Category: Lifestyle

The lifestyle of millennials is underreported in our mainstream media. The Current’s lifestyle news covers social events and issues that are unique.

  • Lawyer says Dr Afia was assaulted two times by jail guards in America

    Lawyer says Dr Afia was assaulted two times by jail guards in America

    Clive Stafford Smith, the lawyer of neuroscientist Dr Afia Siddiqui, currently jailed in America, has said in a shocking interview to Geo News that she has been subjected to sexual abuse as an investigation tactic, including being assaulted twice by prison guards in America, and harassed multiple times by fellow jail inmates.

    Her lawyer also mentioned that the Pakistani government is also aware of the two instances of sexual assault. Smith revealed that a sexual assault complaint was, therefore, filed on her behalf. “What they have been doing to her is pretty much unspeakable,” he said.
    Clive pointed out the tragic fact that there are close to 10,250 women in the American federal prison system. The woman who is treated the harshest of them all is Afia Siddiqui, currently in FMC Carswell Jail in Texas.

    He stressed that the Government of Pakistan has been informed about these instances and since it represents Afia on international forums, it is a failure on the part of the government of Pakistan that they have not tried enough to get her back.

    In August, Clive also posted about having compiled a report about “the sexual abuse that poor #Aafia has suffered at American hands in the last 20 years”.

    These comments by Afia’s lawyer also pointed to a 2018 report prepared by Aisha Farooqui, Pakistan’s former consul general in Houston, in which she cited physical and sexual abuse that Dr. Aafia was subjected to during her detention. That report recommended “Exploring a legal mechanism for her repatriation to Pakistan to complete her sentence in Pakistan, where at least she would be safe and would be able to meet her mother and children, who she has not met in almost eight years.”

    Clive posted about his last meeting with Dr Afia, “She ended our meeting sobbing, ‘I’m not going back to that cell & the sexual predators. Take me out of here. I’m innocent!’ Over&Over&Over for 28 minutes before they made me leave.”

    Dr Afia is currently being visited by her sister Dr Fowzia Siddiqui where they are not allowed to touch or hug each other and have to talk to each other been separated by glass screens. Fowzia shared in a video message that she found her sister to be in a worse condition than before.

    For the first two times, the jail administration did not let them meet by using the excuse that the key to Afia’s prison is lost.

    Earlier this year, the sisters met after 20 years when the elder Dr Fowzia visited her in June at a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Dr Fowzia said: “Due to her condition, I could not even recognise her,” reports Geo.

    Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated Pakistani scientist, was jailed in 2010 for 86 years by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault, stemming from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan — charges that she denied.

  • ‘No justification for attacking innocent people’: Malala calls for ceasefire in interview with Shahzeb Khanzada

    ‘No justification for attacking innocent people’: Malala calls for ceasefire in interview with Shahzeb Khanzada

    Nobel Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai was a guest on GEO’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ where she spoke at length about why she stressed on the need to address the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, adding that a ceasefire in Gaza should be demanded by everyone.

    Speaking to host Shahzeb Khanzada, Malala said she has consistently called for a ceasefire since the last month because targeting innocent people cannot be justified.

    “There is no explanation for attacking innocent people. So many children have been killed and families have become homeless because of the attack,” stressed the girls education activist. “I’m worried that there isn’t a lot of pressure right now to stop the war.”

    Malala urged audiences to pressurise their leaders to call for the UN to insert global pressure on Israel to stop the genocide.

    On Tuesday, Malala was the target of outrage when during a 15 minute speech at the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, she did not call out Israel for being an apartheid state because of the ongoing Gaza genocide which has now claimed more than 20,000 lives.

    READ MORE: ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    Malala also spoke on the show about the Nelson Mandela event where she was the key note speaker, discussing the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, where women and girls face oppression from the Taliban.

    “When I got the opportunity to speak at the Nelson Mandela event, it was important for me to speak about the gender apartheid we’re witnessing today in Afghanistan against women and girls. We can call this situation an apartheid because women and girls are being oppressed and are being deprived of their basic human rights. The state, which is responsible for protecting these women, is the one who is oppressing them.”

    Malala said her lecture addressed the world and the United Nations to urgently address this matter, and to reform the definition of apartheid to include gender in it, so the conversation keeps going forward. She said she will continue to push world leaders to reflect on how women in Afghanistan cannot study, go outside their homes or even visit a doctor without permission from a man.

    Malala also addressed the ongoing Afghan refugee crisis in Pakistan, calling it a “cruel decision” to send young Afghan girls back to a country where they would never be allowed to study again.

    “This is a difficult time for many Afghan families who are being forcefully sent back to Afghanistan. Several of them escaped in 2021 because of the threat of the Taliban’s rise, and among them are several feminist activists whose lives are under threat if they went back. Some of these families had stayed in Afghanistan for 20 to 30 years, and have girls who were studying in schools…I am extremely worried for these girls because she will never be able to see a school if she is sent back to Afghanistan.”

    Malala slammed the government decision as against our “human rights, culture and religion’. She pointed out that in Islam, Muslims are urged to take care of others. The activist urged Pakistani authorities to revoke the decision and give support to Afghan refugees, to prevent little girls from going back to a country which would rob them of their rights.

  • Another day, another fire; Blaze in Karachi’s Arshi mall claims three lives

    Another day, another fire; Blaze in Karachi’s Arshi mall claims three lives

    A powerful fire broke out in the Arshi shopping mall in Karachi’s Ayesha Manzil area on Wednesday evening, leaving three people dead and two injured.

    The six-storeyed building, consisted of two commercial floors (ground and mezzanine), while the remaining four were residential.

    Several people trapped in the residential floors of the building above the shops were rescued but lost their belongings to the inferno. The fire was so intense that clouds of black smoke could be seen from many kilometres away.

    Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed the tragic loss of three lives in the devastating fire at Arshi Mall. Two people who sustained burn injuries are under treatment. He also went to the spot to monitor rescue efforts late at night.

    K-Electric cut off the electricity supply to the area to avoid further damage. They also participated in rescue efforts.

    The fire severely impacted approximately 100 shops, warehouses, and 450 flats.

    Shopkeepers have stated that their entire stock had been burned to the ground. They demanded financial compensation from the government for their losses.

    The fire erupted around 5:47pm.

    It originated in a clothes shop and rapidly spread to neighbouring stores selling foam and furniture.

    The Director of Rescue 1122 stated that approximately 300 individuals have been evacuated from the building.

    This is the second fire in 12 days in Karachi and probably not the last as experts say more than 90 per cent of the industries, residential buildings, and structures in Karachi, which is the largest industrial hub in Pakistan, lack fire safety arrangements as building codes were not being implemented by the authorities concerned, reported Geo.

  • ‘Mahr has to be paid whenever demanded by the wife’: Chief Justice

    ‘Mahr has to be paid whenever demanded by the wife’: Chief Justice

    The Supreme Court has ruled that haq mahr must be paid by the husband whenever the wife demands it, not just in the event of divorce. Mahr is the mandatory payment or gift from the groom to the bride at the time of marriage. It is a fundamental part of an Islamic marriage contract and is considered the bride’s exclusive right, reports The Express Tribune.

    In a petition to the court, a husband had contended that since he had not divorced his wife, he was not liable to pay the mahr.

    Rejecting the contention, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Pakistan Isa referred to a 2001 judgment in which the Supreme Court had held that mahr can be demanded even when a marriage continues and that the husband is under obligation to pay the amount agreed upon at the time of the wedding.

    Referring to that case, the bench lamented that the wife had to file a suit for recovery of her mahr and maintenance and the husband unnecessarily involved her in legal proceedings that reached the court after six-and-a-half years.

    Chief Justice Isa criticised lower courts that did not penalize the husband for filing unnecessary appeals. “If the man was fined for filing unnecessary appeals, it would not have taken too long to decide the case. Filing of unnecessary appeals is paralyzing the judicial system,” he observed.
    The CJP said that the courts should not hesitate to impose fines to end unnecessary litigation.

    The chief justice ordered Khalid Parvez, the petitioner, to pay a Rs100,000 fine, the cost of legal proceedings along with mahr to his wife Samina, and dismissed his appeal, reported Dunya News.

    “Mahr has to be paid whenever demanded by the wife,” said a three-page written order authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa in a case related to non-payment of the money. The court also noted that mahr is an Islamic concept mentioned in the Holy Quran— Surah An-Nisa verse 4 and Surah Al-Baqrah verses 236-7. It is specifically recognized by the law of Pakistan in Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1962.

  • Lady health workers standing up for their rights

    Lady health workers standing up for their rights

    “Lady Health Workers (LHWs) should not be asked to do security duty during elections,” said Bushra Arain, Founder and Chairperson of the All Lady Health Workers’ Programme Union (ALPU).

    Acknowledging that other government workers are called in for duty, Bushra Arain pointed out that they are given easier tasks and are trained before the elections. “We are asked to do difficult duties and there is no security or training for LHWs,” she observed.

    As elections are near, Bushra Arain is worried that LHWs will be again asked to work during elections without protection or training.

    “LHWs are already soft targets, and elections in Pakistan are not safe, we worry for our safety,” emphasised Bushra.

    Rubina Ghaffar is an LHW in Karachi, and she was called on election duty in 2018.

    “Elections are near, and many of us are afraid that we will be put on security duty again,” said Rubina, “Last time we were tasked to do two things: count votes and provide security to the polling staff. We were not trained how to do this nor given any protective gear.”

    Rubina continued, “On the morning of election day, a group of us were driven to the polling station early in the morning. Our duty began at 6 am and ended only when we protested and demanded that we be allowed to go home. It was very late in the night”, Rubina said. “We were brought to the polling station in police vehicles but had to go home on our own late at night.”

    Rubina further said, “There was no security at the polling stations and although we were paid Rs4500 as compensation for the duty, it was not enough considering LHWs are already soft targets as we have seen. We were giving the voter list to tally with voters’ ID cards and tally the numbers.”

    She added, “Afterwards we counted the votes, this was checked by the relevant people. We not allowed to leave and were asked to keep sitting despite asking to leave. We were hungry and thirsty; we had not been provided anything throughout the day although the political workers were provided with lunch and tea. We couldn’t even order food as we were not allowed to step out of the polling stations. It was only after we protested, we were allowed to go home. It was quite late, and we had to travel back in small groups.”

    People living in urban areas are probably not interested in the lives and work of LHWs. They may not be disrespectful or disregard LHWs but since most of them don’t have any real interaction with them and may only meet them during a polio campaign, these women remain invisible and faceless to most of the urban population.

    LHWs don’t play an important role for urban dwellers their role is quite significant for slum dwellers in many cities, as well as rural areas where a large section of the population especially women rely on the basic health services LHWs provide. Many of these people have never received proper medical service and LHWs are their link to medicines and vaccinations.

    Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto launched the Lady Health Workers Programme in 1994 and at the end of the programme, LHWs were merged into the health sector. This was the logical step so that these trained community health workers could enhance health services to marginalised communities. However, instead of being beneficial for the LHWs, it only added to their problems.

    “When the LHW programme ended, LHWs were absorbed by the health department. This didn’t help to improve our status. Like other employees of this department, we were government servants but unlike them, we have no benefits like promotions, pensions, or increments. The main reason for this is that we don’t have a proper service structure under which we would be given these rights and benefits,” said Bushra.

    She added, “We are sent to all kinds of “special duties” including election and census duties, but we are not given any training or protection when we are doing security during elections. We worked throughout the pandemic without any protective gear or hand sanitisers. LHWs are vulnerable and we have lost many members to targeted terrorism., it is not fair to send us for election duty without proper training or protective gear.”

    Bushra further said she understands LHWs will be sent on special duties like other government employees, “Why aren’t we given benefits like other members of our department? Why isn’t our service structure made despite the Supreme Court’s orders in 2012? Why are we being deprived of our rights like increments, promotions, and pensions despite the court’s order? Many LHWs have retired without receiving benefits. And when we protest, we are beaten.”

    Elaborating on this, Maqsood Ahmed, trade unionist and trainer, said, “LHWs work in the most deplorable conditions. They do the work of doctors, nurses, counsellors, and community & social workers for marginalised communities. The LHWs do more than they should – this exploitation is only because their service structure has not been enforced.”

    He added, “In March 2013, the Supreme Court ordered that the service structure be made for LHWs, and they be regularised. And after the 18th Amendment, the devolution of 1,56,000 LHWs including supervisors, drivers, and accountants should have been done by the provinces but this has not been done till date.”

    “The Civil Servants Act governs government and public services. Different rules help to determine the number of leaves, pensions, promotions, and other benefits to the employee. Depriving LHWs of their service structure is in contravention of the Apex Court’s orders. Over time more than two to three thousand LHWs have retired increasing the workload. More LHWs should be hired as the population is increasing but this cannot be done until the service structure is made.”

    “If Bushra Arain and ALPU members don’t speak up for their rights no one else will help them,” said Maqsood Ahmed.

    Bushra added to this, “We will continue to speak up for our rights because no one is willing to give them to us despite the court’s order. Our union will keep fighting.”

  • Govt’s Hajj 2024 scheme fails to attract enough applications

    Govt’s Hajj 2024 scheme fails to attract enough applications

    Journalist Rana Ghulam Qadir has published a report in The News about the shocking drop in the number of applications submitted for the Hajj 2024.

    The report states the last date for receiving Hajj applications is approaching. The Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Tuesday that the number of applications received in five days from November 27 to December 5 was disappointing. One week is left till the ending date.

    The number of Hajj quotas under the government scheme is 89,605. Out of this, the quota of the sponsorship scheme has been fixed at 25,000. According to the ministry, the number of Hajj applications received in the last ten days is 12,600.

    Out of them, 800 have come under the sponsorship scheme while the remaining one comes under the regular scheme.

    In the past, a large number of applications was submitted in the initial days, but this year the number is very low. There is a possibility that there may not be a required number of applications as per the Hajj quota, especially since the target of the sponsorship scheme seems difficult to achieve.

    Officials of the ministry said that if the target is not met by December 12, the deadline will be extended.

    One reason for the low demand is inflation and the other reason is that Hajj is in June and the ministry is already moving six months in advance. The ministry sought the applications early so that Hajj arrangements could be improved.

  • ‘Soul of my soul’; Bereaved grandfather comforts injured children in Gaza hospitals

    ‘Soul of my soul’; Bereaved grandfather comforts injured children in Gaza hospitals

    A few days back, a video of a Gazan grandfather bidding goodbye to his dead granddaughter went viral. In the video, the man, who’s two grandchildren were killed by Israeli airstrikes, kisses the little girl and hugs her as he calls her the “soul of my soul”.
    What touched hearts across the world was Khaled’s relationship with his granddaughter Reem.

    The grandfather, Khaled, is now volunteering in hospitals in Gaza. He can be found comforting other children who have been injured from Israeli air strikes. Many of the patients are severely wounded, having no access to adequate medical facilities because Israel has blocked aid into Gaza.

  • Governor House wedding shoot triggers furious debate on social media

    Governor House wedding shoot triggers furious debate on social media

    Renowned journalist Saleem Safi shared a TikTok video on Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) of a newlywed couple in wedding attire running around the Governor House for their wedding photoshoot. He criticised the KP governor for allowing such practices.

    Safi later shared the response of Governor Haji Ghulam Ali where he was defending the practice as something that has been happening for a long time. The media in-charge to KP Governor Maaz Fida issued a clarification, explaining that governor house has always been open to the public for wedding photo shoots, with the condition that they obtained prior permission. In a post shared by Saleem Safi, the screenshot of the clarification, Fida dismissed the news of any film shooting taking place in the governor house.

    He said, “Public’s governor’s public governor house is just as accessible to newly married couples as it is for anyone else”. He said that the video doing rounds on social media is of such a couple that had formally obtained permission for the photoshoot.

    Fida added that there used to be a fee for such photo shoots, which was abolished by Ghulam Ali when he became the governor. He said that a specific portion of the governor house is open for such photo shoots and anyone can obtain the facility.

    Safi counter-criticized the Governor’s statement by saying that if this is the case then would couples from lower strata of society be allowed to have their photoshoots in there.

    The interaction has divided social media where some are defending the practice while others are criticising the fact that romantic photoshoots mar the sanctity of the place.

    Some X users found this funny enough to make memes on it.

    It is important to note that renting out public properties for a nominal fee for photo shoots or events is a common practice, all across the world and in Pakistan as well. In March 2020, the then-Governor Punjab, Chaudhry Sarwar, had also approved renting out the Lahore Governor House estate for commercial activities to generate operational expenditures.

  • Why are students in Islamabad protesting?

    Why are students in Islamabad protesting?

    A large number of university students in Islamabad protested on Tuesday demanding their universities and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) resolve their accommodation problem.

    Thousands of students were evicted from privately-run hostels after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) sealed many buildings over ‘non-conforming use’. It means that they were operating as a commercial enterprise without authorisation, reports The Express Tribune.

    The students also registered a public interest petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) against CDA’s policy that has left around 30,000 students on the verge of eviction.

    The petition is filed under section 4(xxiii) of the Federal Universities Act and other laws stating that the universities are bound to create sufficient student accommodation on campus and also to “approve or license” hostels and lodgings existing in the city.

    However, in Islamabad, only five out of the 35 universities over the last two decades have taken any such steps. “As a result, students are compelled to reside in privately-managed student hostels located in the CDA sectors,” it informed.

    CDA issued non-conforming notices to over 70 hostels in November.

    According to the hostel owners, many students had to spend the night on the street after at least two hostels were shut down late in the evening without proper warning.

    The petition also points out that HEC has a statutory mandate to protect the interests of students including their accommodation matters, “but has so far failed to intervene in this crisis”.

    At the preliminary hearing, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb issued directions for the HEC chairman to grant a hearing to the students and redress their grievances.

  • ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    Girls education activist Malala Yousafzai was selected to give the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. In her speech, the Noble Prize Winner spoke at length about the gender apartheid in Afghanistan against women and girls, with no mention of the genocide of Gaza where the death toll has now crossed 15,000 civilians.

    In an interview with The Associated Press, Malala urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, pointing to attention to the countless schools and homes that have been bombarded in the war, and for war criminals to be held accountable.

    Nelson Mandela was a staunch pro-Palestine supporter, who famously said during his visit to Gaza in 1999 that he “felt at home among compatriots”.

    “There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now,” wrote a user.

    “Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela’s struggle, yet not a word about Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide. Nothing but just a mouthpiece can’t be my inspiration anymore,” wrote another user.

    “She’s visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset,” said a tweet.

    Previously Malala released a statement on October 10 grieving for the Palestinian and Israeli children who were caught in the war. Many were quick to slam the feminist activist for failing to recognise that this was a genocide where more Palestinian lives were being lost everyday.

    Many have drawn comparisons between Malala’s silence and climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s outspoken resistance against the genocide of Gaza. Greta published an op-ed for The Guardian where she criticised Israel as the death toll grows in Gaza, with more children passing away from Israeli airstrikes.