Author: newsdesk

  • Pakistan’s first blind civil judge gets married

    Pakistan’s first blind civil judge gets married

    Pakistan’s first blind civil judge Yousuf Saleem has tied the knot.

    Saleem changed Pakistan’s history when he challenged the Federal Civil Services system. He was rejected for the position of a civil judge despite being the topper because of his visual impairment.

    Former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar took notice of the issue and after presiding in Saleem’s favour, the 25-year-old took the oath to be sworn in as a civil judge at Punjab Judiciary Academy on June 26, 2018.

    https://twitter.com/JHON_says/status/1212118656592695296

    A gold medalist from Punjab University, Saleem hopes to be the Chief Justice of Pakistan one day.

    Soon after the news spread, blessings and wishes began to pour in for the happy couple.

    https://twitter.com/__msalman/status/1212095694141562880

    Meanwhile, some negativity was also there.

    https://twitter.com/martyred_15/status/1212068192593555456
    https://twitter.com/GFadii/status/1212249817273032704
  • Police to launch crime app, install alert button in Rawalpindi police stations

    Police to launch crime app, install alert button in Rawalpindi police stations

    Rawalpindi’s Regional Police Officer (RPO) Dr Sohail Habib Tajik has said that a crime App was being launched to facilitate citizens in registering complaints about any criminal activity, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, the RPO revealed this news while addressing a press conference at his office for the first time after assuming the charge.

    Dr Sohail also said that a “helper” button will also installed in police stations to facilitate citizens in registering complaints about any criminal activity in the city.

    In case of failing to get the police response, the complainant can press the helper button which will automatically forward an emergency call to all senior police officers. The button will generate a SOS message as soon as the complainant presses it.

    All senior officers, including the RPO, district and circle police officers, will receive the message at the same time, making it impossible for the police officials present at the police stations to ignore the complaint.

    The RPO said, “All available resources will be spent on the police force,” adding that he believe in transparency and want to get positive results by introducing community policing in the city.

    Dr Sohail also said that people were afraid of visiting police stations to lodge their complaints but the mobile app would help them approach the authorities without any fear.

    He further informed that a total of 400 police employees serving at residences and offices of police officers had been called back and posted to police stations to strengthen the police working more.

    RPO said that his top priority was to gain citizen’s confidence and to change public perception about police department.

  • Billion Tree Tsunami: NAB detects Rs462 million loss to exchequer

    Billion Tree Tsunami: NAB detects Rs462 million loss to exchequer

    A loss of Rs462 million to the public exchequer has been detected by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as it conducted its initial inquiry into the Billion Tree Tsunami Project of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), The News reported.

    NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal had authorised the inquiry against the flagship project in March last year.

    “The NAB regional office has recommended to the headquarters for upgrading the inquiry along with authorisation for separate investigations and six inquiries to unearth the mega scam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP),” the report said.

    Meanwhile, an officer was quoted as saying that NAB officials “had checked only 10 to 20 per cent of only one region out of three, which is the smallest region as compared to Hazara and Swat.

    In 2014, the then PTI-led KP government had started the Billion Tree Tsunami Project with Rs14.32 billion utilised for the project execution by the Forest Department.

    Allegations of ghost labour, misappropriation and embezzlement of daily wages, enclosures failure and payments against ghost plantations were received by the anti-graft body at its Peshawar bureau earlier.

    According to official documents, during the initial inquiry based on proceedings conducted so far, a loss of Rs462 million has been detected. The NAB reports further disclosed that due to the shortfall in the hectare-wise plantation area in Dera Ismail Khan, a loss of Rs80.044 million has been detected.

    The regional NAB office has recommended the headquarters to convert the ongoing inquiry into a proper investigation to probe the case. It further recommended four investigations against the divisional forest officer and others regarding misuse of authority, embezzlement, corruption and corrupt practices.

    Furthermore, six additional inquiries were also recommended against the officers and officials of the KP Forest Department and others regarding embezzlement, misappropriation, corruption, and corrupt practices in procurement of seeds, polythene bags, machinery, vehicles and office equipment in forest region 1, 2 and 3.

    While NAB sources were quoted as confirming that the matter is under scrutiny as per law, media has reportedly been requested to avoid speculations in this regard.

  • Mahira Khan wants more swift action against child rapists

    Mahira Khan wants more swift action against child rapists

    The brutal rape and torture of a 10-year-old student by a Madrassa teacher in Abbottabad’s Mansehra sparked national outrage.

    One of Pakistan’s most vocal actors, Mahira Khan took to Twitter to voice her concern and demanded the authorities to “make an example out of these monsters.” In her tweet, she also tagged the Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari.

    In response to her tweet, the minister said that the perpetrator has been arrested and that efforts are being made to prevent these horrendous crimes. She shared that the Zainab Alert Bill has been passed by the Standing Committee of Human Rights and that “much as we would like to simply catch these monsters and publicly punish them, the government has to go according to the law.”

    She also revealed that a “holistic policy on child abuse” is being prepared on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan and “within two weeks it should be ready with all stakeholders being taken on board.”

    Mahira thanked the minister for her response and requested for more swift action to be taken again such issues. She also asserted that more noise should be made so that “a loud and clear message should go out to these predators.”

    Other than Mahira, actor-activist Nadia Jamil has also been raising her voice on the matter of child sexual abuse.

  • Over 16,000 children born in Pakistan on New Year’s Day

    Over 16,000 children born in Pakistan on New Year’s Day

    The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) shared that an estimated 16,787 babies would be born in Pakistan on New Year’s Day.

    According to a statement by UNICEF, “Pakistani babies will account for 4.28% of the estimated 392,078 babies to be born on New Year’s Day.”

    Each
    January, UNICEF celebrates babies born on New Year’s Day, which is considered
    to be a lucky time for childbirth around the world.

    However, UNICEF reported that in 2018, 2.5 million newborns died before reaching one month old, around a third of them on the first day of life.

    “In 2018, 2.5 million newborns died in just their first month of  life. Among those children, most died from preventable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and infections like sepsis. In addition, more than 2.5 million babies are born dead each year,” UNICEF said.

    According
    to the UN Agency, the world has seen amazing progress in child survival over
    the past three decades, lessening the number of children worldwide who die
    before their fifth birthday by more than half.

  • Hareem Shah controversy: Govt issues statement, drags religion into it

    Hareem Shah controversy: Govt issues statement, drags religion into it

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has broken its silence over the controversial video clips released by TikTok celebrity Hareem Shah last week, saying that technology brings many facilities “but it can also lead one to god’s wrath”.

    In a video doing rounds over the internet, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting (SAPM) Firdous Ashiq Awan can be seen parrying a question posed by a senior reporter regarding the videos that showed PTI ministers “flirting” with the TikTok celebrity and a friend of hers.

    She said that the society was facing many challenges “like crumbling of the social fabric”, and added that technology brought many facilities, but it had “also become a way to earn the wrath of Allah”.

    “It paves the way to hell,” Awan said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    CONTROVERSY:

    The videos — featuring Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan — were released over the internet with the claim that Rasheed had “also sent Hareem inappropriate videos”.

    “What about all those naked videos you used to send me have you forgotten about them?” Hareem can be heard as saying to the federal minister in one of the videos of their telephonic conversation, following which Rasheed abruptly disconnected the call.

    While the videos were removed by Hareem, it wasn’t later that they went viral over the internet, drawing mixed reactions. Amid all the criticism facing the internet star, she on Tuesday was reported to have left the country and applied for Canadian citizenship.

  • Maya Ali shuts down troll for asking if she is ‘still married to Osman Khalid Butt’

    Maya Ali shuts down troll for asking if she is ‘still married to Osman Khalid Butt’

    Maya Ali is no stranger to link-ups. Over the years, the actor has been linked to several of her co-stars. But among them all, her onscreen chemistry with Osman Khalid Butt had their fans swooning and the two began to be popularly known as Osmaya.

    While fans rooted for the two to get together in real-life, some people started speculating that the two have tied the knot after pictures of them in wedding attire were shared on social media. Turned out that the pictures were from a magazine cover shoot and not from their “marriage.”

    Nonetheless, every now and then, people raise questions pertaining to their relationship status. On a recent post by Maya, an Instagram user commented, “Is she still married with Osman Khalid Butt? Never seen them together.”

    To this, Maya replied, “Did I, my family or Osman or his family ever mention this thing anywhere? You have a right to ask a question but please don’t give any statements about anyone…Thank you.”

    The comment appears to have been removed.

    Osman and Maya made their debut in Aik Naeey Cinderella, following which they appeared in Aunn Zara. Their third drama together was the superhit Diyar-e-Dil. Their last drama together was Sanam which aired in 2016. Maya has often referred to Osman as her best friend and the two have walked the ramp and appeared on the red carpet together. However, they have never hinted at anything more than that.

    Meanwhile, Maya who has had a stellar year given the success of her second film Parey Hut Love, also reflected upon the past year and shared why it was so special for her.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wLZ9hHN97/
  • Police arrest four ATM hackers, including a couple

    Police arrest four ATM hackers, including a couple

    The Punjab police arrested four people, including a couple, for hacking into an ATM in Jhelum’s Dina.

    According to reports, the police were able to arrest the suspects with the help of CCTV camera footage. A case has also been filed.

    The hackers would use a skimming device to hack into the machine and record the data of people who came and used the ATM. Jhelum DPO Hamid Abid said the group put the device in the morning and took it out at night. He said “The Dina SHO searched for the group for several hours and then finally caught them red-handed when they came to remove the device at night.”

    The suspects are reportedly from Lahore.

  • Special PIA flight brings back 113 prisoners from Malaysia

    Special PIA flight brings back 113 prisoners from Malaysia

    A special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) brought back 113 stranded Pakistani prisoners from Malaysia. The flight brought back the Pakistanis from Kuala Lampur to Islamabad after the Malaysian government approved their amnesty.

    According to reports, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari instructed the Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia to make all the arrangements to bring back maximum number of Pakistani prisoners after registering them under the Malaysian Royal Amnesty Scheme. Most of the detainees were stuck in Malaysia after their visas expired while others were involved in petty crimes and had served their sentences but were unable to come back due to lack of funds.

    A large number of family members of the deportees were present at the airport to receive their loved ones. The Pakistani deportees were shouting slogans in favor of PM Khan.

    The Press Information Department also shared that “Earlier this year, 320 Pakistani nationals were repatriated that makes a total of 8,190 Pakistani nationals released by Malaysian authorities till date.”

    Pakistan and
    Malaysia have close mutual ties which were more improved when Prime Minister
    Imran Khan signed several agreements with the Malaysian government during his
    visit to the country in November this year.

  • Humayun Saeed welcomes New Year at Makkah, performs Umrah

    Humayun Saeed welcomes New Year at Makkah, performs Umrah

    Humayun Saeed welcomed his New Year at Makkah by performing Umrah.

    Taking to social media, the actor shared that he always wished to begin the new year at the “most sacred place” and his wish finally came true this year. Humayun shared that he prayed for his country and fans.

    Humayun is accompanied by his brother and wife. His wife, Samina also expressed her happiness on social media.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6v3NIylfLH/