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  • ‘PML-N was never at war with the establishment,’ says Abbasi

    Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), never had any quarrel with the establishment. Abbasi made this statement in Dawn News programme, ‘Live with Adil Shahzeb.’

    “There is no point of distinctive appeasement with the establishment when we are not at war with them.” says Abbasi.

    The PML-N leader said his party always spoke for the country’s betterment, adding that even today, they do not seek power.

    Abbasi said the PML-N believes the country is in a miserable condition, thanks to the ‘stolen general elections’.

    “Is our country in a better state today than it was on May 2, 2018?” Abbasi asked the show host, “If the country is in a better position, I have no argument to defend my point. But, if the situation is pathetic, I want to ask what is the reason behind the worsening circumstances.”

    “The primary reason for the present condition I believe is the diversion from the Constitution,” he said.

    Mohammad Zubair, Spokesperson to Mian Nawaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz had previously said in a talk show that the PML-N has made peace with Rawalpindi.

  • Massive dust storm, rain hits parts of Karachi

    Massive dust storm, rain hits parts of Karachi

    Various parts of Karachi were hit by a dust storm and received rainfall on Tuesday.

    The weather took a sudden turn as dark clouds covered most parts of the city and a dust storm appeared on the horizon.

    Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Director Sardar Sarfaraz has said that ‘thunder cells has developed’ over Karachi due to the sweltering heat.

    “Winds are blowing from the northeast. The clouds are forming in the northern part of the city,” he said. Sarfaraz added that the PMD had warned of strong winds when it issued the threat advisory for Cyclone Tauktae a couple of days ago.

    The PMD official also said that the sweltering heat in Karachi will reduce from tomorrow, adding that the dark clouds will no longer be visible in Karachi in a couple of hours. 

    A few dust/thunderstorm-rain accompanied with gusty winds of 30-50 Kmph may occur in Tharparker and Umerkot districts during next 12 hours. Hot and dry weather will continue today in Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaeed- Banzirabad, Badin and Mirpurkhas districts.

    Sea Conditions will remain rough till this evening and fishermen of Sindh are advised to avoid going into deep sea. They can resume their activities from tomorrow, the weather alert added.

    As is the case many people took to Twitter to share pictures and videos of dust storms rattling electricity poles and causing problems for the masses.

    https://twitter.com/waqashussain954/status/1394622517034197001

    Twitterati is urging people to stay safe and asking them to take a shade or stay indoors.

  • Pakistani celebrities march in solidarity with Palestinians

    Pakistani celebrities march in solidarity with Palestinians

    Pakistani celebrities have been very vocal about the atrocities of Israel on Palestinians. They came out with hundreds of people in Lahore and Islamabad to March in solidarity with the Palestinians on Monday.

    We have spotted Fawad Khan, Sadaf Fawad, Hania Aamir , Osman Khalid Butt , Maryam Nafees, Ali Rehman Khan, Armeena Rana Khan and Dananeer Mobeen.

    Many other celebrities have supported Palestine through their social media handle.

    Here are pictures of artists who supported Palestine in their ways.

    “Such an overwhelming turnout in Islamabad,” said Hania Aamir. She was holding a placard that read: “Ethnic cleansing, colonial occupation, genocide. Call it what it is.”

    The march and protests were held in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Fawad, his wife Sadaf and Ammara Hikmat attended the protest in Lahore, while Hania, Ali Rehman, Dananeer, Osman Khalid, Maryam etc. were spotted in Islamabad and many other stars expressed solidarity with Palestine through their social media.

    In Manchester, Armeena Rana Khan lit candles for Palestinian children who have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1394009941300629508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1394009941300629508%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-22599151841632722090.ampproject.net%2F2104302228000%2Fframe.html
    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1394035847993909253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1394035847993909253%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-3557252681201185774.ampproject.net%2F2104302228000%2Fframe.html

    Celebrities including Maya Ali, Mahira Khan, Ayeza khan, Ayesha Omar, Hania Aamir, Sheheryar Munawar, Shehzad Roy and many other celebrities called out the Israeli violence in Palestine through their social media accounts.

    With the constant airstrikes pounded on Gaza, at least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children, have been killed since the attacks began. About 1,500 Palestinians have been wounded.

    More than 58,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli air strikes that have destroyed or badly damaged nearly 450 buildings in the Gaza Strip, according to the UN aid agency.

    About 47,000 of the displaced people have sought shelter in 58 UN-run schools in Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesman of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters.

  • Fatima Bhutto expresses anger over Biden administration

    Fatima Bhutto has expressed her anger over Joe Biden’s administration for approving the potential sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel.

    Sharing the news report of the approval on Twitter, Fatima Bhutto wrote: “The Biden administration has blood on its hands already and they are intent on getting them dirtier and dirtier.”

    As per congressional sources US lawmakers were not expected to object to the deal despite violence between Israel and Palestinian militants Reuters has reported.

    Other people are also expressing their anger over the deal :

    https://twitter.com/sunshine_leb/status/1394290306086998026

    Israeli bombardment of Gaza, a Palestinian terrority, is the worst the world has seen in years. Israeli fighter jets continue to pound central Gaza with bombs, as the death toll of the Palestinians killed in the fighting has reached to 212, 61 among them are children.

  • 28 passengers on one flight test positive for coronavirus

    Twenty-eight passengers, coming from Bahrain to Peshawar, tested positive for coronavirus at the Bacha Khan International Airport on Tuesday. 

    The airport’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Obaid-ur-Rehman Abbasi said rapid antigen tests were conducted on 130 passengers who arrived at the airport from Bahrain. 

    “The passengers who tested positive for the virus have been handed over to the district administration,” he said, adding that various areas of the airport had also been disinfected after the development.

    A week earlier, the CAA had noted, “with grave concern”, that passengers arriving in Pakistan from mostly Gulf countries, were testing positive for coronavirus.

    “Upon conducting an investigation into the issue, it has been found that passengers travelled to Pakistan using fake PCR negative test results and endangered not only passengers travelling with them, but also undermined the intense efforts being made at the national level to curb the spread of Covid-19,” said the authority, in a notification that was released on May 10. 

    “The onus of contributing towards this national cause does not fall on the authority alone but is a responsibility that has to be shared by all concerned stakeholders including airline operators,” the notification stated.

    The development is a worrying one as Pakistan, like many countries around the world, continues to struggle with the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The current positive cases in the country stand at 882,928 with a positivity rate of 8.2%.

  • Woman ‘destroys’ $26m lottery ticket in laundry

    Woman ‘destroys’ $26m lottery ticket in laundry

    A woman in America claims that she destroyed her $26 million winning lottery ticket in the laundry.

    According to details, the woman mistakenly put the ticket in the pocket of her pants and sent it for laundry. She had bought the ticket at a store in the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk back in November.

    Read more – Lost glasses help 80-year-old win more than £100,000

    A store employee said that a woman came and told the workers that she had put the ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry.

    Her claim is being investigated by California Lottery officials, with the store’s manager saying that CCTV video showed the woman buying the ticket. She is also someone known to staff at the store.

    As per rules, someone who believes he or she is a winner, must complete a claim form.

    But Lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said if someone has lost a ticket, they must also provide proof they owned it, such as a photograph of the front and back of it. Johnston said the claim will still be investigated.

  • Sheheryar Munawar urges people to speak against ‘injustice’ in Palestine

    Sheheryar Munawar urges people to speak against ‘injustice’ in Palestine

    Sheheryar Munawar has urged his fans and followers to speak for the people of Palestine.

    Taking to Instagram stories, Munawar wrote: “I have never asked you anything for myself, but today I ask you not to stay quiet. To open your minds and hearts and speak for the people of Palestine. Speak against the injustice.”

    Read more – ‘Use your influence for the right thing’: Hania Aamir, Zara Noor urge people to call out violence in Palestine

    The actor urged his followers to educate themselves on the current situation in Palestine and further educate others.

    “Take some time to first educate yourselves, not only about what’s happening now in the region but what has been going on for the past 70 odd years,” he added.

    Munawar said: “And then if it feels right to you, educate those around you.”

    In another post, Sheheryar went on to say, “There are 14.7 million Jews in the world – and a total of around two billion Muslims in the world. How many narratives (films) each year do we consume on the holocaust? Now compare that to the number of films, documentaries, shows about the ethnic cleansing, genocide in Palestine? Or for that matter, what’s happening in Syria, Yemen (I could keep going but you get the point), exactly right?”

    “We need more narratives, we need media agencies to start talking, we need people to start talking,” he concluded.

    With the constant airstrikes pounded on Gaza, at least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children, have been killed since the attacks began. About 1,500 Palestinians have been wounded.

  • ‘What’s wrong with people?’: Alizeh Shah responds to criticism on new song

    Alizeh Shah has hit back at those criticising her choice of outfit rather than talking about important topics like Palestine. The actor is being targeted for her clothes in the music video of her debut song with Sahir Ali Bagga. Alizeh was also the top trend on Pakistani Twitter on Monday with people passing indecent remarks over her physical appearance.

    Responding to the attacks, Shah said: “I find all the memes and criticism amusing.”

    “However, the fact that a trivial topic to discuss is now the most trending issue in our country instead of becoming a voice of Palestine,” continued the actor.

    “What’s wrong with our people,” she questioned.

    The song named Badnamiyan is produced by Amria Sahir and is directed by JoviFilms and is penned down by Imran Raza.

    Shah was recently seen in the Ramazan special drama serial Tanaa Banaa along with Danyal Zafar. The on-scene chemistry between Danyal and Alizeh was admired by many.

  • Malik Riaz, wife, refuse to get tested for coronavirus at the airport, home

    Malik Riaz, wife, refuse to get tested for coronavirus at the airport, home

    Real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, his wife, and another member of his team allegedly refused to undergo Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) for coronavirus when landing at Lahore airport, violating the instruction of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

    In a letter written to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) headquarters in Karachi, Lahore airport chief operating officer and manager Akhtar Mirza said the Bahria Town CEO refused to give samples for the Covid-19 test. The team of airport health staff went to his residence to follow up with a test but Riaz refused to take the test.

    Letter written to the CAA, regarding Malik Riaz refusing to take the Covid test

    Riaz, along with four other people, landed at Lahore Airport from Dubai. After the passengers passed through the immigration process, the CAA duty staff requested Riaz and his fellows to undergo the RAT, which is a rapid diagnostic test that directly detects the presence or absence of the antigen and gives results within few minutes.

    “But they did not respond and rapidly moved towards international arrivals exit gate,” Mirza stated in the letter.

    Riaz, Bina Riaz and Shahid Mahmood Qureshi, “left the airport without [the test] which is an open violation of NCOC instructions and SOPs”, the letter added.

    The CAA management then contacted the government health team and Riaz’s personal staff officer to obtain the RAT samples from the property tycoon’s residence. A two-member team of airport health staff subsequently left for Riaz’s house shortly “but unfortunately once again [he] flatly refused to give samples for the requisite test.”

    The letter was submitted to the airport services director at CAA Karachi headquarters for his “information and further necessary action”.

    After detection of the coronavirus in some passengers arriving in Pakistan and despite them having negative PCR test results, the CAA tightened the rules regarding testing.

  • PM Khan’s aide Zulfi Bukhari resigns over allegations of corruption

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Zulfi Bukhari has stepped down from his position, owing to allegations in the ongoing Ring Road inquiry. Zulfi made the announcement on his Twitter account.

    “My Prime Minister has always said that if a person has been named rightly or wrongly in any inquiry he should cease to hold any public office till his name has been cleared of charges ,” wrote Zulfi Bukhari.

    “Owing to the allegations in ongoing Ring Road inquiry I want to set this example, by resigning from office until my name is cleared up of any allegations and media’s obnoxious lies,” he added.

    He continued by saying, “I reiterate that I have nothing to do with Ring Road or any ongoing Real Estate project. This time the inquiry should be done by capable personnel. I endorse a judicial inquiry.’

    “I’m here to stay in Pakistan and stand united with the Prime Minister and his vision.”

    “I sacrificed my life overseas to come and serve my country, I am ready to face any inquiry,” he concluded.

    His resignation has come after an order by the National Accountability Bureau, to look into alleged corruption and illegal land requisition in the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.