Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Memorable flashbacks’: Shahid Afridi gets nostalgic at NCA Lahore

    ‘Memorable flashbacks’: Shahid Afridi gets nostalgic at NCA Lahore

    Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi is feeling nostalgic after a training session at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.

    He shared that one returning to NCA after a long time evoked nostalgia and brought back many memories.

    The NCA has now been named the National High Performance Centre.

    The Pakistani all-rounder took to Twitter to say he has come to “visit NCA after a very long time” and that the visit has brought back so many “memorable flashbacks.”

    https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1481121808770285568?s=20

    NCA Lahore’s facilities, according to Afridi, are good and should be offered at other NCA training centres across the country.

    “I had my training session without authorisation, hope that’s ok?” Afridi asked, tagging the official Twitter account of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    Afridi was Quetta Gladiators’ biggest pick during the players draft for Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022, as the 2019 winners look to win the second title when PSL 7 rolls into action on January 27.

    Both Afridi and England’s batter James Vince left Multan Sultans to join Quetta Gladiators.

  • 28 tola gold stolen from senior police officer’s house

    28 tola gold stolen from senior police officer’s house

    28 tolas of gold jewellery was stolen from the house of a deputy inspector general (DIG) of the motorway police.

    According to the first information report (FIR) registered at Islamabad’s Kohsar police station, gold ornaments worth over Rs3 million were stolen from DIG Wisal Fakhar Sultan’s residence in the capital.

    The police have launched an investigation with efforts to trace the robber.

  • State will prosecute Usman Mirza case despite victims refusal to give statement

    State will prosecute Usman Mirza case despite victims refusal to give statement

    Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Barrister Maleeka Bokhari in a tweet has said that the State will pursue prosecution in the Usman Mirza case.

    “The State will pursue prosecution in the Usman Mirza case irrespective of recent developments relating to victim’s testimony. Irrefutable video & forensic evidence on record- anyone harrassing & stripping a woman must face full force of the law,” read Bokhari’s tweet.

    The case came back into the limelight again yesterday when Journalist Rauf Klasra, in a tweet said that the victim couple in the Usman Mirza case have refused to recognise the accused persons. He further said that police has said the couple have taken “one crore and have reached a settlement.”

  • Justice Umar Ata Bandial to take oath as new chief justice on Feb 2

    Justice Umar Ata Bandial to take oath as new chief justice on Feb 2

    Supreme Court (SC) Justice Umar Ata Bandial will reportedly take oath as Pakistan’s 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on February 2, reports Geo news.

    Justice Bandial will replace the current CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmed. Justice Ahmed will retire after working in the top judicial position for more than two years. He assumed office on December 21, 2019, replacing ex-CJP Justice Asif Saeed Khosa

    The Law and Justice Secretary have sent the summary to President Arif Alvi to appoint Justice Bandial as the next CJP. After the president’s nod, the ministry will issue a notification.

    The to-be-appointed CJ will remain in position till September 18, 2023.

    After Justice Bandial, Justice Qazi Faez Isa will become the chief justice to serve the office for over one year till October 25, 2024.

  • ‘Lost, motorcycle ke muin’: Aadi Adeal Amjad hits out at trolls for backlash on tussle with Sajal Aly

    ‘Lost, motorcycle ke muin’: Aadi Adeal Amjad hits out at trolls for backlash on tussle with Sajal Aly

    Comedian and actor Aadi Adeal Amjad has responded to criticism over his recent sarcastic remarks on The Crown‘s casting. Many fans alleged that he has taken a jibe at A-list actress Sajal Aly by making a sarcastic post on her decision of rejecting a Hollywood movie.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is f52900eb-3400-448f-af53-f6e77aa5be7a-828x1024.jpg

    Aadi clarified that his joke wasn’t intended for Sajal.

    Earlier the Beinteha star took to his Instagram stories to state that he rejected Netflix’s The Crown due to a bold scene with actor Humayun Saeed.

    'I rejected Crown due to bold scene with Humayun': Aadi Adeal Amjad takes a jibe at Sajal Aly

    The Punjab Nahi Jaungi star has been roped in to play Dr Hasnat Khan, Princess Diana’s love interest in Season five of the hit Netflix series The Crown.

    The Yeh Dil Mera diva opened up on rejecting a Hollywood film in a recent interview, stating that she turned it down due to a particular intimate scene in the film. The Mom star termed it as a very bold scene and even the idea of using a body double didn’t convince her.

    “If an actor is lucky, he or she gets offered more international work but, regardless, I would never turn my back on my own industry. All the international work that has come my way has been because those filmmakers had seen my work in Pakistan. And when I go abroad, I do so as a Pakistani. I want to keep contributing and giving back to my industry with the work that I do.”

    ALSO READ: ‘Very bold scene’: Sajal Aly opens up on refusing lead role in a Hollywood biggie

    ALSO READ: ‘I rejected Crown due to bold scene with Humayun’: Aadi Adeal Amjad takes a jibe at Sajal Aly

  • Usman Mirza Case: ‘probability’ victim couple took money for settlement, SSP

    Usman Mirza Case: ‘probability’ victim couple took money for settlement, SSP

    Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation Attaur Rehman, while talking to Journalist Rauf Klasra, has talked about the Usman Mirza couple harassment case in details.

    He told Klasra the video of the couple being harassed by Usman Mirza was sent to “Punjab Forensic Science” to check its authenticity, and the “Punjab Forensic Science Agency” confirmed that the video was authentic and the people in the video are the same.

    He added that police arrested the accused persons after working very hard as the incident happened 8 to 9 months before the video went viral.

    He also said that police is providing the victim couple with protection but they are not coming forward due to “social taboos”.

    The journalist also asked the SSP about the confession of the accused persons to which he said that the accused persons have confessed to the crime.

    Read more- Follow up: What happened in the Usman Mirza case?

    Talking about the future of the case SSP said, “On the next hearing, we will go with scientific and forensic [evidence]. He continued by explaining that there are two types of evidences: one is circumstantial evidence and the other is the statements of the witnesses. “Other than that there are forensic evidences also, which play a key role, and we have many forensic evidences in this case.” He hoped that this case will still be pursued and the involved people will be punished.

    He also said that despite the fact that victims have retracted their statements, he will try to get the accused persons will get punished based on other evidence.

    The journalist further asked the SSP that how the couple agreed for an out of the court settlement when the police was standing behind them. Were they facing any threats or did they take any money? To which the SSP said being a police officer, he will say that as long as the threats were concerned, he doesn’t think that’s the case. Talking about the couple taking the money he said, “there is a probability” that they took money, but i can’t say that with “authenticity”.

    The case came back into the limelight again yesterday when Journalist Rauf Klasra, in a tweet said that the victim couple in the Usman Mirza case have refused to recognise the accused persons. He further said that police has said the couple have taken “one crore and have reached a settlement.”

  • Two brothers reunite at Kartarpur Corridor after 74 years from Pakistan, India

    Two brothers reunite at Kartarpur Corridor after 74 years from Pakistan, India

    Two brothers who got separated during the partition of the sub-continent have finally reunited at the Kartarpur Corridor after 74 years, reports ARY News.

    Muhammad Siddiq aged 80, residing in Faisalabad, Pakistan who separated from his family during the partition, and his brother, Habib who lives in the Indian Punjab. The moment when they hugged each other brought tears to their eyes.

    https://twitter.com/thesinghsonia/status/1481167726827937793?s=20

    The Kartarpur Corridor, which links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district, reopened in November.

    The pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Bilawal in Parliament says not expected from a player like Imran Khan to impose taxes on condoms

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during his speech in the National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday lamented how the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has imposed taxes on the people of Pakistan.

    Talking about a list of items on which the government-imposed taxes, Bilawal said that the people of Pakistan are in pain. He said, “It is always said [by the goverment] that Pakistan does not have inflation, this is not based on reality. If you see the statistic, Pakistan has the most inflation as compared to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India.”

    Asking for the Speaker’s attention, Bilawal said, “Speaker Sahib, tax on contraceptives has been imposed as well.”

    “It was not expected from a khiladi [player] like [Prime Minister (PM)] Imran Khan to impose a tax on contraceptives as well,” said Bilawal.

    “Sir, contraceptives are not a laughing matter. There is a population explosion in regions of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. You [PM Khan] are not even providing basic needs to the [people] in terms of food, sufficient jobs, education, and health. The entire world is supporting this sector and you are imposing a tax on contraceptives,” said Bilawal.

    The PPP chairman further said, “There is a crisis of HIV and AIDS, which is not being informed to the people. This a very serious matter.”

    “Through this mini-budget, by imposing a tax on contraceptives, you have proved to the nation that Imran Khan Sahib has imposed a tax on everything and did not leave [contraceptives] out of it. Khan Sahib is imposing a tax on an infant’s food, milk this is a direct hit on the weakest class in our society. You [Imran Khan] have literally snatched food from a child’s mouth.”

    “You are damaging women’s empowerment. You are damaging the right of choice and independence of women,” said the PPP leader.

    “Both your [Imran Khan] decisions [to impose a tax on contraceptives and milk, food products of infants] will have historic damage,” said Bilawal Bhutto.

    However, it is pertinent to mention here that the most common contraceptives that are available in the market which are being taxed are condoms.

  • Three year prison sentence, fine for false moon-sighting witnesses: bill

    Three year prison sentence, fine for false moon-sighting witnesses: bill

    The moon-sighting issue in Pakistan is a socio-religious challenge as many religious events(Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha) are directly related to it. In a bid to put an end to the moon sighting controversies around key festivals like Eid, the Pakistan government is imposing a three years imprisonment and a Rs 50,000 fine for anyone who announces the false moon sighting before the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan introduced the Pakistan Ruet Hilal Bill 2021 on behalf of the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri.

    The proposed bill mainly aims to tackle the formation of a Federal Ruet Hilal committee, led by recognised Ulema and scholars from all sects and schools of thought which has a history of announcing Eid and the start of Ramazan.

    The bill authorises only the chairperson of the federal committee or his nominee to make an announcement regarding the sighting of the moon. The bill proposes a fine of up to Rs50,000 for anyone violating the law.

    The federal committee, according to the bill, will comprise 16 members, including the chairperson. The federal committee will consist of two Ulema from each province and Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir; a grade-20 officer from Met Office, a science and technology expert and a representative of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and an officer of the level of director general from the Ruet Hilal Affairs division of the ministry, who will act as the secretary of the committee.

    The bill has suggested a complete ban on any other committee formed by individuals under any name for sighting of the moon for commencement of each Islamic Hijri calendar month.

  • Virushka celebrate first birthday of daughter Vamika, host party in ‘bubble’

    Virushka celebrate first birthday of daughter Vamika, host party in ‘bubble’

    India’s most celebrated couple, Test team captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma have hosted the first birthday party of their daughter Vamika in South Africa in a bio-secure bubble.

    Taking to Instagram stories, sharing a picture with Virat from Vamika’s birthday celebration, Anushka wrote: “The sun was bright, the light beautiful, the table full, and just like that our little girl turned one.”

    Talking about the party and thanking those who made the day special, she added: “The evening was made extra special with the warmest people. And here I was worried about her first birthday being in a bubble! Thank you guys (you know who you are).”

    Anushka also shared a picture of herself, holding Vamika in her arms and captioned it, “My baby girl.”

    Virat and Anushka welcomed their bundle of joy on January 11 last year. The two have been fiercely protective of her privacy and have given strict instructions to the paparazzi from clicking or sharing her pictures.

    Read more – Anushka Sharma slams photographer for invading her privacy

    The family is in a bio bubble since Virat is playing for Team India in the ongoing Test series against the host nation, but Anushka confirmed that Vamika’s birthday was perfect in every manner.