Category: Uncategorized

  • US blogger accuses PPP leadership of raping her in Islamabad: Here’s what we know so far

    US blogger accuses PPP leadership of raping her in Islamabad: Here’s what we know so far

    In a shocking development, a former prime minister (PM) and two of his cabinet members have been accused of manhandling and sexually assaulting Islamabad-based United States (US) blogger nine years ago.

    As per the details, Cynthia Dawn Ritchie has accused some of the top Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders of subjecting her to the treatment during the party’s third tenure in Centre from 2008 to 2013, also alleging that PPP stalwart and then federal minister for interior Rehman Malik raped her — an accusation denied by both Malik and then PM Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.

    The accusation comes a week after the blogger posted some controversial tweets involving slain former PM Benazir Bhutto which attracted a load of criticism and cyberharassment both from party’s local leadership and its support base.

    READ: PPP writes to ISI chief for action against Pakistan-based US blogger over tweet about Benazir Bhutto

    “In 2011, I was raped by the former interior minister Rehman Malik. That’s right, I’ll say it again. I was raped by the then interior minister Rehman Malik,” Ritchie said in the live video on her Facebook page.

    She also accused former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin of “physically manhandling” her while the former was staying at the “President’s House”.

    Ritchie said she was reserving “some of the more graphic details” because her audience could include children, but added that she would be “happy to go into more detail” with neutral investigative journalists.

    The blogger alleged that she has endured harassment “primarily from the PPP” for a number of years now. “I have received countless threats against my life, rape threats, claims that PPP has my father,” she claimed, adding that she has “evidentiary support” of everything she has been posting.

    Ritchie also said she had informed about the incident to “someone” at the US Embassy in 2011, “but due to ‘fluid’ situation and ‘complex’ relations between US and Pakistan, [the] response was less than adequate”.

    The US embassy in Pakistan has not reacted to the claims as of yet.

    ACCUSED DENY CLAIMS:

    In their responses, both Gillani and Malik strongly denied the accusations.

    Gilani said that he even considered responding to such allegations “humiliation and disgrace”.

    Talking to a private news channel on Friday, the former premier questioned as to what Richie was doing at the Presidency when she was allegedly manhandled, and why she had been staying in Pakistan.

    Interestingly, it was Gillani himself who in 2010, through the Ministry of Interior which was then headed by Malik, empowered then Pakistan ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani to directly issue diplomatic visas to Americans without clearance of relevant authorities.

    The former premier further alleged that the blogger had come to Pakistan as part of a campaign to malign politicians.

    Gillani claimed that Ritchie was maligning him because his two sons had filed a defamation case against her for her allegedly defamatory tweet against Benazir.

    The PPP has also lodged a complaint with the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against her for making “extremely derogatory and slanderous remarks” against Benazir.

    Malik, in his response, called the allegations “baseless, shameful, and inappropriate”.

    READ: Imran’s ex-aide called out for showing up at Cynthia’s party uninvited

    In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the former minister said that the purpose behind the allegations was to damage the reputation of the PPP leader.

    While support pours in for the US blogger, a number of people are also engaging in war of words over social media over the validity of her claims.

  • Girl climbs rooftop to get better signals to attend online classes

    Girl climbs rooftop to get better signals to attend online classes

    A girl in Kerala, India broke the internet for her tireless dedication to studies against all odds. Namitha who is taking online classes during lockdown could only found find manageable signal strength for mobile data on the rooftop. She climbed the rooftop to get better signals to attend her online classes.

    As per reports, Namitha is a student of fifth semester BA English. Namitha Narayana was seeking better connectivity at her home near Kottakkal, Kerala, to attend online classes. Due to poor signal in her room, she climbed up and sat on the tiled rooftop of her house to study without a disturbance.

    Explaining why she chose the rooftop space for study, Namitha said, “We tried all places in my house, including verandas and roofs. And finally, I got fairly good signal strength on the top of our two-storey house.”

    After the pictures did rounds on social media the technical staff of the company came to her home and installed a better internet connection.

    “I am happy I can now learn from the comforts of my house,” said Namitha.

    Her elder sister Nayana too praised the positive response from the network operators and how quickly they worked it out.

    Syed Abid Husain Thangal, MLA of Kottakkal reached out to the family and said, “Namitha’s photo studying from the rooftop has become a symbol of the state’s connectivity. She is also a symbol of the perseverance displayed by the state’s student community. By setting herself an example, Namitha has become an inspiration for others.”

  • Mehwish Hayat reveals her favourite cricket captain

    Mehwish Hayat reveals her favourite cricket captain

    Not Prime Minister Imran Khan, neither Wasim Akram, nor Shahid Afridi – Mehwish Hayat’s favourite cricket captain is Inzamam-ul-Haq.

    Sharing a picture of herself standing in front of the Wall of Fame at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Mehwish said that she felt a” great sense of pride” seeing the cricketing legends through the ages. The actor added that her personal favourite cricket captain was Inzamam-ul-Haq.

    A prolific batsman, Inzamam ul Haq was the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team from 2003–2007.

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    In a follow-up tweet, Mehwish remarked that Zaheer Abbas kind of looks like the professor from the hit Netflix series Money Heist.

    Responding to Mehwish’s tweet, several Twitter users shared their favourite captains as well.

    Imran Khan is a hot fave.

  • Osman Khalid Butt is demanding a ban on child domestic labour

    Osman Khalid Butt is demanding a ban on child domestic labour

    The brutal torture and murder of an eight-year-old child maid in Rawalpindi has sent waves of horror across the entire country. While many celebrities have raised their voice for Zohra, Osman Khalid Butt is demanding the government to abolish child labour.

    Read more – Murdered minor housemaid’s torture was recorded on cell phones

    Sharing a list of laws which apply on child labour and explaining their shortcomings, Butt said, “If we want change beyond #JusticeforZohra, we need to raise our collective voice to amend our child labour laws.”

    Butt asserted that we cannot let another case just go by and should continue to raise voice until the laws are amended to protect the rights of children. He also encouraged people not to employ children as domestic help and “speak out if members of you family/friends have”.

    “Can’t stress enough that until child labor laws are amended and implemented, we won’t see change,” concluded Butt.

    When a user commented that “families livelihood depends” on child labour, Butt responded that a better way to help is by sending a child to school.

    Mahira Khan, who had earlier condemned the brutal murder of Zohra, endorsed Butt’s point of view.

    Meanwhile, among those who raised their voice for Zohra include Momina Mustehsan, Maya Ali and Ushna Shah.

    THE INCIDENT

    Eight-year-old child maid Zohra Shah was allegedly beaten to death by her employers for releasing their prized parrots from a cage. According to reports, she opened the cage to feed the birds on Sunday, only for the birds to fly away. This enraged her employers who then beat her unconscious before dumping her at a nearby hospital. She died of her injuries.

    According to the first information report (FIR), the victim was alive when she was brought to the hospital. She had injuries on her face, hands, below her rib cage and legs. The FIR stated that she also had wounds on her thighs which suggested that she might have been sexually assaulted. Police have sent samples for forensic examination to confirm if an assault took place and are yet to receive a report.

    The couple behind the heinous crime has been arrested.

  • Punjab govt’s decision to create coronavirus awareness through Tiktok has the internet divided

    Punjab govt’s decision to create coronavirus awareness through Tiktok has the internet divided

    Following an ease in lockdown, cases of coronavirus have reached an all-time high in Pakistan. Despite the government urging the public to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs), which include wearing a mask and glove, the public continues to ignore their appeals.

    In order to educate and create awareness among the masses, the Government of Punjab has decided to engage Tiktokers. In this regard, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar and his wife held a meeting with top Pakistani TikTok stars and discussed how they can help create awareness about the virus. Those invited to the meeting included Kanwal Aftab, Zulqurnain Sikandar, Sehar Hayat, Warda Javaid, Daniya Sohail and Haider Ali.

    Read more – Feroze Khan says TikTok is ‘cancer’

    Focal Person on Digital Media to CM Punjab, Mashwani Azhar said that Tiktok is just like any other social media platform with approximately 800 million users.

    https://twitter.com/MashwaniAzhar/status/1268628708354596864?s=20

    When the news of the meeting broke on social media, it had the internet divided. While some people heavily criticised the decision, others thought it was a good idea given the reach of the social media platform.

    https://twitter.com/InfrmativeSadia/status/1268780252823773187?s=20

    https://twitter.com/iShahmir/status/1268576670279249922?s=20

  • VIDEO: Life-size statue of Ertuğrul erected in Lahore

    VIDEO: Life-size statue of Ertuğrul erected in Lahore

    As fever of hit Turkish series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ continues to grip Pakistanis ever since it was first aired by PTV on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s directions, a statue of Ertuğrul, father of Osman I — the founder of the Ottoman dynasty –, has been erected in Lahore.

    According to a report by Independent Urdu, the statue has been installed in the provincial capital of Punjab’s Maraghzar Colony near Thokar Niaz Baig to honour the Muslim hero.

    The statue made of fibre and iron was brought in from Kamalia city of Toba Tek Singh district and other similar sculptures will be erected in other parts of the colony as well, the report said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/nailainayat/status/1268644498877427713?s=09

    Speaking to the media outlet, secretary general of the colony said that they were even planning to name the square, where the statue was installed, after Ertuğrul.

    According to Ottoman tradition, Ertuğrul was the son of Suleyman Shah, leader of the Kayı tribe of Oghuz Turks, who fled from western Central Asia to Anatolia to escape the Mongol conquests, but he may instead have been the son of a Gündüz Alp.

    The hit Turkish historical fiction ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ that revolves around the life of a group of Turkic nomads in the pre-Ottoman era, has led to Ertuğrul — the protagonist of the series — being hailed a hero by Pakistanis.

  • Murdered minor housemaid’s torture was recorded on cell phones

    Murdered minor housemaid’s torture was recorded on cell phones

    A minor housemaid, who was beaten to death in Rawalpindi, was reportedly often tortured and the incidents filmed.

    Officials investigating the case said that they have managed to obtain access of Hasan Siddiqui and his wife Umme Kulsoom’s mobile phones, adding that they recovered some videos from the devices that showed the minor, Zahra bibi, being tortured.

    As per reports, officials also found an image of the minor domestic worker locked up in a large birdcage, allegedly as a punishment.

    Officers said that they have not gained any evidence so far which proves that the couple had recorded the videos. However, he said that they are still looking into the data obtained from the cellphones and there is a chance they could come across data which could be important for the case.

    The victim’s father and the couple had an agreement for her services. An amount of Rs80,000 had been paid to Zahra’s father for her services for eight months. Further, both parties had agreed that if the victim serves for longer, her family will pay more.

  • ‘Asad Umar will always stand with you’: Old video comes back to bite as PTI fires 9,350 Pakistan Steel Mills employees

    ‘Asad Umar will always stand with you’: Old video comes back to bite as PTI fires 9,350 Pakistan Steel Mills employees

    With the government approving retrenchment of all 9,350 remaining employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) with a one-time severance cost of about Rs20 billion, an old video of now Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has come back to haunt the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved firing all employees of the PSM, reasoning that the mills haven’t been functioning for years and the employees haven’t been doing anything.

    There are 9,150 employees who will be fired within a month and another 250 will be let go within three months. The ECC meeting, chaired by Prime Minister’s (PM) Adviser of Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, also approved a Rs20 billion package for the employees, which amounts to Rs2.3 million per person.

    As the decision made headlines, mixed reactions were drawn. While some lauded the government’s ‘full and final’ human resource rationalisation plan for the PSM employees in accordance with the judgments and observations of the Supreme Court (SC), others criticised the same for leaving thousands unemployed.

    Amid war of words on social and mainstream media, an old video of then opposition member Asad Umar resurfaced, wherein he was seen garnering the support of PSM employees by vowing to stand by them if the PTI is elected to power. The undated video is said to be from the tenure of former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), during which PSM was shut down after becoming a burden on the national exchequer under the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tZf62l5Vms

    “Record this so that you can embarrass me by showing me this video if I backtrack on my promise. If PTI comes to power and PSM employees are deprived of their rights, I won’t be standing with the PTI government, but will be supporting PSM employees instead,” Asad can be heard as saying in the video that is doing rounds over the internet as netizens troll him for “taking a U-turn”.

    Meanwhile, opposition parties are also criticising the government for its decision.

    Though the mills have been closed for years, they are running a Rs550 billion deficit and billions are being spent on debt servicing. However, the move will not be finalised until it is approved by the federal cabinet.

    Reports said that PSM stopped its commercial operations in June 2015 without formulating any human resource plan for its 14,753 employees, now reduced to 9,350. Presently, the per month net salary bill of PSM employees is approximately Rs350 million, adjusted as a loan in the financial accounts of PSM. Since 2013, an aggregate loan of Rs34 billion has been extended to PSM by the government on account of net salary payment.

  • Jemima lauds Pakistani-British cab driver for dealing with a racist sensibly

    Jemima lauds Pakistani-British cab driver for dealing with a racist sensibly

    Jemima Goldsmith gave a shoutout to a Pakistani-British cab driver who tackled a racist sensibly.

    A video which has gone viral on social media shows a British passenger abusing the cab driver for his ethnicity.

    “Who do you think you are?” says the passenger. “You think you’re something special? Pakistan! But I’ll tell you what? No wonder the Indians are bombing you!”

    Throughout the exchange, the driver kept searching his bag as if looking for a change and responded calmly, “I don’t think about who I am. Have fun.”

    Soon the video was widely circulated on social media and caught Jemima’s attention, who lauded the driver for “keeping his cool”.

    Later, it was revealed that the West Midlands Police arrested the man for his actions. Another user also shared the alleged response of the cab driver to the arrest.

    Mr Mustafa is being made the first honorary ambassador of the West Midlands Taxi Drivers’ Association (WMTDA) for the way he handled the incident in Birmingham. The father-of-four had spent the last few weeks shuttling vital Covid-19 samples for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation trust during the pandemic.

  • Man arrested for killing over 100 rare ibex in Gilgit-Baltistan

    Man arrested for killing over 100 rare ibex in Gilgit-Baltistan

    The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) wildlife department has arrested a man for killing more than 100 Himalayan ibex in the region.

    Read more – Rare striped hyena rescued in DI Khan

    According to a report in The Express Tribune, the culprit Mohammad Essa was arrested while he was on his way home in the Hoper village of district Nagar. A wildlife official said that Essa’s car was raided on a tip-off and about 30 kg of meat was discovered in the vehicle.

    The accused was arrested immediately and during an investigation, it was revealed that he used to supply meat to some government officials and other influential people to oblige them.

    An official statement said that the culprit was presented before a forest magistrate/DFO Gibran Haider on Wednesday where he confessed to killing over 100 ibex. The magistrate sentenced him to one-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs140,000 under the Wildlife Act 1975.

    Read more – Spanish hunter pays $83,500 to kill season’s third markhor in Gilgit

    The arrest sent waves of shock in the region, where trophy hunting was believed to have discouraged illegal hunting of such precious wild species. The long-horned animal is one of the 18 rare species for which a hunting permit is officially allowed in G-B under the trophy hunting programme. Last year the hunting fee was about Rs110,000.

    The Himalayan ibex is native to the Karakoram, Hindukush and Himalayan mountain ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan.

    Man arrested for dragging dog in Karachi

    Meanwhile, a man was arrested in Karachi for dragging a dog with his car. According to ACF Animal Rescue, the incident took place on Siraj-ud-Daula Road, near Alamgir Masjid in Karachi. When some people behind the car tried to stop the car and save the dog, the person behind the wheel just drove faster.

    The dog was dragged along until he died.

    A video of the incident went viral on social media, sparking public outrage following which the authorities took immediate notice and sprang into action.

    https://twitter.com/amnaappi/status/1268287579268538369?s=20

    A case has also been registered against the culprit.