Pakistan round-up: PIA plane crash, Covid-19 situation and more

A Pakistani plane with nearly 100 people on board crashed into a residential area in the southern city of Karachi on Friday, with a government minister reporting that only two survivors were pulled from the wreckage.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane was close to landing when it came down among houses, sparking an explosion and killing several people on the ground, the nation reported.
Residents near the scene said their walls shook before a big explosion erupted as the aircraft slammed into their neighbourhood.
PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said there were 91 passengers and seven crew on board the flight, which lost contact with air traffic control just after 2.30pm (0930 GMT).
The plane had developed a technical fault, according to the local media, while the pilot issued a mayday call after the craft lost an engine.
Reports said that the pilot had ignored three warnings from the air traffic controllers about the aircraft's altitude and speed before the landing.
The disaster came as Pakistanis across the country were preparing to celebrate the end of Ramzan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, with many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.
The Airbus A320 was travelling from Lahore to Karachi. Commercial flights had resumed only days ago, after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan reported 1,356 new coronavirus infections and 30 deaths during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases to 57,705 and the number of fatalities to 1,197 in the country.
Of the total number of 57,705 cases, 22,934 have so far been detected in Sindh, 20,654 in Punjab, 8,080 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 3,468 in Balochistan, 1,728 in Islamabad, 630 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 211 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Officials have so far conducted 490,908 tests, including 7,252 done on Monday.
According to the ministry of national health service, 18,314 patients have till now recovered from the virus, while 1,197 have died so far, including 30 during the last 24 hours.
A senior official said that the Pakistan government would reimpose a strict lockdown in the country if violations of the safety measures against the spread of coronavirus continued.

After testing positive for the Covid-19, Umar is self-isolating at home. It appears to be a mild strain of the virus, the local media reported.
At the time of testing, the former opener was not showing symptoms other than having a mild headache.
The 38-year-old, who has represented Pakistan in 44 Tests and 22 ODIs, at present works as junior national selector for the PCB.

Three people, including a senior civil servant, were shot dead in an act of targetted killing in Mir Ali town of North Waziristan, Dawn newspaper reported citing police.
According to the local media, the incident took place on May 24.
The deceased civil servant, Zubaidullah Khan, was an officer of the Information Group and was currently posted as director of the Pakistan Housing Authority in Islamabad. He was visiting his family village for Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, the newspaper said.
According to North Waziristan Police, initial investigations revealed the incident was a terror attack, which was why an FIR would have to be registered under the anti-terrorism act.

Dubbed the Muslim "Game of Thrones", a drama about the makings of the Ottoman Empire has sent Pakistan wild this Ramadan, smashing television records but exposing the country's lack of original content.
The Turkish-made series has earned praise for its focus on historical figures from the Muslim world who have been framed as role models for Pakistani youths, and the Urdu-language version of the show has racked up more than 240 million views on YouTube alone.
"I prefer to watch it with kids, so they can have real-life superheroes instead of fictional ones," said Hassam Mustafa as he settled down at his Islamabad home to watch the series with his nieces and nephews after breaking his fast.
Resurrection: Ertugrul has gripped audiences with its daring protagonist, cliffhangers and high production values since it began broadcasting on the first day of the Islamic holy month.
Usually state broadcaster PTV fills its Ramzan programming with live charity fundraisers, quiz shows and religious content.
But with the virus stifling television studios, Prime Minister Imran Khan issued special instructions to the broadcaster to air the series in a bid to boost Islamic culture and values among young people.