PISJ-ES principal refuses to vacate post

November 21, 2013

PISJ-ES

Jeddah/Riyadh, Nov 21: The principal of the Pakistan International School Jeddah English Section (PISJ-ES), who was sacked by the Pakistan ambassador earlier this week, has rejected allegations against her and refused to vacate her position.

Sehar Kamran has instead accused Mohammad Naeem Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador, of playing politics because she is a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that was defeated in the recent elections by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Khan fired Kamran Tuesday following several allegations against her including corruption, mismanagement of funds, gross indiscipline, favoritism and using her political connections to get the job in 2008. Khan appointed Imran Raza Khan as acting principal with immediate effect.

Kamran allegedly refused to allow the new acting principal to enter the school premises on Wednesday morning, ordered that the school close early and that it would remain close on Thursday, a move that angered some parents.

“We received a message to pick up the children around 10 a.m. The school belongs to the community. It is not her personal property to do what she likes with it,” said Imran Abasi, a parent. He said it took him almost an hour and a half to find his children.

Another parent, Khalid Cheema, said: “Parents do not want a political personality as principal.”

However, Arshad Javaid, also a parent, claimed that “90 percent of the parents are with Kamran and want her to run the school.”

The school’s link officer, Sohail Ali Khan, went to the school to pacify parents and said it would be open on Thursday. He said the decision to terminate Kamran had been taken by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and was in accordance with Saudi regulations.

Aftab Khokhar, the Pakistan consul general, said Kamran’s decision to shut the school was illegal. He said the consulate would ensure that the school remains open and the Pakistan ambassador’s orders implemented.

Kamran rejected the allegations against her and lashed out at the embassy officials.

“I’ve served Pakistan for more than 21 years with honesty, love and loyalty. I’ve always worked for the development of Pakistan. I’ve served this school with my expertise and love for more than six years,” she said.

Kamran accused the ambassador of firing her because of her political affiliations. She said the officials had acted in an “unscrupulous” manner following the establishment of the government under the PML-N, and because she is a member of the PPP.

Kamran is the first woman to enter the upper house of Pakistan’s Parliament and won a senate election. The allegations were from people “playing high level politics ... and trying to destroy the image of Pakistan,” she said.

Some Pakistani parents and students came out in support of Kamran and held a demonstration at the Saudi Ministry of Education. The parents said they met with Khalid Al-Harthy, director of Foreign Education for the Western Region, and claimed he sent a letter to the Riyadh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Education Ministry “for a decision.”

Comments

Naveeda Shahzad
 - 
Sunday, 19 Aug 2018

Why a political worker was appointed as principal of Pakistani School?

Was it a favour to her by Zardari govt?

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 28,2020

Mar 28: Just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Abu Dhabi crown prince on the Coronavirus Pandemic, India “thanked the UAE authorities for accommodating the 19 Indian nationals who were stuck at Dubai airport for past several days”.

The Indian mission in Dubai tweeted, “They got stranded due to various restrictions to deal with Covid-19 pandemic. Hotel rooms have been given to them inside the airport. Our Consulate had been in constant touch with the Indian nationals and UAE and Indian authorities. We had also provided some financial help to enable our stranded passengers to buy food. The situation was tough due to the pandemic situation.”

During their conversation last evening, Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had “assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the welfare of the over two million Indians living in UAE and contributing to its economy”. PM Modi “thanked the Crown Prince for his personal attention to the health and safety of Indian expatriates in the present situation”.    

A statement issued late on Thursday night by the MEA said, “The two leaders exchanged information and views on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the situation in their respective countries, as well as the steps being taken by their Governments. They agreed that the next few weeks would be crucial to control the spread of the virus, and required concerted and coordinated efforts by all countries. In this context, they appreciated the organisation of a Virtual Summit among G20 Leaders earlier in the day, to discuss the pandemic.

Both leaders emphasised the importance they attach to the strength and richness of the bilateral relationship. They agreed to maintain regular consultations between their officials in the present situation, particularly to ensure continuity of logistical supply lines.”

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 12,2020

Dubai, Jan 12: Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco announced Sunday that its initial public offering raised a record $29.4 billion, a figure higher than previously announced, after the company used a so-called "greenshoe option" to sell millions more shares to meet investor demand.

The company said that the sale of an additional 450 million shares took place during the initial public offering process.

The oil and gas company, which is majority owned by the state, began publicly trading on the local Saudi Tadawul exchange on December 11. It hit hit upwards of $10 a share on the second day of trading. This gave Aramco a market capitalization of $2 trillion, making it comfortably the world's most valuable company.

Aramco's additional sales mean the company has publicly floated 1.7% of its shares. It's IPO, even before the added sales, was the world's largest ever.

The shares sold in the over-allotment option "had been allocated to investors during the book-building process and therefore, no additional shares are being offered into the market today," Aramco said.

Company shares traded down on Sunday, dipping to around 34.7 riyals, or $9.25 a share, amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf between Iran and the United States. Aramco was a target of rising tensions over the summer when a missile and drone attack, which Saudi Arabia and the US blame on Iran, temporarily halved its production.

Sunday's trading figures value Aramco at $1.85 trillion, still well ahead of Apple, the second largest company in the world after Aramco, but below the $2 trillion mark sought by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 27,2020

Dubai, Apr 27: Saudi Arabia has reported 1,289 new Covid-19 cases on April 27, its Ministry of Health tweeted.

Of the newly diagnosed cases, Jeddah recorded 294 infections, followed by Makkah (218) and Madinah (202).

The ministry also confirmed five additional coronavirus-induced deaths, spiking the total death toll to 144.

2,507 people are talking about this
Since the outbreak of the virus strain in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, Saudi Arabia has reported a total of 18,811 Covid-19 infections.

As many as 2,531 patients have till now recovered from the virus.

Oman
The sultanate registered 51 new Covid-19 cases on April 27, including 37 nationals and 14 expatriates, spiking the total number of infections to 2,049, Oman News Agency tweeted.

Meanwhile, 10 coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed in the country.

Qatar
The Ministry of Public Health has reported 957 Covid-19 cases among the 3,420 people tested in the last 24 hours.

As many as 85,709 people have been tested for the virus across the country.

The total number of Covid-19 infections since the outbreak has now risen to 11,244.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.