Author: newsdesk

  • Khan lashes out at Qazi Faez Isa, questions his mental stability

    Khan lashes out at Qazi Faez Isa, questions his mental stability

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has lashed out at the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, questioning his mental stability during a conversation with journalists on Friday.

    “No Chief Justice in the world has acted the way Pakistan’s Chief Justice is behaving. He does not seem mentally sound to me,” exclaimed Khan, accusing the CJP of biased behaviour.

    He also criticised the January 2024 Supreme Court ruling stripping the PTI of its electoral symbol ‘bat’ calling it biased because the “the SC verdict in the reserved seats case has vindicated our stance.”

    The former Prime Minister further alleged that the CJP was involved in “election fraud” and was trying to punish PTI for extending his tenure.

    “The so-called third umpire also seeks an extension, and for that, they need PDM’s support. They are destroying democracy and the rule of law to maintain power while the nation begs for a single dollar,” stated Khan.

  • How did rumors of Usama Khan and Zainab Shabbir’s engagement start?

    How did rumors of Usama Khan and Zainab Shabbir’s engagement start?

    Usama Khan, the hero of Pakistani film Nayab, has revealed how rumors about his engagement with co-star Zainab Shabbir spread.

    He recently appeared on Nida Yasir’s Good Morning show.

    Talking about the rumors of his engagement with co-star Zainab Shabbir during the show, he said, “The rumors of me and Zainab’s engagement were spread due to a misunderstanding by the anchor of the show.”

    Nida admitted that the rumors were spread because of her mistake. “I congratulated them on their engagement on the show, but later I found out the truth,” she confessed.

    Once Nida Yasir finished speaking, Usama Khan added, “Everyone in the industry was also convinced that Zainab and I were engaged, but I denied the rumors myself.”

    He continued, “I told everyone that I am not engaged, but I am looking for a girl.”

    He jokingly added, “If there is a girl watching the show now who is interested in me, she can also contact me.”

  • Aleem Dar to retire after domestic season 2024-25

    Aleem Dar to retire after domestic season 2024-25

    World record-winning Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar has announced his retirement at the end of the 2024-25 domestic season.

    Aleem Dar’s illustrious and distinguished career spans over a quarter of a century. Three-time winner of the David Shepherd Trophy for International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire of the Year (2011-2009), seen as a true gentleman on and off the field.

    On his decision to retire, Aleem Dar said, “Umpiring has been my life for almost 25 years, and I have had the privilege of umpiring some of the most memorable matches involving the greatest players of this generation. Throughout my career, I have strived to uphold the highest standards of sports, and it has been an honour to work with some of the best match officials in the world, but all great journeys eventually come to an end, and now the time has come. That I should focus fully on my social and charity work.”

    “My hospital project and other initiatives are very close to my heart, and they need my full dedication and attention. Having achieved almost everything I aspired to in umpiring with the unwavering support of my colleagues, I also feel the need to step aside and allow budding umpires to emerge and shine, says Aleem Dar. This is the right time to give,” he added.

    He said, “I hope he will get similar opportunities to make his mark on the great game of cricket and represent Pakistan with pride. Committed to mentoring and supporting the next generation of match officials, I will always be available to guide those making a career in this great field.”

    He has played 17 first-class and 18 List A matches between 1986 and 1998.

    He made his first-class umpiring debut during the 1998 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, from 2003 to 2023, he served on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, where he demonstrated his managerial skills, understanding of game situations, calm demeanour and Gained a global reputation for excellent decision-making.

    He is currently part of the PCB’s elite panel and is one of the four Pakistani umpires on the ICC’s international panel.

    Dar has so far umpired a record 145 Tests, 231 One Day Internationals, 72 T20 Internationals, 5 Women’s T20 Internationals, 181 First Class matches, and 282 List A matches.

  • Lions hunted out of Champions Cupby rain; Markhors climb into finals

    Lions hunted out of Champions Cupby rain; Markhors climb into finals

    An eliminator match of the Champions One Day Cup between Makhors and Lions got cancelled after rain, driving the Lions out of the event, and taking Markhor to the finals.

    Shaheen’s Lions did not perform well in the round matches, but they had a better run rate and a win in the league stage.

    Earlier, Panthers also reached the final of the Champions Cup.

    The final of the Champions Cup between the Panthers and Markhors will be played at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Sunday.

  • Finance Division forecasts 8-9% inflation for September

    Finance Division forecasts 8-9% inflation for September

    Pakistan’s headline inflation may drop to 8-9 per cent in the next two months, according to the finance ministry.

    In a recent economic update, the finance division said that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation in the country has come down to single digits. This is the lowest level recorded in almost 14 months.

    Experts had earlier predicted that the inflation will drop to single digits soon with further decline expected in the coming months.

    Last month, CPI-based inflation was seen at 9.6 per cent on an annual basis. This represents a massive decline from the from 27.4 per cent recorded in August 2023.

    The finance ministry also noted positive indicators in the first two months of ongoing fiscal year in its recently released monthly report, confirming that the industrial output has increased, and big exporting sectors have also recorded notable growth.

    Moreover, the current account deficit has shrunk due to strategic measures taken by the government.

    The finance division expcts the trajectory to continue in the upcoming months.

  • Munawar Saeed shares how he knew his son would survive the PIA crash

    Munawar Saeed shares how he knew his son would survive the PIA crash

    On May 22, 2020, PIA flight 8303 crashed in Karachi, killing nearly everyone on board and leaving many families in grief.

    Munawar Saeed was among the families anxiously waiting for news about his son, Zafar Masud, who was on the flight.

    During an appearance as a guest on Nadan Maizban hosted by Danish Nawaz, Yasir Nawaz and Nida Yasir,  Munawar Saeed shared a touching story about his  son Zafar and how he survived the terrible PIA plane crash.

    The host Yasir Nawaz asked, “How did he (Zafar) survive?”

    Munawar Saeed replied, “Well, there was a seat right at the corner of the plane next to the door. When the plane started shaking, that seat came off, and the door opened.  He got out of the seat because it was chaotic, and Zafar fell onto the roof of a house. After falling, he slipped off the roof and landed on the bonnet of a car that was parked below. He was still strapped in with the seatbelt, so he fell onto the car.”

    “Zafar Masud survived because of that seat, and Allah’s mercy was such that he didn’t land headfirst because fell with the seat. The car he fell onto had a family inside who were on their way to drop someone off at the station. When he fell, they were startled and got out to see what had happened. They saw a man lying there. They noticed that the plane had caught fire and were worried. They came closer and realized that he was alive. Zafar asked them to help him, but he didn’t remember being my son at that moment. They helped him up, and right in front of them was an ambulance. They immediately placed him in the ambulance and took him to a hospital that was near the airport. It is truly remarkable; Allah’s mercy saved him,” Saeed added.

    Out of the ninety-one passengers and eight crew members on the plane, ninety-seven were killed. Only two passengers survived but were injured. Eight people on the ground were also hurt in the accident, and sadly, one of them later died from her injuries.

  • State Bank confirms Pakistan has received initial $1.03 billion tranche from IMF

    State Bank confirms Pakistan has received initial $1.03 billion tranche from IMF

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced on Friday that it has received the much-anticipated first tranche of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) worth 760 million, equivalent to USD 1.03 billion, from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    In a statement, the SBP said, “Following the approval of the IMF Executive Board of a 37-month Extended Fund Facility amounting to US$7 billion, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has received the first tranche of SDR 760 million (equivalent to USD 1.03 billion) from the IMF today.”

    The central bank confirmed that these inflows would be reflected in the SBP’s liquid reserves, which are scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 3, 2024.

    The IMF’s Executive Board granted approval for the 37-month, $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Pakistan on Wednesday, marking a significant financial lifeline for the country.

    Pakistan and the IMF initially reached a staff-level agreement on the EFF, worth SDR 5,320 million (roughly USD 7 billion), on July 12, 2024, paving the way for today’s disbursement.

  • PTI lawmaker joins government ahead of constitutional amendments

    PTI lawmaker joins government ahead of constitutional amendments

    A big shock for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as PTI Member National Assembly (MNA) Adil Khan Bazai has joined the incumbent government ahead of proposed constitutional amendments, ARY News reported.

    PTI-backed independent candidate Adil Bazai secured his National Assembly seat from Quetta constituency NA-262 in the general election of 2024.

    After Bazai joined the incumbent government, the coalition government number rose to 215 seats in the National Assembly.

    Earlier, the coalition government attempted to pass the constitutional amendments from parliament but was unsuccessful due to the insufficient number of lawmakers required to pass the amendments.

    Chief Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been the decision maker by having only five votes of the Upper House in his pocket.

    Veteran journalist Azaz Syed, on the YouTube channel ‘Talk SHOCK’, claimed that the coalition government intends to introduce the twenty-sixth constitutional amendment drafts to parliament in the first week of October.

  • Reserved seats uncertainty: ECP again approaches Supreme Court

    Reserved seats uncertainty: ECP again approaches Supreme Court

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has challenged the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan’s September 14 detailed verdict regarding the allotment of women and non-muslim reserved seats to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    The ECP explained in its plea that the apex court’s July 12 ruling came before the Election Amendment Act 2024; on this amendment, the ECP sought clarification from the apex court on whether to follow the amended parliamentary law or the top court’s September 14 detailed verdict.

    The 8-5 majority ruling of the Supreme Court’s verdict on reserved seats read, “Withdrawal of election symbol cannot disqualify a political party from elections.”

    It further read, “The PTI was and is a political party.”

    On September 14, the top court issued the detailed verdict of its July 12 ruling, directing the ECP to allot reserved seats to PTI.

    Meanwhile, the Election Amendment Act 2024 stated, “A candidate who does not submit the party certificate before obtaining the election symbol will be considered an independent candidate. If the list of candidates for reserved seats is not submitted within the specified period, no political party will be entitled to those seats.”

  • Bangladeshi cricket fan beaten in India, admitted to hospital

    Bangladeshi cricket fan beaten in India, admitted to hospital

    A Bangladeshi cricket fan was assaulted during the second Test match between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

    According to Indian media, a Bangladeshi fan named Tiger Robi was subjected to violence on the first day of the Test match. The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital by police and rescue officials.

    Bangladeshi fan says that they hit me in the jaw and lower part of the stomach, due to which I could not breathe for some time.

    The Test between India and Bangladesh has started today in Kanpur.