Author: newsdesk

  • Imran Khan says COAS General Asim Munir is behind Zaman Park operation

    Imran Khan says COAS General Asim Munir is behind Zaman Park operation

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has once again accused the establishment of interfering in politics, emphasising that nothing happens in the country without the permission of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir.

    In an interview with Voice of America, Khan said, “This government is totally dependent on the establishment, nothing can happen without their consent.”

    Talking amidst the chaos happening right outside of his home at Zaman Park, he said, “It is too big a step for a government which has no legitimacy, no roots in this country, no moral authority. The only reason they are there is because of the establishment.”

    He went on to say that the establishment is one man and that man is the army chief. “He makes the decision. Whatever he says is followed”, added Khan.

    Since the ouster, Khan has been blaming the institution for removing him from power, naming ex-army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa multiple times in public.

    On March 3, the PTI chief said that he is ready to hold talks with the COAS for the sake of the country, claiming that the army chief considers Imran his enemy.

  • Pakistan faces second-highest food price inflation in South Asia: World Bank report

    Pakistan faces second-highest food price inflation in South Asia: World Bank report

    According to the World Bank’s “Food Security Update,” the consumer price inflation for food items in Pakistan in February 2023 on a year-on-year basis was 45.1 per cent, which is the highest in South Asia after Sri Lanka, which experienced 54.4 per cent inflation.

    The report further states that domestic grain and wheat flour prices remained volatile across South Asia at the beginning of 2023, and were well above their year-earlier levels. Specifically, in Pakistan, wheat flour prices in January 2023 reached record highs and were 20 to 140 per cent higher year on year.

    The high prices of food items have been attributed to several factors, including generally stagnant production since 2018, stock losses and disrupted trade flows due to the 2022 floods, high agricultural input and transportation costs, and high headline inflation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

    The report noted that India, Bangladesh, and Nepal experienced year-on-year consumer price inflation for food prices of 6.2 per cent, 7.8 per cent, and 5.6 per cent, respectively, in January 2023. Rice production increased in 2022 in several countries, including India, despite reductions in Pakistan and Tanzania, according to the report.

    The US Department of Agriculture predicts a 4.5 per cent contraction in rice shipments due to a decrease in exports from Pakistan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam, which will more than offset an increase from India. Moreover, domestic food price inflation remains high around the world.

    According to Brecorder, the latest month between October 2022 and February 2023, for which food price inflation data are available, shows high inflation in almost all low- and middle-income countries, with inflation levels above 5 per cent in 94.1 per cent of low-income countries, 86 per cent of lower-middle-income countries, and 87 per cent of upper-middle-income countries, with many experiencing double-digit inflation.

    Furthermore, about 87.3 per cent of high-income countries are experiencing high food price inflation, and the countries affected most are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia, according to the report.

  • After being routed by Sultans Qalandars captain Afridi blames ‘Qudrat ka nizam’ for defeat

    After being routed by Sultans Qalandars captain Afridi blames ‘Qudrat ka nizam’ for defeat

    Lahore Qalandars collapsed in spectacular fashion on Wednesday night, registering the lowest total in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Opening season 8 with a cracking start, Lahore Qalandars were on the Top of the Points table, seemingly well on their way to the finals.
    Showing complete team performance in every match and thrashing all opponents one by one, the seemingly invincible Qalandars were routed in the all-important match with Multan Sultans.

    Shaheen Afridi, the skipper of the Qalandars wants to assess where they went wrong before eliminator two on Friday.

    “We lost wickets quickly, and we will look into what went wrong and prepare for the next game as we still have a chance. When the main batters get out early, there is pressure on the lower-order batters,” he said.
    Observing that a single good catch or run-out can win a game, Afridi promised to work on weaknesses.

    “It is Qudrat ka Nizam. The wind started to blow, and Cottrell got the ball to swing. This is Qudrat ka Nizam,” added Shaheen Afridi in the post-match chat.

    Playing 11
    Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Mirza Tahir Baig, Abdullah Shafique, Sam Billings (wk), Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.

    Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Usman Khan, Rilee Rossouw, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Sheldon Cottrell, Ihsanullah.

  • Lahore High Court extends halt on Zaman Park police operation till tomorrow

    Lahore High Court extends halt on Zaman Park police operation till tomorrow

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended the injunction on the police operation to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Zaman Park till tomorrow.

    Yesterday, the court had ordered the police to stop the operation to arrest Imran Khan till 10 am today.

    At the hearing of the petition against the police operation at LHC today, the court said that on Thursday all parties should sit together and find a solution. Stating that we are being dishonored as a nation, the judge said, “Move your rally; for God’s sake, let people live their routine lives.”

    LHC also stopped PTI from holding a rally this Sunday at Iqbal Park (Minar-e-Pakistan) and asked the party to let citizens live their routine lives.

    The party was planning to hold a “historic” public rally at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan on March 19 and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was set to lead it — despite “security threats”.

    PTI workers clashed for nearly 24 hours with the law enforcers trying to get through the party supporters and arrest Khan.

  • Mira Sethi meets boy who stood up to misogynist reporter at Aurat March

    At this year’s Aurat March, a boy went viral on Twitter when he was seen schooling a reporter by explaining to him why marching for women’s rights is incredibly important.

    Actress and writer Mira Sethi revealed yesterday that she had met the boy by tracing him down on Twitter, and described him as her ‘hero’.

    “Remember the kid who stood up to that vile reporter at Aurat March Lahore?” she wrote, “I found him on Twitter, asked if I could come over to express my gratitude and met his whole family. Muhammad Ali is only 20, but he radiates clarity and courage. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure his light is never dimmed. So full of gratitude today.”

    Syed Aly Jaffery also shared the interaction on his Twitter page and called her a ‘nice and amazing person’

  • Chinese bank to provide Pakistan with another $500 million loan soon

    Chinese bank to provide Pakistan with another $500 million loan soon

    A Chinese bank has committed to provide Pakistan with another refinanced $500 million loan within the next few days. This brings the total of commercial loans to $1.7 billion out of the committed amount of $2 billion.

    Pakistani authorities are currently seeking 100 per cent confirmation from friendly donor countries and multilateral creditors before moving towards an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF has set an unwritten condition that Pakistan must secure refinancing of commercial loans and a rollover on deposits from China during the program period, which is set to expire in June 2023.

    A top official from the Finance Division confirmed that another $500 million commercial loan from a Chinese bank is on its way and will be completed soon. Chinese banks have already provided refinancing of $1.2 billion in commercial loans in the past few weeks, and Beijing has given assurance on another $500 million in loan refinancing in the next few days. Pakistan has also requested a rollover on the Chinese SAFE deposit of $2 billion within the ongoing month.

    All these factors are prerequisites for moving towards the signing of a staff-level agreement between the IMF and Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities are waiting for confirmation from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, as well as from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to fulfill the external financing needs of $6 billion until the end of June 2023. The guarantees for securing external financing are crucial for the sustainability of the IMF program.

    Brent crude and WTI are both down in the international market, which is good news for Pakistan’s economy. However, the IMF has secretly launched “Inclusive growth in the MENA region” at NUST. The IMF high-ups argued that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) possessing a major footprint resulted in the crowding out of the private sector. Pakistan’s budget makers have also assured the IMF that they will prepare gender-based budgeting in the next financial year.

    To meet the IMF’s demands, the CPI-based and SPI-based inflations have risen to unprecedented levels of 31.5 per cent every month and 42.3 per cent every week. The development budget of the federal government, known as the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), has been slashed by 50 per cent for the current fiscal year in line with the Fund’s demand to curtail the budget deficit target.

  • Syeda Aliza reveals how to overcome heartbreak from divorce

    Syeda Aliza reveals how to overcome heartbreak from divorce

    Syeda Alizey Sultan, who has recently divorced actor Feroze Khan, has been outspoken about the physical and mental violence she had suffered during the marriage.

    Sultan did an Instagram Q/A session with her followers yesterday and among many things, she opened up about how she overcame the heartbreak and depression, moving on to become a much happier person.

    In response to a fan’s question, Sultan said:

    “When you have Allah, family, your loved ones and immense love and support from you guys. Then every situation is manageable.”

    Sultan also shared an ayat that had helped her cope with difficult times, and said talking to Allah was the best form of therapy for her.

    On the prospect of marrying again, Sultan said she would let things happen on their own time rather than rush in to a new thing.

    “Marriage is half of your deen and everything happens at its appointed time.”

    Sultan then shared the biggest lessons she had learned from her divorce, including being financially independent and remembering to love herself before anyone else.

  • Will stop police from arresting Khan if he surrenders, says court

    Will stop police from arresting Khan if he surrenders, says court

    An Islamabad court said on Thursday that it can ask Islamabad police not to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan if he surrenders himself before the authorities.

    The judge passed the remarks while hearing the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) reference seeking criminal proceedings against Imran for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts.

    At the outset of the hearing, the PTI chief’s lawyer Khawaja Harris read out the IHC’s order on the party’s petition against the arrest warrants.

    In response, the judge said that the trial court has not received the IHC’s order through the official process, but noted that the issue can be resolved quickly and asked where Khan was.

    “Has Imran Khan presented himself before the court?” the judge asked. At this, Harris asked the judge whether it was important for the former prime minister to appear before the court in person.

    “We want Imran Khan to appear before the court. Why isn’t he presenting himself before us? What’s the reason?” he asked, noting that in line with the law, Khan should assist the police and not resist it.

    “Imran Khan created a scene by resisting [arrest],” the judge said, adding that the IHC’s order also mentions that the lower court’s order should not be affected through “illegal actions”.

    The judge remarked that there “would be no issue” if the warrants were bailable, but the warrants issued against Khan were non-bailable. “The arguments you have presented are related to bailable arrest warrants,” the judge told the lawyer.

    Harris then asked the judge whether he wanted to remain stern and keep Khan’s arrest warrants active. At this, the judge remarked that the warrants were issued to ensure Khan’s presence in person.

    The lawyer then added Khan himself has said that he wants to appear before the court and he is not seeking any exemptions.

    You have two options, Harris said, adding that the first option is to suspend the non-bailable warrant by accepting the undertaking request, and the second is to accept the surety and issue a bailable arrest warrant.

    PTI’s lawyers, requesting to suspend the arrest warrants, said that Khan wants to give an undertaking to the court that he will appear in the session court on March 18.

    The judge then said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should also be issued a notice. At this, the lawyer said that the court should issue the notice and summon the election commission today.

    Judge Iqbal also asked Khan’s counsel why the situation in Lahore’s Zaman Park was “bad”. “This warrant has become not only the most expensive in Pakistan but the world. The government has spent millions of rupees to follow through on this warrant.”

    Khan’s counsel lamented that whatever is happening at Zaman Park should not have taken place, and at this, the judge said that Khan should have been brought straight to the court.

    “It is not possible that Imran Khan is harassed when he appears before the court. We are a poor country and it is not feasible to spend millions of rupees on a warrant.”

    The judge added that if the PTI chief surrenders himself to the authorities, then he would tell the police to stand down and asked the counsel what could be amended in Khan’s warrants.

    Harris then pleaded that Khan is giving an undertaking and that the court should suspend his warrants. “The warrants were issued in line with the law, then why did [authorities] face resistance? It is the nation’s money. The most you could have done was to hold a peaceful protest.”

    The judge said in criminal cases, suspects appear before the court and once they do, the non-bailable arrest warrants are suspended. “The police can’t sit idle when arrest warrants are issued for March 18.”

    The judge then added that he was issuing a notice to the ECP and adjourned the hearing till 12pm.

  • ‘Comfort is boring’: Priyanka’s veiled barb about Shah Rukh Khan

    Priyanka Chopra was recently asked to comment on Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan’s statement about not working in Hollywood because “I am comfortable here.”

    Chopra was attending the SXSW festival where she was promoting her upcoming series Citadel. The actress and Khan had previously worked together in Don and Don 2, before she shifted to Hollywood to star in the series Quantico.

    In response to Khan’s statement, Chopra had said that she doesn’t share the same sentiments:

    “Comfort is boring to me. I am not arrogant, I am self-assured. I know what I am doing when I walk onto a set. I don’t need the validation of executives. I am willing to take auditions, I am willing to work. I do not carry the baggage of my success in one country when I walk into another country.”

    Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan worked together in Don 1 in 2016. The two were rumoured to be romantically involved during the shoot.

    Chopra further went on to say that her father, who was from the military, had taught her to be disciplined and remain focused on her job:

    “I am very professional and if you ask people around me, I am known for my professionalism. I take pride in it. My father was in the military and he taught me the value of discipline. He taught me not to take the value of what you have been given for granted.”

    The ‘White Tiger’ actor further stressed that she was able to build a legacy for herself because of her hard work, because of which she has learned to dodge bullets and just focus on her job.

  • Govt hikes petrol price by Rs5 to Rs272 per litre to match global market changes

    Govt hikes petrol price by Rs5 to Rs272 per litre to match global market changes

    As per a press release from the Finance Division, the government has decided to raise the price of petrol by Rs5 per litre to Rs272 per litre for the next two weeks, effective from March 16 (Thursday).

    The statement noted that the increase was due to the rise in Platts Singapore prices over the past two weeks and the depreciation of the Pak Rupee, resulting in a hike in petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) products in Pakistan.

    The notification further disclosed that the price of high-speed diesel has been increased by Rs13 per litre to Rs293 per litre, and kerosene has been raised by Rs2.56 per litre to Rs190.29 per litre by reducing government dues on them. However, the price of light diesel oil has been kept constant at Rs184.68 per litre by adjusting government dues.

    It’s worth mentioning that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had previously announced a reduction in petrol prices by Rs5 per litre on February 28.