Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday during a two-day official visit. During the meeting, he had an informal conversation with the president in Russian language, which left many shocked.
Earlier, when the Premier’s videos of conversing in other languages went viral, The Current reached out to Prime Minister (PM) Focal Person on Digital Media, Muhammad Abubakar Umer, to confirm exactly how many languages the premier can speak.
He said that the premier is fluent in German, Arabic and English along with Punjabi and Urdu. According to him, PM Shehbaz can speak basic level Turkish, Chinese, Russian, Pashtu and Sindhi.
The focal person revealed that PM Shehbaz learned Arabic formally while in exile during former President General Pervez Musharraf’s era. To our surprise, we also got to know that the premier holds a diploma in Arabic.
According to Abubakar, PM Shehbaz knows a total of ten languages.
“He learned Chinese and Turkish during his tenure as Chief Minister (CM) Punjab from 2013 to 2018 as at the time he had to engage with Chinese and Turkish officials for China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” said Abubakar.
He learned German and Russian during the 1970s and 80s for his business dealings. “At the time, he was not in government”, said Abubakar. Abubakar also revealed that before going to any foreign country, PM Shehbaz hires an instructor who informs him about the cultural aspects of the country, how people greet each other and what social norms are appreciated there.
The overcrowded fishing vessel capsized off the Southern Peloponnese while on course to Italy from the Libyan town Tobruk, according to state broadcaster ERT. Nearly all the victims were men from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Alarm Phone, a trans-European network supporting sea rescue operations, published a transcription of the vessel’s contact with them. The passengers were only able to send their location coordinates two hours after the first distress call was received Tuesday afternoon.
The Greek coastguard and EU border agency Frontex were alerted immediately, yet state those on board refused assistance offered by Greek authorities late on Tuesday. They claimed that the passengers accepted food rations but wanted to continue their voyage. A few hours later the boat capsized and sank.
The survivors were taken to the southern port city of Kalamata, where the deputy mayor indicated that there were more than 500 people onboard, according to the information he had received. The UN’s migration agency provided an estimate of 400.
ABR, a body set up to monitor and report issues related to migrant movement in the Aegean Sea, tweeted that the vessel could have had about 750 people onboard. ABR noted that the testimonies from survivors give indicators of around 400-750 passengers, rendering the exact figure unknown.
The Mediterranean Sea and the countries bordering it have long been perilous routes for refugees fleeing from conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. UN data suggests that about 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived to countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus just this year.
Yes, you’ve heard of ‘Tere Bin’. Your momma has too, as has the paros walli aunty. Even bechara Irffan Khan ka beta apnay aap ko iss say bacha nahi saka.
‘Tere Bin’ has us all in a trance, but perhaps we don’t want to remain in it. Yet there we are, every Wednesday and Thursday, hooked to our screens. These two days could be now renamed ‘Tere Bin days’ and we’re honestly thinking this drama should be studied by psychologists because no matter what absurd plot twist is thrown in, the fanbase remains dedicated as ever. Is it because of the appeal of the main leads, Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi? Or is it because as a post-colonial nation, we’re addicted to hate watching? Does any scientist out there care to explain how we’ve gone from this couple fighting to falling back in love to faking a pregnancy to then back to shouting and crying and going all over again back to lovers? We’re 53 episodes in, give us a break!
But we did as a nation get some hilarious plot twists and pearl clutching moments that even got PEMRA looped in. So let’s break down some of the ways Tere Bin decided to throw logic out of the window
1 Starting with the more recent: Meerab’s pregnancy announcement.
Episode 53 opens with a mind blowing twist: that apparently doing it only once in your marriage with your frenemy husband gets you immediately pregnant. Fans first got to watch their favorite couple in torment because they broke their rules and decided to have sex, and then mope around when Meerab decides to run away, and now the cherry on top is her realising that the same husband she ran away from is the one who got her pregnant?
2 Abba saying shaba khair
There is a hilarious trope in Pakistani dramas that every time a daughter decides to rebel by divorcing the man she’s been forced to marry, the dad immediately becomes an obstacle in her path by dying from a heart attack. Ye abba je ko convenient waqt nahi milta apni manmani karwanay kay liye? And why play up the daughter’s guilt when she is escaping an unhappy marriage? We saw this with ‘Mujhay Pyaar Hua Tha’, that the father immediately passes away, guilt shaming Maheer further for not wanting to remain married to her cousin, Saad.
In episode 50, after finding out that his daughter Meerab has run away from her home and left her belongings behind, her father searches for her and then passes away outside her friend’s house.
3 Haya dancing at Murtasim’s wedding
If a villain goes down in history for messing with the nation’s mind so much that even the actress performing this role was sent hate mail, it would be Haya, palyed by Sabeen Farooq. We have to give credit to Farooq’s brilliant acting that makes Haya such a hateful character, and yet someone whom the audience can’t turn away from despite how cringey she looks trying to trap Murtasim. Perhaps the most Haya she has ever been was in episode 8, when she dances in a seductive manner at Meerab and Murtasim’s mehendi, something we’d not even do even if a gun was put to our head.
4 Malik Zubair aka Anas
Sirf Meerab, Murtasim aur Haya kaafi nahi thay, that even Mariam bechari had to be dragged into such a messed up love affair with the man who attempted to harm her brother? We discover in episode 40, that Anas is actually Malik Zubair, Murtasim’s biggest enemy. The episode also drew a lot of backlash from audiences for portraying the female characters of the show as helpless and clueless about the person whom Murtasim repeatedly refers to throughout the show as his biggest enemy.
5 The pregnancy confusion
‘Tere Bin’ did everything in its power to win the ‘most brainless show’ competition and they led the polls with episode 24. Murtasim promising his wife that he doesn’t think of Haya as anything but a sister, and then deciding to go to the village with her? Maa Begum becoming gynecologist and deciding Meerab is pregnant, without our headstrong lead even bothering to correct this assumption? Allah madad kar.
The former Director General Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed is not under detention or arrest, Geo has reported.
In the past few days, unconfirmed news reports were doing the rounds on social media that the former DG ISI is under house arrest in his village near Chakwal, while being investigated in the matter of May 9 riots.
Geo’s sources have refuted the social media reports, saying that Gen Faiz is not arrested. One of the sources added that he has met one of the former spymasters.
One of the correspondents tried to contact the former DG ISI but his phone was switched off. Before his retirement, Gen Faiz remained a central figure during the previous government’s tenure and in political discussions. He had been criticized by opponents of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for unduly favouring the ruling party.
Gen Faiz was also believed to be very close with former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has previously said that an inquiry can be conducted against Gen Fiaz Hameed but it would be the responsibility of investigative agencies as the interior ministry has nothing to do with it.
The dispute over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s chairmanship has entered a crucial phase as the tussle for claiming the Chairman spot continues between two major coalition partners in the federal government, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
PPP leader Faisal Kareem Kundi openly spoke about the chairmanship of PCB and stated that they have the right to decide who will head the board. In a conversation with Geo News in Dera Ismail Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi said that the government should utilize the skills of current Chairman Najam Sethi elsewhere.
Hamid Mir, the host of Geo News’ program ‘Capital Talk’, mentioned that PPP believes that the Ministry of Sports falls under their control, therefore the head should also be someone from their party and not Najam Sethi. PPP wants to replace Najam Sethi with Zaka Ashraf, but PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif insists on retaining Najam Sethi at any cost. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also recently met with Sethi when he briefed the Premier about cricket developments and two upcoming mega events in September and October.
The Prime Minister nominated Najam Sethi for the chairmanship of PCB, while Zaka Ashraf, a close friend of Asif Ali Zardari and backed by PPP, is also being considered as a strong contender for the post, according to media reports. PML-N leader and Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir, speaking on this matter, dismissed the impression of differences between the two parties.
Later, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that there is no disagreement regarding the issue of PCB Chairman. In a press conference, Rana Sanaullah emphasized that the Prime Minister always brings everyone together, and PPP chief Asif Zardari also engages in discussions. He further mentioned that any party can have an opinion on the matter of the Chairman of the Cricket Board, but there is no disagreement.
It should be noted that Najam Sethi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a few days ago, during which Sharif instructed him to expedite the elections for PCB Chairman.
Murtaza Wahab of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been elected as Mayor Karachi, defeating Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) candidate Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman.
He won by securing 173 votes, whereas the JI candidate secured 160 votes.
The electoral process for Karachi Mayor and Deputy Mayor was held at Karachi Arts Council (KAC). The election was held on show of hand basis. The voting started at 11:00 am. As pet the orders of ECP live cameras were not allowed during the voting.
He is PPP’s first leader to get elected as Karachi’s mayor.
On the other hand, Salman Abdullah Murad of PPP and Saifuddin Advocate of JI are also contesting today for the post of deputy mayor.
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday gave conditional permission to women to perform Hajj without a mehram under certain conditions, a spokesperson for the body confirmed.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs had sought the views of CII to determine whether or not women would be allowed to perform Hajj without a mehram (close-male relative) or male guardian.
In October 2022, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, announced that women all over the world would be able to perform Hajj and Umrah without a mehram or male guardian. The Ministry of Religious Affairs sought clarity on the matter from the CII.
A CII spokesperson stated it is acceptable, citing the Islamic Jafri, Maliki and Shafi’i schools of thought, which state that women are permitted to perform Hajj without a mehram under Sharia law.
The Council clarified that according to Hanafi and Hanbali fiqh, a woman is not obligated to perform Hajj if she does not have a mehram.
However, the CII stressed the permission is dependent on certain conditions.
What are the conditions?
Firstly, a woman can only travel sans mehram if granted explicit permission by either her parents or husband. Secondly, if a group of women are to travel for Hajj together, the religious ministry is entitled to a thorough investigation to ensure the group is fit to embark on the pilgrimage.
The CII spokesperson did note that if a woman wanted to solo travel for Hajj and Umrah, and she did not feel insecure while traveling, she had the right to go (of course dependent on her parents’/husband’s permission).
Writer and former advisor to the Minister of Hajj, Faten Ibrahim Hussein, praised the new ruling. According to him, allowing women to perform Umrah without a mehram makes the pilgrimage more attainable, as many come from difficult social situations and may not find a mehram.
Cyclone Biporjoy is expected to make landfall on the Arabian Sea coastal belt today (Thursday). Authorities in both Pakistan and India are on high alert to avoid any disaster.
The name of the cyclone has left many curious. The name ‘Biparjoy’ was coined by Bangladesh. It means disaster or calamity in Bengali.
Why is it important to name cyclones?
The reasoning behind naming cyclones is pretty simple. The storm is either given a code or a name, and it’s simpler to remember a name than a string of letters, numbers, or technical terminology.
Who decides the name of the cyclones?
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each tropical cyclone basin. As a common rule, cyclones formed in different ocean basins across the world are named by those areas, regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs).
Jahangir Khan Tareen has confirmed in a tweet that former federal minister Fridous Ashiq Awan will be the Central Secretary Information of his newly launched Istehkam-e-Pakistan party.
Tareen has already tweeted about the designations of other party members including Auwn Chaudhary, Aleem Khan and Amir Mahmood Kiyani, all three considered close aides of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. Tareen himself was once considered one of the key figures in PTI, largely credited for getting independent candidates to join the party in 2018, paving the way for the formation of a coalition government.
Firdous Ashiq Awan has previously held information portfolios in various governments. In 2019, she was appointed as special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan for information and broadcasting. On November 2, 2020, she got appointed as Special Assistant for information to Chief Minister Punjab, Usman Buzdar.
