Author: newsdesk

  • Won’t let provincial assemblies fall prey to Imran Khan’s ego, says Rana Sanaullah

    Won’t let provincial assemblies fall prey to Imran Khan’s ego, says Rana Sanaullah

    On Saturday, Railways and Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Food Security Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema held a press conference in Lahore, calling on the apex court to take suo motu notice of the ongoing political turmoil in Punjab.

    Sanaullah said that the Governor has the constitutional right to ask the CM to attain a vote of confidence if he plans to dissolve the provincial assembly to satisfy someone’s ego.

    He added that they would not let two provincial assemblies fall prey to [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman] Imran Khan’s arrogance.

    “Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is trying to ensure that all the assemblies complete their tenure,” he said.
    He added that they do not intend to avoid elections; in fact, they are preparing their candidates for general polls.

    Rana added that the LHC provided ultimate relief to Parvez Elahi. He said that he has heard PTI is offering Rs20 million each to their estranged MPAs.
    “Imran wants the establishment to indulge in politics and help him attain power once again,” said Rafique.

  • PCB appoints Shahid Afridi as chief selector for New Zealand series

    PCB appoints Shahid Afridi as chief selector for New Zealand series

    Former captain Shahid Afridi will head the new interim selection committee for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the latest change since the team was thrashed by England.

    Ramiz Raja was removed as head of the PCB on Thursday, and a 14-member management committee took over.

    Before selecting Afridi, the main committee, led by the former chairman Najam Sethi, also sacked chief selector Mohammad Wasim.

    According to the PCB, former players Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar were also nominated selectors. The changes follow Pakistan’s first-ever 3-0 home whitewash by England this month.

    Announcing Afridi’s appointment, PCB Management Committee chief Najam Sethi tweeted: “I welcome the interim Men’s National Selection Committee and have no doubts that, despite limited time, they will make brave and bold decisions that will help us produce a strong and competitive side in the series against New Zealand.”

    “I feel honoured to have been assigned this responsibility,” said Afridi, who retired from international cricket in 2017. “We need to get back to our winning ways and I have no doubts that through meritocratic and strategic selection decisions, we will help the national side to perform.”

    In a career marked by his hard-hitting batting, Afridi represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 398 one-day matches, and 99 Twenty20 matches.

    A two-match Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand is underway, with the first game taking place in Karachi on Monday.

  • A twitter user requested followers for help in editing a photo and they had some hilarious responses.

    A twitter user requested followers for help in editing a photo and they had some hilarious responses.

    We all know how Twitter conjure up humor out of anything normal. Recently this twitter user requested her audience to edit her picture by removing a man standing next to her.

    And users rose to the challenge with some hilarious edits. We are sharing some of the best replies with you.

    https://twitter.com/Dahcatman/status/1606364395465998343?s=20&t=yPzJsZmrlCqEeEejvwF4Qg

  • Charles Sobraj, the true story serial killer in the Netflix series ‘The Serpent’, walks free after 18 years

    Charles Sobraj, the true story serial killer in the Netflix series ‘The Serpent’, walks free after 18 years

    French serial killer Charles Sobraj has been granted freedom from a 20 year prison sentence in Nepal. The Frenchman is now flying back to his home country.

    The serial killer had been the inspiration behind the Netflix limited series “The Serpent” which narrated the string of murders Sobraj had committed in South Asia during the 1970’s.

    Sobraj was nicknamed “The Serpent” because of his reputation as an escape artist and ability to hide with the help of disguises.

    Sobraj confessed in 2004 to the murder of Canadian and American backpackers. Nepal’s Supreme Court had ruled that the serial killer could be released on account of his ailing health due to heart failure, good behavior and having completed his life sentence. In Nepal, life sentences are only 20 years.

    Sobraj had previously been held in a high-security prison in New Delhi for two decades on suspicion of robbery, but he had been deported without charges to France in 1997. However, the Frenchman had later re-emerged in Kathmandu in September 2003. The serial killer has also been believed to be responsible for at least 20 murders in countries like India, Afghanistan, Thailand, Turkey, Iran and Hong Kong during the 1970’s.

  • Suzuki announces free registration for Wagon R amid sales slump, production issues

    Suzuki announces free registration for Wagon R amid sales slump, production issues

    Suzuki Wagon R buyers can now benefit from a free registration offer on the purchase of an automatic gear shift (AGS) variant thanks to a limited-time offer from Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC).

    According to sources, the automaker is expected to deliver the vehicle 45 to 90 days from the time of booking.

    The company made the announcement on its official Facebook account, stating:

    Don’t wait to avail this amazing offer. Offer is valid across all Suzuki Authorized Dealerships for a limited time only. Terms and conditions applied.

    The Suzuki Wagon R’s base price will drop as a result of this, as stated by the Islamabad Excise and Taxation Department, which states that the registration cost for all vehicles with an engine capacity of under 1000cc is equal to 1 per cent of the car’s original price.

    Meanwhile, Suzuki has not yet made a formal announcement or acknowledged any rumours that the company may be considering retiring the Wagon R owing to weak sales, significant price increases, and production problems.

    Prior to the Suzuki Alto, the 1000cc Wagon R was one of the most popular vehicles on the local auto market.

  • Despite giving assurance to court, Elahi insists assembly ‘will be dissolved’

    Despite giving assurance to court, Elahi insists assembly ‘will be dissolved’

    Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi has said on Friday that the Punjab Assembly will be dissolved in line with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s directives, moments after he assured a high court that he would not dissolve the legislative.

    “The decision to dissolve the assemblies is final; Imran Khan’s decision will be implemented,” the chief minister wrote on his official Twitter handle.

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) restored Elahi as the chief minister on Friday evening, December 23, following an undertaking submitted by him stating that he would not dissolve the provincial assembly.

    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has also emphasized that provincial assemblies will be dissolved “in any case”.

    “The undertaking that Pervaiz Elahi has given is technical. However, the PTI does not agree with the undertaking that was given to the court.

    Assemblies will be dissolved in any case,” Fawad told journalists in Lahore.

  • Principal booked in India for making students recite Iqbal’s ‘Lab pe aati hai dua’

    Principal booked in India for making students recite Iqbal’s ‘Lab pe aati hai dua’

    A principal of a government school in India’s UP state has been booked for making students recite Allama Iqbal’s poem “Lab pe aati hai dua ban kay taamna meri”.

    The principal Nahid Siddiqui was booked after a video of a student reciting the poem went viral on social media. The First Hand Information (FIR) alleged that a “religious prayer” was recited at the government school in a bid to convert the students.

    The school principal has also been suspended by the Education Department. The School has 265 students enrolled in Classes 1 to 8.

    Prominent Indian Journalist Rana Ayyub while sharing the screenshot of the news report wrote, “The principal was suspended for singing this song ‘Ho Mera Kaam Garibon Ki Himayat Karna Dardmando Se Zaifon Se Mohabbat Karna.’ Me, my siblings sang it. Your hate will kill you from within you bigots.”

  • Mobile banking grows by 100% during FY22 in Pakistan

    Mobile banking grows by 100% during FY22 in Pakistan

    According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Annual Payment Systems Review, the size of the digital payments ecosystem witnessed massive increase over the previous fiscal year. The report reveals that internet banking expanded by 51.7 per cent to 141.7 million users in FY22, while mobile phone banking increased by 100.4 per cent to 387.5 million.

    There were 15 million P2P (Person-to-Person) Raast users registered, who carried out 7.9 million transactions worth Rs102.1 billion.

    The report also notes that during FY22, there were 8.4 million and 12.3 million users of mobile phones and internet banking, respectively.

    In terms of transactions, mobile phone banking increased by 100.4 per cent to 387.5m, while internet banking grew by 51.7 per cent to 141.7m during the year.

    In 2021–2022, internet banking transactions had a value of Rs10.2 trillion, increasing 81.1 per cent. The volume of e-commerce transactions increased by 107.4 per cent to 45.5 million, and the value increased by 74.9 per cent to Rs106 billion.

    A total of 32,958 point-of-sale devices were installed during FY22, which caused the network to grow by 45.8 per cent to 104,865. The number of online retailers registered with the banks increased over this time from 3,003 to 4,887. The nation’s ATM network expanded by 4.8 per cent during the course of the year, totaling 17,133 machines.

  • Salman Khan set to launch bodyguard Shera’s son Tiger in Bollywood

    Salman Khan set to launch bodyguard Shera’s son Tiger in Bollywood

    Bollywood actor Salman Khan is reportedly all set to launch his bodyguard Shera’s son, Tiger. The actor is on the lookout for female actors to be cast alongside Tiger, as per a report by Etimes.

    Salman has previously helped launch artists like Sonakshi Sinha, Athiya Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi, among others. Moreover, he has gone on to suggest that he would continue to launch forthcoming actors as long as he can.

    According to a news report by Pinkvilla, Salman Khan had announced that he would launch his bodyguard’s son Tiger’s acting career back in 2019. Moreover, Satish Kaushik has been requested to direct Tiger’s debut film.

    As per the same report, a source close to Salman Khan revealed that the script has been finalised and the narration is also done. They are only yet to finalise a female actor.

    On the work front, Salman will next be seen in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Tiger 3.

  • Taliban defend ban on female education, say women did not observe Hijab

    Taliban defend ban on female education, say women did not observe Hijab

    The minister of higher education in Afghanistan’s Taliban government has given the reason that compelled their administration to ban female education in the country. Acting Higher Education Minister, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, while talking to an Afghan state broadcaster said, “They didn’t observe Hijab; they were coming with the clothes that most women wear to a wedding.”.

    He said the decision was made due to a number of reasons including female students’ inappropriate Islamic clothing and interactions between students of different genders.
    “Girls were studying agriculture and engineering, but this didn’t match Afghan culture. Girls should learn, but not in areas that go against Islam and Afghan honour.”

    The Taliban on Tuesday (December 20) banned women from universities in Afghanistan. The statement was made by the minister of higher education, who stated that it will go into effect right away.

    “You all are informed to implement the mentioned order of suspending education of females until further notice,” said the letter signed by the minister for higher education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem. The letter was issued to all government and private universities.
    The decision was condemned across the globe, with U.N.’s mission in Afghanistan asking the Taliban-run administration to “immediately” revoke the ban.