Pakistan Thereek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal planning minister Asad Umar has dismissed claims of his arrest by the FIA in the Cipher case. Meanwhile, he was able to secure pre-arrest bail.
While exclusively talking to Geo News reporter Arfa Feroz, Umar said that the reports regarding his arrest are false, as he has appeared before FIA twice to record his statement and answer their questions during the investigation. He was confident that his name will be cleared.
Umar asserted that this is a politically motivated case with intentions to harass and blackmail him. He assured the court about his availability and readiness to depose before the inquiry agency and cooperate with investigators.
The Official Secrets Act Court has granted him bail until August 29 against a Rs100,000 surety.
Iqra University Islamabad has denied association with its former director Rizwan Barri.
The Current has received an official email from Iqra University in which they denied any connection with Barri.
The university has claimed that Barri procured his appointment at Iqra University on 11 October, 2022 through “fraud and misrepresentation” based on fake educational documents and degrees. Five months later, on March 10, 2023, he was terminated from the university. They claim that the on-going case pertains to conduct committed in his personal capacity and has nothing to do with Iqra Univeristy.
On August 20, however, 24 News, Jang News, and PNN reported the case and referred to Rizwan Barri as the director of Iqra University. It was reported that he was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on charges of harassing female students.
As per FIA sources, Barri had made an email address as well as social media accounts in the name of a girl. By pretending to be a girl on social media, he sent objectionable content to several people.
The case was registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Act and further investigations were underway.
Source: PNN
According to PNN news, Director Rizwan Bari had harassed more than 70 female students and resultantly, some girls left their degree midway due to the constant blackmail. Despite these cases, Barri continued to work there.
When asked about Barri’s exact job description during his appointment at Iqra University, the university refused to provide the information.
Pakistani cricketer Imam-ul-Haq recently went on Daniyal Sheikh’s podcast where he made a heart breaking confession about his family. He said that consistent taunts by spectators during matches has prevented his family members from watching him play live at stadiums.
The cricket star made his ODI debut in 2017 in Abu Dhabi in a match against Sri Lanka. At the time, his uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, was the team’s chief selector. Imam’s selection sparked controversy, leading to fans of the sport taunting the player with the term ‘parchi’.
Reflecting on the bullying comments during the podcast, Imam said during the early years of his career, people used to approach him at restaurants to taunt him with ‘parchi’
“During 2017-2020 when I used to go to dinner with my family, people would approach me and call me ‘parchi’ to my face,” he said.
Imam went on to explain that because of these taunts, to this day, his parents have never watched him play in cricket stadiums:
“They really want to come and watch me play, but I’m just scared- this is the first time I’m talking about this. But when I’m standing on the boundary, I don’t want my mother to listen to the taunt ‘parchi’ in the stadium. If I was batting and I was out, it wouldn’t matter if I had played better before or not, while going back I would hear taunts of ‘parchi’.”
Since the clip was shared by cricketandstuff on X, formerly Twitter, social media users have expressed their dismay at how the cricketer has suffered relentless bullying yet manages to remain dedicated to the game.
Ali Tareen wrote:
“Heartbreaking to hear such an accomplished player never being able to invite his parents to see him live. Just so he can protect them from hearing their son being abused.”
Heartbreaking to hear such an accomplished player never being able to invite his parents to see him live. Just so he can protect them from hearing their son being abused. https://t.co/kRlU9ep2Gr
To berate a player in public is the lowest any fan can stoop. When will our fans understand these are real people with feelings and families like the rest of us. https://t.co/sb6Fham1xz
Very unfortunate. There should be some limit to trolling. Poor guy. Hope he does really well in the upcoming games for Pakistan. https://t.co/CFmgPvFrcW
Not being able to have your parents cherish your success is as awful as it can be. I wish our people would be a little more sensitive and wouldn’t consider players as their own personal properties who are entitled to them. https://t.co/oFxLnkYAIs
Cricketer Shoaib Malik and his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, have been one of the most popular public couples since they tied the knot in 2013. However, in recent months, rumours of the couple contemplating divorce have picked up pace. Previously, the rumor mill went into hyperdrive when Shoaib Malik removed Sania Mirza’s name from his Instagram bio, and now politician Firdous Ashiq Awan has added fuel to the fire.
In a recent appearance on the show ‘Hasna Mana Hai’, the former Information Minister, who had attended the couple’s lavish wedding in Hyderabad, said that at the reception she got a gut feeling that the marriage won’t work out.
Awan said that on the day she, along with the family, arrived in Hyderabad to meet Sania’s family, she had whispered in Shoaib’s ear “Puttar, bara bura phas gaya hai. [Son, you are badly stuck ]”
Awan said her intuition was based on the situation she saw. Although the two had a love marriage, and had tried to make their marriage work by deciding to live in Dubai rather than Pakistan or India. But Awan said what she witnessed during the wedding made her realise the marriage won’t work.
“Jab tak mohabbat ka bhoot sawar hai,” the politician joked. “Ye chalay ga.”
The couple have not made any public announcements about separation or divorce, and are currently hosting ‘The Mirza Malik show’ on Express Entertainment.
PC Magazine has reported that X, previously known as Twitter, will soon require its Blue users to provide a selfie and a copy of a government-issued identification.
This is a part of the verification process that will be handled by an Israeli company AU10TIX software which will store the provided information for up to 30 days.
According to X, data collected from a user’s profile will be used “for the purpose of safety and security, including preventing impersonation”.
X users have expressed their concerns with data collection due to previous instances of data breach. Others are unhappy about the software’s links with Israeli intelligence.
Al-Jazeera reports that AU10TIX has helped create the identity verification systems for airports and border controls in the 1980s and 90s and then ventured into “digital spaces” in 2002 as the internet grew. The company now deals with renowned digital platforms like Uber, PayPal and Google.
The purpose of the new verification process is to further strengthen security against impersonation and fraud.
Previously, Musk imposed a subscription fee on verified Twitter users in November 2022. This was extended to accounts with a verified phone number and active subscription to an “eligible Twitter Blue plan”.
This year, in April, Twitter removed legacy verification programmes as well as legacy verified checkmarks. This prompted a fear of impersonation and spreading of information.
This was followed by gold and grey check marks indicating verified organization and government- affiliated accounts, respectively.
The Pakistani rupee (PKR) continued its decline against the US dollar on the first working day of the week. PKR went down by 0.45 per cent, which is about Rs1.35, and closed the day at Rs297.13 in the interbank market, as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan.
This shows that over the past five trading sessions, the Pakistani rupee has lost a total of Rs8.64. It’s important to note that on the previous Friday, the rupee had closed at Rs295.78 after losing 0.86 paisas, which is about 0.29 per cent.
Looking at last week, from Tuesday to Friday, the Pakistani rupee experienced a significant loss of Rs7.29. This indicates a period of notable fluctuation for the rupee in the foreign exchange market.
A TikTok video has been circulating across Twitter (now X) recorded by two male police officers of the Punjab police. The video shows female police officers in the middle of a meeting, being recorded without their knowledge. The video has been dubbed with a Bollywood song while the policemen give unprofessional expressions.
Perverts I’m no civilised country you are allowed to put your work videos or colleagues videos without their consent on social media. Here, they are even dubbed with songs implying dubious meanings. Punish them to uphold discipline please @OfficialDPRPP pic.twitter.com/p06wbtNpt7
When the video was criticized by Twitter users, the official page of Punjab Police responded, condemning the action and stating that an investigation against the two men is underway.
قابل اعتراض ویڈیو بنانے میں ملوث ان پولیس ملازمین کے خلاف محکمانہ کاروائی کا آغاز کردیا گیا ہے۔
Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reached London on Sunday to meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif. According to Geo News, the agenda of the meeting between the two brothers included the upcoming general elections and Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif’s son Salman Shehbaz is accompanying him.
According to PML-N sources, Shehbaz Sharif will meet his brother as well as other party leaders in London. Several former federal ministers are also present in the British capital to join the crucial meeting about Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country. Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif has said that his elder brother will return to Pakistan next month and face the law.
A spokesperson for Inspector General of Islamabad police, Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan, has said that the process of countering hate-mongering content and pages online that instigate conflicts in the capital city has been sped up. The action comes under the structure of the Violent Extremism Prevention Unit (VEPU) in order to prevent propaganda aimed against the state and its institutions.
It has been claimed that more than 700 social media accounts, extensively investigated across Twitter, Facebook, and other media platforms, are unfurling religious hatred and terrorism. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been asked to shut down such accounts and so far, more than 200 have been suspended.
The IGP is adamant to objectively curb extremism and VEPU has been prompt in taking measures against propagandists.
Violent Extremism Prevention Unit (VEPU) was inaugurated earlier this year in February by Director General National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Muhammad Tahir Rai along with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad at Safe City Islamabad. The mission of the unit is to “monitor the political, linguistic, sectarian and religious extremist content on social media and websites and submit its report” supervised by SP.
The police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) are to work together to fulfil the goal. Apart from identifying the suspects online, the goal is also to hold them accountable. Additionally, communication experts are included and recommendations for legislation are to be made as well.
Qazi Asif, a Sindh based senior journalist, has on Sunday shared the autopsy report of 10-year-old Fatima who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at the haveli of a pir in Ranipur. Viral footage filmed most likely on CCTV cameras inside one of the bedrooms in the house showed the child collapsing on the ground, after rising up in a distressed state from a makeshift bed on the ground.
A man, purportedly Pir Asad Shah Jelani, a member of the notable Pirs of Ranipur, can allegedly be seen in the video, rising from bed and trying to wake the girl up.
The post mortem examination has confirmed her parents’ fears, revealing that the 10-year-old domestic worker was raped both vaginally and anally. The report also pointed out multiple injuries all over her body.
Children rights activist and veteran actress Nadia Jamil, among other public figures, had condemned the incident and demanded that the authorities hold the abuser accountable.
