Author: newsdesk

  • KP govt hopes to limit grand weddings

    KP govt hopes to limit grand weddings

    Weddings in Pakistan are known to be extravagant affairs, often stretching over weeks. To limit the costs of the ceremony, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly adopted legislation almost two years ago.

    The bill titled ‘KP Marriage Functions (Prohibition of Ostentatious Displays and Wasteful Expenses)‘ was passed in February 2018 but 24 months later, the province is still trying to implement the law that puts a limit on wedding spending.

    The law imposed a ban on the decoration of houses, streets, and marriage halls across the province. It directs that the sound of the loudspeaker should be limited to indoor with many other restrictions.

    The law also tells the rules for the menu, limiting it to one dish only. Punjab already has a law which ensures one dish at marriage halls.

    Under the law, anyone who breaks or fails to obey the law shall be accountable to pay a fine of not less than Rs200,000 and an imprisonment term not exceeding two months.

    Similarly, depriving a bride of her wedding gifts could also be troublesome for the groom and his family. Violators could face a fine of Rs200,000 and a sentence of three months. The law also restricts the payment of dowry to the groom’s family.

  • Shamoon Abbasi, Ayesha Omar’s spy-thriller based on Kulbhushan gets a teaser

    Shamoon Abbasi, Ayesha Omar’s spy-thriller based on Kulbhushan gets a teaser

    As the weather warms up, the Pakistani films are also rolling. A few days after the teaser of Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane’s Tich Button dropped, Shamoon Abbasi and Ayesha Omar’s Dhaai Chaal based on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadav and his activities in Balochistan was shared on social media.

    The producer of the film Dr Irfan Ashraf shared the trailer on Twitter and said that his film was a response to Shah Rukh Khan’s Netflix venture: Bard of Blood.

    In an interview, the film’s lead Shamoon Abbasi while talking about the plot had shared that “the film is based on the time when Jadhav was active in the region of Balochistan and was appointed to sabotage the billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.”

    While a release date has not yet been mentioned, the film directed by Taimoor Sherazi and written by Faiza Choudhry is expected to release sometime later this year. It is being made in collaboration with the Frontier Corps.

    Earlier, the Abbasi also shared a BTS video from the making of the film.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s5jHKJyyGc

    Ayesha Omar, who plays the female lead, had also shared some details about her character Kanwal, adding that she was honoured to be playing this role.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B4xFl_3jkHs/?utm_source=ig_embed
  • Imran wants treason case against Fazl ‘for trying to topple PTI govt’

    Imran wants treason case against Fazl ‘for trying to topple PTI govt’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan reportedly wants Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman tried under Article 6 of the Constitution “for trying to topple the government” back in November last year.

    According to media reports as well as some senior journalists, including Kamran Yousaf and Arshad Waheed Chaudhry, the premier wants Fazl tried under Article 6 — high treason — for the anti-government rally, dubbed by the JUI-F as ‘Azadi March’, towards Islamabad.

    While the rather disappointing finale of the Azadi March came just 18 days after it was launched, and without any of Fazl’s principal demands met, reports claim that PM Imran wants the leader of the religiopolitical party tried for trying to destabilise the country by ousting his government.

    Meanwhile, Twitterati are reminding Imran about his own infamous 126-day sit-in from 2014, when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had locked down Islamabad to oust the government of then PM Nawaz Sharif.

    JUI-F’S AZADI MARCH:

    Fazl had in June 2019 announced that his party would hold a long march towards Islamabad in the month of October. Four months later, the JUI-F chief had set October 27 as the date of the Azadi march but later deferred it to October 31.

    The JUI-F chief had demanded PM Imran’s resignation, blaming the premier for the country’s economic woes and other troubles. The PM, on the other hand, had said that Fazl’s march had a “special agenda”.

    Initially, other opposition parties had objected to the unilateral announcement about the Azadi March, but later extended their support to Fazl when he had taken them into confidence. The government had warned the opposition that anyone who tried to take the law into their hands would be dealt with strictly.

    ARTICLE 6:

    Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan, under which former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has also been found guilty, states: 

    “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”

    The second clause adds that any person aiding, abetting or collaborating in the acts will also be considered guilty of high treason, while clause 2A says that an act of high treason cannot be validated by any court, including the Supreme Court (SC) and a high court.

  • Posters we love on ‘Haya Day’

    Posters we love on ‘Haya Day’

    As the world celebrates Valentine’s Day today on February 14, Pakistanis are calling for the day to be celebrated as ‘Haya Day’. A group of people started this to boycott Valentine’s Day because they think that it is against our norms and culture many people joined them in the cause.

    Here are the posters we love for ‘Haya Day’:

  • ‘When in Pakistan, I feel like I am at home,’ Turkish president tells parliament

    ‘When in Pakistan, I feel like I am at home,’ Turkish president tells parliament

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday thanked the people and leadership of Pakistan over the warm welcome he was accorded upon arrival, adding that while in Pakistan, he felt like he was at home.

    “It is my pleasure to speak to you. I am thankful to you for giving me the opportunity to address this house. While in Pakistan, I feel like I am at home,” he said while addressing a joint session of the parliament.

    Vowing unflinching support for Pakistan on the issues related to anti-terror financing and the illegal annexation of occupied Kashmir by India, Erdogan also said that he was thankful and happy to have had the opportunity to address the joint session of the parliament in Pakistan. “I am thankful for this opportunity. I am thankful to each of you individually for allowing me to address this joint session of Parliament,” he said.

    According to Geo, Erdogan also said that Pakistan and Turkey’s relations were admirable for others. “During difficult times, Pakistan has supported Turkey. Our friendship is based on love and respect. Pakistan’s pain is our pain.”

    Speaking about the issue of occupied Kashmir, the Turkish president said that Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) meant to Turkey exactly what it had meant to Pakistan over the years. “The relationship between Pakistan and Turkey will continue in the future as it has in the past,” he added.

  • Weekend events in your city

    Weekend events in your city

    Lahore

    Auratnaak Valentine’s Day Special

    Date: 14th Feb, Friday

    Time: 7 PM – 9 PM

    Venue: 30-Z-block, basment, Phase 3 DHA.

    Valentine’s Family Fest

    Date: 15 Feb, Saturday.

    Time: 4 PM – 10 PM

    Venue: Avenue Mall, P-Block, D.H.A, Main Ghazi Road

    Islamabad

    Giga Chocolate Festival 2020

    Date: 15-16 Feb, Sat-Sun.

    Time: 3PM

    Venue: GIGA MALLMain GT Road, DHA Phase II, Islamabad.

    Ghazal Night

    Date: 15th Feb, Saturday.

    Time: 6 PM – 7:30 PM

    Venue: Rung School Of Music & Arts Office 9,Second Floor,Al-Baber Center,F-8 Markaz.

    Karachi

    Masala Food Festival

    Date and Time: Feb 15 at 10 AM – Feb 16 at 10 AM

    Venue: Karachi Expo Centre

    Mayari Funkaari At Daachi Art & Craft Exhibition February 2020

    Date and Time: Feb 15 at 10 AM – Feb 16 at 8 PM

    Venue: Karachi Expo Centre

    ARY Feast Karachi

    Date: Feb 14 – Feb 16

    Time: 1PM

    Venue: Beach Park Clifton, Karachi.

  • Saudi Arabia observes first legal Valentine’s Day

    After decades of marking the practice as forbidden, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is observing its first legal Valentine’s Day by selling and buying gifts, flowers and chocolates, which was not thought possible until a few years ago due to the strict laws deeming the same un-Islamic.

    According to Middle East Monitor, the once-feared religious police used to ensure that the laws forbidding the celebration were strongly enforced, but that was before they were disbanded and their powers of arrest were stripped from them. Store owners were previously obligated to hide red roses and chocolates on the day, and restaurant owners were pressured to ban birthday and anniversary celebrations on February 14.

    The main turning point in the kingdom’s decision came in 2018, when the former president of Makkah’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) Sheikh Ahmed Qasim Al-Ghamdi declared that the celebration of Valentine’s Day did not actually contradict Islamic teachings. According to him, the celebration of love was a universal phenomenon and not limited to the non-Muslim world.

    The legalisation of the public celebration of Valentine’s Day – rooted in the Roman pagan festival celebrating and honouring fertility – comes amid the recent liberalisation of traditional social conventions within the kingdom and the reforms being carried out by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in order to “modernise” the country.

    While bin Salman has made headlines across the world after promising the kingdom will return to a “moderate” form of Islam, he also guarantees a brighter future for his people as he promotes modernisation plans to wean the country off oil, attract foreign investment and diversify the economy.

    2017’s royal decree allowing women to drive was an equally eye-catching element of bin Salman’s national makeover. It certainly makes sense economically, as it boosts female participation in the workforce, and women can now also go to sports stadiums.

  • Pakistan, Turkey sign trade, investment MoUs

    To increase economic engagement and mobilise the untapped potential for trade and investment, Pakistan and Turkey have signed two memorandums of understandings (MoUs), Dawn reported.

    The two MoUs include one on trade facilitation and customs cooperations, while the second pertains to reinforcing cooperation in the field of halal accreditation. The two sides agreed to explore the possibilities of enhancing bilateral trade for the mutually beneficial market access and trade facilitation.

    Read more – Freelancers payment limit raised to Rs. $25,000: State Bank of Pakistan

    Both sides also agreed to encourage their businessmen to establish joint ventures in industrial sectors and cooperate in the field of e-commerce.

    Read more – New survey reveals Pakistani businesses positive about future

    Both have the potential to explore possibilities of investment opportunities in defence industry, food processing and packing, automotive industry and auto-parts, household appliances, construction material, textiles, leather machinery and finished products, sports goods and surgical instruments.

  • Quiz – How should you spend your V-Day?

    Quiz – How should you spend your V-Day?

    Edit quiz
  • ‘Three Pakistanis diagnosed with coronavirus have been cured’

    ‘Three Pakistanis diagnosed with coronavirus have been cured’

    Three Pakistani students diagnosed with coronavirus in China have been cured, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan has said.

    “We are pleased to learn that three Pakistani citizens affected by coronavirus in China have been cured and discharged from hospitals in Guangzhou and Shenzhen of Guangdong province,” the Chinese mission in Pakistan tweeted Wednesday.

    “All the best to them! Thank you, medical team in China,” it added, tagging Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Naghmana Hashmi, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza.

    No further details of the students, however, were shared by the mission.

    According to The News, Dr Mirza had in January announced that four Pakistani students in China were tested positive for the coronavirus at a press conference in Islamabad. At that time too, the SAPM had refused to share the names of the affected students with the media.

    “The government will take good care of the students who have contracted the virus,” he had said at the presser.

    The death toll from China’s coronavirus epidemic climbed past 1,100 on Wednesday but the number of new cases fell for a second straight day, raising hope the outbreak could peak later this month.

    As Beijing scrambles to contain the outbreak, the number of people infected on a cruise ship off Japan’s coast rose to 174 — the biggest cluster outside the Chinese mainland.

    Another 97 people died in China, raising the national toll to 1,113, while more than 44,600 people have now been infected by newly named COVID-19 virus.