Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Next 24 hours critical’: Nausheen, Ayesha and Aima raise voice for Umer Sharif’s treatment

    ‘Next 24 hours critical’: Nausheen, Ayesha and Aima raise voice for Umer Sharif’s treatment

    Leading Pakistani celebrities have taken to their social media to raise voice for veteran comedian Umer Sharif’s treatment.

    Taking to Instagram stories, Nausheen Shah requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to “remember the times when he (Umer Sharif) stood by you.” and requested him to help the Zameen Aasman star.

    Similarly, singer Aima Baig, actors Ayesha Omar and Areeba Habib took to their social media handles to express concern for Umer Sharif.

    Umer’s wife, Zareen posted a status which read: : “24 hours are crucial for Umer please pray as much as you can.”

    While, anchor Waseem Badami took to Twitter and shared that he received a call from the Prime Minister’s Office and it said that all possible work would be done to ensure Umer Sharif’s early trip abroad.

  • Video: Imran Abbas sings Aamir Khan’s superhit song, Urwa Hocane and Saboor Aly perform

    Video: Imran Abbas sings Aamir Khan’s superhit song, Urwa Hocane and Saboor Aly perform

    A-list actresses Saboor Aly and Urwa Hocane seems to be having fun on the sets of their upcoming drama serial Amanat. The Fitrat star shared the video of drama’s hero Imran Abbas singing a superhit Bollywood song on which the two leading ladies perform.

    The song Naam-e-Wafa is from Aamir Khan’s Bollywood movie Ghulam.

    Written by Rukhsana Nigar and directed by Shahid Shafaat, Amanat will go on air later this month.

    Amanat - Teaser 1 - Coming Soon - ARY Digital - YouTube

    Director Shahid  has roped in names like Imran Abbas, Urwa Hocane, Saboor Aly, Haroon Shahid, Asad Siddiqui, Salman Saeed and Babar Ali in his directorial project.

  • Ayesha Malik Will Not Be The First Female Supreme Justice Of Pakistan

    Ayesha Malik Will Not Be The First Female Supreme Justice Of Pakistan









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    Good morning, *|MERGE1|*. It’s September 10. Have a blessed Friday! 

    Hey, I am Sajjal and have recently joined The Current and will be working on the newsletter with Laila.  I’ll share my millennial life happenings with you on alternate days. Now let’s get down to business. 

    Today, I did a story about Murad Raas’ warning to Aitchison for not implementing the Single National Curriculum and seriously I feel that instead of advancing further, our government is clearly pulling us back. If you want more information, check out the story.

    Rain is expected today in Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, it will be cloudy in Karachi and sunny in Quetta.

     
         Sajjal -Th    e Current 

    STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

    It’s a dark day: Justice Ayesha not elevated to the Supreme Court

    The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has not approved the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik as a Supreme Court (SC) judge.

    “It is a dark day because first-time nominee of a woman judge’s elevation to the Supreme Court could not be approved,” senior journalist Hasnaat Malik told The Current.

    He also added that if Justice Ayesha is not elevated to the SC, then she will become Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court. “Justice Ayesha’s name can be initiated anytime for the SC,” said Hasnaat.

    What happened? Lawyers across the country recorded their protest today, their main concern being that Supreme Court judges should be appointed on the basis of seniority. 

    Read On

    ‘Puppet PM will lose the govt if we get rid of puppet Buzdar in Punjab’: Bilawal

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Prime Minister Imran Khan himself will lose the government if the Opposition de-seats puppet Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar in Punjab.

    Accusation against PML-N We need to save Punjab together,” said Bilawal reminding the PML-N that if they are not ready, the people will not forgive them.

    “It is not possible that you [PML-N] talk about respecting the vote and then you boycott the by-elections and the Senate elections. Because of you, people are angry with us as well. If you talk about respecting the power of the vote, then you need to start practising that power yourself as well,” he added. 

    Fazl-ur-Rehman’s reply On the other hand, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazl-ur-Rehman accused Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of making a deal with the establishment.

    Fazl, blaming Bilawal for the failure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), claimed: “The deal was previously offered to us but we didn’t agree to it.”

    Read On

    ‘I apologise to the Afghan people’: Ashraf Ghani

    Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a statement posted on Twitter, said: “It is with deep and profound regret that my own chapter ended in similar tragedy to my predecessors — without ensuring stability and prosperity. I apologise to the Afghan people that I could not make it end differently.”

    Addressing rumours that he fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash, he said, “These charges are completely and categorically false.”

    “Corruption is a plague that has crippled our country for decades, and fighting corruption has been a central focus of my efforts as president,” he said, adding that he and his wife were “scrupulous in our personal finances”.

    He appreciated the sacrifices the Afghans had made over the past 40 years of war in their country.

    Read On

    After years of shying away from the question, Germany’s Angela Merkel declares ‘yes, I am a feminist’

    Merkel is now taking a clear stance on feminism in her last days in office.

    “Essentially, it’s about the fact that men and women are equal, in the sense of participation in society and in life in general. And in that sense I can say: Yes, I’m a feminist,” she stated. 
    At the event, Germany’s first female chancellor was more candid and admitted her reticent approach from the past.

    “I was a bit shyer when I said it. But it’s more thought-out now. And in that sense, I can say that we should all be feminists,” she added. 

    About the upcoming elections: 

    Germany will head to the polls on September 26 to elect a new parliament that will pick Merkel’s successor as chancellor.

    In recent weeks, Merkel has emphatically endorsed Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate Armin Laschet to succeed her.

    TOP PICKS 

    Ali Gul Pir blasts Ali Zafar, refuses to apologise

    Vlogger, singer and entertainer Ali Gul Pir has said that he is not apologising to singer Ali Zafar for a joke he made three years back..

    Canadian cafe denies accusation of Islamophobia made by Shaam Idrees

    An Egyptian patient was scared before her surgery so the doctors sang a song for her to divert her mind, Gulf News reported..

    What was trending? 

    1. #PISA2021GoesTo

    PISA Awards will take place on November 5 in Dubai. Last night, people showed support to their favourite celebs.  

    2. #NCOC

    Students on Twitter shared their concerns regarding online classes which I can totally relate to. This time they want NCOC to open educational institutions as soon as possible. 

    3. #Reschedule_datesheets

     Students of the University of Health Sciences want their date sheet to be rescheduled.

    The Current Recommends  

    FLAVOURED YOGURT 
    This was an elite meetha for me when I was a kid. After ages, I had it today and it’s still so good. It’s also very common now and I suggest you give it a shot, You can buy it from any supermarket.  

    The Current Horoscope 

     Your romantic life has been receiving a welcome boost in recent weeks.
    Check yours now! 

    ON THIS DAYWORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY 

    Observed every year to raise awareness and prevent cases of suicide, the day is organised by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and is co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO). If your friend is finding excuses to not turn up for social get-togethers or limiting interactions with you, find out what’s wrong.

    CURRENT BABA’S WISDOM FOR TODAY 

    Whatever you do today just give it your full heart.

     
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  • ‘More than half of Pakistanis dissatisfied with govt’s performance on all issues,’ survey reveals

    A survey conducted by lpsos has revealed that “More than half of Pakistanis are dissatisfied with federal government’s performance on all issues.”

    Key results of the survey:

    1 in 2 Pakistanis seem unhappy with the federal government’s performance on dealing with COVID-19; males, top elite, Sindh and Balochistan are even more dissatisfied

    Only 1 in 4 Pakistanis consider the PTI regime to have succeeded in eradicating corruption in Pakistan

    Majority (62%) Pakistanis expressed dissatisfaction with the PTI government’s performance on controlling inflation:

    Majority (53%) Pakistanis are dissatisfied with PTI’s delivery on providing justice, dissatisfaction even higher in less educated Pakistanis.

    Only 1 in 5 Pakistanis think that the current government has been able to eradicate poverty. Same trend prevalent across all segments and provinces:

    The sample size of the survey was 1020, and “random CATI interviews (Computer-assisted telephone interviewing )” were conducted between August 26 to September 2, 2021. The survey was named, “PTI’s three years in Federal Government.

  • England vs India Test match cancelled due to Covid-19 cases in Indian team

    England vs India Test match cancelled due to Covid-19 cases in Indian team

    Following ongoing conversations with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the fifth Test between England and India has been cancelled.

    The ECB, on Friday September 10, in a statement mentioned: “Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth Test between England and India Men due to start today at Old Trafford, will be cancelled.”

    “Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team.”

    “We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many,” the statement added.

    The development comes on the back of intense discussions between the BCCI and the ECB after India’s assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar returned a positive Covid-19 test on Wednesday. Later head coach of Indian team Ravi Shastri tested positive.

    While three members of the contingent – Patel, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar – were identified as immediate contacts of Shastri, it was far more difficult to determine who the close contacts of Parmar were, considering he was treating a wider group of players. This included Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. These players have been mingling among the wider group, which has made identifying close contacts even more complicated.

    Meanwhile, as per ESPN cricinfo, the series result would be determined by the ICC match referee Chris Broad based on whether the ECB accepts India’s fears of a larger outbreak in their camp as “acceptable non-compliance” as per the WTC playing conditions. If the ECB does accept it, India will win the series 2-1. But if it doesn’t, and instead challenges that outcome, the matter will go to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee. Currently India have pocketed 26 WTC points from the series while England have 14 out of the available 48 points.

  • Pakistan may send experts to replace Afghan brain drain

    Pakistan may send experts to replace Afghan brain drain

    Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Pakistan, Shaukat Tarin has said that Pakistan may have to send experts to Afghanistan because of the country’s major experts have left the country which has complicated the Taliban’s administration, reports The News.

    While giving an extensive briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Thursday, Mr Tarin said that the government was building up strategic reserves of essential food commodities to meet domestic as well as Afghanistan’s requirements.

    According to him, “they [Afghanistan} require assistance and we may have to dispatch experts because of the brain drain in Afghanistan. The situation is fluid and we are analysing it. The West has stopped foreign reserves of Afghanistan to the tune of $10 billion, as the IMF has stopped $400 million and many others so Kabul will be facing a scarcity of foreign exchange. Our bilateral trade will surge but we may have to undertake bilateral trade in the Pak rupee.”

    Talking about Pakistan’s economic situation he stated, “Pakistan’s trade deficit stands at $4 billion and remittances are hovering around $2.5 billion.”

    “On tax revenue, FBR revenues are ahead of target by 23 percent. The track and trace system will be placed for five major sectors. The Point of Sale (POS) will integrate receipts and standardised and frivolous notices will be withdrawn,” he assured.

    More than 120,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan are qualified professionals from civil servants to lawyers.

    Michael Barry, a specialist on Afghanistan who taught at the American University in Kabul, said that many members of the Taliban are from rural areas and lack the knowledge to run the state bureaucracy, as per Agence France-Presse (AFP).

  • ‘Set Election Commission on fire,’ PTI’s Azam Swati accuses ECP of taking bribes

    ‘Set Election Commission on fire,’ PTI’s Azam Swati accuses ECP of taking bribes

    Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati on Friday accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of taking bribes and being on the payroll of ‘someone’.

    Swati said that the ECP was responsible for destroying Pakistan’s democracy and for rigging all elections. Swati added that such institutions should be “set on fire”. This happened when the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met today to vote on two key election bills.

    When the meeting started, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that the government would like to respond to the ECP’s 37 objections to the proposed introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs). While Awan was giving the government’s answers point-by-point to the ECP’s objections, suddenly Azam Swati interjected and accused the ECP of taking money. Opposition members present in the meeting strongly objected to this accusation and protested.

    As the Opposition members were protesting, ECP representatives present in the meeting all got up and said that they will not tolerate such behaviour and are boycotting the meeting. ECP representatives then walked out.

    Chair Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs Senator Taj Haider asked a few Opposition members to go and talk to the ECP representatives so as to bring them back to the meeting. By the time Senator Kamran Murtaza went to bring them back, the ECP delegation had left the building.

    Meanwhile, Azam Swati kept hurling accusations at the ECP even after the constitutional body’s representatives had left. Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and other Opposition members condemned Swati’s remarks and said that he cannot accuse a constitutional body of taking bribes, and asked for proof.

    Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar asked Swati: “Kis se paisay pakrray hain ECP ne? Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) se ya Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) se?”

    [Translation: Tell us who has given money to the ECP? PPP or PML-N?]

    Swati and Khokhar then had a heated exchange.

    “I told Swati that the government should stop browbeating the ECP. It is a constitutional body. How can the government accuse a body of taking bribes without any proof — only because the ECP does not agree with the government on EVMs? Such accusations are shameful,” Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar told The Current. Senator Khokhar added that the government must apologise to the ECP.

    After things calmed down, Babar Awan asked for permission to continue with his answers to the ECP objections. He was then told that since the ECP members are not present anymore, he cannot continue in their absence. The standing committee then decided to vote on the amendments but the government raised objections as Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri was not present in the meeting. Due to her absence, the Opposition members were in majority today. The government asked that she should be allowed to vote via video link.

    According to sources, Senator Zehri had missed her flight from Karachi in the morning. The government wanted to delay the voting till she could take a flight and reach Islamabad after the Friday prayers. It should be noted that Senator Samina Zehri had been included in the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani in order to tilt the balance towards the government in the Senate panel, as per Dawn.

    The Senate panel rejected the government’s proposed amendments but the government members walked out and did not take part in the voting process and walked out.

    Babar Awan tweeted that the government will get the two election bills passed through a joint session of parliament.

  • ‘You are lucky you weren’t beheaded’, Journalists open up about Taliban beatings

    Adding to a list of Taliban atrocities, two Afghan Journalists were left with immense bruises in Kabul. Their crime: covering protests in the Afghan capital.

    According to Taqi Daryabi and his colleague Nematullah Naqdi, of the daily newspaper Etilaat Roz (Information Daily), the Taliban separated them into two rooms, insulted, and flogged them with cables after accusing them of organising the protest as per Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    https://twitter.com/lnajafizada/status/1435818054332653576?s=21

    The two were reporting on a protest by women demanding the right to work and education in front of a police station.

    Naqdi said he was stopped by a Taliban fighter as soon as he started taking pictures.

    “They told me that you cannot film’,” he told AFP. Moreover he said that Taliban fighters insulted him and kicked him in the head and that a Taliban fighter placed his foot on his head and crushed his face against the concrete. When he was asked why he was being beaten, he was told, “you are lucky you weren’t beheaded.”

    Zaki Daryabi, the daily newspaper publisher told Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) via phone that the Taliban subjected the reporters to severe physical abuse that he described as “torture” for four hours that each lost consciousness at least four times in custody. However, CPJ could not independently confirm allegations of torture.

    According to the BBC, their journalists were also prevented from filming. Not only this, Al-Jazeera reported that three of their reporters said that Taliban fighters pushed, slapped them and took their belongings.

    Over the last days, the Taliban detained and later released at least 14 journalists covering protests against the group, At least nine of these journalists were subject to violence during their detention.

  • Shahbaz Gill misquotes Forbes article, says Pak safe for women instead of women travelers

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill recently appeared in Meher Bokhari’s show, in which he defended the Single National Curriculum, the government’s controversial initiative to have one syllabus across Pakistan. To defend his argument, Gill said that the internationally reputable magazine, Forbes listed 20 most dangerous places for women and Pakistan’s name is not on the list. He even went on to mention the names of all the 20 countries. Gill also criticised Pakistan’s media and accused Pakistan’s media of being “dishonest.”

    However, the article that Gill shared was about women traveling to countries and not on the safety of women living in the country. The article analyses countries that are unsafe for single women travelers, adding that the list, “ranked 50 countries with the most international tourists.”

    Pakistan does not make the list because it is not in the list of the countries with the most international tourists.

    According to a report published in Reuters in 2018 Pakistan was listed as sixth in the world’s 10 most dangerous countries for women.

    “Sixth most dangerous and fourth worst in terms of economic resources and discrimination as well as the risks women face from cultural, religious and traditional practices, including so-called honor killings. Pakistan ranked fifth on non-sexual violence, including domestic abuse.”

    Four years later the situation is even more dire as the latest The Global Gender Gap Report 2021 by World Economic Forum lists Pakistan at 153 out of 156, above Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan in the The Gender Gap Index 2021. It ranks Pakistan has second worst in gender disparity in South Asia after Afghanistan.

    The report also lists Pakistan at 152 out of 156 in the list of the countries based on Economic Participation and Opportunity, and at number 153 out of 156 on the basis of Health and Survival.

  • He’s not coming back yet, PML-N backtracks on Nawaz return

    He’s not coming back yet, PML-N backtracks on Nawaz return

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif will only return to Pakistan “when doctors will give a clean bill of health allowing him to travel and when the party decides”.

    PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif claimed on Thursday that Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan this year.

    Mian Javed Latif talked to the media after he appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Lahore. He claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come to Pakistan this year. He added that those who disqualified Nawaz also realised that there was no option except to have him back.

    “Those who had brought him the third time will allow Nawaz Sharif to be elected prime minister for the fourth time,” Latif said.

    “Those who had expelled him from government knowing that only he can guide the country out of these problems,” PML-N leader said.

    Nawaz has been living in London since November 2019 after he was allowed to leave the country for medical treatment.