ProPakistani: Quetta Bans Unvaccinated People From Buying Fuel. “The District Administration of Quetta has decided to ban unvaccinated individuals from purchasing petrol in a bid to get citizens vaccinated. It ordered local fuel stations on Wednesday to only sell petrol to people who produce their vaccination certificates issued by National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA).”
DND: National Digital Archive of Pakistani journals will be established at PASTIC. “The Pakistan Scientific and Technological Information Centre (PASTIC) is a premier organization in the Country established for the Dissemination of Scientific & Technological Information for catering to the information needs of scientists, researchers, academicians, industrialists, entrepreneurs, planners, policymakers, etc. The official launching ceremony of the PASTIC’s PSDP-funded project titled ‘National Digital Archive of research published in Pakistani journals’ was held on June 24, 2021 at Islamabad Hotel in Islamabad.”
Arab News: Pakistan restores social media access after suspension on ‘security grounds’. “Pakistan has restored access to multiple social media apps which it temporarily blocked on security grounds on Friday, the country’s telecommunications authority said. The suspension of social media services was part of a crackdown against a religious political party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), that held violent nationwide protests this week.”
SAMAA: Court seeks report on Pakistan social media rules. “The Islamabad High Court has ordered the government committee on social media rules to submit its report on May 10. A bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case on Friday.”
Voice of America: Global TB Fight Set Back 12 Years by COVID Pandemic, Doctors Warn. “In nine countries with a high prevalence of TB — including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Tajikistan and Ukraine — diagnosis and treatment fell by an average of 23%, according to analysis by the Stop TB Partnership, a non-profit hosted by the United Nations in Geneva.”
BBC: Covid-19: Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan tests positive. “The 68-year-old is ‘self-isolating at home’, the minister, Faisal Sultan, tweeted. Mr Khan, a former captain of the national cricket team who became prime minister in August 2018, received a vaccination two days ago.”
CNN: Pakistan bans TikTok again. “The popular short-form video app is no longer available on mobile devices in the country after regulators issued an order late Thursday to ‘immediately’ block access to it. Pakistan’s Telecommunications Authority said it banned TikTok after a provincial court in Peshawar called for the platform to be removed.”
Al Jazeera: Pakistan court sentences three to death for blasphemy. “An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has handed death sentences to three people for social media posts deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad under the country’s blasphemy laws.”
Deutsche Welle: Pakistan threatens Google, Wikipedia over ‘sacrilegious content’. “The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) called for the immediate removal of ‘unlawful content’ from Google. The regulators pointed to pages that name religious leader Mirza Masroor Ahmad as the current ‘Khalifa’ or leader of Islam, thus contradicting dominant religious beliefs in the country. They also decried an ‘unauthentic version of Holy Quran’ on Google Play Store.”
Voice of America: Pakistan Suspends Senior Hospital Staff After Oxygen Shortage Kills 6 COVID Patients. “Authorities in Pakistan suspended seven senior officers at a government hospital Monday after an inquiry found their ‘criminal negligence’ resulted in the disruption of oxygen supply to the facility, killing six coronavirus patients.”
Clout: PNCA Plans To Build National Database Of Pakistani Films. “…the National Arts Council of Pakistan (PNCA) has decided to launch the National Film Archives, in an effort to preserve the country’s film heritage for future generations. With more than 6,000 films produced so far and an estimated 60 films each year, Pakistan, despite its decline, is still among the top 20 film producers in the world.”
BBC: Pakistan: Covid patients die due to oxygen shortage in Peshawar. “Six coronavirus patients have died in a hospital in Pakistan after oxygen supplies ran too low. Patients’ relatives have described how they begged for help as panic engulfed the government-run hospital in the northern city of Peshawar. A delay in deliveries meant more than 200 patients were left for hours on reduced oxygen.”
BBC: Covid: Pakistan cricket squad quarantined after positive tests in New Zealand. “Six members of Pakistan’s cricket team have tested positive for Covid-19 while on tour in New Zealand. All six have been moved from managed isolation into quarantine and the team’s exemption from social-distancing rules for training has been suspended.”
Gadgets Now: Google, Facebook and Twitter threaten to leave Pakistan over new rules. “Internet and technology companies have threatened to leave Pakistan after the government granted blanket powers to authorities to censor digital content, a move critics say was aimed at curtailing freedom of expression in the conservative Islamic nation.”
Weekly Technology Times (Pakistan): Fawad Asks Opposition To Avoid Public Gatherings To Curb COVID-19. “Chaudhry Fawad Said Opposition Parties Should Cooperate With Government & Avoid Public Gatherings As Corona Cases Are Increasing. All political parties should take a unified step to contain and control the second outbreak of deadly virus, he said while talking to a private news channel.”
