Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, held a meeting with Deputy PM of Interim Afghan Govt. Abdul Salam Hanafi. Bilateral trade, connectivity & people-to-people contacts were discussed during the meeting.
In the meeting matters of bilateral importance focused on political consultations between the two governments.
MoS @HinaRKhar held meeting with the Deputy PM of Interim Afghan Govt. Abdul Salam Hanafi. Minister for Mines & Petroleum Shahabuddin Delawar was also present. Bilateral trade, connectivity & people-to-people contacts were discussed#MoSinKabulpic.twitter.com/iHGNFhVDuE
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 29, 2022
She also held a meeting with Women Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting Pakistan expressed a keen interest in strengthening linkages between women entrepreneurs of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
MOS @HinaRKhar in meeting with Women Chamber of Comm.: -Underlined imp. role of women in society -Expressed ’s keen interest in strengthening linkages b/w women entrepreneurs of & -Announced to give preference to import of products by women run businesses#MoSinKabulpic.twitter.com/WDAfrHjF1v
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 29, 2022
This visit is being perceived as important because it is led by a female minister and that this is a top Pakistani official’s first visit since the April government transition.
Actor Iqra Aziz in an Instagram post announced last month that she is retracting from a project with Feroze Khan after he was accused of domestic violence.
“To stay silent in the face of injustice is to side with the oppressor.’ In lieu of the situation regarding domestic violence, I have made the difficult but necessary decision to retract my project with Feroze Khan as a sign of support for victims of domestic abuse. I support Aliza Sultan for seeking justice, more strength and power to you,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
After Iqra’s announcement, her sister Sidra took to her social media handle to share details of Iqra’s decision-making process while opting out of the project.
Now Iqra has opened up on her decision in a chat show, the Ranjha Ranjha Kardi diva said she simply was not comfortable working with him after he was accused of domestic violence by his wife Aliza Sultan. She said everyone has the right to choose how they want to work and who they want to work with.
Aziz appeared on The Talk Talk Show and talked about her retraction. “For me, it was a very personal decision. I did what I thought was right for me and [it was] what I wanted to do, what according to me was the right choice. I took a decision — I wasn’t comfortable working with him, so I said no. I wasn’t waiting for anything to be proved to take action because, before that, there was a time in which we worked together (Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3) and I wasn’t comfortable with him during that so I said no this time.” she said.
The host summarised her point saying that the bottom line is it’s okay for an actor to have the liberty to say no if they’re uncomfortable working with someone. “Of course!” Aziz responded. “I think that we live in an era where, whether it’s a woman or a man, working in this industry or anywhere, other than the choice of career, they have the right to say yes or no to however they want to work according to their comfort level and to who they’re comfortable working with.”
The interviewer then asked her if her take would be any different if in the future the allegations proved to be false in court. “I think we have to wait for that time then. We can only decide that then, we can’t decide before time thinking what if this happens, just based on assumptions,” replied the Suno Chanda actor.
When the host tried to dig into the matter some more, Aziz put a stop to it with an uncomfortable chuckle and asked him to leave it at that instead of delving deep into it.
Actor Osman Khalid Butt is always advocating for relevant topics, especially women rights and misogyny. The Baaji star came under scrutiny post his performance at LSA’22, where alleged domestic abuser Feroze Khan was awarded in the Best Actor category.
After his performance, he received a hefty amount of criticism for ‘siding with abusers’ about which, he has released a statement today that clears the air about his stance. He stated that he was contacted more than a week before the ceremony to perform and co-host a segment. At that time, nominations weren’t announced.
In response to those who still have questions, and those who passed judgment. Here’s what happened. pic.twitter.com/0rjwkHtHkd
‘My only reservation, which I made clear before agreeing was that I could not attend, let alone perform at the ceremony if Feroze was present there (which has nothing to do with his acting prowess, and everything to do with the very serious allegations levied by his ex-wife), and I was assured that he would not. That commitment was honored.” He wrote.
He further elaborated that he got his hosting segment freed of ‘controversial nominations’.
‘I will continue to raise my voice: feminism is not a brand I wear, it is ingrained in my very being.’ He concluded.
Earlier this year Osman clapped back to an age-shaming troll on his Instagram handle. The netizen took a dig at the Chupke Chupke star by stating that he has started to look like an “uncle.”
The Diyar-e-Dil hero replied by saying, “Catching up to you, aren’t I?”.
Last year, Butt shared a comment by Zahid Ahmed in which the latter said that Pakistani television is okay with showing violence but not intimacy, Butt received a message from a social media user who alleged that the actors use this as a “pathetic excuse to get physical with female actors”.
“We can slap women on TV but can’t show intimacy,” Zahid had said in a recent interview. Osman shared his colleague’s statement with the caption: “Strange indeed.”
Replying to Butt’s story, an Instagram user messaged: “Just a pathetic excuse to get physical with female actors. Not to mention the influence it has on society and especially on young children and teens.”
Instead of ignoring the comment, Osman decided to school the troll explaining that “intimacy is just not sex”.
“Yeah so reactions like this are wholly predictable,” said Butt.
Elaborating further, the actor said: “First off: intimacy is not just sex. Secondly, I’d rather my child see a healthy intimate relationship between fictional spouses than, you know, physical abuse being normalized.”
“The nerve to talk about ‘influence’,” he concluded.
In a separate interview, while sharing where the desire to speak about women-related issues comes from Butt said: “Artists have a responsibility [to speak out] because art is very socially relevant, and I think good art creates empathy and empathy is required to bring [social] change.”
Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik and the petroleum secretary have flown to Russia to hold talks over oil and gas, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Monday on the condition of anonymity.
The trip comes as the country struggles to meet domestic gas supply demands as winter approaches while battling to contain a current account deficit swelled by energy payments, mostly for oil.
Ishaq Dar, the federal minister of finance, had already stated that the delegation will discuss an oil contract with Moscow.
“We should pray the visit is successful and the government manages to secure a deal on favourable terms and conditions,” Dar said during an interview.
Given the sharp rise in the cost of energy commodities in recent months, buying Russian oil at lower prices has gained popularity. This has been difficult, especially for emerging economies like Pakistan, whose energy requirements are mostly met by imports of petroleum.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said that during the first four months of the current fiscal year, Pakistan imported petroleum products worth $7.547 billion.
Dar had earlier stated, speaking to a crowd in Dubai on November 13, that Islamabad hoped to clinch an import pact with Moscow on conditions comparable to those of New Delhi. He said that Pakistan could purchase oil from Russia since India was doing the same, and the US had been informed of this.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif met the outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Islamabad on Monday as a part of the army chief’s farewell visits.
During the meeting between the two, the Premier commended General Bajwa’s services and said that he played an exemplary role in bringing Pakistan out of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic and floods, reports Radio Pakistan.
He said the Pakistan Army under the leadership of General Qamar Javed Bajwa played a valiant role in crushing terrorism in the country.
“You got the honour of leading the world’s best army,” the prime minister told COAS Bajwa.
In response, General Bajwa thanked PM Shehbaz for his support in handling matters of national importance.
Before meeting the Premier, the army chief paid a farewell visit to President Dr Arif Alvi at the Aiwan-e-Sadar where the president also commended Gen Bajwa’s services in the field of defence and also appreciated his services to the country and the Pakistan Army.
The president also expressed best wishes for Gen Bajwa in his future endeavours.
Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony will be held tomorrow (November 29).
Gen Bajwa will hand over the “baton of command” to General Asim Munir, who was selected to become the new army chief by PM Shehbaz on November 24. General Asim will be the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army.
General Bajwa is set to retire on November 29 after six years in office. He was appointed in 2016 by then-PM Nawaz Sharif and later granted an additional three-year extension in 2019 by former PM Imran Khan.
Former interior minister and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed on Sunday posted a video of an aerial view of a double-carriage road jammed with cars on both sides.
Sheikh Rasheed posted the video on his Twitter handle, claiming that it showed traffic gridlocked during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s power show held in Rawalpindi on November 26. The video clip had a PTI anthem as the background which made it appear as if the clip was an aerial shot of the PTI’s march to Rawalpindi.
However, the claim is wrong, as the shared visuals are actually of a traffic jam in Los Angeles, California. This clip was first shared back in 2017 as part of live coverage by US broadcaster ABC News.
Following this blunder, Twitterati not only corrected the senior politician but also relished in the chance to mock him.
You gotta be kidding me. Ye bhi watsapp groups walay kr ray hain! Sabko aik he video mil gai hai ost krnay ko. O bhaee ye Amreeka hai! ♀️
This is not the first time that a fake video/picture of PTI’s rally has been posted.
Earlier, PTI leader Qasim Suri shared a fake screenshot of CNN, claiming it was covering Imran Khan’s rally in Haripur.
In April, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan also shared fake visuals claiming to show a photo from the United States (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), stating that it was from the party’s rally.
The picture shared by Ali actually shows the lights in the Iberian Peninsula, which falls in-between Spain and Portugal.
Due to an upsurge in complaints about teachers’ absences, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has deployed artificial intelligence (AI)-based video systems in schools to monitor students’ and teachers’ live attendance.
According to Zarif-ul-Mani, MD of the Elementary Schools Education Foundation (ESEF), the AI-based attendance system in the foundation schools would uphold the standard of instruction and improve student performance.
He also described how the School Management Information System (SMIS) works to guarantee quality, accountability, and a simple transfer of scholarship cash to partners.
He also commended the ESEF’s e-governance division for reviving this project, which had been mismanaged in the past.
Additionally, the project would reduce dropout rates while guaranteeing that professors are present and that classes start on schedule.
Prior to that, the government of Sindh made the decision to take strong action against teachers who were getting their wages while staying at home and neglecting their jobs.
The provincial education agency reportedly stopped more than 2,000 “ghost teachers” being paid across the province.
According to Express Tribune, Akbar Laghari, the education secretary for Sindh, said in a statement on the choice that they have filed a letter to the AG for Sindh asking him to cease paying the wages of 2,019 ghost teachers.
He added that the department would fire the “ghost teachers” and would do everything it took to ensure that teachers showed up for work.
Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony will be held tomorrow (Tuesday), military’s media-wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed on Monday, marking the time-honoured tradition that symbolises the seamless transition of military leadership.
Outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will hand over the “baton of command” to General Asim Munir, who was selected to become the new army chief by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on November 24.
General Asim Munir will be the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army.
Former military leadership will also participate in the function at General HeadQuaters (GHQ).
General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on President Arif Alvi to for his farewell as the 16th COAS at the President’s House.
Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, paid a farewell call on President Dr. Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/ELEp34UcOL
Later in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the COAS in his office for the farewell visit before hosting a luncheon in his honour.
وزیراعظم شہباز شریف سے آرمی چیف جنرل قمر جاوید باجوہ کی الوداعی ملاقات ۔۔۔ پاک فوج ، ملکی دفاع اور قومی مفادات کے لئے خدمات کی تعریف ۔۔۔ 1/2@CMShehbazpic.twitter.com/UkgC8Oq0RJ
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has announced that the former ruling party will decide on the matter of dissolution of the assemblies today in the presence of senior leadership.
Chaudhry explained in a tweet, stating that the party’s senior leadership will be meeting on Monday. “In this meeting, the date of dissolution of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, and resignation from the Sindh and Balochistan Assembly will be considered.”
تحریک انصاف کی سینئر لیڈرشپ کا اجلاس آج طلب کر لیا گیا ہے، اس اجلاس میں پنجاب اور خیبر پختونخواہ اسمبلی تحلیل کرنے،سندہ اور بلوچستان اسمبلی سے مستعفیٓ ہونے کی تاریخ پر غور کیا جائیگا،ان فیصلوں سے پاکستان کی 64 فیصد نشستیں خالی ہو جائیں گی اور عام انتکابات کی راہ ہموار ہو گی
The former minister added with these decisions, 64 per cent of seats in all assemblies would be “vacant and will pave the way for general elections”.
On Saturday, party chief Imran Khan, addressing a charged crowd in Rehmanabad, said that PTI wouldn’t be part of “this system” and would quit all the assemblies.
Khan said that he would announce the exact date in the next few days.
It is pertinent to mention that Khan’s PTI is in power in Punjab, KP, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Following the announcement, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi showed support for Khan’s decision.
In a video message on Sunday, he said, “When Imran tells me to dissolve the assemblies, I won’t even wait half a minute,” Elahi said, adding that “PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 27km-long [federal] government won’t even last for 27 hours.”
پنجاب حکومت عمران خان کی امانت ہے۔ ہم وضع دار لوگ ہیں جس کے ساتھ چلتے ہیں اس کا ساتھ نہیں چھوڑتے۔ اسمبلیوں سے جب استعفے دئیے تو شہباز شریف کی 27 کلومیٹر کی حکومت 27 گھنٹے بھی نہیں چل سکے گی۔ عمران خان اسمبلیاں تو ڑنے کا کہیں گے تو ایک منٹ کی دیر نہیں ہوگی۔ #ImranKhan#Punjabpic.twitter.com/xHDHATucxJ
The captain of England cricket team Ben Stokes has announced to donate his match fee for the three-match series against Pakistan.
In his entire statement, the England Test captain said: “It is great to be in Pakistan for the first time for this historic series. To be back here after 17 years as a Test side is very exciting. There is a sense of responsibility amongst the playing and support group and to be there is special.” “The floods that devastated Pakistan earlier this year were very sad to see and have had a significant impact on the country and the people,” he added.
I’m donating my match fees from this Test series to the Pakistan Flood appeal ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BgvY0VQ2GG
England is currently on Pakistan’s tour for a test series. This is the first time in 17 years that England have toured Pakistan and the three-match series will be a part of the World Test Championship.
