Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Judges and generals can’t take decisions behind closed doors’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘Judges and generals can’t take decisions behind closed doors’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry criticised the Supreme Court’s detailed judgement given yesterday in a suo motu case on the ruling by former National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri under Article 5 of the Constitution. 

    “The people should be given the right to make decisions. Judges and generals can’t change their policies every day. They can’t take decisions behind closed doors.”

    Fawad said that Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial has the sealed cipher in his office. “Senior judges should ask the CJP why it was not shown to them,” said Fawad. 

    He further claimed that a letter from President Alvi is also with the Supreme Court suggesting the formation of a commission to investigate the matter. However, the court had not responded to Alvi’s letter.

    “Rather than forming a commission to properly investigate the matter, the Supreme Court has given its verdict without even reading the material that was given to it. Moreover, the timing of the ruling is self-explanatory.” 

    The PTI leader asked if the Supreme Court could issue the detailed judgement after three months, why did it not delay it a bit longer. He alleged that it was purposefully done in the wake of the upcoming by-elections in Punjab.

    Moreover, the PTI leader claimed that people are aware of why the SC “did not want to investigate the cipher”. Chaudhry was of the view that the top court “should read the cipher before penning the judgment”.

    He challenged the decision saying that when PTI comes back into power, it will quash the order through Parliament.

    Commenting on Mazhar Alam Miankhel’s additional note which said “if we begin to pursue cases under article 6, we will find there are more people to hang than there are nooses”.

    If I get permission, will get Imran Khan arrested: Rana Sanuallah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that President Dr Arif Alvi should resign and that if he gets permission from the cabinet to file a case against Imran Khan, he [Khan] will be arrested.

    Rana Sanaullah said that the matter of reference against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, President Alvi, former Deputy Speaker Suri will be considered in the cabinet tomorrow. Sanaullah said that Khan “can go to any level for his personal interests”.

    He claimed that PTI is still receiving salaries from the National Assembly and they are still using government vehicles. He urged that they should be de-seated and disqualified.

    Replying to a question, Rana Sanaullah said that Sheikh Rasheed was supposed to be arrested during the long march but he could not be found as he was in hiding.

    PM Shehbaz’s reaction

    Following the judgement, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that everyone should read the judgement. In a tweet, the preimer said, “Honourable Supreme Court’s detailed judgement on Vote of No Confidence exposes the lies and propaganda indulged in by Imran Khan and Co. utterly shameful how IK tried to undermine the Constitution and manufactured the lie of regime change.”

    PTI failed to produce any evidence to support claim of foreign conspiracy: Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court issued a detailed judgement on Wednesday (July 13) in a suo motu case on the ruling by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly under Article 5 of the Constitution.

    The court has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) failed to “produce any evidence” before the court to support their claim of interference by a foreign force in the ousting of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion.

    In the judgement, the apex court revealed that the cipher was not even shown to it although its contents “were partially disclosed in the detailed reasons issued in support of the deputy speaker’s ruling”.

    On April 7, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court had declared Qasim Suri’s ruling on the dismissal of no-confidence motion against Imran Khan as unconstitutional and illegal. The bench unanimously ruled that President Dr Arif Alvi’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly is “illegal” and restored Imran Khan as Prime Minister as well as his cabinet ministers to face the no-confidence motion on April 9.

    No evidence

    The Supreme Court said that it rejected PTI’s plea to take suo motu action over the ‘breach of sovereignty’ allegation, citing “no precedence, absence of evidence and lack of jurisdiction”.

     Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial observed that the action by the deputy speaker triggered a chain of events.

    Moreover, the SC noted that neither the Constitution nor the NA procedure rules have given the power to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker to dismiss a no-trust resolution “for being inadmissible or non-maintainable”.

    The judgement said, “It was a unilateral decision taken by the Deputy Speaker at the behest of the Law Minister.”

    High treason for President Alvi, Khan and others?

    Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel stressed in his additional note that there must be consequences for President Alvi, ex-PM Imran, former Speaker Asad Qaiser, former Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri and former Law Minister Fawad Chaudhry because they prevented the elected representatives of the people “from voting on the resolution” and therefore it was a “blatant transgression of the Constitution”.

    “Whether the stated acts attract Article 6 of the Constitution is also left open to be determined by the Parliamentarians as to whether they leave open the doors for such unconstitutional acts or take suitable measures to stop such like mess in future,” Justice Miankhel suggested.

    Article 6 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan states, “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”

    Suri was biased

    Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel observed in his additional note that the action of the Deputy Speaker was biased. He said that if at the time it was permitted to hold fresh elections, it would amount to giving license to an authority to misuse the extraordinary power of the doctrine of necessity.

  • Tendulkar claims Bumrah best bowler, Salman Butt disagrees

    Tendulkar claims Bumrah best bowler, Salman Butt disagrees

    Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah was declared Man of the Match for his career best figure of 6 for 19 after India’s phenomenal victory in the first One Day International (ODI) against England in a three-match ODI series.

    Former Indian captain and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: “Bumrah is the best bowler across all formats.”

    Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt does not agree with Sachin.

    “Shaheen has not played much but is among the very best. He is no less than him (Bumrah). Shaheen with experience will only get better and then he has more pace and offers a different angle,” said Salman Butt on his YouTube channel.

    Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi made his debut in 2018 with 204 wickets in 96 international matches. He has been named as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year. He is the first Pakistani and the youngest ever player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

  • Man in Karachi kills wife, cooks her dead body

    Man in Karachi kills wife, cooks her dead body

    Trigger warning: Violence/Murder

    A man in Karachi stabbed his wife to death and then cooked her body parts. As per the police report, Ashiq murdered his wife in the Gulshan-i-Iqbal area.

    The couple’s 16-year-old daughter told the police about the incident.

    As per media reports, the family resided in the school at which they worked. The suspect, Ashiq, wanted his wife to engage in some unethical activities. However, she did not oblige, which infuriated her husband. Ashiq then killed her and cooked her body parts in a cauldron.  

    “A medical examination showed that the woman’s body pieces were cut before being thrown in the cauldron. Her left leg was cleanly separated at knee joint as was left forearm at the elbow,” said Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed. The samples from the dead wife’s body have been collected to rule out intoxication and for histopathology.

    Ashiq escaped with three of his children after killing his wife and cooking her body parts. The police is looking for him.

  • Pakistan, IMF reach staff-level agreement to resume loan

    Pakistan, IMF reach staff-level agreement to resume loan

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) extended the total loan size to $7 billion on Thursday and announced a staff-level agreement on the completion of two unfinished programme assessments, but cautioned Pakistan to be prepared to take any extra measures.

    “The IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement (SLA) with the Pakistan authorities for the conclusion of the combined seventh and eighth reviews of the EFF-supported program. The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board. Subject to Board approval, about $1,177 million (SDR 894 million) will become available, bringing total disbursements under the program to about $4.2 billion,” IMF said in a statement.

    The statement added, “Additionally, in order to support program implementation and meet the higher financing needs in FY23, as well as catalyze additional financing, the IMF Board will consider an extension of the EFF until end-June 2023 and an augmentation of access by SDR 720 million that will bring the total access under the EFF to about $7 billion.”

    IMF team leader Nathan Porter noted in a statement “Pakistan is at a challenging economic juncture. A difficult external environment combined with procyclical domestic policies fueled domestic demand to unsustainable levels.”

    According to him, the ensuing economic overheating reduced reserve buffers, increased inflation, and resulted in significant fiscal and external deficits in FY22.

    The statement continued, “Policy priorities include the consistent implementation of the FY23 budget, which aims to reduce the government’s significant borrowing needs by targeting an underlying primary surplus of 0.4 per cent of GDP, underpinned by current spending restraint and extensive revenue mobilisation efforts targeted particularly at higher-income taxpayees.”

    According to Express Tribune, the international lender claimed that due to poor implementation of the previously agreed upon plan, the circular debt (CD) flow in the power sector is predicted to increase significantly to about Rs850 billion in FY22, exceeding programme targets, endangering the viability of the sector, and resulting in frequent power outages.

    To improve the situation in the electricity sector and reduce load shedding, the authorities are committed to resuming reforms, which crucially include the timely adjustment of the power tariff, including the delayed yearly rebasing and quarterly adjustments.

    According to the IMF, Pakistan’s headline inflation rate hit 20 per cent in June, impacting the most vulnerable people the most. The recent monetary policy boost was reasonable and necessary in this regard, and future monetary policy must be designed to ensure that inflation is slowly brought down to the medium-term goal of 5-7 per cent.

    “Importantly, to enhance monetary policy transmission, the rates of the two major refinancing schemes EFS and LTFF (which have over recent months been raised by 700 bps and 500 bps respectively) will continue to be linked to the policy rate. Greater exchange rate flexibility will help cushion activity and rebuild reserves to more prudent levels,” it added.

    The unconditional cash transfer (UCT) Kafalat scheme reached nearly 8 million households during FY22, with a permanent increase in the stipend to Rs14,000 per family, while a one-time cash transfer of Rs2,000 (Sasta Fuel Sasta Diesel, SFSD) was made to approximately 8.6 million families to lessen the effects of the inflationary crisis.

    The government has increased the BISP budget for FY23 from Rs250 billion to Rs364 billion in order to expand the SFSD programme to more non-BISP, lower-middle class beneficiaries and to accommodate 9 million extra families into the BISP safety net.

    The statement further stated that in order to maintain the effectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies (including the National Accountability Bureau) in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases, the authorities are putting in place a strong electronic asset declaration system.

    According to the SLA for the combined seventh and eighth reviews, consistent execution of the defined policies will support the development of growth that is more equitable and sustainable.

    “The authorities should nonetheless stand ready to take any additional measures necessary to meet program objectives, given the elevated uncertainty in the global economy and financial markets,” the statement concluded.

  • Gender Gap Report: Pakistan ranked second-worst in the world

    Gender Gap Report: Pakistan ranked second-worst in the world

    Pakistan is the second-worst country in the world in terms of gender parity as per the Global Gender Gap Report 2022. In a report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday, Pakistan is ranked 145 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index.

    The report examined gender differences in 146 nations in a variety of fields, including politics, health, economic opportunities, and education.

    The report says that Pakistan is a nation where women have the least proportion of senior executive and legislative jobs.

    “Pakistan is the country where women have the smallest share of senior, managerial and legislative roles (4.5%), compared to Jamaica, where women represent 56.6% of workers in that category, or Togo, which has the highest share of women in senior roles,” revealed the WEF report.

    Labour-force participation of women has also seen a reduction of 1.9 percentage points in 2022.

    Pakistan was one of the five nations with a gender gap of more than 5 per cent — the others being Qatar, Azerbaijan, China, and India.

  • ‘Wo mere samne aa jaye’: India’s Uorfi Javed is in ‘love’ with Ali Sethi

    India’s social media sensation and television actress Uorfi Javed has confessed about her feelings for Pakistani singer Ali Sethi in an interview with Film Companion.

    The internet sensation said that she is currently in serious love with Ali and the feelings grew over the time. She first listened to his song Chandni Raatien and then Gulon Mein Rang Baray, however the feelings deepened post Pasoori.

    She added that if he comes in front of her, she will just confess her love for him and won’t let him go.

    Earlier she also said that she won’t get married until Ali’s songs get played on her wedding. The Bigg Boss OTT contestant shared a reel with Sethi’s Chandni Raat, she wrote, “I don’t know why I uploaded this but I am in love with this song! Those who haven’t go listen to CHANDNI RAAT by Ali sethi asap and thank me later! Also this is a very very rare sight! I’m not getting married unless this song is played at my wedding! Period (sic).”

    Ali Sethi is currently enjoying international fame post his song Pasoori has entered international charts.

    In 2021, Sethi extended his support for Malala Yousafzai after the youngest Nobel Peace laureate received criticism on her remarks about marriage in an interview for British Vogue‘s July cover.

    “PS: If you are really triggered by a young woman’s completely harmless abstract speculations about the efficacy of marriage and find yourself frothing at the mouth (because you feel like the earth will end or whatever), please know that my own ideas and beliefs are much worse.”

  • Monsoon in Pakistan: What is the situation now?

    Monsoon in Pakistan: What is the situation now?

    The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned Sindh of another monsoon spell this week from Thursday (July 14) till Monday (July 18). It is also said that sea conditions will also remain “rough to very rough” during this timeframe.

    The Met department also said that torrential rains may generate urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities. It has also advised that travellers and tourists remain cautious during the forecast period.

    Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman shared a rain update on her Twitter, saying: “Sindh and Balochistan still under heavy monsoon pressure for the last 13 days. Sindh is 625 per cent above the 30-year average while Balochistan is 501.”

    Action taken by the authorities:

    Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has claimed that rainwater from 90 per cent of the city has been drained out and roads have been cleared.

    Meanwhile, K-Electric spokesperson Imran Rana tweeted, “Wherever possible power has been restored, however, few parts of DHA remain severely water logged like Bukhari Commercial seen below (as of 10:00 PM 12th July). Power in inundated areas expected to be restored once water recedes to safe operating levels.”

    On Sunday, the Sindh government imposed a rain emergency in Karachi after severe rain. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa took an aerial view of Karachi on Tuesday to oversee the catastrophic situation.

    The Pakistan Navy is also taking part in the relief and rescue operations.

    Destruction

    According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Sindh Police, 49 people have died in the province, 31 in Karachi alone, in the monsoon spell from July 4 to July 12.

    In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), at least six people were killed in Swabi, Mardan, South Waziristan and Bajaur districts. The rains also damaged the crops and infrastructure. Swabi, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Nowshera and Malakand were the worst affected.

    Six people died and dozens of houses collapsed throughout over Eid across Balochistan. Many areas across Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) were cut off from each other after roads, bridges, electricity supply and properties were damaged due to the melting glaciers.

  • Nikon may stop making SLRs to focus on mirrorless models

    Nikon may stop making SLRs to focus on mirrorless models

    Nikkei, a Japanese business journal, stated earlier today that Nikon is going to discontinue producing DSLR cameras and concentrate on mirrorless cameras. Naturally, this news spread throughout the camera community and was covered by numerous popular sites.

    Nikon Inc. posted a statement on its website clarifying that it would keep producing, marketing, and servicing its DSLR camera range.

    According to Nikkei’s initial report, the company has discovered that Nikon will withdraw from the single-lens reflex camera sector and pivot toward digital solutions under rising competition from smartphone cameras.

    To be more precise, Nikkei stated that Nikon “plans to focus resources on mirrorless cameras, which have become widespread items as a result of more advanced digital technologies.”

    Nikkei doesn’t go into further detail about how this information was gathered, and it just adds a brief history of Nikon, its history as a photographer, and the situation of the camera market now to the initial piece.

    It’s interesting to note that Nikkei ends the statement by stating that “Rival Canon likewise aims to follow Nikon and discontinue producing DSLRs within a few years,” but it doesn’t provide any further information on that assertion.

    Soon after, Nikon learned about the piece, but not before the photographic community picked up on Nikkei’s first revelation.

    Nikon Inc. posted the following comment on its website in reaction to the report from Nikkei and the articles from other publications:

    ‘There was a media article regarding Nikon’s withdrawal of SLR development. This media article is only speculation and Nikon has made no announcement in this regards. Nikon is continuing the production, sales and service of digital SLR. Nikon appreciate your continuous support.’

    The statement from Nikon Inc. is clear-cut, but Nikon doesn’t specifically refute the details in the Nikkei report. Nikon just states that “Nikon has not announced in these regards” rather than claiming the news is false.

    Nikon does claim that it will keep up “the manufacturing, sales, and service of digital SLR,” but that’s a somewhat nebulous claim that only applies to here and now.

  • Yasir Hussain keen to play Asif Ali Zardari in his biopic

    Yasir Hussain keen to play Asif Ali Zardari in his biopic

    Actor Yasir Hussain has expressed his desire of doing politician and former President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari’s biopic.

    The actor was invited on a Eid Special show with his wife Iqra Aziz and revealed that there is a big politician of the country whom he wants to play in a movie. The politician is none other than Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

    Yasir said that he finds Zardari’s personality very interesting and he feels he can do justice to his role if offered in a film.

    Earlier in June 2022 he took to his Instagram stories to slam the ruling government and asked them to leave the nation this August. The Koel director stated, “August mai aazadi bhi de den hum ko. Jaan choren, Noon ne toh laam laga diye. (Leave us in August, give us independence. PML-N has screwed us.).

    Hussain wrote this caption while sharing a news story about an alleged increase in the fuel prices and electricity crises in the country. His story also featured Miftah Ismail’s picture apart from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

  • Apple’s electric vehicle may lack steering wheel and brake pedal: Leaks

    Apple’s electric vehicle may lack steering wheel and brake pedal: Leaks

    For years, rumours have circulated that Apple is working on a self-driving electric car. The company’s troublesome “Project Titan” is described in-depth in a recent article, along with several intriguing facts about its design, such as the absence of a steering wheel.

    A comprehensive article about Apple’s multi-year effort to create a self-driving automobile was published by The Information.

    The majority of it records information that everyone following “Project Titan” already knows, however, the article also contains some fresh information about the car’s design and difficulties.

    Autonomous vehicles still need to be able to hand over control to people in order to be safe, and they have frequently done so in tests. The study lists numerous instances of this occurring with Titan.

    The most intriguing aspect is that Apple is attempting to obtain approval from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration so that it may release the car without a steering wheel or brake pedals, fully committing it to be a self-driving vehicle.

    Another unique element of the project is the seating arrangement concepts from Apple designers. The most recent design has four chairs that face inward, placing passengers face-to-face. Additionally, designers are considering allowing passengers to lie down and sleep.

    A level 5 Apple automobile has been in development for about ten years, but it won’t likely be released to the public for some time. Hyundai was a potential partner for Apple in the past, but discussions ceased in February of last year.

    Project manager Doug Field departed Apple in September of last year to work for Ford, which made the delays much worse.