Category: Uncategorized

  • Fact Check: Did Pakistani parents lock daughter’s grave to prevent rape?

    Fact Check: Did Pakistani parents lock daughter’s grave to prevent rape?

    Claim

    Last week, a photo of a padlocked grave with a metal grate was being widely shared on social media and in news reports. It was being reported that the grave was in Pakistan and was the result of purported increase in necrophilia cases. The claim suggests that the grave is an illustration of how Pakistani mothers use locks to secure the graves of their daughters and protect the corpse from being raped.

    Indian media outlets also carried the story.

    .

    Fact

    Indian fact-checker Mohammed Zubair has said that the photo is, in fact, from Hyderabad city in India. “The image used by the media outlets was actually from a cemetery in Hyderabad. The cemetery is located opposite Masjid E Salar Mulk, a mosque in Darab Jung Colony, Madannapet, Hyderabad,” read the fact check piece written by Mohammed Zubair and Shinjine Majumder.

    “Alt News also spoke to a local resident whose house is near the mosque. He informed us that the grave belonged to an aged woman who had passed away in her seventies. Her son constructed the grille over the grave about 40 days after she had been buried.”

    The grill and padlock was installed to stop the grave from being reopened to put a fresh corpse inside.

    Several indian media outlets picked up the story while crediting Twitter for the image. The picture ANI picked up was tweeted by author Harris Sultan. He has now deleted the tweet.

    The EU DisinfoLab in a report published this year said that ANI repeatedly quotes non-existent bloggers, experts, journalists and think tanks spreading anti-Pakistan/China narratives in India.

    Verdict

    The claim is false.

  • Fawad or Marriyum: Whose idea was PTV Flix anyway?

    Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday announced the launch of the online platform PTV Flix, which will allow users to access thousands of movies, television shows and documentaries online. In a tweet, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) politician revealed that the was an initiative quite close to her heart, as countless iconic shows like ‘Dhoop Kinaray’, ‘Tanhaiyaan’ and ‘Ainak Wala Jin’ can now be easily accessed online.

    Aurangzeb also thanked the team at PTV and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, who had helped in making this idea in to a reality:

    “I would like to thank and congratulate the team at PTV and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for all their hard work which has made this idea a reality. I would also like to thank our entertainment legends Bushra Ansari Sba, Javed Sheikh Sb and Khalid Abbas Dar Sb for joining me at the launch event.”

    However, many tweeps began tagging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, crediting him for the initiative. Chaudhry later put up a tweet revealing that this was a project he had began during his tenure.

    To which Aurangzeb had a cheeky response, but really who was the person to kickstart PTV Flix?

    If we look back, it was Chaudhry who during his tenure as the Minister of Science and Technology, had announced in 2020 in a tweet that his team was working on setting up Pakistan’s version of Netflix, and had already asked regulatory authorities to draft a guideline about the content.

  • Boy, 8, raped by teacher and his friend

    Boy, 8, raped by teacher and his friend

    Police have reported that a boy aged eight was sexually assaulted by his teacher and the teachers’s friend in a village near Khanewal in Punjab.

    The rape survivor was aken to a hospital after losing consciousness.

    The suspects have been apprehended by the authorities on charges of rape.

    The Current records the tally of rape cases that are reported in news outlets on a daily basis to highlight the alarming situation. We have used many different sources as listed. When will it stop?

  • Woman hangs herself after husband stops her from going to beauty salon

    Woman hangs herself after husband stops her from going to beauty salon

    Trigger warning: Suicide/Self-harm

    A 34-year-old woman named Reena from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has committed suicide after her husband prevented her from going to a beauty salon, police officials have confirmed.

    The woman hanged herself on Thursday in her home located in Scheme Number 51 of the city.

    The Sub-Inspector in charge of the case stated that the husband told the police that he had stopped her from going to the salon, after which she hanged herself in a fit of anger.

    The case is currently under investigation from all possible angles, while the post-mortem has already been conducted.

    Balram, the husband of the deceased said, “I just asked her not to go to the beauty parlour. I informed the police.”

    As per media reports, family members of the couple stated that the Barlam and Reena were constantly engaging in fights and arguments.

  • Saudi Arabia and Iran to reopen embassies soon

    Saudi Arabia and Iran to reopen embassies soon

    Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian announced on Friday that Saudi Arabia and his country will soon reopen their embassies in each other’s capitals, Reuters has reported. The minister didn’t provide exact dates for the reopening of the embassies, which have been closed since 2016, during a news conference held in Beirut, Lebanon.

    “During the last phone call between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia on Eid al-Fitr, we agreed to work in the coming days on the reopening of the Iranian and Saudi embassies in Tehran and Riyadh,” Amirabdollahian said, according to an official Arabic translation.

    China mediated a deal last month that led to the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had deteriorated since 2015.

    The conflict in Yemen began when the Houthi movement, aligned with Iran, overthrew the Saudi-backed government and took control of Sanaa, causing tension between the two countries. This tension has contributed to conflicts in other areas of the region, such as the Syrian civil war.

  • Delayed IMF deal, depreciating rupee push gold price to Rs219,500 per tola

    Delayed IMF deal, depreciating rupee push gold price to Rs219,500 per tola

    As the economic crisis in Pakistan persists and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme remains in limbo, the price of gold has surged to new heights. The All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA) reports that the rate of gold (24 carats) has increased by Rs800 per tola and Rs686 per 10 grams, reaching a settlement of Rs219,500 and Rs188,186, respectively. Similarly, the international market witnessed a $6 increase in the price of gold, bringing it to $1,990 per ounce.

    This steady uptrend in gold prices can be attributed to the weakening of economic fundamentals, the depreciation of the rupee, and the record-high inflation rates. During times of economic uncertainty, individuals often turn to precious metals like gold to protect themselves against inflation and currency depreciation.

    The delay in the IMF agreement has further exacerbated the economic crisis, leading to a negative impact on the currency market and increased demand for gold. Without a much-needed economic bailout, the country risks defaulting, adding to the already tense economic situation.

    While the price of silver remains stable at Rs2,600 per tola and Rs2,229.08 per 10 grams, the rise in gold prices highlights the growing economic concerns in Pakistan.

  • First episode of ‘Muhabbat Gumshuda Meri’ receives positive responses

    The first episode of the highly-anticipated Hum TV drama ‘Muhabbat Gumshuda Meri’ released online on Friday. Starring Khushhal Khan and Dananeer as the main leads, the drama opens up to Saim and Zobia who lived next door to each other, and have been best friends since childhood. We learn that the two have remained close despite the disapproval of their families, and both sneak out to go to a party together.

    Viewers have praised the magical chemistry between Dananeer and Khan, pointing out how the two are playing the trope of friends turned lovers incredibly well with well-timed banter and teasing.

    It’s only been the first episode and already twitter users have rave reviews about the performances delivered by both actors, so we can’t wait to see what the next few episodes deliver!

  • UK Court rules that Murtaza Ali Shah was ‘defamed’ through a campaign by PTI leaders

    UK Court rules that Murtaza Ali Shah was ‘defamed’ through a campaign by PTI leaders

    A United Kingdom (UK) High Court Judge has ruled that the words used by three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders against London-based journalist Murtaza Ali Shah are “defamatory” at common law and that he was defamed through a campaign.

    Murtaza had himself moved the court against PTI leaders Mohammad Imran, Shanaz Hussain (typically known as Shanaz Saddique) and Riaz Hussain after they launched a defamatory social media campaign against him in 2020. Shah’s reporting on Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court after the Assets Recovery Unit paid a spy agency to investigate Justice Isa’s children led to the defamatory campaign against the journalist.

    The former ruling party has distanced itself from the matter. A spokesman of PTI UK said the three were clearly told by PTI leadership that their campaign against the reporter is personal.

    It is pertinent to mention here that one of the PTI leaders—Shanaz Hussain— was found guilty of forging her husband’s signature in 2012.

    In March 2023, at a preliminary trial on the meaning of the defamatory words used by these leaders, a judge said that “these are serious allegations to make against a professional journalist”.

  • After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    In the late hours of Friday night, a heavy contingent of officials from anti-corruption department and police reached the Gulberg residence of former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore to arrest him in a corruption case.

    According to Elahi’s lawyer, pre-arrest bail had already been taken from a court until May 6 in the particular case. However, the team insisted that they need Elahi in a new case and they would not leave without arresting him.

    Sometime later, the raiding team used an armoured vehicle to break down the main gate of Elahi’s house, arresting multiple staff members. Female police officers also took women into custody.

    The plan was to arrest Elahi too, however, after a thorough search they couldn’t find him.

    They also tried to force their way into the adjoining residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but they were resisted by Shujaat’s sons.

    After the episode, Elahi’s son moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to stop the police. Many politicians, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, strongly condemned the raid.

  • Inflation worsens in Pakistan, affecting purchasing power of millions

    Inflation worsens in Pakistan, affecting purchasing power of millions

    The citizens of Pakistan, a poor country with a population of 220 million, have been struggling with record-high inflation due to the government’s inability to control prices. According to the weekly bulletin released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the weekly inflation increased by 46.82 per cent year-on-year and 0.15 per cent week-on-week, ending on April 27.

    The rise in the sensitive price indicator (SPI) was attributed to the increase in the prices of potatoes, chicken, wheat flour, gur, bread, and rice irri-6/9. On the other hand, there was a decrease in the prices of tomatoes, bananas, onions, sugar, LPG, pulse masoor, and mustard oil during the same period. The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 252.20 points, up from 251.83 points the previous week and 171.78 points recorded during the week ended on April 28, 2022.

    Fahad Rauf, head of research at Ismail Iqbal Securities, attributed the moderate increase in SPI mainly to the rise in the prices of potatoes and mutton. The price trend of perishable food items during the Eid week has been mixed, with the prices of some items going up and some going down. Ismail Iqbal Securities predicted that the CPI for April 2023 would come around 38 per cent, up from 35.4 per cent in March 2023, due to house rent revisions and higher wheat prices.

    The absence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and persistent inflationary pressures may result in another rate hike, as per Ismail Iqbal Securities. An interest rate hike could further discourage businesses, which have already postponed their expansion plans and hiring. Import restrictions have also added to the woes of industries and businesses that have faced frequent shutdowns, resulting in uncertain or no wages for millions of workers.

    The SPI is compiled by PBS by collecting prices of 51 essential items from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country. During the week, prices of 21 items increased by 41 per cent, while prices of seven items decreased by 13.73 per cent, and prices of 23 items remained unchanged, accounting for 45.10 per cent of the total. Various weightages are assigned to different commodities in the SPI basket, with milk, electricity, wheat flour, sugar, firewood, long cloth, and vegetable ghee having the highest weights for the lowest quintile. The price of milk and wheat flour increased, while the price of sugar decreased. The prices of electricity, firewood, long cloth, and vegetable ghee remained unchanged. However, the prices of all these commodities increased on a yearly basis.