Category: Uncategorized

  • HRCP expresses concern over ‘Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023’

    HRCP expresses concern over ‘Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023’

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its “deep concern” over the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023, which was passed unanimously on January 17 in the National Assembly. While the stated aim of this bill is to curb sectarianism, HRCP believes it is likely to exacerbate the persecution of Pakistan’s beleaguered religious minorities and minority sects.

    The National Assembly unanimously passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, aimed at increasing punishment for disrespect of Ummahatul Momineen, Ahl-e-Bait, Khulfa-e-Rashideen and Sahaba-e-Kiram.

    “The proposed legislation increases the punishment for using derogatory remarks against holy persons—including the Prophet (PBUH)’s family, wives and companions, and the four caliphs—from three years with a fine to imprisonment for life ‘which will not be less than ten years’. The bill also makes the offence non-bailable, thereby directly violating the constitutionally guaranteed right to personal liberty under Article 9,” read the press release from the human rights watchdog.

    “Given Pakistan’s troubled record of the misuse of such laws, these amendments are likely to be weaponised disproportionately against religious minorities and sects, resulting in false FIRs, harassment and persecution. Moreover, increasing the penalty for alleged blasphemy will aggravate misuse of the law to settle personal vendettas, as is often the case with blasphemy allegations,” it added.

    “At a time when civil society has been calling for amendments to these laws to prevent their abuse, strengthening this punishment will do the exact opposite.”

  • Imran Ashraf calls out click baiter for misleading posts

    Imran Ashraf calls out click baiter for misleading posts

    Actor Imran Ashraf took to his Instagram stories to react to a viral Youtube video about his wealth. The Youtuber has grossly exaggerated and fabricated Imran’s actual assets. The video also claims that Imran owns a Lamborghini car, which caught Imran’s attention. The Dum Mastam hero reshared a screenshot of the video and stated, “Oh Allah, make me as rich as these Youtubers believe me to be.”

    “I feel like taking a loan from myself after watching my supposed wealth in the video,” concluded Imran.

    Earlier the Ranjha Ranjha star called out a YouTuber who used misleading click-bait thumbnails of his blockbuster drama Raqs-e-Bismil. The Alif Allah Aur Insan actor shared a hilarious thumbnail in which a YouTube revealed the ‘supposed’ season 2’s snippet featuring Zohra with a child and Moosa by her side. He added a humorous caption, “Is bhai nai to bana bhi diya”.

    He also shared a fake thumbnail about the teaser of the last episode which suggested that his character, Moosa will die.

  • ‘Do not ask for free PSL tickets’; Najam Sethi is done with freeloaders

    ‘Do not ask for free PSL tickets’; Najam Sethi is done with freeloaders

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Najam Sethi on Friday requested his friends and high-ups to not ask for free tickets and passes for Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches.

    “I am making a personal request to all friends and high-ups NOT to ask for free tickets/passes to PSL matches starting next month. The Public Accounts Committee of National Assembly that audits PCB has warned us to desist from this practise,” tweeted Sethi.

    “I am also requesting friends and high-ups not to do sifarish for selection of any player or coach, etc, or to give employment or facilitation to any undeserving person. PCB competes with top professional organisations in the world and cannot afford to be inefficient,” he added.

    HBL PSL 8 will begin on February 13 with an opening ceremony at Multan Stadium.
    “The HBL PSL 8 will be a massive event for the PCB, taking place at the four iconic venues with the world’s best T20 cricketers in action. We aim to make the HBL PSL bigger, better and stronger than ever before with the overarching ambition to make it the first-choice event for leading T20 cricketers,” said Sethi.

    Each of the six sides will go into PSL 8 with much at stake. Islamabad United will aim to become the most successful team with three titles, Lahore Qalandars will attempt to become the first side to win back to back titles and the remaining four teams will once again attempt to lift the trophy. The tournament will be spread over 34 matches.

  • 78 people die in Afghanistan after temperature drops to -34 degrees

    According to a Taliban official, at least 78 individuals have died in Afghanistan’s frigid temperatures during the past nine days.

    According to Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, over 77,000 animals have also perished in recent days after temperatures fell to record lows.

    The frigid weather has turned into the country’s coldest winter in 15 years, with temperatures dipping as low as -34 degrees Celsius (-29.2 degrees Fahrenheit), Reuters has reported.

    “The weather will get colder in the next few days, therefore it is necessary to consider humanitarian aid for affected people,” said Abdullah Ahmadi, the head of the operations centre for emergency conditions at the Ministry of Disaster Management has said.

    Health professionals noted a substantial rise in the number of small children with severe pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses even in the early days of winter. Rising poverty that prevents people from adequately heating their homes is partly to blame for the illnesses.

  • Nimra Bucha stars in upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’

    Nimra Bucha stars in upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’

    After Churails and Ms. Marvel, Nimra Bucha is not done proving she is one powerhouse of an actor. The stage and television veteran will essay the role of an evil mother-in-law in the upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’.
    Directed and written by Nida Manzoor, the creator of ‘We Are Lady Parts’, the film revolves around teenager Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) a dreamer who wants to become a stunt woman. When her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) decides to get engaged to a man whom Ria finds suspicious, she decides to expose the evil mother in law (Nimra Bucha) with the help of her friends.

    The trailer was released online on Thursday, generating fanfare on twitter, with users ready to buy advance tickets.

    https://twitter.com/badb1tchoward/status/1615781410362507279?s=20&t=hvw0f38NHxX_Th8RjmEIBg
    https://twitter.com/jxxpitxr/status/1616059422832214019?s=20&t=hvw0f38NHxX_Th8RjmEIBg

  • 466 people are dying each day in Pakistan due to tobacco consumption

    466 people die daily in Pakistan due to tobacco use related diseases, Dr Ziauddin Islam, a former technical leader of the Health Ministry’s Tobacco Control Cell, has disclosed during a discussion hosted by SPARC, Ikram Junaidi has reported for Dawn.

    He also said that the number of smokers in Pakistan has reached 31 million people. Dr. Ziauddin also revealed that every day, 1,200 Pakistani kids between the ages of six and fifteen begin smoking.

    The Tobacco Health Levy Bill, which has been on hold since 2019, needs to be approved right away in order to stop the loss of life and healthcare resources, he added.
    “Evidence suggests that higher cigarette taxes deter smoking initiation, reduce cigarette consumption, and even lead smokers to quit. Last year, Pakistan raised tobacco taxes for the first time since 2019 however we are still far off from the 30pc increase suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said Country head of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) Malik Imran Ahmed.

  • ECP to notify Khan’s win on 7 NA seats

    ECP to notify Khan’s win on 7 NA seats

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday decided to confirm Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s victory in seven constituencies of the National Assembly (NA) in by-elections held on October 16, 2022.

    A three-member bench of the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict which had been reserved in December.

    The ECP had taken notice of the PTI chief’s failure to submit details of election expenses within the stipulated time.

    In its verdict announced today, the electoral body said that it ignored the delay in the submission of the details of the expenses and directed officials to notify Khan as the winning candidate, accepting the PTI plea.

    According to election laws, “Every returned candidate shall, within five days from the date of the election, submit return of election expenses in accordance with the provision of section 29.”

    “On receipt of the returns of the election under sub-section (3) of section 24, the Commission shall publish in the official Gazette the names of the returned candidates: Provided that the name of a candidate shall not be published who fails to submit the return of election expenses as required by sub-section (3) of section 24.”

    The by-polls were conducted on nine NA seats that fell vacant after the National Assembly speaker accepted the resignations of PTI MNAs, who had tendered resignations en masse as per party policy.

    According to the by-election results, Khan won the NA seats from Mardan, Charsadda and Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Faisalabad and Nankana Sahib in Punjab and the Korangi district of Karachi in Sindh.

  • ‘Arresting Imran Khan will only strengthen PTI’, warns Asad Qaiser

    ‘Arresting Imran Khan will only strengthen PTI’, warns Asad Qaiser

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser has warned that if former Prime Minister Imran Khan is arrested then it would make the party more powerful.

    Asad Qaiser also said that the government could detain party chief Imran Khan in the run-up to general elections. Stating that the incumbent government is “panicking”, Asad Qaiser said that the rulers can go to any length to stop Imran Khan. However, he reiterated that PTI doesn’t care about such matters.

    “This [Imran’s arrest] would only end up strengthening the PTI,” he said.

    Responding to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s decision to accept the resignations of 34 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs, the former Speaker called the action a “great injustice” to his office.

    Qaiser said, “You should take the law and the Constitution into account while making decisions when you hold a constitutional position. Therefore, instead of granting the wishes of political figures, you must act in accordance with the law,” he remarked.

  • ‘Keep Shining’ Sajal Aly, others rally behind Azam Khan after he calls out trolls

    ‘Keep Shining’ Sajal Aly, others rally behind Azam Khan after he calls out trolls

    Pakistani cricket player Azam Khan addressed trolls in an Instagram post for consistently berating his performance and body shaming him. The cricket player shared a screenshot of his comment from the Instagram page @ESPNcricinfo and in the next post, he shared a picture of a board where where he had pasted negative remarks given about him.
    In the caption, Khan shared that although life had consistently thrown barricades in his path because of his body weight, he was always ready to overcome all odds and train harder to become his best self.

    “Always waking up to new challenges every day, particularly with so much negative energy on social media. But the goal remains the same, playing the game I love at the highest level and working every day to become the best version of myself that I can ever be, Inshallah ameen.♥️
    #loveandpeacetoall.”

    Actress Sajal Aly sent praises to the cricket player in the comments section, reminding him to keep shining.
    “Hardwork always pays off! Keep working hard keep shining.”

    Fans on Twitter also sent their solidarity to Azam Khan, reminding the cricket player that it was his talent and hard work that has kept him in the spotlight.

  • Muneeb Butt files cyber stalking report against Feroze Khan for leaking personal details of wife and sister-in-law

    Muneeb Butt files cyber stalking report against Feroze Khan for leaking personal details of wife and sister-in-law

    Actor Muneeb Butt has called out Feroze Khan for leaking the phone numbers and home addresses of his wife, Aimen Khan, and sister Minal Khan.
    “Leaking my family’s personal details on your social media trying to play smart by uploading the notice of a law firm and then deleting it,” Butt wrote on Instagram, addressing the embattled Feroze. “Whoever is suggesting this to you has thrown you into deep trouble my friend I feel bad for you now you will have to face all of this… Initially I thought it’s a stupid mistake waited for 24 hours but no apology or excuse proved that it was a deliberate move, I thought you were better than that seriously. Complaint registration/ verification process has been completed FIA cyber circle has intiated the inquiry. The process has started, you will have to taste your own medicine now wait for the call.”

    The next screenshot was of the cyber stalking complaint Butt had filed against Khan at the Cyber Crime Reporting Center, and in the caption he had written:
    “It’s easier to mention your and your family’s personal phone number and residence details here but there is a difference! I still respect your family as mine and would never do that to them.”

    Butt also took a dig against Khan’s lawyer, Faique Ali Jagirani, by sharing a screenshot of his Youtube channel where the lawyer had uploaded details of the ongoing case between Khan and his ex-wife, Alizeh Sultan. In the caption, Butt criticized the lawyer for profiting off from the case for the sake of adding subscribers.

    “Change your lawyer. Advocate shb MashAllah gaining Youtube subscribers from your case. This case will go on until he gets a silver button!”