Category: Uncategorized

  • Dogs being abducted, tortured for medical experiments

    Trigger warning: Animal Abuse

    Videos and pictures from Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University (PMAS-AAUR) in Rawalpindi have gone viral on social media in which dogs can be seen in inhumane conditions.

    As per an animal rescue organisation, ACF: “Veterinary universities in Punjab are Butchering stray dogs and torturing animals to learn medicine.”

    “How are the vets being trained mentally? They are becoming serial killers. This is slaughter without death,” the post added.

    According to media reports, veterinarian students have been snatching healthy dogs and experimenting and operating on them in brutal, immoral, and terrifying ways. Dogs are being used to perform surgeries.

    A protest also took place outside Islamabad Press Club on June 7 against animal brutality.

  • PM Shehbaz directs to eliminate taxes on raw materials used by export industries

    PM Shehbaz directs to eliminate taxes on raw materials used by export industries

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, urged authorities to abolish all taxes on raw materials used in the export industry and to set up task teams to attract investment in a variety of local industries.

    The new government has been attempting to put in place a long-term plan to resuscitate Pakistan’s struggling economy, with the premier reaffirming his plea for increased exports to alleviate the country’s growing cash constraint yesterday.

    The premier met with a team from the American Business Council, which included officials from the pharmaceuticals, food processing, IT, e-commerce, retail, textile, sports, and logistics sectors, according to APP.

    Federal ministers Syed Naveed Qamar, Makhdoom Murtaza Mahmood, and Marriyum Aurangzeb were also present at the meeting.

    Task groups were constituted by the prime minister to solicit investments in a variety of areas. Tourism, pharmaceuticals, information technology, e-commerce, large-scale manufacturing, and agriculture will all have task teams constituted.

    He reminded the team that the government was working hard to guarantee that high-quality agricultural products were produced for export. The government was pushing for policy consistency for the first time, he said, because “subjects of the national economy and public welfare are above politics”.

    Shehbaz Sharif also asked the secretary of trade and the secretary of the Board of Investment to guarantee that the investors’ concerns were addressed immediately, and he requested a compliance report within a week.

    Business representatives, on the other hand, told state media that government initiatives had helped them regain investor confidence, and that the pre-budget dialogue with stakeholders was a “positive step”.

    PM Shehbaz has called all stakeholders to get together on Tuesday, ahead of the budget declaration on June 10, to finalise a long-term plan to rebuild the ailing economy. Top businessmen, agriculturists, and economists attended the day-long pre-budget meeting, where they offered advice on how to lift the country out of its unparalleled economic crisis.

    During the meeting, the premier pledged that their suggestions would be taken into consideration and that separate plans for agricultural, industrial, and financial expansion would be developed.

    PM Shehbaz also stated that political stability cannot be attained without economic stability and that it was past time for the elite class to make sacrifices and for non-productive assets such as real estate to be taxed. He advised businesses to invest in renewable power rather than relying on the country’s vast coal reserves for power generation.

    The prime minister also emphasised the importance of reducing imports while increasing exports, assuring attendees of the government’s full support in expanding local business and eradicating any barriers.

  • Court allows The Minor to decide where she wants to live

    Court allows The Minor to decide where she wants to live

    The Sindh High Court has announced its verdict in The Minor case. “The Minor is entitled to make her own decision, and live with whoever she wishes,” says the verdict.

    Talking to The Current, lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir said,”The judgement in The Minor case is extremely problematic. To start off with, the Honourable Divisional Bench has completely disregarded established jurisprudence of the Sindh High Court in such matters. Wherever it is proven that the girl is under 18, her marriage is deemed Child marriage, she is only given two options, i.e. whether to reside with parents or go to shelter home and if the child is sent to a shelter home, she is under no circumstances allowed to meet her alleged husband and alleged in-laws who orchestrated the crime of child marriage.”

    “This judgement also negates our jurisprudence under Criminal Law and Family Law with regards to rights of minors and parents,” he added.

    “The court also failed to realise that the Sindh High Court has already held that where NADRA documents are present, they are to be preferred over any medical report as ossification report gives an estimate ranging from 1 to 2 years as opposed to specific date. The court also failed to realise that to determine age, a medical board of senior doctors is formed, which was not done in this case.”

    “As a whole, what our courts are consistently failing to realise that a minor girl under 16 years of age can be enticed away from guardianship of her parents and that is kidnapping under section 361 PPC. The Advocate General Sindh also failed to realise this when he told the court that this is not a case of abduction.”

    Jibran Nasir said that another aspect the courts are failing to appreciate are the recent penal laws introduced in 2016 for protection of children where seducing a child is a crime under 292A PPC. “If seducing a child is a crime, then how can the resulting marriage be justified.”

    “It is also ignorant of the amendment made to Hudood Laws by the Women’s Protection Act 2006. Under Hudood Laws, there existed a concept of a 13-year-old girl getting married and resulting marital relation not being considered as rape. However, after 2006 Women’s Protection Act, no such exception exist and any sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 is strict liability rape.”

    “This judgement will not do our children any good, if anything it has made the jurisprudence more confusing and our children more vulnerable to predators.”

    A medical examination report ordered by the Sindh High Court (SHC) to determine The Minor’s age has revealed that her real age is between 16 to 17 years. However, The Minor’s father Mehdi Ali Kazmi has termed the report fake and has decided to challenge it.

    Mehdi Ali Kazmi wrote a letter to Sindh’s Health Secretary in which he indicated that he married in 2005 and The Minor was born three years later, and that it is incorrect for The Minor to be between the age of 16 and 17.

    As per media reports, The Minor told her mother that she wants to come home during a meeting arranged at the orders of the Sindh High Court (SHC).

    The Minor along with her husband Zaheer Ahmed was produced in the Sindh High Court on Monday, June 6.

    The Minor went missing on April 16. The same month she was found in Lahore. Three videos of The Minor also surfaced in which the girl can be heard saying that she married out of her own free will, and claimed that she is 18 years of age. However, her father claims that she is not 18.

  • Salman Khan cries while revealing favours done by Boney Kapoor and Suniel Shetty

    Salman Khan cries while revealing favours done by Boney Kapoor and Suniel Shetty

    Salman Khan and Boney Kapoor’s friendly relationship strained when Boney’s son Arjun Kapoor started dating Arbaaz Khan’s ex-wife Malaika Arora. This is also why Khan produced Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai without the senior Kapoor’s involvement, who had produced Wanted.

    Now, at the IIFA awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi, Salman expressed his gratefulness towards the veteran producer. The Tiger 3 star said, “Boney ji has helped me throughout my life. When my career hit a rough patch, Boney Kapoor gave me a film called Wanted. After that, he gave another film No Entry.“

    Salman also thanked senior actor Suniel Shetty, “When I didn’t have any money, actor Suniel Shetty had a shop called Mischief and I was eyeing a pair of stone wash jeans, boots, and a purse. I knew I couldn’t afford it because I didn’t have money. But Anna saw my eyes and decided to gift me what I yearned.” He even got teary eyed as he reached out towards the Hera Pheri hero’s son, Ahan Shetty.

    Khan called producer Ramesh Taurani ‘God-like’ and revealed that he had helped him after Maine Pyaar Kiya, when he did not have work for about six months. He revealed, “I didn’t have any film for 6 months. Then a god-like man came in my life – Ramesh Taurani. At that time my father had made a fake announcement from JP Sippy by paying 2000 rupees in a film magazine. I didn’t have any film. Ramesh Taurani went to Sippy’s office and he gave him 5 lakh rupees for music at that time and that’s how I got the film Pathar Ke Phool.”

  • After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    German Foreign Minister (FM) Annalena Baerbock tested positive for Covid-19, her ministry confirmed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

    Earlier, Baerbock met her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad. She has also cancelled all further dates of the trip, which also included stops in Greece and Turkey.

    Responding to the news, FM Bilawal wished Baerbock a quick recovery. He tweeted, “Building on our excellent talks today, I look forward to our continued engagement and future interactions to further solidify Pakistan and Germany partnership.”

    Baerbock reached Islamabad today (Tuesday) on a two-day visit.

    Baerbock and Bilawal held a joint presser in the capital. It has been reported that Pakistan will inaugurate its Consulate General in Munich soon.

    ‘We support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir’: FM Baerbock

    During the presser, Bilawal said, “If India fails to condemn the comments, then it’s a reflection that it’s not a secular India but rather a Hindu-superiority India. We would want to engage with India but with a rationale.”

    Talking about the Kashmir issue, Baerbock said, “The foundation of human rights is indivisible and this counts for every region in the world. This also counts for Kashmir, this counts for women’s rights. This counts for minority rights and religious rights Therefore, we support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir to ensure that all human rights are being guaranteed.”

    “We believe that constructive approaches and measures from both sides are the only way forward to improve the relationships between India and Pakistan. The bilateral agreement along the line of control last year was a positive step”, she added.

    ‘Pakistan had been Germany’s closest and most reliable partner‘: FM Baerbock

    About the Afghan situation, the German FM said, “It is not the mistake of the people that the Taliban overthrew the government and since then have tightened their grip on Afghan society,” she said, promising that Germany would continue to provide humanitarian aid and support people who need it, especially women and girls.

    The diplomat highlighted that Pakistan had been Germany’s “closest and most reliable partner” in that regard, revealing that under this close cooperation between the two countries, 14,000 Afghans, who were at risk in the country, could travel to Germany via Pakistan and were able to start a new life in safety and without fear.

    ‘Pakistan does not want to be dragged in conflict’: FM Bilawal

    Bilawal also highlighted that Pakistan was playing an outside role in mitigating the economic crisis in Afghanistan. “This is the face of Pakistan. A modern Muslim country”, he said.

    While talking about the Ukraine crisis, Bilawal maintained that Pakistan “does not want to be dragged in conflict particularly given that we have just experienced decade after decade of conflict in Afghanistan”.

  • Twitter reacts to Khan appointing nephew as PTI’s focal legal affairs person

    Twitter reacts to Khan appointing nephew as PTI’s focal legal affairs person

    Barrister Hassaan Khan Niazi has been appointed as the focal person for legal affairs to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reporting directly to party Chairman Imran Khan. His appointment was made official on Sunday (June 5).

    The newly appointed focal person announced the news on Twitter. Twitterati reacting to the news, had both good wishes and skepticism for Hassaan as he is the former premier’s nephew.

    Journalist Alina Shigri lauded Hassaan for earning the position through “sheer hard work” and “not through nepotism!”

    Meanwhile, netizens questioned Hassaan’s appointment.

    A Twitter user said, “Is this Hassaan Niazi the same person who attacked a hospital in Lahore along with other lawyers in which some patients died, or is he some one other?”

    Another user questioned the appointment and wanted to know if it was through nepotism or morosi siyasaat? [dynastic politics]

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  • No plan proposed to raise petrol prices at pre-budget seminar, clarifies Miftah

    No plan proposed to raise petrol prices at pre-budget seminar, clarifies Miftah

    After a tremendous increase of Rs60 in less than a month, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced Tuesday that the price of petroleum goods in the country would rise even more.

    Ismail mentioned in his statement at the one-day pre-budget business conference that if the government had followed ex-prime minister Imran Khan and former finance minister Shaukat Tarin’s contract with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), petrol would have cost Rs300 per liter.

    “The previous government had agreed with the IMF that they would not give subsidies,” the finance minister said, lashing out at the Khan-led government for messing up the economic policies of the country.

    Furthermore, The News reports that the government cannot simply withdraw subsidies without also imposing taxes on petroleum items.

    “The IMF has asked for 100 per cent withdrawal of subsidy on POL products. Once the subsidy is over, then the government will have to impose taxes and petroleum levy,” the publication reported, adding that there is still a subsidy of Rs9.32 per liter on petrol and Rs23.05 per liter on diesel.

    The finance minister had ruled out the potential of a financial emergency in the country the day before, as the government took efforts to address the country’s continued economic upheaval.

    No petrol hike discussed at the pre-budget meeting

    UPDATE: Miftah Ismail, on the other hand, has clarified that he never mentioned a hike in petroleum prices during the pre-budget meeting, despite the fact that social media and known channels have been swamped with headlines of yet another hike, with several netizens sharing images of folks rushing to petrol pumps yet again. “Channels running these tickers are doing a disservice to their viewers,” said the Finance Minister.

    “In the pre-budget seminar I never even spoke about petroleum prices. Channels running these tickers are doing a disservice to their viewers. There will be no increase in prices today and there is no summary or plan to raise prices,” he tweeted.

  • ‘PhD in cringeonomics,’ Twitter reacts to Maryam’s tears

    ‘PhD in cringeonomics,’ Twitter reacts to Maryam’s tears

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif addressed the PML-N Instagram team in Lahore. When Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai‘, was played, Maryam could be seen wiping her tears while listening to the milli-naghma.

    Maryam Nawaz re-shared the tweet and wrote: “I am in love with Pakistan.”

    Social media users were quick to give all kinds of comments on Maryam’s video. Have a look at the reactions:

    https://twitter.com/passingthedays_/status/1534106417762025472

    https://twitter.com/_amnahtweets/status/1534067890386763776

  • Elon Musk threatens to terminate Twitter deal once again

    Elon Musk threatens to terminate Twitter deal once again

    Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk warned Twitter in a statement on Monday that if it fails to give him with data on spam and bogus accounts, he may back out of his $44 billion offer to buy the social media company.

    This isn’t the first time Musk has hinted that his takeover of Twitter might not go through. However, the warning, which came in the form of a letter from Musk’s lawyers to Twitter’s chief legal officer, Vijaya Gadde, signified a significant step forward. It accused Twitter of “materially breaching” its contract commitments.

    Musk’s warnings to rip up the contract have coincided with a drop in many technology equities, including Tesla Inc, the electric vehicle company he runs, as investors worry about an economic downturn and higher interest rates in the face of soaring inflation.

    On Monday, Twitter shares fell 1.5 per cent to $39.57, a significant discount to the planned $52.20 purchase price, as investors wagered Musk will either persuade Twitter to accept a lower deal price or walk away from the deal.

    Musk’s attorneys reaffirmed their request for facts on bot accounts in a letter to Twitter, saying he reserved all rights to cancel the transaction because the business had failed to meet its duties in a “clear material violation”.

    Twitter responded by stating that it intended to enforce the deal’s completion on the agreed-upon conditions. “In order to complete the acquisition in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement, Twitter has and will continue to cooperatively exchange information with Musk,” the firm stated in a statement.

    Musk, a self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist, has stated that removing “spam bots” from the platform will be one of his top goals.

    In mid-May, he announced that the Twitter transaction was “temporarily on hold,” stating that he will not forward with the offer unless the firm can prove that spam bots make up less than 5 per cent of its overall users. He has stated that spam bots account for at least 20 per cent of the user base.

    According to independent analysts, 9 per cent to 15 per cent of the millions of Twitter profiles could be bots.

    Musk wrote in his letter that he needs the information to perform his own analysis of Twitter users because he doesn’t trust the company’s “loose testing techniques.” Twitter has stated that it stands by its forecasts and that it is unable to reveal private information on how they are generated.

    “He’s trying to back out of the Twitter transaction, and this is the first shot across the bow,” according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

    The caveats Twitter employed in its forecasts on spam accounts, according to legal experts, give it some protection against prospective lawsuits, whether from Musk over the transaction or shareholders over the integrity of the company’s regulatory representations.

    Even if Twitter’s estimate is incorrect, Musk would have to establish that the San Francisco-based business was attempting to deceive with the intent to deceive – a high legal bar.

    “It’s quite evident that Musk has buyer’s remorse, and he’s doing all he can to get a price reduction, and I believe he’ll succeed,” Dennis Dick, a proprietary trader at Bright Trading LLC, said.

    To be sure, Musk may be able to walk away or renegotiate the deal even if the law is on Twitter’s side.

    This is because any litigation is likely to be protracted, and Twitter may decide it makes more sense to agree to a lower price or receive compensation from Musk rather than try to force him to complete the transaction in court.

    Several companies renegotiated or walked away from agreed acquisitions when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020 and delivered a global economic shock.

    In one instance, French retailer LVMH threatened to walk away from a deal with Tiffany & Co. The U.S. jewelry retailer agreed to lower the acquisition price by $425 million to $15.8 billion.

    Musk is contractually forced to pay a $1 billion breakup fee if he cannot complete the sale because the loan financing falls apart or authorities stop it, according to Forbes, a sliver of his $219 billion fortune.

    Last Monday, antitrust officials in the United States opted not to investigate Musk’s acquisition of Twitter any further, indicating that it is unlikely to face regulatory challenges. The deal is still being reviewed by the European Union.

    Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas stated on Monday that he has launched an investigation against Twitter for “possibly fraudulent reporting regarding its bogus bot accounts,” which he described as a possible violation of state law.

    As part of the investigation, Paxton requested that Twitter provide over documents. “I have a responsibility to safeguard Texans if Twitter is misrepresenting how many accounts are fraudulent to increase their revenue,” Paxton said in a statement.

    Twitter’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a spokeswoman, are accurate.

  • Phadda between PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi, PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry, exchange heated tweets

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader and former Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi exchanged some heated tweets when Chaudhry took a jibe at PML-Q’s Salik Hussain and Shafay Hussain, both of whom are Moonis’ cousins.

    According to a report by ARY News both Salik and Shafay met the incumbent Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz and promised to support him. Chaudhry taunted them of being two-faced on Twitter.

    Moonis called out Chaudhry and said, “Just like during the Azadi March when some leaders went to the police station and presented themselves for arrests”.

    To this, Chaudhry clarified that he was not talking about Moonis as [Moonis] knows the difference between right and wrong. He further clarified that Moonis misinterpreted his tweet.

    Taking to Twitter, Moonis said, “Let’s not swing at each other. Our combined opponent is PML-N. Let’s stay focused.” He further apologised to the PTI leader.

    It is pertinent to mention that PTI and PML-Q have a real test ahead, in which they will have to fight the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for vacant seats of the Punjab Assembly (PA).