If you’ve noticed a sudden obsession with donuts in Pakistan recently, you’re not alone. It seems like everyone suddenly started loving those round, sugary treats, and here is why.
If all the talk around donuts has made you want one, here is where you can get the one you crave.
1-Crusteez Islamabad
If the Chief Justice of Pakistan can try it out, maybe so should we? Crusteez Donuts has suddenly become one of the most famous donut shops. Known for its fresh, delicious donuts in the capital city, give it a shot, maybe after a few days to avoid the super long lines.
2- EASY Karachi
Easy donuts in Karachi quickly rose to fame when it launched in the city a few years ago. With creative flavours and a really nice, comforting texture, it has always been Karachi’s go-to for donuts.
3-OD Donuts
OD Donuts is making waves among donut lovers and they have really cute marketing campaigns too. Known for its soft, airy texture and unique toppings, it’s a must-try for anyone looking to indulge in something delicious.
4-Loafology
Famous for its artisanal bread, it is also known for its incredible donuts! Located in Islamabad and Lahore, this bakery offers a mix of freshly baked goods, and their donuts have become a favourite for many. Known for their quality ingredients and unique flavours, Loafology’s donuts are a must-try for anyone craving something sweet with a gourmet touch.
5-Jalal Sons
Jalal Sons is not just a well-known name for quality food products in Pakistan but also a favourite destination for delicious round treats.
Their donuts are loved for their freshness and variety, making them a popular choice among sweet lovers.
Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, famous for novels and short stories featuring immigrant characters, has declined an award from New York City’s Noguchi Museum after it fired employees for wearing keffiyeh- a Palestinian scarf that is used to express solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The announcement was made by Noguchi Museum New York in a statement that read, “Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy.”
Jhumpa is a British-American author whose parents were Bengalis from the East Indian region. Her work mostly centres around immigrants. She won the esteemed Pulitzer Prize back in 2000 for her book Interpreter of Maladies.
Keffiyeh has become a symbol of resistance throughout the world as protestors demand an end to the genocide in Gaza.
Earlier, at the end of November 2023, three Palestinian students were shot for wearing their country’s traditional keffiyeh scarves in Vermont, USA.
On May 19, a 42-year-old Texas woman attempted to drown a 6-year-old Palestinian girl.
NASA has reported that a ‘mini moon’ will soon enter Earth’s orbit for a brief period as a result of its gravitational pull.
BBC reports that the Earth is about to get a second moon as a small asteroid is going to be captured by Earth’s gravitational pull from September 29 onwards.
Starting this weekend, the small asteroid is expected to spend about two months orbiting around the Earth.
Scientist Dr Jennifer Millard told BBC that the asteroid is predicted to leave the orbit on November 25.
The second moon will not be seen through the naked eye except through a professional telescope.
The asteroid was first noticed by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas) on August 7.
A study related to the asteroid, published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, revealed that it came from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which is full of rocks following an orbit just like it is around Earth.
Researchers say that if an asteroid is moving at the relatively slow speed of around 2,200mph (3,540km/h), Earth’s gravitational field exerts a strong influence, enough to trap it in its orbit temporarily, and this is exactly what has happened here.
The asteroid, named 2024 PT5, is approximately 10 metres long, which is tiny in comparison to Earth’s moon, which has a diameter of approximately 3,474km.
Thousands of students from across the country appeared in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) on Sunday. Since then, social media is abuzz with allegations of paper leaks and mismanagement in the way exams were conducted.
As per Dawn, leaked papers and mismanagement have been reported in six exam centres, whereas exams were held in five cities across Sindh. In NED University of Engineering and Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), students and their parents had to go through trouble when they arrived. In some of the other centres, many had to wait for hours to enter the centre.
Some reported that the MDCAT paper leaked at midnight, and it was 70 to 80 percent similar to the actual paper.
However, Dow University has dismissed these allegations, stating that “the paper that went viral on social media is different from the MDCAT paper.”
Videos of students protesting inside Shahid Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) against wrong answer keys of the multiple choice questions in the official exam have surfaced on social media.
Students from Sindh posted pictures of alleged leaked questions and compared them with the original one, implying that rampant injustice was meted out to hardworking students.
Some also posted about long lines outside Karachi’s NED University, pointing out the poor arrangements.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said in a statement, “In Lahore, there were eight centres but here in Karachi only two centres were set up. The students and their parents were humiliated.”
Another student posted a screenshot of the denial of Dow University on Facebook, stating that the comments section was turned off. “Turning comments won’t turn off the truth. We demand accountability,” he stressed.
Students from Islamabad also lamented the release of the wrong answer key by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, which is affecting the expected result deeply.
In Balochistan, students claim that some students were allegedly caught cheating during an exam in Quetta.
As for the recent update, the students online are claiming that SZABMU has decided to award six grace marks to the students on the issue of wrong answer keys.
Social media has labelled Dr Shah Nawaz Kunbhar’s Hindu driver, Prem Kolhi, the real hero of the tragic ordeal in which the health professional was killed by police.
Kohli first tried his best to save the doctor’s body from an angry extremist mob and later buried him respectfully.
Dawn quotes Dr Shah Nawaz’s father, Mohammad Saleh Kunbhar, as saying that the mob also tried to lynch Prem Kolhi, who was bringing the body back home in a car after it was handed over by the police. He related that the mob tried to torch the car with the body and the driver inside but Prem managed to escape.
Social media users have lamented the brutal murder of the slain medic and praised Prem for his bravery.
Rabiner Kumar posted a picture of Prem and said, “He was fearless and not afraid of death. Premo considered him ( Dr Shahnawaz) a human being, and did the best what he could against the zombies.”
Journalist A. Waheed Murad posted a video of Kolhi burying the body, poignantly captioning it as “In the desert of Sindh, there was once a Premo”.
Journalist Rafi Raza posted Prem’s picture with the caption, “Prem is a member of a minority community who tried to protect the body of Dr Shah Nawaz from a Muslim mob.”
A netizen by the name of Asad Malik posted, “Prem Kohli who tried to save the body of Dr. Shahnawaz from desecration, Masood Lohar who led the movement to lead the funeral prayer, Allama Abdul Momin Memon who led the funeral prayer today are the Sindhis who make humanity proud.”
Mehar Baloch posted a note of appreciation for the Hindu driver.
Dr Shah Nawaz Kunbhar from Umerkot in Sindh was fatally shot by police in an alleged extra-judicial killing in Mirpurkhas, a day after he was arrested on allegations of blasphemy.
Later, the body was handed over to the family but an angry extremist mob followed them and eventually burnt the body. Since then, Sindhis have struck back at extremist elements, holding a massive funeral for the doctor and singing Sindhi folk songs at his grave which is now covered by ajraks, the traditional cloth that represents the province.
A grand funeral was held on Sunday (September 22) for Dr Shah Nawaz, the man suspected of blasphemy and killed in an alleged extrajudicial encounter by Sindhri police in Mirpurkhas, in his native village near Umarkot. Thousands of funeral attendees chanted angry slogans against the extremist wave of religiosity in the garb of the blasphemy law, resulting in the brutal murder of the medic. The participants belonged to all walks of life and came from all around Sindh, including Karachi.
It was reported that a charged mob which burnt the body of the slain suspect consisted of the far-right Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan and other groups. In the videos, the crowd at the funeral could be seen chanting loudly, “Mullah gardi band karo, dehshagardi band karo” (stop this extremism by religious leaders, stop this terrorism).
Dr Shah Nawaz’s grave was also adorned by the Sindhi traditional shawl Ajrak as people sang a folk song at his final resting place.
Many attendees also paid homage to Premo Kohli, a Hindu, who buried the remains of the slain doctor.
The doctor was killed by police after it was alleged that he shared blasphemous content on his Facebook account.
The last video of Dr Shah Nawaz has also emerged online, in which he said that he doesn’t use Facebook anymore. “The ID is very old, under the name Shah Nawaz Shah. I haven’t used it in a long time. I have already mentioned that I’ve stopped using Facebook.” He went on to add, “There’s is nothing to hide, I’m being transparent about everything. I will have everything investigated.” He pleads people not to label him as a disbeliever as he is open to all sorts of investigations. “Let the police do their work,” he asserted.
Earlier, his mother shared her son’s inclination towards Islam, stating that he used to pray five times a day and sent her to Hajj last year.
In the same video, his daughter also asked for justice for her father. “The policemen must be brought to justice! They killed my father, they should be locked up in jail,” she demanded.
Dawn quotes Dr Shah Nawaz’s wife, who said that her husband used to teach the Quran to young children. “How could he indulge in blasphemy?,” she asked.
The police team involved in the alleged encounter have been suspended by the Sindh police and an investigation is underway.
Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar was fatally shot by police in an alleged extra-judicial killing in Mirpurkhas on September 19, a day after he was arrested on allegations of blasphemy.
Reports from Khairpur have revealed that employees posted in the morgue of Civil Hospital are getting infected amid three rotting dead bodies. The district administration has initiated an inquiry to find facts leading to the situation.
Local journalists have reported that the air-conditioning system in the morgue went out of order, and the facility also ran out of preservers used to store the bodies for a short period before the burial.
Some employees, on condition of anonymity, stated that the hospital’s administration was informed about the situation, but they did not take any action.
The local journalists told Dawn that a visitor shared videos of the ill morgue workers being treated for the infectious disease. Victims reportedly got infected by handling three unclaimed bodies that were swollen and had started rotting.
The morgue’s embalming machines, which prevent bodies from decaying, had reportedly been out-of-order for a long time now.
In one of the videos, a morgue staffer complains that after their colleagues fell ill, they did not bathe and shroud the bodies, which were found infested with decomposing bacteria and insects.
Commissioner Sukkur took notice and asked the medical superintendent (MS) of the Khairpur Civil Hospital to get the matter thoroughly investigated.
A probe committee has been formed to investigate how the air-conditioning system, embalming machines, and other required equipment went out of order. The committee is to submit a report to the MS as soon as possible.
The matter has also been brought to the attention of the provincial chief secretary, and the investigation is underway.
Notably, in one of the recent studies, it was revealed that hospitals are some of the riskiest places to visit, as they are the biggest source of Hepatitis B, C, and HIV infections in Pakistan.
A local court in Karachi has issued a non-bailable warrant for controversial motivational speaker Sahil Adeem in a case pertaining to allegedly making derogatory remarks about Sindhis.
The News reported that Sahil Adeem was booked by the Karachi police on a complaint filed by lawyer Abdul Fatah in July 2024.
The court directed the police to arrest and produce him before the court on September 24.
The warrant has been issued over Adeem’s failure to surrender before the court.
In the First Information Report (FIR) registered against Sahil Azaz Adeem, advocate Abdul Fatah stated that he was sitting outside the Edhi Barroom at the City Courts when he received a video on WhatsApp in which Sahil Adeem could be heard making derogatory remarks about Sindhis.
He lodged the FIR on July 12, in which he further stated that in the video, the accused was heard saying that instead of Ghazwa-e-Hind, it should be Ghazwa-e-Sindh and that Sindhis gift their daughters to Chaudhries and Waderas (feudal lords). As per the lawyer, Sahil Adeem used many other objectionable words, hurting his sentiments and those of other Sindhis.
The FIR include sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 500 (Punishment for defamation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Notably, Adeem has issued a public apology for his remarks against the Sindhi community, stating he did not intend to hurt anybody.
The Lahore High Court invalidated a notification of the dismissal of a widow from her government job after she married again.
A two-member bench of the provincial top court issued a written decision on Zoya Islam’s written appeal.
The bench was headed by Justice Chaudhry Iqbal.
The applicant argued that after the death of her husband, who was a government servant, she got the job of Naib Qasid in 2020. She married for the second time in 2021. However, on the basis of remarriage, she was dismissed from the job after being told that she was no longer eligible for the job.
The court ruled that the job given to the widow of a government servant cannot be terminated after her second marriage. After the death of the husband, the widow will not be dismissed from the government job because the widow has the right to remarry.
“This is the basic right of a woman given to her by our religion,” the court said in the written decision.
The court further added that firing a widow from a job on the basis of second marriage is a violation of Sharia law. Lahore High Court quoted the Supreme Court’s decision asserting the unlawfulness of dismissing a widow from a job on account of remarriage.
The court annulled the eviction notice given to Zoya Islam and allowed her to continue the job.
The family of slain blasphemy suspect Abdul Ali has forgiven the Quetta police constable who killed him last week while he was in custody.
The police officer had accessed the police station by pretending he was his relative before opening fire on him.
Abdul Ali’s family spoke to the media along with the chief of the Nourzai tribe Haji Faizullah Nourzai who stated, “The family and tribe have nothing to do with the dirty act of blasphemy committed by the suspect.”
The family condemned the slain suspect for alleged blasphemy, saying, “We never hesitate to render our lives in the honour of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him).”
“We have pardoned the police official Saad Muhammad Sarhadi in the name of Allah and unconditionally so,” the family said, adding that they would not fight a case against the police official in any court of law.
Senator’s solidarity with the policeman
Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan’s senator Abdul Shakoor Khan expressed solidarity with the policeman during a Senate meeting, saying that he would bear all his legal expenses.
“The police officer shot him because he expressed distrust in the legal system,” the senator said. “It is wrong in terms of Shariat and the law.”
“I don’t blame the police official, I blame the legal system,” he said further adding that “we will not tolerate anyone issuing blasphemous remarks against the Holy Prophet”.
Those accused, who should be hanged within 10 hours, undergo trials for months,” Senator Khan opined while speaking on the floor of the upper house.
Previously, it was reported that a policeman in Quetta shot dead an elderly man accused of blasphemy inside a lockup of the Cantt police station.
Abdul Ali, a hotel owner, was detained by the Kharotabad Police after a video went viral on social media on Wednesday and a case was registered against him under Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code.
As per the FIR shared by activist Faraz Pervaiz, Abdul Ali was seen speaking in his native language in the video, allegedly making objectionable remarks about Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (finality of prophethood) and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) went viral.
A case was registered against him following the video’s circulation.
Post his arrest, a large number mob gathered outside the Kharotabad police station, demanding that he be handed over to them. The videos of these clashes also went viral on social media.
A senior Quetta police officer told the BBC, “Khorotabad police station was unsafe due to the presence of a large number of protesters, so the accused was transferred to Cantt police station.”
There, a police constable fired at and killed Abdul Ali inside the station.
The cop “suddenly opened fire on the suspect who was in the police lockup,” Inspector General Police Balochistan Moazzam Jah Ansari told Dawn, adding that he used his own pistol.
Reports indicate that the police constable has been identified as Syed Khan Sarhadi by social media users but Dawn reports his name to be Saad Sarhadi, who was arrested, and an investigation is ongoing.
The police stated that instead of transferring Abdul Ali’s body to the civil hospital, the concerned police surgeon had been called to a safe place for post-mortem.
Social media is flooded with videos of locals not allowing the burial of the accused in the cemetry while also coming in to congratulate the father of the policeman who killed Abdul Ali.
It is the first incident of its kind in Quetta, where a serving police officer gunned down a suspect of blasphemy charges while in custody.
