Category: Uncategorized

  • Engineering university to be set up in Swat

    Engineering university to be set up in Swat

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to set up an engineering and technology university in Swat at an estimated cost of Rs4 billion.

    The planned Swat University of Engineering and Technology (SUET) would be run on the triple helix model and will connect the government, industry and academics.

    Chief planning officer of the Higher Education Department Hamid Naveed who has been selected as a focal person for the establishment of SUET at the fast track by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan revealed that “Unlike other universities in the province that solely depend on the government funds, the SUET will have its sustainability plan.”

    He further shared that the administratively, the new university would be different from other universities as a decentralized system would be applied to address issues at a low level.

    As per reports, the new university would be a joint venture of the private sector and academia and the government, industry and academia would jointly work under the banner of SUET.

    Initially, the university will introduce only six disciplines namely energy engineering, civil engineering, institute of materials, mining and metallurgy, biomedical engineering, computer system engineering and institute of manufacturing.

    SUET also aims to be connected with some of the best engineering universities of developed countries like the US and the UK for the exchange of knowledge. To save SUET graduates from joblessness, the students will also be equipped with entrepreneurial skills in order to make them job providers instead of job seekers.

  • Will get back Pakistani Kashmir if parliament wants: Indian army chief

    Will get back Pakistani Kashmir if parliament wants: Indian army chief

    Recently-appointed Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane has said that the army would act on “getting back” Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) “if the parliament was willing and orders to such effect were received”.

    Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the army chief was asked if the Pakistan-administered region of the disputed territory could be a part of India as stated by the political leadership. In response to the question, Naravane said that there was a parliamentary resolution stating that the “entire Kashmir was a part of India”, and hence the army would take appropriate action if it received orders to take AJK back.

    “There is a parliamentary resolution that entire region is part of India. If parliament wants it, then it [AJK] also should belong to us. When we get orders to that effect, we’ll take appropriate action,” the Indian army chief said.

    This is not the first time the new Indian general has indulged in provocative posturing. In an earlier statement, Naravane had said that India “reserve[d] the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror”.

    He had told the Press Trust of India that India had “evolved a strategy of resolute punitive response against sponsored terrorism”.

    Pakistan had rejected the statement, calling it “irresponsible”. The Foreign Office had in its statement said Pakistan was fully able to respond to any Indian aggression in AJK and that New Delhi should not forget Islamabad’s befitting response to its aggression in Balakot last year.

    ISPR RESPONDS:

    Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan’s armed forces will give an “even stronger” response than given in February 2019, if India attempts any military action across the Line of Control (LoC).

    Reacting to the Indian army chief’s statement, the ISPR chief said it was a part of routine rhetoric to divert attention from domestic issues in India.

    “Statements by Indian COAS to undertake military action across LOC are routine rhetoric for domestic audiences to get out of ongoing internal turmoil. Pakistan Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to any act of Indian aggression [sic],” he tweeted.

  • PTI-MQM alliance hanging in balance because of Google’s Tania Aidrus: report

    PTI-MQM alliance hanging in balance because of Google’s Tania Aidrus: report

    Future of the coalition government in centre hangs in balance ever since the resignation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as the federal minister for information technology and telecommunication, which reportedly came because of former Google executive, Tania Aidrus.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government on Sunday suffered a severe blow as Siddiqui of MQM-P — an ally of the PTI — announced his decision to leave the federal cabinet over “unfulfilled promises” on part of the ruling party.

    Amid speculations over the fate of the ruling party that is in power owing to the support of its allies, reports have claimed that Siddiqui’s resignation came because he “was extremely unhappy with his ministry due to continuous intervention by Aidrus”.

    Aidrus had resigned from Google for Pakistan and is currently heading Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Digital Vision programme in the country.

    According to The News, while PTI has strongly rejected the allegations leveled against Aidrus, and sources in the ruling party have said that she is acting within the rules and regulations; people close to Siddiqui have said he felt like a stranger in his ministry while Aidrus had started holding meetings with the premier and heads of other institutions directly.

    “Besides that, she also issued directions to institutions responsible for running the affairs of the ministry and Federal Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui had complained about it to the minister several times in this regard.”

  • No, Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar is not married to ‘Kaaf Kangana’ heroine Eshal Fayyaz

    No, Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar is not married to ‘Kaaf Kangana’ heroine Eshal Fayyaz

    Meray Paas Tum Ho writer Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar has rejected reports of his second marriage to Kaaf Kangana actor Eshal Fayyaz. Eshal has also rejected the claims.

    In a post shared on social media, the writer said that he strongly condemns and rejects the “absurd and baseless news” of his marriage with Eshal.

    https://www.facebook.com/krqofficial/posts/124047542443636?__tn__=-R

    Late last week reports started circulating that the critically acclaimed playwright was married to Eshal after it was revealed that he has two wives.

    On the sets of Kaaf Kangana

    Meanwhile, Eshal also denied the rumours. In a video, she said, “There is no truth in rumours that are doing the rounds. I haven’t got married to anyone, I am very much single.”

    “My relationship with Khalil ur Rehman Qamar is that of an actor and a director, nothing more than that,” she added.

    Eshal asserted that nobody has the right to spread fake news about anyone “without even knowing them.”

    “This is fake news. I am currently working on dramas and films, and will let you know whenever I decide to get married. For now, I have no plans of getting married and am only focused on my work,” she concluded.

    Eshal further shot down the rumours by posting a message on her Instagram stories in which she highlighted that she has immense respect for Qamar as a mentor and director.

  • Adnan Siddiqui praises Amir ‘the king’ Khan

    Adnan Siddiqui praises Amir ‘the king’ Khan

    While everyone else is praising Adnan Siddiqui for his stellar performances in Meray Paas Tum Ho and Ye Dil Mera, Adnan is showering praises on Amir ‘the KING’ Khan, who he ran into at a sheesha spot in Leeds.

    Sharing pictures of himself and Amir, the actor wrote, “He might be a Britisher, but the deep rooted Pakistani in him made me feel even more prouder. Was a pleasure interacting with you, Amir. More power to you!”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7LIDHans0U/?utm_source=ig_embed

    The sheesha place where the two hung out also shared pictures of them and looks like it quite an intense chilling session.

  • The Royal Fab Four: Which one are you?

    The Royal Fab Four: Which one are you?

    Edit quiz
  • Hina Altaf reveals the actor she hates doing romantic scenes with

    Hina Altaf reveals the actor she hates doing romantic scenes with

    Hina Altaf has often found herself in the middle of a controversy.

    The actor recently appeared on the first episode of talk show To Be Honest hosted by stand up comedian Tabish Hashmi. The show’s format is based on honesty and the host extracts some hard truths from the guests under the disguise of witty and fun banter.

    When asked by the host about her favourite actor when it comes to doing romantic scenes, Hina was quick to reply Emaad Irfani. However, at the same time she also went on to express her annoyance at co-actor Faisal Rehman’s behaviour during romantic scenes.

    “I’ve done a romantic scene with Emmad Irfani and I got carried away,” revealed Hina.

    She continued, “Romantic scenes tend to be challenging with Faisal Rehman. ‘Yahan ungli pakarni hogee, woh banda hath pakr lega’  (Scenes that need just holding fingers, he tends to grab the whole arm). I have to keep my guard up always. I even scared him once by saying ‘Me Too’. After this he kept his distance,” the actor giggled.

    Hina and Faisal have been part of two dramas: Aatish and Gumrah.

    In an interview last year, Faisal had said that “Hina and I have become great friends actually. We started off badly, as she has a lot of anger. But we’ve been great friends since Gumrah (2017) and we’re still friends, and I still want to keep working with her.”

    Hina also shared her experience with TV host Aamir Liaquat. According to her, Liaquat has a tendency to spit while speaking. Recalling the experience when she met Liaquat on his game show, Hina talked about how intense he gets while speaking.

    “Whenever he talks, spit drips from his mouth. When he talks loudly I feel that the seat will break. Beside that I like him and respect him,” Hina remarked.

    Hina also discussed how social media at times tends to throw things out of proportion and revealed the kind of messages she gets on social media.

    Watch the video here:

  • Wedding at Lahore Fort’s Royal kitchen sparks furor

    Wedding at Lahore Fort’s Royal kitchen sparks furor

    A wedding at Lahore Fort’s 400-year old Royal Kitchen sparked public outrage after pictures and videos from the event went viral on social media. This prompted the chief minister, chief secretary and other high authorities to take serious notice of the matter and they pledged action against all those involved in the incident.

    https://twitter.com/hijabtufail/status/1215655380711301121?s=20

    According to reports, renowned industrial group Fatima Fertilizer Company had booked the UNESCO World Heritage Site for a corporate event. However, they decided to host a mehndi there instead. The Walled City of Lahore Authority said that the company was given permission to hold a corporate dinner but they went against the rules and that legal action will be taken against them.

    The permission letter, addressed to Major Asjad Nawaz Cheema, which is being circulated on social media clearly stated that fireworks, live cooking, hooks and nails among other things are strictly prohibited.

    The letter also only gave permission for a ‘private dinner’. WCLA DG Kamran Lashari also shared that the application had said that the dinner would consist of 100 participants (business people) only. However, there were close to 400 people at the event.

    The kitchen was rented out for Rs500,000 with a refundable Rs100,000 security deposit.

    Chief Secretary Punjab took notice of the incident while the WCLA suspended the fort’s in-charge Bilal Tahir for negligence and also formally requested for an FIR to be lodged against Fatima Fertilizer Company.

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also condemned the incident and said in a press release that “Organising a marriage ceremony at the Lahore Fort is a serious offence.”

    Meanwhile Fatima Fertlizer Company Limited rejected the media reports and the claims of the WCLA and said that the function was held in line with the instructions of the WCLA.

    “It was neither mehndi nor valima, it was just a dinner hosted by our company in honour of its guests,” said the company’s Corporate Affairs Manager. “We are a responsible firm and we can never think of flouting the laws, rules & regulations, policies and guidelines of the public and private sector organisations.”

  • Five lines you can’t miss at Karachi Eat this weekend

    Five lines you can’t miss at Karachi Eat this weekend

    Let’s face it. Karachi Eat’s lines are super long and they’re bound to be longer this Saturday and Sunday. The festival kicked off today (Friday) and will go on till January 12 at at the Beach Park on Edhi Avenue, Sea View. The best stalls will have the longest lines but which ones are going to be worth the wait?

    O Donuts

    Getting famous on Karachi’s food groups, ODonuts is giving Easy a run for their money. The donuts are soft and fresh and a big hit with Karachiites. Worth the line and best with a cup of chai. They are priced at Rs. 160 per donut at their stall.

    Crust Bros

    Authentic Italian Neopolitian Pizza? Karachi is a tough crowd to please when it comes to pizza so this one is definitely worth the try. Even if it doesn’t live up to the taste, Crust Bros is doing what the fancy bakery, Marcels did when it launched in Karachi: introducing 24k gold as a enticing meal for Karachiites. The crust of the pizza is 24K gold and topped with gold too. Will be interesting to see how well this one does – we’re on the fence since this might work in Lahore but Karachiites are a bit more finicky about the flavour more than the shashkas. But will be interesting to try it out.

    Tikyani

    Hai the traditionalists will not like this one at all. But it will be worth a try. Tikka Biryani can only do well if it doesn’t taste like chicken and rice, which most tikka biryanis end up tasting as. It’s not completely new though and some major food dhaabas do it well. It will create interest but it will have to be really good for people to rush towards it. Everyone knows there’s one dish that everyone in Karachi is an expert on – it’s biryani.

    Sol

    Their burgers are out of this world good. And they are at Karachi Eat and a long line is expected. Although they have suffered reviews about their brisket being dry, this is one line that will be long and the end result should be worth the wait

    Mana’s Cookies

    Are they us good as the abroad wale Ben’s cookies? Apparently, they are and they will be available at Karachi Eat, the cookie and giant marshmallows too. And who can resist a cookie s’more? Watch out for the line on this one.

  • CAA introduces new policy to encourage female pilots

    CAA introduces new policy to encourage female pilots

    Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced to empower women under the new Aviation Policy 2019 as the institution will bear half expenses of under training female pilots.

    The spokesperson of CAA said the institution will bear 50% expenses of female trainee pilots. The allowance will be given to the female pilots who have completed 100 hours of flying. The authority will directly provide the funds to the training institutions.

    Earlier in May last year, CAA had exempted aeronautical charges on domestic flights under a new aviation policy.

    The decision will advantage domestic flight operators
    including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as the aviation authority has
    zeroed aircraft landing charges on private airlines as well.

    In addition, the charges for parking, boarding, power supplies and terminal navigation, were also ended up. According to CAA spokesperson, the national flag-carrier’s profit will increase up to 70% after the suspension of charges and flight operators will be able to save Rs 4 billion annually.