Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Harassment pe kyun boli? bold shoots’: Naumaan Ijaz under fire for shockingly uncomfortable chat with Ayesha Omar

    ‘Harassment pe kyun boli? bold shoots’: Naumaan Ijaz under fire for shockingly uncomfortable chat with Ayesha Omar

    Actor Naumaan Ijaz is receiving flak on social media for putting actress Ayesha Omar in an uncomfortable spot on his chat show.

    He started off by telling the Bulbulay star that it is considered about her that she does many controversial things, He asks her if she does it intentionally?

    The Parizaad actor then cited examples of her bold shoots and said, “Kabhi apki bold shoots aa jati hain, kuch ap statements aisi deti hain,”

    He added that in his opinion she shouldn’t have opened up about certain topics from her past just because someone from the industry broke her silence on the topic. It can damage your image, he said.

    Ayesha seemed to be uncomfortable throughout his questioning. She replied by saying, “Kisi ki dekha dekhi nahi, (I don’t do it because others are doing it.)

    Naumaan cut her in between and said that we need to be conscious about the society we’re living in.

    Ayesha then answered that, “I try to bring the truth to the forefront and be authentic.”

    Naumaan asked her, if she gains anything by being honest?

    He later cited the example of the Rehbra diva opening up about sexual harassment in the industry and asked her that why did she talked about it?

    This made Ayesha emotional and she said that it gives strength and inspiration to oppressed women. “I got strength when a colleague opened up about and its not to gain limelight,” she said

    Naumaan then changed the topic and commented on her dress that why has she come wearing a night suit on his show?

    Netizens are calling out Naumaan for his statements and conduct with a female actor and termed his stance as sexist.

  • New bank timings announced by SBP, Saturday will now be observed as a working day

    New bank timings announced by SBP, Saturday will now be observed as a working day

    Pursuant to the federal government’s directive issued on April 13, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) would observe a six-day work week with amended timings.

    During Ramzan, working hours for the central bank, development finance institutions (DFIs), microfinance banks (MFBs), and all commercial banks, are as follows:

    Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm with a prayer break from 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm.

    Fridays: from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm without a break, according to a notification from SBP.

    Public dealing hours

    Banks and MFBs have been advised to adhere to the following public dealing business hours:

    Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm (no break).

    Fridays from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (no break).

    Banks and MFBs may observe longer business (banking) hours for public dealing from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (without break) on weekdays excluding Fridays, depending on their business needs.

    The abovementioned schedule will take effect immediately and will not be changed or withdrawn unless it is amended or canceled.

  • AJK PM sacks 5 ministers over ‘suspicious activities’

    AJK PM sacks 5 ministers over ‘suspicious activities’

    The embattled Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi on Thursday terminated five members of his cabinet over misconduct and suspicious activities, ARY News reported.

    A spokesperson for the AJK PM confirmed the development and said that those who have been terminated included Tanveer Ilyas, Abdul Majid Khan, Ali Shan, Khawaja Farooq and Chaudhry Muhammad Akbar.

    They were terminated from the AJK cabinet over misconduct, corrupt practices and suspicious activities, the spokesperson said.

    Yesterday, AJK PM Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan Niazi met PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, a day after a no-trust motion was submitted against the former by party lawmakers.

    During the meeting, the AJK premier rejected the allegations leveled against him and briefed the PTI chairman about “conspiracies” being hatched to send him packing.

    The ousted prime minister constituted a committee with party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi appointed as its head to resolve the issue.

    The committee will have a final say on the matter after reviewing all the facts by tomorrow.

    Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) lawmakers submitted the motion against their party’s prime minister in the AJK assembly secretariat on April 12.

    The motion was signed by 25 members of the legislative assembly including a minister and senior Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has been proposed as successor. The name of Sardar Tanveer Ilyas has been recommended for the PM slot in the no-trust move.

  • Pro-PTI teachers allegedly harassing students over indifferent opinions

    Pro-PTI teachers allegedly harassing students over indifferent opinions

    Some Incidents have been reported regarding students harassment for having indifferent political opinions in educational institutions since the ouster of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. Pro-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) teachers are harassing students for not supporting Imran Khan and using insulting words towards their parents as well.

    Some parents have shared such “harassment incidents” on Twitter their children experienced in their classrooms.

    One parent said, “My son’s English teacher screamed at a couple of students in the class who responded when class was asked who doesn’t support Imran Khan. Said you and your family should be ashamed of yourselves.” The parent also questioned the school’s administration regarding the training of teachers to help them remain apolitical in classrooms.

    The Publisher of Hello Magazine, Zahraa Saifullah has also shared about her daughter’s teacher who urged students to participate in the procession of former PM Imran Khan.

    She tweeted, “[He] encouraging them to pray he comes back as PM & has banned the words Bhuttos & Sharifs in class. Why are we allowing political bias into classrooms?”

    Many of the parents also shared similar incidents that happened with their children.

    Another user, Usman Qazi said, “My son was subtly pressured by a teacher for the same reason yesterday. The way we tutored him, he stood his ground and responded respectfully with logical arguments. She had to give up but some fellow kids tried to berate him but he remained cool and ignored them.”

    Another user penned down on Twitter to relate an experience that happened with his daughter in private school.

    A famous journalist Nadeem Farooq Paracha also condemn this action and compared it to German dictator Hitler. He also raised the question that If Madrassa’s teachers can be booked for teaching bigotry then other school teachers can be booked for similar conduct.

    Some users have raised the alarming consequences of such exploitation of students that can leave emotional scars on them. They emphasised that teachers should remain apolitical in classes to create a safe place for education.

  • ‘I was forced into politics at a young age, I did not choose it’: Bilawal to CNN

    ‘I was forced into politics at a young age, I did not choose it’: Bilawal to CNN

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that he was forced into politics at a young age. “I didn’t choose this life, it chose me,” said Bilawal in interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson.

    When Anderson posed a question regarding dynastic politics, Bilawal said,” Absolutely, dynasties exist and it would be unfair to criticise the former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hilary Clinton for being involved in politics because her husband was involved in politics, etc. You can criticise nepotism and dynastic politics as much as you want but whoever the people of Pakistan decide, that should matter by the end of the day.”

    “As far as myself is concerned, my grandfather was hanged by a military dictator, my mother was assassinated by terrorists and I was forced into Pakistani politics at a young age. I did not choose this life, it chose me,” he added.

    Answering a question about being the foreign minister under a PM that is not from his own party, Bilawal said that it would be difficult for the party to stomach, being the second-largest member of the coalition. “However, we do have to work together to address Pakistan’s problems.

    Talking about former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s demand for early elections, Bilawal said: “We absolutely want free and fair elections but in order for them to take place, we must legislate when it comes to the electoral reforms. As everybody knows, the 2018 elections that Khan used to come to power have been widely seen and condemned not only nationally but internationally as rigged and compromised elections that resulted in three years of an autocratic dictatorial rule through the office of Imran Khan. He not only robbed our media of media freedoms but robbed average Pakistanis of their democratic rights that they just recently started to enjoy.”

    “It is a big victory for democracy that we are moving towards electoral reforms and free and fair elections. We are not a selected government like Mr Khan’s but a government that is truly representative of the people of Pakistan and can decide their fate.”

  • ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the institutions if ‘thieves’, who have come into power through a ‘foreign conspiracy’ and are ‘slaves’, can protect Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He was addressing a rally in Peshawar.

    In his first public address since losing his government, Khan directly addressed the judiciary and asked: “My dear judges, my judiciary, I have spent time in jail because of your freedom because I dream that one day the judiciary would stand with the weak people of the society, and not the powerful. I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night … this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?”

    “During my 25 years of politics, I have never provoked the public against state institutions or the judiciary because my life and death are in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime had I exactly committed that you opened up the courts at midnight?” questioned Khan.

    “I will live and die for Pakistan.”

    The PTI chairman also warned that he was not that dangerous while he was part of the government, but now that he has been ousted, he will become “more dangerous” for the Opposition.

    “We will not accept an imported government and people have shown what they want by holding demonstrations against the move,” he said.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is out on bail, his son is out on bail, Nawaz Sharif is a convict, and his son is an absconder in London and the same is the case with his sons, daughter, and son-in-law.”

    “America has insulted Pakistan by imposing these bandits on us; Shehbaz Sharif is facing corruption charges of Rs40 billion,” Khan added. “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sacked through a conspiracy by the USA, but this is not the Pakistan of 1970. This is the new Pakistan.”

    “My youth, get ready, I will be out on the streets with you in every city until we do not force them to hold elections,” he said, adding, “Today marks the beginning of the struggle to find actual freedom.”

  • US congratulates Shehbaz on election as prime minister

    US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday congratulated newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and vowed to continue its long-standing cooperation with Pakistan’s government.

    Shehbaz was elected the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday after his predecessor, Imran Khan, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote last week.

    In a statement issued last night, Blinken expressed that Pakistan had been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and US valued their relationship.

    “The United States views a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both countries,” he added.

    Responding to the statement, the Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed the need for cooperation with United States. “The new government wishes to constructively and positively engage with the US to promote of peace, security and development in the region,” it tweeted.

    The PMO also highlighted the need for deepening the relationship on the principles of equality, mutual interest and mutual benefit.

    Blinken’s comments come a day after Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the US had a “healthy military-to-military relationship with Pakistani armed forces”, adding that “we have every expectation that will be able to continue to be the case”.

    “We recognise that Pakistan plays a key role in the region. We recognise that Pakistan and the Pakistani people are, themselves, victims of terrorist attacks inside their own country,” he added.

    In response to a question on allegations of the ousted premier against the US for its role in regime change, Kirby had declined to comment and said that US would not talk about Pakistan’s domestic politics.

    Ties between Islamabad and Washington touched a new low after former prime minister Imran Khan accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his government. He based his allegation on a diplomatic cable in which it was reportedly said that a State Department official had warned of consequences for bilateral ties if the no-confidence motion against then PM Imran Khan failed.

    Washington had denied the allegation.

  • Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday felicitated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the prime minister of Pakistan.

    “Congratulations to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan,” the British PM tweeted.

    It is noteworthy that Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and several other countries have extended felicitation to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the new prime minister of Pakistan.

    Beijing in a statement said that it was looking forward to working with him to continue the traditional friendship, deepen all-round cooperation and advance a high-quality building of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in new era.

  • Gold prices go up by Rs350 per tola to Rs130,300

    Gold prices go up by Rs350 per tola to Rs130,300

    The price of gold in the local market soared by Rs350 per tola (11.7 gramme) on April 13. All Pakistan Jewellers Manufacturers Association stated that the precious yellow metal is currently trading at Rs130,300 per tola.

    Accordingly, the cost of 10 gramme of gold jumped by Rs300 to Rs111,711. Silver prices in the local market as of April 13, remained constant at Rs1,520 and Rs1,303.15.

    Gold prices touched a one-month high in the international market as surging consumer costs bolstered its desirability as an inflation hedge, while investors seemed to ignore the Federal Reserve’s imminent interest rate hike and a healthier dollar.

    By 12:40 pm. ET (1640 GMT), spot gold had risen 0.6 per cent to $1,978.81 per ounce, after reaching its highest level since March 14 at $1,979.95. Gold futures in the United States (US) increased 0.3 per cent to $1,982.6.

    Read more: Car sales up by 53.7 per cent in 2022, despite repeated price hikes

    Bullion prices surged $22 per ounce on the global market, settling at $1,977 per ounce. When compared to the Dubai market, gold prices in Pakistan are approximately Rs5,000 cheaper.

  • ‘Hamza is like my brother’, Aleem Khan dispels rumours of differences with him

    ‘Hamza is like my brother’, Aleem Khan dispels rumours of differences with him

    The member of disgruntled Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group Aleem Khan dismissed the reports about any differences with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) nominee for Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, saying: “Hamza is like my younger brother.”

    In a tweet, Khan took a jibe at Hamza’s contender Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Pervaiz Elahi and said, “Elahi is seeing his defeat. He has come to know that defeat has become his destiny. I have a very lovable and respect relation with Hamza. He is like my younger brother. Nothing has happened and will never happen.”

    “Pervaiz Elahi should admit his defeat. Come to the polls. There will be no need for them to do such things,” Khan added.

    Following this, Hamza also dropped a tweet. He said, “The lies which have been propagated against me and Aleem Khan are baseless and a product of someone’s imagination. Khan is a respected brother and a senior politician. Seeing a clear defeat in Punjab, such a bay is being flown.”

    Earlier, it was claimed that Khan is involved in an altercation with Hamza and he had threatened to resign from his seat.

    The Punjab Assembly’s crucial session for the election of a new CM is likely to take place on April 16. PML-N has claimed of having the support of 202 Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) in the house.