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  • PCB pe PPP ka haq hai, Zaka Ashraf hee chairman baneinge: PPP leader

    PCB pe PPP ka haq hai, Zaka Ashraf hee chairman baneinge: PPP leader

    The dispute over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s chairmanship has entered a crucial phase as the tussle for claiming the Chairman spot continues between two major coalition partners in the federal government, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    PPP leader Faisal Kareem Kundi openly spoke about the chairmanship of PCB and stated that they have the right to decide who will head the board. In a conversation with Geo News in Dera Ismail Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi said that the government should utilize the skills of current Chairman Najam Sethi elsewhere.

    Hamid Mir, the host of Geo News’ program ‘Capital Talk’, mentioned that PPP believes that the Ministry of Sports falls under their control, therefore the head should also be someone from their party and not Najam Sethi. PPP wants to replace Najam Sethi with Zaka Ashraf, but PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif insists on retaining Najam Sethi at any cost. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also recently met with Sethi when he briefed the Premier about cricket developments and two upcoming mega events in September and October.

    The Prime Minister nominated Najam Sethi for the chairmanship of PCB, while Zaka Ashraf, a close friend of Asif Ali Zardari and backed by PPP, is also being considered as a strong contender for the post, according to media reports. PML-N leader and Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir, speaking on this matter, dismissed the impression of differences between the two parties.

    Later, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that there is no disagreement regarding the issue of PCB Chairman. In a press conference, Rana Sanaullah emphasized that the Prime Minister always brings everyone together, and PPP chief Asif Zardari also engages in discussions. He further mentioned that any party can have an opinion on the matter of the Chairman of the Cricket Board, but there is no disagreement.

    It should be noted that Najam Sethi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a few days ago, during which Sharif instructed him to expedite the elections for PCB Chairman.

  • Murtaza Wahab elected as Mayor Karachi

    Murtaza Wahab elected as Mayor Karachi

    Murtaza Wahab of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been elected as Mayor Karachi, defeating Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) candidate Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman.

    He won by securing 173 votes, whereas the JI candidate secured 160 votes.

    The electoral process for Karachi Mayor and Deputy Mayor was held at Karachi Arts Council (KAC). The election was held on show of hand basis. The voting started at 11:00 am. As pet the orders of ECP live cameras were not allowed during the voting.

    He is PPP’s first leader to get elected as Karachi’s mayor.

    On the other hand, Salman Abdullah Murad of PPP and Saifuddin Advocate of JI are also contesting today for the post of deputy mayor.

  • CII grants conditional permission to women performing Hajj without a mehram

    CII grants conditional permission to women performing Hajj without a mehram

    The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday gave conditional permission to women to perform Hajj without a mehram under certain conditions, a spokesperson for the body confirmed.

    Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs had sought the views of CII to determine whether or not women would be allowed to perform Hajj without a mehram (close-male relative) or male guardian.  

    In October 2022, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, announced that women all over the world would be able to perform Hajj and Umrah without a mehram or male guardian. The Ministry of Religious Affairs sought clarity on the matter from the CII.

    A CII spokesperson stated it is acceptable, citing the Islamic Jafri, Maliki and Shafi’i schools of thought, which state that women are permitted to perform Hajj without a mehram under Sharia law.

    The Council clarified that according to Hanafi and Hanbali fiqh, a woman is not obligated to perform Hajj if she does not have a mehram.

    However, the CII stressed the permission is dependent on certain conditions.

    What are the conditions?

    Firstly, a woman can only travel sans mehram if granted explicit permission by either her parents or husband. Secondly, if a group of women are to travel for Hajj together, the religious ministry is entitled to a thorough investigation to ensure the group is fit to embark on the pilgrimage.

    The CII spokesperson did note that if a woman wanted to solo travel for Hajj and Umrah, and she did not feel insecure while traveling, she had the right to go (of course dependent on her parents’/husband’s permission).

    Writer and former advisor to the Minister of Hajj, Faten Ibrahim Hussein, praised the new ruling. According to him, allowing women to perform Umrah without a mehram makes the pilgrimage more attainable, as many come from difficult social situations and may not find a mehram.

  • Cyclone Biporjoy: Everything you need to know about its name

    Cyclone Biporjoy: Everything you need to know about its name

    Cyclone Biporjoy is expected to make landfall on the Arabian Sea coastal belt today (Thursday). Authorities in both Pakistan and India are on high alert to avoid any disaster.

    The name of the cyclone has left many curious. The name ‘Biparjoy’ was coined by Bangladesh. It means disaster or calamity in Bengali.

    Why is it important to name cyclones?

    The reasoning behind naming cyclones is pretty simple. The storm is either given a code or a name, and it’s simpler to remember a name than a string of letters, numbers, or technical terminology.

    Who decides the name of the cyclones?

    The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each tropical cyclone basin.
    As a common rule, cyclones formed in different ocean basins across the world are named by those areas, regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs).

  • Firdous Ashiq Awan made Central Secretary Information of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party

    Firdous Ashiq Awan made Central Secretary Information of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party

    Jahangir Khan Tareen has confirmed in a tweet that former federal minister Fridous Ashiq Awan will be the Central Secretary Information of his newly launched Istehkam-e-Pakistan party.

    Tareen has already tweeted about the designations of other party members including Auwn Chaudhary, Aleem Khan and Amir Mahmood Kiyani, all three considered close aides of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. Tareen himself was once considered one of the key figures in PTI, largely credited for getting independent candidates to join the party in 2018, paving the way for the formation of a coalition government.

    Firdous Ashiq Awan has previously held information portfolios in various governments.
    In 2019, she was appointed as special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan for information and broadcasting. On November 2, 2020, she got appointed as Special Assistant for information to Chief Minister Punjab, Usman Buzdar.

  • IMF criticises Pakistan’s budget for FY24, urges govt to enhance revenue generation

    IMF criticises Pakistan’s budget for FY24, urges govt to enhance revenue generation

    The Ministry of Finance high-ups informed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenues that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed serious objections regarding the budgetary framework for 2023-24. 

    The IMF has urged the government to increase both tax and non-tax revenues. 

    A senior Ministry of Finance official acknowledged the IMF’s dissatisfaction with the budgetary framework and stated that they would need to defend the proposal to raise the petroleum development levy to Rs869 billion for the next fiscal year, compared to the revised estimate of Rs542 billion for the current financial year.

    However, the senators strongly opposed the Ministry of Finance’s intention to bypass parliamentary approval and empower the government to amend the Petroleum Levy Ordinance 1961 in order to raise the petroleum levy beyond Rs50 per litre. The government plans to increase the levy to Rs60 per litre in accordance with the consumption pattern in the country, as outlined in the Finance Bill 2023-24.

    Additionally, the Senate panel rejected the proposed imposition of a 0.6 per cent advance tax on cash withdrawals exceeding the limit of Rs50,000 and suggested raising the tax rate to 1% while reducing the limit to Rs25,000 for non-filers. The panel also recommended changes to the tax rates for Super Tax, proposing a reduction in the maximum rate from 10 per cent to 8 per cent for the highest income bracket.

    The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) expressed severe concerns about the increased risk of money laundering resulting from the raised monetary limit of foreign remittances from five million rupees to $100,000. SECP Commissioner Abdul Rehman Warraich informed the Senate committee that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is unable to inquire about the source of investment or income under Section 111 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. 

    Similarly, the FBR cannot investigate tax evasion based on the source of remittance under the same section. It is worth noting that Section 111 taxes unexplained income except foreign remittances entering Pakistan.

  • Female CJ of Peshawar High Court elevated to Supreme Court

    Female CJ of Peshawar High Court elevated to Supreme Court

    The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) took the united decision on Wednesday of elevating Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Mussarat Hilali to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The decision was taken in the Council’s meeting in Islamabad, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandial.

    Earlier, the next Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, suggested her name for elevation and afterwards, Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial also agreed to the nomination of Justice Hilali.
    She will be the second woman judge of the Supreme Court after Justice Ayesha Malik who was appointed in January 2022 to the apex court. Mussarat Hilali is the first female Chief Justice of PHC. She is the only woman on the bench since 2013.
    Justice Hilali also holds the honour of getting elected as the first woman executive member of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) from 2007-2009.

  • We cannot even take Malik Riaz’s name on TV: Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif talked about tax evasion in the country on Wednesday and said that 500 billion tax evasion is taking place in the real estate sector.

    While giving a speech in the National Assembly, Asif said that from the real estate sector, people like Malik Riaz cannot even be named on television.

    He went on to say that Riaz is also involved in the £190 million case but we can not take his name.

    Former Prime (PM) minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are being questioned by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for aiding Malik Riaz in the settlement of £190 million seized by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
    Imran and Bushra Bibi are accused of receiving benefits from Malik Riaz by granting him the settlement of £190 million.

  • Salman Khan played a small role in Hrithik Roshan’s success

    Salman Khan played a small role in Hrithik Roshan’s success

    Hrithik Roshan became the subcontinent’s heartthrob when he made his debute at the age of 26 in ‘Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai’. The film, directed, written and produced by Hrithik’s father Rakesh Roshan, went on to become a box office hit.

    But in an interview, the ‘Dhoom’ actor revealed that he was incredibly nervous about his first appearance on film, doing everything he could to look good on screen including meditating, singing and acting classes, and even seeking Salman Khan’s advice on body building.

    “I knew the physicality was very important, especially for this film where I was doing a double role, Rohit in the first part and Raj in the second half. I thought it would be nice if I could, even physically show the difference between the two characters. So, I was training myself for a year but I was not seeing the kind of results I wanted to see.”

    Roshan recalled speaking to the ‘Dabangg’ star, despite not knowing him at all:

    “I did everything that I could, including calling the biggest star Salman Khan, who did not know me at all. I just asked myself who is the best in the business, it is Salman and I said, ‘I have to try this. I have to try asking him what you do,” he confessed.

    Roshan also revealed his initial dislike of the script, finding it to be centered too much around the female perspective, and recalled complaining to his father about it. “On the script level, I thought it was a girl film and kept complaining to dad, ‘You know papa, I have got nothing to do. All I am doing is laughing or looking good, or dancing. How do I show people that I can do things,” re-called Hrithik.

    The ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ actor confessed that after telling his complaint about the film to his dad, he remembered Rakesh shutting him down, by reminding him that he has no role in deciding the plot but is only acting in the film:

    “He said, ‘I am making a movie, you want to act in it, do. But don’t tell me how to make the movie. I am not making the movie to launch you, I am making it because I have an idea, you are acting in it since you suit the part. You are a newcomer who just happens to be my son.’”

  • Adil Raja detained in London

    Adil Raja detained in London

    YouTuber Major (retd) Adil Raja has been detained by the London police, Geo has reported.

    It is still not clear on what charges Raja is being held. However, it is pertinent to mention here that a case was registered against him two days ago at Ramna Police Station in Islamabad under the charges of counterterrorism and treason on the request of Muhammad Islam, a resident of the capital city.

    Raja’s attorney Mehtab Aziz told Geo News that he hasn’t been able to reach his client since the past 24 hours.

    Raja was known for running a YouTube channel named ‘Soldier Speaks’. He got famous earlier this year in January when he claimed that some Pakistani actresses and models were working in cahoots with General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed to trap politicians.

    Raja has been accused by his detractors of peddling fake news and sensationalism.