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  • Sindh to develop 10 tourist spots

    Sindh to develop 10 tourist spots

    The Sindh Government has decided to develop 10 potential tourist sites in the province through a public-private partnership.

    According to reports, the provincial government will conduct feasibility at 10 such sites across the province to develop them into tourist spots. These areas include Gorakh Hill Station in Dadu district, Ranikot Fort in Jamshoro district, Keenjhar Lake in Thatta, Nagarparkar in Tharparkar, Achhrro Thar in Sanghar, Mohenjo Daro in Larkana, Sehwan, Bhit Shah, Drigh and Langh Lakes in Kambar-Shahdadkot, Lab-e-Mehran / Sadhbelo in Sukkur and coastal belt of the province.

    The decision was announced after a meeting of the provincial Tourism and Culture Department, which was chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary (CS) Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah.

    Expressing that the province had great tourism potential, the Chief Secretary said: “Sindh government wants to develop facilities for tourists so that tourism can flourish not only at the already existing sites but at several other sites which have so far been neglected.”

    Such sites would be surveyed with the help of private sector, he added.

    Shah also instructed the Works and Services Department to repair the roads going towards Ranikot and Nagarparkar to make the route for tourists easier.

    Sindh Culture and Tourism Secretary Akbar Laghari in his briefing shared that the feasibility study of Lab-e-Mehran and Gorakh Hills had already been done. He added that they also plan to build a theme park at Mohenjo Daro and aim to construct low-cost hotels in the area.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday inaugurated two national parks in Gilgit-Baltistan to protect endangered wildlife and promote eco-tourism in the area.

  • Harbhajan Singh trolled for saying ‘Indians don’t need COVID vaccine’

    Harbhajan Singh trolled for saying ‘Indians don’t need COVID vaccine’

    Former Indian off-spinner Harbajahan Singh, in a recent tweet, wondered if India needs a coronavirus vaccine as its recovery rate is much better than the efficacy being provided by the drugs.

    The cricketer took to Twitter to express his thoughts and even shared data of Pfizer and Biotech vaccine’s accuracy.

    Soon after he posted his tweet, netizens began to roast him for posting ‘nonsense’ and advised him to not ‘post such tweets’.

  • PTI issues list of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ journalists, deletes tweet after backlash

    PTI issues list of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ journalists, deletes tweet after backlash

    In another attack on press freedom, an official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Lahore issued a list of ‘bad’ journalists on social media, calling them “anchors/mediamen building narratives for the corrupt”.

    “Let take these name loud and clear,” read the tweet with hashtag ‘HardTalkNotCapitalTalk’.

    A little context of the tweet: the said hashtag started trending on social media site after an interview of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ishaq Dar, wherein he was grilled by Stephen Sackur in his characteristically inquisitorial style.

    The trolls subsequently took to Twitter to celebrate the humiliation meted out to Dar and launched attacks on Pakistani mediapersons, especially Hamid Mir who hosts Capital Talk on Geo, for ostensibly being ‘too lenient to the corrupt’ Sharifs and other opposition politicians.

    So, who are these ‘bad journalist’ accused by the ruling party of promoting ‘corrupt narratives’? According to the list, Hamid Mir, Asma Shirazi, Naseem Zahra, Najam Sethi, Talat Hussain, Mansoor Ali Khan, Gharidah Farooqi, Javed Ch, and Saleem Safi are the ‘bad journalists’.

    Most of the mentioned journalists are critical of government policies and other transgressions.

    ‘GOOD JOURNALISTS’

    But the PTI Lahore account also shared a list of journalists who they thought were “fighting the war of truth and justice” i.e. “good journalists”.

    These journalists are Imran Khan, Maleeha Hashmey, Sabir Shakir, Kashif Abbasi, Ghulam Hussain, Sami Ibrahim, Shifa Yousafzai, Mooed Pirzada, Abdul Qadir, and Waqar Malik.

    The official handle asked its followers to “appreciate brave and bold journalists fighting the war of truth and justice” instead of the ‘bad’ journalists who promote corruption.

    The journalists and media organisations took exception to the tweets by the official handle of the PTI’s Lahore chapter. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemned the “vicious attacks of PTI trolls against these brave women journalists”.

    The list was also condemned by Mansoor Ali Khan, who said such lists put journalists in the harm’s way. Whereas Amber Rahim Shamsi commented on the list of “good journalists”, saying: “When those in power become comfortable with a journalist, it’s because the journalist isn’t asking uncomfortable questions.”

    Subsequently, a member of PTI social media issued “apologies”, saying it was done by a “regional account”.

    According to Human Rights Watch, “In Pakistan, arbitrary arrest, detention, and baseless criminal prosecutions are used as instruments of press censorship” among other things.

    In Aug this year, women journalists released a joint statement on attacks on women in media in Pakistan, which said that vicious attacks through social media were being directed at women journalists and commentators in Pakistan, making it incredibly difficult for them to carry out their professional duties.

    In the following month, daughter of late poet Fahmida Riaz, in protest against the alleged abduction and torture of journalists and writers by the state, declined the presidential award that the government had announced for her late mother.

  • Malala is now on TikTok

    Who would have thought but the world’s youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has joined TikTok.

    Malala has joined the popular video-sharing app to raise funds for her charity organisation. In her first video, Malala urged people to support Malala fund, an international, non-profit organisation that advocates for girls’ education.

    “Some of you might already know me, you might have heard my UN speech or might have read my book I am Malala, while some of you might not know me, so I’ll briefly introduce myself,” said Malala. “I am a recent graduate from Oxford University. I like shoes, comedy and reading books.”

    “I have also done campaigning and advocacy for 12 years for education and safe quality of education for all girls around the world,” she added.

    “On Giving Tuesday when you might be deciding to support different causes, I ask you to support Malala Fund and help us ensure that all girls can go to school,” she appealed.

    “In return I will be answering some of the questions you send today,” she said.

    Malala’s first video received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

  • PIA offers 30% discount on domestic flights

    PIA offers 30% discount on domestic flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reduced its fares for domestic flights by 30% to facilitate passengers during the winter holidays. The airline has introduced special fares on domestic flights operating between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Peshawar from December 3 (Thursday) onwards.

    Passengers would now be able to travel between these cities on a one-way minimum fare of Rs8,500 and a round trip minimum fare of Rs17,000. Previously, charges were Rs12,275 and Rs24,600 for the same.

    PIA Spokesperson Abdullah Khan said that the purpose of discounted fares is to facilitate the people travelling to their homes during holidays. He said people can benefit from these fares on a first come first serve basis.

  • ‘To new beginnings’: Sami Aslam call it quits with Pakistan cricket

    Pakistani test cricketer Sami Aslam has called it quits with Pakistan cricket by joining hands with USA Cricket.

    The 24-year-old opener, on his social media account, announced that he is in United States for a new beginning.

    According to reports, Aslam has struck a deal with USA Cricket that will see him spend two years and 10 months playing league cricket in the States and eventually represent the US.

    Aslam, 24, recently decided to quit Pakistan’s domestic cricket in favour of moving to the US as he was distraught at being demoted to Balochistan’s Second XI for the National T20 Cup.

    The Lahore-born cricketer was disgruntled after not being selected in the 35-member squad for the New Zealand tour despite his string of solid domestic performances in the previous campaigns.

    He has played 13 Tests and scored 758 runs at an average of 31.58 with seven half-centuries to his name.

    The left-hander’s last appearance for Pakistan came in a Test match against Sri Lanka back in 2017.

  • PML-Q leadership calls on Shehbaz to condole death of mother

    PML-Q leadership calls on Shehbaz to condole death of mother

    In an apparent thaw of frosty ties, a delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid led by Pervaiz Elahi called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz to condole the death of Shamim Akhtar.

    Akhtar, the mother of Sharif brothers, died in London last month due to respiratory complication and her body was brought to Pakistan last week. Nawaz Sharif, who is in self-imposed exile in London, couldn’t come back due to “health reasons”.

    Whereas, the Punjab government released Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on parole to attend the last rites of the Sharif family matriarch.

    According to media reports, the PML-Q delegation that called on Sharifs comprised Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Moonis Elahi and Kamil Ali Agha.

    On the other hand, Maryam Nawaz, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were also present in the meeting.

    The meeting between the two parties come at a time when the anti-government campaign against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — an ally of PML-Q– spearheaded by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is in full swing.

    A report in The News had claimed that there have been “informal contacts between the PML-Q and PML-N for cooperation in the Punjab Assembly against the PTI for quite some time”.

    The PML-Q is also unhappy with PTI over certain unfulfilled promises and had also skipped a luncheon organised by the prime minister last month. The PM had subsequently visited the PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Shujaat — who is gravely ill — to salvage the alliance.

  • Shahid Afridi leaves LPL midway due to a ‘personal emergency’

    Shahid Afridi leaves LPL midway due to a ‘personal emergency’

    Shahid Afridi, who joined the Galle Gladiators squad after he missed his flight, has left the Lanka Premier League (LPL) midway due to a “personal emergency”.

    In a tweet, the cricketer who his captaining his team Galle Gladiators, said that he has “a personal emergency to attend to back home”. He added that he will rejoin the team “immediately after the situation is handled”.

    The team management has said that owing to the quarantine rules, Afridi is unlikely to return. In his absence, Bhanuka Rajapaksa will lead the team, while Afridi’s replacement has not yet been decided.

    Gladiators, who have lost all three of their matches will be playing tonight (Thursday) against the unbeaten Jaffna Stallions.

    Meanwhile, Sri Lankan media have revealed that Afridi is going back to Karachi to tend to his nine-month-old daughter who is reportedly unwell and has been admitted to the hospital. They also said that Lala joined the squad late because of his daughter’s illness.

    “The same daughter is not well again and he will be leaving the hotel in Hambantota at around 7 pm for Colombo, where he will catch a flight for Karachi at 1 am,” a team source told the media.

    Former Cricketer Umar Gul also commented on Afridi’s tweet to inquire if all is well.

  • Army’s intervention in politics detrimental to country, says ex-ISI chief

    Army’s intervention in politics detrimental to country, says ex-ISI chief

    Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Lt Gen (r) Asad Durrani has said that the meddling of the military in the political affairs, though a reality, was “detrimental to the country”.

    In an interview with BBC Urdu, the former general said whether the army should intervene in politics or not is a debate that has led us nowhere. “Our experience tells us that whenever the military intervened, the political parties ostracised staged a comeback,” Durrani said.

    “Gen Ayub Khan was supposed to keep Zulfikar Ali Bhutto out, but he staged a comeback and got elected. After Ziaul Haq, Benazir Bhutto came to power.”

    The same thing happened during the regime of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. “The two parties which he thought should be kept out – PPP and PML-N –were elected to power. So, this political engineering is harmful,” he said.

    “Imran Khan’s biggest problem is the impression that he did not come to power by himself and that he came with a khaki burden. Some people don’t learn from history because they say we will create our own history,” Durrani added.

    The former general also talked about challenges faced by Pakistan on external and internal fronts.

    “If you ask me challenges from outside, I would say Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey pose new challenges,” he said. The former ISI chief went on to say that “India has not always been the biggest threat to us”.

    “The country is facing three types of challenges: economy, political instability, and social cohesion,” he said.

    “There are some areas like Balochistan where there is unrest among people who feel politically alienated and deprived. The economy is in bad shape…. The government’s credibility is bad because people believe it has been brought into power by the military,” he said.

    He also opposed the changing of status of Gilgit-Baltistan which, he said, will be a blow to the Kashmir cause.

    “When I was looking after the affairs of Kashmir, a close friend of mine, Yusuf, explained to me that the day we made the mistake of changing GilgitBaltistan status, it would be a big blow to our Kashmir cause,” he said but did not explain who Yusuf was.

    “You may give more rights to G-B, if you want to, but it should not be forcibly made a province of Pakistan,” said Durrani, while commenting on recent government promises of giving Kashmir the provincial status.

  • Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s ‘Home1947’ wins at Montréal’s South Asian Film Festival

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s ‘Home1947’ wins at Montréal’s South Asian Film Festival

    Another proud moment for Pakistan as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s set of short films HOME1947 won the Best Film [Short Documentary] Award at the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal.

    The films part of HOME1947 which won the Best Film [Short Documentary] award at SAFFM 2020 included, Ghosts of the Past, Midnight Fury, Khamosh Pani (Silent water), Weaving Memories, Zameen and Dark Secrets.

    According to the makers, “HOME1947 is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan.”

    “HOME1947 recreates the long-lost sights and sounds of what millions once called home and explores this world not through the words of historians and politicians, but through the eyes of those who lived through it,” adds the statement.

    The HOME1947 Series was first premiered as part of the HOME1947 Exhibition at the Manchester International Festival in the UK followed by exhibitions in Mumbai [India], Lahore and Karachi.

    The South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFM) showcases new artistic work that fosters discussions and explores the world we inhabit. The Festival aims to provide a platform for filmmakers worldwide whose films have a focus on South Asia and its diaspora.