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More than 0.5m pregnant women in Pakistan desperately need care in flood-hit areas

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  • Over half million pregnant women in Pakistan need maternal care.
  • Countless girls at increased risk of gender-based violence.
  • Up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month need birth care, and support.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a sexual and reproductive health agency, has highlighted the affliction of Pakistani women caused by the catastrophic floods, saying that over half a million pregnant women in the flood-hit areas are in dire need of maternal health services while many other are at an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV).

At least 6.4 million people require humanitarian assistance after being hit by the floods triggered by the recent torrential monsoon rains and 1.6 million of them are women and girls.

“Up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month will need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support. In addition, many women and girls are at an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as almost 1 million houses have been damaged,” a UNFP report stated.

The Agency said that pregnancies and childbirth can’t wait for emergencies or natural disasters to be over and it is a state when both the mother and baby are vulnerable and need the most care.

UNFP’s Pakistan Representative Dr Bakhtior Kadirov said the Agency is on ground, working with partners, to ensure that pregnant women and new mothers continue receiving life-saving services even under the most challenging conditions.

As per the report, over 1,000 health facilities have been partially or fully damaged in Sindh, whereas 198 health facilities are damaged in affected districts in Balochistan, compromising girls’ and women’s access to them.

Dr Kadirov said that the UNFPA will continue supporting health facilities with the equipment and human resources to be fully operational despite the challenges.

“UNFPA is scaling up its emergency response to provide life-saving reproductive health services and commodities, including dignity kits, for women and girls,” the report read.

Meanwhile, UNFPA Pakistan has already started the distribution of 8,311 dignity kits, 7,411 Newborn Baby Kits, and 6,412 Clean Delivery Kits for immediate delivery to Sindh, Balochistan, KP, and Punjab.

Moreover, it is also prioritising gender-based violence prevention and response services, including medical and psychosocial support to the GBV survivors.

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Large-scale raid at the airport in Islamabad

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A travel attempt is blocked by FIA immigration, and two suspects are released.

At Islamabad Airport, the immigration squad of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stopped two travelers from using forged documents to fly outside.

Wajid Ali and Irfan Khan were the two people who were trying to get to Poland.

Both travelers, who were from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, were removed from the aircraft when their fake visas were found. Fake visas were discovered affixed to the suspects’ passports while they were aboard a private airline.

After the discovery, the suspects were sent to Islamabad’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle for additional examination.

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Address by the Information Minister: Tarar Claims Dead Bodies Are Being Used to Spread False Narratives

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According to Attaullah Tarar, the minister of information, the PTI is fabricating a story about dead bodies and demonstrators who invaded the capital were armed to the teeth.

Speaking about politics and false information on Islamabad’s social media platforms, Information Minister Tarar claimed that there isn’t a single video showing security personnel being fired directly.

According to him, foreign exchange has increased to over 11 billion dollars, inflation has fallen to a 70-month low, and the Pakistan Stock Exchange has surpassed 100,000 points.

The PML-N government, he claimed, prevented the nation from going into default.

A decrease in inflation, according to the minister, is evidence that the nation’s economy has strengthened.

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SIFC Leads Disco Privatization: Steering Committee to Supervise Privatization of the Power Sector

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To solve its problems and privatize the electricity industry, the government is working with the Special Investment Facilitation Council.

The government has made great strides toward the privatization of three of the best-performing power distribution companies in an effort to draw in investment and increase efficiency.

SIFC has been tasked with playing a key role in expediting the process. The first target of the privatization would be the discos in Islamabad, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad, which together make up 52% of the independent power producers that are governed by the government.

To ensure a seamless privatization process and promote collaboration among government departments, a steering committee has been established.

A plan is being created to address concerns and educate stakeholders. In order to make sure the privatization is successful, the group is also evaluating possible dangers.
Weekly progress reports will be given in order to keep the process accountable and transparent.

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