Author: newsdesk

  • Hina Butt says no Pakistani actress can play Maryam Nawaz

    Hina Butt says no Pakistani actress can play Maryam Nawaz

    Hina Butt’s admiration for Maryam Nawaz is no secret. The Punjab Assembly MPA earlier ruffled a few feathers after she commented that Ertuğrul reminds her of the PML-N VP and now she’s done it yet again.

    In a recent interview, when asked who would essay Maryam best if a biopic on her was made – Mehwish Hayat, Mahira Khan, Hareem Farooq or Zara Noor Abbas – Hina said none of them.

    “I don’t think any of them. Because she’s tall-heighted. She’s fair. As an actress, I really like Sanam Saeed and Iman Aly. But they have a tan complexion. So none of these. Although Mahira is a good actress, I don’t think she can play a serious role like this,” said Butt.

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat to run for PM in 2028?

    In the same interview, when she was asked to rank Prime Minister Imran Khan’s performance as a cricketer and prime minister out of ten, the lawmaker responded that as a PM she would give him zero while as a cricketer, she would give him six because he won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1992.

  • Ex-Indian cricketer recalls when ‘shy’ Imran Khan didn’t leave his hotel room to play Holi

    Ex-Indian cricketer recalls when ‘shy’ Imran Khan didn’t leave his hotel room to play Holi

    Former India wicketkeeper Kiran More has recalled the time when Pakistani and Indian cricketers celebrated the festival of Holi together in Bangalore.

    Pakistan toured India in 1986-87 for five Tests and six ODIs, and after the first four Tests ended in a draw, More’s mind harked back to the time when the players from both teams, except then Pakistani skipper and now prime minister (PM), Imran Khan, got together ahead of the final match in Bangalore and “painted the hotel red”.

    “We were really fighting hard for that whole series, but in that Test match, I’ll never forget that Holi we played on the rest day, with the Pakistani team and Indian team,” More said on ‘The Greatest Rivalry‘ podcast.

    “[It was] at Bangalore’s Westin hotel, I still remember. The whole hotel was painted red. The swimming pool, all the rooms, every corner of the hotel was painted red. And we had a great time. Both Pakistani and Indian cricketers were trying to get Imran Khan out of his room. He was the captain, and he was a shy character. We were also trying to get into his room to put colour on him.”

    More further revealed how Javed Miandad kept the party going even after the Holi celebrations were done with. A day before the final Test, players of both teams had a ball, but despite repeated efforts, were unable to get a shy Imran out of his hotel room.

    “He didn’t come out. Javed [Miandad] was instrumental in that Holi time, the whole day, we did Holi together, we had lunch together. Had bhangra music, there were a few friends of ours who joined that party. We had a great time, and next day, we were playing a Test match again,” More added.

    “On the field, both teams wanted to win, and sledging was huge that time from both sides. Off the field, it was a great time that we had. I’ll never forget that Holi.”

  • ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’: Pakistani store’s delivery initiative becomes a sensation in Dubai

    ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’: Pakistani store’s delivery initiative becomes a sensation in Dubai

    Pakistani mangoes are popular worldwide and recently a Pakistani Supermarket started a ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’ drive that went viral in Dubai as it offers a short joyride in the supercar.

    It has doubled the sales of mangoes since its launch in mid-June. Minimum order of Dh100 is required to avail the offer.

    Speaking to Khaleej Times, managing director of the Pakistan Super Market Dubai Jhanzeb Yaseen said, “There is no commercial aim behind the campaign. I want to spread the message of happiness and love and the response is overwhelming.”

    He said mango sales had increased by more than 100 percent and most of the customers are now registered for ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’ with a minimum waiting time of one week.

    The regular van delivery service is also available but customers are keen on receiving their purchase in the supercar, he added.

    Video Credits: Gulf News

     “I was expecting a good response from Pakistani and Indian community as they love mangoes. But I’m surprised residents from Western countries are also huge fans of Pakistani mango varieties such as Langra, Sindhiri, Anwar Rattole and Chaunsa, among others,” he said.

    “The campaign has gained popularity since the Lambo mango delivery videos have gone viral on social media. Now I’m planning to extend the service to five days a week to cater to more buyers and clear the backlog,” he said.

    Pakistan is home to about 250 varieties of mangoes and is the fifth largest producer of the fruit in the world after India, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

  • Six-star PIA downgraded to one star on fake licences issue

    Six-star PIA downgraded to one star on fake licences issue

    Six-star Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been downgraded to one star by AirlineRatings.com after the recent revelation of 150 fake pilot licences.

    The European Union (EU) has banned the airline from member states — costing one star –, while AirlineRatings.com has stripped the airline of three stars for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) besides one star for the ICAO country audit.

    The rating downgrade to the lowest safety standards could further dent PIA’s business because customers will avoid travelling through it while other countries may close their airports for Pakistan’s national carrier.

    AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said, “Clearly there needs to be an investigation into possible bribery and falsifying related to the pilot licences. This is deeply disturbing as the IOSA audit and ICAO country audit should pick this up.”

    In a statement, IATA said, “We are following reports from Pakistan regarding fake pilot licences, which are concerning and represent a serious lapse in the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator. We are trying to obtain more information on the matter.”

    Earlier, PIA sacked 150 pilots over cheating on their exams in the wake of the Karachi crash of an A320 that killed 98 people in May.

    The sacking had come in the wake of the statement by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan that 262 out of 860 Pakistani pilots had “fake” licences through bribing other qualified pilots to take the exams.

  • 30 people land in hospital after drinking poor-quality lassi in KP

    30 people land in hospital after drinking poor-quality lassi in KP

    At least 30 people got seriously sick after drinking substandard lassi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    According to reports, the sick – most of who are women and children – have been admitted to Civil Hospital. The incident took place in Takht Nusrati Kujay region of Ganderi Khattak.

    Medical Supervisor of civil hospital Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told that 20 of the sick patients have been brought in to the medical facility.

    Earlier a fast-food chain in the locality of I I Chundrigarh road was sealed by Sindh Food and Health authorities in Karachi after three children who ate from the outlet died.

    Food authorities took samples of the food at the fast-food restaurant and after laboratory tests, the food’s quality will be determined.

  • Space museum to be set up in Islamabad

    The Scientific Committee of the National Astronomical Observation Commission has decided to set up Pakistan’s first-ever space museum in Islamabad. Earlier, there was PIA Planetarium at Expo Centre in Karachi which used to give a virtual tour of the outer space.

    According to APP, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry chaired the meeting in which the decision was taken to set up Pakistan’s first space museum in Islamabad. The federal minister announced that the first-ever space museum will be established within eight months.

    The meeting also decided to set up five astronomical observatories in Pakistan. It was unanimously decided that astronomical observatories would be set up in Islamabad and Gwadar at the initial phase.

    In a tweet, Fawad said that provincial governments have also been asked to established space museums in provincial capitals.

    “From looking at the moon to beyond the stars, you will be able to explore the universe in future”, he said.

    The Ministry of Science and Technology has been making great strides in development. Earlier, this week they also delivered a batch of locally-manufactured ventilators to the National Disaster Management Authority to fight COVID-19.

  • FBR chief replaced again

    FBR chief replaced again

    The federal government has removed Nausheen Amjad from the post of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairperson, replacing her with Javed Ghani.

    Amjad, a BS-22 officer of Inland Revenue Service (IRS), had in April been appointed as FBR chairperson after then chief Shabbar Zaidi could not continue his duties due to health conditions.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had handpicked Zaidi as his man to achieve the goal of collecting Rs5.5 trillion in taxes during the previous fiscal year and Rs8 trillion by the end of his term.

    Zaidi was good in policymaking but he could not handle the FBR’s operations well. The former chairman also could not appoint competent members at the top and transferred thousands of people of low ranks without replacing the top hierarchy.

    His successor, Nausheen was the second woman to lead the organisation of 25,000 people and the fourth chairperson in the past 20 months.

    The government had approved her appointment by having the federal cabinet circulate a summary instead of bringing the matter in a regular cabinet meeting.

    Nausheen faced and her successor faces a gigantic task of stopping the nosediving tax revenues, restructuring the top FBR hierarchy and improving the tainted image of the tax machinery.

    Ghani will also have to address the issue of rampant corruption, particularly fresh reports regarding some officers receiving kickbacks from taxpayers for putting their names on the list of those who will receive tax refunds on a priority basis under the PM’s COVID-19 relief package, and achieve targets set by the government in the new budget.

  • ‘A glimpse of death’: Hasnain Lehri shares harrowing experience of turbulent flight

    ‘A glimpse of death’: Hasnain Lehri shares harrowing experience of turbulent flight

    Following the tragic PIA plane crash in Karachi and the controversy around the alleged fake licences of hundreds of Pakistani pilots, Pakistanis have become fearful when it comes to air travel. While COVID-19 lockdowns across the world have limited movements, some people are forced to travel due to various reasons.

    Renowned model Hasnain Lehri, in a Twitter post, shared a harrowing flight experience with Serene Airlines and demanded that he wants answers as to why the pilot decided to increase speed and take off again moments before landing. Detailing his ordeal, Lehri said that he experienced “a glimpse of death”.

    Hasnain recounted that just as the plane was about to land at Lahore Airport, the pilot increased the speed of the plane and took off again following which the plane circled around Lahore for a few minutes before he finally attempted to land again. Lehri shared that those 15-20 minutes were the longest of his life and he was not sure if he would come out of this alive.

    The model added that the pilot said that he did not land due to “birds in the path”. However, neither he nor the fellow passengers were convinced with this excuse and demanded a more detailed answer on the matter.

    Meanwhile, in response to Lehri’s tweet, Serene Airlines said that the complaint has been forwarded to the relevant department.

    Lehri’s colleague Zara Abid was on the ill-fated Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight which crashed in Karachi on May 22.

  • Channel boasts getting construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad stopped, backtracks later

    Channel boasts getting construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad stopped, backtracks later

    A private media outlet that had claimed credit for getting stopped the construction of Islamabad’s first Hindu temple later retracted its story amid severe backlash.

    As per the details, the construction of the first Hindu temple in the federal capital has been stopped by the authorities after fierce opposition from religious hardliners as well as an ally of the ruling party, Chaudhrys of Gujrat’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday stopped construction of the boundary wall on the plot meant for the temple citing legal reasons.

    A joint team of the CDA’s enforcement and building control departments reached the site of the temple in Sector H-9/2 and directed workers to stop constructing the boundary wall.

    According to reports, a CDA official said that the building control laws of the civic authority clearly stated that no activity could take place on a plot until the building plan was approved.

    However, according to another CDA official, it was possibly the first time that this clause had been enforced as all owners were allowed to construct boundary walls and ensure possession of their plot while formalities regarding approval of the map continue.

    READ: Islamabad to get its first Hindu temple

    Meanwhile, a private media outlet, 92 News, claimed the credit for stopping the construction of the temple.

    “Owing to successful efforts of 92 News, the CDA stopped the construction of a temple in Islamabad on Friday,” the news channel said in a report titled “92 News Efforts Bear Fruit As CDA Stops Construction Of Temple In Islamabad“, which has now been retracted.

    Earlier, the construction of the temple had been opposed by religio-political among other right-wing organisations.

    A leading religious school had issued a fatwa against construction of the temple, calling it “un-Islamic”, while parties like Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had voiced their concerns over the same for they said it was “against Pakistan’s ideology”.

    PML leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi had also said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and construction of a temple on its soil “was against the very spirit of Islam”.

  • Low testing rate bigger a reason for drop in coronavirus cases than govt efforts

    Low testing rate bigger a reason for drop in coronavirus cases than govt efforts

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the coronavirus situation in the country is improving as the number of COVID-19 cases “decrease owing to effective measures taken by the government and a majority of people following social distancing guidelines”.

    But the statement the minister made while addressing a press conference at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) last Friday, has been contradicted by the government itself as its data suggests that COVID-19 cases have declined over the past one week because of low testing rate.

    READ: Govt is grossly under-reporting coronavirus deaths and infections: PM’s task force head

    As many as 5,000 to 6,000 cases were being reported on a daily basis in Pakistan by mid-June, which had prompted the government to impose selective lockdowns in different parts of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh, and the number of daily infections has now dropped to 3,000 to 4,000.

    While data from June 15 to June 29 shows that the number of cases reported in the country after June 19 has comparatively been lower, contrary to Umar’s claims, a major reason behind the drop has been that the number of tests performed to diagnose COVID-19 across the country also dropped significantly during the said period.

    The rate of testing came down from 31,000 to 20,000 while the target set by the government to achieve in July was the enhancement of Pakistan’s testing capacity to 100,000.

    LIVE BLOG: COVID-19 pandemic

    If you look at the statistics, it is clear that Pakistan has conducted 1,327,638 (1.3 million) tests so far, while according to Worldometers, Pakistan ranks 32nd out of 49 Asian countries in terms of testing capacity. Countries including Iraq, Bhutan, Iran and Maldives have a higher testing capacity than that of Pakistan.

    According to Punjab health officials, the government is continuing to enhance testing capacity in the country but the testing rate has dropped because patients are less exposed to the virus amid lockdowns.

    “A test is conducted when a suspected patient comes forward after complaining of symptoms or as part of a random testing drive in hotspots,” they said, adding that both instances had seen a significant drop amid lockdown restrictions