Author: newsdesk

  • Salaried class fights back: Petition filed against high taxes in Supreme Court

    Salaried class fights back: Petition filed against high taxes in Supreme Court

    After the National Assembly approved the controversial economic budget for the next fiscal year last week, a group called the Salaried Class Alliance of Pakistan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, citing discrimination in taxation against salaried classes in the recent budget.

    “This budget marks the third consecutive year in which the burden of taxation has disproportionately fallen upon the salaried class, neglecting broader efforts to expand the tax base in the country,” read the petition.

    The alliance raised key issues such as an unbalanced tax burden, neglect of tax base expansion, impact on economic growth and brain drain, and disparities in taxation.

    It urged the Supreme Court, “Under Article 184(3) of the constitution of Pakistan to uphold justice and protect the rights of salaried class and all taxpayers in Pakistan.”

  • PTI forms five-members committee to hold talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    PTI forms five-members committee to hold talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has constituted a five-member negotiation team for holding talks with Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to establish an extensive opposition alliance.

    The negotiation team includes PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Asad Qaiser, party’s Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan, Senator Shibli Faraz, and NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan.

    Both parties have the same agenda, namely that the February 8 general elections were not free and fair. PTI formed a six-party opposition alliance in April to give the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) a hard time.

    In a meeting between PTI’s Asad Qaiser and Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad last month, both the leaders agreed to play a vital role of opposition in NA.

  • Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Sahiwal’s Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) has awarded the death sentence to a Christian man who allegedly circulated a social media post that led to riots in Jaranwala last year, reports Dawn.

    Judge Ziaullah Khan sentenced the young man to 22 years in prison and imp­osed a fine of Rs1 million. The final judgment said he was awarded the death sentence and a fine of Rs500,000 under Section 295(C), ten years rigorous imprisonment under Sec­tion 295(A), seven years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, and five years and Rs500,000 fine under 7(1) (G)-ATA.

    The Punjab police claimed last year that around 135 miscreants had been booked for the attacks, but according to Advo­cate Akmal Bhatti, only 12 people are currently facing trials in the court.

    However, the convict was accused of sharing a social media post which allegedly contained blasphemous content.

    He was picked up by police on intelligence reports three days after the riots.

    Complainant Amir Farooq, who is now SHO at the Ghala Mandi police, told Dawn that while the man in question did not produce the blasphemous content, he did share it on TikTok, where it went viral.

    Background

    In March, Faisalabad ATC had acquitted two Christian brothers who were ‘framed’ for desecration after a police probe revealed that the two had been implicated in a blasphemy case over a personal enmity.

    Dozens of Christian homes and around 20 chu­rches were vandalised and ransacked by mobs in Jaran­wala following allegations that a copy of the Holy Quran had been desecrated.

  • Anoushey Ashraf ties the knot in intimate nikkah ceremony

    Anoushey Ashraf ties the knot in intimate nikkah ceremony

     Host and former VJ Anoushey Ashraf’s special day has finally arrived, marked by the presence of her closest friends and family. Anoushey has tied the knot with Shahab Reza Mirza in an intimate Nikkah ceremony held via online video link. She announced her marriage through her Instagram account with the caption, “Beta aapne abhi tak shaadi kyun nahi ki?”

    “Lo, Karli” ♥ ♥.

    The humorous announcement is hallmark of the laid-back VJ and television host, who begun her career on Indus Music/MTV Pakistan’s musical shows and live transmissions. Anoushey is part of Pakistan’s first group of VJs and pioneered musical transmissions. She has also hosted the morning show ‘Chai, Toast, or Host’ on Dawn News. She is also a known animal rights advocate.

    Here are pictures from Anoushey Ashraf’s Nikkah:

  • Indian cricketer Mohammad Siraj gets trolled by right-wing extremists for thanking Allah

    Indian cricketer Mohammad Siraj gets trolled by right-wing extremists for thanking Allah

    Extremist right-wing Indians have trolled Indian fast bowler Mohammad Siraj for thanking Allah after winning the T20 World Cup 2024.

    India defeated South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup, winning an International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy after 13 years. India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007, while the ODI World Cup was in 2011.

    The pacer tweeted, “Thank You Allah Almighty” after lifting the trophy, an innocent tweet that got him trolled right-wing Hindutva followers. Some even suggested that he should have thanked the Indian team and Hindu gods instead.

    Here are some reactions:

  • Ali Abbas wants 18+ age limit, ID verification for social media

    Ali Abbas wants 18+ age limit, ID verification for social media

    Pakistan is going through huge regulations, with Twitter/X banned by the government and talks of a firewall underway in the country. 
    Recently, actor Ali Abbas appeared as a guest on the ‘FHM Podcast’ where he talked about the urgent need for regulations on social media.
    Ali Abbas said, “There should be an age limit of 18 years enforced and monitored, with users required to verify their identity using an ID card or passport before opening an account. The younger generation is losing their way, influenced by inappropriate content they encounter online.”

  • Khan’s release not possible under current PTI leadership, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Khan’s release not possible under current PTI leadership, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Former leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry, has criticized the party’s current heads, stating that there is no possibility of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s release in the presence of the current leadership, Geo News reported on Sunday.

    “[Due to] lack of political strategy of current PTI leadership, all of us are suffering,” said the former vice president of the party, who left PTI after the May 9 events.

    He also replied to criticism that those who left Imran Khan during a difficult time have started speaking up for him now that the draught period has passed.

    “Tough times have not ended for the jailed former premier and other PTI leaders. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others are still behind bars and going through a difficult time,” Fawad Chaudhry said.

     “Some people start their journey from Peshawar and return after staging a rally in Lahore,” he remarked.

  • Euro Cup: England defeats Slovakia by 2-1

    Euro Cup: England defeats Slovakia by 2-1

    In the Euro Cup 2024, England reached the quarter-finals with a dramatic win over Slovakia. In the round of 16, the English team defeated Slovakia by 2-1.

    In the first half of the match, Slovakia’s Ivan Shrins took the lead by scoring in the 25th minute, while the England team could not score any goals.

    Despite several attacks in the second half, England could not get any success, but in the extra time, Jude Billingham scored in the 90th minute of the match and Harry Kane scored in the 91st minute to give England victory.

    In the second match of the event, Spain easily defeated Georgia by 4 goals to 1.

  • Economic stability in Pakistan has revived trust of international bodies: Finance Minister

    Economic stability in Pakistan has revived trust of international bodies: Finance Minister

    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has stated that Pakistan’s economic stability has restored the trust of international institutions.

    Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Aurangzeb highlighted the significant improvement in the country’s economy, attributing this success to the government’s prudent economic policies.

    He emphasised that these policies would lead to sustainable economic stability.

    Aurangzeb reaffirmed the government’s commitment to digitising the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to enhance transparency and eliminate corruption. He stressed the importance of minimising human intervention to make the FBR system free from malpractices.

    The minister noted that efforts are underway to bring retailers into the tax net, with 42,000 retailers already registered. He pledged to raise the tax-to-GDP ratio to 13 per cent within the next three years through pragmatic reforms across various sectors of the economy.

    Aurangzeb’s remarks came shortly after the government passed the Federal Budget 2024-25 in the National Assembly, ahead of critical discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The budget, which included specific amendments, further increased taxes without offering relief to taxpayers.

  • Temporary relief ends as govt raises petrol price by Rs7.45 to Rs265.61 per litre

    Temporary relief ends as govt raises petrol price by Rs7.45 to Rs265.61 per litre

    In a significant development, the federal government announced on Sunday an increase in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), effective from July 1, 2024.

    The price of petrol has been raised by Rs7.45, bringing the new rate to Rs265.61 per litre. Meanwhile, the price of HSD has surged by Rs9.56 per litre, setting the new price at Rs277.45.

    This price adjustment follows the previous review in which the government had reduced the petrol price by Rs10.2 per litre and the diesel price by Rs2.33 per litre.

    The latest increase aligns with the government’s earlier projections, which had indicated a potential rise of Rs7.54 per litre for petrol and Rs9.84 per litre for HSD, based on prevailing government taxes and the profit margins for oil marketing companies (OMCs).