Author: newsdesk

  • MQM-P’s Amir Khan seeks mercy from PM Khan, says they don’t want more ministries

    MQM-P’s Amir Khan seeks mercy from PM Khan, says they don’t want more ministries

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Amir Khan in a Geo News‘ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath‘ said that the party seeks mercy from the government, doesn’t want any more ministries and the government can take back the MQM-P’s current federal cabinet seat.

    Currently, MQM-P holds two federal ministries— Information Technology Minister Syed Amin-ul-Haq and Law Minister Farogh Naseem. However, MQM-P has been saying that the law ministry has not been given to it.

    Amir raised serious concerns about government policies. He stated, “Our legs have started trembling, carrying the weight of the government’s economic policies.”

    “We have our own identity and are independent in making decisions; we are not obligated to work with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government, and we will make decisions as we deem appropriate”, he added, while talking about the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    Talking about the recent meetings with the Opposition who are gearing up for the no-confidence motion, the MQM-P leader stated, “The Opposition should have a clear stand on a vote of no confidence.” He demanded that the party wants an independent local bodies system in Sindh, and if contacted, they will present Sindh problems before the Opposition.

    On the contrary, while speaking on Geo News‘ Programme ‘Jashan-e-Cricket’, MQM-P leader Wasim Akhtar said that their party has a lot of compulsions to support PTI yet he questioned the incumbent government wining in Karachi. He claimed that PTI would not have won 14 seats in Karachi if Khalai Makhlooq (‘Aliens’) had not played a role.

    Akhtar further said that he wondered, “How Imran Khan has become Prime Minister of Pakistan.”

    It was reported on Wednesday that the premier would soon make changes in the federal and Punjab cabinets by including allied parties’ members i.e MQM-P and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

  • Rizwan, Rossouw lead Sultans to score second-highest PSL score

    Rizwan, Rossouw lead Sultans to score second-highest PSL score

    Multan Sultans’ batters destroyed Quetta Gladiatos’ bowlers, smashing a mammoth 245/3 in the first innings of the 25th match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

    After opting to bat first, Sultans set a huge target of 246 for the Gladiators, thanks to skipper Mohammad Rizwan and the top-order batter Rilee Rossouw, who played stunning knocks to bolster the side in the closing overs.

    Earlier, Sultans’ openers Rizwan and Shan Masood made a ravishing start, putting on a brilliant century-partnership for the first wicket. The duo appeared solid as both scored astonishing half-centuries.

    Mohammad Irfan sent Masood (57 off 28) to the pavilion in the 12th over, while Rizwan stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking.

    Following Masood’s departure, Rossouw stood up for his team and played a spectacular innings. The left-handed batter scored a quickfire 71 off just 26 balls, smashing nine boundaries and four sixes before falling short to Naseem Shah in the 19th over.

    Rizwan, on the other hand, top-scored with his unbeaten 83 runs off just 54 balls with the help of 10 boundaries, including three sixes.

    For the Gladiators, the bowlers remained off-colour as they conceded a lot of runs and leaked 24 runs as extras. Returning pacer Mohammad Irfan, Ghulam Mudassar, and Naseem managed to take a wicket each.

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention here that this is the second highest score of PSL history and the highest in PSL 7 so far. The highest score of the league was posted by Islamabad United against Peshawar Zalmi in the sixth edition of the PSL.

    Sultans’ bowlers did not allow Quetta’s batters to stand on the pitch. Only wicket-keeper-batter Umar Akmal managed to entertain with his 23-ball 53.

    Khushdil Shah sent the last man standing on the crease — Irfan — to the pavilion to clinch the match by 117 runs.

  • ‘Opposition scared because Imran Khan has no price’: Prime Minister

    ‘Opposition scared because Imran Khan has no price’: Prime Minister

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Friday said that the Opposition would not receive a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

    “They are scared because Imran Khan has no price, he will not give you an NRO like General Musharraf,” said Khan, referring to the country’s former military ruler.

    Addressing a rally in Mandi Bahauddin, PM Khan said, “Thieves will not get any NRO until they return the country’s [looted] money […] as long as I am alive, I will not let them rest until they return the people’s wealth.”

    If Shehbaz Sharif is innocent, then why is he running away from the courts?

    Criticising Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, the premier said that he had a “weak heart and knew he would not be able to escape if his case (of being a guarantor in Nawaz Sharif’s case) is heard”.

    “If Shehbaz Sharif is innocent, then why is he running away from the courts?”

    PM Imran went on to say that when the Opposition had filed a case against him in the Supreme Court, he did not leave the country and had proved that he was sadiq and ameen (honest and righteous).

    “I provided the documents the court asked for. I did not run away [or] ask for more dates. I told them to listen to the case [day-to-day],” said PM Khan.

    Have you ever heard a politician blackmail others via tapes?

    Berating PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, he said Nawaz’s daughter claims she has “tapes” on government officials.

    “Have you ever heard a politician blackmail (others) via tapes?”

    Whatever your plan is, Kaptaan is prepared

    “I have a message for the Sharif family: Kaptaan is ready for all your plans. You will not only face defeat, but all of you will go to jail,” the prime minister vowed.

    “This is not what politicians do, this is what mafias do,” he declared, calling on supporters to help the government combat them.

    “I have vowed to fight them as long as I am alive.”

    There is no doubt inflation has increased

    The prime minister said: “They [the Opposition] say that inflation has increased. There is no doubt it has increased.”

     He went on to say that the government was always working on how to lessen the burden of this inflation on the people of the country.

    “I promise to reduce the burden on the people.”

    “Supply lines were affected due to the pandemic. There was a shortage of commodities and they became more expensive,” said PM Khan.

    “Every month, the government suffers a loss of Rs70 billion due to this,” said PM Khan.

    The premeir said that petrol that was previously available for $40 per barrel was now being sold for $90. “What can we do about this? We have to import petrol.”

  • Indian court sentences 38 Muslims to death for 2008 bomb blasts

    Indian court sentences 38 Muslims to death for 2008 bomb blasts

    An Indian court sentenced to death 38 Muslims on Friday who were allegedly involved in the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts, which took place in 2008. The court has ordered ‘prison in life’ to the other 11 convicts as well. Ahmedabad city is the commercial hub of the Indian state, Gujarat.

    Judge A R Patel announced the verdict and described the incident as a “rarest of rare case” in which innocent people were killed.

    More than 50 people were killed and 200 wounded in the deadly bomb blasts in 2008.

    Around 20 bombs were exploded within one hour across various public places including residential areas, market places, public transport, and hospitals in Ahmedabad.

    An Indian Muslim group, Indian Mujahideen, had claimed responsibility for the attacks on July 26, 2008.

    However, a defence lawyer said, “We had sought lenient sentences for the convicts as they have already spent more than 13 years in prison. But the court awarded death to the majority of them. We will definitely go for appeal.”

    The Ahmedabad attacks were said to be in retaliation to the religious riots in which thousands of Muslims were brutally killed in 2002 in Gujarat state. Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

  • Peshawar BRT wins Gold Standard, Asad Umar congratulates Khattak, CM KP

    Peshawar BRT wins Gold Standard, Asad Umar congratulates Khattak, CM KP

    Planning Minister Asad Umar took to his Twitter account to congratulate Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Mahmood Khan, after the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) wins the Gold Standard rating. According to Umar, only 11 cities in the world have such a high rating.

    “Well done Peshawar on being given the gold standard rating for its BRT and thus becoming only the 11th city in the world to get the gold standard rating. Congratulations Pervez Khattak and Mahmood khan,” the minister wrote in his tweet.

    Umar also retweeted a tweet by Asian Development Bank (ADB) which read, “Pakistan’s Peshawar is now officially 1st in the subcontinent, 3rd in Asia 11th city globally to receive Gold Standard. Dr Walter Hook, a member of the tech committee that evaluates world-class BRTs presented the standard to KP’s minister Kamran Bangash today.”

  • ‘Sheikh Rasheed’s abusive comments are a result of his training by PML-N’: PTI’s Shahbaz Gill

    ‘Sheikh Rasheed’s abusive comments are a result of his training by PML-N’: PTI’s Shahbaz Gill

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) Dr Shahbaz Gill criticised Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed’s abusive language and said he had been trained by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Gill said that Sheikh Rasheed had previously been jailed for insulting former PM Benazir Bhutto.

    Gill also clarified that when PM Khan called Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari ‘Sahiba‘, it was due to a slip of tongue.

    Gill further said that the slip of the tongue of the premier was similar to when he had talked about the borders of Germany and Japan.

    Criticising the Opposition parties, Gill said that the use of abusive language was the culture of PML-N and PPP. “We are suffering because of them.”

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said, “I want to request the media to play the footage of the speeches of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers where they have made personal attacks against me. Imran Khan Sahib used to praise them for making such comments, clap at them. I too am someone’s daughter.”

    Maryam added, “Yes, your [PM Khan] wife [Bushra Bibi] is of respect to us. The standard you want to set for your wife, the same standards should have been there for the deceased Kalsoom Nawaz [wife of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif]. When I used to go to check on my mother from our London apartment to the hospital, three to four PTI workers used to abuse me. When my son Junaid used to leave, they used to abuse his mother.”

  • VIDEO: Hassan Ali interrupts Erin Holland’s interview with Ben Cutting

    VIDEO: Hassan Ali interrupts Erin Holland’s interview with Ben Cutting

    Islamabad United bowler Hassan Ali is a character of his own and knows how to entertain. Recently the speedster interrupted a live interview of Peshawar Zalmi’s Ben Cutting by presenter Erin Holland.

    Holland was interviewing the Peshawar Zalmi’s player after the team defeated United in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition when Hassan crashed in and asked: “Why do you always take interview of Ben Cutting?”

    At this, both burst out laughing at Hassan’s intervention. Cutting resumed the interview while Hassan Ali walked away.

    The video clip of this hilarious incident went viral on social media. Netizens couldn’t stop sharing the video on Internet with witty captions.

    https://twitter.com/taimoorze/status/1494383393211133962
  • Nawaz Sharif more popular than PM Khan in provinces: survey

    Nawaz Sharif more popular than PM Khan in provinces: survey

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is ahead of all other party leaders in terms of popularity, reveals Gallup Pakistan’s latest survey, which was conducted from December 22, 2021, to January 31, 2022, and includes 5,000 participants from across the country.

    According to the survey, there is a noticeable drop in PM Imran Khan’s popularity in all the provinces.

    In Punjab, PM Khan’s popularity rate has dropped from 51 per cent in December 2018 to 33 per cent in January 2022 while Nawaz Sharif’s popularity has jumped from 35 per cent in December 2018 to 58 per cent in January 2022.

    The survey has also included the popularity statistics of PML-N President and former Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. CM Sharif’s popularity rose from 46 per cent in December 2018 to 58 per cent in January 2022 in Punjab. Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto’s popularity increased in Punjab from 18 per cent back in December 2018 to 24 per cent in January 2022.

    In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), there is a significant increase in the level of satisfaction with PM Khan, which was only five per cent in December 2018 but is now 44 per cent, while Bhutto’s popularity mildly increased from 23 per cent in December 2018 to 24 per cent in January 2022. Nawaz Sharif managed to gain in KP from his 14 per cent approval rating in December 2018 to 46 per cent in January 2022.

    Coming to Sindh, both Sharifs are ahead of the PPP. Nawaz Sharif’s popularity in Sindh increased from 12 per cent in December 2018 to 51 per cent in January 2022. Shehbaz Sharif’s approval rating also went up in Sindh from 12 per cent in December 2018 to 41 per cent in January 2022. Meanwhile, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto’s popularity significantly dropped in Sindh, where the PPP is in power, from 54 per cent in December 2018 to 37 percent in January 2022. PM Khan remained at 33 per cent both in December 2018 and January 2022 but remains the least popular of all four leaders in Sindh.

    According to the survey, this is the first time that the popularity of the former PM has risen after December 2018. Shehbaz Sharif also managed to get similar ratings.

  • Bella Hadid calls out India over ‘ban hijab’ conflict

    Bella Hadid calls out India over ‘ban hijab’ conflict

    Model Bella Hadid, a vocal advocate of women’s rights and the rights of Palestinians, criticized the discrimination faced by Muslim women in India and elsewhere.

    Taking to Instagram, the supermodel shared multiple news items from several countries and wrote, “In other forms of discrimination: I urge France, India , Quebec, Belgium, and any other countries in the world who are discriminatory against Muslim women, to rethink what decisions you have made or are trying to make in the future about a body that is not yours.”

    She added, “It’s not your job to tell women what they should or shouldn’t wear, especially when it is pertaining to faith and safety.

    It’s not your job to tell women whether or not they can STUDY or PLAY SPORTS, ESPECIALLY when it is pertaining to their faith and safety. Hijabi women in France are not allowed to wear their Hijab to school, to play sports, to swim, even on their ID pictures. You can’t be a civil worker or work in hospitals with a Hijab. To get an internship, most universities will say, the only way to get one is to take off the hijab. It’s ridiculous and really shows how Islamophobic the world is without even acknowledging it. In regards to these new Bills that are either in the process of being passed , or have already.”

    Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor has also appreciated Bella Hadid’s Instagram post.

    Bella Hadid calls out India for banning hijab
  • Actor Shaan angry over PSL ‘lockdowns’, makes special request to CM Buzdar

    Actor Shaan angry over PSL ‘lockdowns’, makes special request to CM Buzdar

    The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is at full swing of the second leg of the tournament which is taking place at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

    Actor Shaan Shahid took to his Twitter and has made a special request to Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja and Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar.

    “PSL indeed it is a great way to boost pakistans peaceful image but a special request to @iramizraja chairman Pcb why can’t the teams be accommodated in the Pcb academy right next to the stadium the whole city is on a lockdown a lot of people are suffering .@UsmanAKBuzdar,” he tweeted.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore, Additional IG Fayyaz Ahmad Dev visited Gaddafi Stadium and reviewed the security and traffic arrangements made by the Lahore Police for PSL matches.

    DIG Operations Dr Abid Khan, DC Lahore Umar Sher Chattha, SSP Administration Atif Nazir, SSP Operations Capt (retd) Mustansar Feroze, SSP Security Rashid Hydayat and PCB officials were also present on the occasion.

    The CCPO Lahore inspected security arrangements at different entrance and exit gates of the stadium and issued directions to the police officers to strengthen the arrangements.

    The Lahore leg of the tournament started from February 10. The playoffs and Final of the tournament will be played in Lahore at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Final match will be played on February 27.

    Earlier, it was also reported that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan will also be watching the Final at the Gaddafi Stadium.

    In March 2021, it was reported that the Sports Board of Punjab (SBP) and PCB have agreed to build a five-star hotel at Nishtar Park Sports Complex, near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. But no latest update on the project has been reported.