Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Shoot me dead and don’t tell anyone,’ motorway gang-rape survivor quoted as telling first responders

    ‘Shoot me dead and don’t tell anyone,’ motorway gang-rape survivor quoted as telling first responders

    The survivor of the motorway gang-rape has been quoted by a journalist as asking the first responders to shoot her dead and do not tell anyone about what had happened.

    “A journalist friend was told by an investigating official that when the police reached the crime scene of #MotorwayRape the survivor started begging the cops to shoot her dead and not tell anyone about the incident,” journalist Ailia Zehra tweeted.

    “Can’t even begin to imagine what she must be going through,” she added.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    LEAs EXPOSED:

    Separately, the delayed response to emergency calls made by the motorway rape victim have also exposed the level of coordination among the law enforcement agencies despite the government spending billions of rupees on the Safe City Project, The News reported Friday.

    An initial investigation into the incident and contradictory statements of senior officers confirmed that there was a lack of coordination between the Lahore Police and Motorway Police that resulted in a delayed response providing criminals enough time to flee after committing the crime.

    On the second day of the incident, Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh said the victim had not called the police herself for help. Some of her relatives called the Motorway Police at 1:30 am.

    On the other hand, Motorway Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kaleem Imam said that the victim called the Motorway Police at 2:01 am and was informed that the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway does not fall in their jurisdiction.

    However, the Motorway Police forwarded the call to the FWO immediately. The lady didn’t get any help from the FWO either.

    Later on, a claim of the Dolphin Force surfaced that they received 15 calls at 2:49 am and reached the spot at 2:53 am. A cop of Dolphin Force said as he reached the spot, the woman was “stunned”.

    “She didn’t speak. She mustered up the courage after some time and then told the whole tragedy.”

    However, the Gujjarpura police in its FIR stated that they reached the spot at 4 am and didn’t find anyone there.

    A senior police officer requesting anonymity told The News that factually the Lahore Police and the Motorway Police had delayed the response over jurisdiction.

    They said the Safe City Project was launched after spending billions of rupees for a well-coordinated response and surveillance but the recent incident has exposed it as well.

    They added that call logs should be made part of investigations and strict action should be taken against the responsible persons.

  • Fact Check: ‘Ertuğrul actor says Yasir Hussain is insecure’

    Claim: Turkish actor Hande Subasi called Yasir Hussain “insecure” in a tweet.

    Fact: A fake account made in the name of Hande Subasi made a tweet about Yasir Hussain, calling him insecure.

    With Turkish series’ unparalleled success in Pakistan, Yasir Hussain’s comments about Turkish actors have often landed him in hot water.

    Recently, netizens criticized him for calling Turkish actors ‘kachra’ [garbage]. Later, in an Instagram story, Hussain denied making these comments, saying that the publications twisted his words.

    However, a tweet purportedly by Turkish actor Hande Subasi, who played Aykiz in Diriliş: Ertuğrul, responding to Hussain’s comments has gone viral.

    “This vile & insecure man #YasirHussain does not represent a proud Pakistani nation. We thank our Pakistani audience for their love and support. Sometimes people do things for attention, he is one of them & we should all ignore him,” the tweet read.

    https://twitter.com/Hande4hayran/status/1302943307979464704?s=20

    With the tweet still doing rounds over social media, The Current went the extra mile to verify it.

    According to our research, the account made in the actor’s name is fake. The account is not verified and only has 387 followers.

    Moreover, the actor has a verified account on Twitter with almost 20,000 followers.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • VIDEO: Police blame mother-of-three survivor for gang-rape, say ‘she should have taken GT Road’

    Lahore’s new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh, who was earlier this week blamed for the removal of Punjab’s fifth inspector general of police (IGP) in two years, has now made headlines for blaming a gang-rape victim for the incident.

    “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 said while speaking to Dunya News.

    Sheikh went on to say that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    PUBLIC REACTION:

    With the incident making headlines and medical reports confirming gang-rape, social media flooded with posts by the general public as well as political leaders in support of the survivor and against the authorities over their “continuous failure to protect the people”.

    Amid public outcry, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide on political communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill, said that on Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s directives, Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh will lead the investigation.

    “Urban and rural policing techniques are being used,” he said, adding that CCTV footage and DNA matching was being used in the probe.”

    Dr Gill further said that around 12 suspects have been arrested.

    ‘POLICE DOING GREAT WORK’:

    Earlier, newly-appointed IGP Inam Ghani claimed that police have secured “evidence” that will lead them to the culprits.

    “We have done great work so far in the motorway rape case. We have located the village from which the suspects were from,” the IGP revealed in a conversation with Geo News. 

    He also shared that 20 police teams were working on the case and being overseen by a deputy inspector-general (DIG).

    Ghani shared that the survivor had provided ages and other identifying features of the suspects. “Right now, we have a very good clue which will lead us to the suspects directly. However, we cannot share it with the media yet.”

    He also shared that police have obtained the complete voter list and record from the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) of the area where the suspects are believed to have hailed from. 

    IG Ghani said that the woman’s children, who were forced to witness the horrific crime, were now with their family, who have been assured that they will be provided all kinds of support. He hoped that the victims of the attack would be in a much better state when the suspects are arrested.

  • VIDEO: Pangong Lake of ‘3 Idiots’ fame now a part of China?

    VIDEO: Pangong Lake of ‘3 Idiots’ fame now a part of China?

    Amid the ongoing border standoff between Chinese and Indian soldiers in Ladakh, it is being speculated that the Pangong Tso area under Indian control, and of Bollywood flick ‘3 Idiots’ fame, has been taken over by China.

    As per the details, a video clip of Chinese tourists enjoying a boat ride purportedly at the Pangong Tso Lake, which among many others was also shared by Indian National Congress (INC) leader Salman Nizami, has gone viral.

    Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas. Situated at an elevation of 4,225 metres, it is 134 kilometres long and extends from Ladakh in India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China. Line of Actual Control (LAC) between China and India also passes through the Pangong Lake, effectively dividing it into two parts.

    India controls the 45 km-long western portions of the 135 km-long lake while the rest is under Chinese control. The picture-perfect lake is also the place where 3 Idiots’ ending with Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and co was shot.

    “Chinese tourists in Ladakh’s Pangong Lake. Can someone ask ’56 inch’ Chowkidar [offensive comment apparently against Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi] if Indians now need a visa to visit Pangong Lake?” Nizami tweeted.

    National convener of INC’s social media department, Saral Patel, also shared the video.

    It was retweeted by INC spokesperson Shama Mohamed with the comment, “Chinese tourists are apparently vacationing at Pangong Tso & PM [Narendra] Modi is still in agreement with China’s lie that there have been no incursions or annexation of Indian territory.”

    While there have been no official statements over the status of the lake from Beijing or New Delhi, it is likely that the videos being circulated have been shot on the Chinese side of the lake, which is reportedly open for tourists.

    Earlier, an advertisement video shared by some Twitter users had claimed that China will facilitate the return of international tourists to Pangong Tso.

    The 45-second footage on Twitter showed the scenic landscape of the Pangong Tso.

    The ad video, which has received several retweets, was uploaded by users who used both Mandarin and Chinese as the medium of communication. Although they appeared to be handles managed by Chinese nationals, it could not be confirmed as none of the accounts were verified by Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/evazhengll/status/1301555381810991111

    “You only need to take a Chinese visa to enjoy cold air, flocks of birds and blue water. We have also placed a monument on a place where movie 3 idiots was made. Come, visit and enjoy China,” one of the users tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/CNPakWW/status/1301557920472141828

    Even though the video appears to have been produced in China, it could not be ascertained whether the clip is new or old.

    However, Shen Shiwei, a Chinese journalist working for state-owned CGTN, tweeted that the lake was open for tourists for quite a long time.

    “Pangong Tso in China is open to tourists at home and abroad for quite a long time. The lake is near the Chinese national highway and is a good place for self-driving travel. We have a resort on the lake here,” he said.

  • Medical reports confirm gang-rape on Lahore motorway

    Medical reports confirm gang-rape on Lahore motorway

    Medical reports have confirmed that the woman who was robbed at the motorway was also gang-raped.

    Media reports had earlier claimed that she had been subjected to sexual assault in front of her children. 

    As per reports, the woman with her two children, was stuck on the road as her car ran out of fuel in the Gujjar Pura area of Lahore. Two unidentified men attacked them and broke the window of their car.

    They took the woman to nearby fields where she was gang-raped and later robbed by the men who fled the scene promptly.

    After the news of the incident made headlines, the Punjab government took “serious notice” and tweeted that the victim will be served justice and the culprits will soon be behind bars.

    The police have set up check posts across the province after preparing the sketch of the accused. The village of the accused has been identified and an extensive search operation is underway. At least 12 suspects have already been arrested.  

    Also Read: Police arrest man who allegedly gang-raped TikTok friend

    According to earlier details, the woman had called the motorway police and asked for help but the police reportedly “refused to provide her help”.

    Many celebrities, social activists and other social media users took to Twitter to condemn the incident and demanded public hanging of the rapists.

    https://twitter.com/dr__jhatka/status/1303912625970065410?s=20

  • Imame Kaaba wants Muslims to make peace with Jews; hints at normalisation of Saudi-Israel ties

    Imame Kaaba wants Muslims to make peace with Jews; hints at normalisation of Saudi-Israel ties

    A debate is continuing on social media ever since Abdulrahman al-Sudais, the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah, hinted at possible normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel during the Friday sermon.

    Imam Sudais is a senior religious leader in Saudi Arabia and is also the president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

    In his Friday sermon, Imam Sudais spoke of peace and kindness with non-Muslims, making specific reference to Jews. He highlighted the importance of Muslims respecting other faiths and underlined several stories about interactions between Jewish people and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

    He mentioned how the Prophet (PBUH) dealt with a Jewish neighbour who eventually converted to Islam and also advised people to remain loyal and obedient towards the leaders and authorities and to stay away from the “misguided factions and groups”.

    The Imam’s remarks about peaceful coexistence are not controversial in any way but the timing of the sermon amid geopolitical changes in the region has sparked an online debate as they came less than a month after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — a close ally of the Kingdom in the Gulf — recognised Israel, leaving questions on Saudi Arabia’s next move in this regard.

    The statements have caused unrest among Muslims on social media who blame the cleric for exploiting the platform of Islam’s holiest mosque to make ground for the Saudi government.

    Here’s what Twitterati have to say about it:

    While one user said that the sermon was against Imam Sudais’ traditional stance on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, another one shared the videos of two contrasting sermons of the Imam — one, in which he calls to save Al-Aqsa Mosque from the abomination of aggressors, and the second, which prepares the ground for acceptance of Israel.

    https://twitter.com/be4after/status/1302223008199774209

    Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Shinqiti, a Mauritanian author, saw the sermon as a misuse of the Grand Mosque to promote normalisation and call for the obedience of the “murderous rulers”.

    Have anything to add to this story? Let The Current know in the comments below.

  • Kangana Ranaut calls Mumbai ‘Pakistan’ after authorities demolish her offices

    Kangana Ranaut calls Mumbai ‘Pakistan’ after authorities demolish her offices

    Kangana Ranaut has referred to Mumbai as ‘Pakistan’ after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished her office in Bandra. Sharing pictures of the demolition taking place in her office, Kangana wrote “Pakistan”, along with the hashtag ‘Death of Democracy’.

    Her successive tweet read: “I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is ‘PoK’ (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) now.”

    According to details, BMC had listed 14 “violations” at the offices of Manikarnika Films, Ranaut’s movie production house. The bungalow, which the actress had bought three years ago, is listed as a residential property by the BMC.

    As per the notice, violations included: merging of two bungalows, converting a ground-floor toilet into an office cabin, converting a storeroom into a kitchen, making an unauthorised pantry in the ground floor, adding toilets near the storeroom and a parking area, illegal partitions in the first-floor living room, an illegal meeting room in the pooja room, converting a balcony into a habitable area besides a floor extension. At the time of the demolition, Kangana was not in Mumbai but was in fact on her way to the city.

    The demolition work was stopped midway today after the Bombay High Court ordered a stop to the demolition and served notice to the BMC, which is controlled by the Chief Minister’s Shiv Sena.

    Ranaut reacted to the demolition by terming the act as the death of democracy. She also questioned how the officials could demolish the structure when such procedure is banned till September 30 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Kangana has sparked controversy with her recent comments about the Mumbai Police and Maharashtra. In response to a remark by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut where he asked her not to come back to the city after she claimed she felt unsafe in the city, Kangana had compared Mumbai with ‘PoK’.

    Earlier, Feroze Khan, Muneeb Butt and Momina Mustehsan called out Kangana for unnecessarily dragging in Pakistan in all her arguments.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Zartaj Gul reveals her favourite designer brands

    EXCLUSIVE: Zartaj Gul reveals her favourite designer brands

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul in an exclusive interview with The Current revealed that her favourite Pakistani designers include Maria B, Sana Safinaz and Khaadi.

    When asked who her favourite clothing brand is, the minister, who herself in a textile designer, said: “In Pakistan, all designers are my favourite. I wear a single colour tone so, whoever I find locally…either Maria B, Sana Safinaz, Khaadi or whatever I like.”

    She continued, “As for global brands, I think Devil Wears Prada, Fendi, Michael Kors. All of them are good if just not too expensive.”

    It is pertinent to add here that the minister was referring to Prada when she said ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ – which is a film starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt.

    Read more – Zartaj Gul and Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari fight it out on Twitter

    Meanwhile, when asked about what she prefers to watch on Netflix, Zartaj said that whenever she gets the time, she watches English movies.

    “Whenever I get the time, I watch English movies. [In fact], any good movie. But I do not have enough time,” said Zartaj.

    She continued, “Seasons I have followed very rarely too; I followed Prison Break, Lost. But if it’s some Oscar-winning movie, I try to watch it on Netflix if I get the time.”

    Zartaj also shared a list of her favourite Pakistani actors which include Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, Shaan, Resham and Sajal Aly.

    In the same interview, Zartaj also shared her thoughts on her gaffes and controversies and why she thinks Prime Minister Imran Khan is the solution to Pakistan’s woes. Watch the complete interview here:

  • Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize over UAE-Israel peace deal

    Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize over UAE-Israel peace deal

    United States (US) President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize over his efforts to broker a deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.

    According to reports, Trump was nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, who praised the US president’s efforts aimed at resolving conflicts worldwide.

    “For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees,” Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News.

    Tybring-Gjedde, in his nomination letter to the Nobel Committee, said the Trump administration had played a key role in the establishment of relations between the UAE and Israel. “As it is expected, other Middle Eastern countries will follow the footsteps of the UAE, which can be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity.”

    UAE-ISRAEL PEACE DEAL“

    The UAE and Israel last month declared there would be peace between the two nations, with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin inviting the leader of the Emirates to visit Jerusalem.

    The gesture came as the UAE, after Egypt and Jordan, became the third Arab country to agree to have full ties with Israel.

    Trump took to Twitter to announce the major development.

    At the time, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that the agreement was “a truly historic moment”. “Now that ice has been broken, I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the UAE,” he said.

    In 2020, there are 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. Submissions should be made online and all nominees are discussed and then the most worthy and interesting are shortlisted. 

  • Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has highlighted India’s frantic press and the inside world of Bollywood

    Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has highlighted India’s frantic press and the inside world of Bollywood

    Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has latched on to India and the film industry, sparking outrage against the media over the grueling coverage.

    The abrupt death of Sushant Singh Rajput has spurred a debate about the stigma of mental health, the exclusive insider world of Bollywood, and, more recently, condemnation of the media for the non-stop coverage of the duelling accusations between Rajput’s family and his alleged girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.

    Mumbai police initially reported Rajput’s death as accidental and local media called it a suicide. But the federal police agency is now investigating if there was any foul play and is questioning Chakraborty and others.

    On Tuesday, Chakraborty was arrested by India’s narcotics department, which is investigating a drug case linked to the probe of Rajput’s death. The actor has denied any wrongdoing and her lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, called the arrest “a travesty of justice”. Her bail plea has been rejected and the actor has been remanded to judicial custody until September 22.

    It is also being reported that Rhea during her bail plea disclosed that “80 percent of Bollywood celebrities” consume drugs. According to details, many celebrities are under NCB’s radar and around 25 of them are likely to be summoned before the agency.

    Along the way, the story has become a media obsession in India, fed by a wave of TV coverage still swelling almost three months after Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Mumbai apartment.

    In recent weeks, India’s TV channels have given more airtime to the Rajput case than India’s surging COVID-19 caseload, a plane crash and top political stories, according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council.

    India’s boisterous TV networks, which include more than 350 news channels in English and several local languages, have flashed photos of Rajput’s body, analysed his medical prescriptions, even used voodoo dolls and graphics of a skull to hype allegations that “black magic” was performed on the actor.

    The federal police, the High Court in Mumbai, and the government watchdog Press Council of India have all criticised coverage of the investigation.

    Chakraborty, 28, was regularly hounded by reporters when she appeared in public, with news commentators opining on her innocence or guilt.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CEYg61Nnwoe/

    Rajput’s family claims she poisoned him, used black magic and is responsible for his death.

    “There has been a conspiracy to break me and my family and my spirit,” Chakraborty said in an interview with television anchor Rajdeep Sardesai in late August. “It is the systematic breakdown of an innocent family, an innocent girl who loved an innocent boy.”

    On Sunday, she was jostled by a pack of journalists as she tried to enter a narcotics department office in Mumbai, where police struggled to disperse the crowd. Visuals from the scene were harrowing and unsettling, to say the least.

    The CBI, the federal police agency, said last month it was investigating allegations of abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy. Its announcement came after requests from Rajput’s family and Chakraborty.

    In a statement last week, the CBI said some media reports on its probe were “speculative” and “not credible.” The bureau, it said, “has not shared any details of investigation with media.”

    The Press Council of India has urged the media not to “conduct its own parallel trial.”

    Some television editors have defended the coverage.

    Arnab Goswami, editor of Republic TV and a widely watched anchor known for his sharp-elbowed commentary, last week credited his channel’s coverage with ensuring that Rajput’s death wasn’t “whitewashed” as a suicide.

    “I pushed, I pressurised, I connected the dots,” he told news website OpIndia. “In the process, if I’ve done a media trial, I’m happy I have done one.”

    Bollywood responds

    Following Rhea’s arrest, several Bollywood actors including Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan and Taapsee Pannu have extended their support to the actor by sharing the quote written on the t-shirt Rhea was wearing on the day of her arrest.

    “Roses are red, violets are blue, Let’s smash the patriarchy me and you,” the quote read.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4Y_42FjVh/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4XUL6Hr7u/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4bq76JYa5/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap shared a screenshot of his chat with Sushant’s manager in which he commented that the late actor was “difficult”.

    Earlier, the Producers Guild of India issued a statement condemning the attacks against the film industry.

    The Guild in the statement noted that the “tragic death of a promising young star has been used by some as a tool to defame and slander the film industry and its members”.

    The organisation explained that the picture painted of the industry as a “terrible place for outsiders to aspire to, a place that threatens those who dare to enter it with contempt and derision; a murky den of substance abuse and criminality” was not the truth.

    The Guild accepted that the film industry has its “imperfections” and that to “paint an entire industry with the same brush is a gross misrepresentation of reality”.