Author: newsdesk

  • Javeria Khan is retiring from international cricket

    Javeria Khan is retiring from international cricket

    Former captain of the national women’s cricket team, Javeria Khan, has announced her retirement from international cricket.

    “There is a time for everything and this is the time to announce my retirement, however I will remain available for league cricket. I am grateful for the support I have received throughout my career.”

    “I would like to thank my family, teammates, Pakistan Cricket Board, my institution for their support and guidance at every step.”

    Javeria started her 15-year ODI career on 6 May 2008 against Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup and T20I career against Ireland in Dublin in 2009, representing the Pakistan Women’s team in 228 international matches and scored 4,903 runs including 2 centuries and 25 fifties. She also took 28 international wickets.

    Javeria is currently the second highest run-scorer for Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is. She’s also the only female cricketer from Pakistan to score more than 2,000 runs in each format apart from Bisma Maruf.

  • Gaza ceasefire deal close, says Blinken

    Gaza ceasefire deal close, says Blinken

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that the parties involved in the Israel assault on Gaza are close to reaching an agreement on a ceasefire in the besieged strip.

    In remarks given to Arab media outlets, Blinken emphasised the importance of putting a stop to the dire situation to pave the way for a better future for Gaza.

    Addressing Israel’s current offensive, Blinken stated that the US opposes Tel Aviv’s intention to carry out a large-scale ground assault on Rafah.

  • We don’t want armed conflict with Afghanistan, says Khawaja Asif

    We don’t want armed conflict with Afghanistan, says Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan does not want armed conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan, stressing that using force was the last option.

    The defence minister, in an interview with Voice of America on Wednesday, stated that Pakistan might block the trade corridor it gave to Afghanistan for trading with India. He added that Pakistan had the right to stop helping Kabul if it didn’t control terrorists against Pakistan who were active in Afghanistan.

    “If Afghanistan treats us like an enemy, then why should we give them a trade corridor?” Asif said.

    He passed the remarks after Pakistan launched intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions in response to several terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

    However, Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a statement that “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory.”

  • PTI hired lobbyists to malign Pakistan, alleges Attaullah Tarar

    PTI hired lobbyists to malign Pakistan, alleges Attaullah Tarar

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday denounced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for allegedly masterminding the cipher conspiracy for his own gains. He said that the party hired a lobbying firm for the recent US Congress hearing involving Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State.

    Testifying before a Congressional panel yesterday, the top US diplomat said: “I wanna be very clear on this point [that] this conspiracy theory is a lie [and] it is a complete falsehood.”
    The federal information minister condemned PTI for its anti-state narrative, including recent protests that took place outside the headquarters of International Monetary Fund (IMF). He said the sole purpose of the protests were to derail the debt agreement talks currently being finalized.

    “The PTI hired lobbyists in the United States for a congress hearing on the so-called regime change conspiracy, but their leader could not evade divine justice,” he said citing a proverb “man proposes and God disposes”.

    He pointed out that historically Pakistan had rarely witnessed an instance where a person would jeopardize national interests for his own ego, pointing towards Imran Khan.

    PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan talked with the media outside the High Court and said that the protests outside the IMF’S headquarters in the US were organized by overseas Pakistanis and that the party did not send anyone from Pakistan to organize it.

  • Shehnaz Sheikh speaks out about ‘Ankahi’ salary, social media

    Shehnaz Sheikh speaks out about ‘Ankahi’ salary, social media

    Veteran actress Shehnaz Sheikh may have stopped acting in dramas long ago, but she remains one of the nation’s favorite celebrities. She will be hosting a talk show on PTV soon, but she won’t be returning to acting anytime soon.

    Talking about her hit drama Ankahi in an interview with BBC Urdu, Shehnaz Sheikh said, “I was paid Rs. 800 per episode. Clothes, food, nothing was provided; we had to arrange everything ourselves, even transportation. After three years of ‘Tanhaiyaan,’ the payment increased to Rs. 1000. I am talking about a top-grade actor.”

    She also discussed her thoughts on social media. The host asked how does she see social media.’ She said, “I am thankful that during our time, all this wasn’t there. These phones didn’t exist, you can’t even imagine how our lives would have been exposed. The thought of someone recording, imagine if a camera came out, you’d know. In our entire class, there was hardly one person with a camera; it was so rare and your privacy is gone. But oh my god, the information you get! I can’t think of my life without social media. I love it. I watch TikTokers, reels, whenever I see them. As I said, if I don’t like something, I just scroll ahead.”

  • Azfar and Mani speak out: Reasons behind ending support for Imran Khan

    Azfar and Mani speak out: Reasons behind ending support for Imran Khan

    Comedians and actors Azfar and Mani have talked to The Independent Urdu about why why they were disappointed with former Prime Minister Imran Khan on their popular show, ‘The Azfar Mani Show’.
    “We liked Imran Khan since we were kids, so we talked about why we changed,” Azfar said.
    “I’ve been supporting PTI for 8 to 9 years,” said Mani.

    “We did many interviews with Imran Khan and visited him in Bani Gala. We thought he was great,” said Azfar. “But when he changed, we decided to change too,” he added. “When he became the PM, we were shocked by how quickly he changed. That’s when we decided to make the episode, which was quite long,” explained Azfar.

    The duo said they didn’t criticize PTI but only talked about how Imran Khan had changed. After the episode aired, they received a lot of criticism. When they saw how many people watched the episode, they decided to start the show.
    Mani explained why he stopped supporting Imran Khan in the interview:

    “In 2011, I joined PTI and was very involved at that time, especially when elections were delayed. I began making videos criticizing MQM, especially Altaf Hussain. I faced a lot of online abuse on Facebook, but Mustafa Kamal encouraged me to continue,” Mani shared.

    Mani mentioned that during the 2013 elections, he was very active and vocal, campaigning in Karachi. He recalled a time when the former prime minister lost, and his wife Hira protested against it. “But there came a point when I realised that Imran Khan is not the right fit for Karachi,” recalled the ‘Teri Meri Kahaniyaan’ actor.

  • Political rallies are not terrorism: SC

    Political rallies are not terrorism: SC

    The Supreme Court granted bail to five suspects nominated cases pertaining to May 9 riots.

    A three-member bench led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and comprising Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Mussarat Hilali on Wednesday took up bail applications of the accused suspects nominated under various laws including the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 for rioting and vandalizing Hamza Camp in Rawalpindi.

    Last year, nationwide protests and riots took place on May 9 after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from the premises of Islamabad High Court. Social media feeds were filled with videos showing acts of vandalism all over the country.

    During the hearing, Justice Mandokhail asked, “How is carrying out rallies [equivalent to] terrorism?”
    Justice Mandokhail asked the authorities whether they were aware of the conditions under which Anti-Terrorism Act could be enacted.

    “Recently, an incident of terrorism occurred in which officers were martyred [in North Waziristan]. The attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School was an act of terror. The suicide attack on lawyers in Quetta was an act of terror.”

    Justice Mandokhail criticized the authorities and asked, “Is carrying out rallies or being a worker of a political party a crime?”

    The Judge also emphasized that banning political parties and student unions had gotten the country to this point.
    The SC later granted bail to the suspects by accepting their bail requests against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.

  • ‘Ghar police bhaij doon ga’; Ali Amin Gandapur warns Maryam Nawaz, Zardari

    ‘Ghar police bhaij doon ga’; Ali Amin Gandapur warns Maryam Nawaz, Zardari

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has warned the Punjab government as well as the federal government to change their behaviours or he will “send police” to their homes, The News reported on Thursday.

    “Stop threatening me, or else we would send police to your homes,” Gandapur said while referring to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and President Asif Ali Zardari, after Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Malik Ijaz Asif issued non-bailable warrants against him in the alleged May 9 riots case on Tuesday.

    Non-bailable arrest warrants are also issued against multiple Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Shabbir Awan.

    Warrants were also issued for former PTI leaders Shireen Mazari, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, and Saad Jamil Abbasi.

    Ali Amin Gandapur also said that the first information reports (FIRs) against him are “fake,” adding that it would be difficult for Punjab and the federal government to operate if they do not change their behaviours.

  • Aiman Khan enjoys Iftar dinner with her mother and daughter

    Aiman Khan enjoys Iftar dinner with her mother and daughter

    Aiman Khan shared a sweet moment on Instagram during iftar. The picture showed Aiman, her mom, and her daughter enjoying the iftar together. Aiman captioned it “Iftar with my loves,” expressing the happiness of being with family during Ramadan. Fans loved the post, praising the actress for cherishing family time. It’s a reminder of the joy of togetherness during this special month.

  • Israeli military wants evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

    Israeli military wants evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

    Al Jazeera has reported that according to Hani Mahmoud, their colleague reporting from Gaza, the Israeli army has given a notice to forcefully displaced people to immediately leave Al-Shifa Medical Complex or the premises will be bombed.

    Mahmoud suggests that based on past bombing patterns, the entire hospital complex is at risk of destruction at the hands of the Israeli army.

    Al Jazeera also reports that as per local Palestinian media reports that a building used for specialised care within al-Shifa Hospital has been destroyed by the Israeli military.

    The military justified the raid on Monday by claiming according to intelligence, Hamas fighters were using the hospital complex for shelter. During the raid, approximately 90 Palestinians were killed, 300 suspects were interrogated, and over 160 were detained.

    Israel is continuing with its policies of destroying all infrastructure in Gaza, including health institutions, to force the strip to become completely uninhabitable.