Six major generals have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has announced.
In a tweet, the military’s media wing said those promoted included Maj Gen Akhtar Nawaz , Maj Gen Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Maj Gen Salman Fayyaz Ghani, Maj Gen Sarfraz Ali and Maj Gen Muhammad Ali.
Promotions in the #Army : 6 Major Generals have been promoted to the Rank of Lieutenant General. Those promoted include MG Akhtar Nawaz , MG Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat, MG Asif Ghafoor, MG Salman Fayyaz Ghani , MG Sarfraz Ali,MG Muhammad Ali.
Asif Ghafoor, who is among the most prominent recipients of the promotion, has previously served as the ISPR director general. He was appointed to the post in December 2016, replacing Lt Gen Asim Bajwa as the military’s spokesperson.
Reacting to the news, Federal Minster for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said it was an hounour to serve in the highest ranks of the army.
Serving in the highest ranks of #PakArmy is an honour, many congratulations to all very well deserved officers for the honours bestowed upon them and best wishes…. https://t.co/bIZzlIxSic
“Serving in the highest ranks of #PakArmy is an honour. Many congratulations to all very well deserved officers for the honours bestowed upon them and best wishes,” he tweeted.
Meghan Markle has revealed she suffered a miscarriage in July this year.
In an opinion piece penned for the New York Times, Meghan opened up about the deep grief and loss she endured with her husband Prince Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex, who married the British prince in 2018, had the couple’s first child, Archie, the following year.
In the piece titled The Losses We Share, Meghan wrote that she had just changed her son’s diaper when she felt a sharp cramp and fell to the ground.
“After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right,” wrote Markle.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,” she added.
Meghan described how she and her husband were both in tears as she lay in a hospital bed later.
“Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand,” wrote the Duchess. “I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
“Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she continued. “In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage. Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”
The intimate details shared in the article are at odds with the usual policy of senior members of the British royal family, who reveal almost nothing about their personal lives.
Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, has never discussed her private life in any media article or interview in her 68-year reign. However, reports have stated that Harry had discussed the article with the royal family beforehand.
Meghan and Harry married in May 2018 in a glittering ceremony televised around the world. In January this year, the couple shocked the British establishment when they announced they were retiring from royal life. Their withdrawal came after reports she was deeply unhappy with life inside the royal family and fed up with media intrusion.
The couple, who live with their young son, in California, signed an exclusive deal with the streaming giant Netflix for an undisclosed fee earlier this year. They have set up a non-profit organisation to promote education, mental health and well-being.
Days after the prime minister’s visit to the University of Turbat, the Balochistan chief secretary has written a letter to the Makran commissioner, asking him to explain “the shortcomings” observed during the visit of PM Imran Khan.
The letter that has been circulating on social media has been shared by many, including Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal as well, who sarcastically captioned it ‘viceregal’ attitude of the centre.
The Current has confirmed the veracity of this letter
The chief secretary asked the commissioner — who was supposed to supervise the arrangements — to explain why “each and every detailed instructions passed on to you” were not carried out in “letter and spirit”.
It says the PM was served soft drinks that were not “properly chilled” and the plates that were used to serve food to the PM and his entourage were also of “low quality”. The sweeping staff was also reportedly inefficient as the “pathways and washrooms remained dirty” despite instructions.
The commissioner was also asked to explain the unavailability of a “qualified person” to handle the operating system “complications” during the presentation. Also, there was no “spare laptop” in the meeting room.
Furthermore, the chief secretary office was also not pleased with the fact that the CS’s chair was not “marked” in the auditorium where the PM interacted with “notables” while the CS was made to sit at the “extreme corner of the first row”, as per the letter. “The seating arrangement for the administrative secretaries to the government of Balochistan was neither marked nor were they were invited in the auditorium,” it added.
Moreover, there was also complaints about the Turbat’s DC and SSP, who allegedly violated protocol by “walking too close to the PM”. “The SSP Turbat consistently tried to engage the PM in chit chat,” the letter mentioned, seeking a response on the above-mentioned “shortcomings” from the commissioner within 7 days.
On Friday, PM Imran Khan visited Turbat district to inaugurate development projects in the city. During the visit, the PM also went to Turbat University.
The Current approached the PM’s focal person on digital media, Dr Arslan Khalid for the confirmation of this letter. According to Dr Khalid, the prime minister has nothing to do with the letter. He said it was a matter of the provincial government. Sources in the provincial government also confirmed the veracity of the letter, saying it was issued by the office of the chief secretary.
The actor surprised fans by sharing photos from her mayun on Instagram in which the bride-to-be can be seen getting mehndi applied to her hands on her mayun.
While fans were initially unaware of who the groom was, Rabab later shared pictures and videos with him on her Instagram. The groom’s name is Sohaib Ali.
Female-led drama The Queen’s Gambit, set in the 1960s chess world, has become Netflix’s most popular limited scripted series ever.
In a statement, Netflix shared that “some 62 million households watched the show in its first 28 days”. The seven-episode series is ranked in the top 10 most watched on Netflix in 92 countries, including first in 63, the company added.
More fun facts related to The Queen’s Gambit:
♕ The series made the Top 10 in 92 countries & ranked #1 in 63 countries
♕ The novel has entered The New York Times bestseller list, 37 years after its release
♕ Google searches for “How To Play Chess” have hit a nine-year peak
The Queen’s Gambit follows an orphaned female chess prodigy, Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), who struggles with drug addiction as she rises to become one of the world’s best players. But there is so much more to this incredibly fast-paced series that has proven to be the best binge-watch Netflix has produced in a long time. A riveting watch it will leave you with reasons to love it and to be inspired by it for days, months after.
1. You will feel like you can do anything
The feeling of utter inspiration after watching Beth defeat world champions at chess will make you either want to order a chess set or feel like you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Why? Beth is an orphan after she survives a car crash in which her mother passes away and there is no record of her father after her mother leaves him. Her mother dies in an attempted suicide, which could’ve taken Beth’s life but she escapes unharmed.
We then follow Beth on her journey as a brilliant chess prodigy, taught by the janitor, Mr Shaibel (Bill Camp) in an orphanage and watch her become addicted to antidepressants, which were apparently legally handed out to children in the 1950s to help them become calm and easy to handle; and to chess – a board which not only relaxes her but makes it easier for her to sleep at night.
She grows up fighting her inner demons, adopted by a family in which the father leaves, and raised by a foster mother who loves her but passes away as well. And chess becomes her ultimate solace and one that she uses to reach the heights of success. To see her grow from a child who had nothing to a woman who slays chess grandmasters in Russia leaves one with the feeling that they can conquer the world – and play chess.
2. You will appreciate your closest and best friends
In the middle of the series, you see Beth becoming lost in her drug addiction, her uneasy arrogance that she can only defeat grandmasters with the help of her pills and her lack of confidence in being with the guy that she likes. What gets her through her darkest times are her friends – and what’s amazing is that her friends are actually her former rivals – the men she defeated to get to where she is. It becomes obvious near the end that she is nothing without them and you know that warm, fuzzy feeling everyone gets from a cheesy romance movie? You will get it but it will be because of the best kinds of friendships- the ones that cheer others on, even if they are getting what you wanted all along.
3. You will marvel at the setting – and the clothes
Make no mistake – the chessboard style patterns you see on most of the clothes that Beth is wearing were deliberate and there is no woman who would not be drooling over her black and white dress that she wears for the tournament in Russia. The thoughtful costume designs and the settings of the scenes make it one of the most beautiful series to watch – from the hallowed hallways where the chess finale happens – to the retro home where Beth lives with her foster mother – are all a wonder to watch. You will be transported to the 50s and the 60s in every scene, with every leather jacket and loud wallpaper, with the waves in their hair and the even by the way they walk – every character does justice to their roles and what we are left with is a true delight in seven episodes.
The Queen’s Gambit is among Netflix’s more culturally resonant programmes of recent years. Netflix, in a blog post, also shared that since the series’ debut in October, searches for chess sets on eBay are up 250 percent, and Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel that inspired the series has returned to bestseller lists. And there is zero doubt that it deserves to be where it is. A must watch for all.
Newly-appointed Pakistan Television (PTV) Chairman Naeem Bukhari, who has also remained the lawyer of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has the national television will not broadcast any speeches by the opposition parties.
Bukhari’s comments pertaining to the blackout of the opposition on PTV came despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) manifesto that promised to transform PTV on the lines of BBC — the British state broadcaster. The ruling party had also protested during the PML-N government after the latter refused to allow PTI leaders air-time on PTV.
Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court building, Bukhari said there will be no equal air-time for the opposition parties on PTV, as being a state-run organisation, it will only air the stance of the incumbent regime. “Only government?” asked the reporter. “Yes, only government,” Bukhari said.
On Monday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting notified Bukhari, who has a vast experience of doing TV programmes, as chairman of PTV. The appointment was made after a court ruling in Sept 2020 declared the appointments of PTV chairman Arshad Khan and independent members of the board of directors illegal while directing the government to fill the vacant slots in accordance with the law.
Bukhari, who has worked as an anchorperson and commentators on PTV for decades, had joined PTI in June 2016. At the time, he called Imran Khan the “only political leader who had the courage to speak the truth”. Bukhari also represented Imran when he went to the Supreme Court against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif following the Panama Papers leak.
The pleas that were later admitted by the apex court which disqualified Nawaz Sharif for being “dishonest” under Article 62 (1)(f).
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also hired the services of Bukhari as a special prosecutor to take up cases against close confidants of Sharif brothers — former Lahore Development Authority chief Ahad Cheema and former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.
Veena Malik has filed a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against ex-husband Asad Khattak for a social media campaign that was tarnishing her reputation.
According to details, the legal notice was sent by the actress a few days after an audio clip started doing the rounds on the internet in which the actress allegedly threatened her former husband. Malik has sent a legal notice of Rs500 million to Khattak.
In the notice, Veena alleged that Khattak is “deliberately trying to defame” her and that she had lawfully brought her children to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Khattak claims that Veena “kidnapped” their children from Dubai and took them to Pakistan where she is keeping them at an “undisclosed” location.
Responding to Veena’s legal notice, Khattak called her a “fraud and liar” and asked her to send him the notice at his correct address.
وینا ملک اس بار مہربانی کر کہ میرے حقیقی ایڈریس پر ہی نوٹس بجھنا۔ دھوکہ دہی، جھوٹ فریب آپ کا پرانا پیشہ ہے۔ میرے ماں بہنوں کو قتل کی دھمکی اور میرے امریکی بچوں کو پاکستانی سفارتخانہ دبئی کی مدد سے سے غیر قانونی طریقے سے اغوا پر ریاست پاکستان کی خاموشی ایک سوالیہ نشان ہے؟ https://t.co/tbktSw7rC9
Khattak has also alleged that the audio clip, doing the rounds on social media, is of his conversation with Veena in which she threatened and abused him.
According to the legal notice, Khattak has to publicly apologise to Veena within 90 days or pay damages worth Rs 500 million.
Veena and Khattak tied the knot in December 2013 in Dubai and have two children. However, their marriage ended after three years after Veena accused Khattak of physically and mentally abusing her.
One of Pakistan’s most-loved celebrity couples, Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane have reportedly parted ways with mutual understanding.
According to reports, the couple has decided to mutually end their three-year marriage.
While the couple has not yet made an official statement, reports have stated that the reason behind their separation is mounting tension and irreconcilable differences.
Recently in an interview, Hocane had said if her husband wants to remarry, she will remain silent.
The couple tied the knot in an intimate Nikkah ceremony at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore on December 16, 2016.
Meanwhile, fans have rejected the reports and are waiting for the couple to make an official announcement.
Weren’t they just talking about each other in recent interviews with @Something_Haute? … Extremely sad and shocking… Allah reham kare#FarhanSaeed#UrwaHocane
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif is not going to accompany the dead body of his mother Shamim Akhtar, who died last week, giving rise to speculations that the ex-PM will not come back till the end of the incumbent government.
His decision of staying in London couple with a tweet by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz — wherein she asked her father to stay in London because the government was hell-bent on exacting revenge — has prompted people to ask if this was his plan all along.
In a tweet following the death of her grandmother, Maryam had said: “I have requested Mian sahab not to come back [to Pakistan] at all. These are tyrants, these are the people hellbent on exacting revenge, and no humanity is expected from them.” Maryam also said that the government didn’t inform her of her grandmother’s death while she was attending a rally in Peshawar.
Nawaz has been living in London since November last year when he was released on conditional medical bail for his treatment abroad. Dar, on the other hand, has taken self-exile in the United Kingdom after his removal from the post of Finance Minister in 2017 following the emergence of allegations of accumulation of assets beyond means against him. Both of them are wanted back home in multiple cases of graft and abuse of power
Political analysts said the remarks by the PML-N vice president were devoid of logic, as Maryam couldn’t hold the government responsible in this case. “It is however her right to advise her father,” analyst Irshad Bhatti said in a Geo News show. According to Bhatti, the elder Sharif’s decision not to return was a “pre-planned” strategy by the PML-N to pressurise the government and seek reprieve.
Similar views were shared by analysts Hassan Nisar, Dr Rasul Baksh Rais, and Muneeb Farooq.
Farooq and Dr Rais said the former prime minister will not be coming back to Pakistan during the government of Imran Khan, and a recent statement by Maryam Nawaz, asking him to stay in London indefinitely, has proved it. Dr Rais said the decision that Nawaz will not return during the PTI government tenure was taken a long time ago and the statement made by Maryam was an attempt at political damage control.
Shamim Begum, the Sharif family matriarch, breathed her last in London on Sunday due to a chest infection at the age of 89. Her body will be moved to Pakistan within next few days. Her grandsons, Hassan and Hussain, will also not accompany her dead body to Pakistan.
Yasir Hussain and Iqra Aziz are not one to shy away from expressing their love publicly. The biggest proof of this was their engagement, which took place in front of thousands of people at an award function last year.
On Iqra’s birthday, Yasir took to Instagram to wish his wife with an Allama Iqbal shair and a heartwarming wish.
Sharing a picture of the two, Yasir wrote: “I love you to the moon and back aur uss say bhi aagay kyunkay sitaron se aagay jahan aur bhi hain, abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain.”
Thanking Yasir in the comments, Iqra expressed her love for him and said: “Shaadi k is ek saal main apnay jitna khush mujhe rakha hai ab agay zindagi aur bhi haseen hogi inshAllah [You’ve kept me so happy during this one year of marriage, that I look forward to more].”
“I love you my lifeline,” she added.
Yasir also celebrated Iqra’s birthday at midnight with a cake.
Iqra and Yasir tied the knot on December 28, 2019. This is Iqra’s first birthday with husband Yasir.
