Karachi | Pakistan

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar announced on Friday that a web portal is being developed to facilitate traders by registering their complaints regarding extortion and other crimes in Karachi. Earlier this week, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon vowed to provide full protection to economic and commercial activities in collaboration with traders across the province. “All complaints submitted through this portal will be addressed promptly, and police action will be taken immediately to ensure redressal,” Lanjar said while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Police Office. Flanked by IG Memon and Karachi Additional IG Javed Alam Odho, Lanjar said any complaint related to extortion slips or threats submitted through the new web portal will lead to the immediate registration of a first information report (FIR), and all legal measures will be ensured against those involved. Additional IG Odho said that the initiative is being taken in light of traders reporting “inconveniences...

The air quality in Karachi has sharply deteriorated following a change in wind direction, pushing the metropolis to sixth place among the world’s most polluted cities, according to air quality monitoring data released on Thursday.

No casualties were reported after a fire erupted in a plastic factory in Karachi’s Liaquatabad area early on Wednesday and was extinguished after hectic efforts, according to a rescue official. Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn.com, “The fire erupted in the plastic factory located in a market near Sindhi Hotel in Liaquatabad at around 7:30am.” He said three fire tenders managed to control it, and no casualties were reported. Liaquatabad Station House Officer Ghulam Yasin told Dawn.com that the fire appeared to have been caused by a short circuit. Fires frequently erupt in buildings across Pakistan due to a mix of poor infrastructure, weak enforcement of safety regulations, and widespread negligence. Many structures lack proper fire exits, alarms, and emergency protocols, while faulty wiring and overloaded power systems increase the risk of electrical short circuits. According to city planners and engineers, 70 per cent of residential, commercial and industrial buildings in Karachi lacke...

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has inaugurated a modern and fully equipped data center at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, marking a major milestone in the authority’s digital transformation journey.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Karachi for an urgent meeting as tensions continued to rise between the Sindh and Punjab governments, with the PPP staging a walkout from the National Assembly and Senate. The PPP and PML-N are coalition partners in the Centre. A post on X from the presidency said today that Zardari and Naqvi held a telephonic conversation related to the ongoing row between the Sindh and Punjab governments. “President Asif Ali Zardari spoke to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over the phone to discuss the recent tensions between the Sindh and Punjab governments. The president has called the interior minister to Karachi for an urgent meeting in this regard,” the post said. The PPP and the PML-N’s Punjab leadership have been engaged in a war of words for the past many days over issues ranging from flood compensation to water rights in the context of the Cholistan canals project. The PPP, which is in power in Sindh, has been particularly incensed by Punj...

President Asif Ali Zardari held a telephonic conversation with Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi amid rising tensions between the Sindh and Punjab governments, calling him to Karachi for urgent consultations.

KARACHI: The Sindh police have requested Interpol and the British police to share the detailed log of a tracker fitted in a high-end vehicle reported stolen from the United Kingdom and recently spotted in Karachi. The black Range Rover Sport was stolen on Nov 11, 2022 from Harrogate, UK, and in February this year, with the help of its tracker, it was located in Karachi on Korangi Road. Later, Interpol sent a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad, the Karachi police and the Anti-Vehicles Lifting Cell (AVLC), alerting them about the stolen vehicle. Talking to Dawn on Friday, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said that the Interpol’s letter was received two days ago at the office of AVLC SSP. “We have sent an email to the UK police and asked them to send us a detailed log of the tracker fitted in the vehicle,” he said. Interpol says the SUV was last tracked on Korangi Road in February The IGP said that the police also sought the source of the active location of the vehicle fro...

A major customs fraud was uncovered at Karachi airport, where employees of a foreign ground-handling company and corrupt importers allegedly smuggled out high-value electronics without paying duties and taxes, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in a statement on Friday. “Acting on intelligence, authorities seized a consignment worth Rs103 million, including laptops, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, PlayStations, and memory cards,” the statement said. According to FBR, five consignments by a company registered in Dubai were cleared using fake gate passes while being concealed from the Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC) system, resulting in an estimated duty and tax evasion of Rs384 million. “Two first information reports (FIRs) have been lodged, employees arrested, and further arrests are expected,” the statement said. It added that the operation reflected the FBR’s “commitment to safeguarding national revenue”, warning that negligent customs officials would not be spared. FBR has lately been intensifying its crackdo...

Civil society and advocacy groups gathered on Thursday outside the Karachi Press Club to protest against the detention of activists aboard the Gaza Sumud Flotilla (GSF), calling on the government to demand the release of the Pakistani delegation, led by former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. On Wednesday, the GSF, carrying aid to Gaza in its attempt to break Israel’s blockade, was intercepted by Israeli military forces. On board the GSF were over 400 activists from 40 countries, among them a five-member delegation from Pakistan. Thursday’s demonstration, organised by the Pakistan Palestine Forum (PFF) in collaboration with the Palestine Action Coalition (PAC) and the non-profit organisation Human Rights Council of Pakistan, aimed to mobilise the public against the state’s inaction. People of all ages gathered, chanting slogans for a free Palestine. The demonstrators demanded the immediate release of the detained Pakistanis and called on the government to take concrete action against Israel. “...

• ‘Coalition Against Drugs’ to monitor children’s behaviour, attendance, academic performance and social interactions • Those doing drugs should be treated as victims, not criminals, says Shehzad Roy KARACHI: The Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force comprising 50 police personnel was established on Wednesday to curb the menace of drugs in educational institutions within the jurisdiction of the South Zone of Karachi police. A decision to this effect was taken in a consultative meeting of the ‘Coalition Against Drugs’ here. The coalition comprises heads of over 50 academic institutes in Clifton, DHA, Saddar, and other areas, as well as police officials. It was also decided in the meeting that random blood tests to check for drug abuse among students would be carried out with the consent of their parents. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that the Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force had been established with 50 personnel including women officers, who ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rainfall with thunderstorms in parts of Karachi under the influence of a well-marked low-pressure system over the Gulf of Kutch.

A 3.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Karachi on Wednesday morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. According to PMD, the earthquake was recorded seven kilometres north west of Malir at 9:34am, with a depth of 10km. In June, the metropolitan city recorded a series of low-intensity tremors — starting from June 1 and ending on June 22 — mostly near Malir. Their intensity ranged from 1.5-magnitude to 3.8-magnitude on the Richter scale. According to experts, the fault lines passing along the areas of Landhi, Quaidabad, Gadap and Malir had become active after several decades and were releasing accumulated energy in the form of low intensity earthquakes in areas close to them. Previously, experts have often warned that a powerful seismic hazard can put the lives of thousands at risk and damage critical infrastructure. The city’s close proximity to several seismic faults, including the Allahbund fault, which runs parallel to Sindh’s coast, and the junction of the Indian, Arabian and Eurasian ...

Anchorperson Imtiaz Mir, who was shot and wounded last week in Karachi’s Malir area, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, according to his family and police. Mir, an anchorperson for private TV channel Metro 1 News, was headed home in a car driven by his older brother, Mohammed Salih, when six suspects riding two motorcycles began firing on their vehicle in Malir. Mir and his brother were both injured and admitted to Liaquat National Hospital. His brother, Riaz Ali, who is the complainant in the case, told Dawn.com on Sunday night that his brother had succumbed during treatment. Saudabad police Station House Officer (SHO) Ateequr Rehman also confirmed the death of the journalist, as the incident took place in his jurisdiction. “Police have registered a case against a man and his sons over the attack on the journalist,” the SHO said. “The incident was motivated by a land dispute in the town of Thul in Jacobabad. A hitherto little-known group claimed responsibility for the attack, but it lacked credibility.” Me...

A constable of Mithadar police in Karachi has been suspended over allegations of sexually assaulting a female polio worker, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com on Sunday. DIG Raza has directed the South senior superintendent of police to conduct a “transparent inquiry” of the case. “The girl is an orphan and a polio worker,” the DIG said. “The suspended policeman was a part of the polio team.” In her complaint, the victim stated that she is a divorcee and the mother of two children. She alleged that the suspect took her phone number from the team’s WhatsApp group and started sending her messages saying that he loves her and wants to marry her. She alleged in the complaint that the suspect took advantage of her and took her to a guest house, where he sexually assaulted her. The victim added that she has become pregnant with the policeman’s child, but now he is refusing to marry her. Earlier this week, the body of a seven-year-old boy who went missing was found in the Landhi area, ...

Mayor Murtaza Wahab has announced that the city administration has launched rehabilitation work on 106 roads across Karachi, with the projects expected to be completed within 60 days.

KARACHI - The University of Karachi has cancelled the LLB degree of Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, an Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge, according to a notification issued by the varsity on Friday.

A man in Karachi’s Malir area has died of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), raising the city’s death toll from the virus to five this year, the Sindh health department said in a statement on Friday. According to the World Health Organisation, the CCHF, commonly known as Congo Virus, causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks with a case fatality rate of 10-40 per cent. There is no vaccine available for the disease. Experts say the CCHF virus is primarily transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter. As per the statement, a lab report confirmed that a 28-year-old butcher from Karachi’s Landhi area had contracted the disease. He developed symptoms on September 24, was admitted to the hospital the same day, and died within hours of admission. His symptoms included a high-grade fever, cough, shortness of breath, and bleeding from the mouth and rectum, following which a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was...

Eight people were arrested on Tuesday night after a gun battle broke out between two groups of people at a call centre in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal neighbourhood, it emerged on Wednesday. The first information report (FIR) of the incident was filed at the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Police Station a day ago against the eight suspects under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 337A (punishment for assault), 337H(ii) (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 25 (use of a firearm to commit a criminal offence) of the 2013 Sindh Arms Act. The incident occurred because workers at the call centre took the complainant’s daughter, another employee, hostage, according to the FIR. ...

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Farooq Sattar on Wednesday took aim at the Sindh government and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab over the delay in development projects in the metropolis. Karachi’s key development projects —from the long-delayed K-IV water supply scheme and Red Line bus corridor to stalled roadworks like the Karimabad underpass and Malir Expressway—remain stuck due to chronic funding gaps, utility relocation issues, regulatory hurdles, and weak inter-agency coordination, leaving the city’s residents waiting years for essential infrastructure. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar said, “They cannot conceive a development project, nor can they deliver it.” During the presser, the MQM leader talked about the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Recently, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), backed by the PPP-led Sindh government, halted the federally funded Rs6 billion project of the Green Line Bus extension, citing the PIDCL’s failure to obtain a no-objec...

Three people died and one was injured on Tuesday in two separate road accidents in Karachi, according to police. According to a handout by Malir traffic police, a dumper truck crashed into a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction in Dur Muhammad Goth around 7.30am. “As a result, one of the men on the motorcycle died on the spot, while the other was injured,” the handout said. The injured was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, it said, adding that the accident was caused by the dumper truck driver’s negligence and reckless driving. “The driver was arrested on the spot and taken to Memon Goth police station,” the handout said. It added that both vehicles involved in the accident were also taken to the police station for legal procedure. Police said further investigation of the incident was underway. Meanwhile, a young man was injured in a traffic accident in Karachi’s Nazimabad area. Karachi’s Edhi Information Centre reported that the man was injured while one-wheeling. He died during treatme...