May 16, 2021
The paucity of Covid vaccination centres, coupled with the district administration’s decision to allow walk-in vaccination for people above 40 years of age, has led to huge footfalls. The result often is a chaotic mess
On weekdays, the operations run fairly smoothly; Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest. Photos by Rahat Dar
For a city whose population now exceeds 12 million, Lahore currently has only five vaccination centres. Obviously, this is causing huge inconvenience to the people wanting to get the Covid-19 vaccine shots.
The locations of these vaccination centres are: Railway Dispensary, Model Town; LDA Sports Complex; Minar-i-Pakistan, Azadi Chowk; Expo Centre, Johar Town; Pakistan Liver and Kidney Institute (PKLI), Phase 6, Defence; and Police Lines, Qila Gujjar Singh. Of these, four are for the general public while the one at Qila Gujjar Singh is for the vaccination of the police personnel only.
May 2, 2021
A couple of months since the incident happened, the police claim to have nabbed five out of the six accused in kidnapping of foreigners for ransom
The police attribute their success in the case to the Safe City Project facilities which “played an effective role in helping us get to the bottom of the case.” Photos by Rahat Dar
Early this year, an incident of kidnapping of two foreigners for ransom, which involved cryptocurrency worth Rs 14.7 million, grabbed media headlines. A couple of months later, the Lahore police have finally succeeded in busting a six-member gang of criminals that carried out the kidnapping.
April 18, 2021
One could argue that in IA Rehman’s death, we have pulled shutters over a glorious period of quieter and responsible journalism in Pakistan.
Photo by Rahat Dar
With the passing away of IA Rehman, Pakistan may have lost the most significant and consistent voice among human rights campaigners. He had such passion for justice. The man who almost single-handedly yanked the peripheral concerns for rights of the minorities towards the centre of national discourse would be equally missed across the country’s media landscape. Journalism was his first and enduring calling. His last column appeared in
Dawn just a few days before his death. At 90 he was as fiercely engaged with ideas as he was with his loyal readers, and not to forget a whole cohort of writers and journalists who looked to him for inspiration and wisdom.