Five more corona patients die in Faisalabad hospitals

FAISALABAD: Five more corona patients, including a technician of District Headquarters Hospital, died in different hospitals here on Thursday.

Those died are hospital technician Muhammad Anees, Muhammad Ilyas of Satiana, Muhammad Tayyab Jamal of Khanampura, M Ishaq of Samanabad and Arshad Hussain of People’s Colony. Meanwhile, Deputy District Health Officer Dr Aurangzeb also tested positive.

Air travel industry: The Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) will make concerted efforts to resolve the genuine problems of the local air travel industry on sound footing, said FCCI president Rana Sikandar Azam.

He was talking to a delegation of the Faisalabad Travel Agents Association in his office here on Thursday. The delegation was led by Hafiz Shafique Kashif. The FCCI chairman said that coronavirus had badly hit the global economies. “The developed countries and economically strong economies however absorbed the shock but the weak economies are suffering badly and are unable to offset its ill impacts”, he said and added that they had to fight against corona in addition to overcoming the menace of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. He urged the government to resolve the issues of air travel industry, which was in deep trouble due to the closure of all major airlines. He said that the government should direct the PIA to facilitate IATA approved agents to book seats in special flights arranged by national flag carrier to bring back stranded Pakistanis from different countries. “It will help them to earn their livelihood”, he said and requested the delegation to identify their problems so that necessary steps could be suggested to save their heavy investment.

Earlier, Hafiz Shafique Kashif told there were more than 300 travel agents in Faisalabad in addition to 30 to 35 Haj and Umra tour operators. “They have invested billions of rupees and their investment is lying dormant due to the prolonged corona related lockdown”, he said and added that the travel agents had earlier paid salary to their staff but now they were unable to meet their expenses. Commenting on the refinance scheme of the State Bank of Pakistan, Hafiz Shafiq Kashif said that it would further add burden on the starving air travel industry.

Three commit suicide: Three persons, including a boy, committed suicide in different incidents here. Qarar Ahmad (12) was snubbed by his parents at Chak 104/JB for not taking interest in his studies. Desperate over this, he ended his life by swallowing poisonous pills. M Amir of Painsra and Nazia Javed of Toba Tek Sigh consumed poison due to some grave domestic issues and expired on way to hospitals. Burnt alive: An oil refinery owner was burnt alive near Sadhar Fruit and Vegetable Market. Mian Shakoor Sheraz was roosted alive when his refinery caught fire due to short-circuit. He was a resident of Khalidabad, Faisalabad.