Author: newsdesk

  • Indian musician Salim Merchant says he has a close connection with one Pakistani singer

    Indian musician Salim Merchant says he has a close connection with one Pakistani singer

    Indian musician Salim Merchant has shared a loving message on social media for a Pakistani singer.

    Salim Merchant shared some of his memorable pictures taken with Pakistani ace singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on Instagram.

    In the caption he wrote, “We have a very special relationship with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.”

    Merchant was grateful for working with and being close to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. “We have a special bond and brotherhood with Rahat bhai. From songs like Ore Piya, Saaiyaan, Dillagi, Mujhko Teri Zaroorat, Padharo Maula, Aafreen, to performing together a few times… I’m really happy to know him so well,” said the composer.

  • PTI starting election campaign on January 20

    PTI starting election campaign on January 20

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, confirmed that the party is going to start its election campaign on January 20 (Saturday).

    Other major political parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have already started their countrywide election campaigns.

    PTI came into power and formed a federal government in 2018 but was ousted in April 2022 via a no-confidence move.

    The founder of PTI, Imran Khan, was imprisoned in May last year, and he is currently in Adiala jail. PTI’s electoral symbol of a cricket bat was taken away this month, a big setback for the party.

    “The PTI will begin its full-fledged election campaign on Saturday. […] workers should bear hardships till then and await victory on February 8. You are advised to focus on the election campaign,” Gohar said on Thursday while engaging with reporters in Rawalpindi.

    Barrister Gohar Khan also said that PTI has not decided on all candidates for the National Assembly (NA). He confirmed that all candidates will be finalised by Friday night, and the party will issue the list of all candidates tomorrow.

  • Interbank closing: PKR gains 8 paisa to close at Rs279.9 versus USD

    Interbank closing: PKR gains 8 paisa to close at Rs279.9 versus USD

    The Pakistani rupee (PKR) strengthened by 8.24 paisa against the US dollar (USD) in Friday’s interbank session, concluding the trade at PKR 279.9 per USD, surpassing the previous session’s closing rate.

    The local currency experienced an intraday high (bid) of Rs280.4 and a low (ask) of Rs279.9.

    In the open market, Exchange Companies quoted the dollar at Rs279.5 for buying and Rs281 for selling.

    Comparatively, against major currencies, the PKR gained 20.17 paisa against the Euro, closing at Rs304.47 in contrast to the previous value of Rs304.67. 

    The British Pound became more affordable by 30.06 paisa, concluding at Rs354.94 compared to Rs355.24 a day earlier. 

    The Swiss franc incurred losses of 1.38 rupees, settling at Rs322.28 compared to Rs323.66 from the previous session.

  • Gold prices in Pakistan rebound, surging Rs1,300 per tola

    Gold prices in Pakistan rebound, surging Rs1,300 per tola

    Gold prices in Pakistan rebounded significantly on Friday, overcoming a challenging trend in the preceding three sessions. 

    The value of 24-karat gold surged by Rs1,300 per tola, reaching Rs215,000, according to the Karachi Sarafa Association. 

    The price for 10-gramme 24-karat gold witnessed an increase of Rs1,115, standing at Rs184,328. Additionally, the rate for 10-gramme 22-karat gold was Rs168,976, compared to yesterday’s Rs167,945.

    In contrast, silver maintained stability in the domestic market, with 24-karat silver selling at Rs2,600 per tola and Rs2,229.08 per 10-gramme. 

    On the global front, international spot gold continued its positive momentum, currently trading at $2,027.32. 

    Despite today’s uptick, global gold is poised for its weakest weekly performance in the past six weeks, driven by diminishing expectations for interest rate cuts. 

    This decline in commodity prices is attributed to central bankers pushing back against market bets for rate cuts, contributing to a widespread selloff across stocks and bonds.

  • New Zealand defeats Pakistan by seven wickets in fourth T20

    New Zealand defeats Pakistan by seven wickets in fourth T20

    New Zealand defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the fourth T20 of the five-match series played at Oval Stadium today in New Zealand.

    New Zealand won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat first. Saim Ayub and Muhammad Rizwan opened the innings but the former failed this time as well, getting caught out at slip for just one run in the second over.

    Pakistan’s second out was Babar Azam who was dismissed for 19 runs on a total of 56 runs, while Fakhar Zaman was also dismissed for 9 runs off 15 balls.

    Sahibzada Farhan, who joined the team in place of Azam Khan, also fell quickly, after just two balls and scoring just one run. Wickets continued to fall, but on the other hand, Muhammad Rizwan continued to push the team’s score forward with responsible batting and completed his half-century. With the score at 126, Iftikhar Ahmed got out after playing an innings of 10 runs off 14 balls.

    Mohammad Rizwan scored 90 runs off 63 balls and Mohammad Nawaz scored 21 runs off 9 balls.

    Chasing the target of 159 runs, the first three players of New Zealand were out for just 20 runs, with the first wicket falling in the form of Finn Allen for eight runs by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Then Tim Seifert was caught and dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi again, who also sent Will Young to the pavilion for just four runs.

    After the early fall of three wickets, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips washed away the Pakistani bowlers and both players not only completed their fifties but also led their team to victory and remained unbeaten.

    Daryl Mitchell scored 72 and Glenn Phillips remained not out with 70 runs. The two players shared a partnership of 139 runs for the fourth wicket while Shaheen Shah Afridi took all three wickets for Pakistan.

    It should be noted that in the series of five T20 matches, New Zealand has a decisive advantage of four-zero now.

  • ‘Anybody but Dar’; Bilawal on next finance minister

    ‘Anybody but Dar’; Bilawal on next finance minister

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told in Absa Komal of Dawn News in an interview, “I think the whole nation has a unanimous consensus that anybody but (Ishaq) Dar (should be the finance minister).”

    The former Foreign Minister also criticised his political rivals and said that the Sharifs are vengeful and not capable of dealing with the economic crisis.

    “They [PML-N leaders] aren’t the one to forgive. They harbour animosity, seek revenge, and balance scores at the right time. They only know the politics of revenge. This is their history.” He singled out Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif for changing the then finance minister Miftah Ismail during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.

    The PPP chairman predicted that independent candidates will play a vital role in the upcoming polls set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    “A huge number of independent candidates are contesting elections this year. Not only PTI leaders, but even those who are electable and have a political history, or those who failed to get tickets from PTI or PML-N, are contesting.”

  • ‘Men should learn to change’; Talha Chahour writes heartfelt note as ‘Mannat Murad’ ends

    ‘Men should learn to change’; Talha Chahour writes heartfelt note as ‘Mannat Murad’ ends

    Fan favourite drama serial ‘Mannat Murad’ ended on Tuesday. It told the story of Murad, played by Talha Chahour, an only son, facing a lot of pressure from his family. This made it hard for him to spend quality time with his wife, Mannat, played by Iqra Aziz, who felt ignored and wished for a more equal partnership.

    Murad’s mother and sisters wanted to protect him, so they gave him many responsibilities, which affected his relationship with Mannat.
    The show showed how some Pakistani men say they love their wives but struggle to handle responsibilities in their relationships. They often rely on their wives to manage everything for them.

    After the show ended, Talha Chahour shared a thoughtful message on Instagram in a detailed post.

    He wrote, “As Mannat Murad comes to an end, I want to take a moment to thank the audience/fans for giving it plenty of love. I had chosen this character to address an issue that does not let peace enter our homes. Men should learn to balance and alter their ways to maintain balance in their relationships despite their conditioning that tells them otherwise.”

    Talha acknowledged the challenges men may face in maintaining a balance in relationships post-marriage, attributing it to their “conditioning and the fears of single mothers.” He emphasised that open communication is crucial to keeping everything in place.

    “I know it gets hard for only sons to fight the influence of their immediate families on their married lives, but with clear communication, a willingness to observe/accept the realities, and giving due importance (not more, not less) to each of the relationships, a boy can navigate through life’s problems. I understand that it is also hard for single mothers to trust the companions of their sons, they might get insecure as well. But, may be by giving a lil space and focusing on our individual lives, we can all play our due part to make HAPPY HOMES,” Talha noted.

    The actor also expressed admiration for his co-actors and the entire team.He thanked his co-actors, director, and producer for their support.

  • PTV Sports shuts broadcast as fan shows Imran Khan poster during Pak-New Zealand match

    PTV Sports shuts broadcast as fan shows Imran Khan poster during Pak-New Zealand match

    PTV Sports shut down their broadcast for a few seconds when a fan showed a poster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the stadium during the match between Pakistan and New Zealand.

    Pakistani media regulators have banned speeches and press conferences of Imran Khan, accusing him of attacking national institutes.

    Here are the reactions of social media users:

  • Former Principal Secretary to Imran Khan testifies in court

    Former Principal Secretary to Imran Khan testifies in court

    Azam Khan, the former principal secretary to ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, has testified that the diplomatic cipher provided by the foreign ministry to the ex-Premier had not been returned to the ministry by the time he left the office after a Vote of No Confidence.

    He told the court on Thursday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder kept a copy of the contentious cipher and later said it had gone missing.

    Five witnesses named Anis-ur-Rehman, Javed Iqbal, Hadayat Ullah Muhammad Ashfaq, and Azam testified before the court in the cipher case in Adiala Jail. The court adjourned the hearing till January 22.

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had previously booked Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi under the OSA, 1923, last August on charges stemming from the alleged misuse of a diplomatic cipher at the end of the PTI’s rule in March 2022.

    Imran Khan and Qureshi, currently detained in Adiala Jail, were present in the courtroom as Khan appeared to give his deposition.

    Both PTI leaders insisted that Khan swear on the Holy Quran before providing his testimony.

    Azam Khan took a solemn oath on the Holy Quran during the hearing.

    During his statement, Azam Khan revealed that, as Imran’s principal secretary, he was informed by the foreign secretary about a cipher telegram.

    His office provided him with a copy, which he later shared with the then-Prime Minister. Imran, in turn, informed Khan that Qureshi had discussed the content of the telegram with him.

    The cipher telegram pertained to meetings between the Pakistan ambassador to the US and American officials.

    “The former PM stated that American authorities had interfered in Pakistan’s internal affairs. He said it seems the message was intended for internal actors to change the elected government through a vote of no confidence.

    “The former premier retained the copy of the cipher with him and instructed the military secretary, DC, and other staff to look into the matter. He also emphasized taking the public into confidence on the matter,” he said.

    Azam Khan recommended a formal meeting with the foreign ministry and suggested having the foreign secretary read the message from the master cipher. The federal cabinet, after discussing the matter, decided to present it before the National Security Committee (NSC), which then issued a demarche on foreign interference.

    According to Khan, it is customary to return the copy of a cipher to the foreign ministry, but this did not happen in this case.

    “I informed the PM, the PM Office, and staff multiple times that the cipher copy should be returned, but it was not returned until I left my charge,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Interior Secretary on the petitions against the prison trial of Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case and the £190 million NAB references.

  • I’d be evicted if I tried to be ‘Mubashira’ in real life, says Ayeza Khan

    I’d be evicted if I tried to be ‘Mubashira’ in real life, says Ayeza Khan

    Ayeza Khan is one of the few rare actresses in the industry who can essay negative and positive roles with equal ease. But what if she acted like one of her negative characters in real life? Khan says that if she acted like them, her family would kick her out of the house.

    Ayeza is currently in London with other actors like Fahad Mustafa, Gauhar Khan, and cricketer Shahid Afridi. There’s a video going around on social media where Ayeza is answering questions from fans at an event.

    In the video, a fan asked her if she gets angry in real life like her character Mubashira in the show ‘Mein.’ Ayeza replied that if her husband wasn’t an actor, he wouldn’t be able to tell when she’s acting in a drama or being herself. She can’t be like her characters in real life, or she’d be kicked out of her house.

    Talking about her role in ‘Mein,’ she revealed that her son was scared when he saw her portraying anger on screen. She clarified that real life is different from TV shows, but as an actress, she tries to make her acting feel real. She may not be an expert, but she gives her best in every role.

    In ‘Mein,’ Ayeza Khan plays a married woman who remarries her friend to make her husband happy.