Category: Uncategorized

  • Sheikh Rashid petitions court to withdraw review request in Faizabad sit-in case.

    Sheikh Rashid petitions court to withdraw review request in Faizabad sit-in case.

    Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the leader of the Awami Muslim League (AML), submitted an application for the withdrawal of his review plea in the Faizabad sit-in case before Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Friday.

    In the top court’s miscellaneous application, the former minister argued that he had no affiliation with Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and had not participated in the relevant sit-in.

    Multiple pleas were filed challenging the SC verdict — given by the apex court’s two-member bench comprising now-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mushir Alam — on the Faizabad sit-in staged by the TLP in 2017 against the then-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
    Rashid’s withdrawal request follows the federal government’s request to have the review petitions from Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) President Ijaz Ul Haq withdrawn.

    The three-member Supreme Court bench led by CJP Isa will hear review petitions in the Faizabad sit-in case on November 1.

  • Gen Bajwa’s relative cleared in FIA investigation

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has cleared Sabir Hameed, also known as Mithu, a close relative of former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a case pertaining to suspicious transactions, The News has confirmed on Saturday.

    The FIA closed an inquiry against the well-known businessman as no evidence in support of allegations leveled against him was found.
    Hameed, who works for a large real estate company, gave the FIA investigators access to all of the records he had, including tax returns through the fiscal year 2022, bank statements, information on both domestic and foreign real estate, automobiles, offshore businesses, and so forth.

    The people close to him said that the FIA initially called the close relative of the former army leader on October 23. Hameed is a hardworking Pakistani who does transparent business but his rivals levelled baseless allegation against him to vilify him, FIA said after conducting an in-depth inquiry.

    In addition, Hameed was required to bring a list of all the countries he has visited as well as an explanation of why. A list of all offshore/shell firms and business vehicles owned by the ex-army chief relative, his spouse, and family members was also instructed to be brought.

  • Palestinian Health Ministry provides credible casualty figures: UN

    Palestinian Health Ministry provides credible casualty figures: UN

    While US President Joe Biden has questioned the reliability of the death toll coming from Gaza, the United Nations has verified that the figures provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health have a history of being credible.

    “In the past, the five, six cycles of conflict in the Gaza Strip, these figures were considered as credible and no one ever really challenged these figures,” the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) chief, Philippe Lazzarini, said while speaking to the media on Friday.

    On Thursday, the Health Ministry released a 212-page document with names and identity numbers of those killed in Israeli air raid since October 7, having collected the data from morgues and hospitals.

    The list consists of 6,747 people killed in the Israeli attacks, including 2,665 children whereas 529 bodies are yet to be identified.

    Anadolu Agency has said that 8,400 people have been killed including at least 7,028 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

  • ‘It doesn’t matter’: Ranbir Kapoor responds to label of ‘toxic masculinity’

    Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor was the center of criticism from the public when certain moments with his wife, actress Alia Bhatt, didn’t sit well with fans. Recently, the ‘Barfi’ actor went viral after Alia’s interview with Vogue where she revealed Ranbir forbade her from wearing lipstick. This attracted severe criticism from X (formerly Twitter) users who lashed out at Ranbir by labelling him a ‘red flag’ all women should avoid.

    READ MORE: ‘While we were dating, Ranbir told me not to wear lipstick’: Alia’s Vogue interview sparks outrage

    Recently in an interview the actor, who’s the son of late star Rishi Kapoor, acknowledged the backlash, stating that he is fine with being labeled the face of toxic masculinity.

    “Recently, I was reading an article about being toxic and something relating to some statement I made, and I understand. Listen, I am on your side. Whatever you are fighting against this toxic masculinity, I am on the side of people who are fighting for it. So, if they want to use me as a face, I am fine because their fight is bigger than just me feeling bad about them having an opinion on what I said,” the actor opined according to The Indian Express.

    The ‘Tamasha’ actor said he accepted a long time ago he would become a part of “gossip blogs”, and further said it didn’t matter to him what critics said.

    Ranbir also said him not being active on social media helps in not having to deal with the negativity that comes with being an actor “which is a great thing.”

    But also, Ranbir added, his focus always remained on his work, and takes opinions about his image with a pinch of salt:

    “Sometimes a lot of things are written about you as an actor, and many opinions are made, which are not necessarily true, but you have to take it with a pinch of salt. Because this image of mine, which is being created by the movies or the characters I play or by media, is something that I don’t own. It is owned by the public, it is owned by people who like or dislike my work and they are allowed to say anything as long as they give my work a chance. My focus has always been just to act.”

  • ‘Soon many more will die’: What do we know about day 21

    ‘Soon many more will die’: What do we know about day 21

    At least 480 killed in Israeli attacks in past 24 hours

    More than 481 people have been killed in the last 24 hours alone as Israel continues air raids, reports Gaza’s health authority.

    In total 7,028 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the latest conflict, 66 per cent of them women and children, according to the authority.

    More information on Israel’s ground raid in Gaza

    The Israeli army’s spokesperson has said that during the past day, infantry, armoured and engineering forces, with air support, conducted a concentrated raid in the centre of the Gaza Strip as part of preparations for the “next stages of the war.”

    “The raid began yesterday in broad daylight, and all the forces I mentioned participated in it as combat forces, and it ended successfully in the hours of this morning,” the spokesperson said, adding that there were no casualties among Israeli forces, who exited Gaza after the conclusion of the operation.

    10 doctors, 10 trucks enter Gaza

    10 foreign doctors and 10 trucks carrying water, food and medicine have been sent to Gaza through the Rafah border.

    This means that 84 trucks have been sent to Gaza since the allowance of aid after October 7 – which authorities consider as a mere “drop in the ocean”.

    Hospital workers still require medical supplies and fuel on urgent basis to operate generators while thousands of injured await medical aid.

    ‘Soon many more will die’ from Gaza siege: UN

    The United Nations has warned that “many more will die” because of Israel’s “total blockade” of the Gaza Strip as medical services are “crumbling”.

    “People in Gaza are dying – they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of [the] siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

    “Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage.”

    1,000 unidentified bodies under Gaza debris

    According to estimates received by the World Health Organization, at least 1,000 unidentified people, who have not been added to the death toll, are still buried under the rubble of the destroyed building in Gaza.

    “We also get these estimates that there are still 1,000 plus people under the rubble which have not been identified yet,” said the UN health agency’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, Richard Peeperkorn.

    As of yet, more than 7,000 have been killed in Israeli air raids since October 7.

  • Ana Dammi Falastini: From Arab Idol to the national song of Palestine 

    Ana Dammi Falastini: From Arab Idol to the national song of Palestine 

    “Ana Dammi Falastini” , a song that won Muhammad Assaf the title of Arab world in 2015, has over the years became the national song of the land-a musical and patriotic piece they rejoice in, in the face of occupying forces. It is one of the key performances of his concerts.

    The lyrics can literally be translated as “My Blood is Palestinian”. It proclaims the pride of Palestinian and Arab heritage in its opening words:

    Keeping my oath, following my religion

    You will find me on my land

    I belong to my people, I sacrifice my soul for them

    My blood is Palestinian, Palestinian, Palestinian

    My blood is Palestinian

    The whole chorus of the song is an ode to the years of resistance and resilience of Palestinians in a celebratory, hip tone. Assaf himself was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp of Gaza and this song has been his magnum opus. This refrain got popular during Israel’s attack on Sheikh Jarrah in 2021 and since then has gained the status of an anthem among Palestinians. Nowadays, the song is popular on social media, especially TikTok, where people are using it as a background score in protesting against Israeli aggression.

    Earlier in the year, the song was removed from Spotify and Apple Music in an attempt seen as Israel’s way of sabotaging the worldwide popularity of the song even though the platform claimed that it was taken off by the distributor but there is no proof to that. The singer was unaware of the reason as well. Fans around the world slammed the Israeli government for getting triggered by a harmless song.

    The song, however, has now transcended boundaries in the most unconventional way. There is a plagiarised copy of the song doing rounds on social media made by Israel reeking of Zionism with Falastini replaced by “Yahoodi”.

    On one hand it is a testament to the popularity of the song but on the other a proof of sheer hatred that showcases the mindsets of a class of hegemons.

    One user remarks, “Did Israel colonised the song as well?”

    Assaf however has not given up and there are countless other songs of him paying homage to his homeland. Another of his popular song is “Falasteen Enty El Rouh” which means “Palestine, you are the soul.”

    The existence of these artists keep the resistance alive.

  • General Elections ki date aa gaee?

    General Elections ki date aa gaee?

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is getting ready for the next big elections.

    The commission is thinking of setting January 28 as the day for the General Elections in 2024, as per Waqar Satti of Geo News.

    ECP is set to apprise the Supreme Court (SC) after it sought the commission’s response in a case pertaining to timely elections.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, earlier this week, during the apex court’s hearing on the issue of timely elections, observed that it was “not possible” to meet the 90-day deadline for holding elections and lamented the lack of preparations of the petitioners.

    The CJP’s remarks came as he is leading a three-member bench comprising himself, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan to hear petitions filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and others, seeking elections within the 90-day constitutional limit.

    During the hearing, the SCBA lawyer apprised the court that the “90-day period will complete on November 3″.

    To this, CJP Isa inquired whether it would even be possible to hold the polls within 90 days, to which the lawyer conceded that even if the top court gives the order even then it will not be possible to hold the elections within 90 days.

    The National Assembly, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, were dissolved by the Shehbaz Sharif-led government on August 9.

    This was done so the ECP could have enough time to organize the elections within the 90-day limit.

    However, the ECP had to wait a bit longer to get everything sorted because they needed to consider the new population census approved by the Council of Common Interest (CCI). This meant they had to do some fresh planning and organization.

    The ECP later announced that the new elections would happen in the last week of January 2024. But before they made this announcement, some people had filed petitions in the Supreme Court, asking them to make sure the elections happen within the 90-day limit.

    These petitions were filed a while back but weren’t looked at during the tenure of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.

  • Supreme Judicial Council issues show-cause notice to Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi

    Supreme Judicial Council issues show-cause notice to Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi

    The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has formally issued a show-cause notice to Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi of the Supreme Court to explain his stance in response to complaints against him, Geo News reported on Friday.  

    The notice was issued after a meeting of SJC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, was held after a gap of three years. Justice Tariq Masood and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan of the Supreme Court (SC) are also part of SJC.

    In the show-cause notice, the judge has been asked to submit his response by November 10.

    Earlier, the CJP called a meeting of SJC to discuss the complaints against Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi.

    Notably, this will mark the first SJC meeting under the leadership of CJP Isa, following a gap of over three years since the previous moot.

    However, the SJC has the authority to remove judges from power on different charges.

  • PTI leaders met Maulana Fazlur Rehman in surprise move

    PTI leaders met Maulana Fazlur Rehman in surprise move

    In an unexpected turn of events, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) top leadership, with the approval of PTI chief Imran Khan, met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday.

    Imran and Fazal were considered arch-foes, targeting each other in the past while addressing political rallies. Maulana Fazlur Rehman was part of coalition government when Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Shehbaz Sharif was the prime minister of the country, a political coalition that removed Imran Khan from power.

    Talking to journalists after the meeting in Islamabad, PTI’s senior leader Asad Qaiser said: “Everyone, including the PTI chairman, had approved of this meeting.”

    The former speaker of the National Assembly (NA) also said that, “Today, we came to offer our condolences [over the demise of Fazl’s mother-in-law], this is our culture. We did not discuss politics in the meeting.”

    According to sources in GEO News, the ongoing political situation came under discussion in the hour-long meeting.

    Asad Qaiser, Ali Muhammad Khan, Barrister Muhammad Ali Khan Saif, and Junair Akbar were part of the meeting from PTI’s side.

    After the meeting, the JUI-F chief showed interest in playing a leading role in bringing political stability to the country after discussing things with former senator Muhammad Ali Durrani.

  • ‘No evidence that TLP is anti-state party’: Election Commission

    ‘No evidence that TLP is anti-state party’: Election Commission

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday submitted an implementation report in the Faizabad sit-in case to the Supreme Court, stating that there is no evidence that Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) is involved in anti-state acts.

    The ECP sought a report from the Interior Ministry on the involvement of the TLP in anti-state activities, and as per the report, the group was not involved in such activities.
    “There is no evidence that TLP is an anti-state party,” the report states.

    While examining the party’s funding, the ECP discovered a sum of Rs1.5 million received through unauthorized channels by the TLP. However, the commission clarified that this amount, though obtained improperly, couldn’t be considered foreign funding.

    “The TLP’s funding sources were also reviewed and according to the Scrutiny Committee report, the party received Rs1.5 million from prohibited sources, which is little amount for such a party. Such a minor amount received by Tehreek-e-Labbaik cannot be classified as foreign funding,” the ECP report says.

    A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) will take up Faizabad sit-in review petitions for hearing on November 1.

    The bench would be presided over by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The Registrar’s office of the top court had issued notices to respondents including the Attorney General of Pakistan.
    Faizabad Sit-in
    Back in November 08, 2017, TLP organized a sit-in at Faizabad interchange against the amendments in the Election Bill 2017, changing the word oath to declaration.

    The protesters demanded the resignation of Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid to “protect the identity of the country”.
    The protestors achieved their objective as the Pakistani law minister Zahid Hamid stepped down from his position on November 27, 2017 culminating in an end to the protests that continued for 20 days without harm.