Author: newsdesk

  • Stock market surge in reality after Danish buys shares in ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’, breaks Twitter

    The stock market in Pakistan has witnessed an increase by gaining 40,000 points after a gap of around 10 months, and netizens are thanking Danish from the popular TV serial ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho‘ for buying shares worth Rs7.8 million in the latest episode that aired Saturday.

    The TV serial took an unexpected turn after Danish purchased shares of Shahwar Chemicals — a company owned by his ex-wife Mehwish’s new lover Shahwar Ahmed — to further inflict damage to the company that is undergoing losses for the past few months.

    While Danish buying shares played a typical form of karma in the serial for his wife, people can’t help but laud the character for causing an actual stock market upsurge.

    Twitterati couldn’t help but notice how that moment in the serial coincided perfectly with a stock market rise in Pakistan in reality, and the microblogging website was soon flooded with memes.

    Actor Humayun Saeed, who plays Danish, is once again breaking the internet and here’s what social media users have to say about the coincidence:

    Many users are thanking danish for purchasing stocks from Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

    And some are trolling Mehwish — played by actor Ayeza Khan — for leaving Danish for being a middle-class government employee, for Shahwar.

    Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday crossed the 40,000 mark after a gap of around 10 months as the KSE-100 index closed at 40,122 points with a positive change of 836 points. A total of 361,655,400 shares were traded during the day, whereas the value of shares traded stood at Rs13.75 billion as compared to the previous day’s value of Rs11.9 billion.

  • Pakistan repays $1 billion Sukuk bonds issued by PML-N govt

    Pakistan repays $1 billion Sukuk bonds issued by PML-N govt

    Pakistan has successfully reapaid a foreign debt of over $1 billion, shaking up the country’s foreign currency reserves on the day Moody’s rating agency upgraded Islamabad’s credit rating outlook to from ‘negative’ to ‘stable’, Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, Pakistan on Monday has paid back around $1 billion on maturity of five-year international Sukuk.

    “We paid over $1 billion including interest payment at the maturity of a Sukuk today (Monday),” reports quoted SBP’s official as saying.

    Pakistan had earlier launched a $-denominated Islamic bond worth $1 billion with a five-year tenure in the international bond market in November 2014, during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s tenure. The sovereign bonds were issued at a rate of 6.75%.

    The bond got matured in November 2019 and accordingly, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has repaid $1 billion, borrowed to build the foreign exchange reserves.

    A sukuk is an Islamic financial certificate, similar to a bond in Western finance, also commonly referred to as “sharia compliant” bonds. Since the traditional Western interest-paying bond structure is not permissible, the issuer of a sukuk sells an investor group a certificate, and then uses the proceeds to purchase an asset, of which the investor group has partial ownership. The issuer of the sukuk bond must also make a contractual promise to buy back the bond at a future date at par value.

    The said payment from the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves will be reflected in the next weekly forex report. However, the reports reveal that with this repayment, the SBP’s reserves will most likely slip below $7 billion.

    Moody’s in its report has highlighted that Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserve adequacy remains low, adding that that foreign exchange reserve adequacy will take time to rebuild.

    At the time of launching the Sukuk, the bond fetched bids amounting to $2.3 billion, five times higher than the actual target set by the government.

    The government had planned to raise $1-2 billion in fresh foreign debt before the Sukuk payment was made.  The floating of new Sukuk and Eurobond has remained pending for long.

    At the time of launching the Sukuk bond, it fetched bids amounting to $2.3 billion which is five times higher than the actual target set by the government.

    The government had planned to raise $1-2 billion in fresh foreign debt before the Sukuk payment was made. The floating of new Sukuk and Eurobond has remained pending for long.

  • VIDEO: Federal Minister Fawad messes up US history on-air; makes Benjamin Franklin president

    VIDEO: Federal Minister Fawad messes up US history on-air; makes Benjamin Franklin president

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry, in yet another faux pas, has messed up the history of the United States (US) on-air by not only making polymath Benjamin Franklin an “American president”, but also accrediting him for 1930s’ New Deal.

    Speaking to a private media outlet on Monday, the minister had said that it was time for a “New Deal” among all state institutions. “At the moment, no institution in Pakistan is strong enough to challenge any other institution. Everyone is looking to enhance their own mandate. We must slow down and strike a New Deal.”

    “A deal like the one by US president Benjamin Franklin. It changed the entire country. It is what we need as well. Specially, at a time when the chief justice has also highlighted the need for a dialogue and the army chief as well as the prime minister want to strengthen civilian institutions,” Fawad had said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    But what many, including the show hosts, didn’t realise, was that the science minister himself didn’t know what he was talking about.

    Not only was Franklin never elected president of the US, the New Deal — a series of programmes, public work projects, financial reforms and regulations enacted by President Franklin Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939 — came over a 140 years after his death. The programmes responded to needs for relief, reform and recovery from the Great Depression.

    This, however, isn’t the first time that Fawad has put himself in an awkward situation by presenting “alternate” facts. In May this year, he had said that the Hubble Space Telescope was sent into space by Pakistan’s aeronautics and aerospace research agency Suparco, instead of its US counterpart, NASA.

    Twitter had erupted into a volley of laughs and memes following the gaffe, as people had mercilessly mocked the minister.

  • After Kartarpur, Pakistan is ready to welcome Buddhist pilgrims

    After Kartarpur, Pakistan is ready to welcome Buddhist pilgrims

    Pakistan is promoting religious tourism in the country with commendable efforts being made by the government. Opening new avenues including the Kartarpur Corridor has won the hearts of the Sikh community across the world. It has also promoted a positive image of Pakistan and given the message of religious tolerance in the country.

    Pakistan is ready for another project aimed towards the Buddhist Pilgrims.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari in an event called “Welcome Christians Season”  shared the plans for this iniative. He revealed that a Buddhist trail will be developed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Azad Jammu Kashmir, allowing Buddhist pilgrims from all across the world to visit Pakistan.

    Bokhari asserted that Pakistan will work towards the restoration of Buddhist cultural heritage.

    Recently, a group of South Korean monks visited the Gilgit Baltistan region and visited their religious landmarks. Their visit highlighted Pakistan’s ancient links to the Gandhara civilization.

    Buddhism, which is one of the earliest religions to exist, has deep roots in Pakistan, particularly in KP and Gilgit-Baltistan.

  • Mother kills son’s murderer after seven years

    Mother kills son’s murderer after seven years

    A mother, Parveen Akhtar, has killed her son’s acquitted alleged murderer Nouman, after the Lahore High Court (LHC) had exonerated him of murder charges due to lack of evidence, ARY News reported.

    According to the details, Nouman, around seven years ago had allegedly murdered Parveen’s son Tasleem, age 21 over a domestic issue in Sialkot.

    Parveen had lodged a case agianst the suspect in the lower court and after the proceedings, the court had found Nouman guilty of killing her son, handing down a death sentence to him.

    Later, Nouman had filed a plea in the LHC against the death sentence, awarded to him in the murder case. After which in April 2019, the court had annulled the lower court’s verdict and declared Nouman innocent.

    Nouman after getting released from the court left for Dubai and remained their for several months, and upon his return to Pakistan, he was killed by the mother in revenge.

    Police have now registered a case against Parveen and her four accomplices for killing the man. A police official has said that they have arrested the woman and conducting raids to apprehend her other accomplices.

    He added that two murder cases were also registered against Parveen Akhtar’s son who had been allegedly killed by Nouman.

  • Aurat March 2020 receives backlash on social media

    The poster Aurat
    March was met with rape and death threats after it was upload on social media
    last week.   

    Aurat March
    (women march) calls for women, transgender, and other suppressed gender groups
    to raise voice against injustice and deeply embedded patriarchy in our society.
    Unfortunately, within an hour of upload – the post was bombarded with crushing
    sexist and misogynist comments

    While talking to
    Express Tribune, the organizers said that they can take little action against
    such response on social media.

    “The maximum we
    can do is to report it on Facebook,” said the organizers adding, “We’ll stand
    for the cause and call out this unjust treatment – those who’re posting threats
    will not get away with all this.”

    The Aurat March
    team said that they are partnering with legal teams to tackle bullying and
    threats. 

    It is ironic that
    these people are getting uncomfortable because suppressed genders are demanding
    equal rights and better treatment in society, whereas when people like Khadim
    Hussain Rizvi outrageously abused and curse publically – the only concern for
    people is the inconvenience in traveling and day to day life.

  • VIDEO: Groom skydives into his wedding

    VIDEO: Groom skydives into his wedding

    We’ve always heard of innovative and unusual bridal entries but in this case, a bridegroom made headlines with his extraordinary shaadi entrance.

    Bridegroom Akaash Yadav, who was getting married in Los Cabos, Mexico joined the ‘baraatis’ by skydiving from an aircraft.

    The video, which went viral on social media showed Aakash, all strapped-in and wearing a black paragliding suit, gliding down with a yellow and white parachute. The excited applause and hoots can be heard in the background of the video as he lands.

    Now that’s what you call a dramatic entry.

    Watch the video here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lGbI8Bmtu/

    In the video, one guest can be heard saying, “Only he would do this!”

    According to reports, the couple, who are both professional dancers and actors in the US, tied the knot in a Hindu ceremony in Mexico.

  • ‘Wait four years for Buzdar to be replaced,’ PM tells CM’s foes in PTI

    ‘Wait four years for Buzdar to be replaced,’ PM tells CM’s foes in PTI

     Prime Minister Imran Khan made it clear that
    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will complete his time as he supported him
    in different meetings he lead at the CM Secretariat during his one-day visit to
    Lahore.

    According to the reports, during one of the meetings with members of the Punjab cabinet and MPAs at the CM Secretariat, the PM said that he knew everyone sitting in the meeting wanted to become the chief minister, but he would continue standing with CM Buzdar.

    “Those who want to replace Usman
    Buzdar should wait for the next four years,” said the prime minister.

    He said Buzdar was neither living in
    lavish houses nor spending Rs800 million per annum on his personal security.

    “The reforms implemented during the
    PTI government’s tenure have never happened before in Punjab. We need to hold
    seminars and publicize the reforms implemented in Punjab,” he said.

  • VIDEO: Congress leader chants ‘Priyanka Chopra Zindabad’ instead of Priyanka Gandhi

    VIDEO: Congress leader chants ‘Priyanka Chopra Zindabad’ instead of Priyanka Gandhi

    Like a Pakistani political blunder, former Congress MLA (Member Lok Assembly) Surendar Kumar made a gaffe and was left embarrassed on stage at a public rally when instead of chanting the name of his leader Priyanka Gandhi, Kumar chanted Priyanka Chopra.

    Many people chuckled at a recent rally held across the border when it started echoing ‘Priyanka Chopra Zindabad’ instead of Priyanka Gandhi, who is one of the important figures of Indian National Congress.

    But Kumar soon realised his mistake and corrected it by screaming: “Priyanka Gandhi Zindabaad!”

    Watch the video here:

    https://twitter.com/Alter_Ego45/status/1201124891103121408
  • VIDEO: Imran Ashraf hums the tune of ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ as Adnan Siddiqui plays the piano

    VIDEO: Imran Ashraf hums the tune of ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ as Adnan Siddiqui plays the piano

    Imran Ashraf and Adnan Siddiqui’s impromptu rendition of Meray Paas Tum Ho’s title track is pretty cool.

    As the two got together at Evernew Studios to begin work on their upcoming project Dum Mastam, they made use of an old piano there to record their own version of the title track of Meray Paas Tum Ho.

    Watch the video here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5hhsK0lWGd/

    We all knew that Adnan Siddiqui was a pro at playing the flute but turns out he’s equally good with the piano as well.

    Meanwhile, in case you missed it, Adnan Siddiqui is donning the producer’s hat and will be producing Imran’s debut film Dum Mustam. The film is being directed by Superstar director Ehteshamuddin and will also star Amar Khan and social media sensation Momin Saqib.

    Read more: Adnan Siddiqui is producing a rom-com starring Imran Ashraf & Momin Saqib

    What did you think of their rendition? Another rendition of the OST which is doing the rounds on social media is of these two young school kids.

    https://twitter.com/TeamAhsankhan/status/1201438614934237184?s=20