Author: newsdesk

  • JUI-F’s Noor Islam Nizami shot dead in North Waziristan

    JUI-F’s Noor Islam Nizami shot dead in North Waziristan

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) prominent leader Noor Islam Nizami was shot dead on Tuesday in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district.

    Unidentified persons opened fire in Miranshah, close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, on the JUI-F leader, Express News reported.

    The North Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) also confirmed the death of the politician. His body was transferred to Miranshah Hospital for essential requirements.

    Authorities have started a proper investigation in the case, while evidence is also being collected. Police are carefully monitoring the district to catch the people who are behind the assassination.

    A report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) shows that Pakistan saw a rise in violence-related deaths during the first three months of 2024. The report reveals that there were 245 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, resulting in 432 fatalities.

  • Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi warns national cricket team against grouping

    Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi warns national cricket team against grouping

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has warned Pakistan players to avoid grouping in the cricket team.

    Mohsin Naqvi met with national cricketers engaged in the fitness camp at Kakul Academy on Tuesday, taking time out to talk to them individually and collectively.

    During the meeting he reportedly explained to the players that there should be no grouping in the team and cricketers should focus only on the game. He categorically said that everyone has to play as one unit and whoever performs will be part of the team.

    Regarding Babar Azam being entrusted with the leadership of T20 and ODI, he said that he took the decision on the advice of the selection committee.

    PCB has organized a fitness training camp for the national cricketers in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup and other series in collaboration with Pakistan Army at Kakul Academy in which 29 cricketers are participating right now.

    Pakistan will play a five-match T20 home series against New Zealand from April 18 this month, after which they will play a short series against England and Ireland and from there they will travel to America and the West Indies for the T20 World Cup.

  • Sahir Ali Bagga demands credit from Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for ‘Zaroori Tha’

    Sahir Ali Bagga demands credit from Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for ‘Zaroori Tha’

    The ongoing dispute between Sahir Ali Bagga and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has escalated to new heights. Bagga has now taken to Facebook to express his grievances, asking for proper credit as the composer of the popular song ‘Zaruri Tha’.

    Despite his apology in the end, Bagga remains firm in his stance, urging Khan to acknowledge his contribution to the project. As tensions continue, the ongoing conflict between these two musical giants keeps grabbing attention in the headlines.
    A few days ago, Bagga made headlines after calling out Rahat Fateh Ali Khan blatantly.

    The singer recently explained why he wrote against Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. He stated that as a committed composer, he seeks proper credit for the composition of the hit song ‘Zaruri Tha’, which has achieved significant success on YouTube.

    “The desire of a star maker is not just money. I am also a composer whom I am very proud of that my ALLAH has given me the ability to work hard for the talent of my country, and there is no doubt that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is the best talent of Pakistan. I have always tried to make the talent of our Pakistan recognized all over the world, and in helping this initiative, Yousaf Salahudin Sahab helped me in the form of Virsa Heritage, and many stars were also made. I created a song, titled (ZAROORI THAA), this is the song that I myself did not know that I would create this song and it would become a historical song of the Pakistan music industry, today, this song is at the top in terms of Pakistani music industry, and content, it’s very close to 2 billion views on YouTube in one play, and if my right is only to be given as a creator, which only the hero of this project Rahat Fateh Ali Khan can give; and for some reason he is not giving it, he should explain why he is not giving me the credit for this achievement. And if I have called someone a hypocrite, then I have called every person a hypocrite who wants to hide the truth and is trying to kill someone’s right, ALLAH has blessed Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with good abilities, he should give me my right as a humanity. I have many other pieces of evidence with me and on YouTube where Rahat Fateh Ali Khan did not give me credit, I still request that I be given credit because I do not want the juniors who idealize me to face problems in their struggle, and I should be given my right. Apart from this, I have no intention of saying anything bad about anyone. Thank you”

  • Opposition parties unite to restore democracy

    Opposition parties unite to restore democracy

    Opposition parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and a few other groups have joined hands to unite in upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and restoration of democracy in the country.

    The decision was taken in a meeting hosted by Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) where all parties in the capital city got together to protect the country’s Constitution and democracy from threats, their statement read.

    The meeting was attended by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser and Raoof Hasan; Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Abdul Rahim Ziyaratwal, Sardar Shafiq Khan Tareen and Riaz Khan.

    Leaders of the opposition parties expressed deep grievances over the increasing involvement of establishment in politics. “The establishment’s unconstitutional political role and interference has created a terrible distance between the people and the state,” it was said.

    The meeting also underscored the significance of free and fair elections and the independence of judiciary. They categorically rejected the elections results that were changed.

  • Army Chief will host Iftar for Pakistan cricket team

    Army Chief will host Iftar for Pakistan cricket team

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir will host an iftar party for the Pakistan cricket team in Rawalpindi on April 7. The national team is currently participating in a fitness camp in Kakul, Abbottabad.

    According to sources, the fitness camp, which was supposed to end on April 8, may wrap up a day earlier. Players will travel from Abbottabad to Rawalpindi on April 7 for iftar after which they will go back to their homes before Eid-ul-Fitr.

    New Zealand is coming for a five-match T20 series in Pakistan on April 14. Both the teams will play three T20 matches at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on April 18, 20 and 21. The teams will then travel to Lahore where they will play the remaining two T20Is of the series on April 25 and 27 respectively.

    All five matches of the T20 series will start at 7:00 PM (PST).

    New Zealand has announced their squad while Pakistan’s squad is going to be announced in a couple of days.

  • Imran Khan alleges judges conveyed feeling of helplessness to him

    Imran Khan alleges judges conveyed feeling of helplessness to him

    During an interaction with journalists in Adiala Jail today, former Prime Minister Imran Khan lauded the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges for exposing alleged interference in judicial matters and claiming judges would send him “messages of helplessness” in his cases.

    Khan’s statement came after the Supreme Court of Pakistan took a Suo Moto notice of the IHC Judges’ letter to the Supreme Judicial Council urging the body to probe the serious matter.

    A one-member inquiry commission was made by the federal cabinet however ex-CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani refused to head the said commission after he was chosen to lead it.

    Khan remarked, “I salute the judges for raising their voice and hope they will save the country.” He reiterated that everyone knew about the “regime change operation” in 2022 when he was ousted from the government through a no-confidence motion.

    The PTI founder gave his views about the Suo Moto notice by the SC and said, “It is a serious matter and should be heard by full court.” However, he remarked that a seven-member bench is better than the commission.

  • PCB to revamp several departments

    PCB to revamp several departments

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to revamp several departments, a process that will likely involve appointments and transfers.

    According to Geo news sources, many officials will also be relieved after restructuring of the departments. Director Coordination Sajid Hameed is being removed from the post and will be replaced by a new appointment.

    Sources say that Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is not happy with recent mismanagement in the board and he has conveyed the message of zero tolerance on mismanagement to everyone.

  • Imran Khan removes Sher Afzal Marwat from key party roles

    Imran Khan removes Sher Afzal Marwat from key party roles

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has removed maverick leader Sher Afzal Marwat from main party roles, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

    An internal party source claimed that removing Marwat from key party roles was the decision of the party’s core committee.

    Marwat’s name is not on the list of individuals who can meet Imran Khan in Adiala jail anymore. The new focal persons are Umar Ayub, Barrister Ali Zafar, Shibli Faraz, and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.

    Adiala jail authorities are also aware of the development.

    After Eid-ul-Fitr, PTI and other opposition parties are going to form an alliance to start an anti-government movement in the country.

    Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Majlis-e-Wadhat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), and Balochistan National Party (BNP) will also be part of the opposition alliance.

  • Gold price drops by Rs500 to Rs237,100 per tola

    Gold price drops by Rs500 to Rs237,100 per tola

    The local bullion market saw a downturn in its rally on Tuesday, with the price of 24-karat gold dropping by Rs500 per tola to Rs237,100.

    This decline comes after a significant increase of Rs19,100 in March, aligning with the upward trend in international gold prices.

    According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the price of 24-karat gold stood at Rs203,275 per 10-gramme, marking a decrease of Rs429 compared to the previous session. Similarly, the price of 22-karat gold was quoted lower at Rs186,335 per 10-gramme.

    Meanwhile, silver prices remained steady, with 24-karat silver being sold at Rs2,600 per tola and Rs2,211.93 per 10-gramme.

    In the global market, international spot gold continued its upward trajectory, reaching a new peak amid moderated US inflation data.

    Gold prices surged to $2,261.03 an ounce on Tuesday, reflecting a 0.42 per cent increase from the previous day’s close.

    The US core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index showed a cooling trend in February, with a month-on-month increase of 0.3 per cent and a year-on-year increase of 2.8 per cent.

    Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, addressing concerns about inflation, stated that the recent data did not alter the central bank’s fundamental outlook.

    However, he stressed that with the economy showing strength, there was no rush to adjust monetary policy.

    Looking ahead, traders are keeping a close watch on Friday’s release of the US nonfarm payrolls report. Another robust jobs report could potentially trigger a pullback in gold prices, as highlighted by Waterer.

  • Pakistan’s exports surge by 8.93% to Rs22.91 billion

    Pakistan’s exports surge by 8.93% to Rs22.91 billion

    Pakistan’s export sector has shown a notable surge, with an 8.93 per cent increase recorded in the initial nine months of the current fiscal year (2023–24) compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

    Data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) indicates that exports soared to $22.914 billion from July to March (2023–24), marking a significant rise from the $21.036 billion recorded during the same timeframe in 2022–2023.

    Conversely, imports experienced a decline of 8.65 per cent, dropping to $39.944 billion from $43.724 billion in the previous year.

    This resulted in a notable improvement in the trade deficit, which amounted to $17.030 billion for the first nine months of the current fiscal year, showcasing a substantial decrease of 24.94 per cent from the $22.688 billion recorded during the corresponding period last year.

    Analyzing the performance for March 2024 against March 2023, exports registered a notable uptick of 7.99 per cent on an annual basis, climbing from $2.366 billion to $2.555 billion.

    Conversely, imports surged by 25.86 per cent, reaching $4.726 billion compared to $3.755 billion in March 2023.

    In terms of month-to-month performance, while exports in March 2024 experienced a marginal decline of 1.08 per cent from February 2024’s $2.583 billion, imports demonstrated a noteworthy increase of 9.25 per cent from the $4.326 billion recorded in February 2024, as per PBS data.

    Pakistan, exports, trade deficit, fiscal year 2023–24, economic growth, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, imports, March 2024, global trade, commerce, trade statistics,