Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Men need to behave,’ Politicians condemn the brutal murder of Noor Mukadam

    The 27-year-old daughter of former diplomat Shaukat Mukadam was found dead at a residence in the capital’s upscale Sector F-7/4 and the alleged murderer, Zahir Jaffar was arrested for the crime.

    PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter to condemn the brutal murder of Noor. “From rape apology to victim-blaming, this regime has caused irreparable damage to the safety & dignity of women,” wrote Maryam Nawaz.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, “This has no place in our society, lives, religion or culture. We must work harder and do more for prevention & for justice.”

    PML-N leader Miftah Ismail took to Twitter to condemn the murder, “I hope Noor Mukadam’s gruesome murder turns into an APS moment for our nation and we stop violence against women.”

    “Too many women get abused, battered, raped and killed in Pak. New laws are needed. Social mores need to change. Men need to behave. Women should be heard & believed.”

  • Fact Check: Khadija Siddiqui’s attacker released without completing five year jail term

    Claim: Barrister Khadija Siddiqui’s attacker released after completing 5 years jail term

    Fact: Khadija Siddiqui’s attacker was released without completing his jail term

    The convict in Khadija Siddiqui stabbing case, Shah Hussain, was released from the Jail on 17 July, ARY News reported. As per the details he was released after completing his five years in jail term, which according to leading lawyers is not true.

    Karachi based lawyer Jibran Nasir while talking exclusively to The Current said that government needs to explain how and why Shah Hussain has been released without completing his five years sentence.

    Explaining the case, Nasir said: “He [Shah Hussain] served 1.5 months in jail during trial and was then released on post arrest bail. Between conviction from trial court and acquittal from High Court, he served a little over 11 months in jail. Then post the Supreme Court decision overturning acquittal, he served 2.5 years. Total 3.5 years in jail.”

    “The only ways for a convict to come out of jail before completion of sentence is either through remission of sentence which can be done by the provincial government, federal government or the President. But that doesn’t apply here. For the offence for which Shah Hussain was convicted [stabbing Khadija Siddiqui 23 times] i.e. PPC 324 and 337, the government cannot remit the sentence without consent of the victim i.e. Khadija,” he added.

    “Second way is for a convict to be released on probation is for good behaviour, but that also doesn’t not apply to criminals convicted for Sec 324 and 337.”

    Siddiqui was stabbed more than two dozen times on a busy Lahore street while she was picking her six-year-old sister Sofia Siddiqui from school on May 3, 2016.

    A Lahore judicial magistrate had handed down seven-year rigorous imprisonment to Hussain after finding him guilty of attempted murder on July 29, 2017.

    However, a sessions court in March 2018 set aside the minor penalties of the convict and commuted the sentence to five years, out of which Shah Hussain was released after serving 3.5 years.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • Noor Mukadam was beheaded after stabbed to death: post mortem report

    Contrary to previous reports which stated that Noor Mukadam, 27, was shot and then beheaded, her post mortem report states that she was stabbed several times and then beheaded.

    According to Samaa TV , the post mortem report reveals that the victim was assaulted, stabbed and after she died, she was beheaded.

    The incident took place on July 20 in F-7/4 in Islamabad, reportedly at the residence of Zahir Jaffer, who was arrested for Noor’s murder.

    A case under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code has been registered against the suspect at the Kohsar Police Station.

    A special team has been created to investigate the case and the police has recommended that Zahir be placed on the Exit Control List.

    “InshaAllah justice will be served in this case…no one will be allowed to leave the country and people will see justice be served. There is no one more powerful in Pakistan than the law,” PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said.

    https://twitter.com/fawadptiupdates/status/1418480197230370818?s=21
  • Syra Yousuf, Shahroz Sabzwari celebrate birthday of their daughter Nooreh

    Syra Yousuf, Shahroz Sabzwari celebrate birthday of their daughter Nooreh

    Syra Yousuf celebrated the birthday of her daughter Nooreh and penned down a heartfelt birthday note for her.

    “You bring joy to my life. Happy birthday bubble,” wrote the Mera Naseeb actor.

    While Shahroz also celebrated his daughter’s birthday with her grandparents.

    Fans and fellow showbiz stars also dropped sweet birthday messages for Nooreh in the comment box.

    Sharing a video of Nooreh, in which she was reciting Ayat-ul-Kursi and wrote: “Shukkar Alhamdulillah you are the greatest gift of my life. Happy Birthday Princess.”

    The celebrity couple separated in late 2019 and later confirmed their divorce in February 2020.

  • Celebrities celebrate third day of Eid in colourful attires

    The third of Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated in Pakistan today. Celebrities spent time with their families, finding joy in the little things and celebrating the occasion with zeal.

    Pakistani celebrities shared their adorable Eid pictures with their fans and followers.

    Here’s a list of celebrities oozing style and colours on third day of Eid:

  • Sindh govt to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people

    Sindh govt to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people

    The Sindh government has officially decided to write a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in the province.

    Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh on Law, Murtaza Wahab, took to Twitter to announce the decision.

    “#SindhGovt has decided to write to NCOC & PTA that mobile sims of unvaccinated people should be blocked,” he wrote in a tweet.

    According to details, Chief Minister Sindh has also said that the PTA would be contacted through the federal government to encourage the users via text messages to get vaccinated and those not getting a shot in a week will have their SIMs blocked.

    As cases are increasing in the province, the Sindh government has decided to tighten the restrictions. The Covid-19 task force held a meeting on Friday and made the following decisions:

    • Shopping malls and markets can operate from 6am to 6pm except for pharmacies and bakeries.
    • The government has imposed a ban on indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants. Only takeaways are allowed.
    • Public and private offices have been asked to call in 50 per cent of their workforce.
    • Shrines to be closed once again.
    • Ban to be imposed on weddings and other events.
    • Schools will remain closed, while exams will continue as per schedule.

    The new restrictions will be imposed from Monday, July 26. The positivity rate in Sindh is 10.3 per cent, the task force participants were informed. Karachi’s situation is getting worse day by day. At least 1,002 patients are in critical care.

    As per reports, the province reported six cases of the Delta variant on Monday, the province’s health secretary, Qasim Soomro, confirmed.

    The guidelines to avoid exposure to the new variant are the same:

    • Sanitise hands more often
    • Wear a mask
    • Avoid public gatherings
    • Get vaccinated as soon as possible
    • Avoid meeting people with symptoms
    • Avoid unnecessary travel

    Total tests conducted in the last 24 hours were 25,215 out of which 1,425 cases tested positive. The positivity rate was 5.65 per cent as per NCOC.

  • Former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar would deliver love letters: Shahid Hameed

    Actor Shahid Hameed in an interview with Kamran Shahid reveled that former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar used to deliver love letters when they were students.

    Shahid, while answering to a question about the time spent with Saqib Nisar while they were students said, “He used to pick [cricket] balls for us.”

    He jokingly said that Saqib has sacrificed a lot for us, adding that we used to give him money for coke and sandwiches for delivering our love letters.

    Shahid also said that Saqib was a proper gentleman.

    Saqib Nisar served as the 25th Chief Justice of Pakistan from December 31, 2016 till January 17, 2019.

  • Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir ooze couple goals on Eid Day 3, share a special video for fans

    Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir ooze couple goals on Eid Day 3, share a special video for fans

    Celerity couple of Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir took to Instagram to share their moments on Eid-ul-Azha with their fans. The Zindagi duo recently made their reel debut together and celebrated it’s success with an Instagram video.

    Their music video has garnered over 10 Million views.

    The duo earlier shared their looks from the Eid Day 1 and 2 on their social media handles.

    On the work front, Sarah will be seen next in Laapata co-starring Ali Rehman Khan and Ayeza Khan.

  • ‘Another day, another woman brutally killed’: Celebs express outrage over Noor Mukadam case

    Noor Mukadam, 27, daughter of the former Pakistani diplomat Shaukat Mukadam, was found dead at a residence in the capital’s upscale Sector F-7/4 and the alleged murderer, Zahir Jaffar was arrested for the murder.

    Pakistani celebrities took to social media to condemn the brutal murder of Noor and the rising crime against women in our society.

  • ‘Sweetest heart’, Noor Mukadam’s Irish friends pay loving tribute

    ‘Sweetest heart’, Noor Mukadam’s Irish friends pay loving tribute

    The daughter of a former senior Pakistani diplomat, Noor Mukadam who was brutally murdered in Islamabad, spent several years in Ireland with her family when she was a young girl.

    One of her Irish friends, Kim Kearns described Noor as a “beautiful” woman having “the sweetest heart”.

    Kearns, Mukadam and another woman, Marilyn Egan, were “the three best friends” growing up, she told to Irish Times.

    Noor had attended Our Lady’s Grove primary and secondary school in Goatstown, South Dublin, after her father had been posted to serve at the Pakistan embassy in the area. Kearns said she recalled Noor joining the school when they were in first grade.

    Her family had lived in Milltown, South Dublin, before they shifted to Leopardstown, her friend said.

    “She had the heart of an angel… If anyone was ever mean to her, she would always be positive, she never retaliated,” Kearns said.

    Read More: ‘Being a govt lawyer, it is alarming that the public mistrusts the system’, Additional Advocate General Punjab on #JusticeforNoor

    “She liked shopping, we’d go to Dundrum shopping centre, she liked Zara, she was into fashion,” her friend added.

    “She just fitted in, Ireland was her home,” she said.

    Kearns stated that when Mukadam was told that her family had to move again and leave Ireland she was “heartbroken”.

    “We would always keep in touch. If I posted anything on Instagram she would comment on it, saying she was thinking of me, or missing us,” she said.

    Both of Mukadam’s friends said that they were upset by the news of their childhood friend’s death.

    The friends are planning to organise a tribute walk from their old school to a pond on the University College Dublin campus. If Mukadam had continued in Ireland that was where she would have wanted to study for college, Kearns said.