Author: newsdesk

  • Everything we know about Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s fiancé

    Everything we know about Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s fiancé

    Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s eldest daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari is all set to get engaged at the end of the month. A formal announcement was made last week and given that Bakhtawar’s groom is not a public figure there was little known about him. As a result, all sorts of speculations started doing the rounds on social media with people sharing unverified stories and reports about the groom-to-be.

    In a bid to put to rest all rumours, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) released an official statement in which they shared all the required information about Bakhtawar’s husband-to-be Mahmood Choudhry.

    According to the statement, “Mahmood Choudhry is the son of Mohammad Younas and Begum Suraiya Choudhry who hail from the old town of Lahore. Mr Younas migrated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1973 where he established businesses in the construction and transport industry.”

    “Mahmood, the last born of five siblings was born on July 28, 1988, in the city of Abu Dhabi. He completed his primary schooling in Abu Dhabi and secondary schooling in the United Kingdom. Mahmood further went on to read Law at the University of Durham.”

    “The family’s primary country of residence remains the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Mahmood continues to run his businesses in construction, finance and tech,” added the statement.

    Meanwhile, thanking everyone for their good wishes, Bakhtawar said that the cards were leaked “before they were even scheduled to be officially sent”.

    “Have absolutely NO affiliation with any family in the US which is being popularly quoted by most media,” added Bakhtawar.

    Bakhtawar and Mahmood will be getting engaged on November 27 at Bilawal House in Karachi. All guests attending the ceremony have been requested to get tested for COVID-19 and send the results via e-mail.

    “All attendees are requested to please email a scanned copy of their negative COVID-19 PCR test result 24 hours prior to attendance. This is a mandatory requirement for security clearance,” the invitation reads.

    The guests have also been asked not to bring mobile phones with them due to security purposes.

    “Please note — no photography or mobile phones will be permitted inside the venue and photographs will be available for all guests through our official photographer.”

    “We thank you in advance for adhering to our safety protocols to keep you and your loved ones safe, and enable us all to enjoy the occasion,” it added.

    The couple will reportedly tie the knot in January 2021 in Karachi.

  • PTI lawyer Naeem Bukhari being considered for PTV chairman post

    PTI lawyer Naeem Bukhari being considered for PTV chairman post

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is likely to appoint lawyer Naeem Bukhari, who represented Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Panama Papers case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as the chairman of the Pakistan Television (PTV).

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has proposed that Bokhari should be nominated as the PTVC board chairman, a report in Pakistan Today claimed.

    The ministry has asked the federal cabinet to keep the composition of the PTVC Board to eight members, with three independent stakeholders.

    In Sept 2020, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the appointments of PTV chairman Arshad Khan and independent members of the board of directors illegal while directing the government to fill the vacant slots in accordance with the law. 

    Bukhari, who has worked as an anchorperson and commentators on PTV for decades, had joined PTI in June 2016. At the time, he called Imran Khan the “only political leader who had the courage to speak the truth”. Bukhari also represented Imran when he went to the Supreme Court against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif following the Panama Papers leak.

    The pleas that were later admitted by the apex court which disqualified Nawaz Sharif for being “dishonest” under Article 62 (1)(f).

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also hired the services of Bukhari as a special prosecutor to take up cases against close confidants of Sharif brothers — former Lahore Development Authority chief Ahad Cheema and former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.

  • US, ‘friendly countries’ pressurising Pakistan to recognise Israel, says PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the United States and some Muslim states, which he cannot name because of good ties with them, have been pressuring Pakistan to recognise Israel.

    The PM made these remarks in an interview aired last week.

    Islamabad, however, will never establish relations with the “Zionist” state until a just settlement of the decades-long Palestinian issue, the prime minister reiterated.

    Except for the US, the PM refused to name other states, saying Pakistan has good relations with these countries. “Are they non-Muslim or Muslim countries that have been putting pressure on you?” the anchorperson asked in an attempt to get a clear answer.

    https://twitter.com/LifeRacer_1/status/1327330663851307009

    “Leave this [question]. There are things we cannot say. We have good relations with them (countries),” the premier replied.

    It may be noted here the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recently established ties with Israel, whereas other Muslim states, including Saudi Arabia, are also weighing options to normalise ties with Tel Aviv.

    Israel, he observed, has had a deep influence in the US, which is another country pressurising him to recognise Israel. “The pressure is because of Israel’s deep impact (influence) in the US. This (influence) was in fact extraordinary during the Trump’s stint,” he maintained.

    Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Foreign Office termed the report a “fabrication”. According to the statement: “The prime minister had stressed that Pakistan’s policy in this regard was rooted in Quaid-e-Azam’s vision. The prime minister’s remarks are an unequivocal reaffirmation of Pakistan’s position on the subject, leaving no room for baseless speculation,” it added.

  • VIDEO: First look of ‘Pehli Si Mohabbat’ revealed

    VIDEO: First look of ‘Pehli Si Mohabbat’ revealed

    The first look of Sheheryar Munawar and Maya Ali’s upcoming drama Pehli Si Mohabbat has finally been revealed courtesy producer Jerjees Seja, who posted a BTS from the sets of the drama.

    Seja, who is also the CEO of ARY Digital shared a picture with the cast of upcoming drama serial. Looks like Sheheryar will be going clean shaven for this one.

    Meanwhile, social media is abuzz and the video went viral in minutes.

    According to the details, the drama is produced by Abdullah Seja under the banner of IDream Productions, the serial will be aired on ARY Digital with Maya and Sheheryar in lead roles.

    Maya, Shehryar, Rabia Butt and Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) have already announced that they will be part of this serial by sharing the picture of the script on their social media accounts.

    A release date has not yet been announced.

  • VIDEO: Egypt unearths new mummies dating back 2,500 years

    Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed more than 100 delicately painted wooden coffins, some with mummies inside, and 40 funeral statues in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara.

    Egyptian antiquities authorities has declared the discovery the largest find at the site this year.

    The sealed wooden coffins, some containing mummies, date as far back as 2,500 years and are “in perfect condition of preservation,” Khaled el-Enany, Egyptian Minister for Tourism and Antiquities, told reporters in Saqqara.

    The fine quality of the coffins meant that they were probably the final resting places for the wealthiest citizens, officials said.

    Other artifacts discovered include funeral masks, canopic jars and amulets.

    The artifacts and coffins will ultimately be displayed at several museums in Egypt.

    In a dramatic display, experts opened a coffin and X-rayed a mummy, determining it was most likely a man around the age of 40.

    The latest discovery comes as Egypt is trying to draw visitors back to the country, which depends heavily on tourism. Political problems, including a 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, coupled with terrorist attacks and other instability have deterred tourists, and the coronavirus dealt another blow.

    According to a Times database, Egypt has reported 110,547 total virus cases. The country reopened its borders to visitors in July.

  • COVID-19: PM bans political rallies across country

    As anti-government protests of the joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) gain momentum, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced a ban on political rallies across the country on recommendation of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), journalist Asad Ali Toor has reported.

    According to the details, the ban was announced by the premier as he addressed the nation following a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on the COVID-19 pandemic, a second wave of which is currently taking toll on Pakistan.

    Earlier it was announced by the PM’s Office in Islamabad that the premier would address a press briefing after the meeting. 

    The meeting comes after the NCOC recommended urgent measures to the NCC to control the rapidly-increasing infections across the country, Geo reported.

    The NCOC recommended limiting all public gatherings to 500 people, including cultural, political, religious, entertainment, and civil gatherings.

    It also suggested allowing only outdoor dining till 10 pm, shutting down cinemas and theatres, and closing down shrines beside an early closure of markets and safe days.

    Meanwhile, the decision on early and extended winter vacations in schools was deferred till November 23, the Ministry of Federal Education/Professional Training said.

  • Amir Khan escapes unhurt after crashing Mercedes

    Amir Khan escapes unhurt after crashing Mercedes

    British Pakistani boxer Amir Khan got into an accident late Sunday night after he rammed his car into a barrier while driving on a Motorway in Manchester, United Kingdom.

    https://youtu.be/MOCEpvt8THU

    According to a news details, the boxer lost control of his £90,000 car as the road surface was extremely wet following a day of rain.

    Khan shared photos of the accident on social media which showed his Mercedes S350 completely damaged with its front bumper hanging off and the window mirrors completely broken.

    Khan shared that everyone was safe and shared that “smashing into the side of the motorway barrier felt like being hit with a combo.”

    Read more – ‘Meet the Khans’: Faryal Makhdoom, Amir Khan are getting their own reality TV series

    As per the report, this is not the first time that Khan had an incident related to the collection of his luxurious cars.

    “Back in 2012, the 33-year-old saw a gang of armed yobs try and steal his £100,000 Range Rover,” revealed the publication.

    The Bolton-born star has an impressive luxurious car collection that includes a £271,000 Lamborghini Aventador, a £233,000 Rolls Royce Phantom, and a £65,000 Range Rover.

  • Bushra Ansari’s daughter Meera ties the knot in New York

    Bushra Ansari’s daughter Meera ties the knot in New York

    Bushra Ansari’s daughter Meera Ansari tied the knot in New York. It is unclear whether the senior actor attended the wedding.

    Meera took social media to announce her wedding and shared a picture with the caption “Surely, with hardship comes ease.”

    Read more – Bushra Ansari opens up about her divorce

    The wedding was an intimate affair with only close friends and family of the couple present. Meera also shared a lovely picture of herself with her children on her big day.

    The bride glowed in a peach outfit by Vera Wang.

  • Gen (r) Raheel Sharif says he never wanted an extension

    Gen (r) Raheel Sharif says he never wanted an extension

    Former chief of army staff (COAS) General (r) Raheel Sharif has rubbished reports regarding him seeking an extension in his tenure as the top military commander, denying the claim by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the party was being victimised for refusing him the same.

    According to The News, the issue of the very popular former military bigwig recently cropped up again after former PML-N leader Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch said that he was told by then prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif that Gen (r) Sharif had repeatedly approached him to get an extension but to no avail.

    Baloch, who was a SAFRON [ministry of states and frontier regions] minister during the PML-N’s tenure, recently parted ways with the party over its supreme leader Nawaz’s aggressive stance towards the military establishment, especially the incumbent army chief.

    “It was a great disappointment for me as I had expected Raheel Sharif to retire gracefully like a true soldier,” he had said as several PML-N leaders also drew links between the reported civil-military tussle from ex-PM Nawaz’s government as well as Dawn Leaks and Panama Papers scandals.

    According to reports, General (r) Sharif was contacted through Lt Gen (r) Amjad Shuaib, who quoted the former as saying that following a meeting with the then premier and other key PML-N leaders, when he was leaving the meeting room of the PM’s Office, he was approached by Shehbaz Sharif and Chaudhry Nisar.

    Gen (r) Sharif told Lt Gen (r) Shuaib that Shehbaz and Nisar had said that they wanted to give him an extension. According to Lt Gen (r) Shoaib, the former army chief replied that he did not want an extension because he had already announced several months ago that he would not continue to stay in office after his three-year term.

    According to Gen (r) Sharif, as narrated by Lt Gen (r) Shuaib, the PML-N leaders insisted that since he had performed well as the COAS, the country was still engaged in its fight against terrorism and there was a need to bring peace to Karachi, the government, therefore, wanted him to continue.

    Lt Gen (r) Shuaib said that according to Gen (r) Sharif, when the army chief again showed his reluctance, he was offered the slot of field marshal, which he again declined as he was not interested in getting a post where he would become a mere figurehead with nothing to do. It is claimed that the PML-N leaders then told Gen (r) Sharif that the government would consider empowering the post of field marshal.

    He told Gen (r) Shuaib that he had never on his own discussed any such issue with anyone.

    The report quoted an informed PML-N leader as saying that Shehbaz and Nisar had even visited Nawaz in London, where he had gone for his open-heart surgery, to press for an extension fearing that otherwise martial law could be imposed. Even then, Nawaz is believed to have refused to give an extension.

  • Street kids inaugurate a restaurant in Karachi

    Street kids inaugurate a restaurant in Karachi

    A local fast-food restaurant in Bahadurabad Karachi was inaugurated by a group of street kids, who were later invited inside to eat free food.

    Krispy2Go restaurant collaborated with Inheritors in Karachi, a social welfare organization, to introduce a different way of opening their new branch. About thirty-five street kids were invited on the day of the opening, to cut the ceremonial ribbon after which the restaurant workers served them food.

    Taking to social media, CEO Muhammad Azeem said “We don’t do this for publicity; it’s an honest approach to give a moment of happiness to underprivileged children. We have done similar drives in the past as well. We have invited such kids to our other restaurants and we also did many visits to centres where special kids are living their lives.”

    “Yes, this is our first attempt to do the opening with street kids but we have many such initiatives in the development phase in which we will collaborate more in such activities. This is to create awareness of such actions in society as we believe that every little step is important in its own space,” he added.

    Many people appreciated the restaurant for inviting poor kids for the inauguration, instead of inviting notable personalities, as other restaurants normally do.