ISIS slogan causes fear and panic
Reported in Nawa-e-Waqt (January 10, 2016) fear and panic gripped the people of the Iqbal Town locality in Lahore (khauf-o-hiras phail gya) after someone painted a pro-ISIS slogan on the house of a citizen. They called the police, who registered a case against unidentified men.
Pilgrims find glue in locks at shrines
Pilgrims visiting the shrines in the Sakhi Hassan graveyard in Karachi were very angry when they found out they couldn’t enter because someone had poured glue (elfy) in the locks, Express reports (January 12, 2016). Security at the cemetery was heightened after the incident. Similar incidents have been reported in other graveyards in the city.
Why Hafiz Hamdullah likes Sushmita Sen
Quoted in Dunya (January 13, 2016) famous JUI-F lawmaker Hafiz Hamdullah told the Senate that Indian actress Sushmita Sen knows Surah al Asr, but many Pakistani parliamentarians do not. You look at Indian actors, the Senate chairman commented. Hafiz Hamdullah said he looks at them, listens to them, and learns from them.
Father of five weds wife again
Reported in Nawa-e-Waqt (January 13, 2016) a father of five decided to wed his wife of 12 years all over again, because he said he was poor at the time of his marriage and could not fulfill his desire (armaan pooray) of a grand wedding. The five children were part of the wedding, which included a mehndi, a wedding procession to Okara, and all the usual traditions.
US citizen among Sindh’s ‘ghost employees’
According to Jang (January 14, 2016) the 50,000 ghost employees of the government of Sindh include an American citizen of Pakistani origin. The newspaper says he was a famous journalist but did not name him. The man is a grade-16 officer and hasn’t been to work in 20 years.
Councilor takes oath while under arrest for rigging
Jang reports (January 15, 2016) the newly elected vice chairman of a local council in Multan took oath in handcuffs. He is under arrest for entering the women’s polling station to cast fake votes and snatch ballot boxes from the polling staff.
Grand operation against cats at hospital
According to Dunya (January 16, 2016) the administration at Karachi’s Civil Hospital caught 500 cats from the intensive care unit and other wards, in a ‘grand operation’ against cats at the hospital. The measure came after complaints by patients.
Polio volunteer beaten and robbed by anti-vaccination bully
An angry man refused to allow an anti-polio team to vaccinate children in a suburb of Faisalabad, Nawa-e-Waqt reports (January 16, 2016). When they did not listen to him, he beat up a volunteer and also took his money.
The rule of thumb
Express reports (January 17, 2016) two men involved in biometric verification of mobile phone sims were arrested for defrauding their clients. After each verification, they told their clients there was an error and made them press their thumbs on the scanner again. This way, they registered two sims in the name of each client, keeping one for themselves. They resold the extra sims for up to Rs 5,000.
Powerless at Lahore airport
According to Dunya (January 11, 2016) the prime minister’s son and his family were stuck in an elevator at the Lahore airport after there was a power failure. The generator gave up soon and there was no power for 90 minutes. The scanners stopped working, so the staff checked all the luggage by hand.