Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Get Khan’s blood test done, if he is not addicted to cocaine and ice, I will resign’: Rana Sanaullah

    ‘Get Khan’s blood test done, if he is not addicted to cocaine and ice, I will resign’: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanullah has said that he has every intention of arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, but is bound by permission from the government and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to do the same.

    Speaking on Geo News’s programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Rana said,” Get Imran Khan’s blood test done, if he is not addicted to cocaine and ice, I will resign.”

    Talking about elections, Sanaullah said that Khan wants to create anarchy in the country. He went on to say that Khan repeatedly claimed that he will block the roads and a sea of people would come out but he failed to do so. Sanaullah further added that this time he will be dealt with rather strictly.

    On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi opposed putting Khan behind the bars immediately.

    “Even if Imran Khan has done something, I’m not in favour of putting anyone in jail,” the former Premier said while speaking with journalists in Islamabad.

    Commenting on the ongoing cases against the PTI chief, Abbasi said: “After completing this matter, punish Imran Khan if he has done anything.”

    Abbasi added that Khan has committed several wrongs and admitted the mistakes himself. “Imran Khan has himself spoken without any limits. I’m not referring to hearsay, but talking about his own confessions.”

  • ‘Not my govt’; Maryam Nawaz distances herself from her party’s rule

    ‘Not my govt’; Maryam Nawaz distances herself from her party’s rule

    Senior Vice-president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, has distanced herself from her party’s administration, stating, “This is not my government.”

    Talking to a delegation of youth representatives in Lahore, the Chief Organiser of the party acknowledged that inflation is badly affecting poor people in the government but added that she was not a part of the current government.

    The federal government is formed of a coalition of parties of which PML-N is the largest partner, holding the portfolio of Prime Minister and multiple ministries including Finance.

    When asked about spiralling inflation, Maryam Nawaz said that PML-N is not responsible for it. “It will be our [PML-N’s] government when [party head] Nawaz Sharif will be in Pakistan,” she stated, adding that only he can take the country towards progress.

  • Saying ‘qabool hai’ just got more expensive: Mini-budget proposes increased tax rates on weddings, related events

    Saying ‘qabool hai’ just got more expensive: Mini-budget proposes increased tax rates on weddings, related events

    The Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2023 proposes to reintroduce advance tax on functions and gatherings, requiring a tax withholding of 10 per cent for filers and 20 per cent for non-filers.

    The tax rate will be applied to the total amount of the bill from the individual or entity hosting the function, whether it is in a marriage hall, marquee, hotel, restaurant, commercial lawn, club, community place, or any other location used for such purposes.

    If the food, service, or any other facility is provided by another person, the host must also collect advance tax on the payment for such items at a rate of 10 per cent for filers and 20 per cent for non-filers. This tax will be adjustable against income subject to the normal tax regime and refundable if it cannot be adjusted.

    The proposed supplementary finance bill has introduced advanced tax on air tickets, marriage halls, hotels, commercial lawns, marquees, and clubs. Additionally, a 10 per cent advance tax will be levied on wedding ceremonies. Duty on business and first-class air travel has also been increased.

    The bill also suggests a 10 per cent hike in the tax on the retail price of beverages. Furthermore, the FED on cement will increase from Rs1.5 to Rs2 per kg after a proposed rise of 50 paisas per kg.

    The supplementary finance bill has also proposed an increase in the FED on cigarettes.

    • The proposed supplementary finance bill suggests a tax of Rs16,500 per 1,000 cigarettes for the tier 1 category, and Rs5,050 per 1,000 cigarettes for the tier 2 category.
    • The bill proposes a 10 per cent tax on sugary juices, syrups, squashes, and artificial sweeteners, and an 18 per cent GST on the retail prices of all items.
    • Imported mobile phones worth more than $500 will see an increase in GST from 17 per cent to 25 per cent.
    • The same 25 per cent rate will be applicable to all luxury goods.
    • The bill proposes a levy of 20 per cent or Rs50,000 FED for air tickets.
    • No additional tax will be applied to wheat, rice, milk, pulses, vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, meat, or poultry.
    • Real estate or property will not be subject to any tax in the mini budget.
    • The document proposes an increase in the monthly stipend for beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Program, with the program’s budget increased by 40 per cent.
  • ‘Ye kya chal raha hai’: social media curious after Urvashi Rautela wishes Naseem Shah ‘happy birthday’

    ‘Ye kya chal raha hai’: social media curious after Urvashi Rautela wishes Naseem Shah ‘happy birthday’

    Yesterday social media lit up once more on speculations on what exactly is going on between Urvashi Rautela and Pakistan cricket pacer Naseem Shah. Sparks flew in September 2022 when the Bollywood actor shared an edited video of her and the 19 year old cricket player. When asked about the video by the media, Rautela responded by saying that the video was made by her fans, and she didn’t know the other person in it.
    Now this time, fans are convinced daal main kuch kaala hai when under a post where Shah had sent good wishes to Shadab Khan for his wedding, Rautela posted a birthday wish to the cricket player.

    “Happy birthday @inaseemshah congratulations on being conferred with honorary DSP rank”

    This smol but meaningful interaction has fans scratching their heads regarding the bond between Naseem Shah and Rautela.

    https://twitter.com/WarisKh73892101/status/1625883223145459713?s=20
  • Imported mobiles priced above $500 to become more expensive under proposed GST of 25%

    Imported mobiles priced above $500 to become more expensive under proposed GST of 25%

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has put forward a proposal to significantly augment the sales tax on imported mobile phones.

    This proposal is part of the Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2023, which incorporates amendments to the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act 1990, specifically focusing on mobile phones.

    As per the proposed bill, a sales tax of 25 per cent would be applicable on premium mobile phones that are imported and have a value of more than Rs132,000 ($500).

    The proposed amendment entails an increase in sales tax from 17 per cent to 18 per cent for imported mobile phones with an import value ranging from Rs53,000 ($200) to Rs132,000 ($500).

    It is noteworthy that this range includes two distinct categories within the Ninth Schedule, namely $200-$350 and $350-$500.

    It has been announced that the sales tax rate for imported mobile phones with a value up to $200 will remain unchanged. No proposed changes have been put forward for this import value category.

  • Hasan Raheem’s downtime activity is reading about SRK-and we approve.

    Hasan Raheem’s downtime activity is reading about SRK-and we approve.

    It looks like aside from singing, Hasan Raheem has superior reading taste which got approval from an Indian author herself!
    Shrayana Bhattacharya, the author of “Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh Khan”, tweeted a few days ago about her fondness for singer Hasan Raheem and his song Peanut Butter. She also hoped that he would perform at a concert in India some day.

    “Never thought I’d be listening to a song titled “Peanut Butter” on loop. But here we are. After an accident on the internet introduced me to the musical smarts of @hasanraheeem , I’ll hope he’ll be in concert in India someday. #peechayhutt“

    Yesterday, Bhattacharya tweeted a picture of Raheem holding up her book, and wrote about how much this had moved her.

    “Amidst many reasons offered by the news cycle and social media to frown, this photo moved me so very much. When #DesperatelySeekingShahRukh reached the amazing artist @hasanraheeem.”

    On her Instagram stories, the author also shared the special note she had sent to Raheem:

    “Your music has helped me write and has been the soundtrack to my life recently. So much admiration. Hope you will perform in India soon.”

    Raheem later sent Shrayana a message, thanking her for the wholesome gift and promised that he would definitely perform in India some day!

    “Just got the book Shrayana, this meant a lot me. The heartwarming note that you left moved me completely. Hoping I come to India to perform for you and all my people there. Have a blessed life and meri dua hai upar wala apki har takleef door karay”

    Seriously who is cutting onions here?

    Social media users are also moved by this exchange, and witnessing their two kings in the same picture

  • Shahid Khaqan Abbasi confirms Gen Bajwa wanted an extension

    Shahid Khaqan Abbasi confirms Gen Bajwa wanted an extension

    Former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has confirmed that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa did indeed ask for an extension from the incumbent government.

    Talking on Geo News’ programme ‘Capital Talk’, Abbasi told senior journalist Hamid Mir that he met former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bajwa twice in November 2022. “I met him twice. He knows what I said,” the PML-N leader said in reply to Mir asking him if he was campaigning for an extension for the former army head.

    “I can say that other than Nawaz Sharif, I was the one man who was openly against giving an extension,” he categorically said, adding that he even told his party to leave the government if it was being pressurised to grant the extension.

    He said that in 2018, one year before General Bajwa got an extension in his tenure of service, he told the COAS that he will destroy his own reputation and mar the image of the institution he represents. “I said the same thing in 2022, that this extension will completely destroy the country’s systems,” he stated.

    Hamid Mir then said, “So this means he was trying to get an extension.”

    “He absolutely was,” Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in reply, adding that General Bajwa had sent a “clear message” for an extension.

    When asked whether his government was threatened with a martial law, the PML-N leader said that he has no knowledge of such a threat. “But, a lot of people from a lot of parties were in favour of this,” he said, emphasizing that only one man was very clear about not granting an extension. “That was Nawaz Sharif,” he said.

    The host asked Shahid Khaqan Abbasi if he used to meet General Bajwa and then fly to London to talk to his party head Nawaz Sharif. “Yes I did. It was done in the country’s interest,” he replied. Elaborating further, he said that he was outside the country when he received “suspicious” news and then went to party supremo Nawaz Sharif. “I met General Bajwa with Nawaz Sharif’s permission. Then I went back and told Mian Sb what happened, gave my option and came back.”

    He clarified that he told the army head that a smooth transition of command was his biggest responsibility and will be his legacy. “I repeated this to him again and again. He is now part of history. It is not appropriate to discuss this now,” he concluded.

  • Man murders girlfriend, marries another woman on the same day

    New Delhi police has arrested arrested 24-year-old Sahil Gahlot on February 14 for murdering his longtime girlfriend Nikki Yadav and stuffing her body in a refrigerator inside his restaurant.
    Gahlot had killed the deceased between February 9 and 10, by strangling her with the phone data cable he kept in his car.
    The murderer and Yadav had been in a relationship since 2018. After the covid-19 lockdown, they began living together in Greater Noida in a rented house. However, Gahlot’s parents were not aware of this relationship, and were pressurizing him to marry another woman. Around December 2022, Gahlot got engaged but did not inform Yadav.
    According to the police, Yadav asked Gahlot to come to her flat in Uttam Nagar where she pleaded with him not to get married to the other woman, and threatened to tell the family if he refused to listen to her.
    “She had already planned to go with him to Goa and had booked tickets for February 9. She asked him to accompany her to Goa but he refused. This led to an argument and in anger, he killed her inside his car,” the officer told Deccan Herald.
    Gahlot tied the knot with the other woman on the same day.
    Special Commissioner of Police Ravindra Singh was able to arrest Gahlot when on February 14, they received a secret tip that Sahil Gahlot murdered his girlfriend and married another woman on the same day.
    When the mobile number of the accused was found to be switched off, a police team arrived at Mitraon village, where the accused lived, but he was there. After an intensive search of the village and other areas, Gahlot was arrested at Kair Village in Delhi.
    During interogation, the officer told Deccan Herald that Gahlot had tried to mislead the police, but then later revealed to them that he had murdered Yadav.

  • Koh-i-Noor to be removed from Queen Camilla’s coronation crown

    Queen Camilla of Great Britain will wear Queen Mary’s crown at King Charles’ coronation without the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

    The Koh-i-Noor will be replaced by Queen Elizabeth II’s Cullinam III, IV and V diamonds in a tribute to the late beloved monarch.

    The famed Koh-i-Noor is being removed so that there are no reminders of England’s colonial past at the coronation ceremony. The diamond has, at various times, been claimed by Pakistan, India and Iran. The 105.6 carat diamond was seized by the East India Company from Punjab in 1849.

    It was handed over to Queen Victoria and has been part of the crown jewels since then.

    It is now at permanent display in the Tower of London where all crown jewels are kept when not in use.

  • Shehbaz Sharif to leave today for two-day visit to Turkiye

    Shehbaz Sharif to leave today for two-day visit to Turkiye

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for a two-day visit to Turkiye on Thursday to convey his “heartfelt condolences” over the loss of life in the massive earthquake that struck the country on February 6.

    The Foreign Office has confirmed in a press release that the Prime Minister will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and offer condolences on the staggering loss of life on behalf of the Pakistani people.

    He will also visit southern Turkey, which took the brunt of the damage of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and it’s massive aftershocks. The Premier is scheduled to meet earthquake survivors and the rescue and relief teams that Pakistan has sent to aid in the area.

    On Thursday morning Shehbaz Sharif posted a message on Twitter, stating that he will convey a message of solidarity and support for the Turkish people. “True to the spirit of one nation living in two states, we consider their loss as ours.”

    Continuing in another tweet, the Prime Minister wrote, “Natural disasters as the earthquake in Türkiye & Syria are beyond the capacity of any single government to handle. No country, howsoever resourceful, can deal with devastation of this magnitude. It is time the world came forward & extended support to the suffering humanity.”

    The Pakistani government has already sent a 51-memver rescue team to Turkey along with relief goods.