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  • Punish the victim, protect the rapist. Will Pakistan change?

    Punish the victim, protect the rapist. Will Pakistan change?

    In a shocking incident, a young woman was raped by two armed men at the F-9 Park in Islamabad on February 2. According to the 24-year-old victim, she was visiting the F-9 Park along with a male companion around 8pm when two armed stopped them at gunpoint, separated them and then took her towards a thicket and raped her. They also threatened her to remain silent or they would call “more friends” to rape her. After raping her, she was told by the rapists that she should not have been in the park at night. A police complaint at Margalla police station mentioned that the woman had marks of torture on her legs and face. “I was slapped. My hair was pulled and I was thrown on the floor,” the woman’s statement to the police read.

    People in Pakistan have expressed anger over the country’s “rape epidemic” and also slammed negligence over such cases of violence against women. Hundreds of protesters gathered in the F-9 park slamming the law enforcement’s response to the assault as they tied their dupattas to the railings in solidarity with the rape victims and survivors.

    It was also quite shocking that the Islamabad Police asked people after this incident to only visit well-lit areas in the park when the rapists took the girl to a thicket to rape her at gunpoint. Instead of taking responsibility and providing security to citizens, the police want to restrict people’s movement. As anger and rage engulfed Pakistan over the issue of women’s safety, we still look for answers to whether this will ever end and whether women will find happiness, security and peace in Pakistan. Will victim-blaming ever stop? Will there ever come a time when society and the lawmakers all unanimously stand as one with the victims and survivors? Will the predators of such heinous crimes be punished? Will the war on women ever come to an end?

    To the hopelessness and rage that fills our hearts, may women find security, protectiveness and justice in this country. Will Pakistan ever stand with its women? The women are angry, and rightly so as they have been betrayed by their own system, society and law-enforcers.

  • VIP protocol for Maryam Nawaz in Islamabad

    VIP protocol for Maryam Nawaz in Islamabad

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz was given VIP protocol upon her arrival in Islamabad, Dunya News reported on Friday.

    According to media reports, the security plan was designed under the supervision of the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Parliament Lodges through which 16 security personnel, including police and FC, were appointed outside the are where Maryam Nawaz was staying.

    Security personnel were strictly prohibited from using their mobile phones during duty hours. The Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) was also tasked with managing parking and traffic flow outside Parliament Lodges during Maryam Nawaz’s stay.

    On January 3, Maryam was appointed as the party’s “Chief Organiser” and “Senior Vice President”. Later, she returned to the country from London, to take charge of her new responsibilities after a three-month absence.

  • Microsoft to showcase its cutting-edge AI technology in Word, PowerPoint

    Microsoft to showcase its cutting-edge AI technology in Word, PowerPoint

    Microsoft is poised to showcase its new artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which bears resemblance to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and its transformative impact on its Office productivity suite.

    Following the demonstration of its Prometheus Model in the latest Bing search engine, Microsoft is now set to reveal its plans to integrate OpenAI’s language AI technology and Prometheus Model into its core productivity apps such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

    Sources with knowledge of Microsoft’s initiatives revealed that the company is making preparations to showcase its productivity vision, which involves the integration of OpenAI’s AI technology, in the upcoming weeks. Microsoft is reportedly aiming for an official announcement in March, highlighting the company’s drive to revolutionize its search and productivity offerings through its investments in OpenAI.

    Earlier reports by The Information indicated that GPT models have undergone trials in Outlook to enhance search results, along with features for recommending email replies and Word document integration to enhance writing capabilities. A new generative AI experience was recently introduced in Microsoft Viva Sales, leveraging the Azure OpenAI Service and GPT to create sales emails, similar to some of the features being tested in Outlook.

    As Microsoft’s new Prometheus Model, based on OpenAI’s next-generation technology, has already revolutionized Bing web searches, the integration of this functionality into Microsoft Office apps and Teams will serve as a testament to the company’s confidence in its AI capabilities. Currently, the Prometheus Model can be utilized within Office web apps through the Bing sidebar integration in Microsoft Edge browser.

    This sidebar features a compose tab that offers a glimpse into Microsoft’s ongoing testing work for Word and Outlook. Additionally, sources indicate that the company is exploring ways to generate graphs and graphics for PowerPoint. Bing already has the ability to create tables and charts for basic data, but incorporating those into visually appealing graphics for presentations or Excel use would be a natural progression.

    Microsoft is proceeding with haste in its integration efforts, largely due to the threat posed by Google. Sources informed The Verge that Microsoft had originally intended to launch its Bing AI in late February, but expedited the release in response to Google’s imminent announcements. As a result, Google unveiled its ChatGPT rival, Bard, a day ahead of Microsoft’s event.

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is determined to establish the company as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and counteract any competition from rival Google. To demonstrate his commitment, Nadella arrived early to the Bing AI event on Tuesday morning, despite the event being scheduled to start at 10 AM PT. He was so eager to commence early that he requested to start the event 20 minutes ahead of schedule, resulting in event organizers scrambling to accommodate the change and the event beginning five minutes ahead of schedule, with Nadella taking the stage two minutes before the original 10 AM PT start time.

    Internally, several Microsoft executives are confident that the company is far ahead of Google in terms of Bing AI and its integration into productivity apps. However, they are also cautious, cautioning employees to be vigilant against rivals who may attempt to disrupt Microsoft’s productivity offerings in the same manner as Microsoft is targeting Google’s search business.

    Nadella’s push for AI integration across Microsoft’s products is driven by the overwhelming consumer response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Analysts at UBS estimate that ChatGPT achieved 100 million monthly active users after just two months. Within 48 hours, over 1 million people signed up for the Bing waitlist, and as of Thursday, Bing was the third most popular app in the US App Store.

    According to The Verge, Microsoft intends to capitalize on the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI) in 2023 and unlock the full potential of its Prometheus Model, including features that have yet to be publicly disclosed. The tech industry can expect AI to be a prominent topic of discussion throughout the rest of the year, as Microsoft and Google compete for supremacy in the search and AI space.

  • Want to woo a woman? Here is some advice from male leads of Pakistani dramas!

    Want to woo a woman? Here is some advice from male leads of Pakistani dramas!

    With Valentine’s Day coming up, your amma jee’s earnest khuwaishien about turning her into a dadi maa, and those bachiyan you stop to hoot at aren’t impressed by how much of a hero you can be. It’s clear that you don’t have a date because more women are rejecting entitled, selfish brats because do khori paisay kya kama liye, ab kehti hain they don’t want a man in their lives!
    Clearly dear reader, you have tried everything to impress her but have no chick to take to Hooters while Beena is out of town. So we are ready to help because we know how hard it is to get home and no live in maid is around to make you food and treat you like chota sardar. The best place to go for advice is definitely Pakistani dramas and their never ending tips on how to create the perfect male heroes. Whenever drama creators and screenwriters have been questioned about why they chose to consult no real woman, and included domestic abuse in their dramas, their response was that this is what society has always favored!
    So we have, with our superior mind and years of journalism experience, decided to write down some of the popular dramas released over the last few years, and the stellar advice they offer to men across Pakistan whose hairlines keep receding as Bisma doesn’t answer their 1999th hookup call.

    1 Introduce yourselves by demanding her to call out your name repeatedly

    Tricky thing but follow our steps closely because you want to ensure she likes no one else but you. You’ve met the dream girl and want her to like you back, but how do you do so? As Danish Taimoor splendidly shows us, kidnap her dad and then when she calls you in tears begging for help, demand that she repeatedly say your name. Over and over again. That will put her in a trance, she will wake up and go around thinking only of you, and you alone.

    2 To develop a deeper bond between the two of you, pick someone who’s your cousin

    You’re hitting 39 soon and you don’t know when will you stop being a chichora. Dramas say you should pick a girl who is naive and won’t be able to see the real douchebag that you are. That’s why you should pick your cousin. She can easily be pressurized by her parents to date you, and even marry you in the near future because otherwise their daughter’s honor might go to shambles. Ignore the cries of those rabid feminists telling you that intermarrying cousins is medically questionable, especially when it involves a child! She won’t protest regarding how much she has to clean up after you, or has to literally take care of the rest of your family as well!

    3 Swoon tip: neglect all of her need’s and accuse her of being a drama queen!

    Among the many things men are clueless about when it comes to dating, is not knowing how to make a woman feel special. Many men are consistently trying to figure out the ways they can remind a woman they love that they think she’s special and value her existence. So here’s a tip: gaslight her when she comes to you with a problem. Is she spiraling due to a panic attack and can’t breathe? Stand there and accuse her of faking it all and then go on your day pretending what you saw never happened. After all, for any relationship to become successful, a period of hardship and torture is quite important!

    4 Refuse to- and we emphasize this so much – keep refusing to take no for an answer

    Anything that a woman says after meeting you should be a hint that she wants you. If she’s complaining about having no food, it secretly means she wants to cook food for you. If she’s asking about the time, it secretly means time to go home with you. So don’t mistrust what your gut is telling you, and keep letting her know that you can hear her inner voice, which she can’t. If she tells you she doesn’t like you, refuse to let her go and keep pressurizing her to listen to her desperate inner voice wanting to be with you! Akhir kaar there is nothing wrong with you! So why would she reject you?

    5 Lastly, to seal this joori into a lifetime commitment, put a gun to your head so she quickly agrees to marry you.

    The day is ending, you know you just met her and don’t know anything except for her phone number and where she goes to study. But you think you have found the perfect live-in nanny that can cook you and keep up with your mummy’s constant nagging so it’s only right that you drop a proposal now! She’ll say no at first because obviously, she doesn’t know that she wants to marry you as well. So to make it quick, and actually get her to marry you- hold a gun to your head, and start screaming that you’ll shoot yourself if she doesn’t say yes. Start counting down from ten, and she’ll definitely say she want’s to marry you. It’s a win-win!

  • Iffat Omar, others slam Pakistan Literature Festival for appointing alleged harasser as panelist

    Celebrity Iffat Omar and other Pakistani feminists have called out Pakistan Literature Festival for appointing Ali Zafar as a panelist for a conversation with actor Yasir Hussain.
    Activist and makeup artist Leena Ghani shared the announcement by Alhamra on her social media page, and revealed that the organization had previously refused to allow Aurat March to use their grounds for an event on the grounds that the march ‘was too controversial and had a negative image’.
    “In 2020 Alhamara declined Aurat March’s request to let them use the Alhamara grounds for their event because Aurat March was “too controversial and had a negative image”. Yet they have no issues when a sexual harasser is invited? Is he not controversial with a negative image?!” she asked.

    “What makes him an expert and what contribution does he have for the youth? He’s neither youthful nor did he ever support the young emerging talent. Even if we keep the harassment aside, there is nothing about him that fits the topic. So many other relevant people to choose from,” Ghani had further written.

    Other women on Twitter have also called out Hussain for sharing a platform with an alleged harasser, when he had previously applauded his wife, Iqra Aziz, for refusing to act in a drama with one.

    Actor and model Iffat Omar also took to Twitter to protest, by revealing that she had been excited to give a talk at the event, however chose to back out when she learned about the alleged harasser’s panel.

    “Pakistan Literature Festival, Lahore, thank you for inviting me as a moderator for a discussion today. I was excited, but then I learned that #PLF made an alleged harasser a part of the event. I cannot share the platform with an Alleged Harasser, so I am boycotting. @ACPKHI#harassment#Boycott.”

    Women have also criticized the event for not including female authors for panels this year. Editor and writer Mehr Husayn criticized the PLF organizers in a Twitter thread, where she shared that there were no recent authors included in the lineup.

    “I cannot help but marvel at the staggering disconnect the old guard has with modern Pakistan. Case in point. Not ONE recent author in this. Do better @ACPKHI I expected @thebankofpunjab to do their research. Where are the new authors?? Fresh female writers??”

    Husain shared a list of female authors who had released books last year, and went on tag the main organizer of the event and called him out for refusing to include the voices of female authors who were new to the publishing industry but were not included in the event.

    “@zafar_masud Zafar sahib I request you to consider the above female authors. How can you not have them be part of such a festival when you have members associated with controversy? How can you ignore female roles in furthering publishing when EVERYTHING goes against us?”

  • Weekly inflation in Pakistan soars 35% from last year’s rates

    Weekly inflation in Pakistan soars 35% from last year’s rates

    The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has reported an increase in the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ending on February 9th, 2023. The SPI recorded a rise of 0.17 per cent due to heightened prices for both food and non-food items.

    The year-on-year trend shows an increase of 34.83 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of onions (507.98 per cent), chicken (93.21 per cent), diesel (81.41 per cent), eggs (79.19 per cent), rice basmati broken (68.92 per cent), petrol (68.77 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (68.26 per cent), pulse moong (66.30 per cent), tea Lipton (63.92 per cent), bananas (61.88per cent), pulse gram (56.80 per cent), bread (50.66 per cent), LPG (50.41 per cent), pulse mash (50.25 per cent) and salt powdered (46.46 per cent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (57.76 per cent), chilies powdered (12.43 per cent) and electricity for q1 (12.31 per cent).

    The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 228.17 points against 227.79 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.

    During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 29 (56.87 per cent) items increased, 05 (9.80 per cent) items decreased and 17 (33.33 per cent) items remained stable.

    The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs. 17,732 decreased by 0.06 per cent while it increase for Rs. 17,732-22,888, Rs. 22,889-29,517, Rs. 29,518-44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 consumption group increase by 0.02 per cent, 0.10 per cent, 0.14 per cent, and 0.22 per cent respectively.

    The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over the previous include potatoes (7.15 per cent), chicken (6.94 per cent),  bananas (6.53 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (5.67 per cent), rice basmati broken (3.80 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (3.64 per cent), LPG (3.06 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (2.71 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands (sn), and 5 liter tin each (2.60 per cent).

    Other items which recorded an increase are pulse mash (2.42 per cent), cigarettes capstan 20’s packet each (2.25 per cent), garlic (2.20 per cent), pulse moong (2.20 per cent), mustard oil (2.20 per cent), powdered milk Nido 390 gm polybag each (1.88 per cent), pulse gram (1.87 per cent), curd (1.83 per cent), tea prepared (1.77 per cent), milk fresh (1.52 per cent), matchbox (1.47 per cent), Sufi washing soap (1.39 per cent), bread plain (1.25 per cent), pulse masoor (1.23 per cent), energy saver Philips (0.79 per cent), salt powdered (0.65 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (0.60 per cent), cooked daal (0.52 per cent), gur (0.31 per cent) and cooked beef (0.09 per cent).

    The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their average prices included onions (9.83 per cent), tomatoes (5.40 per cent), eggs (3.40 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.71 per cent), and sugar (0.31 per cent).

  • Maryam Nawaz stops Safdar from speaking on behalf of party

    Maryam Nawaz stops Safdar from speaking on behalf of party

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has reportedly stopped her husband—Captain (retired) Safdar—from delivering any ‘policy statement’ after he criticised the party’s leadership in an exclusive interview with ARY News.

    According to media reports, the senior vice president made it clear that no party leader, including her husband, should give any statement that goes against the party’s policy.

    She also warned the party that strict action would be taken against those who deviate from the directives.

    ‘Don’t see Maryam Nawaz becoming PM in near future’: Capt Safdar

    Earlier, Safdar said that he doesn’t see his wife becoming the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan in the near future.

    He said, “I don’t see Maryam Nawaz becoming PM in near future”, adding that if PM Shehbaz Sharif gets elected in 2025, the country will prosper.

    He said the ‘vote ko izzat do‘ narrative of the party was buried on the day when PML-N decided to vote in parliament in favour of an extension to the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Safdar said he thinks whoever voted for Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension except for Pervaiz Rasheed, are “criminals”.

    Replying to a question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident leaders, Safdar said the parliamentarians should not change their loyalties. “It is not right to win elections on PTI’s tickets and later change your loyalties for power,” he maintained.

    Safdar was of the view that elections in Punjab and KP shouldn’t be held now and went on to say to hold general elections in 2025 after the recovery of the economy.

    In a turn of events, he also regretted his personal attacks on his party rival, Imran Khan, and said that political rivalry should remain political, not personal.

    Talking about PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi—who recently resigned from his position as the party’s vice president after Maryam’s elevation— Safdar said that Shahid doesn’t need a position and praised him.

    On January 3, Maryam was appointed as the party’s “Chief Organiser” and “Senior Vice President”. Later, she returned to the country to take charge of her new responsibilities after a three-month absence.

  • ‘Back-to-back weddings just coincidence’: Shadab addresses consecutive weddings in Pakistani team

    ‘Back-to-back weddings just coincidence’: Shadab addresses consecutive weddings in Pakistani team

    Shadab Khan tied the knot with former Test cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq’s daughter on February 9.

    “It’s a big moment for me and my family,” said Shadab Khan while talking about his wedding in a video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
    “To be honest, it happened all of a sudden. I was scheduled to travel to Australia but due to injury, I couldn’t. Meanwhile, this happened,” he said.

    “Haris Rauf and I were not prepared for marriage. Shaheen and Shan had already planned their marriage. Back-to-back weddings are just a coincidence,” he said while talking about the rapid fire weddings of team members.

    “A candid conversation with Shadab Khan on tying the knot. Congratulations to him!” wrote PCB while sharing the video of Shadab.

  • Flour mill owners in Punjab threaten to suspend market supplies on February 14

    Flour mill owners in Punjab threaten to suspend market supplies on February 14

    The owners of flour mills have threatened to go on strike, halting supplies to the markets on February 14th, and are demanding that the Punjab food department immediately meet their demands.

    The Chairman of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Punjab chapter, Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad Mattu, has issued a warning of a planned strike on February 14th if the provincial food department does not address their demands.

    During a press conference, the Chairman of PFMA Punjab Mattu criticised the inappropriate behavior and incorrect policies of the provincial food secretary.

    According to ARY News, the Chairman stated that the wrong policies of the food secretary have impacted the supply of flour, leading to the closure of multiple flour mills. He further announced that the flour mills will stop receiving wheat quota from the government starting from February 13th.

    In addition, Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad Mattu announced that the flour mills will cease supplies to the market on February 14th and proceed with a strike, unless their demands are promptly met by the Punjab food department. Meanwhile, the Karachi Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association declared its intention to raise milk prices by Rs20 per litre, effective from February 11th.

    In a statement from the Karachi Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association, the spokesperson attributed the price hike of milk to the increased cost of fuel and fodder. The official rate for milk has been set at Rs180 per litre, however, it is being sold for Rs190 in the city.

    With the increase, the price per litre of milk will rise to Rs210. The Commissioner of Karachi has recently ordered operations to seal dairy shops selling milk at elevated prices.

  • ‘Have never asked Gen Faiz any favour’: Tarin can’t believe Bajwa’s claims

    ‘Have never asked Gen Faiz any favour’: Tarin can’t believe Bajwa’s claims

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shaukat Tarin has said that he can’t believe the quotes about him being attributed to former army head, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    Clarifying his position, Tarin said that he had only asked the then-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed to have his cases heard on merit by the courts.

    Tarin was reacting to the accounts attributed to General Bajwa in a column written by Javed Chaudhry.

    In the piece, Javed Chaudhary quoted Gen (retd) Bajwa as saying, “We kept trying to convince the prime minister [Imran Khan] against appointing Tarin as finance minister. I told the PM that Tarin, who failed to run his bank, will ruin the economy. The premier disagreed.”

    “National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had a Rs 8 billion case against Tarin. The PM asked us to have these cases dismissed…. and Gen Faiz Hameed got these cases scrapped from NAB,” the column cited Gen (retd) Bajwa as stating.

    In response to these assertions, Tarin said he could not “believe” that the former Chief could say such things about him.

    “On March 31, 2022, General sahib had declared me a hero when I finalised the Reko Diq deal,” he said.

    While sharing details about his cases, the former finance minister stated: “My case should have been disposed of on merit. Faiz never told me that he would get my case dismissed, nor did I ever ask him for any favour. I had also told the prime minister [Imran Khan] that I would not accept this job [finance ministry] unless my cases are finished.”

    “The columnist wrote that the former army chief had my NAB cases dismissed through [Lt Gen (retd)] Faiz Hameed. The former army chief’s comments are against the truth and ridiculous.”