Author: newsdesk

  • Responding to Khan, Shahzeb Khanzada has 11 questions

    Responding to Khan, Shahzeb Khanzada has 11 questions

    As details of the sale of Toshakhana gifts come to light, senior journalist Shahzeb Khanzada has raised 10 questions that he wants former Prime Minister Imran Khan to answer.

    After Khanzada’s sensational interview with Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor, who claimed to have bought the state gifts from Farah Khan, Imran Khan wrote, “Enough is enough,” and said that he would sue Geo and the journalist in Pakistan, UAE and United Kingdom.

    Shahzeb Khanzada then appeared on Geo News‘ and told Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that all stories are aired on the channel after due diligence and he was ready to accept the PTI chief’s challenge.

    Speaking over the phone with Geo News, Khanzada said, “We always run a story after complete investigation. It isn’t our responsibility to find out to whom the gifts were sold; Imran Khan’s responsibility is to tell the people.”

    The journalist asked if Khan believes that Zahoor was a “fraudster”, then why does he have the gifts? “If [Khan] did not sell the gifts to him, then whom did he sell them to?”

    Khanzada said that every time he hosts a show about PTI, he makes sure that the party’s leaders are invited, but they never accept the invite.

    “We will face the PTI chairman in any court he wants to go to,” Khanzada reiterated.

    Khanzada asked that Khan answer 11 essential questions:

    1. Why were the gifts sold via Farah Gogi for $2 million dollars?

    2. If Imran Khan did not sell them, how did they reach Umar Farooq?

    3. If the gifts were not sold to Umar Farooq Zahoor, then who were they sold?

    4. Was the money brought to Pakistan after the gifts were sold?

    5. If the money was brought to Pakistan, where is the banking transaction?

    6. If the money was not brought to Pakistan, where is this massive amount of cash?

    7. Why were the transactions shown at nearly Rs. 60 million in papers and not at Rs. 280 million?

    8. Did Imran Khan evade filing taxes on the sale or did he hide the money trail by not disclosing these transactions?

    9. In 2019, the gifts were priced at over Rs. 1 billion. Why were the gifts bought from Toshakhana by only paying slightly over Rs. 20 million?

    10. Why was the national exchequer dealt damages of more than Rs.1 billion?

    11. Why does Imran Khan choose to defend Farah Khan himself?

  • Estée Lauder to buy designer brand Tom Ford for Rs625 billion

    Estée Lauder to buy designer brand Tom Ford for Rs625 billion

    Estée Lauder, a luxury cosmetics brand, has announced that it will pay $2.8 billion to acquire Tom Ford, a luxury clothing brand.

    This will be the US cosmetics company’s largest acquisition to date.

    Estée Lauder won the contract over Gucci’s owner Kering SA by outbidding them. The company already licences Tom Ford cosmetics and fragrances.

    The deal will “open new prospects,” according to Estée Lauder.

    Tom Ford said in a joint statement with Estée Lauder: “I could not be happier with this acquisition.”

    He said the Estée Lauder companies had been “an extraordinary partner from the first day of my creation of the company and I am thrilled to see them become the luxury stewards in this next chapter of the Tom Ford brand.”

    The Council of Fashion Designers of America is currently led by Tom Ford, who first established his company in 2005. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

    The companies declared that Tom Ford will continue serving as creative director for at least until 2023.

    According to analysts, the luxury goods market is poised for global expansion at this moment, and China is gradually removing its coronavirus import limitations, allowing the high-demand consumers in this market to gradually resume their pre-pandemic spending habits.

  • ‘Geo & Khanzada supported by Handlers slandered me’: Khan on Toshakhana gifts

    ‘Geo & Khanzada supported by Handlers slandered me’: Khan on Toshakhana gifts

    Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has finally addressed the sensational revelations that came to light on Tuesday about the alleged sale of state gifts given to him when he was the Prime Minister.

    Taking to his twitter account, Imran Khan wrote, “Enough is enough,” about Geo News‘ Shahzeb Khanzada’s interview with Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor. The millionaire revealed on the show that he had purchased the watch and other items gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to Imran Khan.

    “Yesterday Geo & Khanzada supported by Handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster & internationally wanted criminal. I have spoken to my lawyers & I plan to sue Geo, Khanzada & the fraudster not only in Pak but also in UK & UAE [sic],” tweeted Khan.

    Zahoor claimed in the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, that the PTI government had sold the expensive Graff wristwatch for $2 million in cash, worth approximately Rs280m at the time of sale in 2019.

    Zahoor claimed that he had bought the watch through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi.

    The Dubai-based businessman also claimed that Farah wanted to sell the watch for $4-5 million “but after negotiations, I purchased it for $2 million”. The payment, he added, was made in cash on Farah’s insistence.

    The claims evoked outcry from PTI leaders, including Akbar, who denied Zahoor’s allegations.

    In a press conference alongside PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the party has decided to initiate legal proceedings against Zahoor as his claims were baseless.

    “In 2018, the Saudi crown prince gifted a watch to Imran Khan and the controversy over the watch’s price has been going on for a while now,” the former federal minister said.

    Chaudhry said the watch was priced at Rs100 million, and in line with the law regulating Toshakhana, Khan sold it for more than Rs50 million in the market and filed capital gain tax on it.

    Divulging the details of Toshakahana’s procedures for purchase, the PTI leader said when the gifts given to state officials arrive in Pakistan, they are deposited into Toshakhana.

    “The law states that 20% of the gift’s value should be deposited in the national exchequer. We amended the law and made it 50%,” he said.

    Defending the former prime minister, Chaudhry said the gift items were not sold to the Dubai-based businessman and Bushra Bibi’s friend had no role in their sale.

    “The watch was not sold to anyone named Umar Zahoor. The watch was not handed over to Farah for sale and she has no role in it,” he said, as he levelled allegations against the millionaire.

  • Arooj Aftab bags another Grammy nomination, Celebrities react

    Arooj Aftab bags another Grammy nomination, Celebrities react

    Musician Arooj Aftab, the first Pakistani to win a Grammy, has been nominated for the second time in the Best Global Music Performance category for her song Udhero Na with Anoushka Shankar.

    Taking it to Instagram on Wednesday, Aftab shared the announcement via The New York Times list of full nominations.

    In another post, Aftab said, “Oh my God! ‘Udhero Na’ has been nominated for a Grammy. Congratulations to me and to Anoushka Shankar, Maeve Gilchrist, and Nadje Noordhuis. Four badass women come together, play a song that I wrote when I was 15 and it’s getting its flowers. So, I’m very emotional and I’m very glad and I’m really really, just, I don’t even know. I’m in this hall of a ship, we’re about to perform in about 20 minutes or so. I don’t know how I’m going to do that but this is great. So, thank you.”

    Several celebrities congratulated Aftab for her consecutive achievements.

    Actor Ushna Shah commented under her video asking if the nominated song ‘Udhero Na’ is from back in the day and if this means ‘Bolo Na’ will be re-release for a third consecutive Grammy in the future. “Bring ’em all home, superstar!” she wrote.

    The post also received comments from transgender rights activist Dr Mehrub Moiz Awan, pianist Meritxell Neddermann, Spanish singer Marta Sánchez and more.

    Actor Sarwat Gilani dropped by in the comment section and wrote, “you go girl” to cheer her on. American singer Jessica Betts, Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, singer-songwriter Rachel Eckroth, Indian actor Priyanka Bose, singer Priya Darshini, Never Have I Ever actor Poorna Jagannathan and others also commented.

  • Six killed in attack on police in Lakki Marwat

    Six killed in attack on police in Lakki Marwat

    Terrorists opened fire on a police patrol car in Lakki Marwat on Wednesday morning, killing six people including a driver, an ASI, and four constables.

    The attack happened when local police were conducting a routine patrol in the city.

    Security officials have started a search operation in the area after the attack.

    The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Mahmood Khan, has taken notice of the attack and directed the Inspector General (IG) of police to submit a report on the attack.

    Soon after the attack, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident in strong words, writing on twitter, “Let us make no mistake. Terrorism continues to be one of Pakistan’s foremost problems. Our armed forces & police have valiently fought the scourge. No words are enough to condemn terrorists’ attack on a police van in Lakki Marwat. My thoughts & prayers are with bereaved families.”

  • City Traffic Police Lahore launches digital challan system to fine violators

    City Traffic Police Lahore launches digital challan system to fine violators

    To replace the decades-old manual system of fining traffic violators in Lahore, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Dr Assad Malhi officially launched the digital challan system on Tuesday.

    It started as a pilot initiative on The Mall, and after evaluating its success, it will be gradually expanded to the rest of the city.

    The busiest thoroughfare in the province capital, The Mall 1, The Mall 2, and The Mall 3, were the primary targets of the digital challans.

    CTO Lahore claimed that the use of digital challans would end complaints about fake and fraudulent challans and guarantee transparency.

    In this regard, he stated, a specially created App has been downloaded on the traffic wardens’ smartphones, and the general public will receive a challan message.

    All the information will be automatically filled in after inputting the ID card number or vehicle number into the app.

    He said that numerous government departments have been connected to or associated with the digital mobile phone app.

    They comprised the department of excise and taxation, the police crime record office, the anti-vehicle lifting squad, the route permit department, and the database management for fitness certificates.

    According to DAWN, the wardens will have access to the traffic offender’s criminal history after entering their CNIC number and will call the police right away to have the traffic offender arrested on the spot if he or she has a criminal history.

  • At least 50 minors killed in Iran over participating in protests

    At least 50 minors killed in Iran over participating in protests

    The Iranian government’s crackdown on demonstrators asking for social freedom and political change that has rocked the country for the past two months has had a severe impact on the country’s youth, reports The New York Times.

    Human rights advocates and lawyers familiar with the situation have talked about the affect on the country, where the average age of protestors is said to be just 15-years-old. In an effort to quell dissent, authorities have raided schools and carried out arrests, beatings in custody, shootings and killing of protestors on the streets. The lives of countless others have been disrupted in other ways.

    The authorities are targeting thousands of minors under the age of 18, for taking part in the protests. Human rights groups in Iran have said that at least 50 minors have been killed by government authorities since the protests started.

    Following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, in the custody of the morality police in September, the country has witnessed daily rallies, primarily spearheaded by women, calling for an end to the rule of hard-line clerics.

  • Javed Hussain becomes first Pakistani to receive Gender Just Climate Solution Award’

    Javed Hussain becomes first Pakistani to receive Gender Just Climate Solution Award’

    The “Gender Just Climate Solution Award” was given to environmentalist Javed Hussain at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, making him the first Pakistani recipient of the honour, Sameer Mandhro reports for Express Tribune.

    The title of Hussain’s project was, “Advancing the labor rights of women cotton pickers in Pakistan”.

    The Hala-born environmentalist has actively worked on the issue of how climate change affects women who harvest cotton in Mitiari and other areas of Sindh province, one of the most flood-prone districts in the province.

    Three awards were given out on Monday during an event that saw a total of 259 organisations from 119 nations, including Pakistan, submit their applications.

    According to a press release from the United Nations-affiliated group Women Engage for Common Future’s Women and Gender Constituency, SCF use a feminist participatory action research methodology to serve the needs of female agricultural workers.

  • WhatsApp will soon let you use same number on separate phones

    WhatsApp will soon let you use same number on separate phones

    WhatsApp is actively testing ‘companion mode’ to let users use the same number on separate phones.

    According to reports, it will be possible for users to simultaneously connect up to four devices.

    Only tablet users were first given access to the companion mode as a test. For the time being, only WhatsApp beta users will be able to use the companion mode, which is exclusively accessible to select android users.

    Users who download WhatsApp will see an option to scan a QR code to link their phone number to another device. The menu may be accessed by tapping the three dots in the window’s top right corner.

    Prior to this, on November 3, the messaging behemoth WhatsApp formally unveiled its new communities and discussion groups feature.

    According to the information, this new function was trialled in the beginning of the current year. Organizations, clubs, and a variety of other groups will be able to connect in a better and more structured way thanks to the new discussion group function.

    WhatsApp has released a number of changes and announcements, including support for groups with up to 1,024 participants, 32-person video and audio conversations, emoji reactions, polls, greater file sharing, end-to-end encryption, and the option for admins to remove messages.

  • Faisal Vawda and Murad Saeed summoned by commission looking into Arshad Sharif’s murder

    Faisal Vawda and Murad Saeed summoned by commission looking into Arshad Sharif’s murder

    A fact-finding committee set up by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the murder of senior journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif has Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed and ex-member of the party, Faisal Vawda.

    The two politicians have been directed to appear before the committee next week on November 21.

    The FIA has said that since both politicians have claimed to have known about the threats that Sharif was facing, it is important that they provide all the details they know to the authorities. The agency sent notices to the two leaders to appear before FIA ​​headquarters with evidence.

    Faisal Vawda has claimed he knew who was behind Sharif’s murder. During a press conference, he also claimed that he was in contact with Sharif and stated that he will share evidence with the Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

    Subsequently, his party membership was revoked. PTI said that he would not be allowed to hold any party office or represent the party in the media as he had “grossly violated discipline by giving statements against party policies and guidelines”.

    Saeed has also said that he knew who was threatening the slain journalist in Pakistan, forcing him to flee the country.