After trying to make Seat belts usage a permanent fixture in Islamabad’s traffic and discouraged use of mobiles during driving, ITP (Islamabad Traffic Police) is all planning to implement Point Systems.

If i’m not wrong this is the first time point systems will be introduced in the country. Lately the traffic has become a mess in the city, thanks to a  zillion on-lease cars out on roads and the new avenues and flyovers in construction.

Talking of the points system, licences of motorists/motorcycles would marked with a point every time they were ticketed and the marking would continue till 20th traffic rule violation was committed. The driving licenses of the traffic violators would be suspended after 20 violations of traffic rules.

“The system will be enforced within two months and Islamabad will thus become the first district among 110 license issuing districts in the country to enforce such system as per 11th schedule of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965”, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Zubair Hashmi said in a press conference.

Ahh ha, so be prepared to start counting the points off i.e., ofcourse if you have a driving license.

So finally ITP (Islamabad Traffic Police) has made it a rule. Any driver caught on mobile while driving or not wearing a seat belt will be fined from today, Friday 1st August. This law is introduced to minimize the accidents caused.

A driver will be fined a sum of Rs. 300 for violation of these laws (which IMO is a very low amount – more the better).

BTW, I heard of laws in Sharjah and Dubai (not first hand news so cant really confirm if the situation is actually such) where the police just notes down the registration number of cars and send them heavy amount on tickets direct to their homes. They wont stop you asking why are you speaking on your mobile or why’s the seat belt hanging around. Perfect way to treat our people here as well. I wish.

So be careful next time you hear a ring tone in your car. Dont be tempted to pick it.  Good Luck~

Adieu~

If Metblogs is a city, hub.metblogs is the playground. We kept hearing from people that one of their favorite parts of Metblogs was meeting and interacting with readers and writers from other parts of the world, as well as getting requests for more ways that readers could be involved besides just posting comments. We thought about this for a while and decided that with a network like this, a giant community area where folks from all over the world could hang out, post photos and videos, talk with each other, form groups, play games, send messages, and do about a million other things was probably a pretty fun idea. The Hub is that.

If you have any tech ideas or suggestions join this group and speak up. See you on hub.metblogs!

It was a blissful thought since past few months when no explosions (major ones  and consecutive at least) were heard of. But not any longer. The war on innocents is back. Bloodshed begun. Its becoming harder day-by-day to think that its the same peaceful surroundings where I opened my eyes and lived through all these year.

The larger target in Islamabad was the security forces. But they (the unknown) are not ready to forgive the innocent either (children including) as seen in Karachi’s furious 7 blasts.

 What makes me even more furious is when our leaders and government officials come on-air, show their grievances by issuing petty statements as:

 ”Mulziman ko kefar e kirdar tak pohnchaya jayega” .

“Hum in bomb dhamakon ki Muzamat kartay hain” .

Oh hello, we are here waiting for some POSITIVE RESULT-BEARING solutions to be implemented. So that a common Pakistani can feel secure and at peace. Sadly, a Pakistani has enough crises and economical burdens to worry about.

Omer on LMB has a story to tell of an expat who survived by fate in Islamabad’s Melody center bomb blast. Karachi Metblogs briefs on 7/7 and the 7 explosions :<

Apathy!

Today Islamabad and Rawalpindi got quite some scare of the explosions. Speculations are they could be some supersonic jets.

As geo reports:

Police officials in Rawalpindi say there is no evidence of any actual explosion having taken place. A senior police official in Rawalpindi told he was unaware of any actual explosion, and suggested the sound may have been from jets breaking the sound barrier. However officials at the Pakistan Air Force said that none of its jets had broken the sound barrier today.

If I remember accurately back in 96-97, an Indian jet flied in airs of Islamabad breaking the sound barriers. Ironically, our air forces woke up hours after the incident.

Nothing concrete yet.

We are out to save the judiciary. We are out to save the country.

Lawyers country-wide are approaching Islamabad, alongwith political leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan, to stage anti-Musharaf protests and reinstating of CJ and SC judges.

Musharaf’s entrapment is increasing day-by-day BUT don’t you think the judiciary is going political too. In present circumstances what do you think is good for Pakistan?

• Musharaf leaving his seat?
• CJ and other judges reinstated.
• Zardari’s CO-PM status.
• Nawaz Sharif coming in Parliament and a to-be PM.
• “Azaaad Adliya” or Free Judiciary.

Do you think like shedding of uniform … Musharaf’s leaving the seat will bing any good to the nation and country?

Do you think reinstatement of judiciary is a bigger problem for awaam of Pakistan (a common Pakistani) or is it price hikes in daily commodities, Fuel, loadsheddings, etc.?

Who do you see as the perfect leader from the present clan of leaders?

The freedom of judiciary will ever be able to bring us free and fast judiciary too? Dowe have men of faith and just in abundance now?

I hope the answers to all these queries are not just rants of me and you. I hope that they be heard. In present circumstances I’m not very hopeful.

Pictures after the jump.

(more…)

Islamabad Ttraffic Police has issued this traffic plan for the Awaam and Lawyers …. courtesy Dawn for your reference.

See a container … go back to home =))

Ciao!

First (Dr.) Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s shoe beating and then just yesterday (Dr.) Sher Afghan’s beating and thrashing in Lahore.

Nothing commendable. Brutality to show your emotions is never commendable.

Yesterday while watching the video of incident, many a times I thought this man’s going to die coz of a heart failure. If you talk about justice … then adopt proper ways to do justice. If he’s criminal in your eyes, bring him in to teh courts and not THRASH an aged guy with hundreds of hands.

Its high time that we use our wisdom (if any) and start thinking intelligently. Emotional intelligence may be good, pure emotionalism – No.

NUST Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) along with BrightSpyre & P@sha is going to host an exciting startup session on April 4, 2008 in the premises of NIIT. The purpose of this session is to provide a platform to motivated and brilliant people, who are thinking of launching a startup, get a handle on really what they’ve got and way to make it a success- an idea, a feature, a product, or a business and what not. This session will feature a panel of serial entrepreneurs with remarkable business experience. They will lead the audience through a series of evaluations critical to success. The theme for the session is “Startups”. You are encouraged to avail this fruitful opportunity to become a successful Leader of Tomorrow!!!! Following is the list of panelists for the session:

– Rana Saad ( PI Sigma)
-Jehan Ara, President, PASHA
– Murad Akhtar (Tintash) http://www.tintash.com/
– Mansoor Salim (Jin Technologies)
– Atif Mumtaz & Faisal Chohan (CEO BrightSpyre)
– Babar Khan (Ikonmai) (Outsourcing software house)
– Adnan Shaukat (CEO, Classic Entertainment, Internet Radio)
– Amir Jahangir (Consultant CSF and Social media entrepreneur)
– Osama Hashmi (Green and White)
– 2 NIIT Alumni

For more information and registration check this link:
http://www.niit.edu.pk/Seminars_workshops/pages/startup/index.php