PAC meeting reveals Rs1.06 billion embezzlement

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC), where he was briefed on preparedness measures and coordinated response arrangements for dealing with monsoon-related disasters. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) briefed the Field Marshal on the authority’s operational capabilities and its technology-driven disaster response mechanism. During the visit, Field Marshal Asim Munir stressed that the protection of human lives and critical national infrastructure must be ensured under all circumstances. He said the Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully prepared at all times to support the civil administration and the NDMA in relief, rescue, and rehabilitation operations whenever required. The Field Marshal also appreciated the NDMA’s efforts to strengthen the country’s disaster management capacity and enhance preparedness for natural emergencies. According to the ISPR, he underscored the importance of maintaining constant readiness, ensuring effective coordination among all relevant institutions, and delivering a timely response to emergency situations during the ongoing monsoon season.

Goods transporters have announced a 40-day postponement of their nationwide strike following talks with government representatives in Karachi. The negotiations were held at the Governor House in Karachi. Sindh Governor Nihal Hashmi, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and All Pakistan Goods Transporters Association President Malik Shahzad attended the meeting. Speaking at a press conference after the talks, Malik Shahzad said transporters had decided to postpone the strike after receiving assurances from the government. He said the transporters had been on a nationwide strike for the past nine days. According to him, the Sindh government assured them that the parking issue would be addressed. Shahzad said the government had also sought 15 days to review the mechanism for determining petroleum prices. The issue of whether fuel prices should be revised every 15 days or once a month would be examined, he added. He said Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan had assured the transporters that a committee would be formed to review toll taxes and consider reducing the charges. The transporters were also assured that 10-wheeler vehicles would be allowed to carry an appropriate weight, Shahzad said. He added that the federal and provincial governments had already resolved some of their concerns. Other issues require decisions at the cabinet level, he said. Shahzad said meetings of the relevant committees would continue. He expressed hope that the government would fulfil its commitments. He clarified that the transporters were not ending their strike permanently. Instead, they were postponing it for 40 days. He warned that the transporters could resume protests if the government failed to implement the assurances given during the negotiations. Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan said the government had addressed the transporters’ issues that could be resolved immediately. He said some demands required formal procedures, which the government would complete. Several committees had been formed to work on the remaining issues, he added. Aleem Khan also criticised the condition of the Karachi-Hyderabad road. He said the existing road could not properly be described as a motorway. He announced that work on a new motorway from Sukkur to Hyderabad and onward to Karachi would begin this year. The minister said the government wanted to avoid decisions that could create unnecessary disputes. Sindh Governor Nihal Hashmi said the regional situation was currently unusual and had significant economic implications. He said the economic effects of conflicts were being felt not only in Pakistan but across the world. He added that the prime minister and the field marshal were making efforts to ensure that the impact on the public remained manageable. Hashmi said the government and transporters had listened to each other during the negotiations. Both sides, he added, agreed that they were prepared to make sacrifices for the country. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the authorities had spent the entire day trying to resolve the issues raised by transporters. He said the Sindh government would take action on matters falling under its jurisdiction. Wahab stressed that the authorities wanted to resolve disputes through dialogue rather than confrontation.

A devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has claimed the lives of 15 children, turning a routine morning at the capital’s major public hospital into a scene of panic, grief and anguish. The fire broke out early Wednesday in the Mother and Child Health Ward, where critically ill newborns were receiving treatment. Thick smoke rapidly filled parts of the ward, leaving families and hospital staff struggling to reach the affected area. The tragedy has raised serious questions about fire safety, emergency response, hospital security and the availability of adequate facilities for vulnerable newborns. Among the grieving parents was a mother who could not hold back her anguish after losing her infant. “Give me my child back,” she cried, as families gathered outside the hospital waiting for information about their children. Witnesses described a chaotic situation inside the hospital, with heavy smoke making it difficult to move through the affected area. Some patients and attendants reportedly attempted to escape through windows after finding access points blocked. A witness said the fire spread rapidly and that babies as young as a day old were present in the ward. Another witness claimed rescue personnel took considerable time to reach the affected section, while hospital security allegedly restricted the movement of people trying to leave. However, Islamabad’s senior administration gave a different account of the emergency response. Officials said the emergency call was received shortly before 7am and that rescue and police teams reached the hospital promptly. The fire was subsequently brought under control. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation. PIMS officials said the preliminary cause of the fire appeared to be an electrical fault involving an air conditioner. Authorities are expected to examine the equipment, wiring, hospital safety systems and emergency procedures to determine how the fire started and why it spread so quickly. The deaths have caused widespread grief across the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed sorrow over the loss of the infants and called for a detailed examination of the circumstances that led to the tragedy. The prime minister directed that those responsible for any negligence be identified and that strict action be taken on the basis of the investigation. The incident has also brought renewed attention to safety standards at public hospitals. PIMS is one of Islamabad’s largest healthcare institutions and caters to a large number of patients from the capital and surrounding areas. Families and witnesses have raised questions about the availability of emergency exits, fire-fighting equipment, evacuation procedures and the preparedness of hospital staff to deal with fires in specialised wards. The presence of newborns in critical care areas makes emergency preparedness particularly important. Infants requiring intensive medical support cannot be evacuated in the same manner as ordinary patients, increasing the need for specialised fire-safety plans and trained personnel. The tragedy has also sparked anger over whether existing safety warnings and shortcomings at public hospitals were adequately addressed before the incident. For the bereaved families, however, the immediate concern is the loss of their children. Parents gathered outside PIMS in distress as they waited for confirmation and the return of their babies. The fire is among the most serious recent incidents involving a public healthcare facility in Pakistan and has intensified calls for stronger enforcement of fire-safety regulations in hospitals and other major public buildings.

LAHORE: In one of the largest cybercrime crackdowns in recent months, Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has dismantled an organised online fraud network, arresting 27 suspects during coordinated operations in Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad. According to officials, the suspects were part of an organised “OTP Gang” accused of targeting bank customers through sophisticated phone scams. Investigators said the group impersonated bank officials, customs officers and police personnel to deceive citizens into revealing sensitive financial information before stealing money from their accounts. The largest operation was carried out in Lahore, where NCCIA teams conducted raids at multiple locations and arrested 13 suspects in two separate operations. Authorities also recovered mobile phones, computers and other digital evidence believed to have been used in cyber fraud activities. In Multan, four intelligence-based operations resulted in the arrest of 13 key members of the network. Officials believe the suspects played central roles in planning and executing online scams that affected victims in different parts of the country. Meanwhile, in Faisalabad, investigators arrested another suspect allegedly involved in hacking bank and social media accounts. During the raid, officials recovered several fake SIM cards and digital devices that are being examined as part of the investigation. Preliminary findings suggest the network relied on social engineering techniques, convincing victims that their bank accounts or identity documents required urgent verification. Once victims shared one-time passwords (OTPs), banking details or verification codes, the suspects allegedly gained access to their accounts and carried out unauthorised financial transactions. Cybercrime investigators are analysing the seized electronic devices to identify additional members of the network, trace stolen funds and determine whether the group has links to other organised fraud rings operating across Pakistan. Following the successful operation, the NCCIA urged citizens to remain vigilant against phone and online scams. The agency warned people never to share their OTPs, ATM PINs, passwords or banking information with anyone claiming to represent a bank, government department or law enforcement agency. Officials also advised the public to verify suspicious calls through official customer service numbers and immediately report suspected cyber fraud to the relevant authorities. The latest crackdown highlights the growing threat of cyber-enabled financial crime in Pakistan and underscores the government’s increasing efforts to dismantle organised digital fraud networks while encouraging stronger public awareness of online security.