Blog

  • NCOC recommends indoor dining at 50 per cent occupancy for vaccinated individuals only

    NCOC recommends indoor dining at 50 per cent occupancy for vaccinated individuals only

    The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said Monday it has allowed restaurants to operate at 50 per cent indoor capacity only for vaccinated individuals.

    These decisions will be implemented from July 1-31, with a review on July 27.

    Markets and business activities will continue till 10pm. However, essential services — petrol pumps, pharmacies, medical facilities, vaccination centre, milk shops, tandoors, and takeaways — are allowed to operate 24/7.

    Restaurant and hotel management would institute a mechanism for checking the vaccination certificates of guests and will also ensure vaccination of respective management and staff, the NCOC said, adding that takeaways will be allowed 24/7.

    400 people have been allowed to attend outdoor marriages, while indoor marriages have been permitted for only vaccinated individuals, with a cap of 200 people.

    Cinemas are allowed to re-open with strict Covid protocols for vaccinated individuals only till 1am.

    Cinemas’ management will institute a mechanism for checking vaccination certificates of visitors and will also ensure vaccination of respective management and staff.

    Shrines are allowed to re-open at the discretion of federating units, while adherence to strict Covid SOPs.

    Continuation of normal working hours for public and private offices with 100 per cent attendance.

    Public transport is allowed to operate with 70 per cent occupancy with strict Covid SOPs. Railway services are allowed to operate with 70 per cent occupancy.

  • Sindh Assembly: PTI lawmakers bring charpoy to mark ‘funeral of democracy’

    Sindh Assembly: PTI lawmakers bring charpoy to mark ‘funeral of democracy’

    There was a ruckus in the Sindh Assembly when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members disrupted the ongoing session after opposition leader, Haleem Adil Sheikh, was denied permission to address the assembly.

    Haleem Adil Sheikh requested to speak first but Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani denied him permission, saying the scheduled business would be carried out first and members would be allowed to speak on their points of order later, reports Dawn.

    This caused the Opposition members to protest against the Speaker. Amid the sloganeering, some of the protesting members brought a folding charpoy into the House, marking ‘funeral of democracy’ in the Sindh Assembly.

    “Jamhooriyat ka janaaza hai, zara dhoom se nikle” (It is the funeral of democracy, should be taken out with fanfare).

    Speaker Siraj Durrani said this was an insult to the House.

  • In-camera briefing for lawmakers on Afghanistan, national security

    In-camera briefing for lawmakers on Afghanistan, national security

    Speaker National Assembly (NA) Asad Qaiser has summoned a session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on July 1 at 3pm for a briefing on the latest regional situation in light of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

    Speaker Asad Qaiser will chair the in-camera meeting. The meeting will discuss the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan. Leader of the Opposition in NA Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other lawmakers will attend the meeting. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak will also be part of the in-camera meeting from the government’s side. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will also attend the meeting as well as other parliamentarians.

    Bilawal Bhutto tweeted that he had demanded on the floor of the house that the parliament be briefed on the Afghanistan situation by the relevant departments and institutions. “We welcome Speakers decision and will participate in NSC committee meeting on the topic.”

  • Ayeza Khan reveals that one habit she changed for husband Danish Taimoor

    Ayeza Khan reveals that one habit she changed for husband Danish Taimoor

    Ayeza Khan is currently riding high on the success of her last blockbuster drama Chupke Chupke, she revealed a habit of hers that she changed for husband Danish Taimoor.

    The actress appeared on The Mazedaar Show With Aadi Faizan where she was asked if she enjoys going near the waves on a beach or if she prefers to just enjoy the view from a distance. The Mere Paas Tum Ho diva replied by saying that she had a habit of interacting with the waves but she stopped doing that as her husband doesn’t like doing that.

    She also confessed that her marriage with Danish was a mixture of arrange marriage and love marriage as the duo married after breaking up initially due to personal reasons.

  • Hostile intelligence agency involved in Lahore blast: CM Buzdar

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar in a press conference has said that the blast in Johar Town, Lahore, was carried out by a “hostile intelligence agency”. CM Punjab said that terrorists involved in the attack have been arrested.

    “It was found that a hostile intelligence agency was involved, which provided financial help to this network,” said CM Buzdar.

    “The Punjab government established an investigation team. I am satisfied to tell you that the investigation was started by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the suspects were identified within 16 hours. In four days, the terrorists were arrested in raids in the country.”

    CM Punjab also thanked all law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) for their efforts and termed the arrests of the suspects in the blast as a “big success”.

    “I want to inform you that the Punjab government has traced all high-profile cases in the province and arrested their suspects,” added Buzdar.

    A powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed killed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable.

  • Online retailer store refuses to deliver products to Ahmadi area

    An online retailer store refused to deliver its products to Chenab Nagar, stating that it is a ‘blasphemous area’, online digital media outlet Propergaanda has reported.

    The screenshot shared by the publication shows the message sent by the online retailer store to the customer says: “Hi, We had received your order. We regret to inform you that we had cancelled your order and we are not delivering the Chenab Nagar as it’s blasphemous Area for us. We can’t deliver to Qadians Areas.”

    People on social media are calling out the store for this act:

    Earlier, this month an Ahmadi graveyard in Sheikhupura was attacked by extremists who attempted to stop the burial of an Ahmadi woman.

  • Meet Manu Bebo, first transgender makeup artist in occupied Kashmir

    Meet Manu Bebo, first transgender makeup artist in occupied Kashmir

    Manu Bebo, Kashmir’s first transgender makeup artist is breaking barriers in her area. Manu is winning hearts all over social media with her flawless makeup tutorials.  

    Speaking to Geo News, Manu said, “Everyone appreciates my work. It makes me feel very happy and proud.”

    Manu was born in a middle class family in Srinagar and was raised as a boy. She had a happy childhood like other children. She enjoyed playing video games. But as she turned 13, she started feeling different.

    “After my sister got married, I was feeling very lonely. I had many female friends and I started realising that I too wanted to be a girl. I started to wonder why God didn’t make me a girl,” Manu said.  

    She said with time she understood that she had the “soul” of a girl.

    She received backlash from family, friends and relatives for thinking like this. She faced rejection and society made fun of her.

     “I was badly bullied during my high school days and I felt mentally tortured to such an extent that I decided to quit my studies. Later on, I got used to it, and eventually, I didn’t care.”

    She said that even her family was ridiculed because of her. But as the time passed, they too stopped caring about what others said.

    Manu was not able to continue her studies after the 12th grade but she was ambitious to make something of herself. She decided to start her own business.

    Transgender community in Kashmir mostly earns their living by singing and dancing at weddings or by matchmaking. But Manu chose to stand out and make her own way. That is when she decided to improve her makeup skills.

    “Makeup is something that I’ve always enjoyed doing and when one has an opportunity to start a career in something that is enjoyable, then why not do that? I am totally self-taught and don’t have any professional training,” said Manu, who speaks and writes fluently in English.

    Manu started her venture four years back and with her hard work and commitment, she earned a name for herself everywhere in Kashmir. She has thousands of followers on social media.

    “I believe in doing the work that earns you respect. Why should I dance at weddings and bear people’s shameless, humiliating laughter?”

    Manu credited her mother for her success.

    “I am happy with my life. I don’t have any regrets. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or how they react. I earn my own money and my family is fine with whatever I do.”

    She said that people in Kashmir are supportive  and people are more welcoming and respectful of them.

    Motivating her fellow transgenders, she said, “To all the transgenders out there, or even those people who are forced to hide: be yourself, as life is too short to give weight to what people think. Whether you do good or bad, people will always have something negative to say. So just don’t pay attention to such people, and rise, like a boss.”

  • Younis Khan breaks silence on feud with Hassan Ali

    Younis Khan breaks silence on feud with Hassan Ali

    Younis Khan has finally broken his silence on a feud with Hassan Ali.

    According to reports, Khan said Ali had apologised to him after their heated exchange of words, and that the two had moved past the incident.

    “Hassan Ali apologised to me, and I had forgiven him,” Younis Khan said in a statement. “To play up the Hassan Ali incident [and use it] as a possible reason for my resignation comes as a surprise to me,” he added.

    Speaking about his resignation, Khan said he had kept silent over the matter in the larger interest of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Pakistani cricket. Khan clarified that it was PCB’s Strength and Conditioning Coach Yasir Malik who had requested him to speak to Hassan Ali about taking an ice bath.

    “I have never looked towards the PCB for a job or for any position,” he said. “I was approached for the position [of batting coach] by the Board,” added the former batsman.

    Senior Pakistan sports reporter Saj Sadiq tweeted about the spat between Younis Khan and Hassan Ali a few days ago, stating that a verbal fight between the two took place when Ali refused to take an ice bath as suggested by Khan.

    As per Sadiq, the altercation got to the point where the two had to be separated by coaching staff members and other team players. 

    A day earlier, Sadiq spoke more about the incident, saying that Khan had allegedly locked himself in a room and refused to talk to Ali, even after the fast bowler had apologised to him.

    The news of the heated exchange between the two was reported after Khan stepped down from his position as batting coach a few days ago.

  • ‘Actresses are not prostitutes’: Mariyam Nafees blasts man on offering lacs for a private meeting

    ‘Actresses are not prostitutes’: Mariyam Nafees blasts man on offering lacs for a private meeting

    Mariyam Nadees has blasted a man for sending indecent messages on her Instagram account.

    Taking to her social media, the Fitrat actress wrote: “The point of putting this up is because I truly want to put a stop to this,” Mariyam shared. She added, “I don’t know who’s responsible for these morons to think this way and who’s entertaining them but no! Absolutely not! I and my esteemed co-actresses respectfully work for twelve hours (sometimes more) every day and we refuse to tolerate this mentality.”

    She made it clear “We come from educated backgrounds to make a name for ourselves, nobody and I mean not a single person is allowed to disrespect us. Actresses are not prostitutes!”

    In the said message, the man offers an amount ‘for a few hours meeting with his friend’.

  • ‘Stop harassing him’: Murad Ali Shah helps visually impaired street vendor

    ‘Stop harassing him’: Murad Ali Shah helps visually impaired street vendor

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah recently stopped at a roadside stall set up by a visually impaired old man in Karachi to address his complaints.

    As per reports, the old man requested different Karachi authorities, including the chief minister, by writing a note on a board behind his refrigerator that stated: “Please don’t harass me and have mercy on this old man.”

    Murad Ali Shah was reportedly on a visit to a location nearby when he spotted the board and stopped to have a cold drink. CM Shah, along with other ministers, asked the man who was troubling him. The man replied that the police and the administration were creating some problems for him.

    CM Shah instantly called Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) East, SSP East and the Administrator KMC and asked them not to bother the elderly man.

    CM also told them that they should buy soft drinks from the man whenever they visit the area.

    Murad said that the man is working hard to earn an honest livelihood to fulfil the needs of his children. “This old man is the best example of hard work and self-sacrifice and we need to encourage him,” he further said.