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  • Pakistan vs Zimbabwe: PCB announces ODI squad

    Pakistan vs Zimbabwe: PCB announces ODI squad

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-member squad for Pakistan vs Zimbabwe One Day Internationals (ODI).

    The list includes Imam ul Haq, Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Musa Khan.

    Meanwhile, the expected ODI Squad of Zimbabwe will be Chamu Chibhaba (c), Ryan Burl, Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Elton Chigumbura, Tendai Chisoro, Craig Ervine, Faraz Akram, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Carl Mumba, Richmond Mutumbami, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Milton Shumba, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor, Donald Tripiano, and Sean Williams.

    The ODI series against Zimbabwe also marks the beginning of Babar Azam’s reign as the skipper, having appointed by the PCB in May. The men in green will start as overwhelming favorites since not only they are playing on their soil but also the lopsided head to head record. Of the 17 ODIs played between them, the men in green have won 13 of them while one resulted in a tie.

    Read more – ‘Azhar Ali’s captaincy to be reviewed’

    On the other hand, Pakistan’s newly-appointed limited-overs vice-captain Shadab Khan has reportedly been ruled out of the first ODI against Zimbabwe due to fitness issues. According to Geo News, Shadab was feeling discomfort and pain at the upper side of the thigh which restricted his movement.

    “This is not hamstring injury but muscle problems at the upper portion of the thigh. He could not attend the practice session on Tuesday as he was feeling pain and discomfort,” the official told the publication.

    Pakistan will play three ODIs with Zimbabwe and it would be the hosts’ first ODI since October 2019 when they square off against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Zimbabwe last visited the country back in 2015 when they played white-ball games.

    First ODI will be played in Rawalpindi on October 30, 2020, while the second ODI will be played on Sunday November 1 and last will be played on November 3.

  • ‘Corona se darna nahi, larrna hai’ declared un-Islamic as top religious body says virus is Allah’s will

    ‘Corona se darna nahi, larrna hai’ declared un-Islamic as top religious body says virus is Allah’s will

    The popular anti-coronavirus slogan “Corona se darna nahi, larna hai [we have to fight, not fear corona]” has been declared un-Islamic by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) that says the virus outbreak is Allah’s will.

    According to Dawn, the Lahore High Court (LHC), while hearing a petition filed by a lawyer against the use of these words in national print and electronic media and official sources of communication, was on Wednesday informed that the top religious body has advised the government against using the slogan.

    The petitioner-lawyer, Salman Idrees, had argued that no one could fight against God’s will but the national media and government communication sources had been using “un-Islamic” and “immoral” words challenging the supremacy of God. He asked the court to ban the use of the words “corona se darna nahi, larrna hai”.

    In the last hearing, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan had directed the CII to give its opinion on the choice of words in the anti-COVID-19 slogan.

    On Wednesday, a government lawyer informed the court that the CII after considering the slogan had stopped the government from using it.

    The council had advised the government to refer the matter to the federal cabinet to come up with a new anti-virus slogan, Deputy Attorney General Asad Ali Bajwa said.

    An official at the CII told the English daily that the reason the council had opposed the slogan was that in its view, humans could not fight God’s will and the term “fighting corona” should be replaced with “protecting against corona”.

    The hearing has been adjourned until next week.

  • COVID-19: Shopping malls, restaurants, shops & marriage halls to close by 10 pm

    COVID-19: Shopping malls, restaurants, shops & marriage halls to close by 10 pm

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced new coronavirus restrictions for cities and districts where COVID-19 cases have increased.

    According to a notification issued by the NCOC, all shopping malls, restaurants, shops and marriage halls are to shut by 10 pm from Thursday. The authority also directed public parks and recreational spots to be closed by 6 pm from Thursday.

    The cities where there restrictions have been imposed include Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Peshawar and Quetta.

    Meanwhile, the NCOC has also made it mandatory to wear face masks in confined spaces (indoors, public transport, outdoor crowded settings like markets and bus stands, railway stations, etc) and ordered the provincial governments to take strict actions against violators. The government has also said that those violating the order will be fined Rs6,000 to Rs35,000 and punishment of six-month imprisonment.

    NCOC Chairman Asad Umar also appealed to the people to take the virus seriously and follows the SOPs.

    It has emerged that a rise in coronavirus cases was recorded up to 80 percent in eleven major cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad.

    Pakistan has reported 331,108 coronavirus cases so far with with 3.08% positivity rate.

  • Early COVID-19 Vaccine ‘likely to be imperfect’: UK Task Force

    Early COVID-19 Vaccine ‘likely to be imperfect’: UK Task Force

    UK Vaccines Taskforce Chair Kate Bingham said on Tuesday that the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines “is likely to be imperfect” and that they “might not work for everyone”.

    “However, we do not know that we will ever have a vaccine at all. It is important to guard against complacency and over-optimism,” Bingham wrote in a piece published in The Lancet medical journal.

    “The first generation of vaccines is likely to be imperfect, and we should be prepared that they might not prevent infection but rather reduce symptoms, and, even then, might not work for everyone or for long,” she added.

    Bingham wrote that the Vaccine Taskforce recognises that “many, and possibly all, of these vaccines could fail”, adding the focus has been on vaccines that are expected to elicit immune responses in the population older than 65 years.

    She said that the global manufacturing capacity for vaccines is vastly insufficient for the billions of doses that are needed and that the United Kingdom’s manufacturing capability to date has been “equally scarce”.

    Earlier on Tuesday, a study by scientists at Imperial College London found that antibodies against the novel coronavirus declined rapidly in the British population during the summer, suggesting protection after infection may not be long-lasting and raising the prospect of waning immunity in the community.

    The Telegraph newspaper reported that the British government is working on the assumption that the second wave of coronavirus will be more deadly than the first.

  • Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ‘approached with offer to form government’

    Former prime minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has claimed that during his time in jail over corruption allegations, he was approached with an offer to form a government.

    “I told the messengers to go and talk to party supreme leader Nawaz Sharif instead,” the former premier said while speaking to The News.

    Avoiding naming the messenger, Abbasi added that both Nawaz and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would not be willing to be part of any dialogue leading to the setting up of what he termed “another hybrid government”.

    He reiterated his stance for an inter-institution dialogue for the sake of a better future for Pakistan, and added that Nawaz would be ready to be part of a meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.

    Abbasi said that Nawaz Sharif’s recent speeches were not meant to humiliate anyone but to identify the problems and fix them for the sake of a brighter future and in the interest of the people of Pakistan.

    To a question, he said that it was his personal view that an inter-institution dialogue was the only way forward for the country.

    When asked if Nawaz would agree to such an idea, he responded in the affirmative and said that the PML-N supremo had no personal agenda or grudge with anyone but wanted to address the fundamental wrongs of the system, which could only be corrected through a meaningful dialogue process.

    He said that the purpose of the opposition’s current public mobilisation campaigns was to pave the way for a meaningful dialogue process.

    He explained that neither Nawaz nor the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is against institutions; instead, they only refer to the mistakes of certain individuals holding responsible positions.

    READ: Ex-PM Abbasi speaks about meeting on economy with Gen Bajwa

    Once again referring to Nawaz’s recent speeches, he said that although the PML-N supremo had named the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chiefs, the purpose was not to humiliate them but to point out what went wrong.

    He said that all the stakeholders should sit together for the greater good of the masses instead of focusing on personal issues and grudges.

    Regarding the PML-N’s contacts with the establishment, he said that politicians and the establishment have always maintained contacts but after the recent episodes, where such contacts were revealed in a scandalous manner, the trust level for such interactions was dashed. At times, these contacts are made in the best national interest, he said, but the manner in which such meetings were recently portrayed, has compelled the PML-N to stop such interactions.

    Abbasi maintained that currently there was no contact between the PML-N and the establishment and such contacts could not be restored before the revival of trust between the two sides.

  • PM Imran becomes 4th most followed leader in world

    PM Imran becomes 4th most followed leader in world

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official page on Facebook has crossed 10 million followers.

    With that, Imran Khan has become the first and only Pakistani politician to reach 10 million followers on Facebook.

    Moreover, Imran Khan has also become the 4th most followed politician in the world on Facebook.

    Former US President, Barrack Obama, is the most followed politician worldwide on Facebook with 56 million followers.

    Barrack Obama is followed by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, with 45.8 million followers who is followed by the incumbent US President, Donald Trump, with 30 million followers.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan, with 12.7 million followers, remains the most followed Pakistani politician on Twitter as well.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official page on Facebook has crossed 10 million followers.

    With that, Imran Khan has become the first and only Pakistani politician to reach 10 million followers on Facebook.

    Moreover, Imran Khan has also become the 4th most followed politician in the world on Facebook.

    Former US President, Barrack Obama, is the most followed politician worldwide on Facebook with 56 million followers.

    Barrack Obama is followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has 45.8 million followers. The world leader on the third spot is US President Donald Trump with 30 million followers.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan, with 12.7 million followers, remains the most followed Pakistani politician on Twitter as well.

  • Islamabad Club pays govt Rs3 per acre in rent

    Islamabad Club pays govt Rs3 per acre in rent

    The Islamabad Club that stretches over 352 acres of land leased to it by the government over half a century ago pays only Rs3 per acre (an acre is equal to 8 kanal) as rent.

    The lease agreement signed between the club administration and the government 53 years ago was supposed to be renewed after 10 years, but that never happened, a report in Daily Jang said.

    These details were revealed after a citizen moved the Pakistan Information Commission seeking details about the club.

    The application filed under the Right to Information Act by a citizen sought information on the finances of the club, its properties, members among other things. At this, the club administration said that it was not bound to provide the required information to the applicant.

    The matter was then taken to the Pakistan Information Commission that asked the club to provide the said information as it was built on land leased by the government.

    Islamabad Club administrator Ahmad Nawaz Shukhera told the PIC that the club was not run by the taxpayers’ money as it sustains itself through membership fees.

    He also said that the club was not bound to provide the required information because the application was not a member of the club.

    When asked about the government funding, Sukhera said the club was built on land leased by the Capital Development Authority and it pays an annual rent of Rs14,700 for the 352-acre piece of land. The rent disclosed by the administration means that the club pays merely Rs14,700 for the massive tract of land i.e. Rs3 per acre.

    According to the website of the Islamabad Club, it was established in the year 1967 to provide recreational and sports facilities to the government servants, diplomats and other inhabitants of Islamabad.

    It was initially registered as a limited company, titled “The Islamabad Club” under the Companies Act of 1913.  “In 1978, through the Presidential Ordinance No. XXXIII of 17th July 1978, the Club ownership was resumed by the Government of Pakistan and the Company was dissolved. Since then, Club is operating under the said Ordinance (Club Ordinance),” the website adds.

    In Sept 2019, Pakistan Today reported that the club was found involved in “irregularities such as illegal appointments, illegal investments, operating of illegal bank accounts, illegal membership and the construction of buildings without government approval”.

  • PTI govt to auction gifts, including golden gun, Rs1.7 crores watch, Rs1.4 crores diamond set

    PTI govt to auction gifts, including golden gun, Rs1.7 crores watch, Rs1.4 crores diamond set

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is set to auction various items from the Toshakhana of the Cabinet Division.

    Toshakhana is a word of Persian origin that literally translates into “treasure-house”. In Mughal ruled India, Toshakhana was a place where princes stored gifts and emblems of honour that they received for their posterity, whereas in modern times, it is where gifts received from foreign dignitaries or countries are kept.

    The items being auctioned by the government range from an L.U. Chopard watch worth Rs17.5 million (Rs1 crore and 75 lacs) and a Rolex watch worth Rs3.5 million (35 lacs) to a Rs600,000 gold-coloured gun.

    A diamond set worth Rs14.827 million, which includes a necklace costing Rs8.3 million (83 lacs), earrings worth Rs966,900, a Rs382,300 ring and a Rs5.17 million (5.1 lacs) bangle, is also being auctioned.

    The items will be available only for the officers of the federal government and armed forces to bid on when the auction starts on November 4, a Cabinet Division notification said.

    TOSHAKHANA REFERENCE:

    Meanwhile, a corruption case involving the Toshakhana is also ongoing.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif of getting cars from ex-PM Yousaf Raza Gillani in an illegal way.

    While an accountability court has ordered to seize properties and assets, including cars and bank accounts, of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in the said case, NAB says Zardari only paid 15 per cent cost of the said cars and that too through fake accounts.

    “Libya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also gifted him [Zardari] cars when he was serving as the president,” a NAB prosecutor told the court last month, claiming that Zardari kept these cars for personal use instead of submitting them to the Toshakhana, which is must as per law.

  • National Assembly body approves bill securing leave for fathers on birth of child

    National Assembly body approves bill securing leave for fathers on birth of child

    The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice has approved a bill allowing one-month paternity leave to fathers on the birth of their child.

    According to reports, the bill says the mother will get a six-month leave and the father will be eligible for a leave of one-month on the birth of their first child. On the birth of the second child, the mother will get a four-month leave and the father will get a one-month leave.

    The father will also get a one-month leave for their third child’s birth and the mother will get a three-month leave.

    The bill that will be applicable only in Islamabad also states that the father will be able to get paternity leaves for the birth of the first three children only.

    “The law will apply to all government and non-government institutions in the federal capital,” said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Shazia Marri.

    Taking to Twitter, the lawmaker from Sanghar said the bill was moved by Senator Quratulain Marri, her sister, a year ago.

    “Extremely happy and immensely proud to share that two important bills moved by Senator Quratulain Marri have finally been passed by the NA standing committee on Law & Justice after their passage from Senate,” she wrote.

    Under the laws applicable to the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, mothers are granted a maternity leave of 12 weeks. In contrast, Sindh allows for a maternity leave of 16 weeks.

    According to Section 4 of West Pakistan Maternity Benefit Ordinance, 1958, the maternity leave is awarded with full pay. The qualifying condition is that the women must be working in enterprise at least four months prior to the date of delivery of her child.

    The Senate had in January this year passed the Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill, 2018, which made it mandatory for employers to grant paid maternity and paternity leave to employees.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahsan Khan condemn blasphemous content in France

    Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahsan Khan condemn blasphemous content in France

    Alif co-stars Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ahsan Khan have condemned blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which have been republished by the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.

    In a tweet, Hamza said: “It is your right to disagree and criticise but it is not your right to mock with the intent to deliberately insult and provoke.”

    He continued: “The only way we Muslims can make the world understand that is solely by peace and dialogue not murder, war and hostility.”

    Drawing comparisons, the actor further said: “What if Muslims organise a contest of throwing cow meat on a Ram statue? Or who can slaughter the most pigs in a synagogue or who can spit on a cross with the most accuracy. It’s evil.”

    Ahsan Khan also had similar views. Voicing his protest against France for its actions, the actor said: “If France is indeed a republic, then there should be liberty there, not insults upon another’s religion.”

    Other celebrities including Feroze Khan and Shoaib Akhtar also expressed their disgust at the French President’s remarks.

    On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron had tweeted, “We will not give in, ever to Islamic radicals.”

    “We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate,” the French leader added.

    Calls to boycott French goods are already growing in the Arab world and beyond after Macron criticised Islamists and vowed not to “give up cartoons” depicting the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    Macron’s initial comments, on Wednesday, had come in response to the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, outside his school in a suburb outside Paris earlier this month, after he had shown the blasphemous cartoons during a class he was leading on free speech.

    With the French president pledging to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France, hashtags such as the #BoycottFrenchProducts in English and the Arabic #ExceptGodsMessenger trended across countries, including Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.