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Author: newsdesk
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Punjab Govt To Submit Report Over ‘Discriminatory’ Behaviour Towards Transgenders
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Forced conversions are against the spirit of the constitution
On Wednesday, a parliamentary committee rejected the anti-forced conversion bill after the Ministry of Religious Affairs opposed the proposed law. According to Dawn, Religious Affairs Minister Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said the “environment is unfavourable” for formulating a law against forced conversions and warned that forming a law on forced conversions would “create further problems for minorities” as they will be made more vulnerable. He also said the proposed law will deteriorate peace in the country.
It is unfortunate that the minister thinks such a law will lead to problems and will affect peace in the country. Minorities in Pakistan make up a very small number as more than 96 per cent population of the country is Muslim. So why would a bill that is against forced conversions, something that our religion also does not allow, make the minorities vulnerable? The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees that the rights of the minorities would be fully protected. Forced conversions are against the spirit of the Constitution as well as our religious teachings.
The Joint Action Committee for People’s Rights (JAC), a collection of 37 human rights groups, in an open letter has urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to take legal as well as administrative measures to protect minorities, especially the under age girls from forced conversions and marriages. The letter has also urged PM Khan to ensure the approval of the draft bill for timely legislation. The JAC also expressed its concern on the statements of the Minister for Religious Affairs on the draft bill to curb forced conversions, recalling that such statements are not only against the spirit of the Constitution, judgments of the Supreme Court of Pakistan but are also in contradiction with the stand taken by the PM against forced conversion of minority groups in Pakistan.
Hopefully, the government will address this issue soon. We know that the majority of these forced conversions are underage girls from minority communities. Such practices should not be condoned by the government. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had envisioned a Pakistan where the minorities would feel safe. We should not let our founding father down.
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‘Inflation is happening all over the world, reason unknown’: Shaukat Tarin
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said that other items, including oil, are becoming more expensive all over the world and the reason why they are happening is not known, reports Geo News.
Tarin said, “If the effects of the Covid pandemic reduce, inflation will come down and targeted subsidies of 40 per cent will be given to the country’s population.”
He added that one billion dollars are to be expected from International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will be confirmed in the next two days.
Moreover, the government on Friday decided to appoint Shaukat Tarin as the Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance, as his six-month tenure as the financial adviser is expiring today, sources told Geo News.
The finance minister was supposed to get elected as a senator — a prerequisite to continue as finance minister — as the six-month time limit to elect him as a member of parliament expires today.
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‘Open challenge idiots, weli awam’: Zarnish Khan slams troll brigade for criticising Meera’s viral video
Reposting a video of actress Meera from the 20th Lux Style Awards, in an attempt to take a dig at her, a blog had written, “Uff yaar Meera ki English!” with laughter emoticons. Sharing the same on her Instagram story, Sun Yaara star Zarnish Khan commented, “Yaar bas kardo weli awaam (Can you people cut it out already?)”
She then asserted, “I’m pretty sure all the people who make such memes or cut-out video clips are a bunch of idiots themselves, who probably can’t even speak Urdu fluently, let alone English.”
The Ishq Zah-e-Naseeb diva reminded everyone that just because most of us can pass comments in the shadows, without ever having to worry about our reputation being dragged through the mud; does not mean we’ve earned the license to publicly shame people in the limelight.
“Just because you can hide behind the anonymity of a cyber-network, doesn’t give you a right to make fun of other people,” the Ye Dil Mera actor lashed out. “Maybe she [Meera] can’t speak well in English but is that a crime? How well do you know this language? Are you ready for an open challenge? I bet you aren’t!” She concluded by asking her followers to “stop being so shallow please!”
In the video, Meera was struggling to say, “I’m very excited to be here, obviously it’s a big night today. I want to congratulate Lux Style Awards for completing 20 years, it’s an achievement, me bohat khush hun aj (I’m really happy today).”
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‘I get migraine’: Sheheryar Afridi reveals reason behind visit to France
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Shehryar Khan Afridi, who is on a special visit to France, revealed why he was there.
When asked by journalist Younas Khan whether he has had any interactions with parliamentarians or Tink Tank as he is touring France, Afridi said, “I get migraine. I was told about a doctor here. So for the first two-three days, I need to get treatment.”
Reporter Younas Khan shared the clip on Twitter. “You are the chairman of the Kashmir Committee. Your job is to play a role in diplomacy on the Kashmir issues all over the world.”
“You are in France. Which Think Tank did you meet here? Have you talked to any parliamentarian on Kashmir?” questioned Younas.
“The culture is different here, you have to take appointments a month prior from parliamentarians and think tanks here. There is a proper channel here,” said Afridi.
He added that he is reaching out to the Pakistani and Kashmiri communities during his stay in France and Italy. He also mentioned that he met stakeholders during his United States (US) visit. Afridi said that his next visit to Canada, Brussels, and Britain will include interactions with parliamentarians and Think Tanks.
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LHC asks Punjab Govt to submit report over ‘discriminatory’ behaviour towards transgenders
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued notices to the Punjab government, chief secretary, and inspector general ordering them to submit a report on Punjab police’s “discriminatory” actions toward transgender people, Arshad Ali reports for Samaa News.
“Articles 4, 18, and 25 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, provide a shield against any kind of discrimination especially in respect to a job or profession to earn a livelihood but the act of the respondents not to permit transgender persons to compete with the other applicants offends against the said provisions of the Constitution,” the court observed.
Sira Ashi, a transgender woman from Lahore, filed a court suit against the police earlier this month. She claimed that despite meeting all conditions, the Punjab police have been “discriminatory” in their treatment of transgender people by refusing to hire them.
The court also noted that the Transgender Persons Act, 2018, is not being implemented by public functionaries during the recruitment process. “Let notices be issued to the respondents (Punjab government, chief secretary, and inspector-general) with the direction to file their report before the next date of hearing,” Justice Khan directed.
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‘Arrest me’: Mehwish Hayat makes a special request to Saba Qamar
Actor Saba Qamar recently announced her forthcoming project, Serial Killer with an exclusive first look of her character in the drama. The Baaghi diva will be donning the avatar of a cop in the play.
The Lahore Se Aagay actor mentioned that she couldn’t say no to a Umera Ahmed script after Maat.
Celebrities including Mehwish Hayat and Rabia Butt sent their love to the Hindi Medium star.
Serial killer is written by Umera Ahmed and produced by Misbah Shafique.
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‘Saif caught me’: Kareena Kapoor on falling in love with Saif on ninth wedding anniversary
Bollywood actor Kareena kapoor Khan penned a heartfelt wish for her husband Saif Ali Khan on his birthday. The Agend Vinod duo are celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary and the Omkara diva has a beautiful wish for her husband.
“It started out great – I did amazing films. But then for a year I didn’t work. I felt like my career was over; I was told to ‘re-invent’, become size 0. Everyone goes through a lull in their career. But as an actor, it’s worse. So just when I thought I was falling, Saif caught me. I’d met him before, but while we were filming Tashan, something changed. I wore my heart on my sleeve! He was so charming; I fell for him hook, line and sinker,” said the Jab We Met star in an interview with Filmfare.
Taking to Instagram, the Heroine star shared a picture of the two and wrote: “Once upon a time in Greece… there was a bowl of soup and US ❤️❤️ and it changed my life… Happy anniversary to the most handsome man in the world.”
Fellow actresses Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra reacted to the post. Her sister Karisma termed them as her favourite couple. The Raja Hindustani actor wrote, “Favourite couple forever (sic),” with heart emojis.
While other friends and family showered their love in the comments section.
Kareena tied the knot with Saif on October 16, 2012. They welcomed their first child, Taimur, on December 20, 2016. Their second son, Jeh, was born on February 21 this year.
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#PetrolPrice: Memes that you cannot miss
The federal government has issued a notice to increase the price of petrol by Rs10.49 per litre. Apart from this, the price of high speed diesel (HSD) has been increased by Rs12.44 per litre.
The prices of kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO) have been increased by Rs10.95 and Rs8.84 per litre respectively. The new price of kerosene is Rs110.26 per litre and that of LDO is Rs108.35 per litre.
Social media users did not lose the opportunity to start a meme fest following the news.
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Aiwan-e-Sadr certified as world’s first presidency to go green
The Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday achieved a distinctive distinction as it was awarded an international certification of ISO 50001 EnMS, making it the world’s first President Secretariat running on clean energy.
According to the presidency, President Dr Arif Alvi has successfully cut down over 35 per cent of its energy use, which would save Rs72.5 million to the national exchequer.
After assuming office in 2018, President Alvi had envisioned a Green Presidency Initiative to curtail President Secretariat’s energy usage and shift it to a renewable energy source.
The president described the monetary benefits of going green and said savings from energy conservation and clean energy generation were equivalent to 3,154,750 KWh. The initiative equates to 3,144 tons reduction of greenhouse gases and plantation of 142,909 mature trees.
Alvi said the Presidency’s initiative should also be replicated across the country considering the importance of energy conservation across the world. He also thanked the private sector companies who supported the initiative under their Corporate Social Responsibility.
While launching the initiative, Alvi said he never thought of getting such recognition. He asked the youth to be conscious of the global needs considering the sensitivity of the situation.