The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has restored Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as the President of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) setting aside his removal as the head of the party by his cousin, former Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The commission also stated that the PML-Q’s Central Working Committee’s (CWC) decision to remove Shujaat as party chief was illegal, declaring it null and void.
On January 16, PML-Q’s CWC removed Shujaat as the party chief. His brother, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain was given the command of the PML-Q.
The step was taken by the committee after Shujaat had suspended the basic membership of the-then CM Elahi — for his statement about a possible merger with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
After the ouster of PTI’s chief Imran Khan from power, rifts within PML-Q widened as the party got divided into two camps over the issue of joining hands with the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi and the majority of party leaders sided with the PTI while Chaudhry Shujaat, Salik Hussain and Tariq Bashir Cheema supported the PML-N.
Special measures have been taken at key sensitive buildings in Islamabad, including the President House, Prime Minister (PM) House and Parliament among other places.
Moreover, high security was also beefed up at all the entry points of the capital, Islamabad police’s Twitter account said on Monday.
Snipers have been deployed at all locations and residents are instructed to carry identity cards and essential documents along with them while travelling.
اسلام آباد کیپیٹل پولیس تھرمل امیجنگ کی صلاحیت سے لیس ہے۔
Meanwhile, the Inspector General (IG) of Sindh Police has also ordered officials to start patrolling and snap checking in Karachi.
A day earlier, Peshawar was attacked by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which claimed the lives of 93 people and left more than 200 injured. In a surprise turn of events, the TTP later claimed that it had nothing to do with the bombing.
Pakistan is currently facing a resurgence in terrorist activities.
After the Peshawar attack, PM Shehbaz Sharif said that such cowardly terror attacks will not weaken the nation’s resolve and that all the terrorists and their facilitators involved in the attacks will be punished.
Gujranwala police on Monday arrested two brothers who have allegedly killed their cousin for having more followers on TikTok. The Rasool Nagar police station arrested the two brothers during the investigation of the murder of 17-year-old Rizwan Aslam.
According to the police, Aslam and his cousins were all frequent users of TikTok. Additionally, they used to play the popular online game PUBG.
When the victim allegedly swore at both brothers while playing the game, things got out of hand. The brothers were also envious of Aslam’s quick ascension on TikTok, where he had accumulated more followers than the brothers.
After that, the brothers hatched a plan to kill their cousin. They called him to a guest house and murdered him, the police have said.
Shah Rukh Khan’s grace and ability to demonstrate determination and hard work in the face of hate is the reason why he’s the last superstar of Bollywood.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the release of Pathaan, he opened up about the controversies surrounding the film. Pre-release, Pathaan was attacked for being anti-Hindu, with BJP politicians and activists repeatedly sending threats to the actor and rest of the crew. Despite this, Pathaan became a massive hit, with multiple screenings playing even past midnight in cinemas across India.
Addressing the attacks the film faced, Khan called himself, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham ‘Akbar, Amar and Anthony’ and said that the main purpose of cinema is to spread love rather than hate. “This is what makes cinema: Amar, Akbar and Anthony. There are no differences that any of us have for anybody, any culture, any aspect of life. We love you that’s why we make films. We love you to give us love. We’re hungry for love.” Khan also revealed that it didn’t matter how much money the film made or how many box office records it broke, what mattered was the love and appreciation they got from people, and wanted to keep inspiring audiences with their work. “This person was saying a million times ‘100 crore’, ‘200 crore’ or ‘1000 crore’. Despite the millions, the love we receive from the fans, and the happiness they experience from watching our film, there is nothing that we want more than that. We have to maintain our culture, our old stories, all that has seeped from our beautiful country. We have to tell the stories in modern ways, in different ways, in no way we are deriding any body,” the superstar said.
Shah Rukh Khan just gave a MASTERCLASS in how to do a press conference. This is why he is the KING. He promotes religious harmony, inclusivity, love and happiness. I’m glad I chose my childhood hero well. #Pathaanpic.twitter.com/Z9pC1TwQi0
“That’s the quality he has. A quality to make people understand what love truly means and what it stands for. Duniya me kitni hai nafraratein,fir bhi dilon me hain chahatein, marr bhi jaayein pyaar wale,mitt bhi jaayein yaar wale, zinda rehti hai unki Mohabbatein.”
That’s the quality he has. A quality to make people understand what love truly means and what it stands for. Duniya me kitni hai nafraratein,fir bhi dilon me hain chahatein, marr bhi jaayein pyaar wale,mitt bhi jaayein yaar wale, zinda rehti hai unki Mohabbatein ❤️#ShahRukhKhanhttps://t.co/BplVekzcQW
As the value of the Pakistani rupee (PKR) against the US dollar falls to an all-time low, Kia Lucky Motors Corporation (KLMC) has announced a significant hike in their car prices in Pakistan.
Details indicate that, depending on the model, the manufacturer has increased the price of the Kia Picanto, Kia Sportage, Kia Stonic, Kia Sorento, and Kia Carnival in Pakistan by up to Rs1.3 million.
“Due to the significant and unprecedented devaluation of PKR to USD during the last couple of days, it has become inevitable for LMC to increase the current ex-factory prices of all its vehicles,” the company announced in its notification to dealers.
The new rates will go into effect on January 31, 2023.
“While the impact of the devaluation of PKR to USD has been immense, LMC, being a customer-centric organization, has decided not to pass the full impact thereof to its valued customers,” it said, adding that only a partial impact is being passed on to the customer and the rest has been absorbed by LMC.
It is important to note that on January 30, 2023, the interbank market closed with the Pakistan rupee at an all-time record low of Rs269.63 versus the US dollar.
The price of the Kia Picanto in Pakistan has been increased by a massive Rs100,000 for both variants, bringing the new price of the M/T variant to Rs3,200,000 and the A/T variant to Rs3,400,000, compared to the old prices of Rs3,100,000 and Rs3,400,000, respectively.
An incident at Civilizations Public School, a private school in Karachi, went viral a few days ago when a distressed father uploaded a video where he narrated a harrowing account of what his son went through. The father revealed that his son’s teacher, Sadaf Mateen, had overheard the student speaking in urdu to his friends. She called him over and began to humiliate him by making a black mark on his face, and then encouraged other students to laugh at him. The father went on to reveal that he had sought the school’s administrations help but they had refused to cooperate, so he was compelled to make a video and make it public.
Video taken courtesy of Geo news
WARNING – DISTRESSING VIDEO
Father narrates details of his son getting ‘humiliated’ for speaking Urdu at Karachi’s private school
After the video went viral, the Directoriate of Inspection/ Registration of Private Institutions Sindh had announced that they were launching an investigation into the matter which reportedly took place on January 27. An inquiry committee comprising of five members has now said in a statement released on their public pages that the accusations were proven to be true.
“The accusation of applying blackness on the face of student Moosa by his teacher is correct. Indeed, the teacher in question punished the student for not speaking in English, which is quite in contradiction of the feeling of patriotism and love for the national language. The administration of the school failed to handle the situation or deal with the parents on their complaint properly.”
Therefore, the school was charged a fine of Rs 100,000 and their registration was also suspended. In a statement uploaded on their Facebook page, a representative from Civilizations Public School revealed that they had accepted the resignation of the school teacher and said that the incident was against the school’s ethos.
“Civilizations Public School takes great pride in being one the few educational institutions to promote, encourage and celebrate Urdu. Its role in promoting Urdu is unmatched in the country. In the last few years, the school has organized four mushairas and poets such as Iftikhar Arif, Fehmida Riaz and Amjad Islam Amjad have read their poetry to audiences in thousands which included out students, faculty, staff, guests and members of the media. The coverage of these events is publicly available. Books by Urdu masters such as Yousufi, Patras Bukhari and Ibn-e-Insha comprise the entirety of our Urdu curriculum. Lines from Faiz, N. M. Rashid and Majaaz often echo through the corridors and auditoria.
The School in no way promotes English over Urdu. The regrettable incident that took place on January 27 is against the school’s ethos, ideology, philosophy and spirit. We are a considerate and empathetic institution that does not condone or allow anyone to embarrass a student. You are welcome to come to our next Urdu event and witness the school’s culture.
The teacher who took the said step is no longer part of the school and her resignation has been accepted.
The faculty and staff are fully trained and socialized to embrace diversity and a multilingual environment.
We hope to continue to produce the next generation of leadership and further our mission of celebrating our Urdu heritage.”
Negotiations to reach a staff-level agreement on the ninth review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) have started between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday.
As the cash-strapped government launches new efforts to conclude the lingering ninth review, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is leading the Pakistani side and Nathen Porter is in charge of the IMF review team. The review team from the IMF arrived in Islamabad on Monday.
Pakistan is likely to discuss its strategy for implementing further revenue measures with the visiting review delegation.
The Fund has refused to compromise on the terms it outlined for the restoration of the lending facility, causing analysts to label the technical level negotiations as “toughest.”
According to The News, Pakistan is experiencing a severe economic crisis, with the currency falling, inflation skyrocketing, and a shortage of electricity. Because he was worried about backlash before the upcoming elections in October, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif resisted the IMF’s demands for tax increases and subsidy reductions for months.
However, Islamabad has begun to yield to pressure in recent days as the threat of national insolvency grows and no friendly nations are ready to give less severe bailouts.
To manage a growing illicit market in US dollars, the government relaxed limitations on the rupee, which led to the currency falling to historic lows. Additionally, artificially low petrol costs have increased.
“We’re at the end of the road. The government has to make the political case to the public for meeting these (IMF) demands,” former World Bank economist Abid Hasan told AFP.
“If they don’t, the country will certainly default and we’ll end up like Sri Lanka, which will be even worse.”
Last year, Sri Lanka entered into debt default and experienced months of food and fuel shortages that led to unrest and finally forced the nation’s government to depart the country.
Pakistan has fallen to its lowest score in a decade on the Corruptions Perception Index (CPI), Transparency International has revealed on Tuesday in its annual report.
The country now ranks at 140 out of 180 total countries on the list.
In its report, Transparency has written that, “Pakistan too has continued its statistically significant downward trend, this year hitting its lowest score since 2012 at just 27 points amidst ongoing political turmoil.”
In 2021, Pakistan’s corruption score stood at 28 while in 2020, it was at 31, placing the country at 124 out of 180 countries.
CPI ranks countries and territories based on perceived levels of corruption and malpractices in the public sector. Denmark holds the number 1 spot as the least corrupt country with a score of 90 while New Zealand and Finland jointly hold the second spot with a score of 87. With 84, Norway rounds up the top three positions.
The country now ranks at 140 out of 180 total countries on the list.
In its report, Transparency has written that, “Pakistan too has continued its statistically significant downward trend, this year hitting its lowest score since 2012 at just 27 points amidst ongoing political turmoil.”
In 2021, Pakistan’s corruption score stood at 28 while in 2020, it was at 31, placing the country at 124 out of 180 countries.
CPI ranks countries and territories based on perceived levels of corruption and malpractices in the public sector. Denmark holds the number 1 spot as the least corrupt country with a score of 90 while New Zealand and Finland jointly hold the second spot with a score of 87. With 84, Norway rounds up the top three positions.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, the captain of Lahore Qalandars, will design his team’s uniforms for the upcoming eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team captain will create this year’s uniforms, Atif Rana has said in a video that the Qalandars uploaded on their official social media accounts.
Shaheen, who guided the team to its maiden championship win last season, is also the Lahore Qalandars’ captain this year. “Shaheen is designing the best kit, just like he takes wickets,” Atif Rana said, adding that the fast bowler’s kit design will blow everyone away. He hoped fans will like the new kit design. It is important to note that the grand opening ceremony for the eighth PSL season will take place at the Multan Cricket Stadium on February 13. Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, who competed against each other in the season seven championship game last year, will square off in the opening game of the edition.
Star-actor Mahira Khan is set to fill the shoes of Meena Kumari in a Pakistani remake of the 1972 blockbuster, Pakeezah. The film is all set to be produced by Hamid Hussain and his UAE-based production house, Action Consultancy is bank-rolling the project.
While Khan will be essaying the role of Kumari, many prominent names are in consideration for the upcoming project.
The source revealed, “Mahira is onboard, but she is one of many stars we are aiming for in the remake of this epic. There are some more famous artists that are in talks to be roped in the film.”
Action Consultancy manages leading stars from South Asia, including Humayun Saeed, who featured in The Crown and Ahad Raza Mir, who was in Resident Evil, including Aly, who is all set to star as Maymouna in Jemima Goldsmith’s What’s Love Got To Do With It?. The agency has recently expanded its portfolio and ventured into financing international content and packaging films and series.
Pakeezah is one of the most popular Bollywood projects ever. According to the Indian publication, Mid-Day, Pakeezah took 14 years of dedication. One of the people associated with the making of the film had shared that for director Kamal Amrohi, a day would be considered productive even if a single shot was completed.
Pakeezah was considered one of the most expensive films to have been made in the 70s. The project was made on a budget of between INR12.5 million (US$160,000) to INR15 million (US$190,000) and was released on February 4, 1972.
Pakeezah opened to mixed responses from critics. The magnum opus was criticised for its extravagance and plot. Nevertheless, it was the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, collecting INR60 million (US$750,000) after a theatrical run of over 50 weeks. Trade analysts said its popularity might have been caused by Kumari’s death a month after its release.
Kumari was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and won a special award at the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards; the film also received nominations for Best Film and Best Director (Amrohi) and won N B Kulkarni a trophy for Best Art Direction at Filmfare.
While Mahira is still riding high on the success of The Legend of Maula Jatt, she will also be seen with Fawad Khan in Neelofar.
