Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, has said that the then-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s decision to extend the tenure of ex-chief of army staff (COAS) retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2019 was “wrong”.
When asked about background discussions leading to the extension, Qaiser responded: “It was the wrong decision, no matter why or how it was taken.”
While making a candid admission that they [PTI] “regret the mistake”, Qaiser said, “Everyone [in the party ranks] is realising that it was a mistake to grant him (Bajwa) an extension.
Gen (r) Bajwa was appointed as the army chief by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in November 2016. In 2019, then-premier Imran Khan approved an extension in his tenure as COAS for another term — just three months before he was due to retire.
The United States (US) has placed Pakistan on a list of countries that are “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom” during 2022.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this on Friday and said, “Around the world, governments and non-state actors harass, threaten, jail, and even kill individuals on account of their beliefs.”
He noted that the US will not stand by in the face of these abuses.
Apart from Pakistan, the US has placed China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and others. However, Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam are on the Special Watch List for engaging in, or tolerating, severe violations of religious freedom.
This is not the first time that Pakistan is on the list of religious freedom violators.
The Trump administration first placed Pakistan on this list in December 2018 and retained it in 2020 as well. The Biden administration, which came to office in January last year, retained the old list with some changes, but kept Pakistan on it.
Karachi has been ranked as the sixth most affordable city in the world in the Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL) index 2022 by a report published by Economic Intelligence.
The WCOL has ranked Damascus (Syria) as the most affordable city of the world followed by Tripoli (Libya), Tehran (Iran), Tunis (Tunisia), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Karachi (Pakistan).
The report lists Singapore as the most expensive along with New York City. Singapore, bagging the top position for the eighth time in ten years, remains the most expensive in the world, coupled with New York, followed by Tel Aviv (Israel), Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Zurich (Switzerland) in the list of top ten countries. The survey was conducted between August 16 and September 16, tracking the prices of 200 goods.
The reigning king of Pakistani cinema, Humayun Saeed is currently basking in the glory of his last blockbuster film London Nahi Jaunga and season 5 of Netflix’s globally successful web series, The Crown.
For his part in Season 5 of The Crown, Humayun Saeed recently disclosed on Mazaaq Raat that he had to go through several auditions. When he submitted his initial audition, he was shortlisted. When he was eventually chosen for the series, he then re-auditioned with a romance scene.
An extremely emotional moment that was left out of the series, according to Humayun Saeed, was also disclosed. They had to remove the sequence because they were unable to make the episodes of the television series longer than an hour. Diana informs Dr. Hasnat that she would be willing to convert to Islam for him at the moment. Although Humayun claimed to have appreciated the moment, it was ultimately removed.
Prior to the series’ release, Humayun chatted with Dawn’s Maliha Rehman and talked about Netflix’s award-winning juggernaut.
On being asked about the casting process, Humayun said, “It started with a call from Hamid Hussain, who is now my talent agent. He used to manage Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri, and I was in touch with him earlier to cast Nargis in my film. We had remained in touch since then.”
He added: “One evening, I got a call from him, and he informed me that there was a really important international project that he had in mind for me, but I would need to send an audition for it. I only remember auditioning for the first few projects at the start of my career, but I know this is a norm in the West and agreed to it.”
So, he sent the audition in, and soon after he was asked to do an online reading with Elizabeth Debicki, who jas essayed Princess Diana in the latest season. After ten days of waiting, he was told that he has bagged the role of Dr. Hasnat Khan.
‘The Crown’ follows the lives of the British Royal Family and Season 5 sees us in the 1990s nearing the end of Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s marriage. Enter Dr. Hasnat Ahmad Khan, played by Saeed, a British-Pakistani lung and heart surgeon who is most well-known for his romantic relationship with Princess Diana from 1995 to 1997, referred by her as “Mr. Wonderful”.
We just got a first glimpse of his character where he looks barely recognizable. Attention to detail in a show like ‘The Crown’ of course is incredible and it’s the same for Humayun’s look.
When asked about his research and prep work before stepping into the role, he had this to say:
“Before filming began, I got to do a workshop with a real surgeon in the UK to understand how a surgeon would behave and react on the job. Of course, I knew about Dr Hasnat Khan even before I got this role. After my casting was confirmed, the team shared research material with me on the doctor. It included a few interviews, as well as, some images.
“Dr Hasnat Khan is a very private person, which was why he and Princess Diana broke up — he couldn’t handle being in the limelight. Due to this, there is very limited material on him available in the public domain. So, I had to study whatever was shared with me in detail.”
Humayun, for most of his career, is seen playing the hero, so when asked about his transformation into a down-to-earth not very fashionable doctor, he had this to say:
“I would sometimes try to push up my hair right before a scene,” he laughs, “but the stylists on set would immediately notice and they would put my hair back in place. When I saw myself on screen for the first time, I was completely taken aback! I didn’t look like Humayun Saeed at all but like the doctor.
“On a serious note, the makers of ‘The Crown’ are extremely particular about details, and the look that they had created for the doctor had to be followed to the tee. It was very impressive seeing firsthand how they looked into every tiny nuance.”
Humayun also talked about how he could let his diet go for a change, seeing as how he’s often playing the hero which requires strict regimental diets.
“More than being intimidated, I feel that this show puts extra responsibility on anyone who is part of it,” he mused. “People naturally have strong feelings about characters in the show, and memories of the events that we are depicting. Also, some of the people we are representing are alive or have family members who are still alive and that means all of us who are part of this show has to take the responsibility of our roles seriously.”
He also lauded the screenwriter Peter Morgan for handling each character’s portrayal sensitively, calling it the show’s biggest highlight.
Speaking about the energy on set, Humayun revealed that most of his scenes were opposite Elizabeth Debicki, and that he was in awe of her commitment to her craft. Elizabeth of course, is best known for her work in ‘The Great Gatsby,’ ‘Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2’ and ‘Tenet.’
The artist doesn’t think that the series will give him a boost as an actor, rather he hopes to apply all his learnings from this experience to his future projects.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) adamant that the next general elections will be held as per schedule in October 2023.
The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has offered the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government to discuss the possibility of early general elections.
However, the olive branch comes with a threat. “Give us a date for elections or we will dissolve Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies,” Khan said in a video address to the PTI’s Punjab parliamentary party.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Interior Minister, took to Twitter and wrote, “October 2023” as a response to Khan’s offer.
Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister, said the government stuck to its stance that elections would be held in Oct 2023.
“We can sit for talks with PTI but on any other issue except snap elections,” he said when asked about PML-N meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister.
He said the coalition government came into power through a constitutional way and it reserved rights to complete its constitutional term [till Oct 2023].
In line with the continuous increase in global prices, the price of gold in Pakistan rose by another Rs750 per tola on Friday, hitting an all-time high of Rs163,500.
According to information provided by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gold and Jewellers Association (APSGJA), the price of gold for a tola settled at Rs163,500. The price per 10 grammes increased by Rs643 to reach Rs140,175.
Given that Pakistan imports the precious metal it needs to meet its demand, the rupee’s stability against the US dollar at a record high level is thought to be the main cause of the increase.
The stock market is currently experiencing selling pressure due to the economy’s overheating, therefore players are shifting their investments to gold, according to Geo.
Safe-haven investment is once again drawn to gold. Analysts contend that during times of inflation individuals typically invest in gold.
The cost of gold on international markets, the rupee-to-dollar exchange rate, and the supply and demand in domestic markets affect the price of gold on local markets. The latest price for local markets was determined considering the prices at which trade took place among buyers and sellers.
As cautious investors prepared for the release of US jobs data, the price of gold rose by $19 per ounce on the international market, finishing at $1,799, but safe-haven bullion was still expected to post a second consecutive weekly gain due to forecasts of a slowing in the rate of US rate hikes.
In Pakistan, gold is priced about Rs1,000 less than it would be in the Dubai market.
In the meantime, domestic silver prices increased by Rs10 per tola and Rs8.58 per 10 grammes, respectively, to settle at Rs1,780 per tola and Rs1,526.06 per 10 grammes.
Pakistanis have vehemently reacted to a viral video which claims that their favourite desi snack, the humble samosa is, in fact, a very unhealthy thing to eat.
Dr Muhammad Affan Qaiser has made a video about the negative side effects of the fried potato delight. Terming the samosa an “atom bomb of 400 calories”, he said that the average caloric ratio of samosas is between 250-400. He also emphasised the fact that samosas are fried in poor quality oil. “Dada ne tail dala hota hai aur pota us mei se samosa nikaal reha hota hai. (That grandson of the man who poured that oil is still frying in it).”
The doctor also took exception to the fact that despite how unhealthy the samosa is, it is available in all high-end restaurants and universities.
Sales of Pakistan’s oil marketing companies (OMCs) dropped in November 2022 by 12 percent YoY and 7 percent MoM to 1.55 million metric tonnes (MT), down from 1.66 MT in October 2022 and 1.99 MT in November 2021. This decline was caused by higher petroleum prices, lower power generation, and a decline in car sales.
Product-wise, sales of Motor Spirit (MS) declined by 3 per cent YoY to reach 0.67 million tonnes, while sales of High Speed Diesel (HSD) decreased by 18 per cent YoY to reach 0.67 million in November 2022. In the meantime, FO sales volumes fell by 22 per cent YoY to 0.14 million tonnes.
Volumes of MS, HSD, and FO decreased on a monthly basis by 1 per cent, 6 per cent, and 33 per cent MoM, respectively.
Overall, OMC sales decreased by 20 per cent YoY to 7.70 MTs in 5MFY23 from 9.60 MTs in 5MFY22, a 20 per cent drop. When compared to the same period previous year, the sales of MS, HSD, and FO fell by 16 per cent YoY, 24 per cent YoY, and 26 per cent YoY, respectively.
As per company-level analysis, Attock Petroleum (APL) saw sales increase by 21 per cent YoY and 4 per cent MoM to 0.13MTs during the review period, while Pakistan State Oil (PSO) saw sales decline by 2 per cent YoY and 5 per cent MoM to 0.81MTs.
In the meantime, sales at Shell Pakistan (SHEL) fell by 10 per cent MoM and 21 per cent YoY during the review period, to 0.11MTs.
In November 2022, HASCOL’s sales plummeted by 30 per cent MoM and 16 per cent YoY, respectively, to reach 0.021MTs. PSO, APL, SHEL, and HASCOL’s combined sales for 5MFY23 were 4.02MT, 0.71MT, 0.57MT, and 0.13MT, respectively, representing declines of 18 per cent YoY, 21 per cent YoY, 23 per cent YoY, and 2 per cent YoY.
According to the most recent data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan’s trade deficit for the month of November 2022 came in at $2.88 billion, up from $2.33 billion in October.
This represents a 23.59 per cent increase month over month, while the deficit decreased 42.46 per cent year over year from $4.99 billion during the same period in 2017.
The decrease in the trade imbalance is the result of a decrease in imports, as the import bill for the month of November was $5.25 billion, up 11.34 per cent month over month and down 33.60 per cent year over year.
In the meantime, exports saw a minor dip of 0.63 per cent MoM to $2.37 billion from $2.38 billion in October 2022. In contrast, on an annual basis, exports decreased by 18.34 per cent from $2.9 billion in November 2021.
Exports from Pakistan in terms of Rupees totaled Rs528 billion in November 2022 as opposed to Rs525.83 billion in October 2022 and Rs502 billion in November 2021, representing an increase of 0.41 per cent MoM and 5.18 per cent over the same period in the previous year.
Similarly, imports in November 2022 rose by 12.47 per cent MoM to Rs1.17 trillion from Rs1.04 trillion in October 2022, while on an annual basis, imports fell by 14.49 per cent from Rs1.37 trillion in November 2021.
The overall trade deficit for 5MFY23 was $14.41 billion, which was a reduction of 30.14 per cent YoY from the deficit experienced during the same time period in 2012.
New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Jacinda Ardern shuts down a male journalist for asking a misogynist question.
Arden was hosting Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin at Auckland’s Government House on Wednesday during the first visit by a Premier from the European country to New Zealand.
However, a male reporter zoomed in on what he seemed to think was the most important thing Ardern, 42, and Marin, 37, have in common.
He asked, “A lot of people will be wondering: ‘Are you two meeting just because you’re similar in age and have got a lot of common stuff there — when you got into politics and stuff — or can Kiwis actually expect to see more deals between our two countries down the line?”
Ardern interrupted the question to say that she wondered “whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age.”
Watch NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pick apart this reporter’s question during a joint press conference with Finnish PM Sanna Marin. He asked the pair ‘are you two meeting because you’re similar in age and got a lot of common stuff there?’ Read more: https://t.co/eTtJEqJoFZpic.twitter.com/UBEZs1kzvF
With a smile on her face, she added: “We, of course, have a higher proportion of men in politics, it’s a reality. Because two women meet, it is not simply because of their gender.”
She then schooled the reporter on the important trade relations between the countries. “It’s our job to further it, regardless of our gender,” Arden concluded.
Meanwhile, Marin said: “We are meeting because we are prime ministers, of course … we have a lot of things in common, but also a lot of things where we can do much more together.”
The question about age and gender drew criticism in local media outlets, where it was described as “not-so-subtle sexism” and “casual sexism”.
The viral clip rapidly gained the attention of Twitterati who applauded the female leaders.
This is masterful from @jacindaardernShe just Called out and shut down the misogyny that showed she was way more intelligent and sophisticated than that silly petty reporter. Bravo
Will sexism ever end? Women are the majority. We must use our power to end this blatant, harmful and juvenile discrimination. I’ve been fighting stereotypes that are sexism’s foundation for 60 years and it’s not amusing anymore. Actually it never was! https://t.co/0edk6aSnHo
— Jill Wine-Banks (now on Threads as jillwinebanks) (@JillWineBanks) December 1, 2022
These women are crystal clear. Can we have more of these conjunctions everywhere please? What I love is the absolute trampling of the reporters ridiculous question whilst demonstrating policy and trade…Bravo. @JacindaArden@MarinSanna thank you @SBSNews@QueenCorihttps://t.co/wBl89Lgeqf
