Category: Uncategorized

  • Riches in the corridors of power

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has publicly released the asset details of key politicians in the country.

    According to the documents, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is revealed to be one of the wealthiest politicians with a net worth of Rs 1.5 billion. On the other hand, Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed has the minimum amount of assets. He reportedly only has 36 lakhs cash and 15 tolas of gold to his name.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan owns assets worth Rs108 million. These assets include his Bani Gala residence which he declared was a gift, three foreign currency accounts (Dollar, Euro, Pound), four goats worth Rs 50,000 and 150 acres of agricultural land.

    PM Khan had also shared details of his wife, Bushra Bibi‘s assets which include a 3-kanal house in Bani Gala, 431-kanal land in Pakpattan and 266-kanal in Okara.

    Former president Asif Ali Zardari owns holdings worth Rs660 million. Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif assets amounts to Rs189m.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Rana Sanaullah own assets worth Rs600m and Rs66m respectively.

    Minister for Railways Shaikh Rasheed has assets worth Rs35m.

  • Why don’t pedestrians use overhead bridges to cross the road?

    Why don’t pedestrians use overhead bridges to cross the road?

  • GRAPHIC CONTENT: Firing at Lahore airport kills two

    GRAPHIC CONTENT: Firing at Lahore airport kills two

    At least two people were killed and another injured when an unknown assailant opened fire at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.

    According to the police, the suspect was taken into custody by the Airport Security Forces (ASF). The firing, however, caused panic among people which led to a stampede.

    “The suspect reached the airport in a taxi, while the two deceased had returned home after performing Umra,” reports quoted a police official as saying.

    The incident took place at the arrival/waiting area outside the main airport building. Footage available with The Current shows the deceased man lying on the floor with two women sitting next to the body.

    Heavy contingents of police reached the airport to secure the premises. The entry of vehicles at the airport was also barred as a precaution.

    A debate has sparked over the ASF’s failure to stop the flow of weapons into the airport premises.

    This is a developing story.

  • Adding to arrested leaders’ misery: PM orders amending production order law

    Adding to arrested leaders’ misery: PM orders amending production order law

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has ordered to amend the
    parliamentary procedure of issuing production orders that are necessary for a
    detained lawmaker to attend assembly sessions, a private media outlet reported
    Tuesday.

    “Money launderers and financially corrupt individuals should
    not be facilitated via production orders,” the premier reportedly said while chairing
    a cabinet meeting to discuss corruption inquiries and the economic situation of
    the country.

    Stating that people facing corruption inquiries cannot be
    awarded the status of political prisoners, PM Imran ordered the Law Ministry
    for further action and possible amendments to the law, reports said.

    The move comes after National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad
    Qaiser issued production orders for former president Asif Ali Zardari, who was
    arrested by the National Accountancy Bureau (NAB) last month.

    Similarly, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Hamza
    Shehbaz and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur were brought to
    the Punjab and Sindh assemblies, respectively, after the speakers concerned
    issued their production orders.

    Earlier in the day, an appeal submitted to the Supreme Court
    (SC) also challenged the production orders of opposition leaders arrested over
    corruption allegations. The application challenged the production orders issued
    by speakers of the national and provincial assemblies.

    The appeal also sought nullification of the production
    orders citing that such orders can’t be issued when the accused is under
    physical remand of a law enforcement agency.

  • Meet the members of PM Khan’s National Youth Council

    Meet the members of PM Khan’s National Youth Council

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar on Sunday announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan has established the National Youth Council which aims to empower and enable the youth. The council includes influential persons from the fields of sports, education, religion, arts, culture and economy who will assist and advise the government on matters of the youth.

    Some of the more prominent members of the council, such as Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mahira Khan, need no introduction so here are some of the lesser-known members who have several accomplishments to their name.

    Samina Baig

    Samina Khayal Baig is the first Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani ever to summit Mount Everest. Hailing from Shimshal, Baig is also the first Pakistani to climb the Seven Summits. She is UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan.

    Shazia Batool

    A differently-abled artist from Hazara, Shazia Batool is fighting against polio through her paintings. She has also been awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for her work and efforts.

    Hassan Ali

    A modern-day fast bowler hailing from Punjab, Hassan Ali is Pakistan’s quickest bowler to take 50 wickets in ODIs.

    Marvia Malik

     A journalism graduate, Marvia Malik is Pakistan’s first transgender newscaster. She has also worked as a model in different projects.

    Major Tanvir Shafi

    A soldier who had fought in the Operation Zarb-e-Azb lost his leg during Shawal operation represents the jawans in the council.

    Karishma Ali

    21-year old Karishma is the first girl from Chitral who has played football at a national and international level. She has also represented Pakistan at the Jubilee Games in Dubai and is one of those five Pakistanis who have made it to the Forbes.

    Adnan Shaffi

    Shaffi is the founder of PriceOye.com, a price comparison platform for electronics. He is among those five Pakistanis who have made to the Forbes 30 under 30.

     Muneeba Mazari

    She is an anchorperson, motivational speaker and Pakistan’s goodwill ambassador for UN Women.

    Sana Mir

    Sana Mir is a cricketer and the former captain of the Pakistan women’s cricket team. She is also the most successful spinner in women’s one-day international history. Sana has tirelessly worked to uplift women cricket in Pakistan and has been successful in her mission.

    Dileep Kumar

    A lawyer from Thar (Sindh), Kumar is an activist working for the progress of youth.

    Zoe Viccaji

    Zoe Viccaji is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and actress from Karachi. 

    Zain Ashraf Mughal

    An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Zain Ashraf Mughal is the founder of Seedout, a not for profit crowdfunding platform which is working to end poverty by establishing micro-entrepreneurs through interest-free Micro Financing.

    Sadia Bashir

    Pakistani entrepreneur Sadia Bashir is the founder of Pixel Art Games Academy which aims to bridge the gap between industry demand and education by providing training in video game development and recruitment opportunities.

  • Govt withdraws food-from-home facility for jailed Nawaz

    Govt withdraws food-from-home facility for jailed Nawaz

    The Punjab government has decided to withdraw food-from-home facility for former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail.

    According to media reports, the jail administration, anytime this week, would order the withdrawal of the facility that Nawaz has been availing since his days in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

    After the withdrawal of the facility, the former premier would have to be content with the jail food — which according to Nawaz’s family, is “unfit to consume” considering his deteriorating health.

    A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa had last month rejected a petition by the ex-PM for an extension in the bail granted to him on medical grounds in the Al-Azizia reference.

    It was followed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) also rejecting his bail plea. Nawaz had been granted bail on medical grounds by the apex court on March 26 for six weeks.

    On April 25, he had submitted a review petition in the SC seeking a permanent bail. His bail expired on May 7.

  • Google Maps leads people to the middle of nowhere

    Google Maps leads people to the middle of nowhere

    No matter how much we rely on Google Maps, it is not always 100% accurate. Approximately 100 people ended up in the middle of nowhere in Denver, Colorado after Google Maps directed users to take a detour.

    According to the CNN, about 100 drivers trying to avoid a traffic jam near Denver International Airport ended up on a muddy road after Google Maps provided users with a detour. Some vehicles couldn’t make it through the sludge, and dozens became trapped behind them.

    Google said the road was not marked as private. They added, “While we always work to provide the best directions, issues can arise due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather. We encourage all drivers to follow local laws, stay attentive, and use their best judgment while driving.”

    Hence proven, Google is not 100% reliable. Think twice before you take that detour or tell your Uber or Careem driver to follow the map. And if you’re short of time, don’t even think about it.

  • Zaira Wasim’s decision to quit Bollywood stirs debate

    Zaira Wasim’s decision to quit Bollywood stirs debate

    Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim, who gained popularity after her appearances in blockbusters Dangal and Secret Superstar, recently announced that she is quitting Bollywood because she felt it was interfering with her imaan (faith).

    The 18-year-old, who hails from Kashmir, took to social media to announce her decision. In a detailed post, in which she also quoted verses from the Quran, Zaira said that she wasn’t entirely happy with her line of work and the identity it gave her. Hence, she decided to quit the industry after working in it for 5 years to focus on her relationship with Allah.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzUBXYrlsml/

    Zaira’s decision and announcement stirred a debate on social media. While many including fellow actor Raveena Tandon and journalist Barkha Dutt criticised her for using the religion card, others including Former CM J&K Omar Abdullah supported her.

    Raveena Tandon felt Zaira was being ungrateful.

    https://twitter.com/TandonRaveena/status/1145327226490982400

    But when she received backlash on her comments, she wrote:

    Journalist Barkha Dutt felt that it was the society that pressured the young actress into giving up her career.

    Actor and director Kamal R Khan felt the whole thing was just a publicity stunt.

    However, there were others who supported Zaira. They drew comparisons to Vinod Khanna, who quit the film industry at the peak of his career to follow his spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh and pointed out the film industry’s double standards.

  • Anti-Narcotics Force arrests PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah: reports

    Anti-Narcotics Force arrests PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah: reports

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Rana Sanaullah was taken into custody by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Monday, a private media outlet reported.

    The ANF is a federal executive bureau of the government, tasked with combating narcotics smuggling and their use within Pakistan. The force works under the umbrella of Pakistan Army and Ministry of Narcotics Control.

    According to reports, Sanaullah was arrested from Sukheki over his alleged connections with drug dealers related to proscribed organisations. He is also accused of funding banned outfits.

    The PML-N leader was reportedly on his way to a party meeting in Faisalabad via the motorway when he was intercepted by ANF officials and taken into custody.

    This is a developing story.

  • Indian leader encourages ‘Hindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women’

    Indian leader encourages ‘Hindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women’

    A leader of the hardliner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been removed from her position in the party’s women wing after she encouraged “Hindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women openly in the streets”, Indian media reported.

    “Muslim mothers and sisters should have their honour looted as there is no other way to protect India,” said Sunita Singh Gaur in a Facebook post.

    The viral post was later deleted; however, with screenshots being posted all over Twitter, Gaur was sacked as the Mahila Morcha leader.

    “Be assured, BJP Mahila Morcha will not tolerate any hateful comments whatsoever from any karyakarta [worker],” BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vijaya Rahatkar said.

    This is not the first time a member of BJP has spewed hate online. However, many were shocked to see the leader openly encourage rape and sexual violence.