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  • Secretly recorded video shows PTI MPAs receiving loads of cash ahead of 2018 Senate election

    A secretly recorded video exposing horse-trading during 2018 Senate polls has made its way to television channels weeks before the 2021 election on seats of the upper house of the parliament.

    According to ARY News, the video shows lawmakers belonging to the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counting bundles of cash and then stashing the same in a bag.

    The video shows how, during the critical period, loyalties were switched by PTI’s 20 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) lawmakers, all of whom were expelled by the party’s central leadership after an investigation, the report said.

    Quoting sources, it added that the horse-trading had been carried out between February 20 and March 2, 2018.

    On February 6, President Dr Arif Alvi signed Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that will pave way for the organisation of Senate elections through open ballot.

    According to the ordinance, changes have been brought to Sections 81, 122 and 185 of the Constitution. The ordinance will come into force “at once” and “extended to the whole of Pakistan.”

    A presidential reference being heard by the Supreme Court (SC) also pertains to the organisation of Senate polls through an open vote.

    It may be noted that the damning video comes at a time when Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan expresses aims to hold Senate elections through open ballot in 2021 so as to eliminate the menace of horse-trading.

    Defending his party’s move to hold the elections through open ballot, the premier had last week spoken of bribes paid to buy loyalties, revealing that he himself had been offered some.

    He had further revealed that 20 members of the KP Assembly belonging to the PTI, likely the ones from the video, were paid Rs50 million each during the last Senate polls to vote in favour of certain candidates.

  • New documents reveal PTI employees were authorised to receive donations

    New documents reveal PTI employees were authorised to receive donations

    In a watershed development in the foreign funding case, a documented list has revealed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) employees were authorised to receive donations from within and outside Pakistan.

    The document, available with Dawn, revealed the names of employees that included PTI’s telephone operator Tahir Iqbal, computer operator Muhammad Nauman Afzal, accountant Mohammad Arshad and office helper Mohammad Rafiq.

    The decision to allow the PTI employees to collect the funds was taken at a meeting held on July 1, 2011. It was attended by Saifullah Niazi, the incumbent chief organiser and an aspirant of a PTI Senate ticket; Aamer Mahmud Kiani, present secretary-general and former health minister who was removed from the federal cabinet; Dr Humayun Mohmand, who was recently appointed chairman of the board of directors of PIMS; Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, the party’s former finance secretary and now Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Colonel Yunus Ali Raza among others.

    The foreign funding case pertains to Akbar S Babar’s allegations that foreign donations were illegally received in the front accounts of PTI employees through Hundi, particularly from the Middle East, and siphoned off by the senior party leadership through cheques with no trace or record.

    Babar was a founding member of PTI. He has repeatedly asked the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to investigate the private bank accounts of PTI employees which were illegally used as a front to collect donations.

    The committee continues to keep the PTI records and bank statements secret despite ECP orders. The records include 23 PTI bank accounts provided to the ECP by scheduled banks on the instructions of the State Bank of Pakistan. The scrutiny committee is due to meet today (on Tuesday) to decide whether to keep the PTI documents secret or not.

    The election watchdog has passed more than one order against the secrecy of the PTI record.

  • Militants arrested by CTD ‘planned to bomb Sindh Assembly, kill lawmakers’

    Militants arrested by CTD ‘planned to bomb Sindh Assembly, kill lawmakers’

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has foiled a potential suicide attack on Sindh Assembly by arresting five militants who were allegedly planning to bomb the building and target the provincial lawmakers.

    On Sunday, the CTD had arrested five militants and shot dead another after an alleged encounter that lasted for more than an hour in Shah Latif Town, Karachi.

    According to Geo, the militants were planning to launch a major terror attack in the port city, as rickshaw parked in front of the gate of the building had explosives in its hidden compartments.

    The news report quoting anonymous officials said that the authorities obtained data from the mobile phone of one of the militants who was arrested by the CTD. It alleged that one of the militants was in touch with “handlers from Afghanistan”. It further claimed that three militants belonged to Kandahar while one was from Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

    The CTD officials also found a video clip of the Sindh Assembly in one of the mobile phones and assumed that the clip must have been shot as a part of their plan to target the building, it claimed. The recce was conducted recently, the report said, adding that militant failed to target the building the same day because the assembly wasn’t in session.

    The report further said that one of the militants was a ‘would-be suicide bomber’ as he had planned to blow himself up at the gate of the Sindh Assembly. After the bombing, the other militants would have entered the building with automatic weapons to do the maximum damage.

  • Moin Khan’s son, Owais ties the knot with Mariam Ansari

    Moin Khan’s son, Owais ties the knot with Mariam Ansari

    Moin Khan’s son, Owais Khan has tied the knot with actress Mariam Ansari.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed also congratulated Khan on his wedding and wished the couple well.

    Pictures of the wedding were widely circulated on social media. While it appeared to be a lowkey affair, several celebrities including Hania Aamir, Nabeela Khan, Faysal Qureshi, and Naveed Raza were spotted at the nikkah ceremony. Mariam’s brother actor Ali Ansari was also seen in several pictures.

    Mariam glowed in a tea pink ensemble while Owais looked dapper in a white sherwani.

    Sports journalist Shoaib Jatt shared the pictures of the event and said that baarat and valima ceremonies will be held in December.

    Meanwhile, taking to social media, Moin Khan welcomed his daughter-in-law to the family.

    “Welcome to the Khan family Mariam,” said Moin.

  • Azad Kashmir elections: PPP leaders oppose alliance with ‘rival’ PML-N

    Azad Kashmir elections: PPP leaders oppose alliance with ‘rival’ PML-N

    Even though the opposition parties have decided to contest Senate election on a joint platform, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Azad Kashmir chapter, has refused to enter an alliance with its “main rival” — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — ahead of the elections in Kashmir.

    According to reports, the local PPP leadership has said that the PML-N is its main opponent in the region and it was not possible to field candidates under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — a 10-party anti-government alliance — due to the very same reason.

    Geo News reported that the PPP leaders gave this answer after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sought recommendations from PPP Azad Kashmir on the upcoming elections. 

    “PPP Azad Kashmir’s stance is that how can the party contest the elections jointly with the PML-N when it is its main rival there?” the media outlet reported.

    The PPP, however, said there was a possibility of entering an alliance with the PML-N on 12 out of 33 total seats. 

    The central leadership of the party will make a final decision in this regard.

    Last week, after a six-hour-long meeting, PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced that the opposition parties will contest the upcoming Senate elections on a joint platform.

    He had said that the parties decided to contest the Senate elections together and would not go against each other’s candidates. “Our candidates will be jointly decided,” he had told reporters after the meeting.

    The elections in Azad Kashmir will be held later this year, with the current assembly completing its term in July.

  • Akcent spotted wearing Pakistani kurta at YouTube music event in Europe

    Akcent spotted wearing Pakistani kurta at YouTube music event in Europe

    The lead vocalist of Romanian popstar band Akcent Adrian Claudiu Sînă was recently spotted wearing a ‘Pakistani kurta’ at a YouTube music event in Europe.

    In a picture shared on social media, Sînă was seen wearing a black kurta with a straight pyjama.

    “Setting new trends with my beautiful Pakistani kurta on a YouTube Music Event in Europe,” wrote the musician in the caption.

    Read more – Akcent’s Adrian Sina ‘would love’ to work with Ayesha Omar

    This is not the first time Akcent members have grabbed the attention of their Pakistani fans. Earlier, Sina visited the ISPR Headquarters where he had a “fantastic cup of tea” with former DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor.

  • Cleric believes COVID vaccine makes people ‘gay’

    Cleric believes COVID vaccine makes people ‘gay’

    Amid an increase in conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccine, an Iranian cleric has come forward with another absurd claim about the vaccine turning people into homosexuals, reported Arab News.

    In a rant on Telegram, Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian, who is known for his vitriol against Western medicine, said that the people who have received COVID vaccine have become “gays”. “These jabs have made the individuals gay,” he claimed, asking people to keep their distance from these individuals.

    The so-called father of Islamic medicine claimed that in the presence of Islamic knowledge, Western medical practices have become “irrelevant”.

    Last year, there was a viral video of him burning a copy of Harrison’s Manual of Medicine – considered an authority and the most trusted brand in medical content.

    Iran’s regime has executed 4,000-6,000 gays and lesbians since its 1979 Islamic revolution, according to a 2008 WikiLeaks cable.

    Iran is the Middle East region’s hotspot for the coronavirus’ worst outbreak with almost 1.5 million cases. The country’s vaccination program begins Tuesday for the population groups most at risk: frontline healthcare doctors and nurses working in contact with COVID-19 patients at intensive care units.

    Iran earlier launched a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Iran’s Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute.

  • Pashto folk singer forced to live in a tent with over 200 family members

    Pashto folk singer Zarsanga Bibi is reportedly living in a tent along with over 200 family members after the culture department took back her official residence in Kohat district.

    Read more – KP govt offers job to Pakistan’s ‘Charlie Chaplin’

    Popularly referred to as the ‘melody queen’, Zarsanga Bibi has requested for help and demanded the culture department to provide her with a residence so that she can live the last years of her life in peace, comfort and dignity.

    Zarsanga Bibi said that the current pandemic has worsened living conditions for her and her family, forcing her to beg.

    According to details, the singer and her sons have rented a shop in Kohat Bazaar where they have kept over 2,500 awards, certificates and medals of the singer.

    “I appeal to President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of my miserable plight. I just want a piece of plot where I could feel proud that my contributions fetched me at least a state given shelter. I at this stage and age have no other wish,” said Zarsanga.

    She said that she had rejected offers from Afghanistan and several other countries, saying that she only worked for Pakistan and that her country has been her identity and she would live and die with it. She added that she would never leave Pakistan despite her current situation and the disappointing attitude of relevant authorities.

    “I have over 200 sons and daughters and grandchildren and they all depend on me,” says Zarsanga Bibi. “The government had allotted me an official residence in Kohat for two years and on termination the specified time, I along with my extended family was forced to live once again in the tents in the open air where we have to pay Rs15, 000 as rent to the owner of the land.”

    Shahzada, the elder son of the living legend, said that his mother was suffering from chest infection and had other multiple health complaints. He said that despite multiple appeals and requests, no official responded to his family sufferings.

  • Fawad Chaudhry’s wife launches fashion label

    Fawad Chaudhry’s wife launches fashion label

    Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry’s wife Hiba Fawad has debuted her fashion label Nisa Hussain at the 10th Hum Bridal Couture Week.

    Nisa Hussain closed Show 1 at the last day of the Hum Bridal Couture Week with a gorgeous collection of bridal and wedding outfits. Set in rich, luxurious materials and embellishments, the 16-piece collection had a diverse colour palette ranging from neutrals to red. Resham and Hareem Farooq were the showstoppers while Arif Lohar brought in some drama and energy to the ramp.

    In a statement, the brand said that “the collection reflects the brand’s take on traditional subcontinental bridalwear, infused with the designer’s signature silhouettes and embellishments. Set in rich, luxurious materials such as velvet, tissue, organza, cotton net, jamawar and shamoise, the collection features artisanal gold, copper, pearl, tilla and tabkakora embroideries with a diverse colour palette ranging from neutrals to red and everything in between.”

    Speaking about her debut, Nisa Hussain’s Creative Director Hiba said: “Pakistan’s fashion industry has gained remarkable ground all over the world, where our bridal wear is considered among the world’s finest couture. With my debut bridal collection at BCW, this marks a significant milestone for my young and emerging brand.”

    Read more – Farah Talib Aziz calls out Haris Shakeel for plagiarism

    Meanwhile, speaking at the event, Fawad said that his favourite collection from the day was the “one named after his daughter [Nisa Hussain]”. The minister also added that he was very happy to see designers showcase their creativity and talent at the event and that these outfits can prove to be a great export for Pakistan.

    When asked when he is launching at menswear line, Fawad said that his field is politics so we should not expect one anytime soon.

  • Mia Khalifa questions Mrs Jonas’ silence on farmers protest

    Lebanese-American media personality Mia Khalifa has left no stone unturned when it comes to extending her support to the Indian farmers as they continue to protest in Delhi. Despite immense backlash and death threats, Mia is standing strong for the farmers and is even urging people to join her and support them.

    While international stars and celebrities including Rihanna and John Cusack have been rallying for the farmers, Bollywood celebrities have chosen to either remain silent on the matter or act as a government mouthpiece. Mia recently questioned Priyanka Chopra’s silence on the matter, saying that it reminded her of “Shakira during the Beirut devastation.”

    Taking to Twitter, Khalifa wrote: “Is Mrs Jonas going to chime in at any point? I’m just curious. This is very much giving me Shakira during the Beirut devastation vibes. Silence.”

    Khalifa even shared a plate full of food on her Twitter timeline to highlight the importance of farmers, asserting that there will be no food without farmers.

    https://twitter.com/miakhalifa/status/1358248121856184322?s=19

    It is pertinent to add here that Chopra, in December 2020, had tweeted that farmers are “India’s food soldiers”.

    “Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met,” the actor had said.