Category: Uncategorized

  • ‘Miftah is facing immense criticism from within PML-N’: Khawaja Asif

    ‘Miftah is facing immense criticism from within PML-N’: Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday tweeted in support of Finance Minister (FM) Miftah Ismail. He further revealed that Ismail was facing immense criticism from within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) because of the continuous increase in petrol prices.

    “FM Miftah is among the hardest working members of PM’s team, accessible to all stakeholders,” tweeted Khawaja Asif.

    “He is performing v. well under difficult circumstances, with immense criticism from vested interests – including, and unfortunately, from within PMLN. Time to show solidarity with Miftah.”

    Miftah Ismail had recently said that he was “not supposed” to appear on national television to announce an increase in the cost of petroleum products, but that he did so in response to a directive from Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    It is pertinent to mention here that PML-N’s supremo Nawaz Sharif’s close aide and former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed his return to Pakistan in July. He said that he is coming back on the directions of Nawaz and the decision was taken after the consent of PM Shehbaz.

    There was news circulating of Dar taking the charge of the finance ministry, to which he said he cannot decide this matter. “My party will decide.”

    Ismail is under pressure since the government announced multiple hikes in petroleum products and the delay in the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme.

  • Secretary Cabinet directed to release list of gifts received by PMs, presidents of Pakistan since 1947

    Secretary Cabinet directed to release list of gifts received by PMs, presidents of Pakistan since 1947

    The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has directed the secretary cabinet to release the list of all the gifts received by all the prime ministers (PMs) and presidents of Pakistan since 1947. In addition, it has directed the secretary cabinet to provide the details of the amount at which the presidents and PMs had purchased those state gifts.

    The PIC took the decision at the request of lawyer Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi.

    In a tweet, Abuzar Niazi termed the decision as a “victory”.

    Talking to The Current, Abuzar said, “It is is a landmark decision by the Information Commission of Pakistan. A right step towards transparency and accountability. Freedom of information is a fundamental right protected under Art 19 A of the Constitution. People have the right to know everything which is of public importance.”

  • Google to delete location history of users visiting abortion clinics in the US

    Google to delete location history of users visiting abortion clinics in the US

    In response to mounting concerns that their information could be used to prosecute people seeking reproductive care and other personal services, Google said that it will automatically delete records of user trips to sensitive areas, including abortion clinics in the United States (US).

    Without mentioning abortion, Google stated on Friday that it would keep fighting back against improper or excessively broad requests for data by the US government.

    “Some of the places people visit — including medical facilities like counseling centres, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centres, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, cosmetic surgery clinics, and others — can be particularly personal,” Google said in a post on its website. “If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit.”

    Google also said that it will release updates that would let those who use its Fitbit wearables to track their periods to remove numerous logs at once.

    The development came a few days after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a landmark ruling that granted the right to abortion. The court determined that there is no constitutional right to an abortion, leaving it up to the states to decide whether or not to allow abortions.

  • Farhan Saeed opens up on equation with Hania Aamir and Iqra Aziz

    Farhan Saeed opens up on equation with Hania Aamir and Iqra Aziz

    Singer-cum-actor Farhan Saeed opened up on his professional equation with costars Hania Aamir, Iqra Aziz and wife Urwa Hocane in an interview. Saeed shared what’s most important to him when it comes to his co-stars.

    He said, “The only thing I focus on when it comes to heroines is that their vibes and energy should be positive, not only with me, but overall they should be unproblematic, then I think I’ll click.”

    Farhan added, “Until now all the heroines have been good to me, be it Iqra Aziz, Hania Aamir or even Urwa Hocane, they all are very nice people anyway but I really like unproblematic attitude, otherwise inner peace gets disrupted and I face problems in connecting with them.”

    Last month he also issued a statement on his equation with his wife Urwa in a recent interview amidst the couple’s patch-up rumours.

    The Mere Hamsafar star said, “The masses just have so much to say about everything, and some of their comments can be hurtful.”

    “We just want to keep some parts of our lives to ourselves.”

    Saeed further stated that the change came because of social media as the hate on the internet makes him panicky. 

    Earlier this year, he addressed the public speculation about his personal life and equation with Hocane.

    While getting candid about it, he stated that the constant speculation and interference in his personal life is a part of his job as when fans shower him with so much love it is understandable that they are emotionally invested and want to know more.

    “Ideally, I think to comment on the things which are shared but that’s idealism. When you are famous and in the public eye, there is always a price to pay. Criticism and praise come hand in hand. Just answer want you to want to and ignore other things.”

    The Suno Chanda star added further that he just answers what he wishes to and ignores everything else as every job comes with its advantages and disadvantages.

    Earlier last year it was reported that Farhan and Urwa have parted ways amicably, however recently some news portals informed that maybe the couple has reconciled. However the Udaari pair has never made a public statement about their split or alleged patch-up.

  • Unidentified men attack political commentator Ayaz Amir

    Unidentified men attack political commentator Ayaz Amir

    Unidentified men reportedly attacked senior columnist and analyst Ayaz Amir and his driver in Lahore on Friday.

    Amir was leaving the office of Dunya News located at Lahore’s Abbott Road when unidentified men attacked him. The assailants also snatched his wallet and mobile phone.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and asked Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz to hold a high-level investigation.

    CM Punjab ordered that the attackers should be arrested at the earliest. He condemned the attack on Ayaz Amir.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also condemned the attack in “strongest terms”.

    The incident occurred a day after Ayaz Amir’s strongly-worded speech delivered at a seminar in Islamabad, where he had criticised the policies of former premier Imran Khan, accusing him of facilitating the realtors and property tycoons during his rule. He also criticised the extension granted to the army chief, criticising Khan’s decision.

  • Pakistan records 818 cases of Covid, positivity rate jumps to 4.47 %

    Pakistan records 818 cases of Covid, positivity rate jumps to 4.47 %

    According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), 818 cases of Covid-19 with a positivity rate of 4.47 per cent were reported in Pakistan on July 1.

    Four deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. A total of 18,305 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.

    This is the highest number of cases recorded in the last four months. Pakistan last recorded 796 cases on March 4. The same month, the government announced the closure of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) because of the decline in cases.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on June 19 urged Pakistanis to follow Covid-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

  • ‘Shame Shame Shame, Petrol bomb on awaam’: Sajal Aly calls out government for hike in petrol’s price

    ‘Shame Shame Shame, Petrol bomb on awaam’: Sajal Aly calls out government for hike in petrol’s price

    Actor Sajal Aly took to her Instagram stories to slam the federal government on its announcement of another hike in petroleum prices.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2022-07-01-at-1.32.40-PM.jpeg

    The Mom star termed this announcement as a “petrol bomb”.

    The federal government announced that there will be a new hike in the price of petroleum products on Thursday for the next fortnight, putting an additional burden of nearly Rs15-18 per litre on the masses.

    The Finance Division, in its notification, said that in view of the fluctuations in petroleum prices in the international market and exchange rate variation, the government has decided to partially apply a petroleum levy, and revise the existing prices of petroleum products “as agreed with the development partners.”

    With the fresh hike, the price of petrol will be Rs248.74/litre, diesel will be Rs276.54/litre, kerosene oil will be sold for Rs230.26/litre, and the price of light diesel oil will be Rs226.15/litre.

    The coalition govt, since coming to power in April, has raised the price of petrol by Rs84. It had first raised the petrol price by Rs30 on May 26, followed by another increase of Rs30 on June 2. And on June 15, it hiked the price by another by Rs24 today.

    Earlier this year the Khel Khel Mein star tweeted that in our society, parents need to learn how to treat their children right as well. These sensitive relations require effort from both sides.

    “I believe, along with teaching children how to behave and conduct themselves, we should also teach parents how to treat their children,” she wrote in a tweet. “Parents should get weekly classes (one hour a week, minimum) on how to deal with children and their dilemmas.

    The Aangan star highlighted the fact that children are not playthings that can be molded according to their parents’ liking they’re individuals who deserve the same respect and disciplined response that is expected of them. It is a two-sided relationship that requires effort on both sides but the greater side needs to be the parents, to bring another human being into the world is automatically shouldering the duty to raise them and do right by them.

    This includes learning to give them the space and attention that they require to grow healthily.

  • ‘What has my Mum got to do with Pakistani politics?’ Jemima lashes out at PML-N for staging protest again

    ‘What has my Mum got to do with Pakistani politics?’ Jemima lashes out at PML-N for staging protest again

    The ex-wife of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith, lashed out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for organising a protest outside her 88-year-old mother’s house this weekend.

    In a tweet on Thursday, she said, “What the hell is wrong with these people (PML-N)? Another mass demonstration was announced outside my 88-year-old mother’s house this weekend.”

    She pointed out that this is the third time that such a protest is being organised outside her mother’s home. She called out the ruling party members for dragging her mother into Pakistani politics: “What has my Mum got to do with Pakistani politics? It’s disruptive for her and a total waste of police time.”

    Jemima tweeted after the PML-N announced a protest in response to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) call to gather in Hyde Park on July 2 and then march to Nawaz Sharif’s London residence.

    Since the removal of Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence, several times PTI protested in London outside PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s residence. Similarly, PML-N workers have protested in front of Goldsmith’s residence and her mother’s in response.

    Back in April, a video shared by Jemima on Twitter showed a man threatening to break into a bedroom in her house. She had stated that her children were being targeted by protesters and that she was facing anti-semitic abuse on social media.

    After the incident, the act was widely condemned on social media as people were of the view that Jemima is not related to Pakistani politics anymore and she shouldn’t be dragged into this matter.

    It is pertinent to mention that after her divorce from Khan, Jemima moved to London and since then she has been living there with her sons.

  • First Black woman becomes US Supreme Court justice

    First Black woman becomes US Supreme Court justice

    Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman in the history of the United States (US) to become a justice of the country’s top court. She was sworn in to the US Supreme Court on Thursday by Chief Justice John Roberts and her mentor, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.

    Ms Jackson, 51, will replace Justice Stephen Breyer, joining the court’s three-member liberal minority.

    “I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great nation,” said Jackson.

    Jackson served eight years as a federal trial court judge. She earned two degrees from Harvard University and had worked as the Harvard Law Review’s editor. Prior to her judicial assignments, she served as a public defender in Washington before starting a private practice.

  • Will Punjab select its new CM today?

    Will Punjab select its new CM today?

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) moved the Supreme Court (SC) to challenge Lahore High Court’s verdict to recount the votes cast in the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) elections excluding the votes that were cast by 25 dissident PTI lawmakers.

    The SC accepted PTI’s plea for an immediate hearing earlier in the day and formed a three-member bench. The hearing is currently underway by the bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.

    During the hearing, PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan requested to wait for seven days for the election process. To this, the court questioned, “Do you want Punjab to remain without a Chief Minister for seven days?”

    Moreover, the apex court has directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to send notice to five reserved seats. As in the petition, PTI pointed out that lawmakers on five reserved seats in the Punjab Assembly had still not been notified in accordance with the LHC’s earlier directives.

    PTI leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry announced the development on his Twitter handle. He said, “An appeal has been filed in the SC against the decision of the LHC. It is hoped that the SC will hold a hearing today in view of this crisis and the session of the Punjab Assembly will be adjourned.”

    The petitioners urged the court to remove Hamza as CM and requested to issue directives for holding a “free and fair” election for the post of the province’s chief executive. Moreover, they requested the court to suspend the election process till the pendency of their petition.

    In the petition, the party also said that some of their Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) are currently not in Pakistan as they have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. The party also argued that many PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) members are busy with political campaign in their constituencies for the upcoming by-elections in Punjab.

    The magic number required to show the majority is 186. According to the verdict of the LHC, after recounting the votes today (Friday), the tally of the incumbent CM Hamza Shehbaz will come down to 172 votes after the exclusion of 25 votes of PTI dissident MPAs. The session will take place today at 4pm as per the LHC order.

    ‘Going to Supreme Court over LHC decision on Punjab CM polls’: Imran Khan

    On Thursday, LHC accepted the appeals of PTI filed against the election of CM Hamza and ordered a recount of votes with the exclusion of the 25 defecting party members who voted for him.

    A five-member larger bench of the LHC headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan announced the verdict.

    After the verdict, Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that the party would be going to the apex court tomorrow (Friday) and challenge the verdict.

    Verdict:

    As per the verdict, the votes will be recounted and the candidate securing a majority of votes will be declared the chief minister of Punjab.

    Article 130(4) of the Constitution of Pakistan governs the election of chief ministers, under which there is an obligation of a majority of 186 votes.

    Hamza will no longer be the chief minister if he doesn’t retain the required majority after the exclusion of 25 votes, while the second round of polls will be held as per Article 130(4) in case no one gets the majority after a recount.

    Reactions:

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar said that the PML-N is happy and content because it has the required numbers. He said that the PML-N has 177 votes, which means a majority of nine votes even if the dissidents’ votes are not counted.

    “The court neither nullified the previous elections nor ordered fresh elections,” Tarar said.

    The politician said that PTI is unable to understand what the verdict states “in English”.

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “The decision of the High Court has further aggravated the political crisis in Punjab. There are many flaws in this decision.”

    Hamza Shehbaz was elected CM Punjab on April 16 with 197 votes, while PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) candidate Pervaiz Elahi received no votes.