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  • Physics practical score of Chohan’s son increased illegally, probe reveals

    The marks scored in a Physics practical by ex-Punjab information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan’s son, Fahad Hassan, were illegally increased from 14 to 30, an inquiry report has revealed.

    According to the report, the head examiner, Associate Professor Saleem Ramzan, misused his authority and increased the marks of the former minister’s son against the will of every other examiner.

    The report has been forwarded to the higher education secretary for further investigation against the head examiner.

    Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Board Chairman Dr Ghulam Dastagheer has said that Fahad’s result will be released after seeking legal advice from the authorities concerned.

    Earlier, Fahad had scored 769 marks in 12th class examinations and later submitted an application for re-checking of his papers. He had allegedly pressurised the board chairman to increase his marks from 14 to 30.

    The chairman had allegedly obliged the minister by increasing his son’s marks and also changed the award-list himself.

    The Rawalpindi board controller examinations, after being informed about the situation, had stopped the result and formed a two-member inquiry committee on the request of the board chairman.

    The board chairman had said that anyone found guilty of alleged tampering with the result should be dealt with strictly as per law. “The Physics practical was conducted on July 17, while I assumed the charge as board chairman on July 18,” he had said while clarifying his position.

    In a video message, Punjab Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had said that he had nothing to do with the episode and had requested the board controller examinations to conduct an inquiry.

    He had also presented himself for the inquiry.

  • NAB seizes luxury cars, gold, weapons in raid on ex DG’s house

    NAB seizes luxury cars, gold, weapons in raid on ex DG’s house

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested the former parks and horticulture director-general, Liaquat Ali Qaimkhani of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in Bagh Ibne Qasim scam, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, the anti-graft body has seized eight luxury vehicles, weapons, property files, jewellery and official records of the KMC from ex DG’s custody.

    Moreover, ‘original files’ of the KMC were also seized from the held suspect’s home including two lockers, six and four feet high.

    Reports also reveal that the held suspect had granted a “fake contract” of Bagh Ibne Qasim when he was parks DG of the KMC.

    A day prior, ex-DG parks Qaimkhani was arrested but a three-day transit remand was approved for him.

    When asked by a journalist how someone earning Rs1.5 million a year could afford such luxuries and a big house, the former DG parks said that he belonged to a landlord family and that was his ancestral home.

  • K-Electric reports Rs12.3 billion profit

    K-Electric reports Rs12.3 billion profit

    K-Electric (KE) has announced a profit of Rs12.3 billion for the fiscal year (FY) 2017-18, marking a growth of 18.16 per cent as compared to Rs10.4 billion during the same period of last financial year, a private news outlet has reported.

    According to reports, KE’s Board of Directors held a meeting on Wednesday at the head office and approved the company’s financial results for the year that ended on June 30, 2018.

    KE declared an increase in earnings to 0.45 rupees per share in FY18 from 0.38 rupees per share in FY17.

    The company sold electricity of over Rs184.16 billion in FY18, an increase of 9 per cent as compared to Rs168.57 billion in the previous year. It also received Rs32.97 billion on account of tariff adjustment in the year compared to Rs15.29 billion in the corresponding period.

    Moreover, during the reporting period, over Rs44 billion has been invested in generation, transmission and distribution, while KE’s key financial and operational indicators marked sustained growth as well.

  • Ramiz Raja not happy  with Misbah’s selection

    Ramiz Raja not happy with Misbah’s selection

    Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja is disappointed with the 20 probables selected by head coach-cum-chief selector Misbahul Haq for the upcoming T20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka.

    While speaking in a Youtube video, the famous commentator has criticised Misbah for implementing a safety first approach in his selection.

    He said, “It was disappointing to see no new name or experimentation from Misbah, despite playing against a second-string Sri Lanka side,” adding that Misbah is playing safe as it is his first big assignment and is opting for tried and tested players.

    Ramiz Raja believes that Men in Green needs out of the box thinking with regards to the future.

    “You could have invited around four to five players to this camp, who you think are talented and have what it takes to serve Pakistan in future,” he added. “Instead, those players have been recalled who have been playing for Pakistan for last 10 years and we are aware of their potential and limitations.”

  • PM Imran all set for another modest US trip

    PM Imran all set for another modest US trip

    After his austere United States (US) trip from earlier this year, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is all set for another one of the same kind as merely $162,000 (Rs25 million) from taxpayers’ money will be spent, The Express Tribune reported.

    The premier will reach Washington on September 21, where he will not only hold meetings with US President Donald Trump among other top government officials, but also address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.

    It is also believed that PM Imran will once again take a commercial flight instead of opting to charter a plane in a bid to save money as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government continues to attempt to reduce the burden on the national exchequer.

    Previously, the premier’s visit to the US had cost the treasury around $67,180 (Rs11 million). Around Rs1.35 million were spent on accommodation for PM’s 27-member delegation, while the PM chose to stay at Pakistan Embassy instead of some lavish hotel.

    According to the details of the expenditures, an amount of Rs92,120 were incurred on transport, Rs142,000 on gifts, Rs6,075,800 on airfare, miscellaneous expenditures stood at Rs1,287,460, tips at Rs706,001 and meals at Rs1,389,077.

  • Officer, who raided Lahore’s Café Aylanto, removed

    Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) Masood Bashir Warraich, who conducted a raid on Lahore’s Café Aylanto, has been made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD), The News International reported.

    According to reports, the development comes days after he raided the elite restaurant on MM Alam Road for allegedly allowing its customers to consume alcohol.

    The raiding party, led by Warraich and Model Town assistant commissioner, had claimed recovering imported liquor from the restaurant. But interestingly, the FIR [First Information Report] did not include the restaurant owner’s name and only 13 employees — mostly waiters — were arrested.

    Warraich had earlier been accused of deliberately delaying the renewal of liquor licences of four hotels in Lahore after their managements allegedly refused to pay him 30 per cent commission from daily liquor sales.

    “I am being accused of corruption just because I implemented the rules,” Warraich said while rejecting the claims, adding that before he took charge, all four hotels were selling over 100,000 liquor bottles each illegally every day which reduced to about 8,000 each after he intervened.

    “Rumours about my character are being spread by the liquor mafia to discredit me.”

    Meanwhile, an Excise Department official has claimed that Warraich’s transfer is not linked with last week’s raid. “The summary for the transfer of the ETO was sent three days prior to the raid,” reports quoted the official as saying.

  • VIDEO: Modi consoles ISRO chief after moon landing fails

    VIDEO: Modi consoles ISRO chief after moon landing fails

    A video showing Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi consoling Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan as he broke down following the failure of India’s lunar moon mission, has gone viral over the internet.

    Modi was seen hugging and consoling K Sivan shortly after ISRO’s plan to soft-land Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram module failed during the wee hours on Saturday. The lander lost communication with ground stations during its final descent towards the moon.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The Indian premier also gave a speech after the briefing where he told ISRO scientists to “not get disheartened by the hurdles in the moon mission” and asserted that there “will be new dawn”.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has taken a jibe at the failed Indian moon mission, terming the Indian spacecraft a “toy”, adding that “it must have landed in Mumbai”.

    Taking to Twitter, the minister advised Indians to “sleep instead of waiting for an announcement from ISRO” about the moon mission.

    “Modi is giving a speech on satellite communication as though he was actually an astronaut, not a politician,” Chaudhry said in a subsequent tweet.

  • Kashmir ‘Curfew Clock’ facing UN building set up in New York

    Kashmir ‘Curfew Clock’ facing UN building set up in New York

    After Islamabad, a digital “Curfew Clock” has been installed in front of the United Nations (UN) building in New York, showing the number of days, hours and minutes since India has kept occupied Kashmir under curfew.

    Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on Thursday night tweeted the pictures of a truck with the curfew clock screen, facing the UN building.

    People of the Muslim-majority troubled valley have been held hostage by Indian occupying forces since August 5 when New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of its constitution to rob the disputed territory of its autonomy.

    Last week on Saturday, Pakistan had installed a similar curfew clock in the federal capital as the country observed “Kashmir Hour” to express solidarity with the people of held Kashmir.

  • Porn actor trolls ex-Pakistani diplomat for mistaking him as injured Kashmiri

    Porn actor trolls ex-Pakistani diplomat for mistaking him as injured Kashmiri

    Pornographic actor, director and internet personality Johnny Sins has trolled former high commissioner of Pakistan to India Abdul Basit for mistaking him as a Kashmiri, who lost his sight due to pellet injury in the occupied valley.

    Thanking the ex-Pakistani diplomat “for all the new Twitter followers”, Sins took to the microblogging website and wrote:

    “Shout out to @abasitpak1 for all the new twitter followers! Thanks but my vision is fine [sic],” Sins tweeted.

    In an embarrassing goof-up, Basit on Monday had retweeted a photograph of the adult star, claiming that he was “a Kashmiri man who had lost his eyesight” due to the use of pellet guns by Indian occupying forces in held Kashmir.

    The tweet was deleted after it went viral. Journalist Naila Inayat had later shared a screenshot of Basit retweeting a troll.

    “Yousuf from Ananthnag… lost vision from pellet… pls raise your voice [sic],” the original tweet read.

  • Amid tensions with India, Pak to acquire 36 Dassault Mirage-V jets from Egypt

    Amid tensions with India, Pak to acquire 36 Dassault Mirage-V jets from Egypt

    Amid tensions with India over the Kashmir crisis, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is expected to soon sign a deal with Egypt for the purchase of 36 upgraded Dassault Mirage-V combat aircraft, The News International has reported.

    According to reports, the two countries have been negotiating the contract for years and now the final one may see the light of day as PAF wants these fighter jets to strengthen its existing squadron of jets.

    The 36 Mirage-V resemble India’s Mirage 2000 in terms of delta wing design and have the ability to perform night strikes with mission pods and helmet-mounted display.

    The Mirage V is a dedicated ground-attack variant of the Mirage-III, with greater space for fuel in place of avionics.

    Pakistan has been acquiring retired Mirage-III and Mirage-V from Egypt and Australia and presses the aircraft into service after upgrading them with modern Italian radars and other electronics.