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  • Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Senator Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finally been released from sub-jail after remaining behind bars for more than a month.

    The senator had been in the custody of law enforcing agencies since November 27 last year, after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him in Islamabad over a “campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions”, including the former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted bail to Swati after he filed a petition seeking post-arrest bail.

    In December, PTI chief Imran Khan had said that Swati had been “taken away by Quetta police” from Islamabad despite health concerns.

    According to media reports, the arrest was made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. However, Balochistan High Court (BHC) later ordered that no more cases should be registered against him.

    Later, Swati was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    Swati had criticised persons within the establishment in tweets posted from his account.

  • Pakistani movie ‘The Losing Side’ gets ‘Best Human Rights Film’ award at the Cannes Film Festival

    Pakistani movie ‘The Losing Side’ gets ‘Best Human Rights Film’ award at the Cannes Film Festival

    Pakistani film The Losing Side has received the ‘Best Human Rights Film’ award at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Javed Sharif, the film explores the issue of forced conversions in Sindh by interviewing four victims of forced conversion marriages.

    In an interview with Dawn, Sharif said that he was inspired to make this film after wanting to see how minorities are preserving their heritage and culture. He elaborated that religious minorities like Hindu and Christians in Sindh face the issue of religious conversion, which can also be by choice but in most cases they are forced when young girls are kidnapped and married to Muslim men.

    The purpose of these awards, as Sharif told Dawn, was to provide more space for sensitive issues in mainstream media

    “I believe this award is more meaningful as it will give space to a sensitive issue in the mainstream media.’

    He also hoped that in filming these issues, their can be presented a ‘narrative of resistance.’

    In an Instagram post, Sharif announced to his followers that The Losing Side had been given the ‘Best Human Rights Film’ award and thanked all of his team members who had worked hard to ensure that the project would become a success.

    You can watch the full trailer here:

  • Women must wear mandatory headscarves in cars: Iranian police issues warning

    Women must wear mandatory headscarves in cars: Iranian police issues warning

    Iranian police have resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves, including in cars.

    “The removal of hijab has been observed in your vehicle: It is necessary to respect the norms of the society and make sure this action is not repeated,” read a message reportedly sent by police and posted on social media, AFP reported.

    Iran’s morality police — known as Gasht-e Ershad, or “Guidance Patrol” — have a mandate to enter public areas to check on the implementation of the country’s strict dress code.

    Widespread demonstrations have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini in 2022 after she was arrested in Tehran. She was taken into custody for not wearing the hijab properly, thus, breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women.

  • ‘Imran Khan was not shot four times, few fragments hit him’, reveals Kamran Shahid

    Senior anchor Kamran Shahid has claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan was not shot four times on November 3, 2022, at Wazirabad.

    Reading out the Punjab Forensic Report about the firing incident in which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was shot at, Kamran Shahid said that a “few” fragments of bullets hit him.

    “Few fragments of a bullet and a metallic particle hit Imran Khan,” said Shahid.

    Taking about the shooters and bullets, Shahid said that the report states that the accused Naveed shot 12 bullets from his 30 bore pistol and two bullets were shot on the container from SMG riffle.

    Imran Khan was attacked by a gunman as his long march passed through Wazirabad, resulting in four shots in the leg. The PTI and the chairman himself have said that Khan was shot three times.

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 series to launch with 256 GB minimum storage option

    Samsung Galaxy S23 series to launch with 256 GB minimum storage option

    The tipster Ahmed Qwaider says that Samsung has listened to its customers and is bringing a significant upgrade. The 128GB base storage for the Galaxy S23 series may no longer be offered by the South Korean company.

    The Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra base models all seem to include 256GB of internal storage. There will also be 512GB and 1TB storage options for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

    The South Korean tech giant used to give free upgrades to 256GB models of its phones to anyone who pre-ordered or purchased them during a sale, but these deals were only available in the US and a very small number of other countries. Therefore, this year will be happier for everyone in the world. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will have 12GB RAM, whereas the Galaxy S23 and S23+ appear to have 8GB RAM.

    The tipster further believes that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will have a display that is significantly flatter than that of its predecessor. This modification ought to enhance the S Pen’s ability to write and draw on the screen. One UI 5.1, which is based on Android 13, will come preinstalled on all Galaxy S23 units.

    There may be more choices for customising the lock screen with this more recent software version.

  • Markets to close at 08:30pm across the country: Khawaja Asif

    The federal government on Tuesday announced its energy saving plan, applicable across the country. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that markets in all the province’sr and federal areas will be shut down at 8pm. Furthermore, wedding halls will close at 10pm across the country.

    Asif said that if these timings are implemented then the country will save Rs 62 billion.

    Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, and Federal Minister for Housing and Works Abdul Wasay were also present at the media briefing.

    The minister further elaborated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed all federal government entities to reduce their energy usage by 30% and to stop using unneeded lighting and other appliances.

    He said that a strategy to save energy provided by the power division had been approved for implementation by the federal cabinet.

  • Sharifs mein garrbarr? Maryam Nawaz appointed as PML-N senior vice president ahead of Nawaz’s expected return

    Prime Minister (PM) and President of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Maryam Nawaz Sharif as the “Senior Vice President” of the party.

    On Tuesday, a notification regarding the appointment was shared by the Information Minister and PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb. In a tweet, she also said that Maryam Nawaz has been authorised to re-organise the party at all functional tiers/levels as the “Chief Organiser”.

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also came forward to congratulate Maryam, saying that PM Shehbaz took the decision in consultation with party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, has been serving as the vice president of the party since 2019.

    In another development, Nawaz Sharif directed his party to start a mass mobilisation campaign for upcoming general elections, reports The News.

    Sharif had issued important instructions to the political team of his party in Lahore and asked them to start preparing for general elections and confront the PTI and its allies.

    Last month, former Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Ayaz Sadiq claimed that Nawaz would return to Pakistan in January 2023.

    In November 2022, the PML-N-led collation government issued a diplomatic passport to Nawaz Sharif, who has been living in London since 2019 following an illness in jail after then prime minister Imran Khan had permitted him to go abroad for medical treatment.

  • Gen Bajwa very close to Shehbaz Sharif, says Imran Khan

    Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has claimed that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa was very close to current Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    “There was information that General Bajwa was in contact with Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. The plan was to bring Shehbaz Sharif [into power] and remove me,” said Khan in an interview with GNN.

    “Ishaq Dar, Nawaz Sharif’s sons and Shehbaz Sharif’s son-in-law fled during his tenure. In the beginning, there were a lot of doubts, we couldn’t understand,” he revealed.

    “Gen Bajwa would say one thing but something else was happening on the ground”, said the former Prime Minister.

    “When I see it now, it becomes clear that Bajwa doctrine was to not allow anyone to strengthen so much that they can’t be controlled,” he stated.

    Talking about the current political situation, he claimed a “game” is still being played to stop him from coming back to power “by all means”.

    “Even if you stop Imran Khan [from coming to power], how will you fix the issues faced by the country?” he asked.

    Imran Khan has been criticizing General Bajwa since the latter retired on November 26 in 2022. However, in a press conference held in November, it was alleged by Director General Inter-Services Intelligence, General Nadeem Anjum, that Imran Khan had secretly met General Bajwa and offered him an extension in his tenure.

  • ‘Zero tolerance’; PM warns terrorists

    Amid rising terror attacks, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan will adopt the policy of zero-tolerance against terrorists.

    From his account on Twitter, the Premier said that the National Security Committee (NSC) has come up with two major decisions, which include adopting a zero-tolerance policy against terrorists and forming a roadmap to revive the economy of Pakistan.

    A day earlier, the second round of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting reiterated a “zero tolerance” policy for terrorism in the country, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

    A press release issued by the PMO after the meeting’s conclusion said the NSC reaffirmed its determination to take on “any and all entities that resort to violence”, adding that any violence would be dealt with the “full force of the state”.

    On December 30, 2022, the forum vowed to respond firmly to resurgent terrorism in the country and declared militants as “enemies of Pakistan”.

    On the other hand, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that Afghanistan’s soil is being used against Pakistan despite an agreement with the Taliban government.

    During Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the minister urged the Taliban to fulfill commitments made in the Doha deal.

    “The Pakistani government is in constant touch with Afghanistan in connection with border violations”, he said.

    Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups like the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) executing attacks across the country.

  • Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs187,200 per tola

    Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs187,200 per tola

    For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the price of gold passed Rs187,000 per tola.

    On Monday, the price of 24-carat gold per tola increased by Rs3,300, reaching an all-time high of Rs187,200 compared to the last trading day’s sale of Rs183,900.

    According to the All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA), the price of gold increased by Rs3,300 per tola and Rs2,829 per 10 grammes, respectively, to settle at Rs187,200 and Rs160,494.

    From Rs126,000 per tola on December 31, 2021, the yellow metal has increased by Rs57,900, or 45.95 per cent .

    According to the group, the price of gold in Pakistan has been “overcost” by Rs6,500 per tola when compared to pricing in Dubai. This indicates that the price of gold in Pakistan is currently higher than it is on the global market.

    The discrepancy between the official price of gold and the price it is being sold for is growing. The official price in the Sarafa market, as announced by the association, is Rs187,200 per tola. But the price at which it is being sold is reportedly higher.

    According to Geo, due to the rupee’s depreciation against the US dollar during the present cycle, financial experts and goldsmiths predict that the price of gold may increase to Rs200,000 per tola.