Author: newsdesk

  • Karachi Police begins murder investigation of Bar Council Secretary, Lawyers boycott court

    Karachi Police begins murder investigation of Bar Council Secretary, Lawyers boycott court

    On Thursday, the police launched an inquiry for the murder of a Bar Council Secretary who was killed in broad daylight in Karachi, to find the motive behind the targeted killing and identify the assailants.

    On Wednesday morning, Sindh Bar Council Secretary, 40-year-old Irfan Ali Mehr, was shot dead in Karachi, when he was returning back to his residence after dropping off his daughter to school.

    On the call of Sindh Bar Council, lawyers boycotted the city courts session.

    The newly elected secretary of Sindh Bar Council, Umer Soomro and other members requested the judge to suspend the hearing for today which was accepted.

    A rally was also taken out from the City Courts to the Karachi Press Club with protestors demanding that the authorities arrest the killers immediately.

    The brother of a victim, Rizwan Mehr registered the case against unknown suspects at Shar-e-Faisal Police station. The complainant also told the police that the family had no enmity.

    The First Information Report (FIR) has been filed under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, and Section 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    Karachi Police Chief, AIG Imran Yaqoob Minhas has formed a high-level investigation team.

    According to the police official, they did not find any related clues regarding the murder case so far. The spent bullet casings which were recovered from the crime scene have been sent to the forensic science lab for further examination. The final results from the lab have yet to be revealed.

  • ‘Ashamed, sick to my stomach’: Mahira Khan expresses shock, asks PM Khan for answers on Sialkot tragedy

    ‘Ashamed, sick to my stomach’: Mahira Khan expresses shock, asks PM Khan for answers on Sialkot tragedy

    A Sri Lankan factory manager has been tortured to death on the charges of blasphemy. As per social media reports, he was working as a manager at a private sportswear manufacturing factory.

    As per District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Saeed Malik, the man was murdered by factory employees. According to the DPO, the police have arrived at the place of incident.

    In the video shared on social media, it can be seen that the man’s body was burnt publicly after he was murdered.

    Sialkot mob lynches Sri Lankan factory worker to death, burns corpse over blasphemy allegations - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

    According to sources, the Sri Lankan national allegedly tore posters off a wall in the factory, which had religious text written on it. He removed it from the wall as the wall was not a place where posters were allowed. After taking down the poster, hundreds of people gathered, dragged him outside, killed him and then burnt his body.

    His name was Priyantha Diyawadana. He joined the factory in 2010 and has been here since.

    According to journalist Rabia Mehmood, “Factory workers Talha, Furhan complained and decided on the spot to kill the SriLankan national.”

    She shared a picture of the two men who claimed to be part of the lynch mob and complained against the manager and then “dragged him out to burn him to death, and are using Tehreek Labbaik’s violence inciting narrative to justify why they did it”.

     Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar have termed the incident as “horrific”. Buzdar has also instructed IG Police to investigate the incident.

    A-list actress Mahira Khan has expressed her grief and shock at the shocking incident on Twitter. The Raees diva tagged PM Imran Khan and asked him to provide an answer for this.

    READ MORE: ‘A failure, killing middle class, shame’: Mathira lashes out at Imran Khan

  • Ramiz Raja confirms PSL for women cricketers

    Ramiz Raja confirms PSL for women cricketers

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja has confirmed Pakistan Super League (PSL) for women cricketers.

    In an interview to international media, Raja said that Pakistan does not have any system for women’s cricket, we do not have any schools or colleges for it.

    While talking about women cricket, Chairman PCB said that this kind of cricket will be the first in Asia because women cricket is also an integral aspect of Pakistani cricket.

    Referring to the difficulties faced by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (AFG) in the interview, Raja said that cricket in Afghanistan is currently facing difficulties but like the cricket boards of other countries, PCB also stands by Afghanistan.

    Earlier in a video posted by PCB, Raja hinted at the possibility of organising a women’s Pakistan Super League in the near-future. Ramiz was speaking after ECB CEO Tom Harrison visited Pakistan last month to try and repair relations following the recriminations of England pulling out of a two-match T20I series in October.

  • ‘It could be’: Alec Baldwin admits career could be over after fatal shooting on film set

    ‘It could be’: Alec Baldwin admits career could be over after fatal shooting on film set

    Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin has admitted that his career could be over after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust.

    The 63-year-old actor admitted it in an interview to George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, adding that he did not care.

    The actor accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Hutchins when a prop gun he was holding went off during filming for the Western in New Mexico.

    In his first interview since her death in October, Baldwin told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos he dreams about the incident “constantly”, adding: “I couldn’t give a s**t about my career anymore.”

    Stephanopoulos then asked Baldwin, “Is it over?”, to which he replied: “It could be.”

    Baldwin said he cocked the gun that killed Hutchins but “didn’t pull the trigger”.

    On the day of the shooting, Baldwin told Stephanopoulos he and Hutchins met to rehearse a scene in which he was playing a character who drew his weapon on two foes.

    Baldwin recalled that during the rehearsal, the film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, handed him a revolver and told him “this is a cold gun” – an industry term for a weapon that is either empty or loaded with dummy rounds.

    The actor said Hutchins proceeded to instruct him on where and how to hold the weapon, “which ended up being aimed right below her armpit”.

    In order to get a particular shot, Baldwin said he needed to cock the gun but not fire it.

    He said: “I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’”

    “And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off.”

    Stephanopoulos then asked if Baldwin ever pulled the trigger.

    “No, no, no, no, no,” Baldwin replied. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.”

    The actor was also asked if he felt any personal responsibility for Hutchins’ death.

    “No. no. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly,” Baldwin said.

    “I don’t know what happened on that set. Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”

    “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

    Although there has been speculation that Baldwin could face criminal charges over the incident, he told Stephanopolous people “in the know” believe that to be “highly unlikely”.

    However, he said the events of the day continue to weigh on him.

    “I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse.”

  • NAB arrests Speaker Sindh Assembly after Supreme Court rejects bail

    Speaker of Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani has been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in front of the Supreme Court (SC) after his bail hearing, reports Geo Urdu.

    Durrani was arrested for allegedly accumulating assets worth Rs1.6 billion through illegal means.

    He approached the SC after Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected his bail in assets beyond means case.

    Earlier today, it was reported that the apex court ordered him to surrender before NAB.

    During Durrani’s hearing, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah observed that the SHC rejected Durrani’s bail plea on the basis of merit.

    “Supreme Court cannot conduct a hearing on this plea without the high court’s verdict,” he said.

    SC ordered Durrani to turn himself in, saying: “First comply with the SHC’s order and surrender before NAB and then the court will conduct a hearing on this case next week.”

    The apex court also rejected Durrani’s request to restrict NAB officials from arresting him from the courtroom.

    Justice Bandial, who was heading the hearing, directed Durrani to first surrender before NAB.

    “We had given you concession earlier as well. There is a high court order against you. We will not interfere in NAB’s matter,” the judge stated.

  • Sri Lankan factory manager tortured to death in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy

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

    Trigger warning : This article contains graphic content.

    A Sri Lankan factory manager has been tortured to death on the charges of blasphemy. As per social media reports, he was working as a manager at a private sportswear manufacturing factory.

    As per District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Saeed Malik, the man was murdered by factory employees. According to the DPO, the police have arrived at the place of incident.

    In the video shared on social media, it can be seen that the man’s body was burnt publicly after he was murdered.

    According to sources, the Sri Lankan national allegedly tore posters off a wall in the factory, which had religious text written on it. He removed it from the wall as the wall was not a place where posters were allowed. After taking down the poster, hundreds of people gathered, dragged him outside, killed him and then burnt his body.

    His name was Priyantha Diyawadana. He joined the factory in 2010 and has been here since.

    TW: The video contains content that can be disturbing for some viewers.

    https://twitter.com/saboohsyed/status/1466694258199465987?s=21

    According to journalist Rabia Mehmood, “Factory workers Talha, Furhan complained and decided on the spot to kill the SriLankan national.”

    She shared a picture of the two men who claimed to be part of the lynch mob and complained against the manager and then “dragged him out to burn him to death, and are using Tehreek Labbaik’s violence inciting narrative to justify why they did it”.

     Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar have termed the incident as “horrific”. Buzdar has also instructed IG Police to investigate the incident.

    People on social media are condemning the incident:

  • PCB announces squads for Windies tour, Hassan rested, Sarfaraz dropped

    PCB announces squads for Windies tour, Hassan rested, Sarfaraz dropped

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squads for West Indies tour to Pakistan. Pacer Hassan Ali has been given a rest and wicket keeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed has been dropped from the squad.

    Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim have been dropped from Pakistan’s T20I squad along with Sarfaraz.

    Sarfaraz, who was a late inclusion in Pakistan’s 2021 T20 World Cup squad, didn’t play in the tournament but got a chance in Pakistan’s previous series against Bangladesh, where he scored six. For more than two years, he has rarely found an opportunity to play in the eleven.

    Similarly, Shoaib Malik, who played some handy knocks in the middle order for the team in the recently-concluded World Cup, was dismissed for a duck in the only batting opportunity in Bangladesh.

    “As we have been playing T20Is since October and now have a pretty settled and balanced side, we have decided to reduce the number of players to 15. As such, we have not included Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik,” chief selector Muhammad Wasim said.

    “In consultation with Hasan Ali and taking into consideration that he has been playing non-stop cricket since returning from a back injury, we have decided to give him time off from this series,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Hassan has also been rested for the ODI series, while Sarfaraz has not found favour in the 50-over setup either. Along with the duo, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and Salman Ali, who were a part of the side that played in England, have been dropped. In turn, the selectors have included Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr for the three ODIs against West Indies, which will be a part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.

    T20I Squad: Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.

    The Windies will be landing in Pakistan on December 9, while the series is set to be starting from December 13.

  • Islamabad bound flight escapes an accident, bird hits before landing

    Islamabad bound flight escapes an accident, bird hits before landing

    A passenger plane of a private airline was struck by a bird before landing at the Islamabad airport. The incident happened during a flight from Karachi to Islamabad on Friday morning.

    The pilot successfully managed to land the plane without any casualties or injuries. The plane was carrying around 150 passengers.

    The officials of the airline revealed that the landing gear of the plane was damaged. The return flight to Karachi was delayed as the airline’s engineers had to do some repair work. The management arranged another flight to take passengers to the port city.

    Earlier in March, a similar incident took place during a PIA flight PK-368 from Karachi to Islamabad. One of its engines was damaged on which 162 passengers were board. The plane was hit by the plane just after it took off from the runway. However, the pilot managed to land it safely.

  • 2021: Here is what music Pakistanis listened to most

    2021: Here is what music Pakistanis listened to most

    Spotify, the world’s most popular audio-streaming subscription service has revealed a list of the most played track, most streamed artists and top Spotify playlists in Pakistan. Here’s what Pakistani’s listened to the most on Spotify in 2021:

    Pakistan’s Most Streamed Artists:

    Arijit Singh
    Pritam
    BTS
    Atif Aslam
    The Weekend
    AP Dhillon
    Talha Anjum
    Talhah Yunus
    Tanishk Bagchi
    Taylor Swift

    It is pertinent to mention that three of the most streamed artists are Indian.

    Read more- 2021: Which videos were watched most by Pakistanis on YouTube?

    Pakistan’s Most Streamed Tracks

    Tu Aake Dekhle by King
    Brown Munde by AP Dhillon 
    Insane by AP Dhillon
    MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)  by Lil Nas X
    Butter by BTS
    Ghalat Fehmi – From Superstar by Asim Azhar
    STAY (with Justin Bieber) by The Kid LAROI
    Masked Wolf ‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ by Masked Wolf
    Gumaan by Young Stunners
    Afsanay  by Talha Anjum

    Pakistan’s Top Spotify Playlists:

    Today’s Top Hits
    Desi Hits
    Hot Hits Pakistan
    Top Gaming Tracks
    Mega Hit Mix
    Mood Booster
    Punjabi 101
    Beast Mode
    All Time Pakistani Hits
    All Out 2010s

    Read more- Is Spotify finally coming to Pakistan?

    Spotify was launched in Pakistan earlier this year in February.

  • UK oath commissioner claims Rana Shamim’s affidavit authentic, ready to appear in Pak court

    United Kingdom (UK) oath commissioner Charles Guthrie, who authenticated the affidavit of former Chief Judge (CJ) Gilgit Baltistan Rana Mohammad Shamim, has claimed the affidavit’s authenticity, reports Murtaza Ali Shah for Geo News.

    In an exclusive interview, the commissioner revealed that when CJ Rana Shamim came to him for signature, he [Shamim] was in his senses and under no pressure. The commissioner also said he is ready to appear before at any legal forum, including the Islamabad High Court (IHC), for confirmation.

    While confirming the authenticity, Guthrie said that the affidavit published in The News with the redaction of a key name was genuine and it’s the same affidavit that carries the stamp of his firm London Notary Public and the name and signature of the London oath commissioner.

    Commenting on Shamim, Guthrie said, “The former CJ is a highly educated, intelligent man. I think he was one of the most senior judges in Pakistan in his time. He confirmed to me that yes he understood exactly what he was swearing by in his oath. I saw him alone at the time he made that oath with me”.

    Guthrie provides services to the Pakistan High Commission in London and verifies papers for the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Back in 2017, he attested all Panama related papers.

    Furthermore, Guthrie — while saying that he was aware of the controversy caused in Pakistan — stated: “I am independent and neutral. I am a non-political person. So, if the Pakistan High Commission asks me to certify true and genuine papers, I will certify them if they are true and genuine. I have done that in the past. If a person comes to me to make an oath or statement of truth, I will make him produce proper proof of identity and to see they have a proper capacity to make a statement of truth on oath.”

    “I know it’s high news in Pakistan. I will generally refuse to say anything about it other than to state what happened that the person making it was identified to me.”

    Talking with Murtaza, Guthrie also disclosed the standard procedure of signing the papers in England. “The person has to produce proof of identity. They have to produce, for example, either a passport or a national ID card or photo driving license and I will be satisfied they are genuinely the person they are. That’s exactly what happened here. The person [CJ Shamim] produced his passport and I believe it was a national identity card as well. He made the statement of oath independently, alone with me.”

    During this report, it was revealed that at least three people attempted to pay Charles Guthrie for verification of documents and then tried to obtain the story as if the affidavit was fake. However, it didn’t work as Guthrie stuck to his legal and factual position. According to the UK commissioner, he has received lots of inquiries since the affidavit of Justice Shamim was made public.

    This interview came after the former CJ appeared before IHC and said that the affidavit he had signed accusing former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar was leaked.