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  • Long march can wait: PML-N to contest by-polls, Senate election

    Long march can wait: PML-N to contest by-polls, Senate election

    In spite of calls for mass resignations and long march towards Islamabad by the Pakistan Democratic Movement, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Zubair has said that his party will take part in the by-polls to be held in February.

    Speaking in a TV show, Zubair said the party has also decided to take part in the Senate polls — a U-turn on the party’s earlier policy of mass resignations. He further said the decision to march on Islamabad will be taken in the light of the by-polls.

    It may be noted here that the PML-N has already hinted at a delay in the long march due to the “cold weather”. Its Punjab president Rana Sanaullah said that the much-hyped march will be held in March, instead of Jan or Feb, when the weather will be favourable.

    Separately, the National Assembly speaker has decided to accept the resignations of two PML-N lawmakers, Muhammad Sajjad Awan and Murtaza Javed, prompting protests from the said lawmakers.

    According to Awan and Javed, the resignations — dated Dec 14 and written on their official letterhead — were not sent to Speaker Asad Qaiser.

    These resignations were sent to the party leadership and it would be their decision if they wanted to forward these letters to the speaker, the lawmakers said, adding that the speaker has no authority to “verify” their resignation letters at this point.

    On the other hand, the NA Secretariat said that these resignations would be accepted automatically if the lawmakers failed to appear before the speaker within a week.

    Earlier this month, Lahore’s Khokhar brothers of PML-N handed over their resignations from respective assemblies to the party leadership.

    MNA Malik Afzal Khokar and MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar had submitted their letters amid talks of mass resignations by opposition lawmakers in a protest against the government.

  • Humayun Saeed pens heartfelt birthday note for wife

    Actor Humayun Saeed has extended love and sweet birthday wishes to his wife Samina on her birthday. The actor took to Instagram and wrote, “Happy Birthday Samina”

    He further thanked his wife for supporting him in every situation. “Thank you for being there through thick and thin. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you. Thank you for making every day better than the last,” he wrote.

    He added: “May we have many many more years of health, success and happiness together”

    “You complete me and for that I love you,” Humayun concluded.

    Humayun Saeed and his wife Samina both are producers. Samina is best known for producing drama serials, such as Kuch Pyar Ka Pagalpan, Kaash Main Teri Beti Na Hoti, Akbari Asghari, Sadqay Tumhare and Mann Mayal.

  • Govt mulls Rs3.3 hike in power tariff to meet IMF demand

    Govt mulls Rs3.3 hike in power tariff to meet IMF demand

    The government is likely to hike power tariff by Rs3.30 per unit in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions to get the programme rolling that has been suspended since Feb 2020.

    Daily Jang quoted a senior government official, saying the increase in the power prices will be made before the start of the next year and the government will take measures to take the masses into confidence over the move.

    The IMF bailout was availed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2019 to provide crucial support to fast depleting foreign exchange reserves. But the package was suspended at the start of this year.

    Pakistan has to return $4.4 billion on account of foreign commercial loans during the current fiscal year for which it desperately needs the money from the monetary fund. It has also already returned $2bn to Saudi Arabia and will return $1bn soon to clear the Saudi debt.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan secured a $1.7 billion (Rs272 bn) debt relief agreement to help offset the financial headwinds sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The deal provided a moratorium on debt payments for large swathes of the current fiscal year and help ease the cash-strapped country’s massive financial obligations.

    “The Government of Pakistan has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris club,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement.

  • ‘Pakistan’s governance system has become corrupt’

    The governance system in Pakistan has become corrupt, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said Thursday.

    He expressed the belief that people do not even have access to “cheap and speedy justice.”

    According to Geo, he was hearing cases against the rising number of crime in Islamabad, obstacles in the delivery of justice, issues pertaining to naval farms and housing societies.

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar also appeared before the court.

    Pointing out the flaws in the justice system, Justice Minallah said district courts, which are meant to deal with the problems of the common man, had never been anyone’s priority.

    In response, the PM’s adviser said he has already briefed Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the matter.”

    You are the adviser on accountability, so I suggest you go to the accountability courts yourself and examine the conditions there,” Justice Minallah said.

    “The judges in those courts do not even have the staff for dictation. There is a lot of work pressure on those courts, but there is an acute dearth of staff.”

    The chief justice added that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has repeatedly stressed courts to hear cases on a daily basis, adding that judges are “ready to work day and night if the executives cooperate with them.”

    “You should visit the accountability courts and brief the prime minister about the situation,” Justice Minallah told Akbar.

    Responding to the judge’s remarks, Akbar said he has been appearing in the same courts for quite some time, adding that the situation in courts did not worsen overnight and it took 40 years of neglect to reach the current stage.

    “Advisers do not have executive authority, we can only provide suggestions,” Akbar said. “We will do whatever we can to improve the conditions of special courts.”

  • Record 111 deaths in a day as ‘Britain-like new COVID-19 strain discovered in Karachi’

    Record 111 deaths in a day as ‘Britain-like new COVID-19 strain discovered in Karachi’

    Pakistan on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day deaths ever during the second wave of coronavirus, reporting 111 fatalities amid reports that a new strain of coronavirus, similar to the one wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom, has also surfaced in Karachi.

    Geo reported Coronavirus Task Force head Dr Attaur Rehman as saying that the authorities have discovered a new strain of coronavirus in the port city that is similar to the one spreading in Europe.

    With the latest surge, the death toll in the country has reached 9,668. As per the breakdown, Punjab reported 51 deaths; Sindh 40 deaths; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14 deaths; Islamabad four deaths; while Balochistan reported only two deaths.

    This is the second time that the country has reported over 100 deaths during the second wave of the deadly infection. On Dec 15, it had reported 105 deaths. The highest number of deaths due to the coronavirus took place in June when 141 people lost their lives to the deadly contagion.

    While, recoveries on the other hand have risen to 417,134 after 1,782 more people recovered, according to the government’s COVID-19 portal. The portal also showed that 2,361 virus patients are in critical condition.

    Health experts see the ever-increasing coronavirus cases as a result of the poor compliance of the COVID-19 protocols. It is also feared that the health system might crash soon if the tally continues to surge at the current pace.

  • British retailer Boohoo probes Pakistan suppliers for ‘underpaying’

    British retailer Boohoo probes Pakistan suppliers for ‘underpaying’

    British online fashion group Boohoo is under fire for allegedly exploiting Pakistani workers. The brand said on Wednesday that it is investigating a Guardian report that its suppliers were underpaying workers in Pakistan.

     The Guardian reported that employees at two factories in Faisalabad making clothes for Boohoo were earning Rs10,000, or £47 ($62) per month that is below the legal monthly minimum wage for unskilled labour of Rs17,500.

    The report added that it had video and photographic evidence to support the claims of potential safety issues such as parking of the motorbikes in the indoor areas next to flammable materials. In the rush to produce clothes for the western market, insiders claimed workers would sometimes do 24-hour shifts.

    Responding to the allegations, Boohoo said it had called upon inspection and compliance specialists Bureau Veritas to probe the claims on the ground in Faisalabad.

    “As we have previously stated, we will not tolerate any instance of mistreatment or underpayment of garment workers,” Boohoo added in a statement.

    Earlier this year, Boohoo has been accused that one of its suppliers in England paid workers much less than the national minimum wage.

    “Any supplier who does not treat their workers with the respect they deserve has no place in the Boohoo supply chain,” its statement added.

    Another factory whose working conditions are criticised in the report, Madina Gloves, strongly refuted the allegations.

    “The situation on the ground is completely different. The reporter never visited my factory and I challenge him to bring forward a single quote from the workers of the factory. I am considering taking him to the court,” the owner Muhammad Saleem Shahzad told AFP.

    Shahzad added that since the article had published, he had already received calls from three different UK clients to cancel orders.

    “I want to ask what service this report has done to my employees who are going to lose their job now?”

    The Guardian report comes after Boohoo in November appointed Brian Leveson to help “deliver long-lasting and meaningful change” to the group’s supply chain and its business practices.

    Leveson is best known for heading a 2012 inquiry into UK media standards following the hacking of celebrities’ phones by the now-closed News of the World tabloid, which was owned by Rupert Murdoch.

  • Fahad Mustafa says ‘Dunk’ is a tribute to victims of false allegations of sexual harassment

    Fahad Mustafa, in a recent interview, shared that the plot of Dunk revolves around false accusations of sexual harassment. Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed and Naumaan Ejaz, Dunk premiered on ARY Digital Wednesday night.

    Talking about why he decided to produce this drama, Fahad said: “95% cases of sexual harassment are genuine but in some cases, people are falsely accused, so we have to tell every kind of story.”

    “We [Big Bang Productions] have always tried to show different kinds of stories,” said Fahad. “We also made a drama Meri Guriya which told the story of [the rape victim] Zainab.”

    “As producer it is my responsibility to tell every kind of story and I believe people will enjoy watching this drama,” added Fahad.

    The actor-producer further said that his new drama depicts reality very closely and that Dunk “is a tribute to every victim who has been falsely accused of sexual harassment”.

    When asked about his opinion regarding Meesha Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar, Fahad said: “I do not know much details about the case, but all I know is that Ali has suffered a lot at professional front, it Is a huge lose for Ali and his family.”

    Mustafa went onto say: “I think, brands should set an example by working with the people who have been falsely accused of sexual harassment.”

    Dunk had earlier stirred controversy for its problematic presentation of harassment in universities in the promos.

    The drama serial features, Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed, Shahood Alvi, Fahad Sheikh, Tara Mahmood, Saifi Hassan, Salma Hassan, Kanwal Khan, Noman Ejaz, and Azekah Daniel. Written by Mohsin Ali Shah Dunk has been directed by Badar Mehmood.

  • Newsletter-23 December 2020, Wednesday

    Newsletter-23 December 2020, Wednesday









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    The Current Insider
    Wednesday, 23rd December 2020

    You know what happened? We realised (and from email replies by most of you) that you thoroughly enjoy the Sunday newsletter written by me. Firstly, bohat shukriya, secondly, humne socha that why don’t I dedicate my weeknights and mornings to you guys and write a daily one as well? After all, you are what matters most to our organisation.
    What matters most to me right now is that Lahore is still cold and hazy, Islamabad has got crazy amounts of sun today, Peshawar is cold but sunny and freezing Quetta is also a sun-filled city this fine morning. Warmish-cold Karachi is also hazy but you know what we all got wrong? We thought that Ishaq Dar would’ve regretted going to that Hard Talk interview which he thought would be warm but turned out to be a stone-cold killer. We thought Hard Talk anchor Stephen Sackur finished Dar, but Sackur says that he thought that Dar enjoyed the interview. Also, bhai, how does Sackur get people to answer these super tough questions? He says, “The trick is you ask the same question so many times to get the straight answer.” Being that sharp requires sleep and apparently the motorway police has figured out a way to get drivers to stay awake while driving. They are introducing an alarm-like device to keep drivers from falling asleep. Aapko yeh device kano par lagani hogi aur agar aapka sar hilne laga, like you’re about to fall asleep, tou alarm bajh jaye ga. Great idea. But who is going to wear it? I mean, sometimes the only way to stay awake when driving is blaring really loud music. Here’s a list of the top songs that Pakistanis were listening to in 2020. I realise the older we get, the more we want to sleep and even if we feel young, people can make us feel very old. A day ago we did a live session in the office and got so many comments calling me and Saman “expired aunties”. Yeh kya hai yaar? AUNTIES. Please. We are as young as the bright new stars that NASA revealed yesterday. Check out the picture below and then send this newsletter a five star rating.
    Can’t wait to hear from you!

    Current Baba’s Prediction 

    Your mother is very unhappy with you today. She thinks you did nothing this year except stay in your room. How can you explain to her kay maa, corona tha, kya karta, even I dont know.

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  • VIDEO: Naimal Khawar heats up the dance floor on her sister’s wedding

    VIDEO: Naimal Khawar heats up the dance floor on her sister’s wedding

    It’s wedding season and Pakistanis are making the most of it. After Hina Khwaja Bayat left fans in awe with her dance performance on Dola Re oh her daughter’s wedding, Naimal Khawar Abbasi has set the dance floor on fire with her moves at her sister Fiza Khawar’s wedding.

    Videos of her dance have gone viral on social media.

    https://youtu.be/-3K_oR6ff0M

    Meanwhile, check out a few pictures from the mehndi here:

    Naimal looked fabulous in a red velvet outfit by Mohsin Naveed Ranjha.

    Earlier, Naimal also stunned on her sister’s pre-wedding functions.

  • 3,184 people accept Islam in UAE during 2020

    3,184 people accept Islam in UAE during 2020

    The Mohammad bin Rashid Centre for Islamic Culture has recently revealed that 3,184 people converted to Islam this year. All the requests for conversion to Islam were received online during  the current COVID-19 pandemic.

    According to the details. Hind Mohammed Lootah, the Director of the center, said the institution would keep on delivering the right message about Islam and spread its lofty principles among people of different faiths and communities living in Dubai.

    The center is in contact with new converts to Islam and provides them with numerous services such as religious, social, cultural and educational.  The center receives online requests for conversion on its website www.iacad.gov.ae, or through the free-toll number 800600.