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  • PSL 2021: Interesting picks and drops

    The Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams on Sunday confirmed their line-ups for the sixth edition of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) marquee event, which will be held in Karachi and Lahore from February 20 to March 22.

    According to a press release issued on PSL’s website, in the Platinum Category, all-rounder Hasan Ali, who played the first five seasons for Peshawar Zalmi, was picked up by Islamabad United as a wildcard pick, Australia’s Chris Lynn moved from Lahore Qalandars to Multan Sultans, world’s number one T20I bowler Rashid Khan of Afghanistan was scooped by Lahore Qalandars, Quetta Gladiators went strong and snapped up England’s explosive Tom Banton and Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, while David Miller was snapped by Peshawar Zalmi as the left-hander is now set to become the latest South African to make his PSL debut.

    In the Diamond Category, Karachi Kings opted for two all-rounders – world-ranked Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian of Australia; Peshawar Zalmi strengthened their side by snapping up T20I bowler Mujeeb Ur Rehman of Afghanistan and then added Guyana’s all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford to their roster, while Islamabad United picked up Somerset all-rounder Lewis Gregory.

    In the Gold Category, Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings picked Samit Patel and Chadwick Walton, respectively, Peshawar Zalmi took Amad Butt, Usman Shinwari was relocated from Qalandars to Gladiators, while Islamabad United picked Phil Salt.

    In the Silver Category, Islamabad United picked Iftikhar Ahmad, Reece Topley and Rohail Nazir; Karachi Kings opted for Danish Aziz, Joe Clarke, Mohammad Ilyas and Zeeshan Malik; Lahore Qalandars snapped up Mohammad Faizan, Tom Abell, Salman Ali Agha and Zeeshan Ashraf; Multan Sultans selected Adam Lyth, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah and Sohail Khan; Peshawar Zalmi went for Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Saqib Mahmood and Umaid Asif, while Quetta Gladiators strengthened their side with Abdul Nasir, Cameron Delport and Qais Ahmed.

    Final squads (in alphabetical order):

    Islamabad United – Ahmed Saifi Abdullah (emerging); Alex Hales (Platinum; traded from Karachi Kings); Akif Javed (supplementary); Asif Ali (gold); Chris Jordon (supplementary); Colin Munro (diamond); Faheem Ashraf (diamond); Iftikhar Ahmed (silver); Hasan Ali (platinum), Hussain Talat (gold, brand ambassador); Lewis Gregory (diamond); Mohammad Wasim Jnr (emerging); Musa Khan (silver, successful relegation request); Phil Salt (gold); Rohail Nazir, Reece Topley (both silver); Shadab Khan (platinum); Zafar Gohar (silver, successful relegation request)

    Karachi Kings – Amir Yamin (gold); Arshad Iqbal (emerging); Babar Azam (platinum); Colin Ingram (platinum, traded from Islamabad United); Chadwick Walton (gold); Dan Christian (diamond); Danish Aziz (silver); Imad Wasim (diamond, successful relation request); Joe Clarke (silver); Mohammad Amir (platinum); Mohammad Nabi (diamond); Mohammad Ilyas (silver); Noor Ahmed (supplementary); Sharjeel Khan (gold), Qasim Akram (emerging); Waqas Maqsood (silver, brand ambassador); Zeeshan Malik (silver)

    Lahore Qalandars – Ahmed Danyal (supplementary); Ben Dunk (gold); David Wiese (diamond); Dilbar Hussain (gold); Fakhar Zaman (diamond, brand ambassador); Haris Rauf (diamond); Maaz Khan (emerging); Mohammad Faizan (silver); Mohammad Hafeez (platinum); Joe Denly (supplementary); Rashid Khan (platinum); Samit Patel (gold); Shaheen Shah Afridi (platinum); Sohail Akhtar (silver, successful relegation request); Tom Abell, Salman Ali Agha (both silver); Zaid Alam (emerging); Zeeshan Ashraf (silver)

    Multan Sultans – Adam Lyth (silver); Carlos Brathwaite (supplementary); Chris Lynn; Shahid Afridi (both platinum); Imran Tahir (diamond, mentor); Imran Khan Snr (supplementary); James Vince (gold); Khushdil Shah (diamond); Mohammad Rizwan (silver); Mohammad Umar (emerging); Rilee Rossouw (platinum); Shahnawaz Dhani (emerging), Shan Masood (gold, successful relegation request); Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah; Sohail Khan (all silver); Sohail Tanvir (Diamond, brand ambassador); Usman Qadir (gold)

    Peshawar Zalmi – Abrar Ahmed (emerging); Amad Butt (gold); David Miller (platinum); Haider Ali (gold); Imam-ul-Haq (silver); Kamran Akmal (diamond, successful relegation request); Liam Livingstone (gold); Mohammad Amir Khan (supplementary); Mohammad Irfan Snr; Mohammad Imran; Mohammad Imran Randhawa (all silver); Mujeeb Ur Rehman (diamond); Ravi Bopara (supplementary); Saqib Mahmood (silver); Sherfane Rutherford (diamond); Shoaib Malik (platinum); Umaid Asif (silver); Wahab Riaz (platinum)

    Quetta Gladiators (retained) – Abdul Nasir (silver); Anwar Ali (silver, successful relegation request); Arish Ali Khan (emerging); Azam Khan (gold); Ben Cutting (diamond); Cameron Delport (silver); Chris Gayle (platinum); Dale Steyn (supplementary); Mohammad Hasnain (diamond); Mohammad Nawaz (diamond); Naseem Shah (gold); Qais Ahmed (silver); Saim Ayub (emerging) Sarfaraz Ahmed; Tom Bantan (both platinum); Usman Khan (supplementary); Usman Shinwari (gold) and Zahid Mahmood (silver, brand ambassador)

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that big names including Ahmad Shahzad, Junaid Khan and Hammad Azam have been left out of the tournament. Even the youngster, Kamran Ghulam was not picked despite his exceptional performance in domestic cricket.

    As per the PSL 6 schedule, the tournament will be fully hosted in Pakistan. Teams will play each other twice in the league format before the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. The tournament will be played between February and March 2021. This is the second time that all matches are scheduled to be played in Pakistan including the 3 playoffs and the final match. The 30-day 34-match tournament will culminate with the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 22 March, marking the first time the venue will stage the final since 2017.

  • SC approves Meesha Shafi’s workplace harassment case for hearing

    The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Monday approved Meesha Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar for hearing. As per details, Pakistan’s top court granted leave to Shafi in her harassment case against Ali Zafar. This means that the SC has granted permission to hear the appeal based on its legal points and will deliberate whether Shafi’s accusations of sexual harassment come under the workplace harassment law.

    Furthermore, notices were issued to respondents Zafar and the Punjab Government by a three-judge bench of the apex court led by Justice Mushir Alam.

    Meesha explained that the legal issue has never before been decided by the SC.

    Meesha was represented by senior lawyer Khawaja Ahmad Hosain and Noor Ejaz Chaudhry.

    The singer’s appeal was earlier rejected by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and Punjab ombudsperson, who ruled that her allegations did not come under the workplace harassment law.

    On Sunday, Meesha had informed her fans and followers that the Supreme Court was to hear her appeal on whether a ‘self-employed person’ has the “right, as per the law, to be heard after being harassed and therefore expect justice on merit as an equal citizen”. She had thanked her well-wishers for standing by her and for making her feel “less alone”.

    Read more – ‘You don’t want change’: Meesha Shafi condemns critics of #MeToo

    Meanwhile, Twitter lauded the SC’s order, terming it a landmark move.

    https://twitter.com/aloofmaybe/status/1348565712260878338
    https://twitter.com/sobhagadi/status/1348564367814623233

    Background of the case

    In 2018, Meesha first came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Ali Zafar. She later filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsperson. After her appeal was rejected, she approached Governor Punjab, who upheld the ombudsperson’s decision. Meesha then challenged the Governor’s decision in Lahore High Court which again dismissed Meesha’s case for hearing on grounds that she did not have an employer-employee relationship with the accused.

  • Army announces tea for opposition if it marches to Rawalpindi

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar has said that leaders of the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), will be offered tea and snacks and looked after if they decide to stage a long march towards Rawalpindi.

    “I don’t see a reason for [them] to come to Pindi. And if at all they want to come, we will offer them chai paani [refreshments] and look after them. What more can I say?” the military spokesperson said while responding to a journalist’s question regarding PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during a wide-ranging press briefing.

    Maulana had indicated that the opposition could turn the direction of its anti-government movement towards the army leadership, saying that the opposition alliance’s movement would no longer be directed only at the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government but also “his backers”, hinting that its possible long march to the capital “could also be to Rawalpindi”.

    Earlier, Maj Gen Babar spoke on a broad range of issues, including the border situation and to present an analysis of the security challenges of the past decade.

    The army’s spokesperson said the last 10 years were a challenging time in every aspect for Pakistan, but in 2020 alone the coronavirus pandemic and locust attack had put the country’s food security and economy in severe danger. He said while banned organisations were also being facilitated on the western border, the state, institutions, the armed forces and intelligence agencies, and most importantly the people of Pakistan were facing all challenges with a united front.

    Saying that along with restoring peace in the tribal districts on the western border, socio-economic projects were also launched in this period; he added that concrete steps were taken to strengthen Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran. “The security situation improved considerably as a result of successful operations against terrorism.”

    Maj Gen Babar further said that whether it was India’s condemnable designs or the application of hybrid warfare against Pakistan, internal threats or external challenges, the country not only identified the threats and presented facts, but also combatted them successfully.

    “The world is recognising this [Pakistan’s position] because truth always prevails,” he maintained.

  • Signal, Telegram see spike in demand after WhatsApp policy change

    Signal, Telegram see spike in demand after WhatsApp policy change

    After WhatsApp’s new terms sparked debate on social media, other messaging apps like Telegram and Signal are witnessing a surge in demand.

    WhatsApp, which uses Signal’s encryption technology, laid out fresh terms on Wednesday, asking users to agree to let owner Facebook Inc and its subsidiaries collect user data, including their phone number and location.

    Some privacy activists questioned the “accept our data grab or get out” move on Twitter, and suggested users to switch to apps like Signal and Telegram.

    Signal’s popularity shot up further on Thursday after it was endorsed by Elon Musk, who has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter and by the micro-blogging site’s top boss Jack Dorsey.

    More than 100,000 users installed Signal across the app stores of Apple and Google in the last two days, while Telegram picked up nearly 2.2 million downloads, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower.

    New installs of WhatsApp fell 11% in the first seven days of 2021 compared with the prior week, but that still amounted to an estimated 10.5 million downloads globally, Sensor Tower said.

  • Feroze Khan thanks Celal AL for love, priceless gifts

    Feroze Khan thanks Celal AL for love, priceless gifts

    Feroze Khan has thanked Diriliş: Ertuğrul star Celal AL for all the love and “priceless gifts” he brought for him on his visit to Karachi.

    “Thank you, Jalal for the priceless gifts you’ve brought me and love that I can’t thank [you] enough for,” wrote Feroze alongside a picture of the two.

    “Great to have Celal AL here in Pakistan,” he wrote further, requesting his fans to shower love on the Turkish star.

    Responding to Feroze’s post, Celal said: “The gift that I gave you is more than a gift. You deserve it.”

    “I bring the relic that is already yours from Istanbul, which is 5000 km far from here,” added Celal. “InshAllah you will serve much more to humanity, Islam, culture, art, and Turkey-Pakistan people.”

    The two also appeared to have enjoyed a hearty breakfast during their meeting.

    Meanwhile, Celal, during his visit also met several other Pakistani celebrities including Adnan Siddiqui, Humayun Saeed, and Imran Abbas. Adnan and Humayun hosted a dinner for him in Karachi also.

    Celal also met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and donated blood for children with thalassemia during his visit to Pakistan.

  • It’s a girl for Virat and Anushka

    Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma and Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli have been blessed with a baby girl.

    Announcing the news on social media, Virat said: “We are thrilled to share with you that we have been blessed with a baby girl this afternoon.”

    “Anushka and the baby are both healthy and we are feeling beyond blessed to start this new chapter of our lives. We hope that you can respect our privacy at this time,” he added.

    Read more – Anushka Sharma slams photographer for invading her privacy

    Virat and Anushka announced their pregnancy in August, with their announcement tweet becoming the most-liked tweet of 2020.

    In an interview with a fashion magazine, Anushka had said that she wants to raise her child away from media attention, which means that we might have to wait a while till the parents release their child’s first picture.

    “We’ve thought about it a lot. We definitely do not want to raise a child in the public eye — we don’t plan on engaging our child in social media,” Anushka had said. “I think it’s a decision your child should be able to take. No kid should be made to be more special than the other. It’s hard enough for adults to deal with it. It’s going to be difficult, but we intend to follow through.”

    Anushka, while talking about her pregnancy journey had also said that the pandemic turned out to be a “weird blessing” for the couple, who fiercely guard their privacy.

    “The pandemic has been a weird blessing in a way. Virat was around and I could keep it a secret. We only left to go to the doctor’s clinic. No one was on the streets so we couldn’t be spotted,” shared the actor.

    Wishing the power couple all the best for the new chapter in their lives!

  • ‘No jeans, tights, makeup’: Hazara University issues new dress code for students

    The Hazara University in Mansehra has issued a new dress code for students, faculty members and administrative staff.

    According to the notification issued on January 6, female students have been advised to wear abaya/scarf/dupatta in neutral colours without any decorative material. They have also been asked to wear shalwar qameez with dupatta or chaddar.

    Jeans, tights, t-shirts, shorts with jeans or tights, heavy makeup and jewellery have been banned at the university, while female students have also been advised against carrying heavy hand bags.

    Read more – New policy of Bahira University prohibits male, female students from sitting together

    The notification further recommends a dress code for male students which includes, dress pants with dress shirts, dress shoes with socks, shalwar qameez, and warm caps in the winters.

    Shorts, cut-off/toran/skin-fitted jeans, chappals/sleepers of any kind/jewellery, long hair, ponytails, and un-presentable bread have been strictly prohibited for the male students, according to the notification.

    Furthermore, staff and faculty members have been advised to wear “neat, clean and presentable dress and black gown during lectures”.

    “Cut-off/toran/skin-fitted jeans, chappals/sleepers of any kind and jewellery are strictly not recommended for faculty members and staff,” reads the notification.

    Wearing ID cards at all times has also been made compulsory for both students and faculty members.

    Though the new recommendations by Hazara University are being strongly criticised on social media, Spokesperson for the KP government and adviser to CM on Information Kamran Bangash, while talking to Gulf News, welcomed the step saying: “This will end the dress competition between the students and teachers, helping the poor students and their parents. It will also help them focus on their studies.”

  • IN PICTURES: Nadia Khan’s valima

    After tying the knot in a low-key and intimate ceremony, Nadia Khan and Faisal Mumtaz hosted a small valima for their closest friends and family. Pictures from the event are being widely circulated on social media.

    Check out pictures below:

    Nadia looked splendid in a peach-pink dress with glowy makeup.

    Nadia also shared highlights from her valima on her YouTube channel.

    Nadia and Faisal tied the knot on January 3. Later, Nadia shared that this is her second marriage and that her husband is a retired PAF officer and fighter pilot.

  • Ertuğrul’s Celal AL donates blood for Pakistani children with thalassemia

    Ertuğrul’s Celal AL donates blood for Pakistani children with thalassemia

    Diriliş: Ertuğrul‘s Celal AL, who plays Abdur Rehman Alp in the superhit series, visited the Omair-Sana Foundation (OSF) and Children’s Hospital Karachi on Sunday, where he donated blood for children diagnosed with thalassemia.

    “I’m donating my blood for Pakistani children suffering from thalassemia. This will not only strengthen the bond between Turkey and Pakistan but will also encourage others to donate blood for those who need blood donations for living normal lives,” said the actor during his visit on the invitation of administrations of both the health facilities.

    Accompanied by the producer of the epic serial Kemal Tekdin, the Turkish actor during his visit also recited verses from the Holy Quran and raised slogans including “Jeevey Jeevey Pakistan“, “Pakistan-Turkey friendship zindabad” and vowed to visit Pakistan again.

    The production team of Diriliş: Ertuğrul was invited to visit the Omair-Sana Foundation and Children Hospital Karachi by its founders Dr Kashif Ansari, a US-based oncologist, and Dr Saqib Ansari, an eminent pediatric hematologist who are striving to eliminate thalassemia and other blood disorders in Pakistan.

    Emir Jamat-e-Islami Karachi Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman and dozens of fans of Ertuğrul’s cast and actors were also present on the occasion.

    Dr Ansari said he was delighted that Celal AL and other team members of the Ertuğrul serial visited the hospitals and donated blood.

    “Turkish blood is being donated for Pakistani children; this will further strengthen the bond between the two nations,” he said.

    Speaking further on the occasion, Celal said he was delighted to visit Pakistan, especially the two wonderful health facilities where children suffering from genetic blood disorders were being treated and managed free of charge. He offered his complete support in the treatment of children with thalassemia and other blood disorders.

    Celal, who spoke with the help of an interpreter, said Turks and Pakistanis are brothers but he was not expecting such love and affection for Turkey and its people in Pakistan.

    He wished to continue visiting Pakistan whenever possible, saying mutual cooperation between the two countries and people should grow with each passing day.

    Responding to a question, AL said he said he loved Pakistani food, especially biryani and lamb which he ate in Islamabad, adding that he wished to taste biryani in Karachi.

    Later, in an Instagram post, AL wrote: “I’ve been lived most special moment of my life.”

    Similarly, Kemal Tekdin said work was underway on two joint projects in Pakistan which were based on the lives of ‘Abdur Rehman Peshawari’ and ‘Babu Shah’. He said these plays would be produced both in Urdu and Turkish languages and would also be dubbed in English.

    Oncologist Dr Kashif Ansari, who had invited the Turkish delegation to Pakistan said he wished to enhance cooperation in the field of media and entertainment industry between the two countries.

    Ansari said that in the coming days, Pakistani children “instead of idolising Indian actors and film stars, will idolise Pakistani and Turkish stars and heroes in the history of Muslims”.

    “We are working to produce a serial on the poetry and message of Allama Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Peshawari. Abdur Rehman Peshawari was a Muslim from the subcontinent who went to Turkey, fought along with Turkish brethren and also served as Turkey’s ambassador in Afghanistan. He got martyred there and now regarded as a hero in Turkey,” said the oncologist.

    Meanwhile, later in the day, Celal attended a star-studded dinner hosted by Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed.

  • LUMS graduate Hina Butt of PML-N reveals her GPA

    LUMS graduate Hina Butt of PML-N reveals her GPA

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hina Pervaiz Butt has claimed that she graduated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with a GPA of 3.98.

    She made this statement on an Express News show hosted by Mansoor Ali Khan.

    Hina was responding to the remarks made in the show, where it was said that she became a member of Punjab Assembly on a reserved seat the basis of her wealth and contacts. She said it was not right to “say such a thing about women who become lawmakers on reserved seats”.

    She said she moved the highest number of resolutions in the assembly during the last tenure, 2013-18. Hina said saying “women are selected on the basis of their wealth or beauty” was akin to the character assassination of the lawmakers, who become MPs on the seats reserved for women.

    Last time, Hina, while appearing on the same show, said that she considered BBC Urdu more credible source of information compared to its parent organisation, BBC News.

    According to Hina Butt, independent media outlets, such as Al Jazeera and BBC Urdu, did “good reporting” on the jalsa compared to the local news channels.