Author: newsdesk

  • Video: Three African runners let Chinese opponent win in Beijing Marathon

    Video: Three African runners let Chinese opponent win in Beijing Marathon

    A video clip is going viral on social media of the Beijing Marathon race, in which a trio of African runners can be seen letting their Chinese opponent win by one second.

    In the video, it can clearly be seen that runners Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat from Kenya, along with Dejene Hailu from Ethiopia, are racing towards the finish line while Chinese runner, He Jie is also keeping pace with them.

    The African runners can be seen slowing down to letting He Jie win, pointing toward the finish line.

    The broadcaster noticed that they all were together on the 21KM track. The Chinese runner won the gold medal while African runners won a joint silver medal.

    According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Willy Mnangat from Kenya said, “I let China’s He Jie win race because he is my friend.”

    After six hours, Mnangat changed his statement saying, “I was not there to compete, it was not a competitive race for me”.

    The Beijing Sports Competition Management and International Exchange Center, stated that they have started an investigation into the race.

    On this ‘suspicious win’, World Athletics said, “We are aware of the footage circulating online from the Beijing Half Marathon and understand an investigation is currently being conducted by the relevant local authorities.”

  • Shayad abh gas aajaye gi? Sindh to draft policy to produce gas from Thar coal

    The Energy Department of the Sindh government is planning to draft a policy for the production of liquid gas from coal, stated the Deputy Director Sindh Coal Authority (SCA) Asif Mangi in an interview with WealkthPK.

    SCA consultant Dr Farid A Malik has also said that Thar coal was declared a subject for gasification in the international laboratory of South Africa and could save up to 500 million dollars in foreign exchange annually.

    As of now, Pakistan is highly dependent on imported energy resources. In terms of gas import, an energy system from Thar’s 175 billion tons of coal reserves could reduce the energy import bill by 50 percent.

    Coal gasification is a process that converts solid coal into a combustible gas, composed primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by adding an oxidizing agent (air, oxygen, water vapor).

    The SCA conducted a study to evaluate the probability of Thar coal for conversion to liquid and gas by sending samples of the indigenous coal to the South African Laboratory.

    The study revealed that Thar coal has high tar yields of 20 percent (air dried basis) and high CO2 reactivity, which were typical of lignite coal and suitable for gasification.

  • Bushra Bibi wants to leave Banigala sub-jail and go to Adiala Jail, court refuses request

    Bushra Bibi wants to leave Banigala sub-jail and go to Adiala Jail, court refuses request

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) turned down Bushra Bibi’s application, where she had requested a transfer from Bani Gala sub-jail to Adiala jail.

    IHC judge Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb heard the petition and showed discontent as the lawyer of the former first lady was late to court. Judge Aurangzeb rejected Bushra’s request, without the lawyer present.

    After the rejection was announced, Bushra’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen reached court and said that he was late due to the long wait at checkposts.
    After her request to move to jail was denied, Shaheen urged the court to do a medical examination and address her health concerns. Bushra has alleged that she is being ‘slowly poisoned‘ at home.

  • PML-N leaders lambast the Faizabad Commission report

    PML-N leaders lambast the Faizabad Commission report

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has criticized the recently published report of the Faizabad Sit-in Inquiry Commission which gave a clean chit to the former Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General (retd.) Faiz Hamid and blamed the then-government for the entire event.

    Asif opined that the report was neither authentic nor reliable, saying, “Faizabad commission was a joke as General (retd) Hamid and former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa did not appear before the commission but only political workers like me did.”

    Questioning the reliability of the commission members, the defence minister said that they were not serious when he appeared before the commission.

    “The Faizabad inquiry commission must introspect about whether it fulfilled its duty or not,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Khurram Dastgir, a senior PML-N member remarked on GTV that Pakistan has its own parliament and that is the only constitutional and right way to investigate this matter.

    “Without accruing criminal liability, parliament must call all those actors to inquire the allegations,” said the former defence minister.

    “We shouldn’t leave this up to the annals of history but bring out the truth through parliament,” remarked Dastgir.

    Remember the Faizabad dharna? The 2017 Faizabad sit-in was organized by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), led by Khadim Rizvi, on November 8 to protest amendments in the Elections Bill specifically the word ‘oath’ changed to ‘declaration’. On November 25, the government clashed with protestors after many attempts of ‘peace talks’, resulting in nationwide protests and the deaths of more than six people across Pakistan.

    Earlier, the Faizabad Dharna Inquiry Commission was formed after accusations were raised that the then Major General DG (Counter Intelligence), General Faiz (who later became D.G. ISI) was involved in the dharna to pressurise the government and to investigate the TLP 2017 sit-in. The Commission has finalized its report, seven years later, and has sent its report to the federal government. The report completely exonerates General (retd.) Faiz Hamid from any responsibilities in the incident.

    The three-member commission was headed by retired police officer Syed Akhtar Ali Shah and consisted of former IGP Islamabad Tahir Alam Khan and Additional Interior Secretary Khushal Khan.

    The report put the onus on the then-ruling PMLN government, for mishandling the right-wing religious party’s violent sit-in.

    The report said that the fallout from the Faizabad dharna was “more due to lack of courage of conviction of the leader handling the issue and in particular the government of Punjab”.

    The report stated that former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had “confirmed that no individual/organization was involved in organizing or facilitating Faizabad Dharna”.

    Moreover, Mr Ahsan Iqbal, Mr Zahid Hamid, Mian Shehbaz Sharif and the then Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief were also asked about the alleged role of agencies in supporting the march and they all denied such allegations.

  • Lahore High Court annuls clause of age difference between boy and girl in constitution

    Lahore High Court annuls clause of age difference between boy and girl in constitution

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the amendment of Child Marriage Act 1929, a law made 95 years ago under which the legal age of marriage for a boy is 18 years and for a girl is 16 years, annulling the provision of age difference between males and females.

    Justice Shahid Kareem of Lahore High Court issued a five-page written judgment in which it is said that there is a need to take effective measures against child marriage. The high court declared “discriminatory” the specific portion of the legislation — Section 2(a) and (b) of the 95-year-old Act — which fixes different legal ages for males and females eligible for marriage.

    “The extract set out above makes a compelling case based on physiological and sociological factors for the executive to step up and take effective measures to counter the debilitating effect of child marriage,” the verdict read.

    The court decision said that under the constitution, all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law, no citizen can be discriminated against, whereas in the Child Marriage Act, 1929, the age difference between a boy and a girl is discrimination, making this age difference unconstitutional and void.

    It is said that the government should amend the Child Marriage Act in 15 days in the light of the court decision, reports The News.

    “In sum, the words in section 2(a) viz. “if a male ….and if a female is under sixteen years of age” being unconstitutional are held to be without lawful authority and of no legal effect. They are struck down,” the verdict stressed and added “The Govt of Punjab (its relevant department) is directed to issue the revised version of 1929 Act (based on this judgment) within the next fifteen days.”

  • Post-nikkah living arrangements spark debate on X

    Post-nikkah living arrangements spark debate on X

    In a recent X storm, a debate erupted over the issue of post-Nikkah living arrangements.

    An X (formerly Twitter) user asserted that if a girl demands that her husband gets her a separate house after nikkah, it is her right to do so.

    Lo and behold, the post sparked reactions, with opinions sharply divided.

    Another user, while acknowledging the importance of discussing living arrangements before Nikkah, expressed concern over the notion of leaving behind the husband’s elderly parents, suggesting it could be unfair, especially when they are in need of help in old age.

    She also reflected on the generational differences in mindset, expressing a sense of apprehensiveness about the younger generation – Gen Z.

    This was interjected with sarcasm as another user, pointing at the fact that women, too, have parents that they leave behind, said— it is not that they are raised by “wolves”.

    This remark highlighted the underlying tensions and biases surrounding traditional gender roles and societal expectations placed on women.

    More reactions:

  • Ali Haider Zaidi accepts that PTI government relied too much on Gen Faiz

    Ali Haider Zaidi accepts that PTI government relied too much on Gen Faiz

    In a talk show on ARY News, Kashif Abbasi asked senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Haider Zaidi about the biggest mistake of the PTI government in his personal opinion. Zaidi remarked that their handling of political matters was weak.

    When the anchor asked the PTI leader whether there was too much reliance on General Faiz and establishment on convincing other MNAs on passing any bills in the parliament, Zaidi replied, “Imran Khan has accepted this himself, Khan said that we [Khan and establishment] were on very good terms and they used to help us during passing of budgets.”

    He remarked that in hindsight that was the biggest mistake PTI government made during their tenure but at the time it was difficult to comprehend due to the fog of war.

    He also emphasized that in every democratic society, decision-making should be completely political.

    Ali Zaidi said that he’s not coming back to politics until he “clears a lot of things with Imran Khan”. And then he asked the anchor, “Have I ever said anything against Imran Khan? Have I ever tweeted against PTI? Did I say anything against PTI since I’ve been in your program?”

    He blamed the party’s Core Committee for letting his family be vilified online due to their deliberate lies. “My daughter comes home from school and asks what they are saying about us,” he recounted.

    He emphasized that the committee members deliberately lie to get to upper ranks and expose internal party differences in public. He said that he would need to talk these things over with Imran Khan and let him know what these people did to us.

  • Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain redefine marriage age limits

    Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain redefine marriage age limits

    Bushra Ansari, one of the most famous actors, writers, and singers in the industry, and Iqbal Hussain, a long-time actor turned successful Pakistani director, caught people’s attention in 2019 when rumors of their marriage spread in the media industry. Though they neither confirmed nor denied the news, they were frequently seen together at various events, including Nida Yasir’s brother’s wedding.

    Recently, Bushra Ansari posted a vlog on her YouTube channel discussing her second marriage to Iqbal Hussain. In the vlog, she introduced her husband to her YouTube followers, who had expressed concerns about her being lonely. Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain also talked about a stigma in Eastern society where marrying an older woman is seen as wrong.

    Bushra Ansari said “Iqbal Hussain proposed to me while we were shooting for Seeta Bhagri. He said, ‘Since we both live alone, we should get married.’ Marrying him was a tough decision for me. Even though I had been divorced, I never announced it. It took me a year and a half to decide to marry someone younger than me. He had been divorced long before me.”

    Iqbal Hussain said, “Bushra Ansari’s family and friends helped me make this decision. They convinced her because Bushra wasn’t agreeing to it. Sumbul Apa, Neelum Aapa, Asma Abbas’s husband, all supported us greatly. Bushra Ansari also mentioned that Rubina Ashraf, Behroze Sabzwari, Badar Khalil, Sultana Siddiqui, and all her friends supported our decision. We also told our kids, who are abroad, about our decision to move forward in life, and they are happy about it.”

    Iqbal Hussain stated, “If two people have the option and there are no family clashes, they should choose marriage without making it a big deal. Additionally, society should normalize marrying an older lady.”

    Here’s the detailed interview:

  • Pakistan in position to complete Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, says Khawaja Asif

    Pakistan in position to complete Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, says Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that “Pakistan is in a position to complete the [gas] pipeline project with Iran and makes decision regarding it.” However, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s visit to Pakistan is expected this month.

    “We are constructing a gas pipeline on our side from Gwadar to the Iranian border,” Asif said while speaking on Geo News’ Capital Talk programme.

    Earlier this month, The News said that Pakistan started building an 80km part of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline. They’re working from Gwadar to a spot where they can link it to the Iranian section of the project.

  • Sanaullah says party cannot keep promises to people because ‘they didn’t give us majority’

    Sanaullah says party cannot keep promises to people because ‘they didn’t give us majority’

    In a talk show on Public News, anchorperson Iqrah Haris asked former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah given the promises the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made during its election campaigns, would it be ready to suffer the consequences if the government is unable to deliver.

    Rana Sanaullah remarked that the N-League would not be responsible for any promises made to the public simply because it is a coalition government.

    “We are not making any promises now, the promises we made were dependent on us getting a simple majority and PML-N making its own government under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif.”

    The PML-N’s senior leader asserted that had the government been granted a majority, it would have borne the responsibility of steering the country out of this economic turmoil.