Author: newsdesk

  • Domestic violence calls increase about 52% in 2021

    Domestic violence calls increase about 52% in 2021

    Punjab Women’s Helpline reportedly received 52 per cent more calls about domestic violence from different parts of the province in 2021 as compared to the previous year.

    In the records, an increase of 38 per cent rise was seen in the number of kidnapping cases. Violence outside homes cases was increased to 563 as compared to 497 in 2021, reports Express Tribune.

    Calls against child marriage increased by 31 per cent. Similarly, the helpline received 35 per cent more calls for custody of children as this year 441 cases were recorded.

    On the other hand, there was a decline in complaints about inheritance share and forced marriages.

    However, complaints against forced marriage decreased by 35 per cent.

    The helpline 1043 addressed the inquiries and complaints related to workplace harassment, gender discrimination, property disputes, inheritance rights, domestic violence, hostels, day-care centres and other facilities for working women.

    Last year, the number of sexual harassment cases had increased up to 300 per cent in Lahore.

  • Green Line Bus service becomes operational in Karachi

    Green Line Bus service becomes operational in Karachi

    The green line bus rapid transit project has officially commenced its full operations in Karachi on January 10.

    According to officials, all 80 buses will be on the routes and the service will be available for the public from 7 am to 10 pm. These buses will cover total routes of 21 kilometers daily.

    The buses will pick people from Surjani Town Station which includes routes Numaish Chowrangi to Abdullah Chowrangi. There would be 22 stations while passing the routes. Each bus would arrive at the station after every minute. The entrance door of the bus would be open for 20 seconds for passengers at every bus station.

    Another three stations to extend the transport service to Municipal Park are under construction.

    The authority has hired 200 drivers who have already completed their training to operate these buses. This facility would be used around 135,000 passengers on the daily basis.

    The ticket price for the buses has been set at a minimum of Rs 15 and a maximum of Rs 50 for the commuters.

    According to the project manager, if the need arises, the operation timings could be extended to facilitate the citizens.

  • Sakina Samo lashes out at Netflix for casting Humayun instead of Fawad for ‘The Crown’

    Sakina Samo lashes out at Netflix for casting Humayun instead of Fawad for ‘The Crown’

    Actor Humayun Saeed has been roped in to play Dr Hasnat Khan, Princess Diana’s love interest in Season five of the hit Netflix series The Crown.

    Journalist Hasan Zaidi confirmed the news last night after speculations had risen that actor Fawad Khan would be seen as Dr Khan in the Netflix drama.

    “Was holding back the information until Netflix officially came on the record but, since speculation was rife, it’s only a matter of time”, Zaidi tweeted.

    Senior actor and director Sakina Samo took to her twitter handle to condemn the choice of casting by the Netflix makers.

    https://twitter.com/SakinaSamo/status/1480223076285620228

    She suggested the name of Humsafar star Fawad Khan in place of Humayun.

    Saeed will be the first Pakistani to be cast in a Netflix Original which will premier in November 2022. The actor will play alongside Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki who has been cast as Princess Diana.

    Following the news, Pakistani actor Mahira Khan congratulated her industry fellow.

    However, both Saeed and Netflix haven’t confirmed the news yet.

    Dr Hasnat Khan, a British-Pakistani surgeon, is widely known for his romantic, two-year relationship with Diana. In May 1996, she visited his family in Lahore too. Diana’s friends are reported to have described Hasnat as the “love of her life” and to have spoken of her distress when he ended their relationship in June 1997. Dr Khan attended Diana’s funeral ceremony in September 1997.

    Season 5 will be about the turmoil of Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage breakdown and the tragic death of Diana in August 1997.

    On the work front, Samina can be seen currently in HUM TV’s Dobara costarring Bilal Abbas Khan and Hadiqa Kiani.

  • ‘Theatrics of Usman Buzdar’: CM Punjab gets trolled for helicopter survey of Murree

    ‘Theatrics of Usman Buzdar’: CM Punjab gets trolled for helicopter survey of Murree

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday arrived in Murree to review the rescue operation in the area after at least 22 people died in their snow-trapped cars.

    The CM’s visit received a lot of criticism as he did an ‘aerial survey’ of Murree. CM Buzdar arrived in his helicopter and overlooked the snow-covered area.

    Journalist Sumaira Khan took to Twitter and shared a video where CM Buzdar can be seen travelling in the helicopter and overlooking Murree.

    Twitter reacted to the shared video.

  • ‘Pakistan is still under influence of the US’: Moeed Yusuf

    ‘Pakistan is still under influence of the US’: Moeed Yusuf

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf has made a statement that Pakistan’s foreign policy is still not free from the influence of the United States (US).

    In Geo News programme “Jirga”, the advisor said, “It [Pakistan] is still not [free from US influence] and I doubt that there is any country which is free from it.” He added that Pakistan does not have financial and economic independence as it does not have enough assets to meet the requirements of the increase in population.

    “When we cannot fulfill the demands, we seek foreign loans. When you procure loans, your economic sovereignty is compromised,” the national security adviser said.

    Moreover, he said that this affects a country’s foreign policy and when foreign policy is affected, you cannot run the affairs of the country properly.

    Responding to a query about Pakistan-India relations, he said that Islamabad wants to improve ties with New Delhi, but had to halt diplomatic contacts due to India’s on-seriousness and extremist attitude.

  • In Saudi Arabia, women riders debut in camel beauty contest

    In Saudi Arabia, women riders debut in camel beauty contest

    For the first time in the kingdom, Saudi women paraded camels in a beauty pageant for the “desert ship”.

    “I hope today to reach a certain social standing, InshaAllah (God willing),” said Lamia al-Rashidi, 27, who participated at the weekend contest in the Rumah desert northeast of the capital Riyadh.

    Part of the famous King Abdul Aziz Festival, this event was previously a men-only event.

    “I’ve been interested in camels ever since I was little,” said Rashidi, whose family owns 40 camels.

    “Once this event was opened to women, I decided to participate,” said the young woman, wearing a black face covering and with a colourful shawl over her shoulders.

    The top five in the field of about 40 participants in the women’s event returned home with a total prize pool of one million riyals (about $ 260,000).

    The beauty of a camel is judged by several criteria, but the shape and size of the lips, neck and hump are the main attributes.

    Since Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman came to power in 2017, Gulf countries have lifted some restrictions on women as the country is opened up with radical reforms.

    This shift allows women to grab the steering wheel and participate in a mixed gender environment.

    “Women have always been an integral part of Bedouin society. They owned and looked after camels,” said Mohammed al-Harbi, a manager of the festival.

    Women´s participation was in keeping with “the historical heritage” of Saudi Arabia, he told AFP.

    Munira al-Mishkhas, another participant, chimed in: “Camels have been a part of us for a long time, but staging a contest for us (women) is a big step forward.”

    At just seven years old, Maras Binto Enad was the youngest contestant and her animal finished third. Her proud father, a 35-year-old camel dealer who said he had more than 200 beasts, was very pleased with the admission of the female.

    “This will increase enthusiasm for the festival and increase the value of the camels,” said Enad bin Sultan, clad in traditional costume and red-and-white keffiyeh headdress.

    The 40-day festival, which kicked off last month, is an annual Bedouin event that lures breeders from across the Gulf with total prize money of up to $66 million.

  • Video: Amar Khan makes the crowd go crazy with scintillating moves on Katrina’s ‘Tip Tip Barsa’

    Video: Amar Khan makes the crowd go crazy with scintillating moves on Katrina’s ‘Tip Tip Barsa’

    Actor Amar Khan performed on Bollywood song Tip Tip Barsa Paani featuring superstar Katrina Kaif on friend Saboor Aly’s wedding.

    The Baddua star’s celebrity friends like Kinza Hashmi, Aiman Khan and Nida Yasir cheered her. 

    Celebrity couple of Ali Ansari and Saboor Aly tied the knot in Karachi on January 7th. The Fitrat star turned to her Instagram to drop enchanting photos from the event. Saboor, who donned a beige lehenga for her big day looked gorgeous in minimalist jewelry. Groom Ali on the other hand wore a white coat with turban.

    Saboor Aly drops enchanting photos from Nikkah: Saboor Ali for life
  • PM Khan honoured with international sports award

    PM Khan honoured with international sports award

    Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan on Sunday was awarded the “International Sports Personality Award,” at the 11th edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Awards ceremony held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    According to The Khaleej Times, the awards were distributed by the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Chairman of Dubai Sports Council and Mattar Al Tayer Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.

    It should be noted that PM Imran Khan was announced as a winner back in November 2021 for dedicating his life to sports.

    During his illustrious 21-year cricket career, Imran Khan made numerous contributions to Pakistan cricket including leading the green shirts to the 1992 World Cup title.

    After making his debut in 1971, he went on to make several records, becoming one of the greatest players ever to grace the game.

    In his stellar career, Imran represented Pakistan in the 88 Test matches and scored 3807 runs with six centuries as well as took 362 wickets at an average of 22.81.

    While in the ODIs, he represented his country in 175 matches and took 182 scalps at an average of 26.61, along with 3,709 under his belt as well.

  • ‘Whole human disappears in 10 feet’: Twitter schools PTI’s Shahbaz Gill for ludicrous statement

    ‘Whole human disappears in 10 feet’: Twitter schools PTI’s Shahbaz Gill for ludicrous statement

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill took to Twitter to comment on why the Governor House in Murree was not opened for the people stuck in Murree since many started providing assistance to the ones stuck in the snow-covered area, where at least 22 people were killed.

    Gill tweeted, “Some people are criticising that there is a Governor House in Murree, why it has not been opened?”

    “I have just returned from a failed attempt to enter the Governor House,” tweeted Gill, adding, “there is 10 feet snow and there is no way to get inside. When I tried to walk, my whole leg sank in the snow.”

    Gill’s statement of his leg sinking into ten feet of snow caught the attention of netizens. Twitterati schooled Gill that it was impossible for a human to walk through ten feet of snow, as the entire body sinks in that much snow.

    https://twitter.com/Raza1512/status/1480347122813734913
  • Missing infant during United States evacuation from Kabul reunites with family

    Missing infant during United States evacuation from Kabul reunites with family

    A two-month-old baby boy, Sohail Ahmadi who separated from his family during the United States (US) evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan in August last year has been reunited with his parental grandfather, Mohammad Qasem Razawi.

    The video of the boy went viral when the two-month infant was handed to the US soldier over the fence on August 19, 2021. Due to chaos, the infant was separated from them. However, his father, Mirza Ali Ahmadi desperately searched for his baby boy everywhere in the airport.

    Due to the uproar situation, officials told him that his son might be taken out separately from the country and could be reunited later in the US.

    Other family members including his wife and four other children went inside the plane and successfully landed at the military base in the US state of Texas but they were not able to find their son, Ahmadi for several months.

    When the international media outlet, Reuters covered the story of the missing infant of Ahmadi in November, the 29-years-old taxi driver, Hamid Safi was traced through online posts where his whereabouts got confirmed.

    The grandfather of the baby boy who resides in the north-eastern province of Badakhshan, made a long journey to Kabul to reunite with his grandson.

    The taxi driver, Safi said that the infant baby was found crying on the ground of the airport by him when he dropped off his brother’s family for evacuation to the airport.

    Safi took the baby boy to his home and decided to raise him alone along with three daughters. His mother’s greatest wish was to have a grandson before she died.

    His family also named the baby boy, Mohammad Abed.

    While giving an interview to Reuters in late November, ” I am keeping this baby. If his family is found, I will give him to them. If not, I will raise him myself.”

    Initially, Safi refused to hand over the baby and demanded to evacuate him and his family to the US as well.

    The baby boy was returned to his grandfather after long negotiations. The Taliban police also briefly detained Safi and arranged settlements between the families by the Taliban police to compensate around 100,000 Afghani ($950) to the taxi driver for raising their infant for about five months.

    His parents expressed their happiness while witnessing the reunion of their son through online video chat.

    “There are celebrations, dance, singing,” Mr Razawi said. “It is just like a wedding indeed.”

    His family hoped that the arrangements would soon be made to bring their baby to the US state of Michigan, where they have now settled.