Author: newsdesk

  • VIDEO: PM says he’ll sack anyone from establishment who asks for his resignation

    VIDEO: PM says he’ll sack anyone from establishment who asks for his resignation

    Soon after deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif claimed that he was told to resign by former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general (DG) Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, PM Imran Khan has said he would take on anyone who dares to tell him to step down as a democratically-elected PM.

    “He [Nawaz] claims he was told by the army… Gen Zaheerul Islam… to resign. You are the PM… how can he dare to demand so from you?” the premier said while speaking to senior journalist Nadeem Malik in an interview that will air tonight at 7:05 pm on SAMAA.

    When asked what would Imran Khan do if he is asked to resign, the premier said he, being the PM, would immediately ask for that person’s resignation. “I am the country’s PM,” he said, to which Malik asked him if he would sack that person.

    “Who can dare to ask me to step down? I am a democratically-elected PM,” Imran replied.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    To a question regarding ailing former PM Nawaz’s return to the country, the premier said a convict had left the country after lying about his health and was now “conspiring against Pakistan”.

    “We will bring him back,” he added.

    A day earlier, Nawaz, who is seeking medical treatment abroad, had said the entire country knows what the former ISI chief had done. He claimed that Zaheerul Islam had at midnight sent him a message seeking his resignation.

    “He threatened to impose martial law if I didn’t step down but I refused to resign at all costs,” Nawaz had added.

  • Sham Idrees opens up about his ‘other daughter’

    Sham Idrees opens up about his ‘other daughter’

    Pakistani-Candian YouTuber Sham Idrees in a recent video introduced his daughter from his previous marriage.

    The vlogger made a video and revealed that back in 2010, before he started making vlogs, he was married for a short while.

    “I’m gonna take you back to 2010,” said the vlogger in the video. “I was 19 or 20 years of age – fairly young. I didn’t know what I was doing but I decided to get married. Of course, it didn’t work out. Within a few months, we decided to end it and go our separate ways. However, a few months after that, I found out I was having a baby. On September 10th, 2010 I had a baby girl,” he said.

    Explaining why he introduced her to his fans after so many years, he said, “When I started vlogging my daughter was six years old and I had to make a decision if I keep her on social media or take her completely off. Now we celebrated her 10th birthday. I know 10 is still fairly young but I gave her the option and asked her if she wants to be a part of this industry and she is very excited.”

    Dua Idrees has also made her own YouTube channel. She released a Vlog about her 10th birthday titled, Meet My Dad. We can also see her in Idrees’s vlogs with both Froggy and Sierra.

    Sham Idrees is a Youtuber with over 2 million subscribers. Sham got married to Saher popularly known as Froggy in 2019. The couple welcomed a baby girl, Sierra Idrees earlier this year.

  • FBR surpasses target, collects over Rs1tr

    FBR surpasses target, collects over Rs1tr

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has collected more than Rs1,000 billion in revenue during the first quarter (July-Sept) of the current fiscal year (FY2020-21).

    According to media reports, the tax department has collected Rs1,002 billion during the period under review, against the target of Rs970 billion.

    The tax department had collected Rs593bn during the first two months of FY21, while collection in September stood at Rs408bn, as against the target of Rs418 billion.

    The revenue collection during the quarter increased due to the resumption of economic activities post-COVID lockdowns. The department has also increased its crackdown on defaulters and tax evaders.

    On Wednesday, the FBR’s Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation-Inland Revenue (Lahore) raided the business premises of a shoe manufacturing unit under Section 38 and 40 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.

    The unit was engaged in manufacturing activities, making taxable supplies of footwear etc while consuming huge amounts of raw materials and electricity. However, the unit had been deliberately filed “nil” sales tax returns since July 2015 to avoid payment of due sales tax.

    During the search, important records were impounded which is under scrutiny while further investigation in this regard is underway. The directorate intends to intensify such operations to detect tax fraud and stop huge revenue leakage being caused to the national exchequer.

  • VIDEO: Woman finds two-headed snake at her house

    VIDEO: Woman finds two-headed snake at her house

    A woman was shocked after finding a rare two-headed snake in her house in North Carolina, America.

    According to the details, Jeane Wilson spotted the rare snake in the sun room of her house.

    She shared the video on Facebook and wrote: “Ok Facebook…anybody out there knows of a place that would take Double Trouble here and care for him/her or should I turn it loose? It’s not poisonous.” 

    Wilson said she found the reptile close to a table in her sun room, and immediately contacted a relative to describe the reptile’s appearance.

    https://youtu.be/eZ2VCCgSSds

    She later put it inside a jar with the help of her friends because she did not want it to get hurt. 

    “We were having game night and the door was left open for some air. After everybody left, I was in there cleaning up and saw it lying on the floor beside the table. I saw its heads first and couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to kill it so we put it in a jar. Everybody was amazed, ‘Wow, a two-headed snake at Nana’s house,’” said Wilson.

    After the one-foot long snake was handed over to the Catawba Science Center, it was identified as a Black Rat Snake. Interestingly, only one in 1,00,000 has two heads.

  • VIDEO: Nawaz distances himself from Khawaja Asif’s remarks, says he does trust Zardari

    Deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif has reiterated his trust in Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari after stalwart Khawaja Asif attacked the former president saying he could not be trusted.

    “I have a lot of respect for Asif Zardari in my heart. Zardari is part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and I absolutely respect him in my heart and I don’t know if Khawaja Asif made a statement against Zardari or not,” the PML-N supreme leader told The News.

    When told that Khawaja Asif had actually said that he doesn’t trust Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz said that his party leader’s remarks about the former president were not PML-N’s party policy. “I have expressed to you the sentiments I have in my heart.”

    Earlier, Asif had cast shadows of doubts on opposition parties’ newly formed alliance, the PDM.

    “It is difficult for me to trust him [Zardari] even today,” he said in a private news channel talk show.

    The PML-N leader said that he still has qualms about Zardari and his opinion of the former president has not changed.

  • We have broken free of British colonisers only to be enslaved by our own: Nawaz

    We have broken free of British colonisers only to be enslaved by our own: Nawaz

    In yet another provoking, strong-worded address, deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif has said that the people of Pakistan have been “enslaved by their own”.

    In his second virtual address in less than two weeks, Nawaz said he has been informed that “someone else” was running the parliament houses, in lieu of its members.

    “People tell me that someone else is running the parliament. Other people come and give directions about the day’s agenda and voting on bills etc,” he said while addressing the central executive committee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) almost two weeks after marking his return to the political ring with a fiery speech to a gathering of the opposition parties, taking the military establishment head-on.

    Nawaz has been residing in London since November last year on the pretext of medical treatment.

    In another video shared by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, the former premier said that a colonel could be seen hiding his face during the hearing of a case against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    “What was the reason behind hiding his face? You were being insincere that is why you hid your face,” he said.

    The speech comes days after Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed rocked the domestic political landscape by revealing the closet meetings between the military leadership and the opposition parties.

    Shortly after, chief military spokesperson Major General Babar Iftikhar further jolted the anti-establishment image of the PML-N as he disclosed former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair, a close aide to Nawaz, twice reached out to Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the political and legal woes of the Sharif family.

    Nawaz, in a separate statement released by the party, also said he was saddened by the arrest of his brother and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif.

    “However, our spirits will not be dampened by what is happening,” he said, adding that the party would double its efforts. “We are proud that our party workers are facing the current situation with courage. There is no example in the history of the treatment meted out to our children,” he said.

    He added that Shehbaz has shown unparalleled strength and courage during these times and paid tribute to his brother for serving the nation with honesty. “He worked day and night to set up power plants in Punjab.”

    Nawaz also paid tribute to the efforts of government officers who played a role in addressing the energy shortage. Commending his brother on his resilience, he said Shehbaz never bowed down in the face of difficulty.

    “Shehbaz has played a role in strengthening our narrative. I am proud of my brother who has sent an example of being loyal and committed to one’s ideology,” he said.

  • Restaurants sealed in Karachi for violating SOPs

    Restaurants sealed in Karachi for violating SOPs

    The city administration sealed several hotels, restaurants in various areas of Karachi over violation of COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

    As per reports, 10 restaurants were sealed in District Central, two in Clifton, three at Boat Basin food street, and two in the Saddar area of District South, Karachi.

    The management of the restaurants were violating SOPs for running the business during the pandemic.

    Meanwhile, the Sindh government on Wednesday imposed a “micro smart lockdown” in several areas to control the spread of coronavirus.

    According to a notification, the government has imposed micro smart lockdown in different localities of District West, Karachi. The district West areas that have been put under micro smart lockdown include Manghopir Union Council 8 and Gadap Town.

    The move came after more than 20 cases were reported from Manghopir Union Council.

    Police officials have been positioned in these areas to impose the lockdown restrictions. The provincial government has asked the deputy commissioner and senior police officials in Karachi to ensure micro smart lockdowns and implementation of SOPs at designated sites.

  • Controversy stirred over picture of PM with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s frontwoman

    Controversy stirred over picture of PM with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s frontwoman

    In what appears to be an attempt to malign Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, a decades-old picture of him with American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s frontwoman Ghislaine Maxwell, has resurfaced over the internet.

    Maxwell, a British socialite, worked for her father, publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, until his death in 1991 when she moved to the United States (US) and became a close associate of Epstein.

    While the picture doing the rounds on social media seems to be from some social event that then cricketer and British film producer Jemima Goldsmith’s husband, Imran, was usually spotted at, netizens are sharing the same seeking the context.

    During his cricketing career, the now premier acquainted several international celebrities. He also counted no less than Princess Diana as a friend.

    According to the details unearthed by The Current, his picture with Maxwell is from a party at Savoy — a luxury hotel in London — to mark the fall of communism in 1990, which was a year before she even moved to the US.

    Greek journalist Taki Theodoracopulos can also be seen in the background.

    WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAXWELL & EPSTEIN:

    Maxwell is the alleged recruiter of Epstein’s sex ring of underage girls and awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. She reportedly met the late financier through her father Robert and he might have been one early source of Epstein’s wealth that catapulted him into the upper echelon of society.

    Epstein began his professional life as a teacher but then switched to the banking and finance sector, working at Bear Stearns before forming his own firm. He developed an elite social circle and procured many women, including underage girls, who were then sexually abused by Epstein and some of his contacts.

    He was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors and died in his jail cell less than a month later. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide, however, Epstein’s lawyers disputed the ruling, and there has been significant public skepticism about the true cause of his death.

    Many believe that he was murdered because of his knowledge of compromising information about famous individuals.

  • Celebrities express outrage over condition of brown bear in Karachi Zoo

    Celebrities express outrage over condition of brown bear in Karachi Zoo

    Just when we breathed a sigh of relief after it emerged that Islamabad Zoo’s lone elephant Kavaan will soon head to Cambodia, where he will retire at an animal sanctuary, videos and pictures of a brown bear in dreadful conditions at the Karachi Zoo have sparked furor and outrage on social media. Celebrities including Ushna Shah, Armeena Khan and Mashal Khan expressed their distress over the condition of the bear and urged authorities to shut down the zoo.

    In a message penned in Urdu, Ushna said that zoo culture should be completely eliminated and that citizens should actively campaign for them to be shut down.

    “If you like looking at animals, go observe them in their natural habitat. When you come and look at them in zoos, you add to their agony”, said the actor.

    “Raise your voice for those who can’t speak,” she added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFqZ11hhKDw/

    Armeena urged her followers to help the brown bear or else he would die.

    Mashal Khan said that she is “sick to my stomach after learning of this poor baby in Karachi zoo, being jailed without food, water, health care”. She asked her followers to raise their voice for the bear and help end her ordeal.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpMZ1yA2s2/

    Later, the actor shared that she and her friends are filing a Constitutional Petition in the Sindh High Court to rescue the baby bear and have her transferred to Skardu where she can be reunited with her family.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFrSJyBgPe0/

    Meanwhile, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Administrator Dr Iftikhar Ali Shallwani slammed the claims and said that the bear is “hale and hearty” at the zoo. Sharing a video of the bear playing in his enclosure as well as a report on its condition, Dr Shallwani said: “The KMC is trying it’s best to give natural habitat to the animals at Karachi Zoo.”

    https://twitter.com/Shallwani/status/1311036764744802304?s=20

    However, reports have suggested that all is not well as the administrator has claimed. According to a senior Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) official, the bear is not used to living in Karachi’s hot weather conditions, especially during this time of the year when it needs to hibernate in freezing temperature.

    Another SWD official said that Karachi Zoo’s management was responsible for the bear’s dreadful condition. He said that the animal does not belong in the zoo and that she needed to be kept in an air-conditioned room, in darkness.

    After the pictures of the bear went viral on social media, a picture of a malnourished and underfed lion was also widely circulated with people criticising the Karachi Zoo administration for mistreating animals.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFuxCefnd6s/

    However, it later emerged that the picture of the lion was not from Karachi Zoo.

    Last week Feroze Khan had also posted pictures of Karachi Zoo’s dilapidated conditions and had questioned where his taxes were going.

  • Viral Sindhi boy to join TikTok to solve problems of his area

    Viral Sindhi boy to join TikTok to solve problems of his area

    The boy, who became popular after a video of his calling out Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the miserable conditions in interior Sindh, went viral on social media has now decided to make TikTok videos to solve problems of his area. Ahmed Marri had criticised the Pakistan People’s Party chairman for lack of clean drinking water in his village near Khapro in district Sanghar.

    Talking to Independent Urdu, the boy said that even several weeks after his complaint, the problem has still not been resolved and the contaminated water is still there creating difficulties for the people of his area.

    Read more – TikTok reunites man with family after more than a year

    Bilawal and many other celebrities had sent him chickens as a gift for which he is thankful but the boy asserts that there is no solution to the lack of clean drinking water in his area. He shared that locals have to travel ten kilometers away regularly to get clean drinking water.