Category: Uncategorized

  • Police bar female students from sitting in front passenger seats over harassment

    Police bar female students from sitting in front passenger seats over harassment

    After complaints of harassment, the Mansehra Traffic Police has barred female students from sitting in the front passenger seats of the public transport across the district.

    According to Express Tribune, the ban was imposed by the police in a bid to curb harassment. The women were subjected to harassment by the drivers as the front section of the Suzuki vans and pick-ups is entirely detached from the rear part of the vehicle.

    The windows in the front are also tainted and the driver could get away with harassment. The traffic police warned that cases could be registered against the public transporters if the ban was violated.

    Last month, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced the formation of district protection committees (DPC) for swift implementation of harassment law across the province, according to APP. These committees would be headed by a woman Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) to resolve disputes related to domestic violence or harassment at workplaces.

    In January last year, the provincial assembly had passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill, 2020, targeting the incidents of workplace harassment.

    In case, parties did not agree to the proposed solutions, the case would be referred to District Sessions Judge or Additional District Sessions Judge to decide it within two months. And if any party did not agree with the court’s judgment then appeals against such decisions could be filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

    Under the new act, up to five years of prison time and a penalty or both could be handed. The court can also pass an interim order in such cases.  One-year imprisonment and up to Rs0.3 million fine could be handed in case of violation of the court orders.

  • Senate elections: Vawda, Hafeez Sheikh, Sania Nishtar among PTI candidates

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finalised most of its candidates for the upcoming Senate elections slated to be held on March 3.

    According to a list shared by Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the PTI has decided to field PM’s aide on finance Hafeez Sheikh and Fouzia Arshad on Islamabad seats. MNA Faisal Vawda, who is facing a disqualification case, will be PTI’s candidate from Sindh, while Abdul Qadir will contest the polls from Balochistan.

    In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, outgoing senator Shibli Faraz, also the incumbent information minister, Sania Nishtar, Dost Muhammad, Mohsin Aziz and Farzana will be the nominees for the Senate slots. In Punjab, the party has decided to field Dr Zarqa, PTI senior leader Saifullah Niazi, and Barrister Ali Zafar as its nominees.

    Meanwhile, Saifullah Abro will be vying for the technocrat seat. Fawad said that the complete list of the PTI Senate candidates will be shared soon.

    SENATE ELECTIONS:

    Amid a controversy surrounding the Senate elections over the secret ballot, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced to hold the polls on the upper house seats on March 3. According to the ECP, the last date for filing of nomination papers is February 13, followed by a scrutiny process for the nominations.

    On February 6, President Dr Arif Alvi signed Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that will pave way for the organisation of Senate elections through open ballot. The opposition, however, has reservations on the move and vowed to oppose it.

    On the other hand, a presidential reference filed by the government in the Supreme Court seeking guidance on the Senate voting procedure is being heard to decide whether the government needs an amendment to end the secret ballot.

    Earlier this week, the SC had said that Article 226 allows secret ballot. The article reads: “All elections under the constitution, other than those of the prime minister and the chief minister, shall be by secret ballot.”

  • SBP reserves recorded at $12.9bn after $82m decrease

    SBP reserves recorded at $12.9bn after $82m decrease

    The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has witnessed a 0.63 per cent decrease on a weekly basis, said a statement issued by the central bank.

    After the decrease due to external debt repayments, the reserves held by the SBP stood at $12,949.1 million, down $82 million, during the week ended on February 4. The SBP reserves were recorded at $13,031.2 million in the previous week.

    Similarly, the foreign exchange reserves of commercial banks also slightly dropped to $7.124 billion from $7.131 billion.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan had approached China to seek relief in debt repayment, a report had claimed. Pakistan had made an informal request to ease terms on the repayment of debt on about a dozen power plants set up under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor over the past eight years, Bloomberg had reported.

    “The parties have canvassed Beijing’s willingness to stagger debt payments, as opposed to lowering equity returns,” the report said, adding that Pakistan has yet to make a formal offer. The report had claimed that “Pakistan will formally make the request…after it concludes deals with those local power producers to reduce electricity tariffs”.

  • Army honours MMA fighter who defeated Indian opponent in 56 seconds

    Ahmed Mujtaba, who defeated India’s Rahul Raju in only 56 seconds in the first round of the mixed martial arts (MMA) competition ONE Championship, called on Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar.

    The chief military spokesperson presented him with a shield in honour of his achievement.

    In a tweet, Mujtaba said, “I am humbled by the encouragement and support. I request our youth to have faith in Allah & follow the principles of hard work and commitment.”

    Pakistan and India had earlier clashed in the championship in November 2019. Raju had won that match by submitting Pakistan’s Furqan Cheema in the second round.

  • Saba Qamar recreates the viral ‘Yeh Humari Party Ho Rahi Hai’ video

    A video of a girl vacationing in Northern Pakistan while saying “Yeh humari party ho rahi hai” has gone viral on with various memes and recreations of the video popping up on social media.

    Soon after, Saba Qamar recreated the same video and shared it on her Instagram. In the video, Saba can be seen mimicking the girl along with her friend.

    Meanwhile, check out how others have recreated the same video:

    https://twitter.com/ibraheeeem92/status/1359494491439267841?s=21

    On the work front, Saba recently finished shooting for her upcoming project Manjogi, an upcoming web series expected to release on Zee5. It has been written by Saji Gul and directed by Kashif Nisar and also features Naumaan Ijaz besides Saba.

  • PM announces putting Labbaik’s demands, including ratification of blasphemy bill, forward in parliament

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that following an agreement with the hardliner Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), their demands will be put forward in the parliament.

    According to reports, the premier, in a statement, said that the government spoke to TLP, and the party has decided to extend the “deadline” given to the government from February to April 20.

    The demands put forth by TLP include the French ambassador’s deportation, ratification of the blasphemy bill, and a ban on French goods after blasphemous caricatures were published in France that had sparked protests across the Muslim world.

    Late last year, hundreds of protesters in Pakistan, most of them led by TLP leaders, had burned effigies of France’s leader and chanted anti-French slogans, as President Emmanuel Macron had tried to send a message of understanding to Muslims around the world.

    Smaller demonstrations in Lebanon, Turkey and India followed on anti-France protests across the Muslim world last week that were mostly led by Islamist groups, reported AP news agency.

    The renewed protests had come after President Macron’s interview in which he said that he understood the shock Muslims felt at caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

    Macron was speaking with the Qatar-based Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera, where he also defended freedoms of expression and France’s secular values.

    Just days before TLP chief Khadim Rizvi’s death, the protests had also turned ugly in Rawalpindi-Islamabad.

  • ‘Fully vaccinated people can skip COVID-19 quarantines’

    ‘Fully vaccinated people can skip COVID-19 quarantines’

    People who have been fully vaccinated with two doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 can skip quarantine if they are exposed to someone infected with the virus, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday.

    However, the disease control body clarified that this doesn’t mean they should stop taking precautions, it’s just not necessary for them to go into isolation.

    “Fully vaccinated persons who meet criteria will no longer be required to quarantine following an exposure to someone with COVID-19,” the CDC said in an update.

    “Vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria,” the CDC added.

    The criteria for the vaccination is to have both shots with at least two weeks gap. That’s because it takes two weeks to build full immunity after the second dose of vaccine.

    But the CDC says it’s not known how long protection lasts, so people who had their last shot three months ago or more should still quarantine if they are exposed. They also should quarantine if they show symptoms, the CDC said.

    “This recommendation to waive quarantine for people with vaccine-derived immunity aligns with quarantine recommendations for those with natural immunity, which eases implementation,” the CDC said. The agency will update guidance if there is any further development.

    People who have been vaccinated should still watch for symptoms for 14 days after they have been exposed to someone who is infected, the CDC added.

    The body further said that everyone, vaccinated or not, needs to follow all other precautions to prevent the spread of the virus because it’s possible that even vaccinated people could harbour the virus in their noses and throats, and pass it to others.

    “At this time, vaccinated persons should continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands often, following CDC travel guidance, and following any applicable workplace or school guidance, including guidance related to personal protective equipment use or SARS-CoV-2 testing,” the agency said.

    Vaccines prevent symptomatic illness but they have not yet been shown to prevent asymptomatic illness, the CDC noted. While people with no symptoms can spread coronavirus, the CDC said, “symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is thought to have a greater role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission.”

    Plus, the benefits of not unnecessarily forcing people into lockdown for two weeks may outweigh the risks of transmission in these cases, the CDC said.

  • Justice Isa questions PM’s stance on grant of funds to lawmakers

    Justice Isa questions PM’s stance on grant of funds to lawmakers

    Justice Qazi Faez Isa has questioned Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s stance on the grant of development funds to members of the national and provincial assemblies as the Supreme Court (SC) took up a suo motu case to determine the Constitutional status of the move.

    On Tuesday, the apex court constituted a five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, and served notices on the prime minister’s principal secretary, Cabinet Division secretary, finance secretary, federal and provincial advocate generals, and provincial chief secretaries.

    However, Justice Isa on Wednesday noted that a letter submitted by the premier’s principal secretary to the top judicial forum “did not contain the answers to the court’s questions”.

    “The letter does not have answers to the court’s questions. It seems the prime minister has not read the court’s order properly,” the judge said.

    In January, Prime Minister Imran announced a grant of Rs500 million for each member of the national and provincial assemblies under sustainable development goals to enable them to carry out development schemes for their voters.

    However, last week, Justice Isa took notice of the development, warning of legal proceedings if the move was found to be in contravention of the Constitution.

    On the occasion, he had asked Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan to update the court on the issue based on the government’s response.

    However, Khan responded he would update the court after receiving instructions from the government and further reassured that “whatever action is taken will be in the light of the law, Constitution and legal precedent.”Article continues after this advertisement

    Subsequently, Justice Isa referred the matter to the top judge for the formation of a bench.

    On Wednesday, all provinces submitted written replies to the court except for Sindh. When asked, the Sindh government’s counsel informed the court the provincial government had not given development funds to any lawmakers.

    “Sindh government should have submitted a written answer,” CJP Gulzdar replied.

    Meanwhile, AG Khan told the court the grant of development funds was “linked to the Constitution”, adding that the prime minister knew that “government funds cannot be used wrongly”.

    “No member of the National Assembly will be given money [directly],” he added.

    According to the procedure, the funds do not get issued to the individual MP or MPA. They get assigned to a project through a robust mechanism.

    Justice Isa questioned who had drafted the reply submitted by Principal Secretary Azam Khan. To this, Khan replied that it was “a matter between the lawyer and his client”.

    “The letter does not have proper English, it does not answer the court’s questions. It seems like the prime minister has tried to keep the door open for [granting] funds,” Justice Isa said.

    He also remarked that there was a “storm of information” from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting every day.

    “Either the prime minister should remain firm on what he said or admit he had made a mistake. Why is the prime minister hiding behind his secretary? The entire media published the news and the prime minister is silent,” the judge said.

    Khan replied if the prime minister “started refuting every news himself, he would not be able to do any other work”.

    The court ordered the Sindh government to submit its reply today.

    The bench also ordered the finance secretary to submit a clear answer to the court, directing that the report should also have the premier’s signature on it.

    The case was adjourned till Thursday (today).

  • Pakistan’s official Oscar entry ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ fails to qualify

    Pakistan’s official entry in the International Feature Film Award category at the 93rd Academy Awards Zindagi Tamasha is out of the Oscars race. The film is not part of the list of 15 international feature films announced Tuesday that “will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9.”

    According to a report published in Variety Magazine, “Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category. Films from 93 countries were eligible in the category, the most in Oscars history. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.”

    “In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote,” stated the report.

    The nominates for the Oscars will be announced on March 15 while the award ceremony will be held on April 25.

    Read more – ‘Emily in Paris’ writer surprised with Golden Globe nomination

    The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee had selected Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars in November 2020.

    Directed and co-produced by Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha features Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi in the lead roles. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a video of Khawaja enjoying a song is leaked.

    The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”

    Meanwhile, Zindagi Tamasha has not yet hit cinemas in Pakistan. It was initially scheduled to hit screens on January 25, 2020, but immense backlash from religious circles forced the federal and provincial government to halt its release. However, in July 2020, the Senate HR committee cleared the film and allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19.

  • Mohsin Naveed Ranjha offers to help struggling designers

    Mohsin Naveed Ranjha offers to help struggling designers

    Mohsin Naveed Ranjha has opened up on the ‘heavy discrimination’ in the fashion industry and has announced that he is opening his doors for young designers struggling to establish themselves in the fashion business.

    In a detailed note posted to social media, the internationally acclaimed designer said: “The fashion fraternity in Pakistan and internationally at large faces heavy discrimination.”

    “Having gone through a time where I have struggled to make a name and a repute for myself, the hardships that paved the way and the challenges that brought me to the point I am in today made me promise myself in the past that if I ever get to make a name, I’d help and promote local art and partisanship.”

    Expressing his disappointment over the lack of support for debut designers, Ranjha said: “Seeing the sheer mockery and fun that was made of debut designers in the past bridal week has left me shattered and utterly disappointed.”

    “Liking or disliking someone’s work is totally subjective but putting someone down like that and disrespecting them is something that has made me want to address this,” he added.

    Read more – HBCW21: More stars than fashion

    The designer continued: “Leaving the good and bad to the critiques, let’s talk about how much hard work, dedication and labour each bridal wear takes to make. Each artisan spending hours and hours of their life trying to fulfil and perfect the look. How everyone associated with each stitch of the garment is being disrespected.”

    Announcing his decision to support budding artists, Ranjha said: “We would feel happy to help a fellow member of the fraternity, regardless of scale and experience, and inculcate a culture of love, friendship, and togetherness.”

    “We’ve had enough of bullying and disrespect in the name of criticism and this by no means equates to me to encouraging and supporting copy cats, it’s just realising that maybe with some support and love to these in need,” he concluded.

    Hareem Farooq lauded Mohsin for taking this step, saying: “Well said, and what a beautiful thought! You are a gem! This world needs more amazing people like you.”

    “Sending dhair saari duas your way,” she added.

    An established designer, Ranjha has dressed a plethora of celebrities from Maya Ali to Ranveer Singh besides designing outfits for hundreds of brides across Pakistan.