Author: newsdesk

  • PM Shehbaz to take decision regarding changes in PCB soon

    PM Shehbaz to take decision regarding changes in PCB soon

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif says that he will take a decision regarding the changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after consultation, according to Geo Urdu.

    When asked about changes at the PCB during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s House, PM Shehbaz Sharif responded, “When our government took charge, Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja was new, thus we thought that he should be given a chance so that he may show his performance.”

    The Prime Minister said that five, or six months is not a long time, and we will take a decision on this issue after consultation.

    It should be noted that former Test cricketer Rameez Raja was elected unopposed as the chairman of PCB on September 13, 2021.

    After the change of government of Imran Khan, there were questions about the future of Rameez Raja, but later Rameez Raja appointed other officials to work.

  • ‘Fight your political battle outside court’: IHC tells PTI to go back to parliament

    ‘Fight your political battle outside court’: IHC tells PTI to go back to parliament

    Athar Minallah, Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), on Thursday has told legislators belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to go back to the National Assembly.

    The court was hearing a petition filed by PTI Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) pertaining to the matter of the acceptance of 11 of their resignations.

    On Wednesday, PTI filed the petition, stating that the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Raja Pervez Ashraf, “unlawfully” declared the members as having resigned because he “Accepted the resignation of 12 MNAs’ without calling them to ascertain the true picture and by not following the due process of law, committed an unconstitutional act.” The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) then notified them of de-seating.

    The party was of the view that the Speaker was under obligation to accept the resignations of all 123 MNAs however he only accepted 11 resignations.

    During the hearing, Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah remarked, “You must hold a dialogue with other political parties to resolve such disputes.”

    The IHC chief justice observed that members whose resignations hadn’t been accepted must rejoin parliament.

    “Go and fight your political battle outside the court,” Justice Minallah told the PTI counsel. He added that this plea couldn’t be admitted until respect for the parliament was expressed by the petitioners. “Go back to parliament tomorrow, this court will accept your plea,” he told the PTI counsel.

    PTI lawyer Senator Ali Zafar said the party has yet to take a decision on this matter. He said the decision to return to parliament or not was a political one and the court should stay “far away” from it.

    “No political party is above parliament. This mindset needs to be changed”, the IHC chief justice pointed out.

    Zafar asked him if the court wanted an assurance from the petitioners about representing their constituencies to which the judge said: “Not just an assurance, prove by your actions that parliament is supreme.”

    Zafar said the party should be given time for consultations on the affidavits.

    The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.

    PTI reaches court, says acceptance of its MNA’s resignations was ‘unconstitutional act’

    A petition, filed by 10 out of the 11 PTI lawmakers whose resignations have been accepted, states that the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Raja Pervez Ashraf, “unlawfully” declared the members as having resigned because he “Accepted the resignation of 12 MNAs’ without calling them to ascertain the true picture and by not following the due process of law, committed an unconstitutional act.” The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) then notified them of de-seating.

    The party was of the view that the speaker was under obligation to accept the resignations of all 123 MNAs however he only accepted 11 resignations.

    The party appealed to the court to declare the speaker and ECP’s orders “illegal, issued without lawful authority and of no legal effect.” They also stated that the orders were in violation of the Constitution.

    In July, Raja Pervez Ashraf accepted 11 resignations of PTI MNAs under Article 64(1) of the Constitution of Pakistan.

    The petitioners maintained that the PTI MNAs tendered their resignations as per party policy on political grounds with the objective of reaching an agreement with the then “Opposition parties for holding fresh elections so that a new government may be formed with a real mandate.”

    The petitioners requested the court to direct the NA speaker to summon 112 MNAs and petitioners for an inquiry on whether the resignations were “Voluntary and genuine”, and fulfilled the criteria laid out under Article 64 of the constitution.

    The PTI also requested the high court to hold an immediate hearing of their case. However, the request was turned down and the court decided to hold a hearing tomorrow (October 6). IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah will hear the plea.

    Moreover, the petitioners submitted the records and transcripts of the audio leaks in which Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and members of his cabinet can be heard seeking approval for accepting the resignations from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

  • ‘Took big risk by going into the bathroom with a Pathan’: Fawad’s comments land him in trouble

    ‘Took big risk by going into the bathroom with a Pathan’: Fawad’s comments land him in trouble

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry made a racist comment about Pathans on a television programme on Wednesday, inviting the ire of social media.

    During an interview on ARY News with Kashif Abbasi, Fawad was asked if Bashir Memon used abusive language during a meeting headed by then Prime Minister Imran Khan. Chaudhry Bashir Memon admitted that then-principle secretary, Azam Khan took him into the bathroom to “make him understand”.

    Taking a jab at Memon, the PTI leader said, “He took a big risk by going into the bathroom with a Pathan.”

    Reacting to Fawad’s remarks social media users expressed disgust over his racist comments.

  • Pakistani rupee gains Rs2 to close at Rs221.94

    Pakistani rupee gains Rs2 to close at Rs221.94

    On Thursday, the Pakistani rupee (PKR) strengthened by Rs2 or 0.90 per cent against the dollar to close at Rs221.94.

    According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FPA), the local currency was trading at Rs221.75 per $1 at 9:46 am, up 0.98 per cent from yesterday’s close of Rs223.94.

    The rupee has been strengthening since September 22, when it nearly hit an all-time low of Rs239.71. In the last nine sessions, it has increased by Rs15.77 or 6.58 per cent.

    The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) and finance ministry’s joint investigation into banks making obscene profits from their dollar sales, according to Mettis Global Director Saad bin Naseer, has calmed the interbank market.

    SBP On Tuesday, Governor Jameel Ahmad told a National Assembly committee that eight banks were under investigation for the initial round of currency rate manipulation. In the following stage, the other banks would be looked into.

    He said that a smaller trade deficit in September and the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) pledge of approximately $2.3–2.5 billion in aid were the key reasons for the rupee’s recovery on the open market.

    FAP Chairman Malik Bostan listed the ADB announcement and hopes of a sustained drop in imports as the factors that contributed to the rupee’s rise.

  • Sessions court judge approves Khan’s bail till October 13

    Sessions court judge approves Khan’s bail till October 13

    A sessions court in Islamabad has approved till October 13 the interim bail plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in a case pertaining to his controversial remarks against a female judge during a rally in Islamabad.

    Sessions court judge Kamran Basharat Mufti approved Khan’s interim bail plea, filed by Babar Awan, after a short hearing. Khan has been asked to pay surety bonds of Rs50,000.

    Awan, while speaking to media after the hearing, said that all the cases against Khan are false.

    “PTI is returning [to power] with two-third majority. If there is anyone who can bring change, it is Imran Khan,” he said. The lawyer said that the PTI chair has never ever given the excuse of being ill.

    Awan went on to say that the infamous cypher that Imran Khan blames for the toppling if his government, was an “interference and conspiracy.”

    “We don’t accept anyone who talks against Pakistan,” he said.

    Earlier, on September 19, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) cancelled the terror charges against the former Prime Minister and ordered that the case be transferred to a relevant court under the remaining sections in the FIR.

    Following the order the anti-terrorism court, on September 20, transferred the case to a sessions court and removed the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) section from the case.

    On September 22, during a hearing of a contempt case in IHC, Imran Khan also requested the court to allow him to apologise to Additional District and Session Judge Zeba Chaudhry in person.

  • Nobel Peace Prize 2022: Muslim Indian journalist listed as unofficial favourite

    Nobel Peace Prize 2022: Muslim Indian journalist listed as unofficial favourite

    Co-founders of Indian fact-checking website Alt News, Pratik Sinha and Mohammed Zubair have been listed as an unofficial favourite for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, ahead of the announcement of the winner on October 7.

    TIME magazine, in a report, compiled a list of “some of the favourites to win, based on nominations that were made public via Norwegian lawmakers, predictions from bookmakers, and picks from the Peace Research Institute Oslo.”

    The list includes journalists Mr. Sinha and Mr. Zubair, who “have relentlessly been battling misinformation in India.” The Time report said that the duo has “methodologically debunked rumors and fake news circulating on social media and called out hate speech.

    Mohammed Zubair is a co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News. He is a critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, and regularly tracks and highlights anti-Muslim hate speech by Hindu right-wing activists and politicians.

    He was detained earlier this year because of a tweet from 2018 that included a screenshot from a well-known Hindi film, which authorities claim was insulting to Hindu religious beliefs.

  • Uorfi Javed slams Shehnaaz Gill for supporting alleged sexual offender, Sajid Khan

    Uorfi Javed slams Shehnaaz Gill for supporting alleged sexual offender, Sajid Khan

    Indian actor and model Uorfi Javed has slammed contemporaries Shehnaaz Gill and Kashmera Shah for supporting the alleged sexual harasser Sajid Khan, post his entry in Bigg Boss 16.

    Uorfi Javed Slams Bigg Boss 16, Shehnaaz Gill & Kashmera Shah For Supporting Sajid Khan!

    The makers of the show are receiving a lot of backlash over the presence of Sajid. Many are even calling for a boycott on the show. Recently, Kashmera Shah landed her support for Khan on her Twitter handle.

    Sajid’s next film’s heroine, Shehnaaz Gill also sent a video message for the director, while wishing him well for his stint on the show.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydOM3yuctos

    Reacting to all of it, Javed took to her Instagram story and wrote, “Big boss why would you do that? When you support sexual predators, you’re actually telling them that it’s ok what we they’ve done. These men need to know this behaviour is not okay and they cannot get away with it!”

    Javed continued, “Stop working with sexual predators !!! It’s not controversial , it’s just disgraceful! Sajid khan never apologised for what he did! Imagine what the girls he harassed must be feeling ? So you don’t really have to worry cause even if you harass multiple women you will still get to be on the biggest show on India !! Controversy k Iiye aap har cheez thode support karenge ! #colors stop supporting sexual predators !!!”

    In another story, Uorfi also declared that she would have not been a part of Bigg Boss 16 even if she was invited because of Sajid Khan.

    She goes on to write, “If women like Shehnaaz Gill, Kashmera Shah are free to support a s*xual predator, I am free to criticize him and both of them too.”

  • ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ Is A Safe and Secure Rishta App Built For Pakistan

    ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ Is A Safe and Secure Rishta App Built For Pakistan

    Dating VS Rishta Culture

    We live in a country where the concept of dating is a highly social taboo. The conservative mentality is so deeply embedded in our society’s mindsets that it becomes nearly an impossible task for people to seek marriage outside their caste or community. An Arranged marriage peppered with horrors of the lethal rishta culture is probably the main option left for people to seek a perfect match. Adding more to the horror are the rules and regulations set by the matchmakers to look and behave a certain way. And, due to the misogyny prevalent in society, the girls majorly face the repercussions of the rishta culture.

    The wind of change is blowing

    Slow and steading, things have changed. The boundaries are breaking, traditions are changing, the youth of Pakistan is moving ahead, parent thinking is changing and more is happening. In Pakistan’s secretive societies where dating wasn’t a thing people do openly and people hide their emotions and never talk about them, global dating and marriage apps arrived like a domain to a new world. A world that had existed already, has now opened its doors in the form of dating apps accessible to everyone with a smartphone.

    While in the past, there were very limited options to choose from – friends, colleagues, family connections – now the options are virtually unlimited. However, it’s worthwhile to understand that online dating isn’t foolproof in finding a potential match. It may be good for some but not for everyone. It is not as safe as it seems, anyone can make a profile under a false identity, upload fake photos, fake biographies to catfish another user and solicit personal information and commit fraud.

    Dil Ka Rishta is here to provide VERIFIED RISHTAS

    In this scenario, Khudi Ventures has recently launched Pakistan’s first premium matrimonial mobile application ‘Dil Ka Rishta’. The app is founded by a Pakistan-based venture studio working on consumer and business tech startups. It provides excellent matching services to those seeking a long-term relationship. The mandate of the app is to eliminate the stigma and doubts that hamper dating apps. It focuses on creating genuine matches and meaningful connections in line with Pakistan’s social and cultural nuances. Based on equality, ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ has emerged as the only Pakistani platform with thousands of 100% verified profiles that cater to all your ‘rishta’ requirements.

    Privacy Settings in Dil ka Rishta

    Dil Ka Rishta is SAFE FOR WOMEN

    Safety is key when it comes to dating apps, therefore one of the major highlights of ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ is its safety insurance. The app claims to be the first matrimonial app that verifies its users through its two-step verification process ensuring 100% verification of the profiles. At first, the user gets a welcoming call, once they register their profile. The team members then verify the profile details over the phone. ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ adds the second layer of safety with ground verification. The team pays to visit the user and crosscheck the information submitted on their profile. Another robust feature includes its privacy setting and no screenshot policy to seek secure matches.

    So, if you looking for the best online option to find true love, Dil Ka Rishta has got you covered.

  • Elon Musk plans to launch ‘X’ app after Twitter buyout

    Elon Musk plans to launch ‘X’ app after Twitter buyout

    Elon Musk is taking WeChat as inspiration as he designs Twitter’s future. The tech mogul has only provided a few details about his goal of creating an app for everything, experts warn it won’t be simple to accomplish.

    After purchasing Twitter, Tesla CEO stated late Tuesday that he intended to develop a new app dubbed “X”.

    “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” he tweeted.

    Musk’s statement followed reports that he had once again changed his mind and chosen to proceed with his offer to purchase Twitter for $44 billion, which was the sum originally agreed upon back in April.

    After months of conflict and sour U-turns, the acquisition would give the world’s richest man control over one of the most important social networks.

    Now, analogies to “super-apps” in Asia, which are effectively one-stop shops that do it all for customers, have been made between Musk’s ambition to build out what is thought to be a versatile platform.

    More than a billion users, mostly in mainland China, rely on the social network to perform almost all of their daily tasks without ever leaving the app, including ordering groceries, scheduling yoga classes, and paying bills.

    People have also flocked to apps like Grab (GRAB) in Singapore and Malaysia and Line in Japan in other parts of Asia. While Line became well-known as a chat app, Grab was first best recognised as a ride-hailing service provider. Both have now greatly expanded to include additional functions.

    Musk hasn’t held back when it comes to his goal to duplicate WeChat’s success. He compared Twitter’s potential to that of Tencent’s pervasive service in China in a town hall with Twitter staff in June.

    “I think an important goal for Twitter would be to try to include as much of the country, as much of the world, as possible,” said Musk. “You basically live on WeChat in China because it’s so usable and helpful to daily life, and I think if we can achieve that, or even get close to that at Twitter, it would be an immense success.”

    Several well-known US tech leaders have followed China’s approach, including Elon Musk: Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook (FB), had previously said that his business could use WeChat as a case study.

  • Fake posts from India fueled Hindu Muslims fighting in England after match

    At least 47 people were arrested in an operation to “deter further disorder” in Leicester, England, as the city dealt with unrest amid tensions involving mainly young men of Muslim and Hindu communities.

    It was reported that the unrest started after a Pakistan vs India cricket match after which news reports of kidnapping of a Muslim girl by Hindu groups emerged online.

    The unrest continued for weeks. Most of the fake tweets fueling the violence came from India, reports Reuters.

    “It is a powerful illustration of how hashtag dynamics on Twitter can use dubious inflammatory claims to … escalate tensions on the ground,” said a spokesperson at fact-checking site Logically, which analysed the posts’ veracity.

    Experts say most of the incendiary tweets, rumours and lies came from India, showing the power of unchecked social media to spread disinformation and stir unrest a full continent away.

    “I’ve seen quite a selection of the social media stuff which is very, very, very distorting now and some of it just completely lying about what had been happening between different communities,” Peter Soulsby, Leicester’s mayor, told BBC radio.

    Rob Nixon, who runs Leicestershire Police, concurred, telling the BBC that misinformation on social media had played a “huge role” in last month’s unrest.
    To counter some of these claims, police took to social media themselves, saying they had fully investigated reports of three men approaching a teenaged girl in an attempted kidnapping, and found no truth whatsoever to the online story.

    “We urge you to only share information on social media you know to be true,” they said.

    Many of the misleading posts alleging that Hindus and Hindu sites were being attacked came from India, analysis showed.
    Some 80% of tweets with geographic coordinates, or geo-tagged information, were connected to India, Logically said.

    “The ratio of tweets geo-tagged to the UK versus those geo-tagged to India was remarkably high for what, ostensibly, was a domestic incident,” a spokesperson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

    “The involvement of high-profile figures in India setting the discourse was a key element.”

    “The events in Leicester did not happen out of the blue,” said Keval Bharadia at the South Asia Solidarity Group, a British community non-profit.