Category: Uncategorized

  • ‘Nawaz Sharif’s health is not good, he might not come’: PPP’s Khursheed Shah

    ‘Nawaz Sharif’s health is not good, he might not come’: PPP’s Khursheed Shah

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Khursheed Shah said on Sunday that the health of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is not good, and he doesn’t think that Nawaz Sharif is coming to Pakistan in October, Geo News has reported.

    Nawaz went to London in November 2019 for medical treatment, and has been living there since then.

    Khursheed Shah said that Nawaz Sharif has no plan to return to the country soon, as his health cab deteriorate at the last moment. It seemed that he was being sarcastic about Sharif.

    Earlier, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, will return to Pakistan next month and face the law. It will be a major development if Nawaz Sharif comes back, as the upcoming elections are going to be held very soon.

  • Maryam Nawaz to release secret audio tapes of specific individuals before election

    Maryam Nawaz to release secret audio tapes of specific individuals before election

    According to ARY News, Maryam Nawaz, senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), will release covert audio tapes of notable individuals during her party’s campaign in general elections.

    After PML-N leadership met in London to discuss the upcoming general elections, the party made the decision to take a strong stance against specific individuals.

    The meeting decided that retaliatory action in the election campaign would be brought forward in the form of a documentary, sources have told ARY.

    Forner Prime Minister and party supremo Nawaz Sharif will expose the role former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and others played against the PML-N, while Maryam Nawaz will release audios of prominent figures during the election campaign.

    Sources also said that only Nawaz Sharif has the authority to decide whether seat adjustment with any political party will be considered or not.

  • JI announces protest against inflated electricity bills

    JI announces protest against inflated electricity bills

    The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced on Saturday that it would stage a protest against the exorbitant electricity bills.

    Addressing a seminar in Lahore, JI Ameer Sirajul Haq lashed out at political opponents and the caretaker government, saying, “The caretaker government is following the footsteps of the previous governments in terms of taking wrong decisions for the sake of the country.”

    “The power bills have increased three times within one month. People have been compelled to commit suicide due to the ballooning inflation. The electricity bill of at least Rs50,000 has been sent to every house,” said Mr Haq.

    He made it clear that the JI would stage a protest outside of the power distribution companies.

    Earlier, interim Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that that he has summoned an emergency meeting over the price of electricity and consumers’ inflated bills, adding that he will hold consultations to provide maximum relief to power consumers.

    The prime minister has directed the Ministry of Energy and power distributions companies to present him with a detailed briefing over the issue.

  • 93% of married individuals in Pakistan are happy; new survey

    93% of married individuals in Pakistan are happy; new survey

    Gallup & Gilani Pakistan has published a new survey that indicates that 93% of married individuals in Pakistan are “satisfied with the level of dignity and respect they receive from their spouses”.

    The aim of the study was to gauge marital contentment, providing insights into the dynamics of marital relationships across the country.

    The sample of the study included married adult men and women from urban and rural areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. Gallup and Gilani approached 929 respondents from July 7th to July 16th, 2023 through telephonic surveys (CATI).

    The survey carries a confidence level of 95% with an estimated error margin of approximately ± 2-3 percent.

    The primary question asked was, “Considering your married life, please tell me to what extent are you satisfied with your spouse regarding ‘Treating with dignity and respect’?”

    As per the report, here are the response:

    Completely satisfied: 76%

    Somewhat satisfied: 17%

    Somewhat dissatisfied: 5%

    Completely dissatisfied: 1%

    Gave no response: 1%

  • PPP hints at legal action if elections are delayed

    Reiterating their call for general elections within 90 days, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has reinforced on Friday that it agreed to endorse the digital census results at the Council of Common Interests (CCI) only after receiving assurances that the action wouldn’t hinder the timely conduct of elections. The move, however, is now being exploited as a pretext to delay the polls. 

    Hinting at the possibility of pursuing “legal course” to uphold their principled stance, PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari said that if the party’s attempt to convince the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to meet the constitutionally mandated 90-day deadline, during the meeting scheduled for August 29, remains unsuccessful, the next central executive committee meeting in Lahore in September would unveil their final strategy.

    Speaking at a press conference alongside fellow party members at Bilawal House after the CEC meeting, PPP leaders adopted a more assertive tone in response to the ECP’s recent announcement. The ECP stated that the process of revising the delimitation of national and provincial assembly constituencies would conclude by December 14, extending beyond the constitutionally set deadline for conducting general elections.

    Sindh’s former chief minister Murad Ali Shah said that his party does not want elections to be postponed due to new delimitations. “Our aim is that the elections should be held on time. This census does not require fresh delimitations,” he added. 

    The digital census, he said, was controversial, adding that the Constitution does not say to conduct fresh delimitations after the census.

  • Poliovirus in Afghanistan poses a threat to Pakistan

    The International Health Regulations’ Emergency Committee has expressed concern over the increasing number of polio cases in Afghanistan which also pose a threat to Pakistan because of constant travel between the two countries.

    The Polio Emergency Committee issued a statement on Friday stating that there is still a risk of poliovirus spreading worldwide considering the “cross-border spread into Pakistan” from the eastern Afghan border.

    According to the committee, five new wild poliovirus cases were reported in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. There were 32 positive environmental samples this year so far in the eastern region except for one site in Kandahar in the southern region and one from Balkh in the north.

    During the committee meeting summoned by the director general of World Health Organisation on August 16, it was stated that one new case of wild poliovirus was reported in Pakistan since May, total cases being two in 2023. Both the cases were reported from Bannu district.

    According to the committee statement, there have been 15 environmental surveillance positive samples in 2023. And while action plan in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has resulted in 160,000 more children being vaccinated, it remain a challenge nonetheless due to “political instability, insecurity in some areas, with front line workers requiring police patrols to accompany them, and vaccination boycotts where communities make demands for other services in exchange for allowing polio vaccination”.

  • Hungry man calls 15 for food; police helps

    Hungry man calls 15 for food; police helps

    Malik Tahseen Raza has reported in Dawn News that police received a call on the 15 emergency number from a man in dire need of help.

    The man told the police that his family had nothing to eat in the past two days, adding that he is at the verge of committing suicide. 

    The caller, Bashir Ahmed from Sargani village in tehsil Karor Lal Esan, is a daily labourer but is currently jobless since quite some time, while inflation has worsened his circumstances. He had a wife and four children who had nothing to eat since the last two days.

    Resultantly, Layyah DPO Asadur Rehman called Bashir back and counselled him. In the morning, the DPO met Bashir at his house in village Sargani along with his team. They brought enough food to feed the family for the coming few weeks. He also gave Bashir cash.

    In a video clip, Bashir told a YouTuber that the items of daily use that the DPO had given him must be worth about Rs60,000 to Rs70,000.

    The DPO was accompanied by Inspector Muhammad Idris Khan, the SHO of Karor Police Station.

    Talking to the media, the DPO said it was the first time a citizen called at 15 to say that his family was dying of hunger.

    “I asked him to be patient, telling him that we (police) would come to his home to help him.”

    The DPO said he requested him to not put the lives of his children and wife in danger. He then urged people to remain conscious of their surroundings and people.

  • Nawaz Sharif finalises date for return to Pakistan

    Nawaz Sharif finalises date for return to Pakistan

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is likely to return to Pakistan on October 15 this year as per family discussions, according to reliable sources as reported by Murtaza Ali Shah for Geo News.

    The matter of the date was discussed between Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif and close family members in London.

    Earlier, it was reported that Nawaz will return to Pakistan by mid-September; however, the party’s plans changed in the last few days after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that elections will not take place within 90 days.

    Sources told Geo that Nawaz’s return has been delayed till mid-October, not because of the ECP announcement but over the advice of party loyalists that September is too hot and for large-scale political gatherings, making mid-October a better time for return.

    The decision to return around mid-October was taken after Shehbaz held two meetings with the PML-N supremo in London.

    “It’s the severity of weather that is being kept in mind in deciding the return date of Nawaz Sharif. There could be a further change but for now, the date of 15th October is final, and further discussions will take place around it,” said the trusted source.

  • ‘Weakened arm muscles’; Bushra Bibi requests court to ensure Imran’s safety in jail

    ‘Weakened arm muscles’; Bushra Bibi requests court to ensure Imran’s safety in jail

    Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday, requesting the court to address the conditions in which her husband is incarcerated in at Attock Jail.

    After meeting with her husband on August 22, Bushra Bibi submitted the affidavit to the court through advocate Hamid Khan.

    In her affidavit, she raised questions about Imran Khan’s health, stating that there are evident signs of drastic weight loss and weakened arm muscles.

    She also expressed concerns that her husband’s life is at risk because of his age of 70, requesting immediate action to ensure Imran Khan’s safety.

  • Pakistani rupee’s fall continues, settles at new record low of Rs301 against US dollar

    Pakistani rupee’s fall continues, settles at new record low of Rs301 against US dollar

    The Pakistani rupee continued its unsettling descent, marking a fresh all-time low against the US dollar, with a settlement at Rs301 in the inter-bank market on Friday. As reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the local currency reached the 301 mark, experiencing a decline of Re0.78 or 0.26 per cent.

    On the preceding day, the rupee concluded at a historic low against the US dollar, reaching a settlement of Rs300.22.

    On the global front, the US dollar achieved its highest position in over two months on Friday, poised for its sixth consecutive week of gains, as financial markets eagerly awaited a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to gain insights into the trajectory of monetary policy.

    The dollar index, a measure of the US dollar’s strength against six other major currencies, witnessed a 0.019 per cent increase, reaching 104.11, the highest level since June 7. With a 2 per cent increase in August, the index is poised to end its two-month losing streak.

    Oil prices, a pivotal gauge of currency equilibrium, surged by over 1 per cent on Friday due to the firming of the dollar, as anticipation built ahead of a highly awaited speech by the head of the US Federal Reserve. This speech is expected to provide insights into the future of interest rates.