A journalist has taken a dig at the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), claiming that the not-for-profit company, which aims to promote an effective approach to poverty alleviation across the country, is only bringing relief to its executives with handsome salary packages.
“How PPAF alleviates poverty of its own executives rather than the people of Pakistan,” journalist Jawad Khan Yousafzai tweeted along with the details of salary of the fund’s chief executive officer (CEO), which he says he received under right to information (RTI) laws.
How Pakistan’s Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) alleviates the poverty of its own executives rather than the people of Pakistan. Received the following information under RTI on the salary of Chief Executive PPAF: Yearly salary: Rs. 31732,000 Monthly salary: Rs. 2644,333 pic.twitter.com/v2Jg5lc1Z7
RTI is a citizen’s right to access information from his or her government and private bodies that receive public funds. It is based on the principle that information belongs to the people, and boosts transparency, which in turn strengthens accountability, reduces corruption and improves the delivery of public services.
It enables citizens to hold public officials to account for their actions, demand for rights and better services, and take a stand against corrupt practices.
The government also benefits from RTI as access to information by public officials makes it easier for them to carry out their duties more efficiently. It supports citizens’ oversight and demand for accountability, which in turn helps improve the performance and functioning of public organisations.
RTI is a fundamental right in Pakistan under Article 19-A of the Constitution.
Bank of Punjab President and Chief Executive Officer Zafar Masud, one of the only two survivors of the tragic Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crash from May 22, 2020, has taken to the air once again.
Overcoming his fear of flying just months after surviving an air crash, Masud bravely chose PIA as his carrier of choice on Saturday when he boarded flight PK-304 from Karachi to Lahore.
At Jinnah International Airport, he was welcomed by PIA Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Khalilullah Sheikh and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) & Head of Engineering Amir Ali. He was assured of all safety measures being taken for his flight by ground and air staff alike.
Upon landing in Lahore, PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik personally received the guest at the arrival gate.
Masud said that despite the trauma he previously faced, he had a pleasant flight with PIA, adding that it was one of the smoothest landings he had ever experienced.
Masud is also part of PIA’s reforms process and restructuring drive and has said that he stands firmly in support of the national airline, an airline with which he said he felt at home, both now and before the incident.
The PIA CEO has reportedly thanked Masud and said that PIA feels indebted to him.
He said PIA will strive to meet the expectations of all civilians and is working tirelessly to bring prestige back to the airline.
PIA remains under fire after the air crash that killed 97 passengers and light was shed on the issue of fake licences of nearly one-third of Pakistan’s pilots. Out of the 262 pilots found with fake licenses across Pakistan, 101 of them were affiliated with PIA.
The airline has since grounded and suspended all pilots suspected of having a dubious license and increased safety and security measures on all flights.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is of the view that social media apps like TikTok are affecting the society’s values badly and should be blocked, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said in an interview with The News.
Speaking to the publication, Faraz said, “PM Imran is extremely concerned about the ‘growing obscenity and vulgarity’ in the society and has directed all the relevant sections to check the trend before it destroys the socio-religious values of Pakistani society.”
The information minister added that the Prime Minister had talked about this issue with him not once or twice but 15 or 16 times and wants a complete strategy to check the vulgarity spreading through mainstream outlets, social media and its applications.
PM Khan’s opinion has social media divided but actor Ahmed Ali Butt supported the premier’s point of view. Feroze Khan had also earlier referred to TikTok as ‘cancer’.
Earlier, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had issued a final warning to TikTok ordering it to filter out obscene and immoral content after it banned live streaming application Bigo over similar concerns.
The PTA has also directed internet operators to ensure that no “immoral or illegal” content is made accessible to users.
To say that Humsafar was a game-changer in the Pakistani drama scene would be an understatement. The Mahira Khan-Fawad Khan starrer truly revolutionized the Pakistani drama industry and had everyone hooked.
Humsafar is currently celebrating its ninth anniversary and to commemorate the occasion, Mahira shared a few clips from the drama and talked about why the drama is close to her heart.
“What is there left to say that hasn’t already been said?” wrote the actor on Instagram. “Maybe that’s the thing about Humsafar, there is always more to say.”
She continued: “Khirad is by far my most special character. She loved fiercely, she gave wholeheartedly and when it came to her self-respect she held that closest to her heart. What a woman.”
“Humsafar is beyond all of us who made it,” wrote Mahira further. “It’s all of yours. This safar, this journey is nothing without all of you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFh-XwchQ1m/
Earlier, in an interview with The Current, Mahira had said: “I believe Khirad was one of my strongest characters…And I do not associate crying with being weak.”
When asked if there can be another couple like Khirad and Ashar on Pakistani television, Mahira said: “Yes. Ashar and Khirad have their own chemistry. And they should be left alone there. But I believe and I think, there have been so many other couples that people have loved and liked.”
Directed by Sarmad Khoosat and written by Farhat Ishtiaq, Humsafar also featured Naveen Waqar, Atiqa Odho, and Hina Khawaja Bayat.
Mahira was last seen in Superstar opposite Bilal Ashraf. Her next film Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad was scheduled to release on Eid ul Azha 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from that, Mahira will also be seen in The Legend of Maula Jatt and Neelofar, both of which also star Fawad Khan.
A young man from Chitral dived into the river to save a baby Markhor from drowning.
According to reports, the Markhor was drinking water from the river when it slipped into the deep water. The youth who witnessed the scene, instantly jumped into River Chitral to save it from drowning.
He successfully rescued the animal from river water.
Chairman Pakistan Red Crescent KP, Lt Gen Muhammad Hamid Khan has appreciated the youth for saving the Markhor. He said the young man put his own life in danger and saved an animal.
“Red Crescent pays salute to such brave and caring youth,” he added.
Humayun Saeed’s younger brother Salman Saeed got married in Lahore Friday night and the wedding ceremony was a star-studded affair with Adnan Siddiqui, Shaan Shahid, Imran Ashraf, Ahmed Ali Butt, Vasay Chaudhry, Nadeem Baig, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and Azhar Ali in attendance.
A medical team at Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) removed 51 magnets from a three-year-old girl’s stomach.
As per reports, the child is said to have swallowed the magnets while playing. Doctors extracted the magnets in a three-and-half hour-long surgery, repairing multiple tears in her stomach and intestines.
The child was sent home after seven days of recovery in hospital.
Anushka Sharma has hit back at legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar for his comment against her husband Virat Kohli, during Thursday’s IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab in Dubai. Royal Challengers Bangalore, who Kohli captains, lost the match by 97 runs.
Gavaskar, who was a commentator during the match, while discussing Kohli’s poor form during the game casually remarked: “Ab joh lockdown tha to sirf Anushka ki bowling ki practice ki unho ne, woh video dekhi hai. Usse to kuch nahi hona hai.”
After Gavaskar’s comments went viral on social media, Anushka took to Instagram to express her disapproval and told the veteran cricketer that she just wanted to let him know how she felt.
“That, Mr Gavaskar, your message is distasteful is a fact,” said the actor. “But I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her for her husband’s game? I’m sure over the years you have respected the private lives of every cricketer while commenting on the game. Don’t you think you should have equal amount of respect for me and us?”
She continued: “I’m sure you can have many other words and sentences in your mind to use to comment on my husband’s performance from last night or your words only relevant if you use my name in the process?”
“It’s 2020 and things still don’t change for me,” lamented the actor.
“When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements?” she questioned.
Many on social media have expressed outrage and criticised Gavaskar for his comments, with many of Kohli’s fans demanding the veteran cricketer be removed from the commentary panel. On the other hand, there are others who are of the opinion that Gavaskar’s comments were not out of line or sexist. What they don’t understand is that it is unbecoming of seniors and people of such high stature to pass personal comments like these – they are absolutely unnecessary and serve no purpose.
Following Anushka’s post, Gavaskar while speaking to an Indian media outlet asserted that he had not blamed Anushka and there was no sexist tone to his comment as well.
“Firstly, I would like to say it again. Where am I blaming her? I am not blaming her,” said the former captain of the Indian Cricket Team. “I am only saying that the video said that she was bowling to Virat. Virat has played only that bowling during the lockdown period. It’s a tennis ball, a fun game that people have to pass time during the lockdown. That’s all. Where am I blaming her for Virat’s failures?”
“You know me, I am the one who has always batted for wives going with husbands on tour. I am the one that a normal guy going to the office for a 9-5 job, when he comes back home, he comes back to his wife. Similarly, cricketers, when they go out for a tour or even when they are playing at home, why can’t they have their wives with them?” he added.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Anushka is being trolled for Virat’s poor performance on the field. Every time the cricketer stumbles in the game, Anushka is at the receiving end of criticism. While she has usually maintained silence on the trolling, this time she decided not to keep quiet. Fans have also brought back a statement issued by Anushka earlier to dismiss claims of favouritism and the tasteless trolling.
The Sui Northern Gas Company has warned that there could be a shortage in severe cold and has issued a few directions for the consumers to follow to avoid any inconvenience.
These include:
Using electric heaters instead of gas heaters
Using electric/instant geyser
Using a geyser timer device with the traditional gas geyser
Gas will be provided during the cooking hours
However, the authority has not revealed cooking hours yet.
A statement issued by SNGPL said that the increase in gas consumption during the winter results in the shortage of gas. A wise approach towards gas consumption can make the situation much better.
In a rather embarrassing moment for Pakistan, Turkish actor Esra Bilgiç, who plays Halime Sultan in the super hit series Diriliş: Ertuğrul has hit out at Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umer Sheikh for victim-blaming the woman gang-raped in the horrific motorway incident.
Sharing his video on her Instagram story, Esra said: “Women can drive alone or with their children. [The] only thing you need to do is provide security.”
She continued: “You’re okay with gangs’ presence on your roads as a POLICE OFFICER? You think that if a woman chooses those roads to drive, there is a right to RAPE and KILL them?”
“You’re displaying a shocking ignorance on this matter,” said Esra. “Before you advise, you should change your thoughts. It seems impossible. What a shame on you and people like you.”
CCPO Lahore, while talking about the harrowing incident had remarked that the rape survivor should have been more careful and taken a safer route.
“I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he had said while speaking to a private media outlet.
Sheikh had further said that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.
He had later apologised amid a strong public reaction.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a foreign-educated trainee sub-inspector Fahad Iftikhar Virk submitted his resignation after he was abused by the CCPO for speaking in English.
According to details, Virk resigned due to an altercation with CCPO Lahore Umar Sheikh.
“Virk used some words of the English language over which the CCPO lost his temper and reportedly abused him. He called him ‘Angrez ki aulaad‘,” revealed some officials of the department.
