More than 700 die in worst heatwave to hit Pakistan in a decade

A heatwave in Pakistan has left at least 700 dead – it is believed to be the worst heatwave to hit the country in a decade, with temperatures reaching 45C (113F). Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared a state of emergency.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 24 June 2015.

The scorching weather first struck the southern Sindh province during the weekend and, since it is now the fasting month of Ramadan, when Muslims do not consume food or water during daylight hours, the situation has been aggravated. Morgues do not have space to store the dead and hospitals are trying to save the sick. So far, nearly 750 people are known to have died while thousands more are under treatment for heat-related ailments like fever, dehydration and stomach-related illnesses.
The worst-hit area is reported to be Karachi, the country's largest city, where at least 600 people have died. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Does the Taliban attack in Peshawar school have any link to Malala’s Nobel Prize

#PeshawarAttack #PrayForPeshawar The massacre of 132 school children in the Army School in Peshawar by the Pakistani Taliban is being seen by many as a means of sending a strong message to the supporters of Malala Yousafzai who have grown in number after she received the Nobel Peace Prize.
It may be recalled that Pakistani Taliban had shot Malala Yousafzai in 2012 while on a school bus – it was a punishment to her for supporting education for women in Pakistan. But, she survived the attack and has, ever since, become a worldwide symbol for the fight against oppression on women and the right to education.
While accepting the award she had said that she would pursue her task of education of girls in her country and had also remarked that it is easy to make tanks but not to build schools.
Pakistan is having three days of mourning on for the children and school staff who were massacred by the Tehreek-I-Taliban in the country's deadliest ever terror attack. The world watched in horror, and united in revulsion.
The Pakistani police have issued a warning that terrorists could be planning to plant magnetic bombs on school buses and the authorities in Islamabad have asked schools to increase security and to check underneath buses and other vehicles. In view of the Peshawar attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reinstated the death penalty in terrorism cases.

India expresses solidarity with Pakistan – Parliament observes silence to mourn the slain Pakistan children

#IndiaWithPakistan In a show of solidarity with neighbor Pakistan, both the houses of the Indian parliament observed two minutes of silence in the wake of the terror attack in Peshawar.
Prime Minister Narenda Modi has condemned the killings and had called up his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to assure him of all assistance from India. In the course of their talks Prime Minister Modi expressed hopes that the children who were witness to the horrific attack and loss of their friends would come through this trauma through counselling.
The Indian Prime Minister also added during his telephonic talk with Nawaz Sharif, that this moment of shared pain and mourning should also be taken as a call for the two countries and all those who believe in humanity to join hands and to decisively and comprehensively defeat terrorism.
Schools in India also observed two-minute silence in memory of the dead.
It was a bloody carnage that left the world stunned when the Taliban terrorists in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar shot dead 141 people, including 132 school children, after storming into an Army Public School in the morning hours.

Death toll in Peshawar School attack reaches 141 – Afghan Taliban condemns the attack

#TotalCrackdown #PrayForPeshawar No one is safe any longer and terrorism continues to rear its ugly head from all corners of the world. In the Peshawar attack by Pakistan Taliban on innocent school children, 141 deaths have been reported and 132 of them are the children of the school who never understood what hit them. One moment they were bundles of joy, the next they were bits and pieces of flesh and bones.
The attack has been condemned by the Afghan Taliban.
The Peshawar attack was yet another terrorist attack that has left the world shocked, families in grief and no amount of condemnation can wipe out the tears from the faces of the parents who had to carry away coffins of their children. The attackers wore suicide vests and military uniforms all of seven of them have been killed.
Terrorism goes by any number of names like the Taliban, the al-Qaeda, the Boko Haram or the ISIS and due to their attacks, life is not safe anywhere, even for innocent children.
US President Barack Obama said terrorists had "once again shown their depravity" while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it was "an act of horror and rank cowardice".
Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has said that she and millions of others would mourn the dead children, her "brothers and sisters" and added that "we will never be defeated". Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has termed it as a "national tragedy" and the Pakistani opposition leader and former cricket captain Imran Khan has condemned the attack as "utter barbarism" #PrayForPeshawar is the message.

Peace in Peshawar shattered - Taliban attacks Army Public School, kills nearly 100 students

#Peshawar Yesterday it was a one-man terror attack in Sydney and today it is a Talban attack in the Army Public school in Peshawar – reports indicate nearly 100 dead in this Peshawar school attack and most of them are innocent children who do not understand the meaning of violence.
It seems five or six militants wearing security uniforms had entered the Army Public School's auditorium, where a military team was conducting first-aid training for students. Majority of the casualties were results of a suicide blast. Many of the students were the children of military personnel and aged 16 or under.
The school is located at the edge of a military cantonment in Peshawar – it has witnessed some of the worst violence during a Taliban insurgency in recent years.
The attack was apparently to avenge army operations in which hundreds of Taliban fighters are believed to have been killed in a recent military offensive in North Waziristan and the nearby Khyber area. This has been confirmed by a spokesman of the Taliban.
The officials have indicated that gunfire and explosions were heard as security forces surrounded the area and the army has confirmed that most of the school's 500 students have been evacuated. However, it is not clear how many are being held hostage in this #PakSchoolSiege.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sees this attack as a "national tragedy" and the Pakistani opposition politician and former cricket captain Imran Khan has, while condemning the attack, has labeled it as "utter barbarism".

The Indo-Pak divide surfaces again in hockey match

#INDvsPAK The Indo-Pak divide has surfaced again – the occasion this time was the win by Pakistan in the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament against arch rivals India. The Indians lost a golden opportunity to create history as they went down 3-4 against Pakistan in a high-voltage semifinal of the tournament. The Pakistani players, then, celebrated their victory by hurling indecent and obscene gestures towards the crowd and Indian media and were promptly rebuked by their coach Shahnaz Shiekh.
The fact remains that, in spite of the overtures made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his counterpart Nawaz Sharif during the oath-taking ceremony in New Delhi, hopes had been raised that at long last India and Pakistan will go in for ensuring peace in the region and bring back normalcy in dealings.
But, that has not happened, instead the regular violation of LOC and intrusion from the border areas continue. As a result, India has cancelled meetings with Pakistan and even at formal meetings both the leaders have avoided any semblance of friendship in SAARC.
This is not what the people on either side of the borders want. They want that relations become normal, that there can be business between the two countries and sports can flourish. Similar sentiments had been echoed by the two Nobel Peace prize winners Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi but the feelings are not translating into action.