to curb the spread of dengue in the capital,” the statement, circulated after a meeting chaired by the deputy commissioner of Islamabad, said.

“Twenty-five new dengue cases were reported in the past 24 hours, including 18 from rural areas and seven from urban areas,” it added.

According to a briefing at the meeting, larvae were found at 916 sites across the capital, while 12 locations were declared clear after inspections.

“We are intensifying efforts to eliminate mosquito larvae and ensure continuous monitoring across high-risk zones,” the deputy commissioner was quoted as saying in the statement. “Every possible measure is being taken to protect citizens, and strict action will follow in cases of negligence.”

Anti-dengue teams carried out fogging at 2,585 locations and detained 20 people for violating safety protocols.

The meeting stressed the need to make the campaign more effective through regular monitoring and rapid response in high-risk areas.


UN torture expert decries Pakistan ex-PM Khan’s detention

Updated 12 December 2025
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UN torture expert decries Pakistan ex-PM Khan’s detention

  • Khan’s party alleges government is holding him in solitary confinement, barring prison visits
  • Pakistan’s government rejects allegations former premier is being denied basic rights in prison

GENEVA: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in conditions that could amount to torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture warned Friday.

Alice Jill Edwards urged Pakistan to take immediate and effective action to address reports of the 73-year-old’s inhumane and undignified detention conditions.

“I call on Pakistani authorities to ensure that Khan’s conditions of detention fully comply with international norms and standards,” Edwards said in a statement.

“Since his transfer to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 26, 2023, Imran Khan has reportedly been held for excessive periods in solitary confinement, confined for 23 hours a day in his cell, and with highly restricted access to the outside world,” she said.

“His cell is reportedly under constant camera surveillance.”

Khan an all-rounder who captained Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, upended Pakistani politics by becoming the prime minister in 2018.

Edwards said prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement is prohibited under international human rights law and constitutes a form of psychological torture when it lasts longer than 15 days.

“Khan’s solitary confinement should be lifted without delay. Not only is it an unlawful measure, extended isolation can bring about very harmful consequences for his physical and mental health,” she said.

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.

Initially a strong backer of the country’s powerful military leadership, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, and has since been jailed on a slew of corruption charges that he denies.

He has accused the military of orchestrating his downfall and pursuing his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its allies.

Khan’s supporters say he is being denied prison visits from lawyers and family after a fiery social media post this month accusing army leader Field Marshal Asim Munir of persecuting him.

According to information Edwards has received, visits from Khan’s lawyers and relatives are frequently interrupted or ended prematurely, while he is held in a small cell lacking natural light and adequate ventilation.

“Anyone deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and dignity,” the UN expert said.

“Detention conditions must reflect the individual’s age and health situation, including appropriate sleeping arrangements, climatic protection, adequate space, lighting, heating, and ventilation.”

Edwards has raised Khan’s situation with the Pakistani government.