The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced their candidates for the upcoming Senate elections on March 3, with both parties along with other Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties agreeing to propose ex-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani as a joint candidate from Islamabad.
According to reports, the PDM has also decided to name Farhatullah Babar as joint nominee on a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seat.
PML-N CANDIDATES:
The list of the PML-N nominees against the general seats includes the name of PML-N parliamentary leader in the house Mushahidullah Khan, Pervaiz Rasheed and Professor Sajid Mir.
The party has named former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s sister, Saadia Abbasi, as a nominee for a reserved seat for women while Azam Tarar will contest on the seat reserved for technocrats.
PML-N’s KP chapter will later nominate the party’s candidates for the Senate from the province.
PPP NOMINEES:
Eight PPP senators are set to retire on March 11. But three of them — PPP Parliamentary Leader Sherry Rehman, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla and Farooq H Naek — are contesting the elections for this term as well.
Former senator Taj Haider is also among the nominees. Former senator Farhatullah Babar and former PM Gilani are among the proposed joint PDM candidates from KP and Islamabad, respectively.
Perhaps the spread of the pandemic in 2020 didn’t give you enough chance to experience Valentine’s to its fullest.
Most of you might still be thinking about the perfect gift you can give to your loved ones on Feb 14, 2021.
It is not about the material value of the gift, but about how meaningful it is.
To make it a worthwhile experience for your special one, who matters the most; The Current Tech brings you five valuable gadgets you can give.
Music lover on the go: JBL Flip 5
JBL Flip 5 is a portable and waterproof Bluetooth speaker that has been retaining its position on the top of best-performing audio gadgets.
They are well designed, have plenty of bass with rubber-capped ends and waterproofing that you can take on hikes, beach trips and other trips.
For upgrading home office: HP VH240a 23.8-inch monitor
In present times, a lot of people are working remotely. Not having the right equipment on your work desk can be daunting. So, if your loved one struggles to manage productivity and equipment issues; why not give them an affordable, flexible, bigger and higher-contrast screen for a quick fix.
High-quality smart jewellery: Bellabeat
Bellabeat has been impressing many for years by making smart jewellery. It looks amazing as a necklace, bracelet, or brooch, but is packed with smart features.
The Leaf Urban and Chakra can track activity, mindfulness breathing exercises, and sleeping patterns. It also gradually doubles silent alarms so as to wake you up peacefully.
Capture the best moment: Polaroid Instant camera
Even though we have a range of digital camera series — from Canon to Nikon — the classy feel of instant cameras and films can never be replaced.
Instant camera company PolaroidNow is worthy of the increasingly crowded instant camera world. For pure point-and-shoot simplicity, Polaroid Now is hard to beat.
A day after Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed restrained Justice Qazi Faez Isa from hearing cases against Prime Minister Imran Khan in a judgement pertaining to the development funds allegedly doled out to the lawmakers, Justice Isa wrote a letter to the SC registrar saying why the judgement wasn’t shared with him even though it was a “standard practice”.
On Thursday, the CJP-led bench ruled that Justice Isa “should not hear matters involving the prime minister”.
“The Hon. Chief Justice of Pakistan, therefore, observed that in these circumstances it would not be proper for the judge [Isa] to hear the matter considering that he had already filed a petition against the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in his personal capacity. Therefore, to uphold the principle of unbiasedness and impartiality, it would be in the interest of justice that the judge should not hear matters” concerning PM Imran Khan, the order on the SC website read.
In response to this ban, Justice Isa wrote a letter to the SC registrar. “I have learnt that an order/judgment (don’t know which one) was passed in the subject case on 11 February 2021, and released to the media. This is shocking since, as yet, I have not received the file with the order/judgement.”
“It is settled practice that after the judge heading the bench (in this case, the CJP) writes the order/judgement, it is sent to the next senior judge, and to on; however, Justice ljaz ul Ahsan apparently received it, but I never did, and the world knows of it before I’ve seen it,” the judge complained.
Justice Isa asked why the order wasn’t shared with him and release to the media even before it was shared with him. “Kindly let me know: (1) Why the order/judgment was not sent to me, (2) Why the settled practice of sending it to the next senior judge was not followed? (3) Why was it released to the media before I read it (let alone had the opportunity to sign it in agreement/disagreement)? (4) Who ordered its release to the media? (5) And, provide me with the case file so I may finally read the order/judegment,” he wrote.
BAR CONCERNED OVER RULING:
Balochistan Bar Council, in a statement, expressed concerns over the ruling banning the senior judge from hearing the cases involving the premier. It regretted that such a directive was against legal and constitutional principles, especially when a 10-judge Supreme Court bench had already quashed the presidential reference filed against Justice Isa — a reference which they said was based on malice.
Former Pakistan Bar Council vice-chairman Abid Saqi said that one set of judges of a constituted bench could not issue a directive to the other bench or any of the judges of the bench, not to hear a matter, as per a report in Dawn.
Justin Timberlake on Friday apologised for moments he “fell short” and condoned misogyny, one week after the release of a blockbuster documentary on Britney Spears saw the behaviour of the former boy band star come under sharp criticism.
The film, produced by FX and The New York Times, explores the vitriol both the media and entertainment industry aimed at Spears, who soared to global fame before publicly suffering a mental health crisis and becoming a paparazzi punching bag in the mid-to-late 2000s.
Spears and Timberlake famously dated several years around the turn of the millennium, having met as children while cast members of Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club variety show.
The popular narrative of their breakup cast Spears as a cheating heartbreaker, offering sympathy to Timberlake especially after he released a revenge fantasy music video for the break-up hit Cry Me A River.
The documentary Framing Britney Spears includes audio from a 2002 radio interview in which Timberlake jokes about the couple’s sex life; Spears for years was needled over the state of her virginity prior to the break-up.
“So when are you apologising to Britney?” asked Spears fans on social media, flooding Timberlake’s accounts with tags.
“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake said Friday on Instagram.
“I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” he wrote. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
Timberlake, 40, said he “specifically wanted to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
In Jackson’s case, the former NSYNC star was referring to the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” Jackson suffered during a much-watched Super Bowl halftime show when Timberlake appeared to pull off part of her outfit and expose her breast.
The 2004 scandal triggered widespread outcry, with much of the criticism aimed at Jackson.
In both cases Jackson’s and Spears’ careers took serious hits, while Timberlake’s popularity remained largely unscathed.
“As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this,” Timberlake wrote, nearly two decades after the incidents in question.
“Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognise it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again.”
“I have not been perfect in navigating all of this throughout my career,” Timberlake added. “I know this apology is the first step and doesn’t absolve the past. I want to take accountability for my missteps in all of this as well as be part of a world that uplifts and supports.”
Timberlake is now married to actress Jessica Biel.
The documentary’s release this month has triggered renewed scrutiny of the conservatorship Spears, 39, has lived under since 2008, a legal guardianship dictating the course of her life and finances that’s largely been steered by her father Jamie.
Spears filed last year to remove her father from the conservatorship and give sole power over her estate to a financial institution. Her court-appointed lawyer says she’s “afraid” of her father.
On Thursday a judge ruled that both Spears’ father and Bessemer Trust would oversee the pop star’s finances, denying Jamie Spears’ bid to keep sole power to delegate investments.
Spears’ lawyer did not seek Thursday to remove Jamie Spears’ from the legal arrangement normally intended for the elderly or infirm, but has not ruled out doing so in the future.
Four soldiers were martyred in an attack on security forces post in Makeen area of South Waziristan late Thursday night, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that troops killed four alleged militants in retaliation.
During the exchange of fire, four soldiers had embraced martyrdom, including Lance Naik Imran Ali, Sepoy Atif Jahangir, Sepoy Anees-ur-Rehman and Sepoy Aziz, the ISPR said, adding that “area sanitisation” was in progress following the attack.
President Dr Arif Alvi condemned the terrorist attack and expressed grief over the martyrdom of army personnel. He expressed his condolences to the grieving families and prayed for their strength.
Last month, security forces had conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Nargosa area of South Waziristan, killing two terrorists and injuring one, all of whom were reportedly a part of the proscribed terrorist cell, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) Sajna group.
“Security forces conducted an IBO in Nargosa area of South Waziristan district,” the military’s media wing had said at the time, adding that all three had been active members of the TTP and experts at making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Rasode Main Kon Tha’s Yashraj Mukhate is back with an epic take on Pawri Ho Rai Hai, a viral video trending on social media.
Mukhate, who became famous overnight after he released a hilarious rap featuring Saath Nibhaana Saathiya’sKokilaben, Gopi bahu and Rashi, has now made a video of the girl vacationing in Northern Pakistan while saying “Yeh humari party ho rahi hai“. Mukhate created the video after many Pakistani and Indian fans tagged him in the video and requested him to make a rap on it.
Sharing the video on social media, Mukhate wrote: “Aaj se me party nahi karunga sirf pawri karunga. Kyuki party karneme wo mazaa nahi jo pawri karneme hai (From now on I will only do ‘pawri’ instead of party. Because partying is not as fun than pawriing).”
According to details, the girl who posted the original video is an Instagram influencer Dananeer. While commenting on Mukhate post, even she couldn’t stop praising the rap version.
Meanwhile, Pawri Ho Rai Hai has become a trend on social media with many people including celebrities creating their own take on it.
Hamari tu bilkul pawrty nahi horahi hai P.S.Thanks Dananeer Mobeen for versatile content which can be transform to communicate any type of msg#pawrihoraihaipic.twitter.com/QfdyD56MkC
This is not the first time that Mukhate used a Pakistani viral video to make a rap. Earlier, he used a video from a Pakistani show, in which the girl was mimicking street hawkers who sell Garam Anday (boiled eggs) on the streets.
A strong earthquake of reportedly 6.4 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted different parts of the country on Friday night.
The tremors were felt in the federal capital and cities across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Mardan, North Waziristan, Swat, Multan, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Lahore and adjoining areas.
No losses of property or lives have so far been reported.
However, panic spread amid the tremors as people were seen evacuating their houses and other buildings, reciting the Kalma.
The epicenter of the quake is being reported as Tajikistan.
An earthquake originated on 12-02-2021 at 22:02 PST Magnitude : 6.4 Depth: 80 Km Lat: 38.12 N Long: 73.31 E Epicenter : Tajikistan PMD, Islamabad#Earthquake#EarthquakeUpdates#EarthquakePH
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday defended its decision to hire Naseebo Lal, Aima Baig and Young Stunners to perform the anthem of the sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL).
According to a report, a PCB spokesperson said that the three artists were chosen to do the song as the board wanted to feature voices that were new and had not sung any PSL anthem before.
“Naseebo Lal is an extremely talented, underutilised vocalist whose voice has the strength to carry this cricket anthem,” the official is reported to have said. He further added that Aima gave young energy to the anthem.
The spokesperson said that Young Stunners were a “natural choice” to be a part of the anthem as they are leaders in the country’s hip-hop scene.
“Cricket and music have always formed a natural union in Pakistan. The thought process was to pave the way for a new sound of cricket in Pakistan that appeals to the multi-dimensional audience that comes with Pakistan’s biggest cricketing event,” added the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, PSL also shared a behind the scenes (BTS) video of the song’s shoot in which the singers spoke about the song and their role in it.
“It feels so good because this is the first time I’ve done a project which is making me happy,” said Naseebo in the video.
“My groove is my beloved Pakistan and the camera is also my groove,” added the singer.
On the other hand, the song’s producer Zulfiqar Jabbar (Xulfi) while talking about cricket and music, said: “There is one thing common in cricket and music, which is rhythm. You might have heard commentators talking about a bowler’s rhythm and rhythm is excitingly called as ‘groove’.”
Elaborating further, Xulfi said: “We usually say that if Shaheen Afridi has taken 4 wickets in a match, then on that day, he’s in groove.”
“Groove Mera is everyone’s groove in PSL. This can be anyone’s groove – a commentator’s groove or a cricketer, batsman, baller or we all musicians and artists’ groove, who are singing or it may be yours [public] as well,” he continued.
Xulfi further said that he “could feel Naseebo’s voice echoing in the stadium.”
“We knew how to get the balance among Naseebo, Aima and the Young Stunners. We exactly knew what their vibe is separately and we then made a connecting melody, which is basically the hook of the song,” he added.
“It is the hybrid of all the personalities of the singers, who are in this song,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Aima speaking about the song said: “The anthem’s vibe is pretty street and I really like it because our public really like street songs and music and it is very festive EDM. Overall I love the vibe.”
Groove Mera has created a stir with social media divided on the song. While many including Shoaib Akhtar slammed the song, other celebrities including Mehwish Hayat, Adnan Siddiqui, Faysal Quraishi, Haroon Shahid and Farhan Saeed praised the anthem and its composition.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan also criticised the song. Talking to media, Dr Awan said that she did not like it at all, adding that it “could have been improved further”.
Referring to Naseebo as Pakistan’s ‘laal,’ or beloved, Dr Awan said: “Here we were representing the league in front of international players. This is not district-level league. The Lal should have been presented as a jewel and voice of the nation.”
“If there is any chance of improvement, then we should go for it,” she concluded.
The Jinnah Society and the Sindh Government’s Culture Department have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to convert Quaid-e-Azam House Museum in Karachi into a nation-building research institute, Samaa News has reported. The building will be used for different learning activities including educational and cultural activities.
Under the MoU, a board of management has been formed who will look after the building and the proposed institute.
Jinnah’s grandnephew Liaquat Merchant and Ikram Sehgal of the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations will serve as the vice-chairpersons of the board while the Sindh chief minister will be the ex-officio chairperson of the institute.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah attended the MoU signing ceremony as the chief guest while Sindh Culture Minister Sardar Shah and Arts Council Chairman Ahmed Shah were among the attendees.
Speaking at the event, CM Murad said that the proposed institute would become the learning ground for the next generation. He said the new institute would be able to produce researchers who will come up with the correct version of their history.
The Quaid-e-Azam House is located on the crossing of Shahra e Faisal and Fatima Jinnah Road, Karachi. It was designed by British architect Moses Somake as was initially referred to as the Flagstaff House before turning into Quaid-e-Azam House. Muhammad Ali Jinnah purchased the house in 1943 and used it as his personal residence.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. While celebrations will be slightly different this year given the pandemic, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate the day of love. If you have not yet bought any gift for your loved one(s), then do not fret. The Current has compiled a list of gifts you can still buy or order online before Valentine’s.
For Book Lovers
If your partner is into reading then you can buy a very nice book for him/her and complement it with some flowers and chocolates. You can either order books from Readings or Liberty Books.
For Foodies
For food lovers, frozen food packets are the best gift they can enjoy while watching their favourite series or a movie. You can simply deliver get them at their doorsteps via Cornish Meat (if in Lahore) or from Naheed.pk (if in Islamabad or Karachi). In any case, most big department stores across the country are offering home delivery now.
Perfumes
A perfume is perhaps the easiest and quickest gift ever and one that is actually a great one too. Buy a good cologne/perfume for your beloved with a cute handwritten note to make them feel special during these tough COVID days.
Gullmit can deliver in Lahore and if you are in Karachi you can buy perfume from Chase.pk.
Customized Basket
Head to your nearest flower shop for a customized flower basket on Valentine’s Day. You can always accessorize the basket with some of their favourite chocolates.
Wrist Watch
Watches are durable and long-lasting. They’re one of the only gifts that can be worn on a daily basis.
Jewellery
The right necklace, bracelet, earrings or other piece can brighten up any big day. Check Tesoroor Limelight for some pretty jewellery designs.
