After facing heavy criticism from the public and IT sector over frequent internet outages, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has finally addressed the issue, attributing it to a “fault in the undersea submarine cable.”
PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez-Ur-Rehman, during a briefing to the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT, said, “The Submarine Consortium has informed us that internet services are disrupted due to a fault in the submarine cable, which will be fixed by August 27.”
He further mentioned that Pakistan is connected by seven fibre optic cables, one of which is currently damaged.
IT experts have criticized the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, highlighting the economic impact on freelancers, IT professionals, and the digital economy.
An estimated loss of $300 million has been incurred due to the internet slowdown, while companies and individuals who rely on stable internet connectivity, a vital part of the country’s digital economy, are now “struggling to maintain operations, with the slowdown threatening their very survival.”
However, the government has denied any involvement in the issue. State Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja blamed internet users’ virtual private networks (VPNs) for slowing their internet speeds.
While speaking to the media last week, She said, “I can swear that the government of Pakistan did not block the internet or slow it down.”
The internet has not been working properly in Pakistan since last month; even downloading a picture or a voice note on WhatsApp has become a headache.
Coke Studio Pakistan Season 15’s superhit ‘Blockbuster’, by Faris Shafi, Umair Butt, and the Ghaarvi group, is making waves across borders. The track has caught the attention of many, including Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor, who has been playing it on repeat. Kapoor describes it as “an amazing track with incredible beats.”
During a conservation with Spotify India, Shraddha Kapoor said, “The song I’ve been playing on a loop is ‘Blockbuster’ by Faris Shafi, Umair Butt, and the Ghaarvi group. It’s an amazing track with incredible beats.”
Shraddha is starring in her new film Stree 2, written by Niren Bhatt and directed by Amar Kaushik.
Coke Studio producer, music maestro Xulfi posted Shraddha’s clip on his Instagram with the caption, “Wah! Love how love keeps transcending across boundaries and borders. Heart smiles knowing Blockbuster is the number 1 song on your playlist @shraddhakapoor and loved how you hummed the melody @rajkummar_rao. It was very sweet ♥ We over here are your super admirers as well! Love your art ✨ Good luck for Stree 2!”
Umair Butt also posted a video on his Instagram with the caption, “I feel humbled and ecstatic every time I come across such conversations.
@shraddhakapoor @rajkumarrao Always refreshing to see music brew magic and connect hearts all across the world. Thank you for all the love and support! ❤”
“@zulfiqarjkhan Bhai It is heartwarming to see such bridges surface through your remarkable commitment towards creativity and empathy. Thank you for such a beautiful chapter i will cherish forever. ❤”, Umair Butt added.
Pakistan’s Moeed Baloch has won the gold medal in the 400-meter race at the World Military Games in Venezuela while representing the Pakistan Air Force in the event.
Earlier in the Olympics held in Paris, Pakistan’s athlete Arshad Nadeem set a world record in the javelin throw and won the gold medal for Pakistan after 40 years.
At the same time, Amir Khan from Swat won gold at the International Taekwondo Championship in Bangkok.
In an interesting development, Pakistani citizen Farhan Asif was taken into custody in Lahore for being involved in spreading fake news which sparked far-right racist riots in the United Kingdom a few weeks ago.
During the last few weeks, Britain witnessed dangerous, widespread, violent riots as a result of misinformation about the identity of the alleged attack that killed three young girls on July 29.
The riots targeted immigrants, Muslim communities, asylum centres and numerous mosques as well.
The UK police authorities said that they had arrested over 1,000 people in connection with the weeks-long riots in England.
The Lahore police stated that the suspect was arrested in the DHA area of Lahore and handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime wing for interrogation.
Geo News reported that the suspect works for a news platform based in Pakistan. He has already confessed to the interrogators that he once published a story on his news website that went viral.
Background
On August 8, BBC’s Marianna Spring reported about the involvement of a Lahore man in spreading misinformation regarding the Southport stabbing.
The BBC report was followed by an ITV report stating that Farhan Asif was the owner of the website which misquoted the name of the stabber as Ali Al-Shakati and declared him an immigrant from Syria, who had arrived in the UK on a boat. Later, a UK court announced that the name of the teenager charged with the murders was Axel Rudakubana, who turned out to be a British national.
ITV said that they couldn’t find out who is the real owner of the website but Farhan Asif has “a significant role in a network of news websites that have promoted falsehoods.”
Dawn’s sources in Pakistan said that the person identified in the ITV report was a freelancer working for Channel3Now, which collects crime-related news from the UK and the USA and republishes the stories for the sake of clicks and advertisements.
The BBC report also cracked down on people attached to Channel3Now and asserted that it was actually “a commercial operation attempting to aggregate crime news while making money on social media”. The analysis of the website also showed that all the the freelance writers were recruited from several countries, including Pakistan and India.
The BBC report elaborated that there are “more than 30” people in the US, UK, Pakistan and India who work for the site, which usually recruits freelancers.
According to ITV, Channel3Now regularly publishes sensational news stories under the garb of being an American-style TV channel.
However, BBC quoted Kevin as saying that Farhan Asif in particular was not involved in the false Southport story, which the site has publicly apologised for, and blamed there UK based team for that.
Wider disinformation network
Even though the report speculated that the website had links with Russia, it could not come up with a proof for that. Marianna Spring stated, “I did not find any evidence to substantiate claims that Channel3Now’s misinformation could be linked to the Russian state. [A] person claiming to be from Channel3Now‘s management told me that the publication of the false name “shouldn’t have happened, but it was an error, not intentional”.
Atika noted that there are chances of website be linked to Srivastava Group, an Indian company that ran a vast network of anti-Pakistan fake news websites, which was unearthed by the EU DisinfoLab in a 2019 investigation.
In an interview with British media outlet ITV at Adiala jail through his lawyer, former Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) Keir Starmer on his election victory and sought help disseminating awareness of democracy being at risk in Pakistan.
Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, “I urge PM Starmer and his cabinet, who assumed power through the genuine will of the people without any electoral manipulation, to imagine if their overwhelming victory was stolen”.
“Picture a scenario where a party that barely won 18 seats usurped your mandate, where your party symbols were stripped, and your leaders were imprisoned or tortured until they switched allegiances or left politics altogether. Imagine homes broken into and women and children abducted in the dead of night.” Khan stated.
“I am in a seven feet width and eight feet length prison which is usually allocated for death penalty perpetrators and terrorists,” he said, a statement that has been refuted by the government multiple times.
“Surveillance is permanent, and privacy has been torn apart. Despite these hurdles, I am getting energy from exercise, prayer, and study,” Khan concluded..
Gold prices in Pakistan continued their upward trend on Wednesday, reaching a new record high, driven by a rise in international rates. The price of gold per tola in the local market increased by Rs300, bringing it to Rs261,000. Meanwhile, the price for 10 grammes of gold rose by Rs257, reaching Rs223,765.
On the previous day, the price of gold had settled at Rs260,700, marking a Rs700 increase, as reported by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA).
While the international gold rate remained steady on Wednesday, the APGJSA noted that the price was $2,512 per ounce, which included a premium of $20.
In contrast, silver prices in the local market remained unchanged at Rs2,950 per tola.
Globally, gold prices continue to be buoyed by expectations of an imminent rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.
The anticipation of the Fed beginning a rate-cutting cycle as early as September has put downward pressure on US Treasury bond yields and the US Dollar, contributing to the surge in gold prices, which hit a new record on Tuesday.
According to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, there is now over a 70 per cent probability that the US central bank will reduce borrowing costs by 25 basis points at the September FOMC meeting.
Additionally, a recent Reuters poll suggests that a slight majority of economists expect the Fed to implement a 25 basis point cut at each of the three remaining meetings in 2024, one more reduction than was anticipated last month.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser apologised to the people of Pakistan on July 20 for extending the tenure of former Army Chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
“I apologise to the nation for granting an extension to General Bajwa. It was a mistake that we deeply regret,” said Qaiser on Samaa TV.
In 2019, former Prime Minister Imran Khan approved an extension of then-Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure for another three years in a notification which stated, “The decision has been taken in view of the regional security environment.”
The former Speaker of the National Assembly admitted that the decision backfired on the party. Qaiser also hinted at starting peaceful protests if party founder Imran Khan faces a military trial.
He further suggested that legal international avenues like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) could be explored if the situation arises.
Very few names in the entertainment industry generate as much heated reactions as does Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar.
Television star Nadia Afgan has become the latest major name to refuse working with the misogynistic writer.
Recently, Nadia appeared as a guest on ‘Subh Ka Samaa Madeha Kay Sath’ where the host Madeha Rizvi’s asked, “Is there any artist in the industry with whom you haven’t gotten along, a writer, director, or actor, with whom you don’t want to work?” The star replied, “Whenever I mention a name, my senior fraternity later tells me, “Look dear, this is very wrong. You should maintain a certain discretion instead of speaking out openly all the time.”
“I have never worked with Khalil sahib, and InshaAllah, I never will. I have never worked with him, and I don’t intend to either,” Afgan added.
Hollywood singer Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from actor Ben Affleck after two years of marriage, ending weeks of speculation of the fairytale romance ending.
The duo, affectionately called ‘Bennifer’, have had a whirlwind relationship since the early 2000s, when they became engaged after Affleck gave Lopez an engagement ring featuring a 6.1-carat pink diamond. However, in 2003, the couple announced their separation. They both married other partners and had children.
The two rekindled their relationship in 2021 and got married in July 2022 in Las Vegas.
Bangladesh have won the toss and decided to bowl first against Pakistan. Before the first Test match to be played in Rawalpindi, the toss was delayed due to the wet outfield, but now, considering the situation at the umpire’s ground, it has been decided to do the toss at 2 pm local time, while the game starts at 2:30.
The first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh has been delayed as the outfield in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium remained wet after a spell of rain. The ground is being dried before being inspected again at 11:30 a.m.
Earlier, both the teams arrived at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with tight security provided on the highway while the teams left their hotels.
During the teams’ movement, the Metro bus service was also completely suspended on the Rawalpindi to IJP Rawalpindi section.
The first test match against Bangladesh is Pakistan Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie’s first international assignment since his April appointment. It will also be Shaun Masood’s first Test match on home soil as captain. A new era will begin in red ball cricket.
Pakistan Playing XI
Abdullah Shafiq. Saim Ayub Shan Masood (Captain) Babar Azam. Saud Shakeel (Vice Captain), Muhammad Rizwan (Wicket Keeper), Salman Ali Agha. Shaheen Shah Afridi Naseem Shah Khurram Shahzad, and Muhammad Ali.
BangladeshPlaying XI
Najamul Hasan Shanto (captain), Hasan Mahmood, Laton Das, Mehdi Hasan Miraz, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqul Rahim, Naheed Rana, Naeem Hasan, Shadman Islam, Shakibul Hasan, Shariful Islam, Syed Khalid Ahmed, Taijoul Islam and Zakir Hasan.
