Author: newsdesk

  • Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    On Thursday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the assurance of funding from “friendly countries” was the final obstacle to securing an IMF deal that would provide critical support to Pakistan’s struggling economy and prevent an economic crisis.

    During a session of the country’s upper house of parliament, Dar revealed that several countries had previously made commitments to support Pakistan during IMF reviews, and the IMF was now requesting that these commitments be fulfilled.

    The delay in securing the deal, which involves a $1.1 billion bailout package from the IMF, has been ongoing since November due to issues surrounding fiscal policy adjustments. The package is part of a larger $6.5 billion bailout approved by the IMF in 2019, which is crucial for Pakistan to avoid defaulting on external payment obligations.

    The deal would also allow Pakistan to access other financing avenues to bolster its foreign exchange reserves, which currently only cover four weeks’ worth of imports.

    The IMF has asked Pakistan to secure assurance of up to $7 billion to cover this year’s balance of payments gap, while Dar believes that $5 billion would suffice.

    An IMF mission has been present in Islamabad since February to negotiate a set of policy measures for Pakistan’s struggling economy, ahead of the annual budget due in June.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that all of the IMF’s conditions had been met, and expressed hope that a staff level agreement would be reached soon.

  • Taylor Swift drops three surprise songs ahead of Era tour

    Taylor Swift drops three surprise songs ahead of Era tour

    Taylor Swift is the gift that keeps on giving.

    In a surprise announcement on Thursday night, Taylor Swift said that she was dropping three un-released songs in celebration of the upcoming Era tour which is starting today in Glendale, Arizona.

    On her Instagram page, Swift revealed that the three songs were Safe and Sound (Taylor’s Version) featuring the former members of The Civil Wars, Joy Williams and John Paul White, Eyes Open (Taylor’s Version) , If This Was A Movie (Taylor’s Version) and All Of The Girls You Loved Before.

    You can listen to these songs on Spotify

    Swift also shared teaser of her practicing for the upcoming Era’s tour, with the caption:

    “In my era’s era”

  • ‘Sharam karo’: Aima Baig slams FHM magazine for misinformation

    ‘Sharam karo’: Aima Baig slams FHM magazine for misinformation

    Aima Baig called out FHM, an online celebrity magazine, for spreading incorrect information about her and lectured them on the importance of fact checking before publishing stories.

    FHM had published a story about a re-surfaced interiview in which they claimed Baig had said that she had a crush on her elder brother, who was seven years senior to her.

    Baig commented underneath the post, stating that she was horrified because she had never said such a thing.

    “What in the actual f**k is that????
    I never said anything stupid like that wth!
    Kuch to sharam kar lo yaaar. Like seriously is this really something we should be talking about, clearly not knowing how sensitive is this topic.”

    On her own Instagram page, Baig revealed that her publicist had sent her the FHM post. She said she was dissapointed by ‘yellow journalism’.

    “Usually I don’t come forward to clarify my statement but this post caught my attention when my publicist sent this post. I am utterly disguisted by this yellow journalism by @fhmpakistan. What creepy, shameless ideology they are sharing across. I don’t know if they are spreading some shameless agenda but atleast don’t make me a part of this. I literally wanna throw up…like seriously..kuch bhi for views. I mean seriously WORK HARD OR LEAVE ME ALONE. Shame on you guys. Like big time.”

    Baig also clarified that the story was not true, and shared the link to the interview where she had actually said that her crush was her elder brother’s best friend, when she was ten years old.

    Baig also demanded an apology from the online website for spreading degrading information about her:

    “I demand a public apology for such heinous and vile accusation on me. And erase all these unwanted, peevish posts about this unprofitable and absurd news.”

  • Pakistani family sets world record for having same birthdays

    Pakistani family sets world record for having same birthdays

    A Pakistani family hailing from Larkana made history after they set a Guinness World Record for “most family members born on the same day” category.

    All nine family members share the same birthday, August 1.

    The family surpassed the record of an American family of five members, who had held the Guinness record since 1966.

    The record-holder family consists of Amir Azad Mangi, his wife Khadija, and their seven children, including two sets of twins.

    Mangi was born on Aug. 1, 1968, his wife on Aug. 1, 1973, their first daughter Sindhu on Aug. 1, 1992, twin daughters Sassi and Sapna on Aug. 1, 1998, first son Amir on Aug. 1, 2001, second son Ambar on Aug. 1, 2002, and twin sons Amar and Ahmer on Aug. 1, 2003.

    Interestingly, Mangi’s wedding anniversary falls on the same day, making it a significant date for the entire family.

    The world record was added to the list in 2019.

  • Shor sharaba in Zaman Park: Aitzaz Ahsan’s sisters approach court to complain against Imran

    Shor sharaba in Zaman Park: Aitzaz Ahsan’s sisters approach court to complain against Imran

    Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan’s sisters have approached different forums to complain about “the disruption, road and traffic blockade and loud music at night time”, caused by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan outside his residence in Zaman Park which has affected his neighbours’ sleep, writes Umar Cheema for The News.

    “They started with Imran Khan. On February 14, Dr Shireen Zafarullah and Mrs Nasreen Khalid Chima wrote the first letter to him on February 14 to inform him about ‘huge and unacceptable intrusion into our privacy being caused by the show outside your home.’ Their father, Chaudhry Muhammad Ahsan, constructed the ancestral home in Zaman Park in 1933 well before Imran’s family was allotted the house in Zaman Park after the Partition. Ali, the son of Aitzaz Ahsan, also lives in that house besides the children of sisters of Aitzaz,” reads the article.

    The sisters complained about the constant noise from the loud music which lasts till 4am every night.

    Not getting any response, both sisters filed an application on March 8 against the illegal encroachment outside Imran Khan’s home. The application was addressed to Chief Secretary of Punjab, Inspector General of Police, Lahore Commissioner and SHO of Race Course Police Station. However, no action was taken by the Punjab government.

    Finally, they moved the Lahore High Court, which didn’t entertain the petition either. A one-member bench of Justice Asim Hafeez said they should locate a Justice of Peace to pursue this matter.

    The sisters have also written to the chief justices of the Supreme Court and Lahore High Court to take notice of the problems they are facing in Zaman Park.

  • NO suspension of arrest warrants, Islamabad court told Khan

    NO suspension of arrest warrants, Islamabad court told Khan

    An Islamabad court has rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s plea which sought suspension of non-bailable arrest warrants of Khan in the Toshakhana case.

    Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal on Thursday gave the verdict that the warrants could not be suspended on the basis of an undertaking.

    On Tuesday, the former ruling party moved Islamabad High Court (IHC) requesting it to suspend Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in the Toshakhana case, but the high court asked Khan to approach trial court.

    Currently, the situation at Khan’s Zaman Park residence is relatively calm following the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) orders of stopping the police operation till 10am today. But later, the court clarified that it has not stopped police from executing the arrest warrants and asked PTI to resolve the matter.

  • Ferrari drives into trouble with controversial post featuring Masjid-e-Nabvi

    Ferrari drives into trouble with controversial post featuring Masjid-e-Nabvi

    Ferrari, a prominent supercar manufacturer, faced significant criticism after a social media post promoting its event in Jeddah was received poorly.

    The post included an edited image of a Ferrari model pictured in front of the Masjid-e-Nabwi, a sacred site in Islam, instead of the intended location, Jeddah.

    This post was met with widespread disapproval on various social media platforms, with many individuals accusing the company of insensitivity and disrespect towards the Muslim community.

    Some users even called for a boycott of Ferrari products. It remains unclear whether Ferrari was aware of the importance of the location to the Muslim community or if this was an inadvertent mistake.

    While some social media users made light of the situation by praising the beauty of the site, the majority of the comments were critical.

    Responding to the massive backlash from the Muslim community, Ferrari promptly removed the post from its Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as deleted the image from its website to prevent further complications.

  • PSL 8 final rescheduled to Saturday as PCB anticipates rain in Lahore

    PSL 8 final rescheduled to Saturday as PCB anticipates rain in Lahore

    In light of the adverse weather forecasted for the next few days, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to move the HBL PSL 8 final from Sunday, March 19 to Saturday, March 18. The match will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium, with Sunday and Monday serving as backup days.

    According to Najam Sethi, Chair of PCB Management Committee, the HBL PSL 8 is a significant event for all the teams, who strive to make it to the final and win the Supernova Trophy. Cricket fans eagerly anticipate this momentous occasion as well.

    Given the available information about the bad weather forecast, it is a prudent and proactive decision to make use of the off-day and play the final on Saturday. This way, two reserve days will be available in case the match cannot be completed or played on Saturday, rather than the traditional one day.

    The PCB has consulted with the Play-off teams, who are in agreement with the decision to reschedule the final.

    Additionally, the cricket board assures fans that there will be no inconvenience caused by the change. Tickets purchased for Sunday’s match will remain valid for the rescheduled final on Saturday.

  • Another Record for Rizwan as he gets 500 runs in PSL season 8

    Another Record for Rizwan as he gets 500 runs in PSL season 8

    Call him the Hit Man, or the Little Master, wicket-keeper Muhammad Rizwan just keeps piling on the records. The batting maestro has reached another milestone by scoring 500 runs for the third time in Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Rizwan first scored 500 runs in PSL 6, then repeated the fear with 546 runs in PSL 7. Now he has again scored the 500 runs in the ongoing edition of Pakistan’s largest league.

    The wicket-keeper is becoming a brand day by day as per the saying of furious Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar “He who can speak and play well together can become a brand.” And Rizwan can do both.

    Rizwan is the first player to score 500 runs three consecutive times in the Pakistan Super league (PSL).
    The Sultans captain, who was the opening batter in the game, hit 10 boundaries and four sixes, staying on the pitch throughout the game.

    Since his debut in PSL in 2016, Rizwan has played in 70 matches, accumulating 1,962 runs in 59 innings. He has hit one century (during the ongoing season) and 16 fifties.

    Rizwan also has 178 fours and 45 sixes to his name.

  • Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    During a session of the Senate on Thursday, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated unequivocally that there would be no compromise on the country’s nuclear and missile programs. The assurance came in response to questions posed by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, who had raised concerns about the delay in Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rabbani had suggested that the delay might be due to pressure being exerted on Pakistan’s nuclear program.

    In response to Rabbani’s questions, Dar stated that the delay was not due to any action by the current government, but rather to the fact that the IMF had requested that certain friendly countries fulfill commitments they had made to support Pakistan. According to Geo, Dar promised that once the staff-level agreement and the Extended Fund Facility program were finalized, the details would be posted on the finance ministry’s website.

    Dar also expressed his belief that Pakistan’s nuclear program was a matter of national security and emphasized that no one had the right to tell Pakistan what range of missiles or nuclear weapons it could have. He argued that the country’s nuclear and missile programs were essential for deterrence and for guarding Pakistan’s national interests.

    The delay in the IMF agreement has been a cause for concern, as it is seen as critical to taming a balance-of-payments crisis. The agreement, which was approved by the IMF in 2019 and is worth $6.5 billion, includes $1.1 billion that would be released once the agreement is signed. Dar had previously blamed the delay on the previous government, which he said had failed to meet commitments and created a trust deficit. Despite the delay, Dar stated that Pakistan was “very close” to signing the agreement.