Author: newsdesk

  • Sohail Tanveer appointed head of junior selection committee

    Sohail Tanveer appointed head of junior selection committee

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former Test cricketer Sohail Tanveer as the head of the national junior selection committee.

    Tanveer’s first assignment will be the selection of the Pakistan U-19 team for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) U-19 Asia Cup, to be held in the United Arab Emirates from December 8 to 17, after which the Pakistan U-19 team will participate in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka from January 13 to February 4.

    Sohail Tanveer has said that the appointment is an honor for him, thanking PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf.

    “Our first responsibility is to form a strong team for the U-19 Asia Cup and the U-19 World Cup,” he remarked.

    Earlier, PCB appointed former former fast bowler Wahab Riaz as the chief selector of the selection committee of the national men’s cricket team.

  • ‘Non-cricketers are running the cricket board’: Javed Miandad

    ‘Non-cricketers are running the cricket board’: Javed Miandad

    Cricket legend, former captain Javed Miandad has said that those who run sugar mills are running cricket, wrong decisions have pushed Pakistan cricket towards destruction.

    The former captain said, “Those people who have nothing to do with cricket are running the game, so wrong decisions are being taken. Political influence is causing irreparable damage to the game in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)”.

    He was of the opinion that administrators like Abdul Hafeez Kardar are needed in the Board. “The appointment of a junior and less experienced cricketer in the selection committee is surprising,” he said.

    The master batsman then said that the greatest player of the country was ridiculed, non-cricketers are making cricket decisions. “The decision to remove Babar Azam from captaincy is not correct, and cricketers should be respected. Babar should have been given a competitive manager to make him a strong captain. Air Marshal Noor Khan made me captain and made Mushtaq Muhammad the manager. PCB’s recent treatment of a great player like Babar is pathetic.”

    Babar is not being told that he is repeating mistakes again and again, Miranda’s pointed out. “Removing mistakes at the net will give him confidence and he will become a good batsman. When I was the head coach of the Pakistan team, I worked on the mistakes of many batsmen including Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan”.

    He said, “In the presence of Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sadiq Mohammad, Haroon Rashid, Shoaib Mohammad and such cricketers, such a cricketer who has recently retired from cricket was made the chief selector. How much cricket has Wahab Riaz played? I don’t need a position but good people should be brought forward which will benefit Pakistan cricket.”

    Without naming Zaka Ashraf, Javed Miandad said “How much cricket has he played?He is deciding the fate of cricket”.

  • Another exam, more cases of cheating

    Another exam, more cases of cheating

    After cases of cheating during MDCAT examination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in September, the Public Service Commission examination has also been infiltrated with cheating.

    According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission, a test was held on June 24 for the recruitment of SDO in the Irrigation Department and CNW, during which 18 candidates were caught cheating.

    KP Public Service Commission officials also revealed that electronic devices, guides and other copy materials were recovered from the candidates during the examination.

    Examinations were cancelled and they have been banned from appearing for a period of one year to three years.

    The commission has issued a public notice for re-examination and the relevant test will be held again on December 23.

  • Blessed Friday Sale Alert

    Blessed Friday Sale Alert

    Understanding the cultural and religious sensitivities of majorly Muslim societies, brands have initiated end-of-the-year sales under the title of Blessed Friday Sales.

    The phenomenon started in America as traders started the practice of reducing prices so that consumers spend right before the Christmas season. It was called Black Friday but over time it has evolved and now in Muslim-majority countries, it is referred to as Blessed Friday or White Friday sale.

    Here are the best deals out there:

    Borjan’s Bright Friday Sale

    Borjan is offering flat 30-50 percent off on all its products, including shoes and accessories for men, women, and kids.

    The sale is live from November 16 and will go on over the weekend. The shipping fee is a mere 100 rupees, which too is exempted from shopping over Rs. 3000.

    Beechtree Blessed Friday, November Sale

    Beechtree is offering 50 percent off on its unstitched, pret, luxury pret, and outerwear products.
    The sale is live from November 16 and will go on till November 19.

    Chen One Blessed Friday Sale

    Chen One is offering a flat 25 percent discount on its home, textile, and apparel. This is the offer one looks for around the wedding season because the high-end brand is offering discounts on furniture as the wedding season is in full swing. Along with that, there are home accessories, jewellery, and pret variety available for women, men, and children.

    Minnie Minors Funtastic Friday Sale

    Exclusively for kids, Minnie Minors is offering up to 40 percent off on a range of items.
    Their stylish winter products are something to look out for if you want to upgrade your kid’s wardrobe. Free shipping is available on shopping of more than Rs. 1500.

    Chinyere Fancy Friday Sale

    Chinyere is offering limited-time offers for everyone from casuals to formals and even couture.
    The sale is offering up to 50 percent off with free shipping and the sale will end over the weekend.

    NDURE T.G.I.F Sale

    NDURE’s TGIF Blessed Friday sale is one to look out for.

    The brand is offering up to 50 percent off with shipping charges being Rs. 99 only.

    Insignia Blessed Friday Sale

    Insignia’s Blessed Friday Sale is available on a variety of products from shoes to handbags and fragrances.

    There are flat discounts of 21 percent, 31 percent, and 51 percent on the entire stock with free shipping for shopping above Rs. 3000.

    Engine Blessed Friday Sale

    Engine Clothing Blessed Friday sale is for western wear lovers.
    They are offering 40 percent off on all their stock including chic clothes for men, women, and kids.

    Delivery charges are not to be paid on orders above Rs. 2500.

  • Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    As political parties gear up for election activities, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), expressed concerns about the continuation of traditional politics, labeling it the country’s worst enemy. He emphasized the importance of embracing “new politics,” as reported by Geo News on Friday.

    Speaking at a workers’ convention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Bilawal said: “We need to [embark] on a new political [direction and strategy] which will allow us to overcome the issues faced by the country.”

    He added: “Veteran politicians neither think about the present nor the future [as] they are still stuck in the past. We want to leave behind the politics of division, hate and abuse which [as part of] the traditional politics has been going on for the [past] 70 years.”
    While talking about contemporary politics and its advantages, Bilawal Bhutto said, “We have to become the voice of the ‘new politics’ […] We think about the present and future and not what’s in the past.”

    Earlier in the week, while talking at a worker’s convention in Abbottabad, the PPP chairman said that “new political leadership” is needed if the country is to progress.

  • Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    After being inactive for seven years, Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has re-entered the political scene, announcing that it will actively participate in the upcoming February 2024 general elections.

    “We shall take full part in the upcoming elections from our own platform and on our electoral symbol,” PAT’s central president Qazi Zahid Hussain told a press conference on Friday.

    Qazi Zahid Hussain, accompanied by party officials including information secretary Nurella Siddiqui, and Raja Zahid, said that PAT candidates will champion the cause of comprehensive reforms in the system, initiating mass-contact campaigns and electioneering immediately.

    Notably, PAT abstained from the 2013 polls but actively participated in the 2015-16 local body elections.

    Hussain clarified that Dr Qadri had endorsed the decision following a two-day consultation by the PAT central executive council. Responding to queries, Siddiqui confirmed that Dr Qadri would not partake in the electioneering process for PAT nominees.

    Highlighting the party’s stance on candidate commitments, Siddiqui stated that once a candidate submits nominations from the PAT platform, withdrawing in favor of another party’s nominee would result in expulsion from the party.

    Additionally, Siddiqui ruled out the possibility of electoral alliances, noting that decisions regarding post-poll cooperation would be made at a later stage.

    Despite being former partners in protest, a party insider revealed to Dawn that any political cooperation with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was unlikely.

    The insider cited the PTI’s alleged failure to deliver justice to PAT in the 2014 Model Town tragedy, where 14 party activists lost their lives in a police raid, during the PTI’s approximately four-year rule.

  • Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    In another controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk wrote that calls for genocide like ‘from the river to the sea’ will result in suspension i.e. X users who use the terms “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and other “similar euphemisms” that “necessarily imply genocide” will be suspended from the platform.

    This was followed criticism from pro-Palestinian users who asserted that such a policy restricts their free speech after which he posted again, stating that “anyone advocating the genocide of “*any*” group” would be suspended from X.

    Alluding to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, “From the river to the sea” is a pro-Palestine slogan used by Palestinian supporters who voice for the freedom of the occupied land. And now that the slogan is under scrutiny, it has been pointed out that labelling it as anti-semitic is a way to criminalise and silence pro-Palestinian narrative and curtail their free speech because following the events of October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel intensified attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 11,000 people which then resulted in increased criticism of Israel around the world.

    Elon Musk has claimed to be a “free speech absolutist” and that he bought Twitter (now X) to create a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”

  • Sheema Kermani expelled from British High Commission event for chanting ‘Ceasefire Now’

    Sheema Kermani expelled from British High Commission event for chanting ‘Ceasefire Now’

    Classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani was “ejected” from an event held at the British High Commission in Karachi for raising a slogan in favour of the people of Gaza.

    Ms Kermani, founder of Tehreek-i-Niswan, was invited for an event in the High Commission to celebrate the birthday of King Charles III on Friday with many other artists also present. “They were all congratulating the British Government and the royal family without any mention of the atrocities taking place in Gaza. I just had to do what I did. I couldn’t stay silent. Sadly, when the other guests saw me being thrown out and my leaving, none of them, not even one of them, decided to also take a stand and join me,” she told Dawn.

    Sheema raised the slogan of “Ceasefire Now” as the speakers were making speeches and sending congratulatory messages to Britain. Security personnel instantly took charge and tried to force her out of the event. “That’s when I asked them to not touch me as I would see myself out,” Ms Kermani stated after the regrettable incident.

    A spokesperson for the British Deputy High Commission responded to the incident by saying that Ms Kermani was shouting during “an important speech about climate change in Pakistan by the British Deputy High Commissioner”. It was then that the “security personnel came forth to stop her from shouting. But then she left on her own. So it won’t be correct to say that we threw her out.”

  • Lahore woman beats teenaged maid, cuts her hair

    Lahore woman beats teenaged maid, cuts her hair

    Child Protection Bureau has rescued a 14-year-old maid who was assaulted with scissors, knives, and sticks by the woman she worked for in the Garhi Shahu area of Lahore, reports Geo.

    The woman cut the girl’s hair without her consent during the assault. Physical examination has revealed marks of physical violence on the body of the victim, identified as Sana.

    Child Protection Bureau instantly took action and rescued the girl.

    Chairperson Sarah Ahmed said that she intended to take necessary actions against the woman.

  • Gold price in Pakistan surge with global trend, reach Rs216,500 per tola

    Gold price in Pakistan surge with global trend, reach Rs216,500 per tola

    On Friday, gold prices in Pakistan experienced a notable uptick, mirroring the global surge in rates. 

    The precious metal attained a value of Rs216,500 per tola, marking a substantial single-day increase of Rs2,200. 

    As reported by the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the 10-gramme gold reached Rs185,614, reflecting a rise of  Rs1,886. 

    This shift follows a decline of Rs500 in gold prices on Thursday, settling at Rs214,300 per tola. 

    According to APGJSA, the international gold rate exhibited a $20 increment on Friday, reaching $2,006 with a $20 premium. In comparison, the previous day witnessed a closing rate of $1,986. 

    In contrast, silver prices remained steady at Rs2,550 per tola on the same day, exhibiting resilience in the face of fluctuations observed in the gold market.