At least 29 candidates, including a close friend of the first lady, have filed their nomination papers for 11 Senate seats in Punjab with the elections scheduled to be held on March 3.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated 10 candidates: Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Muhammad Khan Madni, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Robina Akhtar, Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Aon Abbas, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Hussain Minhas, Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhary and Neelam Irshad Sheikh.
While on seats reserved for women, three candidates are fielded by PTI, including Farhat Shahzadi who is reportedly a close friend of First Lady Bushra Bibi.
Following criticism, PM’s aide Shahbaz Gill defended the selection of Farhat Shahzadi, saying she is a part of the PTI and has been an active political workers for many years. She is a covering candidate and it is her right, he added.
سینیٹ میں پنجاب سے خواتین کی اکلوتی نشست پر PTI ڈاکٹر زرقا کو پہلے ہی ٹکٹ جاری کر چکی۔فرح بی بی PTI کا حصہ ہیں پچھلے کئے سالوں سے جماعت میں ایکٹو ہیں۔انہوں نے سینیٹ کے لئے کاغذات جمع کروائے ہیں جو ان کا حق ہے۔وہ پارٹی کی کورنگ امیدوار ہیں-تنقید سے پہلے حقائق جان کر،درست خبر دیں
On the other hand, the Pakistan Muslim League has put forth Mushahid Ullah Khan, Pervaiz Rasheed, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Afnan Ullah Khan, Saud Majeed, Zahid Hamid, Sajid Mir, Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman and Irfanul Haq Siddiqui for the Senate polls.
The Pakistan People’s Party (7 lawmakers in the house) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (10 legislators) have pitched one candidate each: PPP’s Azeem-ul-Haq Minhas and PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha.
An aspirant for a general seat in Punjab requires votes of at least 53 provincial legislators.
For the two Senate seats reserved for women, there are five candidates in the run: Zarqa Suharwardy, Farhat Shahzadi and Neelam Irshad Sheikh backed by the PTI; while two, Saadia Abbasi and Saira Afzal Tarar, are from the PML-N.
There are three nominees for the Senate seats reserved for technocrats/Ulema. Two of them — Syed Ali Zafar and Atta Ullah Khan — belong to the PTI, whereas Azam Nazeer Tarar is a PML-N nominee.
Featuring Sajal, Shabana, Emma Thompson, Lily James and Shazad Latif in key roles, What’s Love Got To Do With It? is being directed by Shekhar Kapur of Mr India and Dil Se fame and produced by Goldsmith under the banner of her production house Instinct Productions. The film has been written by Jemima herself and is set between London and South Asia, exploring cross-cultural conflicts of love and marriage.
Priyanka Chopra, in her memoir Unfinished, has reportedly talked about tense Indo-Pak relations and has hoped that things would improve between the two countries.
BBC Asian Network journalist Haroon Rashid, who recently posted a teaser of his upcoming podcast with the actor, while responding to a social media user who asked if he asked Priyanka about her comments on the February 27 Balakot incident, said: “She talks in her book about her hopes for harmony between India and Pakistan giving a lovely anecdote of how a Pakistani British Airways agent gave her parents a seat on a flight when they really needed it.”
“She said she hoped the countries could share such warm exchanges always.”
“And you’ll have to find out if I ask her more on her increasing public silence when the full interview releases,” he added.
Haroon further shared that Priyanka in the podcast talks about “lack of opportunities for South Asians in Hollywood” and “how important her humanitarian work is to her.”
Earlier, in July 2019, Priyanka had sparked outrage with her response to a Pakistani woman Ayesha Malik, who had called her a hypocrite for “encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan”.
“So it was kind of hard hearing you talk about humanity because as your neighbour, a Pakistani, I know you’re a bit of a hypocrite,” Malik can be heard saying in the video widely circulated on social media. “You tweeted on February 26, ‘Jai Hind #IndianArmedForces.’”
Malik continued, “You are a UNICEF ambassador for peace and you’re encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan. There’s no winner in this. As a Pakistani, millions of people like me have supported you in your business of Bollywood and you wanted nuclear war.”
However, the microphone was taken away from Malik before she could make any further comments.
Priyanka had started off her response by saying “Whenever you’re done venting… got it, done? Okay, cool.”
“So, I have many, many friends from Pakistan and I am from India, and war is not something that I am really fond of but I am patriotic. So, I’m sorry if I hurt sentiments to people who do love me and have loved me, but I think that all of us have a sort of middle ground that we all have to walk, just like you probably do as well,” she continued.
“The way you came at me right now?” Chopra had remarked. “Girl, don’t yell. We’re all here for love. Don’t yell. Don’t embarrass yourself. But we all walk that middle ground, but thank you for your enthusiasm and your question and your voice.”
Priyanka’s memoir Unfinished, which released on February 9, has become a bestseller, trending in both India and the United States.
Meesha Shafi has said that Groove Mera is a win over classism and post-colonial inferiority complex.
Sharing a behind the scenes (BTS) video of the song, the singer said: “Groove Mera isn’t just a musical win! It’s a win over classism, over post-colonial inferiority complex, over a rigged system that favours only a select few repeatedly.”
“A shame that we deny ourselves legendary talent like Naseebo Lal over these hangups,” continued Meesha, adding: “Kudos to the whole team.”
Meesha had earlier also praised the song referring to Naseebo as “Queen”.
The official anthem of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Groove Mera has stirred up a storm in the country. While some, including celebrities, have appreciated the song, others have strongly criticised the composition and choice of artists.
After Shoaib Akhtar claimed he could have done a better job with the anthem, the speedster had to face immense backlash from Pakistani celebrities including Adnan Siddiqui, Farhan Saeed and Hira Mani.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has defended its decision to hire Naseebo Lal, Aima Baig and Young Stunners to perform the anthem, saying that the three artists were chosen as the board wanted to feature voices that were new and had not sung any PSL anthem before.
Dia Mirza tied the knot with Mumbai-based businessman Vaibhav Rekhi in an intimate ceremony on February 15. The wedding ceremony took place at Mirza’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai.
Sharing pictures from the wedding day, Dia said: “Love is a full-circle that we call home. And what a miracle it is to hear its knock, open the door and be found by it.”
The newlyweds also posed for the media and distributed sweets among the photographers and paparazzi present outside their home. While Dia glowed in a red saree accessorized with red dupatta, the groom donned a white kurta-pyjama with a beige turban.
Earlier, pictures from Dia’s bridal shower were widely circulated on social media.
Dia and Vaibhav have reportedly been in a relationship for more than a year now and grew closer during the lockdown. The two kept their relationship tightly under wraps with their fans finding out about it just a few days before their wedding.
Dia was earlier married to Sahil Sangha. The two got divorced in August 2019 after five years of marriage.
Following the decision of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to allow 20 percent crowd to attend each matchday of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 6, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed the ticket prices for 30 of the 34 matches, which will be played from February 20 to March 16. Ticket denominations for the Qualifier, two Eliminators and the final, to be played from March 18-22, will be announced closer to time.
According to a press release, online sale of tickets will start on Wednesday at 10 00 (Pakistan time) and fans can visit www.bookme.pk to purchase match tickets and select their preferred enclosure and choice of seat.
Fans can also call the Bookme helpline (03137786888) to book their tickets for which CNIC number and phone number is mandatory. When the match ticket has been confirmed, the customer will be sent a token number on the registered phone so that the customer can make the payment at the closest Jazzcash/Easypaisa shop. Upon payment, the customer will receive an e-ticket code along with a Quick Response (QR) Code, which the customer can use to print the ticket or show the SMS at the entry gate on match day.
To encourage families to attend the marquee event, the PCB has reserved certain enclosures of the National Stadium Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for families.
At the National Stadium, enclosures reserved for the families include Hanif Mohammad (VIP Enclosure), Wasim Akram (Premium Enclosure), Zaheer Abbas, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures (First-Class Enclosures), and Intikhab Alam Enclosure (General) while family enclosures at the Gaddafi Stadium include: Fazal Mahmood (VIP Enclosure), Saeed Anwar (Premier Enclosure), Abdul Qadir (First-Class Enclosure) and Nazar, Quaid, Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan (General Enclosure).
For Saturday’s tournament opener between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, which will begin at 7 pm, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 5,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at Rs 4,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) has been set at Rs 3,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 2,000.
For Sunday’s double-header between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United and Multan Sultans, which will start at 2 pm and 7 pm, respectively, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 4,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at Rs 3,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) has been set at Rs 2,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 1,000.
For matches to take place from Monday-Wednesday, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 3,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at PKR2,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) have been set at Rs 1,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 500.
For the first match in Lahore on March 10 involving Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, ticket prizes for the VIP stands (Imran Khan and Fazal Mahmood Enclosures) have been set for 3,000, followed by Rs 2,000 for the First-Class Stands (Abdul Qadir and Sarfraz Nawaz Enclosures), Rs 1,000 for Premium stands (A.H. Kardar, Rajas, Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar Enclosures) and Rs 500 for General stands (Inzamam ul Haq, Nazars, Quaid, Imtiaz Ahmed, Zaheer Abbas, Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Saeed Ahmed Enclosures).
Meanwhile, overseas players have started arriving in Karachi, where the first half of the tournament will take place. Karachi will host 20 matches from February 20 to March 7 while Lahore will host the remaining 14 matches from March 10 to 22.
Hey, Good Morning *|MERGE1|*. It is the 16th of February.The weather today will be warm and pleasant in all the major cities with clouds in Lahore and Karachi.
Staying inside your bubble will not offer growth, get out of your comfort zone — do something that makes you uncomfortable and remember the sky is your limit.
Have a nice day!
Laila-The Current
Morning Meme
Aamir Liaquat vs Faisal Vawda
In a jibe at the Senate ticket for Vawda, Aamir Liaquat in a series of tweets ranted about the former getting a nomination for the upper house ‘even though he didn’t deserve it.’
Maryam accidentally tweets picture of Khadim Rizvi’s welcome, mistaking it for her own
After posting a photoshopped picture of a Jalsa, Maryam has now posted a picture from Khadim Rizvi’s funeral mistaking it for her own but later she deleted the tweet.
On this Valentine’s Day, Minal Khan and Ahsan Mohsin finally made their relationship official, and we can’t get over the beautiful ring Minal has on her finger. Check the story to see the picture
For those who don’t know who J.V is, he is our talented and creative cameraman and also loves to wear pink!
On this Day: 16 February — Tragedy for the Hazara community
In 2013, militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi bombed Quetta market to target the Hazara community, which resulted in 92 casualties.
Current Baba’s prediction
Tuesday feels ko feel kartay huvay just go with the flow kyun ke odds will be in your favour today.
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding member Akbar S Babar, who also filed a case against the PTI over illegal funding in 2014, claimed that a friend of Prime Minister Imran Khan offered him the Senate chairmanship if he agrees to withdraw the foreign funding case against the PTI.
“A friend of Imran Khan offered me the post of chairman Senate,” he said, adding that he had “rejected all offers since I am on a noble purpose”.
According to the former PTI leader, he had been threatened and cases had been filed against him for pursuing his case against the party over illegal funding.
Meanwhile, the PTI has termed the allegations of Babar as baseless. In a statement, the PTI said that Babar was not offered any kind of position by the PTI. “He is blackmailing the party for the last eight years and no leader of the PTI has contacted him nor made any such offer. It is an attempt by him to raise his political stature.”
FOREIGN FUNDING CASE:
Meanwhile, the PTI has disowned the statement of its central finance secretary wherein he claimed that the funds from the United Arab Emirates were transferred to the accounts of four of its paid employees.
Last week, a document submitted to the ECP revealed that the PTI employees were authorised to receive donations from within and outside Pakistan. The document, quoted by Dawn, had revealed the names of employees that included PTI’s telephone operator Tahir Iqbal, computer operator Muhammad Nauman Afzal, accountant Mohammad Arshad and office helper Mohammad Rafiq.
Subsequently, an application was filed by Akbar S Babar, demanding all the personal front accounts of four PTI employees be requisitioned from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to ascertain the scope of the illegal fundraising.
However, in a response filed before the ECP’s Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, the PTI stated the “respondent does not own such statement made by any of the office-bearers of PTI”.
This is not the first time that the PTI has disowned a statement. Earlier, its counsel in the ECP had rejected Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement wherein the premier agreed to the open hearing of the foreign funding case.
Many people have been charged Rs2.50 at Automated Teller Machines (ATM), creating buzz on social media. But what is it all about?
As per details of the new charges, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has not issued any directives to commercial banks to charge against the service of transaction receipts.
But one of the largest banks in the country, Habib Bank Limited (HBL), confirmed that the initiative is part of a “GO GREEN” exercise by 1Link to urge customers to avoid unnecessary use of paper and keep the environment clean.
HBL confirms that the State Bank of Pakistan has not given any instructions on charging for printing of ATM receipts. This is a “GO GREEN” initiative by 1Link to encourage customers to avoid unnecessary use of paper and keep the environment clean. @statebank_pak@GovtofPakistanpic.twitter.com/ms1JM5yS1Y
1Link, which provides ATM services to the banks in Pakistan, came up with a unique justification in their official statement.
Ther payment switch operator stated that the SMS Service is free and could be used as an alternative. Many banks charge an amount ranging from Rs50 to 75 + tax on a monthly basis. Notwithstanding, the central bank directed them to make SMS services free.
The fee of Rs2.5 on printing receipts has been implemented by some banks. One after another, banks will likely impose the charges on the customers.
Some banks might use it as a marketing strategy to their advantage and refrain from this practice.
What are your views on this? Share with us in the comments below.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has accused the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of seeking whopping Rs15,000 Arab (Rs15,000 billion) in loans while “not laying down a single brick, and launching only failed projects”.
“The [government] took loans of Rs15,000 billion but did not lay a single brick,” Maryam reportedly said while addressing a rally in Wazirabad as part of the election campaign for PP-51.
Alleging that the metro bus project started by the PTI government had also failed, she asked the crowd whether any of them had gotten a job from the 10 million jobs promised by the government or a house from the 5 million houses pledged at the start of its regime.
She said the government had accused her of playing the “Punjabi card” after she raised her voice for the province, but said she would continue to speak for Punjab as well as other provinces being “the daughter of Pakistan”.
“But when it comes to snatching Punjab’s bread and aata and rise in the price of Punjab’s sugar, Maryam will stand with Punjabis with her heart and soul,” she said.
WATCH VIDEO:
Maryam, speaking in Urdu interspersed with Punjabi, said farmers, labourers, daily wage workers, traders and businessmen were all frustrated today and could not afford basic utilities and food items.
She called upon the “selectors” not to “make the mistake” of helping to bring the PTI into power again, saying: “I feel bad when people bad-mouth the selectors because after all, the institution is ours.”
“The country has been worn out but my dear selectors, don’t do this with Pakistan again,” she said, referring to the PTI coming into power. “Do your own work that the Constitution has assigned to you, don’t interfere with people’s work.”
Although things are broken, Maryam said, “Nawaz Sharif will come and everything will be fixed.”
The PML-N leader alleged that electricity in the country was expensive because “those financing Imran Khan’s expenses deliberately imported expensive LNG”.
The PML-N leader asked the administration of Daska and Wazirabad to serve the people and the law instead of the premier.
“I say to Wazirabad police and administration […] I know that you yourself are frustrated [but] the nation is looking at you; if you instead of serving the country and the people try to serve anyone else, try to steal the vote and make a lost person win, then remember, Imran Khan came once but now at least Punjab won’t let him come [to power] again.”
She said the next government in Pakistan and Punjab will be “of Nawaz Sharif”.
