Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Atif, Shafqat and Rahat’: Arijit Singh opens up on favourite Pakistani singers in live concert

    ‘Atif, Shafqat and Rahat’: Arijit Singh opens up on favourite Pakistani singers in live concert

    Popular Indian singer Arijit Singh performed at a concert in Dubai Abu Dhabi recently. During the concert the Channa Mereya singer took out the time to praise Pakistani singers. “I have a question. It’s a wrong question, a controversial question. But still I want to ask it because I don’t give a d**n.”

    The musician continued, “I don’t follow news but tell me one thing, has music from Pakistan been banned in India?”

    “Is it still banned or has the ban been lifted?” asked the trending crooner, inviting a cheer from the crowd. He then went on to admire Pakistani singers.

    “Atif Aslam is one of my favourites and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali,” said the Tum Hi Ho singer.

    He went on to sing Atif Aslam’s song Pehli Nazar Mein from Race.

    Following the Pulwama attack in 2019 Pakistani artists were banned from working in India.

  • IMF, Pakistan reach staff-level agreement on policies and reforms

    IMF, Pakistan reach staff-level agreement on policies and reforms

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan reached a staff-level agreement on policies and reforms needed to complete the sixth review under the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which has been ‘in recess’ since April, the Fund announced in a statement on Monday.

    The agreement is subject to approval by the Executive Board, following the implementation of prior actions, notably on fiscal and institutional reforms. The approval of the agreement will make available 750 million in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), equivalent to $1,059m, read the statement.

    The Fund acknowledged Pakistan’s progress in improving its anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. However, additional time was needed to strengthen its effectiveness, according to the statement.

    “Available data suggest that a strong economic recovery has gained hold, benefiting from the authorities’ multifaceted policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has helped contain its human and macroeconomic ramifications,” the IMF said.

    “At the same time, external pressures have started to emerge: a widening of the current account deficit and depreciation pressures on the exchange rate — mainly reflecting the compound effects of the stronger economic activity, an expansionary macroeconomic policy mix, and higher international commodity prices.”

    The IMF emphasised that the monetary policy needs to remain focused on curbing inflation, preserving exchange rate flexibility, and strengthening international reserves.

    The introduction of the Finance Bill in the National Assembly to increase taxes and approval of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill are pre-conditions for the revival of the IMF loan programme, Finance Adviser Shaukat Tarin said last week.

    The IMF said that despite a difficult environment, progress continues to be made in the implementation of the EFF-supported programme.

    “All quantitative performance criteria (PCs) for end-June were met with wide margins, except for that on the primary budget deficit”, said the IMF.

  • When is Babar Azam getting married and how much does he earn? Cricketer reveals all

    When is Babar Azam getting married and how much does he earn? Cricketer reveals all

    Pakistan men’s cricket team captain Babar Azam answered the most Googled questions about his life and career, including how much he earns and when he is getting married.

    Read More – ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    In a video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the skipper can be seen candidly responding to the most asked questions about himself.

    Answering the first question, Babar said he lives in Lahore and cited its traditional food specialities as one of the city’s standout experiences. He also noted that the city had produced some legends of the game.

    To a query about his bat, Babar said he uses the Gray-Nicolls bat, adding that he plays with bats of different weights depending on the venue, pitch and condition.

    “I carry 6-7 bats with me. The more bats I carry, the more confused I get, but I use my best bats,” the skipper revealed.

    And how much does Babar Azam earn? The star batter said he would not answer the question.

    Answering another question about when he will get married, Babar said: “I don’t know. My family knows it, but for now my focus is on cricket.”

    About his cricket ideal, Babar said he admired former South Africa international AB de Villiers the most and had followed him from the start of his career. He was one of the best players of the world.

    Babar finished the T20 World Cup as the highest run-scorer (303). He is the current top-ranked T20I batsman in the world. He was also the only Pakistani player in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 team of the tournament named by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and was nominated as its captain.

    The 27-year-old is now the leading run-getter among Pakistani cricketers in the shortest format of the game.

    Babar stands top in the list with 2,515 runs from 69 matches and is followed by veteran Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, who have 2,514 and 2,423 runs from 119 and 124 matches respectively.

  • ‘Miracle’ man found alive after spending night in hospital morgue freezer

    ‘Miracle’ man found alive after spending night in hospital morgue freezer

    A 45-year-old man, declared ‘dead’ following a road accident, was found alive after spending a night in the freezer of a hospital morgue, Indian media has reported.

    The man named Srikesh Kumar was admitted to a clinic in a critical condition after he met with an accident. He was declared dead by a doctor. “The emergency medical officer examined him. He did not find any signs of life and hence declared him dead,” Mr Rajendra Kumar, the hospital’s medical superintendent, told AFP on Sunday.

    His body was placed in a morgue freezer for six hours until his family and the police arrived. “When a police team and his family came over to initiate the paperwork for the autopsy, he was found alive,” said Kumar.

    “This is nothing short of a miracle,” he added. As per reports, the man is in a coma.

  • Shahnawaz Dahani to make his T20I debut today against Bangladesh

    Shahnawaz Dahani to make his T20I debut today against Bangladesh

    Pakistan’s young pacer Shahnawaz Dahani will be making his T20I debut on Monday (today) in the last T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh.

    Read More – Shoaib Malik to fly for Dubai to be with ailing son Izhaan

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a video of the pacer in which he can be seen talking to his mother about his debut match in his native language.

    The 23-year-old cricketer will be the 95th T20I player to represent the national cricket team internationally.

    People from the cricket fraternity wished the young bowler well for his debut.

    Former captain and wicket keeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmad presented the cap to the debutante before the match.

    Pakistan is set to play the last T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh today, November 22. Pakistan is leading the series with 2-0, and today the Men In Green will be opting for a white-wash.

    The national Test side will play the Test matches in Chittagong on Tuesday for the first of the two Tests. Pakistan and Bangladesh will play two World Test Championship matches.

    The Chittagong Test will commence from November 26 and the second Test will be played in Dhaka from December 4-8.

  • Taliban ban women from acting in dramas

    Taliban ban women from acting in dramas

    Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership has set new laws prohibiting women from acting in television shows, reports the BBC. Female journalists and presenters are likewise required to wear headscarves when on camera. However no guidelines have been issued regarding which type of covering to use.

    Eight new Taliban restrictions have been handed to Afghan television networks. The restrictions include the banning of films considered against the principles of Sharia – or Islamic – law and Afghan values, while footage of men exposing intimate parts of the body is also prohibited.

    Comedy and entertainment shows that insult religion or may be considered offensive to Afghans are banned under the new laws.

    Earlier in September, Taliban laid special conditions for women. “[Here are] some special conditions that exist only for women. One is that the colour of their dress should not be very attractive. So that it does not attract people’s attention,” said a member of the Taliban on Afghanistan’s TOLO News, as per the subtitles of a video that went viral on social media.

  • Shoaib Malik to fly for Dubai to be with ailing son Izhaan

    Shoaib Malik to fly for Dubai to be with ailing son Izhaan

    Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik will miss the third and final T20I against Bangladesh today due to illness of his child and will depart for Dubai before the match.

    Meanwhile, the national T20I squad will depart from Dhaka to Pakistan via Dubai on Tuesday. Usman Qadir and Imad Wasim will spend a couple of days in Dubai with their families.

    As per details, the national Test side will now play the test matches in Chittagong on Tuesday for the first of the two Tests. Bowling consultant Vernon Philander will leave the side at the completion of the first Test as he was available for the three T20Is and the first Test.

    Pakistan and Bangladesh will play two World Test Championship matches. The Chittagong Test will commence from November 26 and the second Test will be played in Dhaka from December 4-8.

    Pakistan, after winning first two T20Is of the three-match series, will be playing the third and last T20I match today, November 22.

  • ‘His daughter [Maryam Nawaz] doesn’t merit a sentence, still we will have to do it’: Alleged audio tape of CJP Nisar

    ‘His daughter [Maryam Nawaz] doesn’t merit a sentence, still we will have to do it’: Alleged audio tape of CJP Nisar

    Leaked audio of conversation allegedly claims that former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar was the person who passed on the directions of handing down conviction to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz only because the “institutions” wanted the former prime minister penalised in order to bring ahead Imran Khan, reports Ahmed Noorani for Fact Focus.

    As per the leaked audio, Chief Justice Nisar instructed that Mian Sahib (Nawaz Sharif) and his daughter (Maryam Nawaz) must be sentenced even though it is unfair.

    “Whether it is fair or not, it has to be done,” he conveyed to the person on the other end.

    “Regardless of the merit, we will have to do it (sentence Nawaz Sharif), and even to his daughter,” said Justice Nisar.

    When the person he was conversing with objected that a sentence cannot be passed against the daughter, Chief Justice Nisar replied, “You are absolutely correct. I did talk to ‘friends’ that something be done about this but they did not agree.”

    He went on to say, “there will remain no independence of the judiciary, so let it be”.

    While speaking to Fact Focus, Justice Saqib Nisar said that he never contacted any judge of accountability court to order him to pass any verdict against Nawaz Sharif or his daughter. “Why I would do that,” Saqib Nisar questioned adding, “I have no grudges against Mian Nawaz Sharif.” He said that no one from the Pakistan Army or the ISI ever contacted him or pressured him on this count.

    Reacting to the development, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “Time has come to right the wrongs inflicted on them. The nation looks forward to [the] justice system.”

    Maryam Nawaz tweeted: “Allah u Akbar [God is great].”

    Fact Focus obtained this audio some two months ago and had it examined by a leading American firm specialising in multimedia forensics. Garret Discovery has a team of leading experts who have a long experience of analysing and presenting evidence and testifying before courts in the United States (US). The firm’s analysis report certifies the integrity of the audio file and states that “this audio has not been edited in any way”.

    Former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar was earlier accused by former Chief Judge (CJ) of the apex court of Gilgit Baltistan Rana M Shamim in a signed affidavit wrote that he is a witness to CJP Nisar’s direction to a high court judge, to not release Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on bail at any cost before the 2018 general elections.

  • ‘Billion dollar looks’: Sidra Niazi stuns the web with her latest commercial, Celebrities cheer

    ‘Billion dollar looks’: Sidra Niazi stuns the web with her latest commercial, Celebrities cheer

    Actor Sidra Niazi is trending on social media for her latest successful campaign for a beauty and hair care product.

    The Qayamat star’s fans have been sending her pictures from various cities where they have spotted her on huge billboards.

    Fellow celebrities adored the Chupke Chupke diva’s stunning looks in the campaign.

    Sidra has received back-to-back critical acclaim and commercial success with hit projects like Qayamat, Maqafat and Chupke Chupke. Her pairing with Haroon Shahid and Osman Khalid Butt have also been appreciated by netizens.

    On the acting front, Sidra will be seen next in Tumhare Husn Ke Naam opposite Imran Abbas and Asad Siddiqui, she also has a starring role in Geo TV’s Badzaat costarring Imran Ashraf.

  • Gujarat man loses 10 kgs in three months to commit burglary

    Gujarat man loses 10 kgs in three months to commit burglary

    Moti Singh Chauhan from Ahmedabad shed 10 kg for a very special reason and that is to commit a burglary, reports News 18.

    During police interrogation, he revealed that he ate only once a day for three months continuously, which enabled him to slim down and slide through a ventilator.

    According to the news outlet, two years ago, 34-year-old Singh was working at the house in Bhopal. He had gathered information about where the valuables were kept and he was also aware of the location of cameras.

    His former employers told the police that he would skip his dinner often.

    The local police found him in the footage of a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) camera of a hardware shop where he had gone to buy a trowel and a saw to cut the glass of the kitchen window to get inside the house.

    He managed to steal INR 37 lakh from the house on November 5, the police said.