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  • No difference between us and them’: PM Khan dissolves all PTI organisations

    No difference between us and them’: PM Khan dissolves all PTI organisations

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Friday announced that after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suffered a huge setback in the first phase of the recently held local government (LG) elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the party has decided to dissolve its organisational structure.

    During the meeting of the party spokespersons, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was dissatisfied with the party’s performance in KP local body polls.

    “But the way tickets were awarded […] PTI does not believe in dynastic politics. PM Imran has never let his personal relations affect his mission,” informed Fawad, while addressing the media.

    Criticising how tickets were distributed, PM Khan said that candidates should be awarded party tickets on merit, which is the opposite of what happened in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    “If that culture seeps into the PTI, there will be no difference between us and them,” said the premier.

    The prime minister — after consulting with the party leadership — has decided to dissolve all organisations from the centre to the tehsils, Fawad said. “Chief organisers and all office bearers have been removed from their positions,” he said.

    “It has also been decided that the local leadership will not award party tickets when it comes to their relatives. A special committee will be formed where the case will be forwarded and it will decide whether or not to award the ticket.”

    Earlier, PM Imran Khan directed the Punjab government and PTI leadership to begin homework for the upcoming local government elections in the province, adding that he would personally oversee the preparations.

    “The government and party leadership should strictly select candidates on merit and avoid dynastic politics, which was exposed after causing damage to the party in KP,” said PM Khan.

    “The mistakes made in KP must not be repeated in Punjab,” he stressed. With candidates selected on merit, PM Khan said, the PTI would give a tough time to its opponents in the local government elections in Punjab.

  • President, PM extend their wishes to the Christian community on Christmas

    President, PM extend their wishes to the Christian community on Christmas

    President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan have greeted the christian community on the occasion of Christmas.

    President and Prime Minister in separate messages, have assured that the government will continue to safeguard rights and privileges of all minorities living in the country, Radio Pakistan has reported.

    They also commended sincere and invaluable services rendered by the Christian community in the fields of defence, education, health as well as economic development of the country.

    They said that the government will empower the minorities to use their abilities for national development

  • ‘Women are still the victims of war’: Angelina Jolie opens up about violence against women

    ‘Women are still the victims of war’: Angelina Jolie opens up about violence against women

    Hollywood star Angelina Jolie talked about the violence against women act (VAWA).

    She had a meeting with politician Cori Bush speaking about domestic violence and giving some steps to cure it.

    Reflecting on their meeting Bush tweeted, “I’m forever grateful to get to work in partnership with such strong women across the country in our movement to end domestic violence.”

    “As a survivor myself, this fight is personal,” the Tweet read.

    She also expressed gratitude towards Jolie while adding, “Thank you to Angelina Jolie for your leadership to put an end to violence against women.”

    The 46 year old actor on her meeting at Capitol hill in September, she upheld the cause of the act and consistently expressed her feeling for children’s better health.

    Earlier during her speech at the Eternals press meet, she stated: “I am thinking tonight of all the women who are bringing us through the pandemic: the scientists, the doctors, nurses… so many others who are showing us what strength and sacrifice are and whose contribution transcends borders.”

    She stated in 2019 that the world “will remain stuck in a cycle of violence and conflicts” as long as nations continue to put almost every other issue ahead of women’s equality, rights and participation.

    Jolie, who is a special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, added in a keynote address to a ministerial meeting on U.N. peacekeeping that “denying half a population representation in peace negotiations or in government is not the route to long-term stability.”

    There are many examples around the world of successful and inspiring women, she said, “but women and girls are still the majority of the victims of war,” over half the world’s refugees, and “the vast majority” of victims of rape and sexual violence.

  • After delivering blockbuster ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’, Adnan Siddiqui wants to quit acting? Fahad Mustafa reacts

    After delivering blockbuster ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’, Adnan Siddiqui wants to quit acting? Fahad Mustafa reacts

    Actor Adnan Siddiqui took to his social media handle to express that he is considering to leave the field of acting for an entrepreneurial career after being inspired by Elon Musk.

    The Ahista Ahista star asked his fans to suggest him an alternate career path.

    Fellow celebrity Fahad Mustafa reacted to his statement and told him that he is with Adnan in this.

    In November, Adnan took to his twitter handle to share his stance on the Faisalabad incident.

    Four women in Faisalabad were beaten by locals on the accusation of theft in Bawa Chak Market where dozens of people locked the women inside an electric shop.

  • Kashmiri students await justice, arrested for alleged celebrations of India’s loss to Pak in cricket

    Three Kashmiri students are still awaiting justice after they were arrested by the police for allegedly celebrating Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 Worldcup in October this year. The police charged them with sedition, reports by The Wire.

    The students whose names are Arsheed Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh, and Showkat Ahmed Ganai were admitted to Raja Balwant Singh Engineering College in Agra. They also got expelled from the university as well. Police arrested them on October 27 after they uploaded some statuses on WhatsApp. Currently, they are in Agra jail for over 50 days.

    After the rejection of their bail petitions in lower courts, their applications are now proceeding to Allahabad High Court.

    Their families appealed bail orders for their sons but the Allahabad High Court in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) could not hear their applications for bail because of some procedural delays.

    Prior to this, lawyers refused to aid the jailed students in Agra as they were labelled “anti-nationalists.” Some volunteers and student unions arranged legal aid in the city of UP, Mathura. Another application was also filed to move the case from Agra to Mathura alongside the bail plea but it is still pending in court.

    The lawyer who represented the students, Madhuvan Dutt said, ”Justice Suneet Kumar was hearing the petitions today [Thursday] after lunch. Applications were heard until article number 43 however, our article number was 76. So our application was not disposed of. It is likely to come up only around the 6th or the 7th of January.”

    Dutt added, “All litigants in UP are suffering with these delays. Three of our appeals for the transfer application could not be heard because there was no sitting judge. This delay is causing injustice for all litigants.”

    According to a friend and mentor to the students, Manzoor Wani, other Kashmiri students faced harassment and threats after the arrest.

    The hopes of the student’s families are fading due to delays in the hearing.

  • Video: Waqar Younis grooves on Indian song with wife

    Video: Waqar Younis grooves on Indian song with wife

    Former Pakistan coach Waqar Younis’s video clip, where he can be seen dancing and enjoying his brother-in-law’s wedding, has gone viral on social media.

    The wedding event was held in Karachi on Thursday.

    The former Pakistani cricketer’s wife, Dr Faryal, can also be seen in the video, dancing her heart out at the function.

    The couple can be seen dancing in joy to the tune of a song in the middle of the dance floor as others look on.

    The former fast bowler graced the dance floor on popular Bollywood dance number ‘Dilli Wali Girlfriend’, which went viral on social media.

    Waqar’s brother-in-law got married in Karachi on Thursday.

    At the function, the former coach can be seen wearing a black sherwani.

    Earlier, a video of former Pakistan captain and ex-wicketkeeper Moin Khan shaking a leg on his son’s wedding with actor Ali Ansari was doing the rounds on social media.

    Veteran cricketer Wasim Akram and his wife Shaniera Akram swayed at the wedding.

  • PTI MNAs call for Hammad Azhar’s resignation, threaten to protest in NA

    PTI MNAs call for Hammad Azhar’s resignation, threaten to protest in NA

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Abdul Shakoor Shad has reportedly demanded Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar’s resignation over the gas crisis in Karachi.

    Shad said, “For the rights of Lyari people, I will protest in National Assembly (NA).” Apart from Azhar’s, he has also demanded the resignation of the Managing Director (MD) of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

    Another PTI’s MNA Captain (R) Jamil Ahmed Khan has threatened to protest in the House. He has written a letter to the federal minister that people from his constituency (Malir) are not happy because of the gas shortage.

    Prior to this, PTI’s Aftab Siddiqui also wrote a letter to the administration that Azhar’s behavior is discreditable and disclosed that the minister doesn’t even respond to messages. He warned that PTI can lose by-elections in Karachi as they did in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    On the other hand, Hammad said on Friday that he is aware of the gas crisis in Karachi but refused to accept any responsibility and blamed the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) restraining order.

    The provincial court restrained the Ministry and Sui Gas companies from giving any effect to the government’s notification of suspending gas supply to non-export general industries.

    In a press conference, Azhar said that for the past several years, the system has faced gas shortage in the winter season, while demand increases 3-5 times.

    While addressing the gas crisis in the country, the federal minister admitted that, “The government could not provide the fuel source through expensive imports beyond a limit and that the system has faced depletion of output with a 9 per cent reduction each year.”

    Azhar added that imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), which Pakistan has increasingly relied on in recent years, has become “extremely expensive”.

    “There is a stay on the provision of gas to priority areas. In the next hearing on December 30, we will bring it up,” he stated.

    Moreover, the minister assured, “SSGC and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) teams are working day and night to improve gas management despite rising demand and yearly decline in gas reserves.”

    SSGC has said that it currently faces shortages of around 250 to 260 million standard cubic feet per day (mmcfd), with demand in winter rising to 1,250 mmcfd.

    Due to the immense shortage, residents are forced to buy cylinders for regular chores not only in Karachi but all over Pakistan.

  • Putin says insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is not artistic freedom

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) doesn’t count as an expression of artistic freedom. Putin made a bold plea for religious freedom and against the gross neglect of human rights. Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at people hurting the feelings of Muslims.

    Insults to the Prophet (PBUH) are a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam,”, Putin said on Thursday during his annual news conference, Russian News Agency TASS reported. 

    Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned placing Nazi photos that praised the Immortal Regiment of Russians.

    While admiring essence of freedom, nobody has the right to violate freedom of others, said Putin.

    Previously, Prime Minister Imran Khan has also called out Islamophobia.

    The premier said that the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has recognised as an emerging threat, as it increases the tendency of right-wing, xenophobic, and violent nationalists, extremists, and terrorist groups to target Muslims.

    “We hope the Secretary-General’s report will focus on these new threats of terrorism posed by Islamophobes and right-wing extremists,” the prime minister said.

    “I call on the Secretary-General to convene a global dialogue on countering the rise of Islamophobia. Our parallel efforts, at the same time, should be to promote interfaith harmony, and they should continue,” he added.

  • Spinning maestro Harbhajan Singh retires from cricket

    Spinning maestro Harbhajan Singh retires from cricket

    Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has retired from all formats of cricket. The cricketer announced the news on Twitter.

    Taking to Twitter, Harbhajan wrote: “All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.”

    The cricketer also thanked everyone saying that he is “grateful”.

    In a video message, the 41-year-old said that “in many ways, I had already retired”, but because of his commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he was forced to delay the announcement.

    “There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket,” he said. “In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement.”

    “I haven’t been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire.”

    Harbhajan last played for India in March 2016, in a T20I against the UAE in Dhaka in that year’s Asia Cup.

    The former cricketer concluded by saying: “Now I begin a new chapter in my life, which starts with its own challenges. Believe me, your Turbanator is ready for the examination! Just keep showering your love on me.”

  • ‘Will see you soon in Pak’: Nawaz Sharif hints yet again at coming back

    ‘Will see you soon in Pak’: Nawaz Sharif hints yet again at coming back

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has hinted at coming back to Pakistan.

    The PML-N leader while addressing a conference with party workers and leaders said, “Thank you all very much, see you soon in Pakistan.”

    Senior party leaders have hinted at the same stance as that of their leader Nawaz Sharif. Former Speaker National Assembly (NA) Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday said that Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan soon.

    Ayaz Sadiq said that the opponents of PML-N are afraid that Shehbaz Sharif might not leave for London. He went on to say that he has not seen any man more cowardly than PM Imran Khan in politics.

    He mentioned that the premier’s ‘good governance’ has turned into bad governance while Nawaz Sharif has left all his matters to Allah.

    PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah while talking to the media said, “The decision of Nawaz Sharif’s return before the election will be his own and he will come back whenever he wants.”

    “The party wants Nawaz Sharif to be assured of justice and the party has decided that he should not return unless he is assured of justice,” said Rana Sanaullah.