Category: Uncategorized

  • JUI-F opposes rigging of elections, even if it’s in party’s favour, says Fazlur Rehman

    JUI-F opposes rigging of elections, even if it’s in party’s favour, says Fazlur Rehman

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that he is strictly against political engineering and rigging of elections, adding that his party will oppose this “heinous crime.”

    While addressing a two-day general council meeting, Fazlur Rehman said that “rigging of elections is the most heinous crime. We would not allow it even if it is in our favour, adding that his party has differences with state institutions, but it doesn’t want permanent rivalry with them.

    “We would continue to speak against wrongs. We know how to protect our mandate, and we will never tolerate rigging at any cost,” the former-ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief said.

    Fazal stated this after he was chosen as JUI-F central chief and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as general secretary for another five-year term.

    The upcoming election on February 8 was also on the agenda of a two-day central general council huddle.

  • ‘Our rivals see Nawaz Sharif becoming next PM’: Marriyum Aurangzeb

    ‘Our rivals see Nawaz Sharif becoming next PM’: Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the party’s political rivals can see that Nawaz Sharif will become the next prime minister.

    While talking to journalists, the former Information Minister said that PML-N’s manifesto is to provide relief to the people of the country.

    “We have to rise above our personal interests. Our political rivals can also see that Nawaz Sharif will become the next prime minister,” said Marriyum, adding that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s statement about free and fair elections is “encouraging”.

    “The country is moving towards transparent elections,” Bilawal said on Sunday.

    Marriyum Aurangzeb also showed confidence in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure transparent elections on February 8.

    “We are not worried by any words or taunts; we have to give relief to the people,” said Marriyum during the presser.

  • Australia defeat India with clinical precision to lift World Cup for sixth time

    Australia defeat India with clinical precision to lift World Cup for sixth time

    Australia defeated unbeaten hosts India by six wickets on Sunday in the final of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, becoming the world cricket champion for the sixth time.

    The final, played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, saw India walk into the arena hot favourites to win. Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and decided to bowl first.

    India’s batting:

    India started aggressively against Australia, after opener Shubman Gill got out after scoring just 4 runs, but captain Rohit Sharma provided a good start to the team by batting as he did in the entire tournament. When he returned to the pavilion after scoring 47 runs off 31 balls.

    Australian bowlers dominated the Indian batsmen throughout the match and did not allow them to play freely. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul tried to make a long partnership by taking singles and doubles but then Kohli was also dismissed for 54 runs while Rahul returned to the pavilion for 66 runs.

    Surya Kumar Yadav scored 18 runs, Ravindra Jadeja scored nine runs, Mohammad Shami scored six runs, and Shreyas Iyer scored four runs. Jasprit Bumra scored one run, Kuldeep Yadav scored 10 runs and Mohammad Siraj scored nine runs.

    Thus, the Indian team got out after scoring 240 runs in the allotted overs, a total much smaller than they were expected to put up.

    Australia’s Mitchell Starc took three wickets, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins dismissed two each while Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell got one wicket each.

    Australia’s batting:

    In pursuit of India’s target, Australia did not start well, with three Australian batsmen out for a total score of 47.
    Labuschagne and Travis Head then formed a brilliant partnership and silenced the more than 100,000 Indian fans sitting in the ground in Ahmedabad. Both the batsmen batted with composure, hitting attractive shots all around the ground.

    A match-winning partnership of 192 runs between Labuschagne and Travis Head shattered India’s dreams of winning the World Cup. Travis Head scored 137 while Labuschagne played an unbeaten innings of 58 runs, Glenn Maxwell remained not out by scoring two runs.

  • Al Shifa hospital forcefully evacuated within hours on Israeli orders

    After days of attacking Al Shifa hospital in Gaza and raiding it room by room, the Israeli military has now forcefully evacuated premises on Saturday.

    The hospital’s Director, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told Al Jazeera that the hospital is now “completely deserted” while the few patients and victims left are lying in corridors.

    He added that those in dire conditions, including newborns and kidney patients, “will die imminently if they are not evacuated,” further stating that Israeli soldiers “are in total control” and that the remaining medical staff “cannot move freely”.

    Earlier today,the Israeli military had ordered everyone — including doctors, patients and displaced people — to evacuate in an hour.

    This, as reported by Al Jazeera, created a sense of panic as it is impossible to flee Al Shifa in such a brief period. A Palestinian health official said that evacuees were “ordered at 9am [7:00 GMT] to leave while waving a white handkerchiefs and walk in a single-file line.”

    Medical staff and others present at Al Shifa revealed that there are patients who cannot be abandoned, including those who cannot walk.

    Munir al-Barsh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that about “450 patients were evacuated, while about 120 patients were left behind with five doctors, including the director and a few nurses, because they were immobile.”

    Additionally, a list of critical patients has been given to the Red Cross so they can be taken to Egypt for treatment.

    Adnan al-Barsh, head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa Hospital, stated that Israeli snipers are in and around the hospital compound, saying that “We were adamant on not leaving without our patients … we were forced to leave at gunpoint.”

    The Israeli army denied issuing the evacuation order, however, all officials and other people at Al Shifa have described the total opposite of Israeli claims.

  • Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    As political parties gear up for election activities, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), expressed concerns about the continuation of traditional politics, labeling it the country’s worst enemy. He emphasized the importance of embracing “new politics,” as reported by Geo News on Friday.

    Speaking at a workers’ convention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Bilawal said: “We need to [embark] on a new political [direction and strategy] which will allow us to overcome the issues faced by the country.”

    He added: “Veteran politicians neither think about the present nor the future [as] they are still stuck in the past. We want to leave behind the politics of division, hate and abuse which [as part of] the traditional politics has been going on for the [past] 70 years.”
    While talking about contemporary politics and its advantages, Bilawal Bhutto said, “We have to become the voice of the ‘new politics’ […] We think about the present and future and not what’s in the past.”

    Earlier in the week, while talking at a worker’s convention in Abbottabad, the PPP chairman said that “new political leadership” is needed if the country is to progress.

  • Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    In another controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk wrote that calls for genocide like ‘from the river to the sea’ will result in suspension i.e. X users who use the terms “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and other “similar euphemisms” that “necessarily imply genocide” will be suspended from the platform.

    This was followed criticism from pro-Palestinian users who asserted that such a policy restricts their free speech after which he posted again, stating that “anyone advocating the genocide of “*any*” group” would be suspended from X.

    Alluding to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, “From the river to the sea” is a pro-Palestine slogan used by Palestinian supporters who voice for the freedom of the occupied land. And now that the slogan is under scrutiny, it has been pointed out that labelling it as anti-semitic is a way to criminalise and silence pro-Palestinian narrative and curtail their free speech because following the events of October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel intensified attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 11,000 people which then resulted in increased criticism of Israel around the world.

    Elon Musk has claimed to be a “free speech absolutist” and that he bought Twitter (now X) to create a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”

  • Lahore woman beats teenaged maid, cuts her hair

    Lahore woman beats teenaged maid, cuts her hair

    Child Protection Bureau has rescued a 14-year-old maid who was assaulted with scissors, knives, and sticks by the woman she worked for in the Garhi Shahu area of Lahore, reports Geo.

    The woman cut the girl’s hair without her consent during the assault. Physical examination has revealed marks of physical violence on the body of the victim, identified as Sana.

    Child Protection Bureau instantly took action and rescued the girl.

    Chairperson Sarah Ahmed said that she intended to take necessary actions against the woman.

  • From north to south, now south to where? Palestinians warned to flee southern Gaza

    From north to south, now south to where? Palestinians warned to flee southern Gaza

    In a recent development, on Thursday, Israeli forces reportedly dropped flyers on some areas of Khan Younis, the largest city in south Gaza, warning the residents to clear the region since Israel is likely to increase attacks in southern Gaza as well.

    Previously, Israeli military bombed northern Gaza relentlessly and are also conducting ground operations.

    Khuzaa, Abassan, Bani Suhaila and Al Qarara in eastern Khan Younis, had a population of 100,000 “in peacetime” and is currently accommodating tens of thousands more who fled from the north.

    “For your safety, you need to evacuate your places of residence immediately and head to known shelters,” the leaflets said. “Anyone near terrorists or their facilities puts their life at risk, and every house used by terrorists will be targeted.”

    Already, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip with a population of 2.3 million, have fled south as north has been under heavy Israeli attacks.

    It has also been claimed that people in eastern Khan Younis are unsure where they can flee because Israel has also been attacking the south where Palestinians were previously directed to move for their protection.

    “We have been absolutely clear that at the current moment, we do not consider any part of Gaza to be safe,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday.

  • Donald Lu kay khilaf muqadma hoga Amreeka mein: Aleema Khan

    Donald Lu kay khilaf muqadma hoga Amreeka mein: Aleema Khan

    Alima Khan, the sister of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has claimed that the cipher case involves the complete complicity of the US Embassy.

    While talking to the media, she said that they will file a case against Donald Lu in American courts.

    Donald Lu, a US diplomat in the State Department, was blamed by Imran Khan for orchestrating the no-confidence vote that led to his ouster in April 2022.

    Donald Lu’s talks with a Pakistani diplomat were conveyed in a diplomatic cipher sent to Islamabad that caused uproar in Pakistan.

    Alima Khan confirmed that the case will be filed in the US while talking to the media outside Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan is currently held under tight security.

    She assured the public that Imran Khan’s health was in good condition, emphasizing his well-established routine and the absence of any complaints about the food provided by the authorities.

    She also said that the High Court has issued a stay order in the cipher case, and clauses are being added which carry the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment.

    Alima Khan demanded that authorities specify the charges against Imran Khan that led to these serious allegations and probable punishments. She urged for justice to be served in Pakistan.

    Alima Khan claimed that Imran Khan asserted that the American Embassy was fully involved in the conspiracy, and if justice is not served in Pakistani courts, they will pursue the case against Donald Lu in the United States.

    The Cases

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and £ 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The £ 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019.

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case. The hearing of the cipher case in the special court has been adjourned without proceeding till November 21.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.

  • ‘If Ahsan Khan had not been married, I would have taken him’: Saba Qamar

    ‘If Ahsan Khan had not been married, I would have taken him’: Saba Qamar

    Actor Ahsan Khan invited Lollywood A-lister Saba Qamar as a guest for his Youtube session ‘Lo Kar Lo Baat’. As the two actors drove around, discussing various topics, Saba hilariously revealed she would have married Ahsan had he not been committed to someone else.

    Ahsan asked the ‘Kamli’ star which actor she would have married had he not been committed, after which the actress cheekily pointed to him.

    Saba then revealed that she had a crush on the ‘Udaari’ actor before she became a big star.

    “Back when I wasn’t an actress, I managed to swipe Ahsan Khan’s number from somewhere and I would send him missed calls and messages. Just to tell him that one day I will work with him.”

    “And the day I began working with Ahsan,” Saba recalled while laughing, “You started a fight with me after which I hated you. I cried a lot but I forgive you now.”

    Ahsan apologised for the fight, and joked that he had fights with all of the actresses with whom he had good chemistry on screen. Saba then said that after their fight, she began understanding him and fell even more in love. But by the time she would have confessed her feelings, Ahsan got married.

    Ahsan said he was shocked, and thought Saba wanted to remain an independent woman to which the actress laughingly said “When girls say ‘No I won’t get married’, it actually means they want to!”