Author: newsdesk

  • Moonis Elahi tells PTI not to worry, ‘nothing substantial’ in meetings with Opposition leaders

    Moonis Elahi tells PTI not to worry, ‘nothing substantial’ in meetings with Opposition leaders

    Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi said on Monday that the government alliance is not facing any trouble. Elahi said that the political environment was a “bit strange these days” but there is nothing substantial in it. Moonis Elahi was referring to the recent meetings of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leadership with Opposition leaders, which include Shehbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Asif Ali Zardari.

    Moonis Elahi, while addressing the International Symposium on Hydropower Development, said, “A spectacle is going on, whatever talks are being held, we are political people, we meet people and welcome someone who comes to our home. The important thing to understand is that political people form relationships and then see them through.”

    “Just like we have made a relation with Janab [Prime Minister Imran Khan], and we will carry on with this relation,” adding, “I would like to request you [PM Khan] to say it rather firmly to all Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers/supporters that ghabrana nahi hai [no need to worry].”

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, without taking names, criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif and said that in a panic, some people have gone to ask about the health of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

    PM Khan, responding to the words to Moonis Elahi said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has full confidence in the Chaudhry brothers.

    PM said that hardly anyone has the political skills that Chaudhry Sahib [Shujaat Hussain] possesses.

    PM Khan’s comments come after Shehbaz Sharif met PML-Q’s Chaudhry brothers at their residence after 14 years as the Opposition seeks to mount pressure on the government.

    It is being reported that the Chaudhries of Gujrat will be holding party meetings to discuss the overall political situation and go into further discussions to come up with a consensus plan to move ahead in the current political turmoil.

    It is pertinent to mention here that PML-Q is a key ally of the PTI in the Centre and Punjab.

  • Shehbaz visits Chaudhry brothers after 14 years

    Shehbaz visits Chaudhry brothers after 14 years

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and senior party leaders visited Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi yesterday (February 13, Sunday).

    Shehbaz went to their residence where the leaders of the two rival parties met each other for a formal political meeting after a gap of about 14 years.

    The meeting lasted over an hour, where both sides discussed the current political situation in the country in detail. Sources say that Shehbaz Sharif asked the Chaudhries of Gujrat to support the Opposition in its planned no-confidence move against Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, the Chaudhry brothers told the PML-N leadership that they would adopt a strategy after consultations with their party leaders.

    The News reported that the Chaudhry brothers have asked for the slot of Chief Minister Punjab from 2023 to 2028. Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly conveyed details of the meeting to Mian Nawaz Sharif, who will make the final decision. Currently, the PML-Q is a key ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in both Punjab and the Centre.

    On Saturday (February 12), Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who also heads the Opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), called on the Chaudhry brothers in Lahore. Maulana also asked them for their support against the sitting government.

    Earlier on Monday (February 7), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari also paid a visit to the Chaudhry brothers in Lahore to ask for PML-Q support in ousting the government.

    Last year in December, Nawaz Sharif called Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to ask about the health of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and also invited them to meet him in London.

  • Did Shahid Afridi’s daughter send flowers, balloon to Shaheen Afridi on Valentine’s Day?

    Did Shahid Afridi’s daughter send flowers, balloon to Shaheen Afridi on Valentine’s Day?

    Lahore Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi received a bouquet of red roses and flowers with a “Happy Valentine’s Day” card and a balloon on Valentine’s Day evening and the cricketer shared a snippet of the gift with a caption: “Thank you my love.”

    Now the social media users are wondering if the flowers and the balloon were sent by former cricketer Shahid Afridi’s daughter, who is engaged to Shaheen Afridi.

    https://twitter.com/Its_meHamid/status/1492960773739782144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1492960773739782144%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F399083-shaheen-shah-afridis-valentines-day-gift-what-is-twitter-thinking

    Shaheen-led Qalandars on Monday defeated Quetta Gladiators in the 20th match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 by eight wickets and Shaheen not only received flowers and balloon but he also bagged the Player of the Match award for his exceptional spell in which he conceded only 27 runs in four overs. Not only this but he managed to take Quetta’s batters Jason Roy and James Vince’s crucial wickets on duck.

    The 21-year-old pacer will marry Shahid Afridi’s daughter. The news was confirmed by both families last year.

  • Large mob lynches man over alleged blasphemy, PM Khan condemns

    Large mob lynches man over alleged blasphemy, PM Khan condemns

    A man was brutally tortured and killed by a violent mob when accused of allegedly burning pages of the Holy Quran in a village in Khanewal, Punjab on Saturday.

    The incident took place in a village called Mian Channu after Maghrib prayers. Thousands of people gathered after the announcement was made that a man had torn some of the pages of the Holy Quran and set them on fire in a mosque.

    People were not ready to tho listen to the mentally handicapped man who reportedly claimed innocence. People hanged him on a tree and then threw stones and bricks until he took his last breath.

    Local police came to the spot after receiving a call from a villager. They reached to arrest suspects but villagers started stoning them when they tried to release the man. The violent mob grabbed him from police’s custody and continued beating him.

    The victim’s elder brother revealed that the victim had been mentally ill for about 17 to18 years and was living with another brother in Karachi. He also had remained hospitalised for treatment but he could not recover. His wife also divorced him because of his illness. He had two sons and a daughter.

    He further added, “He went to buy some cigarettes and did not turn up till evening and they later learned that he was killed on blasphemy charges.”

    While talking to Dawn News, he claimed that neighbours also knew about his mental condition. He said that the violent mob stoned his brother to death in the presence of police and they did not protect his brother from the mob. He also complained that his brother’s fingers were missing after the frightful incident.

    Police claimed that they have arrested 85 suspects after they conducted more than 120 raids on Sunday.

    The police have registered two First Investigation Reports (FIR) for alleged blasphemy under Section 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code and the second one related to the lynching under Sections 302, 353, 186, 148, 149 of the PPC and Section 7A of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

    Also Read: Sri Lankan factory manager tortured to death in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi soon after arriving at Khanewal Circuit House, condemned the incident and said no one should take the law into their hands.

    He emphasised that there are laws to protect religion and against blasphemy. Such matters should be reported to the police and let them proceed under the law.

    Prime Minister, Imran Khan condemned the tragic incident on his Twitter. He ordered a detailed report from the Punjab police chief. He directed authorities to take strict against the perpetrators of the lynching incident.

    Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari also condemned the incident and asked the Punjab government to take strict action against the assailants involved.

    Netizens also criticised Mazari for not taking enough efforts to prevent such tragic incidents. They are saying that tweets are not enough to stop such brutality.

    Some users questioned the appreciation award which was given to Shireen Mazari by Prime Minister Imran Khan last week, and how it wasn’t well deserved.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also strongly condemned the incident.

    “The tragedy of Mian Channu has once again humiliated the entire nation,” he said.

    The deceased victim was buried in Mian Channu on Sunday.

  • Fact Check: Punjab University did not order students to wear burqas on Valentine’s Day

    Fact Check: Punjab University did not order students to wear burqas on Valentine’s Day

    Claim: Punjab University mandated its students to wear burqa on Valentine’s Day by issuing a notice which was circulating social media

    Fact: No such notification was issued from Punjab University

    A notification from Punjab University was circulating on social media. “All the boys of the Punjab University are supposed to wear White Prayer Caps,” the notification read. The notification further states: “All girls are supposed to wear Black Burqas with black hand gloves and black socks on 14 Feburary, Haya Day.”

    However, University of Punjab tweeted that this was a doctored notification.

    Meanwhile, The University of Peshawar announced an official ‘off day’ on Valentine’s day and will be conducting seminars and workshops.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • Twitter all praises for Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam after they lead Qalandars to fifth victory

    Twitter all praises for Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam after they lead Qalandars to fifth victory

    Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars saw another victory on Sunday against Quetta Gladiators. The Qalandars beat Gladiators by eight wickets with the help of opening batter Fakhar Zaman and one-down batter Kamran Ghulam’s half-centuries.

    Read More – ‘Cannot bear it anymore’: Shahid Afridi bids goodbye to PSL

    Quetta failed to get a good start as Lahore’s skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed back-to-back wickets of batters Jason Roy and James Vince in the first over. They posted a total of 141, thanks to Iftikhar Ahmed’s half-century.

    The recovery came initially through another little cameo from Umar Akmal, and then a 51-run stand between Iftikhar and Hassan Khan. Iftikhar scored a 39-ball 52 to ensure the Gladiators would have something to bowl at, but needed to bat through the innings to really give them a defendable total. Once he holed out in the 18th over, the innings deteriorated.

    The Qalandars didn’t go hard in the powerplay, but only because they didn’t especially need to. Ghulam Mudassar removed Abdullah Shafique early but Fakhar’s sensational inning showed no mercy on the opposition’s bowling attack. The opener struck six boundaries during a 42-ball 53, and even when he top-edged one-off Noor Ahmed to end his knock, his side required just 24 more in 27 balls.

    Then came Hafeez and clinched the match with Ghulam, who scored an unbeaten 55 on 39 balls.

    Twitterati couldn’t stop lauding Fakhar’s consistent stint at this year’s PSl.

    Former cricketer Rashid Latif took to Twitter and shared Fakhar’s picture and wrote: “Sar Fakhar se buland ho gaya.” (The head is raised with pride.)

    While several showered praise sharing Fakhar’s stats in the seventh edition of PSL.

    https://twitter.com/CricRajdeep/status/1492916862593552387?s=20&t=0kReg72tcG4h_orlOTY0qA

    Fakhar has become only the second player in the history of PSL to score six fifty-plus scores in a single season, Babar Azam holds the record of seven in 2021. Fakhar stands on top of the table of players with 469 runs. Multan Sultans’ Shan Masood is behind him with 351 runs while Multan’s skipper Mohammad Rizwan is following Shan with 269 runs.

  • PTI says strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about Bushra Bibi

    PTI says strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about Bushra Bibi

    First lady Bushra Bibi’s friend Farah Khan refuted “rumours” that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s wife was staying with her in Lahore after fighting with the premier.

    A few days ago, a journalist had claimed that Bushra Bibi had “gotten into a fight with PM Khan” and had left Bani Gala for Lahore to stay at her friend, Farah Khan’s house. The rumour soon started spreading on social media and WhatsApp groups.

    Speaking with Geo News, Farah Khan said, “I am surprised how someone made this up because Bushra Bibi has not visited Lahore in a long time.”

    “The first lady is still in Bani Gala with her husband and they have not had any fights,” she added.

    Farah Khan said that people’s personal lives should not be dragged into politics and condemned the “fake propaganda” spread about the first lady.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Imran Khan on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said that the government has approached the country’s courts against a journalist who issued “insulting and fabricated” statements about First Lady Bushra Bibi.

    Gill said that “strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about the first lady”.

    Gill also confirmed that both Bushra Bibi and Prime Minister Imran Khan are currently in Islamabad and that the rumours of a separation are completely baseless.

  • Two men die while taking selfies

    Two men die while taking selfies

    Two men died on spot after being hit by a train in India. The deceased were standing on the railway track.

    According to India Today, Mithun Khan, 36, and Abdul Gain, 32, were taking selfies when the unfortunate incident took place in the West Medinipur district of West Bengal on Sunday.

    A third person, who was also present with the two, sustained crucial injuries and is currently hospitalised.

    The three men had gone for a picnic on the banks of the Kangsavati River. The railway bridge was situated near the spot where they went to take selfies. Eyewitnesses told the police that a train was running on the track at full speed.

    Railway Senior Section Engineer Biswajit Bala said, “Everyone is forbidden to climb on this part of the railway line. Despite the ban, many people are taking selfies lying on the train tracks. However, they did not move and ran along the line. So this accident happened.”

  • ‘Cannot bear it anymore’: Shahid Afridi bids goodbye to PSL

    ‘Cannot bear it anymore’: Shahid Afridi bids goodbye to PSL

    Quetta Gladiators’ veteran Shahid Afridi has announced his exit from the remainder of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022, citing a back injury that has gone to an “intolerable” level.

    In a video message posted on his YouTube channel, Lala said he had been carrying his lower-back injury for more than 15 years, adding it was now causing unbearable pain to his entire body.

    “Goodbye to PSL. My body is in serious pain,” wrote Afridi in his tweet.

    https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1492780664940281857?t=Q4xSmvTQgjizDpWsFwYYSw&s=19

    “I cannot bear it anymore,” Afridi said.

    The star-allrounder thanked Gladiators’ owner Nadeem Omar for his all-out support to him.

    “I want to apologise to fans for not being able to play the entire PSL and sign off on a good note”.

    He hoped to undergo the rehabilitation process and expressed his desire to return to the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) and other T10 leagues in time to come.

    Afridi said his welfare foundation was his “second innings and the most important one” to him.

    He urged fans to pray for his health. “With the grace of God, I will appear in another league [soon],” said the former captain.

    In his last game against Islamabad United yesterday, Afridi bowled four overs and got two wickets for 27 runs. However, he was yet to bat when the team chased down the 205-run target with the loss of five wickets.

    He also had back issue in the same match. After he picked up Muhammad Akhlaq’s wicket, Afridi did his signature pose and leaned back, his back started hurting and it was evident as he applied pressure and bent forward to ease the pain.

    It is pertinent to mention here that this was the last PSL season for Afridi as he had announced it last year.

    Afridi last played international cricket more than five years ago, but continued to take part in the PSL ever since its inception. He led Zalmi in the first season and was part of the team that won the title the following year.

    Pakistan Cricket team’s front line pacer and Afridi’s son-in-law to-be Shaheen Shah Afridi took to Twitter and wrote: “Your presence will be missed in the PSL Lala @SAfridiOfficial. You are the pride of Pakistan for a reason. Get well soon. #HopeNotOut #Forever”

  • University of Peshawar to remain closed on Valentine’s Day

    University of Peshawar to remain closed on Valentine’s Day

    The University of Peshawar has announced an official ‘off day’ on Valentine’s day for seminars and workshops, reports The News.

    The management has released a notification that states, “It is notified for the information of all concerned that the University of Peshawar will observe a closed holiday on Monday, February 14 in lieu of February 5, Kashmir Day, for keeping the university open for arranging talks/discussions, seminars and workshops. Schedule of examination, tests and interviews, if already announced, will remain unchanged.”

    In 2018, the administration took similar steps to prevent students from celebrating the day. They arranged a seminar, “Faculty Development Workshop on Quality Assurance” and also cancelled the classes because of it.

    In the past, violent clashes had been reported between groups on February 14 over the celebration of Valentine’s Day.

    In 2014, activists of the Pakhtun Students Federation (PSF) and Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) turned the campus into a battlefield when they opened fire on supporters of the day which resulted in several injuries of students.

    Many conservative groups in Pakistan mark February 14 as “Haya Day” and often arrange walks to prevent western influence on young minds.