Author: newsdesk

  • Former general replaces career diplomat as ambassador to Saudi Arabia

    Former general replaces career diplomat as ambassador to Saudi Arabia

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed Lt Gen (r) Bilal Akbar as Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, removing Raja Ali Ejaz, a career diplomat.

    The outgoing Ejaz, who was on his first ambassadorial posting, had been given the assignment around two years ago.

    The latest change has brought Islamabad at par with Riyadh in one term that now both countries have envoys with a military background in each other’s capitals. 

    The Saudi ambassador in Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki was from the Royal Saudi Navy and retired as Rear Admiral. He had been appointed as the defence attaché of the Saudi mission in Islamabad and later elevated as the ambassador here four years ago.

    The sudden shuffling by Pakistan is being seen as significant amid reportedly weakening bilateral ties at a time when India’s relationship with the Kingdom is improving. 

    Amid the present scenario, key task of Lt Gen (r) Bilal Akbar, who retired as Pakistan Ordnance Factories chairman, would be saving the ties from further deterioration. 

    The former three-star rank lieutenant general also served as X Corps Rawalpindi commander, chief of general staff (CGS) at GHQ, Pakistan Rangers Sindh director general and the general officer commanding (GOC) of the 11th Infantry Division Lahore.

  • Sarmad Qadeer’s ‘Ishq’ to feature TikTok star Alishba Anjum

    TikTok star Alishbah Anjum is all set to make her acting debut with a music video. Anjum, who has more than 10 million followers on TikTok, will make an appearance in Sarmad Qadeer’s song titled Ishq.

    The song has been written, composed and sung by Qadeer himself and the music video will be released under the banner of One Two Records.

    Earler, Alishba’s sister Jannat Mirza also debuted in Sarmad Qadeer’s Shayar. The song was a hit with15 million views so far.

  • EXPLAINER: How NAB cost Pakistan billions over Broadsheet deal

    EXPLAINER: How NAB cost Pakistan billions over Broadsheet deal

    Pakistan paid Broadsheet, an asset recovery firm registered in the Isle of Man, Rs4.65bn after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) broke an agreement with it three years after it was signed in 2000.

    After its formation in 1999 by then military dictator Pervez Musharraf, NAB approached Broadsheet to recover overseas assets of at least 200 Pakistanis, particularly the Sharif family. However, the deal fell through in 2003, with NAB saying that the recovery firm had stopped investigations; Broadsheet had accused NAB of hampering its probe to locate the offshore assets of Pakistanis.

    The broken accord was the start of an 18-year-long legal battle between the two parties. In 2008, NAB reached a settlement with a former Broadcast LLC official, Jerry James. The bureau paid at least $1.5million to James to settle the case even though the company was being liquidated and the liquidator was not a party to the deal.

    Though NAB claimed it had reached a settlement with Broadsheet, the firm said James had nothing to do with it at the time of the signing of the agreement. The money paid to James didn’t reach the original Broadsheet, its CEO had claimed and filed a case in a UK court for arbitration in the matter in 2012.

    The UK judge decided the matter in favour of Broadsheet, the claimant. It said Broadsheet LLC was entitled to recover damages for the wrongful repudiation of the ARA [asset recovery agreement]. The award declared that James had no authority from the claimant after March 2005 to enter into a settlement agreement with NAB. The judge said the deal was “wrongful and deliberate to financially hurt the original Broadsheet LLC, Isle of Man”.

    The court held that while negotiating with the fraudulent company, NAB representative Ahmer Bilal Soofi was aware that the original company was in liquidation, and he signed the wrongful deal knowingly.

    Finally, the court ordered NAB to pay $21.58m plus interest to Broadsheet LLC in damages over the breach of the agreement. Due to interest rates, the award amount reached $28.7 million by December 2020.

    According to the judgement, a total of $21.58 million has to be recovered and given to Broadsheet of which $1.5 million had to be recovered from the Sharifs on account of Avenfield flats, $19 million for other assets ($802m worth assets are being attributed to Sharifs); $48,760 from Schon Group; $25,000 from Sultan Lakhani; $85,600 from Fauzi Kazmi; $381,600 from Lt Gen (r) Zahid Ali Akbar; Aftab Sherpao $210,000; and $180,000 from Jamil Ansari.

    WHY DID NAB PAY $1.5m MONEY TO JAMES?

    NAB deliberately tried to cheat Broadsheet LLC by paying $1.5m to James.

    According to the court, NAB made two payments to Jerry James, by then the unauthorized person who had incorporated another Colorado company which he had also named “Broadsheet LLC”. The actual company was Broadsheet LLC, an Isle of Man entity. The arbitration court said NAB tried to financially defraud the original Broadsheet LLC by paying James instead of the original company.

    Broadsheet had been in the process of liquidation since 2005. And Moussavi, who now owns the company, offered to rescue it in return for a 50 per cent share from the settlement and James agreed. He, however, went behind Moussavi’s back and made a deal with NAB by registering another company named Broadsheet LLC — based in Colorado. The deal was declared shady by the court that asked NAB to pay damages to the original Broadsheet.

  • Ikigai: A Japanese technique helping Pakistani children ‘find true purpose in life’

    Hasan Ikhlaqi and his team at Umungi, a career centre, are training Pakistani students with a Japanese technique called Ikigai. Umungi offers training to children by conducting different activities in schools. Parents of the children are also involved in the training process.

    The Japanese technique Ikigai is used to find the purpose of life. The origin of the word ikigai goes back to the Heian period (794 to 1185). The word ikigai consists of two Japanese words: iki, meaning “life” and kai, meaning “effect/result/worth or benefit.”

    Explaining the technique to BBC Urdu, Ikhlaqi, creative coach at Umungi, said: “We use Japanese technique to find the true purpose in life, and to find the true purpose you need answers to the following questions: Profession, Passion, Mission, and Vocation.”

    The Umunji creative team has been conducting creative festivals in different schools for the past three years.

  • Newsletter- 19th January 2021, Tuesday

    Newsletter- 19th January 2021, Tuesday









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    Good morning *|MERGE1|*. Today is the 19th of January. The sun will appear hazy in major cities across Pakistan. It’s Tuesday and it’s a sign that you have somehow survived Monday.

    Morning Meme

    #WesupportIqrar: Celebrities back Iqrarul Hassan after netizens demand apology for praising India

    Social media users are demanding an apology from television anchor Syed Iqrarul Hassan for praising India. The Sar-e-Aam host compared the public transport facilities of the two countries.

     

     

    Read on

    Zulfi Bukhari, DG ISPR stand out at Pakistani cinema celebration

    Hum TV on December 16 celebrated the 16th anniversary of its premier entertainment channel in Islamabad in a special show hosted by Ahmed Ali Butt and Shiffa Yousafzai.
    The anniversary was a star-studded event attended by prominent faces of the country’s entertainment landscape and dignitaries. While everyone enjoyed watching their favourite stars take the stage, it was DG ISPR and SAPM Zulfi Bukhari who Twitter couldn’t stop talking about.

    Read on

    Thief leaves apology note after stealing car tyres in Bani Gala
     

    An interesting incident of theft recently took place in Islamabad. A thief in Bani Gala, Islamabad took off the tyres of a citizen’s car and left a note apologising for his actions. See what he had to say. 

    Read on

    Pakistan Army ranked 10th strongest in world

    According to the Global Firepower index, 2021Pakistan has become the tenth most powerful country in the world in terms of military power.

    Read

    VIDEO: Is that Imran Khan on a rickshaw in Sialkot? 

    A viral video has shown a person with uncanny resemblance to a younger Imran Khan, riding a rickshaw in Sialkot.

    Read On

    EXCLUSIVE: Hareem Shah reveals why she slapped Mufti Qavi

    A video of Hareem Shah slapping Mufti Abdul Qavi has gone viral on social media. The Current se exclusively baat kartay huvay Hareem shared the reason for slapping him. Check out the story to know the reason.
     

    Read On

    Mohammad Amir will be available for Pakistan on one condition

    Mohammad Amir who recently took retirement from international cricket has now said that he will only make a comeback to play for the National team if Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis are removed from office. 

    Read On

    Current Baba’s prediction

    It’s time to buy a heater since yours is going to die on you by tonight. Sorry.

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  • ‘It was scary’: Sania Mirza recounts her COVID experience

    ‘It was scary’: Sania Mirza recounts her COVID experience

    Sania Mirza has revealed that she had tested positive for COVID-19 in the beginning of the year.

    In a note posted to social media, the tennis champion said that though she is fine and healthy now, she wanted to share her experience.

    “I was lucky to not have any major symptoms for the most part of it, but I was in isolation and the toughest part was to stay away from my 2-year-old and family,” Sania said, adding that she “can’t even imagine what people and their families are going through when people are sick in [the] hospital all alone and by themselves.”

    “It was scary as you aren’t very sure what to expect and hear so many different things and stories…you get a new symptom every day and the uncertainty of it is extremely hard to deal with, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well,” she shared further.

    “I just want to say after having been through it, I was fortunate to be more or less ok throughout it all, but to be away from my family was one of the scariest things – to not know when I’ll see them again.”

    “This virus is no joke,” she iterated, adding, “I took all the precautions as I could but still contracted it. We must do everything we can to protect our friends and family.”

    Sania and husband Shoaib Malik were recently in Dubai spending family time.

  • India hands Australia first defeat since 1988 at Brisbane’s Gabba ground

    India handed Australia their first defeat since 1988 at Brisbane’s Gabba ground, allowing them to clinch the four-Test series 2-1 to win the Border-Gavaskar trophy on Tuesday.

    Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant starred with a swashbuckling 89 not out as the injury-depleted visitors overhauled the 328-run target with three overs to go, winning by three wickets.

    Australia had not been beaten at the Gabba since falling to Viv Richards’ all-conquering West Indies side by nine wickets in November 1988.

    Since then, Australia had played 31 test matches at The Gabba, winning 24 of them, while drawing the remaining seven.

    “Last time Australia lost a Gabba Test… George H.W. Bush had just won the US Presidential election, Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi was charting #1, Virat Kohli was 16 days old and Sachin Tendulkar was still one year away from making his Test debut,” wrote ICC on Twitter.

    India’s 329 for seven also smashed the 69-year-old record for the biggest run-chase at the Gabba, set by Australia who scored 236 for seven to beat the West Indies in 1951.

    The series win was a remarkable achievement considering India were bowled out for their lowest Test score of 36 to lose the first Test in Adelaide, before bouncing back to win the second in Melbourne.

    The visitors, ravaged by injuries and captain Virat Kohli’s absence for paternity leave, then batted throughout the final day to draw the third Test in Sydney.

    “It really means a lot to us. I don’t know how to describe this victory but I’m really proud of all the boys,” said India’s interim skipper Ajinkya Rahane. “They showed character, attitude, especially after the Adelaide Test match. We decided we’re going to fight really hard and we just wanted to give our best.”

    Man-of-the-match Pant, who played a similar innings in the drawn Sydney Test, blasted his 89 from 138 balls with nine fours and a six.

    His innings followed an equally impressive knock from 21-year-old Shubman Gill, who made 91 at the top of the order earlier in the day.

    Before the latest match, India had played six test matches at The Gabba, losing five of them with one draw. In their seventh outing on the ground, they managed to beat Australia and with this win, India moved to the top of the ICC World Test Championship ranking list.

    Meanwhile, Kohli congratulated the team and the board on their historic win.

  • ‘Tandav’ makers issue ‘unconditional apology’ after series sparks outrage

    ‘Tandav’ makers issue ‘unconditional apology’ after series sparks outrage

    The cast and crew of Amazon Prime show Tandav have offered an “unconditional apology” after the political drama was accused of hurting Hindu sentiments. The official apology was tweeted by the creator of the show Ali Abbas Zafar.

    “Our sincere apologies,” read the statement. “We have been closely monitoring viewer reactions to the web series Tandav and today during a discussion, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has informed us regarding a large number of grievances and petitions received on various facets of the web series with serious concerns and apprehensions regarding its content hurting the sentiments of the people.”

    “Tandav is a work of fiction and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental. The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion, or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party, or person, living or dead.”

    “The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologise if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments,” it added.

    In a follow-up tweet, Zafar said: “We just want to share a quick update with everybody. We are in further engagement with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to resolve concerns that have been raised.”

    He added that they “should have a solution shortly”.

    Directed by Zafar, the political drama stars Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia, Sarah-Jane Dias, Gauahar Khan, Kritika Kamra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Dino Morea in lead roles.

    Khan and the makers of Tandav have been at the receiving end of backlash and outrage after a local official from India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party registered a police complaint against Amazon Prime’s latest web series alleging it insults Hindu gods and goddesses.

    Following the outrage and backlash, Saif was given police security. A set of policemen were seen guarding his building to ensure all the safety required to the star and his family.

    Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut has been having a field day on Twitter, lashing out at the actors and web series and demanding strict action against them.

    In a now-deleted tweet, Ranaut even said: “Because even Lord Krishna forgave 99 mistakes of Sheshupala…. pehle Shanti phir Kranti (First calm, then revolution)…. time to take their heads off.”

  • Foreign investment falls by 30%

    Foreign investment falls by 30%

    Foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 30 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year (H1FY21), according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    According to a report based on the data compiled by a local media outlet, Pakistan received $952 million in foreign investment during July-December FY21 compared to $1.357 billion in the corresponding period last year.

    In addition to the damage done by the pandemic, the impact of heavy outflow from the portfolio also played a key role in making the balance sheet poorer in the first half of FY21. The data shows that the outflow during July-December was $244m compared to a net inflow of $18.8m in the same period last year.

    The breakup further shows that China made 38pc contribution to the overall $952m FDI the country received in July-December period of FY21. However, the FDI inflows from China also contracted to $359m in the period under review compared to $396m in the same period of last fiscal year.

    The other significant contributions were from the United States and UK at $65m and $63m, respectively, both improved from $44m and $58m in the same period of last fiscal year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started disinvesting; however, in July-December FY21, the inflow was $16.3m.

    The country received the highest foreign investment of $261m in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sectors. While an inflow of $137m was noted in financial and insurance sectors.

  • Marriage teaches you how to act, says Humayun Saeed

    Marriage teaches you how to act, says Humayun Saeed

    Humayun Saeed has joked that marriage teaches you how to act.

    Speaking on Ahsan Khan’s new show, Time out with Ahsan Khan, Saeed remarked that marriage helps one with acting. The actor was invited to the show along with Fahad Mustafa. In a candid chat with Khan, the superstars shared their thoughts on marriage, producing local content, and their two cents on the rise of social media.

    When Khan asked if marriage helps to be an actor or if it has an effect on acting, Saeed laughed and said: “It does help with the acting. Since you know, we never really learned it.”

    Mustafa chimed in, saying, “You know how singers have certain pain in their voice, actors express the pain better after their marriages.”

    However, Saeed later said that he feels that an actor who has tied the knot takes his career more seriously.

    Answering the same question, Fahad said, “When I was getting married, we were doing a play together. It was his [Humayun] production, and I told him that I’m getting married and he just gave a look and didn’t say anything after that.”

    “That look was enough,” laughed Fahad.

    The actors then directed the question towards Khan and asked his thoughts on the same.

    “I think it’s fine either way. An actor can be successful with or without tying the knot,” said Khan.

    Humayun is married to Samina Humayun Saeed and the two are considered to be one of the most powerful couples in the industry. On the other hand, Fahad is married to Sana Fahad and they have two children together.

    Meanwhile, while talking about reviews and interviews, Humayun said that they have “lost their charm”.

    “Ten years ago from today, whenever we would have an interview, whenever we would have a review, it held certain importance,” said the actor. “Now, it is so easy to pay someone to write reviews, say anything we want. I don’t have an issue with this, I just think these things have lost their charm.”