Author: newsdesk

  • Fact Check: Did Pakistani lawmakers chant slogans in favor of Modi?

    Claim: Pakistani lawmakers chant “Modi, Modi” in favor of the Indian Prime Minister during the 27th session of the National Assembly

    Fact: Pakistani parliamentarians did not engage in any sloganeering in favor of Modi inside the parliament and were in fact chanting “voting, voting”

    A television news segment in India reporting that slogans favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi were chanted by lawmakers in Pakistan has been shared extensively on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

    The claim was widely amplified by prominent Indian politicians and other media outlets.

    However, the claim is false; the lawmakers were in fact chanting calls for a vote during a debate in the National Assembly, a fact check by AFP read.

    A one-minute and 45-seconds news clip was published on Facebook here on October 29, 2020.

    The post’s caption says: “Modi Modi slogans in Pakistan’s parliament.”

    The clip shared in the Facebook post is a segment from India TV that reports on and shows footage from a debate in Pakistan’s National Assembly that was held on October 26, 2020.

    The segment was published on India TV’s Twitter account here on October 28, 2020. “Exclusive: Why some MPs in Pakistan parliament shouted ‘Modi, Modi’,” the tweet reads.

    In the broadcast, India TV’s chyron reads “Again MPs raised the slogans of Modi” and “‘Modi-Modi’ slogans chanted in front of Pakistan foreign minister.”

    The claim that the Pakistani lawmakers were chanting “Modi, Modi” in favour of the Indian prime minister was amplified by politicians from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party on social media here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

    Footage of the parliamentary debate was also shared alongside the claim by Indian media outlets here, here, here, here, here, here and here and by Facebook users here, here, here and here.

    However, the claim is false.

    A close analysis of the parliamentary proceedings show that the lawmakers are in fact chanting in Urdu “voting, voting” — not “Modi, Modi”.

    The chanting was coming from opposition politicians that were demanding a vote on a resolution that would call on Muslim countries to boycott French goods in response to remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).

    The “voting, voting” chants occurred while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking during the debate, which can be seen in full on Public TV’s YouTube channel here.

    The chanting can be heard at the video’s 13:28 mark.

    Dawn, a major English newspaper in Pakistan, reported on the “voting, voting” chants here on October 27, 2020.

    Prime Minister Modi was invoked later in the parliamentary proceeding but in a negative sense. 

    At 18:25 mark of the Public TV video, Qureshi taunts an opposition lawmaker, saying “it appears that the spirit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s has been transferred into him”. 

    The quip was followed by chants of “whoever is a friend of Modi is a traitor.”

    The negative comments about Modi were reported on by several news outlets, including Pakistan’s Express Tribune here, Indian news agency IANS here and in the Dawn report here.

    The false claim that Pakistani lawmakers chanted “Modi, Modi” was also debunked by the UK’s BBC here and by Indian fact-checking organizations Boomlive here and Alt News here.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • Rs15 crores for venue, Rs1 crore for singers, Rs20 lacs on makeup: Details of ‘elite wedding’ expenditure

    The owner of Master Tiles is on the Federal Board Revenue (FBR) radar for spending Rs2 billion on the wedding ceremony of his son.

    The wedding ceremony that had attracted media attention for its extravagant style also featured several Pakistani celebrities in addition to a troupe of foreign gymnasts.

    Subsequently, a probe was conducted by the FBR into the “service providers involved in the lavish arrangements” to detect possible tax evasion. The document shared by the FBR said that Rosa Blanca Country Club, the venue of baraat located on Raiwind Road in Lahore, was paid Rs150 million for the premises.

    The FBR inquiry said that the private company doesn’t have an NTN (national tax number) at all, adding that there’s a strong reason to suspect that the entity was not paying taxes at all.

    The wedding organisers supposedly paid Rs5.5m to singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, while singers Atif Aslam was paid Rs5m for gracing the mehndi night. Cleric Moulana Tariq Jameel was reportedly paid Rs1m for solemnising the marriage ceremony.

    K-5 Concepts — event manager that managed baraat decor– was paid Rs15-20m as per FBR. It was also accused of tax evasion along with Rosa Blanca. Qasim Yar Tiwana, the event manager, was paid Rs15-20m for the decor of the baraat. According to FBR, Tiwana declared Rs216,743 as income from business in the tax year 2019.

    Whimsica I Parties and United Events and Services were paid Rs10m each for decor, whereas Ahsan Habib also received Rs10m in payments for walima decorations.

    Photographers and videographers also provided their services for hefty amounts. Irfan Ahsan was paid approx Rs3m, Mobeen Studios charged Rs2m, Osman Pervaiz received Rs3-3.5m, while Ahmad Fayyaz charged Rs1m for photography at mehndi and baraat.

    Shazray Khalid and Winc by Nadia charged Rs1m each for makeup services.

    CHECK OUT THE FULL REPORT HERE:

    November 13, 2020
  • Massive growth: 50,000 closed power looms now operational

    Massive growth: 50,000 closed power looms now operational

    Faisalabad is witnessing an upward trend in the textile sector because 50,000 closed power looms have been turned operational.

    As per the details, experts have forecasted that another 30,000 looms will be installed as the textile industry witnesses massive economic growth following the high demand for export times.

    The recently-announced incentive of electricity supply for the industrial sector at subsidised prices by the government has also played a vital role in this development.

    On Thursday, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan shared a television news report on Twitter regarding the revival of the textile industry.

    The report highlighted the rise in economic activity in Faisalabad and the shortage of 0.2 million labourers that are required to meet the high demand of orders in the sector.

    The textile sector had been adversely affected by the power crisis and neglect of the previous governments. However, due to the incumbent government’s effective smart lockdown policies during the coronavirus pandemic, numerous countries have diverted their orders to Pakistan’s textile sector.

    According to the news report, the textile industry in Faisalabad has 1.3 million workers with 1 million native workers. In its recent report titled “Opening Early helped Pakistan Boost Exports during the Pandemic”, Bloomberg also underlined a major surge in Pakistan’s textile exports.”

    Bloomberg’s report also quoted Shahid Sattar, the Secretary-General of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, as saying, “Pakistan has seen orders shifting from multiple nations including China, India, and Bangladesh”.

    He added, “Garment manufacturers are operating near-maximum capacity and many can’t take any orders for the next six months”.

    The report also mentioned that the outbound textile shipments of Pakistan grew at a faster pace than those of Bangladesh and India, and accounted for half of the total export. Islamabad saw total shipments grow 7 per cent in September, compared with New Delhi’s 6 per cent and Dhaka’s 3.5 per cent, the report stated.

  • Here’s how the PSL players are keeping themselves entertained in their bubble

    Here’s how the PSL players are keeping themselves entertained in their bubble

    Cricket players who are in currently in Karachi for Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) remaining matches were seen spending their free time playing indoor games.

    With COVID-19 still a threat, players are required to stay in their bio-secure bubble in order to stay safe from the virus. This means that they are not allowed to leave the premises of hotel and stadium. All matches will also be behind closed doors.

    After practice sessions, the players were seen enjoying their free time playing snooker, indoor cricket, jenga and board games.

    Babar enjoying snooker
    Chadwick playing Table Tennis

    The official handle of Karachi Kings also shared a video in which Babar bowled to Wahab Riaz in the corridor while Imam ul Haq cheered for them.

    Meanwhile, the playoffs and final of the fifth edition of PSL will be played from November 14 to 17 in Karachi.

  • 22 wedding guests killed in DI Khan rickshaw accident

    22 wedding guests killed in DI Khan rickshaw accident

    Twenty-two wedding guests were killed when the rickshaw they were riding in fell into a canal in northwestern Pakistan, police said Wednesday at the end of a recovery mission.

    The three-wheeler was overloaded with 29 people when the accident happened on Monday, near the city of Dera Ismail Khan.

    “We have recovered 22 bodies which include 16 women and six children”, Muhammad Ramzan, a senior police official, told AFP.

    The victims were from the same extended family, and at least seven of them were from the same household, he added.

    Seven people were rescued.

    Bilal Muhammad Faizi, a spokesman for the local rescue agency, confirmed the death toll and said the last bodies were retrieved on Wednesday.

    Rickshaws are a common mode of transport across Pakistan, and accidents occur frequently.

    Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, mostly blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

  • Judge, who wanted Musharraf hanged at D-Chowk, succumbs to COVID-19

    Judge, who wanted Musharraf hanged at D-Chowk, succumbs to COVID-19

    Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, 59, has passed away due to coronavirus on Friday.

    Justice Seth had tested positive for COVID-19 on October 22 and was subsequently moved to a hospital in Peshawar, a report in Dawn said. The judge was later shifted to to a private hospital in Islamabad in a critical condition.

    He leaves behind a wife and a daughter.

    Justice Seth took oath as chief justice of the PHC on June 28, 2018. During his tenure as the CJ, he issued important verdicts, specifically the acquittal of over 70 convicts most of whom were handed down death sentences by military courts.

    The deceased jurist was also the head of a special court that had sentenced former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf to death by hanging in a high treason case.

    Both the government and the army had expressed “anger” over a specific paragraph 66 of the detailed judgement and termed it “unlawful”, “inhuman” and “unconstitutional”.

    Para 66 of the verdict read: “We direct the law enforcement agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the fugitive/convict [Pervez Musharraf] and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk [in front of the Parliament House], Islamabad, Pakistan, and be hanged for three days.”

    CONDOLENCES POUR IN:

    Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief on the demise of the judge.

  • PM approves funds for purchase of COVID-19 vaccine

    PM approves funds for purchase of COVID-19 vaccine

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has approved funding for the advance purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a statement released by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation on Thursday.

    The Health Ministry said that the prime minister has shown special interest in ensuring quality vaccines at the earliest and has approved funding in this regard. The ministry said the government has developed a COVID-19 vaccine strategy in response to global best practices.

    According to the statement, under this strategy, the government has prioritised the groups most likely to be the initial recipients of a potential vaccine. It said an expert committee on the COVID-19 vaccine has been working on technical oversight and review of safety and efficacy data coming in from trials.

    Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan confirmed that the PM has approved funds to purchase the possible vaccines of COVID-19 in advance. The funds were approved after the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination had written a letter to PM Imran Khan for advance booking of coronavirus vaccines.

    Earlier on November 4, it was learnt that the health ministry has recommended purchases of potential coronavirus vaccines under last-stage trials and allocation of $100 million funds for its advance booking.

    The ministry recommended allocation of $100 million in funds for the purchases of vaccines on an emergency basis for around 10 million nationals. In its first phase, the vaccines will be made available for elderly citizens and health workers.

  • ‘For many even, Edhi isn’t a hero’, says Anoushey Ashraf

    ‘For many even, Edhi isn’t a hero’, says Anoushey Ashraf

    VJ turned actor, Anoushey Ashraf, who often shares her thoughts and opinions on different topics, recently commented that for “many even Abdul Sattar Edhi isn’t a hero”.

    Commenting under a post, which criticised Malala for being included among the likes of Edhi, Begum Raana Liaquat Ali Khan and Major Aziz Bhatti, Anoushey wrote: “For many even, Abdul Sattar Edhi isn’t a hero. Same with Malala. She may not be your hero but she’s certainly someone youngsters from around the world look up to.”

    Social media users did not agree with Ashraf’s comments and criticised her for them. In response, Anoushey remarked: “You guys just read what you want to read.”

    “I wasn’t comparing them [Malala & Edhi]. Just the circumstances under which everyone is questioning her presence,” she explained.

    Often referred to as the ‘richest, poor man’, Edhi Sahab is hailed as a real-life hero for dedicating his life towards serving poor and needy people.

    On the other hand, Malala, who was shot in 2012 by the Taliban for demanding girls’ rights to education, is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. She actively campaigns for girl’s education through her organisation.

  • PSL 2020: Strict security arrangements in Karachi cause discomfort to citizens

    PSL 2020: Strict security arrangements in Karachi cause discomfort to citizens

    Strict security arrangements in place for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoff matches in Karachi, starting on November 14, have become a cause of discomfort for citizens of the metropolis.

    According to reports, a large area around the National Stadium Karachi (NSK) was cordoned off on Wednesday by security forces for the practice match between Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans. A huge contingent of police and other law-enforcing agencies was deployed inside and outside the venue hindering the movement of residents in the surrounding areas.

    According to details, authorities have also blocked the road from Karsaz to the stadium for heavy traffic, and no public transport is allowed on that road. The entry points at the KDA scheme along the Karsaz Road have also been sealed with the help of heavy containers.

    People living in the surrounding areas have been restricted to their homes for the last three to four days causing them a lot of inconvenience. People argued that if there was no audience attending the matches, then why was the need for the areas to be sealed.

    The PSL playoffs were suspended on March 17 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Initially, the play-offs were scheduled in Lahore but were shifted to Karachi due to weather issues.

    In the qualifier, on November 14 the table-toppers Multan Sultans will face second-placed Karachi Kings. In the first eliminator, former champions Peshawar Zalmi will lock horns with the third-placed Lahore Qalandars.

    The second eliminator will be held on November 15 between the losers of the qualifier and winners of the first eliminator. The final take place on November 17.

  • The lowest form of life are those who hurt and torture children, says Wasim Akram

    The lowest form of life are those who hurt and torture children, says Wasim Akram

    Wasim Akram has expressed his disgust and anger towards those who torture and abuse children.

    Sharing a video of a little boy, who was abused by his father, the former captain wrote: “In my book, the lowest form of life on this planet are those who hurt and torture children. This video is absolutely heart wrenching to watch.”

    “I’m sick to my stomach,” added the cricketer.

    Read more – Wasim Akram’s message for trolls is winning the internet

    In the video, the child can be seen complaining about his father, who abuses him regularly for not gathering enough income in the day.

    “My father gives me electric shocks,” revealed the child. “I have 4 siblings.”

    Similarly, Wasim’s wife Shaniera Akram also said that abusing a child is the “purest form of evil”.

    Last month, Shaniera spearheaded ‘The Polished Man’ movement in Pakistan to raise awareness about child abuse.

    Posting photos of some of the most prominent faces in Pakistan, Shaniera wrote: “Some of the toughest men Pakistan has ever produced are showing their softer side and coloring one nail to represent the millions of children who suffer every day at the hand of an adult. Our Pakistani heroes say ‘We WILL NOT tolerate child abuse in our country’.”

    Shaniera explained that though the ‘Polished Man’ campaign has been around for years, 2020 has witnessed the highest level of child abuse in Pakistan.