Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Apni hadd mein raho’: Male MNA reacts after female ministers unite to slam his remarks against Hina Rabbani

    ‘Apni hadd mein raho’: Male MNA reacts after female ministers unite to slam his remarks against Hina Rabbani

    Women Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from treasury benches extended their support for State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, after Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali criticised her on the recent visit to Afghanistan.

    MNA Chitrali said that he was not against any female minister, but he believed that the government should have included some tribal elders in the Khar-led delegation that visited Afghanistan.

    Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman defended the decision, saying that if Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari decided to send a women delegation to [Kabul], he is correct in making this choice. “This is a message from Pakistan that this government and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) work and takes pride in promoting its women, protecting their rights and giving them representation,” she said.

    Quoting the example of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, the minister said she was the first elected woman prime minister of Pakistan and was highly praised across the globe.

    “This debate on gender difference has ended in the entire world, as to who is a man and who a woman. People are known for their performance and merit and not for their gender. Our women are excelling internationally and continuing to do so,” said the minister.

    Referring to the incumbent government, she said: “We, being coalition partners, are on one page and Khar’s visit to Afghanistan has projected the soft image of Pakistan.”

    Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also spoke up, asking that all parliamentarians, especially the male community, should encourage and acknowledge the competency of women ministers appointed on merit.

    “Hina represented Pakistan in Afghanistan. This is a moment of pride for the entire nation,” she said, rebuffing Chitrali’s objections.

    She said the Taliban rulers had no problem negotiating with Khar, who had taken up Pakistan’s concerns very well during her trip to Kabul.

    Right from Fatima Jinnah to Kulsoom Nawaz and Najma Hameed, she said, women had sacrificed to strengthen democracy in the country. They were all pride of Pakistan, she added.

    “This is a wrong impression from our side that such gender discriminations is happening in our own parliament, in Pakistan. I got emotional seeing Hina Rabbani Khar sahiba sitting at the table alongside the Afghanistan government doing the negotiations. We in Pakistan should be proud of her,” said Aurangzeb.

    Later, Chitrali took to the floor of the house and promptly got into a verbal dispute with Aurangzeb and PPP Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri said, “Don’t try to scare me. I am not scared of anyone. Who are you? Aram say betho [ Sit down]. We respect women, but they should remain within their limits.”

    Ayaz Sadiq then intervened, after which Chitrali offered an apology, stating that he was sorry if his remarks hurt anyone.

    He added that his comments were taken in a negative context as he did not mean what his colleagues thought he had said.

  • Old Pakistani embassy building in US to be sold by govt after lying vacant for 15 years

    Old Pakistani embassy building in US to be sold by govt after lying vacant for 15 years

    Owing to the country’s dire economic condition, Pakistan has decided to sell its old embassy building located in the United States (US).

    The Foreign Office has permitted the Pakistani embassy in Washington to sell its old building, which has been vacant for the past 15 years, according to ARY News.

    According to sources familiar with the matter, the building in the heart of Washington is worth $5 to $6 million and is being sold as a result of Pakistan’s dire economic condition.

    A case involving two old Chancery buildings in Washington, DC, at 2201 R Street and 2315 Massachusetts Avenue, which had sat empty since the Pakistan Embassy there was transferred to a specially constructed Chancery Building in April 2003, was previously revealed.

    Earlier in August, sources stated that Pakistan was planning to give Qatar shares of the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, New York, in exchange for Doha’s investment in the aviation industry.

    The Roosevelt Hotel, which opened its doors in 1924, is one of the country’s iconic hotels and is located in Manhattan’s opulent downtown.

  • 765,000 people left Pakistan in 2022

    765,000 people left Pakistan in 2022

    765,000 people left Pakistan in 2022 to seek better educational opportunities outside the country, Waqas Ahmed reports for Express Tribune. Compared to the 225,000 departures in 2021 and the 288,000 immigrants in 2020, these numbers are almost quadruple.

    Almost 92,000 people in the list are doctors, engineers, informational technology experts and accountants by profession

    .
    “The effects of the deteriorating economic situation as well as political uncertainty have begun to affect the workforce of Pakistan,” a bureau official said while talking to The Express Tribune.

    “Hundreds of thousands of young men, including highly educated people, who are worried about inflation, unemployment and uncertain economic and political situation, are going abroad every year in search of employment,” he added.

    According to the documents, more than 92,000 graduates, 350,000 trained workers, and the same number of untrained labourers left the country in 2022. The documents additionally revealed that 736,000 individuals visited the Gulf states.

  • No one is ready to invest in Pakistan, says Imran Khan

    No one is ready to invest in Pakistan, says Imran Khan

    Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), addressed his supporters on Monday about the alarming economic crisis in the country.

    He started off by clarifying that he was not only addressing the nation but was also speaking to the institutions as economic deterioration would affect the entire country.

    Khan said that amid the ongoing economic downturn, small and large-scale businesses are the most affected. He added that exports are also declining gradually.

    “This might be the biggest economic crisis that this country has ever witnessed,” the PTI chief said.

    Moreover, he urged the business community to speak up. “I want to tell all of you that you will be responsible for the destruction of the country if you do not speak up,” he said.

    He pointed out that no one is ready to invest in Pakistan as they have lost trust in the country’s economy.

    Khan, concluding the address, said that the only solution to the crisis is free and fair elections.

    The former Prime Minister has been asking for early general elections, however, the government has said that polls will take place on their scheduled time in October 2023.

  • Lahore police arrests three people involved in online gambling

    Lahore police arrests three people involved in online gambling

    Lahore police arrested three people for engaging in online (digital) gambling and recovered Rs1 lakh cash and three cell phones from their possession.

    According to The News, the accused were named as Shoaib, Salim, and the ringleader, Faizan.

    The accused Faizan developed the betting app, in which more than 100 people were involved. The accused used to bet on all sporting events, including football, hockey, tennis, and cricket, through the app.

    Besides this, there are still a number of gambling applications available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that anybody can download and use for betting purposes.

    Numerous websites provide advice on how to gamble, such as by changing a few personal details or signing up to bet using a random name.

  • PAK vs ENG: Saud Shakeel’s dismissal sparks debate on social media

    PAK vs ENG: Saud Shakeel’s dismissal sparks debate on social media

    The middle-order batter Saud Shakeel was given out during a vital stage of the second Test match against England, sparking yet another controversy on social media.

    The left-hander nicked Mark Wood’s delivery on the leg-side, which was saved by wicket-keeper Ollie Pope with a fully extended dive. He was just six runs away from a magnificent century.

    Field umpires also awarded Saud Shakeel the benefit of the doubt since it was evident from the action replay that the ball impacted the ground. But the TV Umpire was asked to look into the situation.

    The third empire gave him out despite the review indicating that the ball struck the ground first, shocking spectators and the Pakistan team.

    Speaking to the media after the match, Babar revealed that everyone, including him, in the dressing room felt the ball had touched the ground.

    “The Shakeel dismissal cost us,” he said. “It looked to us as if the ball had touched the ground. As a professional, you have to respect the umpire’s decision, but we felt the ball had been grounded.”

    Former England captain Michael Vaughan also questioned the third umpire’s decision on his Twitter account, saying “Thought I saw a little bit of the ball hitting the ground with that last dismissal. What another great Test match.”

    ESPNcricinfo also questioned the decision and asked on its official Twitter account, “Was that a clean catch by Pope?”

    A number of fans believe that it was a “clear not out” and the issue has sparked plenty of debate on social media.

  • Gold price hits historic high of Rs169,650 per tola in Pakistan

    Gold price hits historic high of Rs169,650 per tola in Pakistan

    On Monday, the price of gold in Pakistan reached an all-time high of Rs169,650 a tola as investors continued to seek refuge in the safe-haven metal due to growing worries that the country’s economic situation will become worse.

    According to Geo, the rates of gold increased by Rs2,350 per tola and Rs2,016 per 10 grams, respectively, according to statistics supplied by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA). These prices eventually reached an all-time high of Rs169,650 and Rs145,448.

    Gold has reached many heights recently and concluded the week at Rs167,300 per tola after rising by Rs4,000, or 2.49 per cent, during the week that ended December 10.

    In the meantime, silver prices rose over the key Rs1,900 per tola mark. Price increases of Rs80 per tola and Rs68.58 per 10 grams brought the price to an all-time high of Rs1,970 and Rs1,688.95.

    Investors’ attention has switched to gold as a result of the dollar scarcity since the price of yellow metal is also increasing on the global market.

  • ‘Gen Bajwa apkay mohsin thay, aap mohsinkush niklay’: PM Shehbaz to Imran Khan

    ‘Gen Bajwa apkay mohsin thay, aap mohsinkush niklay’: PM Shehbaz to Imran Khan

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa was Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s benefactor, but the former Premier betrayed him.

    “General Bajwa was your benefactor; you have betrayed him,” said PM Shehbaz to Khan while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

    In reply to a question about the former army chief, Shehbaz Sharif said that since General Bajwa has hung up his boots, he should be allowed to live in peace.

    PM Shehbaz on Daily Mail:

    The prime minister said that Khan and his “minions” were “heartless” when they got involved with Daily Mail.

    “They thought that if this damages Pakistan’s reputation, it won’t matter. They wanted to embarrass the Sharif family no matter what,” the prime minister said.

    “This isn’t just an apology to me, this is an apology to the 220 million people and the mothers and daughters who were affected in the floods,” he said about the apology issued to him by the British newspaper.

    The prime minister also noted that Daily Mail published the apology to him in one million printed copies last Sunday. “This is Daily Mail’s timeline. This was a huge conspiracy against Pakistan, but it was Allah’s mercy that it was proven wrong,” he said.

    “I do not use the word ‘fraud’, but this is what Imran did”: Shehbaz Sharif

    The Prime Minister then talked about the Toshakhana scandal, stating that Imran sold the one-of-a-kind watch that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman had gifted to him.

    “Imran made a cheap move by selling the watch that contained the image of Holy Kaaba,” Shehbaz Sharif said, adding that nobody can deny that the watch was not sold after the evidence that has come to light.

    “I do not use the word ‘fraud’, but that is what Imran did. The shop owner — whose receipts that PTI showed — has also clarified that it is not his handwriting on the receipt,” PM Shehbaz pointed out.

    Khan’s treatment with other politicians

    Berating PTI further, PM Shehbaz said that the former rulering party tried to malign Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, his family, and his party by levelling baseless allegations against them.

  • Critics unimpressed by Harry and Meghan docuseries

    Critics unimpressed by Harry and Meghan docuseries

    The first project produced for Netflix by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has left critics’ mostly unimpressed. Almost five days after the first three episodes of the duo’s docuseries titled ‘Harry & Meghan’ was released by the streaming giant, the reviews are in, and they are not very kind.

    Washington Post has termed ‘Harry & Meghan ‘ a “yawner”, with a reviewer asking if the couple “have anything else to say”.

    Hollywood’s entertainment magazine of record, Variety, was no less unkind, writing : “The Sussexes surprise us yet again, with just how narrow their vision of their fame is, how pinched and unimaginative their presence on the world stage has become.”

    On American online magazine Slate, reviewer Nadira Goffe called the series, “a bit of a mess”, stating that it can’t decide if it wants to be a “history analysis or juicy tell-all”.

    French reviewer Laura Sagalovitsch minced no words either, stating that the Sussexes are, “nothing but a vague actress and a fallen prince, both united behind the idea of selling to the highest bidder the story of their undying vacuousness”.

    Germany’s Der Spiegel asked it’s readers why Harry s telling this story on the very platform that is “currently exploiting his mother’s sad life as entertainment in the mega hit series The Crown remains unclear. Perhaps it has to do with a lot of money.”

    The New York Times tempered it’s review, writing that the docuseries “has all the intimacy of Instagram”.

    The series is however, a ratings bonanza, currently behind Tim Burton’s Wednesday on Netflix. Given the hefty price tag that Netflix is paying the Sussexes for the joint productions, many media outlets are speculating whether the streaming service will be forced to review it’s production terms.

  • England beat Pakistan by 26 runs to win second Test

    England beat Pakistan by 26 runs to win second Test

    On their first tour since 2005, England defeated Pakistan in the Test series, winning the second Test match in Multan by a score of 26 runs. Since winning a Test series in Pakistan in 2000, England hadn’t won a Test series in the country in 22 years.

    This marks the third Test series victory for England against Pakistan.

    The England team led by Nasser Hussain defeated Pakistan 1-0 over the course of a three-match series in 2000. Pakistan eventually defeated England 2-0 in the subsequent Test series there in 2005.

    Since then, Pakistan has played its home games in the United Arab Emirates, where they have never lost to England in two Test tours in 2012 and 2015.

    Pakistan lost the first two games of the three-match series because they had no response against a powerful English team. Despite a valiant effort on the part of Saud Shakeel, Imam-ul-Haq, and Mohammad Nawaz, the Men in Green were unable to successfully chase down a target of 355 runs during the Multan Test.

    As they held Pakistan to 328 in the last innings of the second Test, English bowlers struck frequently. When the two teams square off in the final Test match at Karachi on December 17, the Three Lions will be looking to sweep the series.