In a bid to bring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan, the federal government will cancel his passport on Feb 16, said Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that the passport of the ex-PM will be revoked owing to his refusal to return to Pakistan.
Nawaz had left for London for a medical check-up last year after his health deteriorated in jail. The ex-premier, who was convicted in two graft cases, has refused to return since.
Rasheed also said that now people will be able to obtain visas for any country online.
It may be noted that the interior ministry’s decision to revoke the passport of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader came two months after a request by the National Accountability Bureau.
According to Geo, NAB had sought cancellation of the passport and the CNIC of the ex-PM in OCt. “During the course of proceedings, the said accused [Nawaz] deliberately absented himself from the court and after the due process…whenever accused is arrested, he be produced before the court.”
“In view thereof, copies of the said court order and perpetual non-bailable warrant of arrest are forwarded for processing of blacklisting/cancellation of the passport and blockage / impounding of CNIC of the accused through the Ministry of Interior,” NAB said in an order.
Fawad Alam’s heroic ton went in vain as the home team won the first Test by 101 runs in Tauranga’s Mount Maunganui stadium on Wednesday.
Eleven years, five months and 16 days on from that other lifetime when he scored his first Test hundred, Fawad pulled Wagner behind square – that shot had served him well both in defence and attack – past a diving deep fielder to bring up a second Test hundred.
The last one he scored was way back in 2009 when he hit 168 on Test debut against Sri Lanka while opening the innings. Since then Alam has played just six Tests having made a comeback in 2020.
Fawad Alam:
1st Test hundred 13 July, 2009 2nd Test hundred 30 December, 2020
Babar Azam’s injury gave him another go and yet he proved to be an ace for the team.
The Green Caps began the final day’s play at 71-3 in chase of 373-run target with Azhar Ali and Fawad batting at 34 and 21 respectively.
He put on a 165-run partnership with captain Mohammad Rizwan who scored a gritty half-century as well. 380 balls faced by Alam and Rizwan during their partnership – the second-longest stand for Pakistan in Tests.
New Zealand bowlers hand their side a memorable 101-run win despite fighting knocks from Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan.#NZvPAK REPORT
The wicketkeeper-batsman’s dismissal sparked a collapse as he was trapped leg-before by Kyle Jamieson for 60 while Fawad, who hit 14 boundaries in his 102-run knock, was caught behind on the bowling of Neil Wagner.
The tail-end pair of pacemen Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah provided resistance to salvage a draw but it wasn’t to be as the latter was caught and bowled by Santner for one with just four more overs to go.
The moment New Zealand became the No. 1 Test team for the very first time!
Good fight from Pakistan but NZ are too good and too strong at home. Good game.pic.twitter.com/WkiNIsc6NY
Fawad Alam’s hard work, patience and determination has proved that those who ignored him for 11 years were wrong. Fawad has also showed after being grilled in domestic cricket your confidence goes high. Well done @iamfawadalam25#PAKvNZ
Just want to ask those who ignored Fawad Alam for eleven years. Isn’t it a shame? It’s not the hundred, just see the meaning, the purpose behind it. Guts, self belief & commitment reflected. Not replying but still Fawad is asking a question. Why was he ignored?
Just imagine if Fawad Alam was playing between 2009-2019, he would’ve been in the next level by now. Sadly there’s no accountability; someone should’ve questioned the selectors. All I can say is “Aaj Sharam to Aati hogi”
Fawad Alam is a genuine middle-order batsman. They made him open on Test debut in SL and he scored a 100. In next series, they put him at 3 in NZ cos seniors Yousuf & Malik didn’t want to move up. Fawad failed and dropped for 10 years. He’s playing this Test cos Babar is injured.
when Fawad Alam was dropped from the XI Salman Butt had never been captain of Pakistan, Spain had never won a World Cup, Lebron didn’t have ring & Djokovic had won one Slam.
It’s so long back that Bin Laden was still alive in Abbottabad probably thinking k Fadi k sath ziadti hui
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Tuesday thanked essential workers and offered encouragement to people who suffered during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in their first podcast released on Spotify.
Harry and Meghan, known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hosted the episode and introduced reflections and hopes for the new year from singer Elton John, producer and actor Tyler Perry, tennis champion Naomi Osaka and other celebrities, artists and authors.
During the 33-minute episode, the couple thanked healthcare and frontline workers and others who made sacrifices during a challenging year.
“From us, I’ll say no matter what life throws at you guys, trust us when we say, love wins,” Meghan said.
“Love always wins,” Harry added.
The episode ended with a surprise appearance by the couple’s 19-month-old son, Archie. With guidance from his parents, Archie said: “Happy … New … Year!”
Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in January and moved with Archie to Southern California to live a more independent life and escape the hostile British media. The pair made no mention of their move in the podcast.
In September, the couple signed a multi-year production deal for TV programming with Netflix Inc, followed by a multi-year agreement to produce and host podcasts for Spotify.
After backlash, the Balochistan government has decided to halt work on the fencing of Gwadar until a consensus is reached on the issue.
Home Minister Mir Zia Lango said that Chief Minister Jam Kamal has ordered the authorities to stop the process amid criticism by the locals. He said that a parliamentary delegation would give its recommendation to the chief minister and the government would address the concerns of the locals first and then move ahead with the project.
The process will move forward after the consultation with the people of Gwadar, he said, adding that the apprehensions of the public were of foremost importance. “The provincial government headed by CM Kamal is working for the betterment of people,” he added.
The fencing of the city was criticised by local and national politicians, who termed the process discriminatory.
Pakistan People’s Party leader Raza Rabbani had likened it to the Berlin Wall. “In an era when the Berlin Wall fell, and here the city is being divided in the name of security. It has raised serious concern among people of the area,” he had added.
Senior journalist Hamid Mir has said that the arrest if Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif showed that someone was “really scared”.
In a tweet, Mir said Asif presented himself for the arrest “with a smile and he will come back from the jail with a smile on his face”. “His arrest only proves that someone is really scared and worried,” he said, without taking any names.
خواجہ آصف نے مسکراتے ہوئے گرفتاری دی مسکراتے ہوئے واپس آئیں گے یہ گرفتاری صاف بتا رہی ہے کہ کوئی نہ کوئی کہیں نہ کہیں انتہائی پریشان اور خوفزدہ ہے pic.twitter.com/1S3NB8rYbe
On Tuesday, Asif was taken into custody in the backdrop of an ongoing investigation into allegations of him possessing assets beyond known sources of income to the tune of whopping Rs260 million. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said he was arrested from near PML-N general secretary Ahsan Iqbal’s house.
Mir had also commented on the arrest yesterday. He had said that the former foreign minister knew he would be arrested and had even made preparations beforehand for what he considered an “eventuality”. “He had prepared a bag as well and would say that the NAB would arrest him soon,” said Mir.
Speaking on a TV show, the PML-N leader had claimed the prime minister wanted his rivals to hold a protest outside his residence, target him in a road accident, and harass his wife by forcing her out of the vehicle.
Asif had alleged that the PM desired to get him beaten up or implicate in a narcotics case in order to teach him a lesson. He had said that he wanted to raise these issues in the National Assembly, but he was not allowed by the NA speaker to talk.
A senior government official, who was named in a corruption reference, committed suicide on Tuesday owing to the alleged harassment by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Geo News reported that the deceased, a BS-22 officer, was upset because of NAB’s ongoing investigation against him and others for months. According to the report that quoted a family friend of the deceased, the officer killed himself because he was “deeply stressed” due to NAB.
A NAB spokesperson rejected the allegations. According to NAB, the deceased was not even in its custody. It added that the case was filed six months ago and it’s sub-judice at present.
Reportedly, the deceased was named in a case pertaining to the alleged embezzlement of Rs1.657 billion after the Benazir Income Support Programme high-ups awarded an illegal contract to an advertising agency.
NAB has been accused of pressurising suspects on multiple occasions, and this is not the first time that someone has committed suicide to escape its clutches.
It is to mention here that former Military Intelligence officer and prominent defense analyst Brig (r) Asad Munir committed suicide after the emergence of media reports that NAB had decided to file a reference of abuse of office against him. His body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his apartment in Diplomatic Enclave on March 16, 2019.
Furthermore, former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator Sehar Kamran also compiled data which claimed that “NAB custody is worse than the United States’ (US) infamous military jail, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp”.
The scattered data of alleged rights violations by NAB was compiled by Kamran in a brief she reportedly sent to Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari among other authorities concerned earlier this year.
According to the brief, 11 NAB suspects have lost their lives while in custody or “as a direct result of the harassment by the agency”.
Shahbaz Shigri has penned a love note for beau Aima Baig, calling her the “most beautiful human being”.
Sharing a picture of the two from Aima’s sister’s wedding, Shigri expressed his love for his “better half”, writing: “The most beautiful, amazing, magnanimous and wholesomely awesome human being I have ever met in my life, and that’s Aima next to him.”
“I’m kidding. All those descriptive words actually apply to her, and still, they aren’t enough,” he continued.
Shigri also thanked Aima for tolerating him, adding: “I promise it only gets worst, so hold on tight.”
The duo made things official earlier this year with Shigri announcing the news on social media. In an Instagram post, he revealed that Aima is his “better half”. Sharing a picture of himself and the singer in Los Angeles, Shigri swooned over Baig’s smile adding that she is his “partner in crime, homie, companion and a whole bunch of other things which, if I began listing down, would turn up the cringe level to a million”.
After the Pakistan People’s Party expressed its reluctance to quit the national and provincial assemblies, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed commented that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) too will follow suit and step back from its decision to quit parliament.
In a conversation with the media, he talked about the Senate elections and the opposition’s participation in the polls. Rasheed said in spite of the PPP reportedly wanting Nawaz Sharif to come back, the PML-N supreme leader will stay in London.
The PML-N members will not submit their resignations from the national or provincial assemblies as they have claimed, he claimed, adding that the party will even take part in the by-polls.
He said the PML-N lawmakers are already agitated after the National Assembly speaker summoned two of them to verify their resignation letters that were allegedly sent to the secretariat on the respective official letterheads. He was referring to controversial resignation letters that the PML-N leaders claimed were submitted to the party, but they found their way to the speaker’s office.
Rasheed also appreciated PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s political acumen, saying the former president was a good politician but PM Imran Khan was doing better than him.
Zardari had recently suggested that the PDM should focus on its fight against the government instead of dictating each other on how to go about it.
He had made made these comments in an apparent reference to the calls for resignations supported by the PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
2020 has been an interesting year for Pakistani dramas with several controversial dramas hitting our screens this year. In terms of popularity, there is no denying that Meray Paas Tum Ho was television’s highest-watched dramas with a cult following. As we look back on this year, here’s a list of dramas which had the maximum number of views on YouTube till the filing of this story.
Note – We are only including episodes that aired in 2020 in this list. Views have been indicated in brackets.
Nand Episode 1 (12M)
Despite having close to 100 episodes, Nand continues to trend on YouTube and social media. The first episode of the show was fast-paced and thrilling. Not only are we introduced to nand Gohar (Faiza Hassan) and the rest of the family, we dive straight into the story, which is about a woman who likes to control everything and everyone around her. Apart from being very masalaydar and spicy, the drama also boasts solid performances by the lead cast.
Deewangi Last Episode (13M)
Danish Taimoor and Hiba Bukhari’s Deewangi ends with Nageen (Hiba) killing Sultan (Taimoor) and getting her happily ever after with Haroon (Ali Abbas), who first divorced her. Audiences loved the drama for its depiction of love that reached a point of madness and continued to root for Sultan till the very end, even though he commits several mistakes along the way because of his mad love for Nageen. The last episode of the drama was thrilling, intense and fast-paced with viewers hooked to it.
Ishqiya Episode 1 (15M)
The first episode of this intense romance involving two sisters featuring Feroze Khan, Hania Aamir and Ramsha Khan opens with a scene which will instantly remind you of Rahul and Anjali’s basketball matches in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The rest of the episode introduces us to the different characters and their relationship dynamics. Its ends with Azeem’s (Gohar Rasheed) family asking for Hamna’s (Ramsha) hand in marriage, who is in love with Hamza (Feroze).
The last bumper episode of Ehd e Wafa was initially scheduled to hit theatres but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan couldn’t fall through. The grand finale, which included a special appearance by Humayun Saeed, saw Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) get injured in tensions on the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir, following which all four friends gather at the hospital to be on his side as he battles between life and death. The final episode was emotionally charged but ended on a happy note leaving viewers satisfied.
Though the second-last episode of the immensely popular Meray Paas Tum Ho was a slow one, it is one of the highest-viewed ones. The episode saw Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) shift back into her old house and use a wazeefa to try and win Danish back. She regrets the decisions she made and is wallowing in misery. On the other hand, Danish (Humayun Saeed) agreed to marry Hania (Hira Mani) and wore the ring she bought for him after Roomi proposed to her on behalf of his father. Meanwhile, Maham (Savera Nadeem) made sure she reminded Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) of his aukaat.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif was on Tuesday arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from Islamabad, a spokesperson for the bureau and PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed.
As per the details, Asif was taken into custody in the backdrop of an ongoing investigation into allegations of him possessing assets beyond known sources of income to the tune of whopping Rs260 million.
Aurangzeb said he was arrested from near PML-N general secretary Ahsan Iqbal’s house.
He has been taken to the NAB Rawalpindi office, Geo News reported citing sources. Reports said that a consultative session of the party is currently underway to debate whether PML-N will take part in senate elections.
Asif left the meeting and was moments later arrested near Iqbal’s residence. Aurangzeb said Asif will be presented before an accountability court tomorrow for remand.
While PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz among other party leaders are lauding Asif for his “undeterred support for Nawaz Sharif”, senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir on his show Capital Talk said that the former foreign minister knew he would be arrested and had even made preparations beforehand for what he considered an “eventuality”.
“He had prepared a bag as well and would say that the NAB would arrest him soon,” said Mir.
When prompted by the anchor to comment whether Asif’s arrest was a “reactionary move” to Maryam Nawaz’s speech in Larkana on Sunday, Muhammad Zubair, who had also left the meeting to appear on the show, said, “Of course. When the popularity and impact [of the PDM] is on the rise, we knew that they would react in some way. And today, we have seen that reaction.”
