Category: Uncategorized

  • Naseem Shah reveals he was on medication for a year after mother’s death

    Naseem Shah reveals he was on medication for a year after mother’s death

    Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah has revealed that he suffered from mental stress after the death of his mother and took medication for a year to combat it.

    Shah’s mother passed away a day before he made his international debut in Brisbane, Australia in 2019. The fast bowler was just 16 years of age at the time.

    In an interview given to Samaa, Naseem Shah said that even today he can’t talk about his mother’s memories. The fast bowler further said that he still talks to her in solitude, adding that she was the only person with whom he shared details of his life, whether good or bad.

    Talking about dealing with his mother’s death, Naseem said that it was such a trying time in his life that he had to take medication to relax. The heartthrob said he avoids visiting his home because it reminds him of his mother. Additionally, he revealed that he envisions his mother sitting in front of him.

  • ISPR says Bajwa’s statement that Pak isn’t ready to fight India is taken ‘out of context’

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has clarified that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement about Pakistan army not being fully compatible to fight against India has been taken out of context.

    “To this end, views of the former army chief on the future threats to Pakistan, which he shared with media persons in an off-the-record interactive session, have been quoted out of context,” ISPR said.

    It added that the army “always took and will continue to take pride in our operational preparedness and utmost combat worthiness.”

    Earlier, Senior Journalist Hamid Mir said that Bajwa had told journalists in 2021 that the Pakistan Army is not capable of getting into combat against the rival country.

    He claimed that immediately after the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had to visit Pakistan in 2021 but the then-Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former PM Imran Khan weren’t aware of it.

    When Khan demanded that details regarding Modi’s visit should be given to Foreign Office (FO) “Bajwa came to the FO with his entire convoy and gave a lecture”.

    “This was the same lecture that he gave in front of us once too that army tanks are not capable of running and there is no diesel for troop movement,” the journalist said.

    The journalist’s claims were picked up by Indian media and reported by major news outlets.

  • Fourteen killed in lightning strikes in India

    Lightning strikes in the Indian state of West Bengal have killed at least 14 people. The disaster management department confirmed that four individuals lost their lives in Purba Bardhaman district, while two each were killed in Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas districts.

    According to police officials in West Bengal, an additional six deaths were reported in the Paschim Midnapore and Howrah Rural districts.
    “Three deaths each were reported from Paschim Midnapore and Howrah rural,” an official said.

    Officials have stated that the majority of the victims were farmers who were working in agricultural fields and were struck by lightning after moderate rainfalls.

  • US urges Pakistan to implement IMF reforms as economic crisis deepens

    The United States has urged Pakistan to take urgent action to implement the necessary reforms required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address the country’s rising economic crisis. Inflation has been a major issue for Pakistan, and discussions between the two parties have been ongoing since January to find a consensus on multiple conditions before signing a deal that includes external financing from friendly nations.

    Elizabeth Horst, the State Department official in charge of Pakistan, stressed the importance of Pakistan’s compliance with the IMF’s agreed-upon reforms to ensure the country’s financial stability and avoid falling further into debt. She emphasised that although the reforms may not be easy, they are essential for the growth of Pakistan’s economy.

    Horst also expressed the US government’s concern over Pakistan’s economic situation and promised support for the country, particularly in policy, business, and transparency. She pointed out that the trade relationship between the two countries is already worth over nine billion dollars and will continue to increase.

    Highlighting the close cooperation between the US and Pakistan in areas such as trade and investment, climate change, and security, Horst revealed that the Pakistan-US Green Alliance has been initiated to further enhance these relations. She emphasised the importance of Pakistan’s sovereignty and that it is free to make its own choices.

    The State Department official also emphasised that both countries are working together to ensure regional security, counter-terrorism, and counter-narcotics. She expressed concern over the rising number of terrorist incidents in Pakistan and stressed the importance of continuing cooperation between the two countries to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists.

    Horst concluded by stating that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of both Pakistan and the US. She emphasised the importance of pushing the Taliban to fulfill their promises for peace and stability, as thousands of lives have already been affected by terrorism.

  • Here are the winners from the 68th Filmfare Awards

    Here are the winners from the 68th Filmfare Awards

    The 68th annual Fimfare awards took place yesterday with several A-listers like Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal gracing the red carpet and Salman Khan playing host. Some of the biggest winners of the night were ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and Baddhai Do, the two films that walked away with the most awards. Here is a list of all the winners from last night:

    Best Actress: Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi

    Best Actor: Rajkummar Rao for ‘Badhaai Do’

    Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’

    Best Actor In Supporting Role: Anil Kapoor in ‘Jug Jug Jeeyo’

    Best Actress in Supporting Role: Sheeba Chaddha in ‘Badhaai Do’

    Best Screenplay: Akshat Ghildial, Suman Adhikary and Harshavardhan Kulkarni for Badhaai Do

    Best Dialogue: Prakash Kapadia and Utkarshini Vashishtha for Gangubai Kathiawadi

  • Pakistan’s economic stability remains fragile despite increase in forex reserves

    Pakistan’s economic stability remains fragile despite increase in forex reserves

    As the country tries to find ways to secure external financing and keep itself afloat, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)-held foreign exchange reserves recorded a meagre rise. The SBP, in its weekly bulletin, mentioned its reserves have jumped by $30 million to $4.46 billion as of April 20, which will provide an import cover of less than a month — a position that has been the same for several months now.

    The net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stand at $5.56 billion, $1.1 billion more than the SBP, taking the total liquid foreign reserves to $10.02 billion. Although the central bank did not specify the reason behind the increase, there was a $300 million rise in the reserves last week — which was due to the loan provided by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

    The $350 billion economy is in turmoil amid financial woes and the delay in an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that would release much-needed funding crucial to avoid the risk of default.

    The government has been in talks with the Washington-based lender since end-January to resume the $1.1 billion loan tranche that has been on hold since November, part of a $6.5 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed upon in 2019. A deal with the IMF will also unlock other bilateral and multilateral financing avenues for Pakistan to shore up its foreign exchange reserves.

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said earlier this week that Pakistan has “fulfilled all the conditions” of the IMF and hoped that the Fund would soon sign the staff-level agreement. Speaking to Geo News, Dar said both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have informed the IMF about their commitments to provide $3 billion to Pakistan.

    Riyadh will provide $2 billion while Abu Dhabi has promised $1 billion to Pakistan, Dar said, adding that the Washington-based lender has also been informed in this regard.

    The finance minister said all the conditions for the staff-level agreement between Pakistan and IMF have been fulfilled. “Pakistan is hopeful that IMF will soon sign the SLA and get it approved by its Executive Board,” Ishaq Dar added.

  • Pakistan set to receive cheap Russian oil, says PM Shehbaz

    Pakistan set to receive cheap Russian oil, says PM Shehbaz

    During a National Assembly session on Thursday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced that the country is set to receive cheap oil from Russia.

    Minister of State for Petroleum, Musadik Malik, had previously confirmed that the government had made its first purchase of Russian crude oil, and a shipment is expected to arrive at Karachi port in May.

    Malik also revealed that the country aims to import 100,000 barrels of Russian crude oil per day, subject to the success of the first transaction.

    In the initial stages, Pakistan Refinery Limited will conduct a trial run to refine the crude oil, with other refineries, including Pak-Arab Refinery Limited, set to follow suit.

    This move marks a significant step forward for Pakistan’s oil industry, which has traditionally relied on imports from the Middle East.

  • CJ Bandial admits Supreme Court can’t force govt into negotiations on election delay

    Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial has admitted on Thursday that the Supreme Court cannot force the government to hold negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the matter of delay in polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab.

    The three member bench, comprising of Justices Bandial, Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, barely heard the case for an hour, calling for a sudden adjournment with the Chief Justice stating that a detailed order will be issued later.

    During last week’s hearing, the apex court had told political parties to hold dialogue on April 26 and report to the court. The coalition-led federal government, however, has held no dialogue and refused to accept the April 4 verdict, calling into question the legality of the bench.

  • Sania, Shoaib Malik’s son spotted with Salman Khan

    Sania, Shoaib Malik’s son spotted with Salman Khan

    Sania Mirza’s sister Anam shared a reel of her trip to Dubai on her Instagram account, where Sania and Shoaib Malik’s son, Izhaan, was spotted posing for a picture with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

    His brief appearance in the video caught the attention of many fans, including Indian film director Farah Khan, who applauded Anam on her weight loss.

    According to India Today, Khan was currently in Dubai for the promotion of his upcoming film ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’. The actor has returned to Mumbai with high security after local police received an anonymous call on April 10, threatening to murder Khan at the end of the month.

  • National Assembly Speaker writes to Supreme Court, asks it to not interfere in political matters

    Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf, has told Supreme Court (SC) in a letter to avoid getting involved in political matters.

    The SC must, as far as possible, avoid getting involved in [the] political thicket. It is best to leave resolution of political matters by the parliament and the political parties,” he wrote.

    Noting the SC’s decision to release Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and KP, the Speaker said that the “three-member bench’s orders have completely disregarded the constitutional process and the prerogative of the National Assembly with respect to financial matters.”

    He added that the bench seemed to be in a hurry to give unusual directions to the federal government to authorise the expenditure of Rs21 billion.

    Raja Pervez Ashraf further said that the power of the purse belonged solely to the lower house of parliament, adding that the assembly would defend its right.

    At the outset of the letter, the speaker said he was writing to convey the “profound concern and unease” of the country’s elected representatives regarding recent decisions by the top court as well as comments passed by judges.

    Ashraf said the assembly would approve the expenditure for general elections to all assemblies in the annual budget for the next fiscal year.

    The decision to write a letter came about during a National Assembly session held on Wednesday when many federal ministers opposed the SC verdict about elections.

    It is pertinent to mention that before this development, the federal cabinet also disapproved the verdict of the top court of giving money to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so that election can take place in May.

    The SC will resume hearing on election matter today.