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  • ‘They [PML-N] are mafias, always influence courts’: PM Khan

    ‘They [PML-N] are mafias, always influence courts’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday, lashing out at the Opposition, said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are known for “using unfair tactics” to influence courts.

    While referring to the affidavit case of the former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim, the prime minister said the PML-N generated the controversy of the affidavit to pressurise the court which was hearing the case of its leaders Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz.

    “They [PML-N leaders] are mafias and they always influence courts when they feel that they are about to decide their cases,” said the premier.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed informed the media that PM Khan had said that the Sharif family had again been exposed for trying to pressure the judiciary, reports The Express Tribune.

    “The PML-N has pressured courts in the past as well for making decisions in its favour. Everyone knows that the PML-N has a history of pressuring the judiciary” the senator quoted the prime minister as saying.

    “The Sharif family is fighting for its survival while we [PTI] are fighting the nation’s war,” said Javed.

    Talking to a group of spokespersons, the premier urged his spokespersons to vehemently counter “controversies” being created by Opposition leaders, especially in the media, reports Dawn.

  • ICC T20 World Cup: When will Pakistan play arch-rival India?

    ICC T20 World Cup: When will Pakistan play arch-rival India?

    Arch-rivals Pakistan and India will start their 2022 ICC T20 World Cup campaign by having a clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23 2022.

    Both sides are placed together in group 2 in the Super 12 round for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 to be played in Australia. They will be joined by Bangladesh, South Africa and two teams from the first round in the group.

    The schedule for the T20 World Cup 2022 was announced on Friday by the ICC which confirmed that the 16-team tournament will be played from October 16th to November 13th at different venues of Australia.

    Hosts and defending champions Australia will play New Zealand in the opening match of the Super 12 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday, 22 October in a re-match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 final.

    Pakistan will kick off its World Cup 2022 campaign with a match against India on October 23 in Melbourne. The match will start at 1pm PKT.

    On October 27, Pakistan will face the winner of the first round’s Group B, which most likely can be the West Indies. On October 30, the green shirts will take on runner up of first round’s Group A, which – going by seedlings – can be Namibia.

    The semi-finals will be played at the SCG and Adelaide Oval on November 9 and 10, respectively. It will be the first time the Adelaide Oval will host a World Cup semi-final.

    The MCG will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final, which will be contested under lights on November 13, 2022.

    Read More – Video: Indian ‘Mauka Mauka’ ads you might have missed

    Meanwhile, on their last encounter in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Pakistan thrashed India by winning from 10 wickets. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan produced a magnificent batting performance as they remained unbeaten on 68 and 79 respectively to chase down the target with 13 balls remaining.

  • Karachi court says woman convicted of murder is ‘not guilty’ seven months after she died in jail

    Karachi court says woman convicted of murder is ‘not guilty’ seven months after she died in jail

    A Karachi court on January 10 exonerated a woman, Saima Farhan, and four of her family members, for their alleged involvement in a murder case. 

    However, it was too late for Saima, as she was exonerated seven months after her death in Central Jail, where she remained incarcerated for almost a year-and-a-half.

    Saima, 35, who was an aalima and used to teach the Holy Quran to the person she was accused of killing, died in jail on June 14, 2021, due to severe abdominal and kidney issues. Jail authorities, in her death report, also revealed that she was a cancer patient.

    The defence counsel — Muhmmad Akbar Khan and his associate Sheikh Saqib Ahmed — while talking to Geo.tv said: “During the trial, Saima asked us at every hearing: ‘Wakeel sahib, hamein bail kab milegi? (when will we be granted bail)?”

    The lawyers, however, lamented not being able to share the happy news that she was finally exonerated.

    Saima’s incarceration began on February 14, 2020, after she was arrested for allegedly poisoning her neighbour and friend, Rukhsar.

    Following Rukhsar’s death, her mother, Shahnaz, sought to register a complaint against Saima and her family members for allegedly poisoning her daughter.

    Saima’s family members, speaking to Geo.tv, said the complainants built a “false case” against them with the “help of the police” to usurp the property Saima owned.

    Murder charges against Saima were officially framed on February 6, 2021.

    Even after winning a legal battle and emerging innocent, Saima’s family members still await action against the jail authorities, whose denial of her timely medical treatment led to her death.

  • Pakistan records highest number of Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began

    Pakistan records highest number of Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began

    Pakistan has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began. As per the National Command and Operating Center (NCOC), the country recorded 7678 new cases of the deadly virus. The positivity rate has increased to 12.93 per cent.

    Moreover, 23 people lost their lives and 961 patients are in critical condition.

    The total number of cases has risen to 1,353,479 and the death toll is 29,065.

    Read more- NCOC bans indoor events in cities with Covid positivity rate over 10%

    A ban on indoor dinning in major cities including, Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, and Hyderabad will be enforced from today.

  • ‘Establishment, Imran Khan are on same page, you fools’, Sheikh Rasheed refuses to take back statement

    ‘Establishment, Imran Khan are on same page, you fools’, Sheikh Rasheed refuses to take back statement

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has revealed during a political talk show that he was asked to refute his statement that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is backed by the establishment.

    Last week during a press conference, while taking a jibe at the Opposition, Rasheed said, “They [Opposition] want that the hand [protecting] Imran Khan should be on their head as well,” adding, ” this hand can be on their [Opposition] neck but never on their head.”

    Rasheed’s words were indirectly hinting at the establishment.

    Speaking during Geo News programme, Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Rasheed said, “I was asked to take back my statement on Imran Khan [where I had said that the hand protecting Imran Khan can be on Opposition’s neck but never in their support] but I will not take it back.”

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada repeating Rasheed’s statement said, “Your words are being quoted a lot. Your statement has gone to such an extent that people are saying that Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) should give a clarification in this regard.”

    Khanzada continued by saying, ” You say that they [Opposition] have been produced through gate number four [referrring to General Head Quarters (GHQ)] and now you say that the establishment supports Imran Khan.”

    “Establishment and Imran Khan are on the same page, you fools, minor issues do erupt, little music is being played. Just because one is singing the song doesn’t mean everything is going to shambles,” said Rasheed.

    Khanzada further asked Rasheed how does the government plan on going to it’s supporters knowing that the people will know that the establishment is backing PM Khan. To this Rasheed said that he needed time till April to get back and answer this.

  • Malaysia bound PIA flight delayed over hijacking scare

    Malaysia bound PIA flight delayed over hijacking scare

    A Malaysia-bound Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-894 from Islamabad was delayed on Thursday night because of a plane hijacking scare, reports Saama.

    The flight was supposed to take off at 12:30 am but it was cleared by 2 am as the plane was thoroughly searched.

    The national airline’s spokesperson said that as they had doubts about a terror attack, therefore they started a search and checked passengers. This took time and delayed take-off.

    He said that false information was circulated that a hijacking alert has been issued but this wasn’t true.

  • Five Covid-19 cases reported in three different franchises ahead of PSL 7

    Five Covid-19 cases reported in three different franchises ahead of PSL 7

    Five cases have been reported from as many as three franchises of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition which is set to start from January 27 in Karachi.

    As per details, two of the officials for the PSL 2022 season have now tested positive for Covid-19 which is not a piece of ideal news for the board.

    According to reports, West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer, Australian all-rounder James Faulkner and England left-arm seamer Luke Wood have all tested positive for Covid-19 and are placed in isolation. They were expected to arrive in Karachi but their arrival has now been delayed and they will also miss the first game for the Quetta Gladiators against the Peshawar Zalmi.

    The majority of the players and all of the officials are expected to join the bio-bubble in Karachi by tonight, which has been set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to conduct Covid-19 tests as the majority of the personnel have been engaged in cricketing activities; this might result in additional Covid-19 positive cases being reported.

    As per Cricket Pakistan, a couple of PCB officials have also fallen prey to the pandemic whereas some players’ families have also reported testing positive for Covid-19.

    All the matches of the upcoming edition of PSL will be held in just the two venues of Lahore and Karachi to reduce the possibility of players contracting the virus through travel. The crowd capacity for the matches has been reduced to 25 percent and this will be a huge responsibility for the PCB to ensure the tournament is conducted according to safety measures.

    Chairman PCB, Ramiz Raja already had measures in place for the Covid-19 scenario and the franchises have agreed to take the field if each of the squad has 13 players available in order to ensure that the matches are not skipped.

  • PTI offers Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid Lahore mayor candidature

    PTI offers Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid Lahore mayor candidature

    The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has offered Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid to contest the all-important Lahore Mayor elections in the local government elections expected to be held in May this year, reports Dawn.

    Rashid has not given her consent upfront as she wanted to discuss the ways to contest the upcoming election.

    The news outlet further states that Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar has recommended Dr Rashid as the mayor candidate to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    Dawn states that the premier had assigned the task to Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood to convince Dr Rashid to become Lahore Mayor candidate.

  • Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic owns biotech firm developing Covid drug

    Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic owns biotech firm developing Covid drug

    Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic owns a majority stake in a biotechnology firm, which is working on a way to immunise people against Covid without a vaccine. The Serbian tennis star has been vocal in his opposition to jabs, and appears to be actively invested in finding a way for others like himself to be protected without the need for a needle.

    It was revealed by Reuters on Wednesday that Djokovic has purchased an 80% share of QuantBioRes, which is headquartered in Copenhagen.

    The firm is working on a way to counter the virus without the need for people to get the vaccine against coranavirus.

    The company’s chief executive Ivan Loncarevic told Reuters that Djokovic made the investment more than a year ago, clarifying that it was not a response to his recent saga in Australia.

    He subsequently told the Financial Times that he had not spoken to Djokovic, who has won more than $150m in prize money, since November and that the tennis star was “not anti-vax”.

    Djokovic travelled to Australia at the start of the month with the plan of taking part in the Australian Open, but was held at the airport in Melbourne over a visa issue.

    Eventually, the day before the tournament began, the Federal Court upheld the Australian government’s decision and deported the world number one tennis player.

    Djokovic, who may also be barred from defending his French Open title in Roland Garros in May after the French government ruled on Monday that all athletes will have to be vaccinated in order to attend and compete in sporting events, acquired his stake in the company in June 2020.

  • Taliban call for Muslim nations to recognise them

    Taliban call for Muslim nations to recognise them

    Afghan Prime Minister (PM) Mohammad Hassan Akhund has called on Muslim nations to be the first to officially recognise the government that seized power in Afghanistan in August.

    “I call on Muslim countries to take the lead and recognise us officially. Then I hope we will be able to develop quickly”, Akhund said and stressed that it’s for the public.

    No country has yet recognised the Taliban government. After they gained power, they promised rights for women but they are largely excluded from government employment, and secondary schools for girls are closed.

    According to the recently released report by United Nations (UN), jobs have dried up and women’s employment levels are extremely low by global standards.

    The lack of work also threatens to worsen child labour levels in Afghanistan, where only 40 per cent of children aged five to 17 years old attend school. Moreover, the UN has warned that half the population is threatened with food shortages.

    Last month, a special meeting of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held to discuss the Afghanistan crisis. However, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister (FM) was excluded from the official photograph taken during the event.