Author: newsdesk

  • Government blocks CNICs of 18 PTI leaders

    Government blocks CNICs of 18 PTI leaders

    The caretaker federal government has blocked the CNIC of former minister Hammad Azhar and 18 other leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    The party leaders are facing legal charges following the May 9 riots. The list of leaders with blocked CNICs consists of Ali Amin Gandapur, Muhammad Aslam Iqbal, Malik Karamat Khokhar, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Zubair Khan Niazi, Malik Nadeem Abbas, and Ghulam Mohiuddin Dewan.

    According to officials, the CNICs have been blocked at the request of the police and will remain suspended until investigation is completed.

    Authorities also said that if PTI leaders do not appear before the court, they will be deprived of their legal rights.

    Earlier On Sunday, PTI conducted its first virtual jalsa through various social media platforms, amid accusations of an alleged ‘internet crackdown’ aimed at stopping the event’s impact,.

    Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Khan spoke to approximately one million social media users globally, reaching audiences in Asia, Europe, and America.

  • Qasim Suri, Kumar Sanu or Hamid Mir? Who was THAT MAN at PTI virtual jalsa?

    Qasim Suri, Kumar Sanu or Hamid Mir? Who was THAT MAN at PTI virtual jalsa?

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had a virtual jalsa on Sunday night and the internet is in fits after seeing the new look of one central leader.

    Qasim Suri, central senior vice president, member of the core committee of PTI, and the former deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, made a public appearance after a long time and people can’t accept that he looks like a different man.

    Netizens compared him to Indian singer Kumar Sanu.

    “Kal space mein Qasim Suri Ki Jagah Kumar Sanu Aagae Thy Ghalti Se.”

    Others thought he looked like Geo anchor Hamid Mir.

    “Qasim Suri looking like a Mexican Drug Cartel Kingpin.”

    “If he is Qasim Suri then I am Alexandra Daddario”

    “Looking at Qasim Suri’s pictures, I’m convinced ke jo kaam aurton k liye makeup karta ha mardon ke liye wo kaam Beard krti ha Cutie came from Metaverse”

    https://twitter.com/Burqaa_Avenger/status/1736645635091366209?s=20
  • Watch Khan’s AI version that was live at the virtual jalsa last night

    Watch Khan’s AI version that was live at the virtual jalsa last night

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held the first-ever virtual jalsa in Pakistan amid a crackdown and unsaid ban on their on-ground jalsas.

    Former Prime Minister and founding chairman of PTI Imran Khan addressed his supporters using an audio clip generated by artificial intelligence (AI) during the virtual jalsa.

    The AI-generated audio, played alongside photographs and videos of Khan, garnered over 1.4 million views on YouTube and drew a live audience of tens of thousands on various social media platforms.

    PTI social media lead, Jibran Ilyas, took to X (former Twitter) and wrote, “Founding Chairman Imran Khan’s speech in AI voice. Can’t stop praising Dr Asma for staying up 36 hours to get this done in time, Nausheen for translations and Intazar Bhai for getting notes from the Legend Imran Khan! #PTIVirtualJalsa.”

    In his address, Khan lamented the restrictions on public rallies imposed on his party, emphasizing the alleged abduction of party members and harassment of their families.

    “Our party is not allowed to hold public rallies,” Khan stated, urging his supporters to actively participate in the upcoming general elections. “Our people are being kidnapped, and their families are being harassed.”

    Officials from Khan’s party revealed that the AI-generated speech was derived from a written version approved by Khan himself while he remains incarcerated. PTI organized the virtual rally in response to Khan’s media blackout.

    Murtaza Solangi, the information minister in Pakistan’s caretaker government tasked with overseeing the elections, did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comments.

    Internet services faced serious disruptions on Sunday night as a large number of people complained about difficulties in accessing social media sites where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was holding a virtual election rally.

    Users from different parts of the country reported slow internet speed all across the country, especially in Karachi, Lahore, Mir Pur Khas, and Rawalpindi.
    Downdetector confirmed that website versions were down since around 7 pm in the evening.

    Imran Khan, convicted and sentenced to three years on graft charges on Aug. 5, has been entangled in numerous court cases, some of which are conducted behind closed doors in prison.

  • VIDEO: Dulha passes away while sitting on stage during his wedding

    VIDEO: Dulha passes away while sitting on stage during his wedding

    A happy day turned into a tragic one when a groom suddenly passed away during his wedding ceremony in Sialkot’s Daska Tehsil, creating panic among the family members. The family has stated that he died because of a heart attack.

    In the video which is doing the rounds on social media, the groom can be seen sitting on a sofa surrounded by his family members on his wedding day. Instantly, the groom collapses and falls forward without moving, reported Geo News on Monday.

    This alarms the family members sitting beside him who suddenly pick him up and one of the men checks the groom’s pulse. 

    According to the police, the family members said that the groom died of a heart attack. However, the groom’s family refused to initiate any investigation into the sudden death.

  • Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    A special court in Rawalpindi granted post-arrest bail to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday in a corruption case.

    The court announced its decision to release the former minister, ordering him to submit a surety bond of Rs200,000.

    Fawad Chaudhry was arrested in November, in a case pertaining to a Rs5 million bribe paid by a citizen in August 2022.

    Following the extension of his physical remand, he was subsequently placed on judicial remand and is currently incarcerated at the Adiala jail.

    While speaking with reporters outside the court, Fawad’s brother, Faisal Chaudhry, said that the ex-minister will take part in the upcoming polls, which are set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    He also said that it has not been decided yet on what party ticket Fawad will contest the election.

    “This decision will come as a surprise,” Faisal said.

    Faisal Chaudhry also said that the conflict between him and his sister-in-law, Hiba Fawad, is a family matter.

    “Hiba is my elder sister. [We] will resolve the domestic matter at home,” he stated.

  • Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari met PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) leaders on Sunday to discuss the upcoming general elections and political alliances with like-minded parties.

    During the huddle, the former president also directed the PPP leaders to not form an alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the forthcoming polls on February 8 next year.

    Asif Zardari said that local leaders of PPP can form alliances with any other political party except the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    The former president stayed at the Governor House, while KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali met him as well.

    Governor Ghulam Ali and Mayor Peshawar Zubair Ali gave a traditional shawl to a PPP co-chairperson as a gift.

    Meanwhile, PPP’s senior leaders also ruled out an election alliance with the PTI in KP. “We never brought under discussion alliance with PTI in our meeting with party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday,” said PPP leader and former MPA Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha.

    The head of the PPP women’s wing, Faryal Talpur, also attended the PPP KP parliamentary board meeting.

    Former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Faisal Karim Kundi, Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, and Rubina Khalid also attended the huddle.

    On the other hand, another PPP leader, Ziaullah Afridi, said that the former president didn’t visit KP. He claimed that he invited Zardari to his son’s wedding, and the former president just accepted it.

  • Palestinians forced to loot aid trucks as hunger crisis worsen

    Palestinians forced to loot aid trucks as hunger crisis worsen

    Intensified Israeli attacks on Gaza continue after more than two months since the October 7 attacks.

    Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud from Rafah reported on increasing hunger in the Gaza strip as available resources are not enough to compensate for food requirements and other necessities for the locals who are now on “survival mode”.

    A video from Sunday shows Palestinians jumping onto aid trucks to get their hands on food and other supplies in the Rafah area near the border with Egypt.

    As the aid truck drove by, the locals tried to stop it, climbed up on it, pulling or pushing down containers of food and water, “carrying them off or passing them off to crowds below”.

    Al Jazeera reports that some trucks were guarded by masked people with sticks.

    “The humanitarian situation has become very desperate, not only for the residents of Rafah city but also for the one million displaced Palestinians here who are becoming hungry, thirsty and traumatised as the war pounds on,” said Hani Mahmoud.

    “People are without anything – without a home, without access to food, without water and without medical supplies,” he said.

    “So, the scenes at Rafah crossing are a natural response: When people starve to death, when they are hungry, this is what we will see happening.”

  • Injury forces Shadab Khan out of New Zealand tour

    Injury forces Shadab Khan out of New Zealand tour

    All-rounder Shadab Khan has been ruled out of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand.

    According to details, Shadab Khan suffered a foot injury which will take four more weeks to heal.

    Shadab Khan was injured while playing against Sialkot at United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Karachi on December 3, spraining his leg while fielding in the match. A video surfaced online showing Khan being carried out of the ground while sitting on his teammate’s back.

    Pakistan will play five T20 matches in New Zealand in January 2024 while the first match will be played on January 12 in Auckland.

  • PTI had a virtual jalsa last night and the internet shutdown all over Pakistan: here is how people are reacting

    PTI had a virtual jalsa last night and the internet shutdown all over Pakistan: here is how people are reacting

    Internet services faced serious disruptions on Sunday night as a large number of people complained about difficulties in accessing social media sites where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was holding a virtual election rally.

    Users from different parts of the country reported slow internet speed all across the country, especially in Karachi, Lahore, Mir Pur Khas, and Rawalpindi.

    Downdetector confirmed that website versions were down since around 7pm in the evening.

    However, PTI supporters have implied that the government deliberately ‘slowed’ the service to thwart people from joining the jalsa.

    It is important to note that PTI says that it has been banned from holding public gatherings and rallies across post May 9 riots. However, as elections loom closer, supporters and party leadership are the making most of modern technology and social media to gain momentum.

    TV Host, Owais Mangalwala, wrote on X, “The speed of the internet has slowed down to the point that nobody can attend the virtual jalsa”.

    Different accounts shared screenshots of the number of responses #PTIVirtualJalsa has garnered all across social media.

    The meme brigade also jumped in to spin the whole situation funnily.

    Taking a jibe at the opposition Usama Ghazi posted a meme:

    Some of the netizens showed their commitment to the party by posting videos of them being part of the jalsa even though virtually. Singer Annie Khalid posted on X.

    The Internet Observatory Authority, NetBlocks, also confirmed internet blockades in various parts of the country.

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that it is looking into reports that internet services witnessed disruption in “some parts” of the country, reports The News.

    In a statement on Monday, the PTA said the overall situation of internet access across the country was normal.

  • ‘No doubt the guys can beat Australia in Australia’; Social media reacts to Hafeez’s statement

    ‘No doubt the guys can beat Australia in Australia’; Social media reacts to Hafeez’s statement

    During a press conference held after Pakistan lost the Perth Test, the Director of the team, Mohammad Hafee, said, “The Pakistan team is fully capable of making a comeback and no doubt the guys can beat Australia in Australia”.

    Hafeez said, “Pakistan’s batting unit did not perform well. Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam alone are not responsible for good performance, but the domestic players who were given a chance also performed well.”

    The Pakistan Cricket Team Director also said that the conditions in Perth were good thanks to Cricket Australia, providing equal opportunities for batsmen and bowlers.

    He said that the Pakistan team can beat any team in any conditions. After this statement social media users started trolling Muhammad Hafeez.

    Here are the reactions on social media: