Author: newsdesk

  • Exchange rates for today: PKR gains 8.05 paisa against US dollar, Rs1.14 versus Swiss Franc

    Exchange rates for today: PKR gains 8.05 paisa against US dollar, Rs1.14 versus Swiss Franc

    The Pakistani rupee (PKR) got stronger by 8.05 paisa, or 0.03 per cent, against the US dollar (USD) on Tuesday. The local unit finished the day at PKR 278.62 per USD, a little better than Monday’s closing rate of 278.7.

    During the day, the highest rate for the rupee was 278.80, and the lowest was 278.65. In the open market, exchange companies were selling the dollar at 281.03 and buying it for 279.46.

    Recently, the rupee has mostly stayed between 277 and 279 against the US dollar. Traders are paying attention to good news, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approving a new $7-billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

    Worldwide, the US dollar stayed steady on Tuesday. The Japanese yen moved slightly down from a one-month high as investors waited for US inflation data and reconsidered the chances of a big interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next week.

    Comparing the rupee with other major currencies:

    Currency Monday’s rate Tuesday’s rate Value change
    Swiss Franc (CHF) 329.37 328.23 1.14 PKR
    British Pound (GBP) 365.22 364.75 46.77 Paisa
    Saudi Riyal (SAR) 74.26 74.27 1.22 Paisa
    UAE Dirham (AED) 75.86 75.88 2.19 Paisa
    Japanese Yen (JPY) 1.9475 1.9395 0.8 Paisa
    Euro (EUR) 308.21 307.51 70.2 Paisa
    Chinese Yuan (CNY) 39.19 39.13 5.95 Paisa
    Exchange rates for September 10, 2024

    The Swiss franc dropped by 1.14 rupees, closing at 328.23, down from 329.37 the day before.

    The British pound got cheaper by 46.77 paisa, ending at 364.75 compared to 365.22 the previous day.

    The Saudi riyal closed at 74.27, gaining 1.22 paisa from 74.26.

    The UAE dirham became slightly more expensive, increasing by 2.19 paisa to close at 75.88 from 75.86.

    Against the Japanese yen, the PKR gained 0.8 paisa, closing at 1.9395 versus 1.9475 the day before.

    The PKR improved by 70.2 paisa against the euro, finishing at 307.51, compared to 308.21 previously.

    The Chinese yuan lost 5.95 paisa, closing at 39.13 compared to 39.19.

    Since the start of this financial year, the rupee has weakened by 27.83 paisa, or 0.1 per cent, against the dollar. However, it has strengthened by 3.24 rupees, or 1.16 per cent, so far this calendar year.

  • ‘CM KP Gandapur was abducted,’ claims Imran Khan

    ‘CM KP Gandapur was abducted,’ claims Imran Khan

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has claimed that Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur was abducted after a power show at Sangjani.

    Speaking to journalist at Adila jail, former Prime Minister Khan allegedly said that the establishment had tricked him over the September 8 rally at Sangjani and arrested PTI’s top leadership.

    Khan expounding on the postponed rally of August 22 he said, “PTI leader Azam Swati visited Adiala jail at 7 AM and conveyed the establishment message.” This was followed by Khan rescheduling the rally in Islamabad.

    Khan alleged that the establishment had offered him ‘acquittal in all cases’ if he remained silent for three years.

    He criticized the incumbent government for barring the PTI supporters from reaching the Sangjani area by blocking the roads with containers.

    Responding to Chief Justice Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure extension, Khan warned of street agitation if parliament tries to extend CJP’s tenure through constitutional amendments.

  • Petition calls for ban on national cricketers taking families on foreign tours

    Petition calls for ban on national cricketers taking families on foreign tours

    A petition has been filed to ban national cricketers from taking their families on foreign tours, along with a request for financial details of expenses concerning the T20 World Cup

    According to Express News, Advocate Faisal Waheed has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    The application includes the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), chief selector, team manager, head coach, and captain Babar Azam.

    The petition reads: “The performance of the Pakistan cricket team in the World Cup T20 was disappointing. The Pakistani team lost to the new American team in the event. The Pakistan Cricket Board and the players are spending huge amounts of money. The defeat of the cricket team made the public very disappointed.”

    The petition has also called for details of the expenses incurred by the cricket team abroad and the salaries of all officials, including other facilities.

  • Vawda accuses Imran Khan of knowing ‘something big’ before Arshad Sharif’s murder

    Vawda accuses Imran Khan of knowing ‘something big’ before Arshad Sharif’s murder

    Senator Faisal Vawda has accused former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, on Monday of knowing “something big” was about to happen ahead of the October 2022 assassination of journalist Arshad Sharif.

    Vawda laid down the substantial claims in multiple TV shows last night and also released a 42-second audio clip which allegedly recorded Imran Khan talking about something big that was about to happen before Arshad Sharif’s murder.

    Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya on October 23, 2022 after he left the country followimg Khan’s government being thrown out through a no-confidence motion in the parliament.

    Vawda also claimed that former ISI Chief Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed might have been involved in the incident.

    “According to my analysis, [Imran] was not aware that Arshad Sharif was going to be murdered. But he was well aware that something big would happen,” said Vawda.

    “But Faiz Hameed was directly involved, and he was well aware of that [plan]. And Murad Saeed was also aware. He was aware of it in August 2022. He even knew that someone outside the country had been hired for the job. His presser on this subject is on the record,” stated the Senator known for making sensational claims.

    In the audio clip, the alleged voice of the PTI founder can be heard saying: “Look, we should not confuse what we’re going to do in the long march and what we’re doing in the protests that we are staging today. Both protests have different dynamics and we have planned very meticulously what we’re going to do [in the long march] and I am not going to announce it in a knee-jerk reaction. I am going to announce it very soon, by the end of the month or maybe on 30th or by next Sunday. But I am not giving any date.”

    Vawda said that anyone can perform a forensic analysis of the audio recording to check its authenticity.

  • Senate committee approves Cannabis Authority Bill in landmark decision

    Senate committee approves Cannabis Authority Bill in landmark decision

    The Senate’s Standing Committee on Science and Technology has given a nod of approval to the country’s first-ever Cannabis Authority Bill.

    The bill will regulate the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis to protect public health and explore the economic potential of the cannabis industry.

    Notably, cannabis can be used for industrial and medicinal purposes, with an economic potential of four to six billion dollars.

    The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority will be under administrative control of the cabinet division. Defence secretary will chair the 13-member board overlooking the authority. The board will have representatives from various government departments, private sector, and intelligence agencies.

    The board will be responsible for making policy decisions and advising the federal government on all matters related to cannabis licensing.

    Disagreement of the members

    The approval has come after a delay of over four years due to disagreements between different ministries over its jurisdiction.

    The dispute over the bill was even witnessed during the meeting of the committee as Chairman Senator Kamil Ali Agha stressed the need for a thorough examination of each clause before proceeding, while Senators Dr Afnan Ullah Khan, Musadik Masood Malik, and Nasir Mehmood demanded it to be passed without further review.

    However, PTI Senator Shibli Faraz commented he would submit a dissenting note if the bill was passed without due consideration because he is aware of the initial documentation and knows all the intricacies.

    Later, the committee agreed to revisit each clause, and identified and removed several shortcomings in the draft.

    Senator Afnan Ullah informed the chairman that following party’s directives, PML-N senators would vote in favour of the bill.

    Both Shibli Faraz and the committee chairman questioned why the Ministry of Defence was supervising the Cannabis Development Authority.

    However, the committee was informed that cannabis is grown in FATA, so the involvement of the defence ministry and other agencies was necessary to be involved as this measure is in accordance with the UN protocols as well.

    The Senate committee later unanimously passed “The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Bill 2024” with amendments that seek inclusion of two senators — one of whom must be a woman — in the board, along with other revisions to the bill’s clauses.

  • Shagufta Ejaz celebrates wedding anniversary in hospital

    Shagufta Ejaz celebrates wedding anniversary in hospital

    Renowned actress Shagufta Ejaz silenced slanderers by celebrating their wedding anniversary at the hospital with her husband, who is currently under medical treatment.

    Some time ago, the senior actress took to social media users who criticised and slandered her for going abroad and said that she would never forgive the slanderers, adding that she would hold their neck on the Day of Judgment.

    She recently shared a new vlog on her YouTube channel, which included her wedding anniversary, which she celebrated in her husband’s hospital room.

    In the next part of the Vlog, the senior actress complained about the inadequate facilities of the private hospital and requested the fans to pray for her husband’s full recovery.

    Yahya Siddiqui, husband of Shagufta Ejaz, has been suffering from cancer for five years and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital.

  • ‘If I were older, I would’ve played Noor Jahan’: Hajra Yamin

    ‘If I were older, I would’ve played Noor Jahan’: Hajra Yamin

    Actress Hajra Yamin is making waves with her performance as Sumbul in the drama Noor Jahan.

    Recently, Hajra appeared as a guest on Gloss Etc by Maliha Rehman where she was asked, “If it was up to you, would you play Sumbhal or some other character?”

    The Noor Jahan actress replied, “I would play Sumbul. I would definitely choose Noor Jahan if I were older. What a character and what an amazing job. Negativity aside, she is such a powerful woman. I love it.”

    The host asked, “Is Saba Hamid as strict in real life as she portrays her characters, like Noor Jahan? Does she have a similar presence off-screen?”

    Hajra Yamin said, “I will be very honest with you. Sometimes we feel that the people who seem very strict are actually more scared of us than we are of them. Maybe they have social anxiety; this is a very general statement, you know, because I have a little bit of social anxiety myself, which sometimes comes across as arrogance. Saba Aapa….the talent she has, the figure that she is, I was a bit anxious about how it would be. A lot of my work is with her, or has been with Kubra Khan, but it was nice, and she was clear about who should do what. There was one thing that was good, where I was a bit scared, but then there was Musadik, and he said, ‘No, Azaam, we’ll do it this way, and it’ll be fine.’ I said, ‘Alright, okay.’

    “You know, I sometimes forget my lines. Saba Appa doesn’t forget her lines. She is a pro. Oh, she is so good. She is so good that she instantly remembers her lines. And the performance we saw on screen was amplified from what we saw firsthand. The gestures, the way she glared, the stern tone, she never shouted, but the sternness in her voice, in certain words, she emphasized it. And that was not missed by anyone. What I am really happy about is that the nuances of this story are visible to everyone,” Hajra Yamin added.

    Noor Jahan is written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah and directed by Musadik Malek. It airs on ARY Digital on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM.

  • Was KP CM Gandapur arrested in Islamabad?

    Was KP CM Gandapur arrested in Islamabad?

    Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur has reached Peshawar despite speculation of his arrest in Islamabad.

    Yesterday, Information Advisor KP Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif claimed that Gandapur disappeared after the power show rally at Sangjani, and his phone number was switched off.

    “Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is in Islamabad, not Peshawar, but we have no information on his whereabouts,” he claimed yesterday.

    Opposition leader in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub Khan said that the federal government and establishment invited Gandapur for a cup of tea to discuss security concerns in KP, adding that they could not reach out to the security staff via mobile phone.

    On the other hand, Zulfi Bukhari claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that CM KP Gandapur had been arrested/abducted.

    Upon CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur’s arrival in Peshawar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Shahid Khattak clarified that Gandapur was busy in various meetings in Islamabad, rejecting the rumours of disappearance.

    On September 9, Islamabad police launched a crackdown against PTI leadership for violating the new public order law. They arrested prominent figures, including Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat.

    Today, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan criticised the incumbent government in the National Assembly on the arrest of PTI lawmakers.

    Posing a question, he said, “Today, I am making a case on democracy. What happened to democracy and to this parliament last night? We are not in Israel; we are in Pakistan.”

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hit back at Khan, saying, “If you say ‘No founder PTI Imran Khan, no Pakistan’, what will be the reaction?”

    “CM KP Gandapur, bring an army of Pashtuns and attack Punjab,” he added.

  • ‘Baby Baji Ki Bahuwain’ teaser reveals Azra’s efforts to mend past mistakes

    ‘Baby Baji Ki Bahuwain’ teaser reveals Azra’s efforts to mend past mistakes

    Actress Javeria Saud returns as Azra to lead the family in the much-anticipated sequel to the hit drama Baby Baji, titled Baby Baji Ki Bahuwain.

    Azra was previously depicted as the fiery eldest daughter-in-law from the original ‘Baby Baji’.

    The teasers released have already garnered millions of views, giving viewers a sneak peek of the upcoming family drama.

    Fans have expressed their anticipation in the comments.

    Tehseen Khan returns as the sequel’s director, and Saqib Ali Rana has written the script.

    Alongside Javeria Saud, her real and reel-life husband Saud, and other actors including Hassan Ahmed, Sunita Marshall, Tuba Anwar, Junaid Jamshed Niazi, and Fazal Hussain, who will reprise their roles from the original hit series.

  • PM Shehbaz plans major constitutional amendments for judicial system reform

    PM Shehbaz plans major constitutional amendments for judicial system reform

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Monday that the government intends to present a constitutional amendment draft for the approval of both Houses of Parliament this week, ending long-debated speculations, to bring about significant changes in the judicial system.

    While addressing a dinner for MNAs of his own and allied parties in the PM’s house, Sharif said that certain elements are busy undermining government performance but they would be helpless under the upcoming amendments.

    Earlier, many YouTubers and journalists speculated about the government’s alleged plans to extend the tenure of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa through an upcoming judicial package; however, both the government and the CJP denied the claims.

    He also asked coalition members of the parliament to ensure their attendance from September 10 till the adjournment of the current session.

    Jang News reported that the government has attained a two-thirds majority in the Houses of Parliament for the proposed constitutional amendment.

    Meanwhile, The News reported that the two major amendments include removing the suo motu powers of the superior judiciary and establishing a constitutional court under the Nawaz-Benazir Charter of Democracy signed in June 2006.