Author: newsdesk

  • Indian Muslim cop reinstated after shaving beard

    Indian Muslim cop reinstated after shaving beard

    A Muslim sub-inspector from Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Intizar Ali, who was suspended for growing his beard, has been reinstated after he reported to duty clean shaven.

    Earlier, the Muslim cop had been dismissed from his post on charges of disregarding state uniform norms by keeping a beard. While Ali claimed he had sought permission in November last year, SP Baghpat, who issued the order for the cop’s suspension, had refuted the claim.

    After the suspension, the matter was widely discussed on social media. Uttar Pradesh president of the All India Imams’ Association, Maulana Zulfikar, had criticised Ali’s suspension as a violation of his right to practice religion as per the Constitution of India.

    “Beard is associated with Islam and therefore Ali has the right to grow it,” he had said.

    This, however, is not the first time. A similar case occurred in November last year when nine Muslim policemen were asked to shave off their beards in Rajasthan.

    A few years ago, an officer from the western Indian state of Maharashtra, Zahiroddin Shamsoddin Bedade, had approached the court after he lost his job for growing a beard.

  • ‘No wonder the dish is so popular’: German envoy tries Peshawar’s chapli kebabs

    ‘No wonder the dish is so popular’: German envoy tries Peshawar’s chapli kebabs

    Germany’s new ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schleg Hack recently tried Peshawar’s delicious chapli kebabs and loved them.

    Sharing his experience on Twitter, the German ambassador posted pictures of himself enjoying a chapli kebab sitting at a dhaba in Peshawar.

    “The most interesting experience of my recent visit to Peshawar was to enjoy the chapli kebabs there,” wrote the German envoy with his pictures.

    Hack further said the chapli kebabs were delicious.

    “I can now fully understand why this dish is so popular,” he wrote.

  • Coronavirus: Antiviral drug to now be sold at Rs9,244 in Pakistan

    Coronavirus: Antiviral drug to now be sold at Rs9,244 in Pakistan

    In a major relief to coronavirus patients, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Monday reduced the price of Remdesivir, the first and only approved treatment for COVID-19 in the United States (US), by Rs1,629 to Rs9,244.

    In a notification, DRAP said that the price of Remdesivir injection has been slashed by Rs1,629, adding that the antiviral drug will be sold at Rs9,244 across the country.

    The regulatory authority warned that strict legal action will be taken against those who are selling the drug at higher prices.

    It is pertinent to mention that remdesivir has reportedly proved effective against the novel coronavirus and the federal cabinet had approved to reduce the price of the antiviral drug last month. In May, US pharmaceutical company Gilead had allowed Pakistan to produce the antiviral drug in the country.

    Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are once again at rise in the country as 707 new infections were reported across the country on Sunday-Monday, lifting the national tally of infections to 328,602, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

    Three patients, who were under treatment in hospitals, died during the aforementioned period, according to the latest update shared by the NCOC. The figure of patients recovered from the virus has reached 311,075. There are now nearly 11,000 active cases in the country.

    About 26,492 tests were conducted across the country on Sunday. Around 311,075 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 328,602 cases were detected, including Sindh reporting 143,836, Punjab 102,875, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 39,043, Balochistan, 15,810, Islamabad, 1,902, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 3,846, and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) has reported 4,180 cases.

    A total of 4,290,545 tests have been conducted so far, while 735 hospitals are equipped with COVID-19 facilities. About 559 patients admitted to hospitals across the country are said to be in critical condition.

    Meanwhile, as many as 71 healthcare staff working at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 30 days.

  • Blasphemy protests: Qureshi wants non-existent Pakistani envoy back from France

    Blasphemy protests: Qureshi wants non-existent Pakistani envoy back from France

    As calls for a boycott of France grow following the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Pakistan parliament has passed a resolution, urging the state to recall its ambassador stationed in Paris.

    However, the resolution moved by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi willfully ignored the fact that Pakistan has no ambassador in Paris for the past three months. Moin-ul-Haq, who was heading the Pakistani mission in France, was transferred to China in August.

    In the absence of the ambassador, Muhammad Amjad Aziz Qazi, who is deputy head of the mission, is looking after the affairs of the embassy till the new appointment.

    Geo News reported FM Qureshi was aware of the fact that the Pakistan embassy in France is without an ambassador but he didn’t oblige the house by passing on the information.

    The resolution didn’t mention the expulsion of the French envoy in Islamabad as it thinks it would be an “extreme step”.

    On Monday, Pakistan had summoned French envoy to register a protest for hurting sentiments of Muslims around the world.

    Qureshi had said that it was time to make a collective decision on the sensitive issue. “Civilised nations should respect Muslim sentiments,” he had added.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has also condemned Macron, saying that the French president “attacked Islam” by encouraging the display of the blasphemous caricatures.

  • Eight dead, over 100 wounded in Peshawar seminary blast

    Eight dead, over 100 wounded in Peshawar seminary blast

    A blast at a religious seminary in Peshawar’s Dir Colony killed at least eight people, including children, and injured over a hundred, officials have said.

    “The blast took place in a madrassa where unknown people had planted explosives in a plastic bag,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with media. Children were among the dead, he said.

    The bombing happened while a cleric was delivering a lecture about the teachings of Islam at the main hall of the Jamia Zubairia madrassa, said police officer Waqar Azim.

    “The blast took place in a seminary during a Quran class. Someone took a bag inside the seminary and left the lecture hall before the blast,” Azim said.

    Dawn reported a police official saying it could have been an improvised explosive device (IED) used in the bombing. “Five kgs of explosives were used in the blast.”

    However, a spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital nearby said it had received seven dead and 70 wounded patients on Tuesday, many with burns suffered in the blast. Several of the wounded were in critical condition, and hospital authorities feared the death toll could climb further.

    Mohammad Ali Gandapur, another senior police official, confirmed the blast and details. He said two teachers were among the wounded.

    No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack.

    The latest attack comes two days after a bombing in the southwestern city of Quetta killed three people.

  • Police arrest man who allegedly robbed house disguised as a woman

    Police arrest man who allegedly robbed house disguised as a woman

    Police arrested a man in Mardan who has been accused of robbing a house dressed up as a woman on Saturday.

    As per reports, the accused identified as Fawad Khan was arrested by police after a complaint registered by Misbahullah, a resident of Garhi Daulatzai. 

    The complainant had alleged that a man had broken into his house late at night dressed up as a woman and robbed the women of his household of jewellery at gunpoint. 

    VIDEO – Thief arrested after falling asleep in AC room during robbery

    Following the charges, police made a team under DSP Sheikh Maltoon Circle Shabbir Ahmad to work out the case. The cops have started investigating the incident. 

    Police then arrested Khan, who is a resident of Garhi Ismailzai of Mardan District.

  • Muslim cop suspended: Only Sikhs allowed to keep a beard

    Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have suspended a Muslim sub-inspector for keeping a beard without permission.

    A sub-inspector identified as Intesar Ali, who joined the police force three years ago in Baghpat, was dismissed from his post on charges of disregarding state uniform norms by keeping a beard.

    SP Baghpat Abhishek Singh, who issued the order for Ali’s suspension said that as per the police manual only followers of Sikhism are allowed to keep a beard, because it is an integral part of their faith, while all other policemen have to remain clean-shaven. The authorities ruled that keeping a beard was not a fundamental right as it was not a fundamental tenet of Islam.

    “If any police personnel want to keep a beard, he has to seek permission for the same. Intesar Ali was repeatedly asked to seek permission but he did not comply and kept the beard without permission,” the SP said.

    However, it was reported that Ali had applied for permission from his senior officials in November 2019, to keep a beard but got no response.

    “I do my duty and also do my namaz. I never thought I would be punished like this for keeping a beard. I have my right to live and follow my religion,’ Ali said, “there are two more Muslim cops with me here but they do not have beard and it is their choice; I cannot force them to follow my path.”

    According to the Indian Supreme Court regulation 425(b), only those Muslim personnel who had maintained a beard along with mustache at the time of commissioning or enrollment prior to 1 Jan 2002, would be allowed to keep it.

    “Such personnel are to maintain it in a manner that it is neat, trimmed, and tidy and not more than the length which could be covered by one fist. Muslims who have grown a beard after joining the service should shave off their beard. Under no circumstances, shall a Muslim person who had a beard at the time of joining service before 1 Jan 2002 be allowed to maintain the beard without a moustache. A moustache should be a part of the beard”, states regulation 425(b).

    The Muslim cop appealed to the Supreme court, and the court agreed to let him keep his beard if he agreed to grow his beard only during religiously significant periods. However, choosing religion over duty, the cop refused the Supreme Court’s advice to shave and rejoin the force, saying there is no concept of a temporary beard in Islam.

    Following the news of his suspension, a Twitter profile run by the opposition Indian National Congress’s West Bengal youth wing said “But who doesn’t have a beard?  The Prime Minister also has a beard?  Will he resign then?”

    A study by Tata Trust in 2019 showed that the Muslims constitute around 15% of India’s 1.3 billion population and has a low representation in the police force.

  • Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee dies after long illness

    Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee dies after long illness

    Lee Kun-hee, the controversial yet legendary business titan who led Samsung’s rise from a modest South Korean company to a multinational conglomerate, died Sunday at the age of 78.

    “All of us at Samsung will cherish his memory and are grateful for the journey we shared with him,” the company said.

    Chairman Lee had been incapacitated for many years after he suffered a heart attack in 2014, which forced him to withdraw from public life. His son and vice-chairman of the company, Lee Jae-Yong, also known as Jay Y. Lee has been widely expected to take his father’s position.

    However, Lee has been involved in controversies time and time again. In 1995, he was found guilty of bribing President Roh Tae-woo through a slush fund, and in 2008 he was accused of tax evasion and embezzlement of funds. He was formally pardoned for each conviction.

    It’s not clear who will eventually inherit Lee’s shares in the conglomerate. Lee owns more than 4% of Samsung Electronics, more than 20% of Samsung Life Insurance, and nearly 3% of Samsung C&T, a construction and investment entity. His shares are worth billions of dollars.

    Lee’s father, Lee Byung-Chul, created Samsung in the 1930s as a small trading company and steadily expanded into retail, electronics, and other fields.

  • Deepak Perwani sparks outrage for fat-shaming journalist on live chat

    Deepak Perwani sparks outrage for fat-shaming journalist on live chat

    It’s 2020 and Pakistani celebrities are still guilty of fat-shaming. Last week it was Amna Ilyas and this week it’s fashion designer Deepak Perwani.

    In an Instagram live session with Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, Deepak while talking about fashion critics – including journalist Aamna Isani – had said: “Are they critics or the people who take money? They post reviews for money, even on Instagram”.

    On referring to her, he said, “Agar front pay na behtao to moti shor kar rahi hoti hai, motiyan shor kar rahi hoti hain kay free ka bag nahi mila.”

    “80% of the reviews are favourable to the people that they like,” he added.

    Later, when asked to share his thoughts on the Lux Style Awards, Deepak said: ” We don’t allow you to nominate us, who are you to dominate us? Apnay kapray toh dekho. Kya pehan kar ati ho. Humay baatao gi kay kapray kya hotay hain.”

    “You [Hassan] said this to me: ‘That woman, she doesn’t even know how to wear clothes herself and she is going to write a review about my clothes. She doesn’t even know what she is talking about’.”

    “These are your words from five years ago,” Deepak said to Hassan.

    Soon after the video from the live session went viral, social media users lashed out at Deepak for fat-shaming.

    https://twitter.com/zainaconda/status/1320317910900932610?s=20

    https://twitter.com/AliaChughtai/status/1320431377448423430?s=20

    Interestingly, just a few days back, Aamna had lauded Deepak’s new upcoming collection Shalimar.

    Following the backlash, Deepak apologised to Aamna for his comments.

    “I’m not the kind of person who would body shame anyone,” wrote the designer on Twitter. “My sincerest apologies for my choice of words. It just happened and was not meant to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

    Deepak’s close friend designer Maheen Khan also encouraged everyone criticising to accept the apology and move on from the incident.

  • Police arrest beggar who owns five buildings, has over $190,000 in bank accounts

    Police arrest beggar who owns five buildings, has over $190,000 in bank accounts

    Police in Egypt have arrested a 57-year-old beggar who owns five buildings and has nearly 3 million Egyptian pounds ($191,164) in bank accounts, local media reported.

    The woman had feigned a leg amputation and used a wheelchair while begging in several provinces of the country, private newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported.

    Police investigations revealed that she had been seen begging, claiming physical paralysis while sitting in a wheelchair. She was later seen walking on foot after finishing her rounds, according to eyewitnesses.

    Police also found that the offender, identified by her first name as Nafisa, does not suffer from any illness, and owns five residential buildings in the governorates of Gharbia and Qaliubia and nearly LE3 million in two banks, the report said.

    She was referred to public prosecution for questioning.

    Two weeks ago, police in Pakistan found Rs85,000 in a beggar’s bag who had lost his consciousness after a vehicle hit him.

    As per reports, the incident happened on Quetta’s Saryab road, where a motorcyclist allegedly hit the beggar, leaving him unconscious.

    He was taken Civil Hospital by police. While he was being treated for his wounds, his bag was checked to find out his identity. The beggar had been carrying Rs85,000 and some change. The bills were kept in a very organised manner, sorted by denomination and bound in separate bundles.

    Police said that the amount has been kept “safe” and will be returned to the beggar when he recovers.