Category: Uncategorized

  • Shehbaz, Arif Alvi lock horns on caretaker PM appointment

    Shehbaz, Arif Alvi lock horns on caretaker PM appointment

    President Arif Alvi wrote a letter on Friday to outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint a caretaker Premier by Saturday (today), rekindling the uneasy relationship between the two.

    Dawn has reported that PM Shehbaz is not happy with the letter, questioning why President Alvi is in a hurry. He also said that the President might not have read the constitution.

    According to Dawn’s sources, delay in nominating caretaker PM can be chalked up to opposition leader Raja Riaz, who is insisting that his candidate be appointed caretaker PM instead of agreeing to the names suggested by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    After a meeting was held between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz on Saturday to discuss the name of the upcoming caretaker prime minister, Riaz gave three names for caretaker Prime Minister to Sharif. The Premier consulted with his allies last night about the three names.

    One of these three names is Sadiq Sanjrani, but so far the other two names are not known.

    On the other hand, PML-N head Nawaz Sharif wants former finance minister Ishaq Dar or former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abassi as caretaker PM.
    However, insiders alleged that Mr. Riaz was taking orders from another power corridor and insisted on the name of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. On Friday, Mr. Sanjrani called Mr. Riaz as well as Mr. Dar and Ahsan Iqbal.

  • Barbie is the first billion dollar film to be made by a female director

    Barbie is the first billion dollar film to be made by a female director

    Life in plastic is fantastic!

    As if leading a pink wave around the world wasn’t enough, cashing in a billion dollars from your first month in cinemas alone would be perfect. Warner Bros Pictures announced on Sunday that the Greta Gerwig directed film has broken records to make more than $1 billion dollars at the global box office, making Gerwig the first female director to accomplish this. The studio revealed that the movie took $459 million from North American theatres, and an extra $572 million from overseas screening, making a total of $1.0315 bn. Their final figures were confirmed by the media analytics firm Comscore:

    “As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,” said Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee domestic and international distribution for the studio.

    The film, which was written and directed by the Oscar-nominated Greta Gerwig, stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in leading roles, as Barbie travels from her fantasy world to the real world in an attempt to understand the recent unravelings happening to her.

    Oppenheimer, meanwhile, has officially become the highest grossing World War II film ever made, by crossing the $550 million mark at the global box office.

  • Another monsoon spell to hit Punjab from Sunday

    As many districts in Punjab deal with intense heat, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has predicted rainfall in the coming days.

    As stated by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the weather will remain hot and humid across the majority of Punjab. Nevertheless, the province is anticipated to experience monsoon rains from August 13 to 16.

    Substantial rainfall is forecasted for Sialkot, Narowal, Shakargarh, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, and Mandi Bahauddin. Additionally, there’s likelihood of rain accompanied by thunderstorms in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Murree, and Galliat.

    The PDMA has affirmed that water levels in the Chenab, Ravi, Jhelum, and Sutlej rivers are within normal range, while Taunsa along the Indus River is experiencing minor floods. Tarbela and Mangala dams are currently at 95 percent of their capacity.

    Simultaneously, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted hot and humid conditions across most parts of the country in the next 24 hours. However, there’s an expectation of rain, wind, or thundershowers in northeastern Punjab, the Potohar region, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Kashmir. In the central and southern parts of the country, there are chances of strong winds capable of raising dust.

  • TW: Policeman sets his 14-year-old wife on fire over dowry

    TW: Policeman sets his 14-year-old wife on fire over dowry

    TRIGGER WARNING: abuse, domestic violence

    A 14-year-old girl married to a policeman in Sialkot has been set on fire after her husband became unhappy with the dowry provided to him.

    According to the complaint filed with the Sialkot police by labourer Tariq Mahmood, his daughter Muneeb Fatima, was married to Constable Waqas Nazir, who was posted at the Satrah Police Station, of Pasrur Tehsil. The marriage took place five months ago, however , when he went to visit their home, he was told by his daughter’s in-laws that she was happy and did not want to meet him.

    Speaking to DAWN, Mahmood elaborated that when Fatima came back to visit him after five months, she revealed details of torture, including being burnt by a clothing iron and being kept in chains.

    Mahmood further reported that his daughter was set on fire by her husband after he sprinkled petrol on her. When the labourer confronted Waqas, he was shot at and given death threats.

    Mahmood said his daughter was tortured by both her husband and his sister, Sadaf.

    Muneeb Fatima is receiving treatment at Tehsil Headquaters Hospital, Pasrur.

    The abuser, according to Dawn, made calls to a journalist and threatened to have him killed. The police, under the orders of the DPO, made several threatening calls to the journalist.

    According to the a spokesperson for the Sialkot district police, Waqas Nazir has been suspended by the DPO, while an inquiry has been launched against him.

  • Nawaz Sharif is coming to Pakistan next month, Shehbaz confirms

    Nawaz Sharif is coming to Pakistan next month, Shehbaz confirms

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said on Thursday that his elder brother, former Prime Minister 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.

    Shehbaz Sharif has also said in an interview with Geo News’ Capital Talk that he will visit London and meet the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head after the caretaker government takes charge.

    “Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan next month and will face the law and lead the election campaign,” Shehbaz Sharif said, however, he did not mention a specific date.

    “He [Nawaz] will neither wear a hat nor a bucket”, the outgoing PM said, criticising former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is arrested and in Attock jail currently.

    Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PML-N president, expressed hope that his party would win the upcoming general elections and that he would work as a party activist under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.

  • Kaun banega caretaker PM? Consultations between Shehbaz and Raja Riaz to begin today

    Kaun banega caretaker PM? Consultations between Shehbaz and Raja Riaz to begin today

    Consultations between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz will start today as the country waits for an announcement on who will be the caretaker Prime Minister.

    A meeting between Raja Riaz and Shehbaz Sharif was postponed yesterday due to the dissolution of the National Assembly late last night.

    “The president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister under Article 58-1 of the Constitution,” read an official statement issued by the President’s Office on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Wednesday.

    Shehbaz Sharif has invited Raja Riaz to the meeting by sending a letter, writing that President Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly and that it’s his constitutional responsibility to appoint the caretaker Prime Minister.

    The PM and Raja Riaz will mutually decide on one of the names proposed for the caretaker Premier.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the opposition leader denied rumours that a scheduled meeting had been postponed for nefarious reasons and expressed eagerness for the upcoming conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

  • ‘Worst assembly’: PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan slams govt

    ‘Worst assembly’: PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan slams govt

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said in his farewell speech on Wednesday that the outgoing National Assembly was the worst because it did not provide relief to the public.

    The former Prime Minister, a stalwart of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said that not a single legislation was passed by the Lower House in its five years. “You seek record of five years’ legislation and you will see all the government bills were not meant to provide relief to people,” he said, stressing that it was a matter of shame for all.

    He pointed out that the people have lost faith in the government, emphasizing that such matters cannot be fixed by legislation but with actions. He blamed everyone for the economic crisis in the country, adding that it would take at least ten years to fix the economy.

    People say that all members of the assembly are corrupt and we show that they are correct,” Abbasi said, pointing out that parliamentarians were surrounding the Interior Minister to get his signature for licenses.

  • ‘I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time’: Ranveer Singh celebrates being cast as ‘Don’

    ‘I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time’: Ranveer Singh celebrates being cast as ‘Don’

    On Wednesday, the internet was blown away when Excel Entertainment announced that the next actor to play the iconic villain ‘Don’ jis ko 11 mulkoon ki police dhoond rahi hai will be Ranveer Singh.

    The thriller icon was previously played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan- leading to incredibly high expectations about who would be the next person to fill in such big shoes.

    READ MORE: Ranveer Singh confirmed to be the next ‘Don

    Taking to his Instagram account, Ranveer celebrated the announcement by sharing some throwback pictures of his childhood when he used to pretend to play the villain, calling this something he had been dreaming about for a long time:

    “As a child I fell in love with the movies, and like the rest of us,” gushed the ‘Rocky and Rani ki prem kahani actor. “Watching and worshipping Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan – the two G.O.A.Ts of Hindi Cinema . I dreamed of growing up to be like them. They are the very reason I wanted to become an actor and a ‘hindi film hero’. Their impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated. They’ve shaped the person and actor that I am. Taking their legacy forward is a manifestation of my childhood dream ”

    Addressing some of the critics who were aghast by the announcement, Singh went on to say:

    “I understand what a great responsibility it is to be a part of the ‘Don’ dynasty. I hope the audience gives me a chance and showers me with love, the way they have for numerous characters over the past so many years. ”

  • National Assembly dissolved: hunt for caretaker PM underway

    President Dr Arif Alvi, late on Wednesday, dissolved the National Assembly on the counsel of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

    The prime minister’s decision to dissolve the assembly was swiftly acted upon, with the president endorsing the summary earlier presented by PM Shehbaz Sharif for the dissolution.

    However, despite this dissolution, Shehbaz Sharif will remain at the helm of affairs as prime minister until the nomination of a caretaker premier.

    This dissolution now mandates the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to organise general elections within the subsequent 90 days, as per constitutional requirements.

    Reinforcing this, the Senate, earlier in the day, passed a resolution urging the ECP to ensure preparations for the impending general elections occur within the constitutionally stipulated timeframe.

  • We have no Prime Minister if the government refuses to nominate a name as another meeting is delayed

    We have no Prime Minister if the government refuses to nominate a name as another meeting is delayed

    In a crucial turn of events, the highly anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz, scheduled for today, to decide on a name for the caretaker prime minister, has been postponed.

    The meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow.

    The opposition leader has denied rumours that the meeting had been postponed for nefarious reasons and expressed eagerness for the upcoming conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    “The information circulating regarding the postponement of today’s meeting is not accurate,” declared Raja Riaz during a conversation with SAMAA TV.

    “The discussions between the Prime Minister and me are expected to take place today,” said Raja Riaz, highlighting the ongoing nature of the dialogue.