Author: newsdesk

  • Toyota manufacturer in Pakistan halts car production amid parts shortage

    Toyota manufacturer in Pakistan halts car production amid parts shortage

    Indus Motor Company (IMC), the manufacturer of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan, has declared a temporary shutdown of its production plant for a duration of six days.

    The decision stems from the company’s concern over low inventory levels and a shortage of essential components, as disclosed in a formal notice submitted to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

    The notice specified, “Based on the current low level of inventory of manufactured vehicles and the shortage of parts and components for vehicle manufacturing, due to supply chain challenges, the company has decided to close its production plant from March 6th, 2024, to March 11th, 2024 (both days inclusive).”

    Pakistan’s automotive sector is grappling with various challenges, including the nation’s sluggish economic growth, surging inflation rates, and elevated borrowing costs, all of which are contributing to a decline in vehicle sales.

    To address these challenges, Indus Motor Company recently announced its board’s approval of an investment of approximately Rs3 billion.

    This investment aims to enhance the localization of production, a crucial step in the company’s broader strategy to consistently increase the localization of parts and components in locally manufactured vehicles. 

    This temporary shutdown underscores the broader challenges facing the automotive industry in Pakistan and reflects IMC’s proactive approach to managing its production in response to current market conditions.

  • Kinza Hashmi has a pre-birthday celebration with friends

    Kinza Hashmi has a pre-birthday celebration with friends

    If you thought birthdays are celebrated on just the birth date, well, you were wrong. We now have pre-birthday celebrations and post-birthday celebrations. It’s a changing world.

    In the entertainment world, Kinza Hashmi is a well-loved actress. Originally dreaming of becoming a singer, she found success in acting instead. Kinza has many friends in the industry like Aiman, Minal, Saboor Aly, and makeup artist Sara Ali. She enjoys celebrating her special days in style, and recently, she did it again.

    At her pre-birthday party, Kinza had a gathering with lots of famous people. Stars like Saboor Aly, Sadia Ghaffar, Wahaj Ali, Feroze Khan, Imran Ashraf, Zaviyar Nauman Ijaz, and Minal Khan were there to celebrate with her.
    Kinza looked beautiful in a red and pink dress, that complimented the pink balloons she was carrying. Will she pull out all the stops for the actual birthday? Who knows.

    For now, enjoy the pictures from the pre-birthday bash.

  • Gold price surpasses Rs225,000 per tola following yet another major surge

    Gold price surpasses Rs225,000 per tola following yet another major surge

    Gold prices witnessed another substantial surge in Pakistan on Wednesday, attracting the attention of investors and consumers alike.

    The coveted yellow metal reached a notable milestone, standing at Rs225,400 per tola after witnessing a substantial gain of Rs1,500 throughout the day.

    The All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA) provided the latest rates, revealing that the 10-gram gold was traded at Rs193,244, reflecting an increase of Rs1,286. This surge follows Tuesday’s notable rise, where gold prices in the country had escalated by Rs2,700 per tola.

    The international market played a pivotal role in influencing this surge, with gold commanding a premium of $20 on Wednesday.

    The global rate for gold was established at $2,148 per ounce after experiencing a $13 upswing, as reported by the APGJSA.

    In contrast, silver rates maintained their stability, holding steady at Rs2,600 per tola.

    The resilience in silver prices adds an intriguing dynamic to the precious metals market, warranting continued observation.

  • PML-N, allies secure two-third majority in National Assembly

    PML-N, allies secure two-third majority in National Assembly

    The coalition government, led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and allies has secured a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly (NA) after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allocated them reserved seats but not to opponent Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

    A total of 224 seats out of 336 are a requirement for any government to secure a two-thirds majority in NA.

    Considering the current numbers, the Shehbaz Shairif-led coalition government — comprising Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and National Party (NP) —  has 230 members in the lower house. 

    The PML-N currently has 123 seats in NA, of which 75 are general seats, which the party won in the February 8 polls. After that, nine independent MNAs joined the party, taking the number to 84. However, PML-N secured 23 reserved seats, including 16 for women and 4 for minorities.

    Similarly, after the ECP ruling on the remaining reserved seats, the party got the lion’s share, bagging 15 out of the remaining 20 reserved seats for women and one out of the three remaining seats reserved for minorities. 

    The PML-N now has 123 members, becoming the largest party in the NA.

    On the other hand, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed SIC stands at the second position with 82 seats, PPP now has 73 seats, including 54 general seats, 16 women and another three reserved seats for minorities.

    Moreover, MQM-P stands at number four with a tally of 22 MNAs, including 17 general seats and five reserved seats — four women and one minority.

    IPP has four seats in the National Assembly, including three general and one reserved for women.

    Similarly, six political parties have one general seat, including BAP, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), PML-Z, Balochistan National Party (BNP), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the National Party (NP).

  • Underage driver was guilty in DHA accident case: Police report

    Underage driver was guilty in DHA accident case: Police report

    An interim challan (investigation report) has been filed against the teenage driver Afnan Shafqat and four others in the case of road accident in DHA Phase 7, Lahore, last November that had claimed lives of six members of a family.

    Underage driver Afnan Shafqat, his father Shafqat Ali and friends, Ali Abdullah, Muhammad Saad and Muhammad Ibrahim, have been declared guilty of multiple offences in the challan.

    The police investigation has laid out that the teenage suspect and his friends first harassed women passengers in the vehicle before hitting their car.

    Afnan’s father, Shafqat, a property dealer, had been accused of illegally letting his underage son drive the car.

    The report also stated that a request had been sent to the concerned authorities to conduct an ossification test for determining the age of the main suspect but a positive response was still awaited. It said the age of the suspect, as per the birth certificate, was 17 years and 27 days on the day of the accident.

    Judge Naveed Iqbal directed the police to produce the suspect on March 11.

    The judge also summoned other suspects through notices.

  • PSL 9: Karachi kings defeats Quetta Gladiators by 7 wickets

    PSL 9: Karachi kings defeats Quetta Gladiators by 7 wickets

    In the 22nd match of Pakistan Super League Karachi kings defeats Quetta Gladiators by 7 wickets in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    Karachi Kings captain Shan Masood won the toss and decided to bowl first.

    Quetta Gladiators inning

    Quetta’s openers gave the team a 20-run start, but Jason Roy scored 15 runs. Saud Shakeel formed a 47-run partnership with Khawaja Nafay, but Hasan Ali dismissed both of them and broke the back of the Gladiator batting.

    After that, the wickets of Quetta kept falling like dry leaves and the team could not even play complete 20 overs. The entire team was bowled out for 118 runs in 19.1 overs. Vice-captain Saud Shakeel was the top scorer with 33 runs.

    On behalf of Karachi, Hasan Ali dismissed four players by giving only 15 runs, Mazrabani and Zahid Mehmood took two, while Mir Hamza got one wicket.

    Karachi Kings inning

    Chasing the target of Quetta, Karachi lost thier first wicket on 13 runs but Tim Seiert and James Vince scored a prtnership of 50 runs. Tim Seifert scored 49 runs while Shoaib Malik and James Vince scored 27 runs each.

    From Quetta Akeel Husain, Muhammad Amir and Abrar Ahmed took one wicket each.

  • Kangana Ranaut criticizes celebs for performing at Ambani party

    Kangana Ranaut criticizes celebs for performing at Ambani party

    Billionaire Indian family Ambanis have thrown a huge party worth more than a thousand crores INR, to celebrate Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding ceremonies. Many important people from various fields around the world attended. Famous Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Salman Khan, and Deepika Padukone performed at the event.

    Kangana Ranaut, who is known as the queen of controversy, indirectly criticized those who performed at the Ambani bash. She shared a screenshot of an article on the late singer, Lata Mangeshkar, on her Instagram stories.The headline read, “Even if you give me five million dollars I won’t come:When Lata Mangeshkar refused to sing at wedding.”

    Kangana compared herself to the late legendary singer, saying, “I have been through worse financial setbacks, but Lata ji and I are only two people who have massive hit songs (fashion ka jalwa, ghani baawli ho gayi, London thumkda, Sadi galli, Vijay bhawa etc.) to our credit.”
    She talked about facing financial struggles but never dancing at various weddings. Kangana mentioned the importance of solid willpower and dignity in a person’s character.

    She added, “But no matter how many temptations I got I never danced in the weddings, many super hit item songs were also offered to me, soon I avoided award shows also. It takes strong character and dignity to say no to fame and money, in the world of short cuts young generation needs to understand only wealth one can acquire is the wealth of integrity (thumbs up emoji).”

  • Diners in India spit blood after being served ‘dry ice’

    Diners in India spit blood after being served ‘dry ice’

    Diners at Gurugram City, India, were allegedly served ‘dry ice’ as mouth freshener by a hotel manager leading them to throw up blood.

    The unfortunate incident happened on Saturday when five people started vomiting, while also bleeding from the mouth, after they consumed the sugar and spice mix, traditionally served after a meal, reports BBC. The police arrested the manager of the hotel.

    As per the initial investigation, it was revealed that the packet contained dry ice, a solid form of carbon dioxide used as a cooling agent (especially in refrigerators for the preservation of food).

    The customers were hospitalized after the incident.

    However, the police in Gurugram City, where the restaurant is located, arrested its manager on charges of poisoning “with the intent to cause hurt or harm” on Tuesday.

    A search is underway for the owner of the food joint, who is currently absconding.

    In their complaint, the customers have also accused the restaurant staff of refusing to help them.

    A doctor later examined the contents of the packet of mouth freshener and confirmed it contained dry ice.
    The case is under investigation and the police have said they were conducting a forensic analysis of the contents of the mouth freshener.

  • Bilal and Uroosa Qureshi’s family dance at wedding is absolutely adorable

    Bilal and Uroosa Qureshi’s family dance at wedding is absolutely adorable

    Popular Pakistani showbiz couple, Bilal and Uroosa Qureshi, known for their wholesome moments together both on and off screen, recently brought smiles to a wedding celebration with a charming family dance.
    At the event, Bilal and his eldest son Sohan showcased their smooth moves, drawing cheers from the crowd. Their joyful performance soon included Uroosa, making it a heartwarming family affair.
    The Qureshi family’s dance to the upbeat tune of “Lutt Putt Gaya” was a highlight of the evening, spreading happiness and creating lasting memories for all.

    Check the pictures below:

  • Akbar S Babar challenges fresh PTI’s intra-party polls in ECP

    Akbar S Babar challenges fresh PTI’s intra-party polls in ECP

    Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding member Akbar S Babar filed two separate petitions with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to challenge the party’s intra-party elections for the second time.

    The Supreme Court (SC) on January 13 upheld the ECP’s verdict regarding the party’s intra-party elections as invalid, leading the party to lose its ‘bat’ electoral symbol.

    A five-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja declared the PTI’s internal polls unlawful.

    In the fresh petition, Babar has requested the ECP to declare the recent intra-party polls invalid too.

    PTI’s fresh intra-party elections were held on March 3.

    The beleaguered party’s federal election commissioner Raoof Hasan formally announced last Sunday that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Omar Ayub Khan had been elected as the party’s chairman and secretary general unopposed, respectively, in the intra-party polls.

    Taking to journalists, Babar said that he moved the ECP against the “fresh fraud” of the PTI, adding that he was kept away from the intra-party elections.