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  • Fawad lauds Opposition’s Ahsan Iqbal, Mustafa Khokhar for calling out Fazlur Rehman

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry lauded Opposition members for calling out Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on his statement regarding the Sialkot lynching incident. 

    While referring to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal and Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar’s tweets criticising Fazl’s comments, Fawad said, “The way everyone condemned the incident is commendable,” adding that he hoped the 220 million people of Pakistan, who hold moderate views, would come forward and condemn the incident.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1467434900743757831?s=20

    After the horrific lynching of a Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana, Maulana tweeted, “The incident in Sialkot is reprehensible and shameful. There should be a comprehensive investigation. However, if the state does not take action against those accused of blasphemy, then such incidents will continue to happen.”

    He went on to say that in the past, there had been a similar backlash against “government-sponsored fugitives accused of blasphemy”.

    Ahsan Iqbal said, “Respectfully Maulana Sahab, such incidents should be unconditionally condemned – Islam does not allow such fanaticism and illegal killings by mobs in any case.”

    Similarly, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar took to Twitter and wrote: “Maulana Fazlur Rehman Sahib is a respectable figure but, on this occasion, he should have condemned the Sialkot tragedy by taking a stand in blunt and clear words instead of using ifs and buts.”

    Priyantha was working as a manager at a private factory. He was lynched on Friday by a mob after being accused of alleged blasphemy.

  • Spectacles stolen from Quaid’s statue

    Spectacles stolen from Quaid’s statue

    Monocle from statue of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Vehari got stolen by unidentified people. The statue was installed in front of Deputy commissioner office.

    After the issue came to light on social media, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the incident and summoned report from Multan commissio ner. The chief minister directed the officials to initiate legal action against the accused involved in the incident.

    Pakistan Muslim League N (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif reacted to the news sarcastically.

    However, a new pair of spectacles has been installed.

    Earlier this year in July, a thief in Bahawalpur stole a hockey and a ball from the statue of former hockey player Samiullah Khan.

  • ‘PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry meeting Saad Rizvi was absurd,’says Fawad

    ‘PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry meeting Saad Rizvi was absurd,’says Fawad

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry termed the meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ejaz Chaudhry with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Husain Rizvi as ‘absurd’.

    While speaking on Aaj News’ political news programme ‘Rubaroo with Shaukat Paracha’, Chaudhry questioned: “I think the manner in which Ejaz Chaudhry Sahib [met] the TLP [leadership] was an absurd act. Why didn’t [he] visit the homes of the policemen who were martyred.”

    “Till the time the state doesn’t stand with its martyrs who else will be their [support],” added Fawad.

    “How can there be consensus? People will only fear for [their lives here],” said Fawad.

    Senator Ejaz had met TLP chief Rizvi last month as a “gesture of goodwill” and to congratulate him on his release from jail. Pictures of Senator Ejaz hugging and presenting a bouquet to Mr Rizvi were widely shared on social media.

  • ‘Women are not property,’ Taliban ban forced marriages

    The Taliban issued a decree that bans forced marriages in Afghanistan on Friday, saying women should not be considered “property” and must consent to marriage, reports Al Jazeera.

    It was annouced by Taliban Chief Hibatullah Akhunzada. The international community, which has frozen billions of dollars in funds for Afghanistan, has made women’s and human rights a key element of any future engagement with Afghanistan.

    The decree said, “Both women and men should be equal. No one can force women to marry by coercion or pressure.”

    However, it didn’t mention a minimum age for marriage, which previously was set at 16-years-old.

    The Taliban also allowed a window to re-marry after 17 weeks of her husband’s death. Moreover, the Taliban leadership has ordered Afghan courts to treat women fairly, especially widows seeking inheritance as next of kin.

    The development was hailed on social media by some social media users while most of them shared their concerns.

    https://twitter.com/Nedahalim/status/1466926067323523073?s=20

    During the Taliban’s previous rule from 1996 to 2001, it banned women from leaving the house without a male relative, full face and head covering and girls were made compulsory and restricted from getting education.

    However, now they claim that they have changed but many women, advocates and officials remain skeptical.

  • Humaima Malick comes under fire for controversial picture with her doctor

    Humaima Malick comes under fire for controversial picture with her doctor

    Actress Humaima Malick received polarizing response for her latest pictorial post with her doctor. Netizens slammed her for hugging him in the picture.

    The Maula Jatt star was quick to turn off her comment section to avoid negative comments.

    In November the Bol diva took to social media to warn some netizens for circulating her ‘vulgarly edited’ pictures. She has also threatened her fan pages that she will be seeking legal help against them.

    On the work front, Humiama will be seen next opposite Sheheryar Munawar in Sakina Samo’s directorial.

    Sheheryar Munawar, Asad Siddiqui & Humaima Malick to star in Sakina Samo's next film

    READ: ‘My vulgarly edited pictures’: Humaima Malick threatens to take legal action over viral pictures

  • Video: Faysal, Humayun, Fahad and others win the internet with this viral dance video

    Leading heroes of Pakistani film and television industry, Humayun Saeed, Faysal Qureshi, Adnan Siddiqui, Wahaj Ali, Fahad Sheikh and Faizan Sheikh amongst others danced their hearts out at a mutual friend’s wedding in Karachi.

    The videos from the wedding have circulated across social media platforms.

    Earlier the Qaid-e-Tanhai star joked about roping Humayun and Fahad Mustafa for an item song in his film.

  • Imagine the horror

    Imagine the horror

    Imagine a mob so ruthless, so violent, so remorseless that first, they kill an innocent man for tearing down a poster with religious text on it, then they burn the body in front of hundreds of people and several cameras because somehow their thirst for blood was not enough so now they had to humiliate a dead body. And then some of them had the audacity to take selfies with the burning body. All because he did something without even realising that he could be lynched to death for it. 

    Imagine that this man was a foreign national — a Sri Lankan — working as a factory manager in Sialkot, and whose wife heard about this most tragic incident from news and the internet. Imagine his wife’s shock and horror. Imagine the bereaved widow looking at those videos, those gruesome images, those murderers taking pride in killing her husband. Imagine her helplessness. Imagine that this man has two young children, nine and 14 respectively, who will have to live with this fact for the rest of their lives that their father was killed, nay lynched, by a frenzied mob in Pakistan. 

    Imagine that we live in a country where every other day is a ‘black day’, where every other incident is bone-chilling, where no one is safe, where so many horrors unfold that we move on from one terrifying incident to another and forget about the previous one. What have we become? How have we come to this point? Will our state introspect that our society has become so intolerant that it cannot even protect anyone? Will our state realise how extremism has permeated our society because it has been officially sanctioned through our policies? It is the responsibility of the state to protect the lives of every human being. The misuse of religion for political benefit, the misuse of religion for some vested interest, or allowing the misuse of religion for some external policy will eventually have consequences. And those are the consequences that we are facing every day. There are no words to express what this country is going through — those at the helm of the affairs have to now challenge this extremist ideology or the path ahead is very dark. And every second will then be dark and there will be no turning back. Let people live without fear. A society that has to look over its shoulders all the time cannot progress.

  • ‘He was a really innocent man’: Wife of Sri Lankan manager asks Pakistan for justice

    The wife of Priyantha Kumara, the Sri Lankan national working in Pakistan who was lynched to death by a mob in Sialkot, has made a request to leaders of Pakistan and Sri Lanka to serve justice.

    “I got to know about the brutal murder of my husband from the news, later I saw this on the internet as well. He was a really innocent man” said the wife of Priyantha Kumara while talking to BBC.

    She continued by saying, “I request leaders of Sri Lanka and Pakistan to ensure justice for my husband and two children, by bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

    Priyantha Kumara was tortured to death on Friday by a mob after being accused of blasphemy. Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the incident and has said that justice will be served.

    Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed confidence in PM Imran Khan’s commitment to punishing all those involved.
    The police have arrested more than 100 people involved. Some of those involved gave interviews to local news channels, taking pride in the murder.

  • 99% of his body burnt, Postmortem report of Sri Lankan reveals how he was murdered

    99% of his body burnt, Postmortem report of Sri Lankan reveals how he was murdered

    The postmortem report of Priyantha Kumara, the Sri Lankan national working in Pakistan, has revealed that he died as a result of injuries on his head and face. The report also revealed that 99 per cent of Kumara’s body has been burned. The report also shows that except for his feet, all the bones of his body had been broken.

    As per the report, Priyantha’s liver, stomach and kidney were also affected.

    Priyantha Kumara was tortured to death on Friday by a mob after being accused of blasphemy. Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the incident and has said that justice will be served.

    The police have arrested more than 100 people involved, and one of the main culprits, Farhan Idrees has been arrested. Farhan gave an interview to local news channels, taking pride in the murder he committed

  • ‘Aag laga de gaye’: PML-N Rana Sanaullah warns government

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said if the government tries to hold the upcoming elections using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) he will burn them.

    In a press conference on Friday, Sanaullah while talking about foreign loans stated, “Pakistan has gone bankrupt. The entire economy including the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has been handed over to International Monetary Fund (IMF).”

    He said, “Electronic machine par intekhaab hua toh machino ko polling station se nikal kar aag laga de gaye” (We will try every strategy against EVMs. If the election is held through this [EVMs], we will take out the machines from polling stations and set them on fire.)

    Talking about PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s leaked audio, he claimed that the government is exaggerating about the relevance of the audio.

    Prior to this, Rana talked about EVMs in a show and said if the government tries to force the elections through EVMs, the party would be left with no option but to follow the TLP way of protesting.