Author: newsdesk

  • December 27: Holiday in Sindh

    December 27: Holiday in Sindh

    The caretaker government of Sindh on Tuesday announced a public holiday on December 27 (tomorrow) on account of the 16th death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

    Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar’s spokesperson made the announcement, declaring a public holiday across the province tomorrow.

    “The Government of Sindh has been pleased to declare 27th December 2023 (Wednesday) as a Public Holiday throughout the Province of Sindh on the occasion of Shahadat of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed for all offices, Autonomous, Semi-Autonomous Bodies, Corporations and Local Councils under the Administrative control of Government of Sindh, except the essential services,” said the notification issued today.

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrested again in May 9 case

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrested again in May 9 case

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was arrested again on Wednesday by Rawalpindi police from Adiala jail in connection with a case related to the May 9 riots.

    Earlier, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was detained for 15 days after the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi issued an order to that effect.

    According to the orders, the PTI leader will be detained owing to his involvement in attacking the GHQ, Rawalpindi Gate, on May 9.

    Priviously, there was news circulating that Shah Mahmood Qureshi can be released from Adiala Jail today as the Supreme Court (SC) had approved his bail last week on Friday.

    The former federal minister’s lawyer, Barrister Taimur Malik, reached Adiala jail today with required bail bonds.

    Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, who is hearing the cipher case, also arrived at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

    The wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and lawyers Umair Niazi and Rai Muhammad Ali were also present.

    The SC approved the post-arrest bail of PTI leaders in the cipher case as well as the apex court also determined that Islamabad High Court (IHC) incorrectly exercised discretion deny the bail of petitioners in the said case.

    After examining the material available on record, the court found that there was no sufficient incriminating material available at this stage to show that Khan communicated the information contained in the cipher telegram received from PAREP (Ambassador), Washington, USA, to the public at large with the intention or calculation, directly or indirectly, in the interest or for the benefit of a foreign power, nor the disclosed information related to any of the defence installations or affairs, nor did he disclose any secret official code to the public at large.

  • Ayeza Khan safe after on-set accident

    Ayeza Khan safe after on-set accident

    Actress Ayeza Khan narrowly escaped in an incident where fire broke out during the shoot of a drama.

    Ayeza Khan has shared a video from the set on Instagram.

    In the video, the actor, following the director’s instructions, picks up a burning shawl and tosses it aside for the scene. However, as the shawl lands, flames spread on the ground. Unaware of the fire, Ayeza Khan continues moving backward, unintentionally stepping into the flames.
    A voice can then be heard calling Ayeza’s name to warn her. She quickly becomes careful and narrowly avoids an accident.
    Along with the video post, Ayeza thanked Allah for keeping her safe. She wrote that being an actor is not easy. “When the director says ‘action’ we forget what is going to happen next and just give our best. The quest to put on a performance dawns on us.”
    She wrote that sometimes unexpected things happen on the set which the on-screen viewers don’t see but Allah protects them.

    “I am thankful to Allah that He keeps me safe every day.”

  • PTI moves to court for reinstatement of bat symbol

    PTI moves to court for reinstatement of bat symbol

    In a major legal victory for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Peshawar High Court (PHC) temporarily halted the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) directives and restored the iconic party symbol ‘bat’.

    The PHC also stated while announcing the verdict that a double bench will hear the matter after winter vacations.

    PHC judge, Kamran Hayat Miankhel, said the election symbol can’t be revoked after the release of the election schedule.

    Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a petition in Peshawar High Court (PHC) to challenge the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) order declaring intra-party polls illegal and revoking its electoral symbol, the cricket bat.

    Justice Kamran Hayat Miankel of the PHC will hear the petition filed by PTI today after the party requested an urgent hearing in court.

    According to the petition filed by PTI, the ECP has no authority to decide about the intra-party elections, adding that the complainant who challenged intra-party polls is not a member of the party.

    “The ECP withdrew the electoral symbol ‘bat’,” it read asking the court to form a bench comprising senior judges and hear the plea on Tuesday (today).

    In discussing the recent decision, the chairman of the PTI, Gohar Khan, strongly criticised the ECP but expressed optimism that courts will support the request for its reinstatement.

  • Boxing Day Test, Australia scores 187 runs for three wickets

    Boxing Day Test, Australia scores 187 runs for three wickets

    At the end of the first day of the Boxing Day Test between Pakistan and Australia, the Kangaroos scored 187 runs for the loss of three wickets.

    Pakistan won the toss and invited the host team to bat first. David Warner and Usman Khawaja opened the batting, then Abdullah Shafiq, standing at first slip on a total score of six runs, dropped Warner’s easy catch.

    The openers then put on a 90-run partnership, and Australia lost Warner, who scored 38 and was caught by Babar Azam on Salman Agha’s delivery. The second wicket of the Kangaroos fell on a total of 108 runs when Usman Khawaja, at 42 runs off 101 balls, was dismissed by Hasan Ali.

    After rain disruption, play resumed when Australia’s third wicket fell for 154 runs and Aamir Jamal sent Steve Smith to the pavilion for 26 runs.

    Hasan Ali, Salman Ali Agha, and Aamir Jamal took one wicket each for Pakistan

  • Nawaz Sharif ki salgirah ka cake chori, case registered

    Nawaz Sharif ki salgirah ka cake chori, case registered

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) social media team in Gujranwala placed an order for a cake to mark party head Nawaz Sharif’s birthday, but the cake got stolen. The team has accused their candidate of stealing the dessert.

    A case has been filed in the police station of Satellite Town in Gujranwala. The FIR states that when the team went to collect the cake, they were informed that the electoral candidate of the party from pp-64 Umer Farooq Dar had forcefully taken the cake already. As they filed the complain with the police, Umer Farooq Dar returned the cake to the bakery but this did not settle the debate as they went on to say it was done intentionally by the candidate and that the matter should be investigated further.

  • Veena Malik is back with a surprise new venture

    Veena Malik is back with a surprise new venture

    Lollywood actress Veena Malik is all set to make a comeback on our screens, but in a very different format.

    The actress and controversial social media personality has announced the launch of her YouTube channel in a video she shared on Instagram, revealing that her upcoming channel will be named ‘Showbazian.’

    Malik elaborates that the channel will feature performances by various comedians.
    In her hey day, Malik, a gifted mimic, was known for the Geo News superhit program ‘Hum Sub Umeed Se Hain’.

    Even though she’s done well in both places, the actress, who is now a mom of two, is being more careful about the work she chooses.
    After her divorce, she spends a lot of time with her kids. This means she’s more thoughtful and focused on her job compared to how she used to be.

  • Bilawal Bhutto not contesting elections from PPP stronghold Lyari

    Bilawal Bhutto not contesting elections from PPP stronghold Lyari

    The chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will not contest the upcoming election from Lyari, the party’s stronghold in Karachi, The News has reported on Tuesday.

    However, the former federal minister is contesting election from NA-128 (Lahore-XII), NA-194 (Larkana-I), and NA-196 (Qambar Shahdadkot-I). Bilawal has submitted nomination papers for these constituencies.

    According to some political analysts, the PPP has lost interest in the Lyari constituency after the defeat by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the 2018 elections, speculating that it has failed to regain the confidence needed to reclaim the seat in the polls set to take place on February 8 next year.

    However, PPP’s Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi said that his party is in a good position in Lyari. He also mentioned the results of the recent local body elections in the same constituency, in which the PPP won the majority of seats.

    Mehdi predicted that PPP will not only win in Lyari but from other areas of city, adding that loyal candidates will be given tickets after the completion of the scrutiny process.

    Journalist Sameer Mandhro has claimed that after defeat in the 2018 polls, the PPP is not confident enough to win the seat from Lyari NA-239 (Karachi South-I) constituency.

  • Afghanistan board bans three main cricketers for two years

    Afghanistan board bans three main cricketers for two years

    Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has banned Mujeeb ur Rehman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, and Naveen ul Haq for two years.

    A dispute has arisen between the players and the Afghan Cricket Board for not signing the central contract.

    The three players decided to prefer foreign T20 leagues instead of giving priority to their national team, prompting the Board to take strict action against them. The Afghan Cricket Board has now imposed a two-year ban on Mujeeb ur Rehman, Fazl Haq Farooqi, and Naveen ul Haq while also denying them the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for any T20 league for two years after being banned.

  • Third gender not recognized by Election Commission of Pakistan

    Third gender not recognized by Election Commission of Pakistan

    Nayyab Ali, a transgender candidate for the National Assembly, has recently shared on X (formerly Twitter) that as per the data released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) only two genders applied for the election: males and females, whereas she has applied as a third gender ‘X’.

    Nayyab, a resident of the federal capital city of Islamabad, has applied to contest the upcoming general elections from National Assembly Constituency 47. “Confused about why our papers might be rejected based on our gender identity. The law acknowledges transgender persons–clarity needed,” she added to the previous statement.