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  • Security breach: Man, pretending to be BBC journalist, interviews senators

    Security breach: Man, pretending to be BBC journalist, interviews senators

    Pictures of a man pretending to be a journalist from BBC has interviewed senators, including the Upper House’s Standing Committee on Interior Chairperson Rehman Malik, outside the Parliament House in what is being termed as a massive security breach.

    The incident was brought to limelight by Tahir Imran, a journalist actually affiliated with BBC, as he tweeted images of the imposter and wrote, “Dear Senator Rehman Malik, this guy is an imposter who pretends to be a BBC journalist. He is not a BBC employee”.

    In another picture, the man was seen covering Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) ongoing Azadi March in the federal capital.

    Sharing the images, Tahir also urged Senator Malik to lodge a complaint and inform BBC’s local office in Islamabad about the imposter.

    Responding to the tweet, the senator said that he had already ordered an inquiry as to how did the man enter a restricted space. “Have also informed the BBC head in Islamabad,” he tweeted, adding that he found the fake reporter suspicious after the latter’s claim of being affiliated with BBC Italy.

    “BBC Islamabad has confirmed that he is not a BBC employee and will be booked as an imposter under the law,” the senator added.

  • ‘Pakistan may have released poisonous gas to pollute air in India,’ alleges BJP leader

    ‘Pakistan may have released poisonous gas to pollute air in India,’ alleges BJP leader

    A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vineet Agarwal Sharda has said alleged either Pakistan or China could have released poisonous gases into India to pollute its air, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to the details, the BJP leader that our neighboring countries should be blamed for the high levels of pollution in Delhi and adjacent areas, adding that “I feel that Pakistan or China are afraid of us”.

    “Ye jo zehreeli hawa aa rahi hai, zehreeli gas aayi hai ho sakta hai kisi bagal ke mulk ne chhori ho jo humse ghabraya hua hai (There is a possibility that this poisonous gas could have been released by any neighboring country which is afraid of us), BJP leader said.

    “We must seriously consider whether Pakistan has released any poisonous gas,” Vineet Agarwal said.

    Sharda said that Pakistan was “frustrated” ever since Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah took charge and was resorting to all sorts of tactics against India.

    Terming Modi and Shah as Lord Krishna and Arjuna from Mahabharata, Vineet said that both leaders were capable of solving all problems.

  • ‘#ShameOnUsmanDar’ trends after PM’s aide makes fun of Pashtuns

    ‘#ShameOnUsmanDar’ trends after PM’s aide makes fun of Pashtuns

    Hashtag “#ShameOnUsmanDar” on Wednesday started trending on Twitter after Special Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Youth Affairs, Usman Dar, made fun of Pashtun workers.

    “In the end, they [the Azadi marchers] will get the same [returns] as those Pathan [vendors] who roam in streets and sell a blanket worth Rs500 for Rs50,” the PTI leader had said while appearing on Express News’ programme To the Point earlier this week.

    He was immediately called out by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Hina Pervaiz Butt, who was also a guest on the show. “I want to condemn [the usage] of the word Pathan [randomly] like this. We are all Pakistanis,” she said.

    Dar, however, continued to use the rhetoric until the show’s host, Mansoor Ali Khan, asked him to take his words back.

    “Alright, I will take [my words] back,” the PTI leader later conceded.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The remarks invited a backlash on Twitter, where “Shame on Usman Dar” became a top trend as users condemned the PTI leader’s choice of words.

    MNA Mohsin Dawar also reacted to Dar’s statement, saying, “Pashtun displacement into Punjab is a cost of Pakistan’s strategic depth policy.”

    “These Pashtuns won’t have left their homeland, if it wasn’t used for strategic games and was allowed to grow to full potential. #ShameOnUsmanDar for making fun of those who are just making an honest living,” he added.

  • Govt paving way for Nawaz to leave country?

    Govt paving way for Nawaz to leave country?

    Government-constituted medical board that is overseeing the treatment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, has recommended him a genetic test that is not available in Pakistan, The News International reported.

    Reports quoted the head of the medical panel, Prof Dr Mehmood Ayaz, as saying that Nawaz needed to go abroad for treatment. “We will inform the Health Department in writing that Nawaz should undergo a genetic test abroad,” he reportedly said.

    According to Dr Ayaz, a foreign visit would become essential if doctors want to examine Nawaz’s body tissues in order to diagnose the exact cause of his illness since the former prime minister (PM) was “not facing a minor genetic issue”.

    With the panel head’s comments making headlines, rumour has it that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — in both Punjab and centre — is paving way for the PML-N supremo to leave the country and “a deal has been struck”.

    On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Interior Brig (r) Ijaz Shah had also hinted at allowing Nawaz to seek treatment abroad “if that turns out to be the only option”. According to some reports, incumbent PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif is also trying to convince his brother to leave the country for treatment.

  • Men dig up woman’s body from grave, say area only reserved for feudal lords

    Men dig up woman’s body from grave, say area only reserved for feudal lords

    Influential men dig up and removed a woman’s body from her grave allegedly annoyed that she was buried near their local feudal landlords.

    As per reports, men also attacked the
    deceased woman’s relatives in the Sakhi Hassan Graveyard of Rahim Yar Khan’s
    Khan Bela neighborhood, hurting at least three of them.

    The men had reserved graves for feudal landlords without the local administration’s permission. They were upset that a woman who was not related to the landlords had been buried near their self-allocated graves and, therefore, desecrated the burial area.

    Read More: Men dig up grave to rape woman’s dead body

    Rahim Yar Khan police said they have
    registered a first information report (FIR) over the incident and made sure
    that the woman whose body had been removed was buried again.

    The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital whereas the other relatives of the family protested against the injustice. FIR was registered against more than 15
    suspects. Authorities arrested at least two of the men suspects.

  • Winter rain: PM orders CDA chief to visit Azadi March site, provide relief to protesters

    Winter rain: PM orders CDA chief to visit Azadi March site, provide relief to protesters

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Wednesday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman to visit the Azadi March sit-in site and determine what relief could be provided to the protesters.

    “I have directed the CDA chairman to immediately visit the dharna site to assess what relief and assistance can be provided to the dharna participants,” he tweeted.

    PM Imran also said that the relief would be provided in view of the onset of rain and changing weather conditions.

    On Tuesday, protesters had refused to let rain or the biting cold dampen their resolve as the anti-government sit-in continues and they demand the PM’s resignation.

    Earlier, a picture of a few Azadi marchers preparing to go to sleep in the biting cold and rain under a plastic sheet had gone viral on social media.

  • Emma Watson introduces a new relationship status: ‘self-partnered’

    Emma Watson introduces a new relationship status: ‘self-partnered’

    Boss lady Emma Watson has introduced a new relationship status.

    In a recent interview, the actor-activist said that she prefers to call herself “self-partnered” rather than single.

    Watson, 29, who rose to fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, coined the phrase in an interview with British Vogue in which she discussed the pressures of turning 30.

    Emma shared that she initially did not understand the “fuss” that surrounded the milestone but admitted feeling “stressed and anxious” about her upcoming birthday.

    Read more: Study reveals women are happier without children or a spouse

    In her interview, Watson is quoted to have said, “If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and you’re not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or you’re still figuring things out… There’s just this incredible amount of anxiety.”

    Emma also shared that she had never believed the “‘I’m happy single’ spiel.”

    “It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.”

  • Maryam Nawaz still not released despite bail

    Maryam Nawaz still not released despite bail

    While the Lahore High Court granted bail to Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday, her release has so far been delayed due to procedural issues.

    As per media reports, Maryam Nawaz’s lawyers were late in completing the necessary documentation. However, sources share that the delay wasn’t at Maryam’s lawyers’ end.

    Due to the delay in her release, Mian Nawaz Sharif also did not shift to Sharif Medical City Hospital despite being discharged from Services Hospital on Tuesday. Mr. Sharif is adamant that he will shift only when Maryam Nawaz is released so that she can go with him.

    Meanwhile, #ReleaseMaryamNOW trended on Twitter for several hours once news broke out that her release has been delayed due to procedural issues.

    Some TV analysts speculated whether the delay in her release was related to a fear that she may address the Azadi March.

  • Billboards with images of PM Khan in Amritsar taken down after criticism

    Billboards with images of PM Khan in Amritsar taken down after criticism

    Ahead of the historic Kartarpur opening, scheduled to be held on November 9, billboards featuring images of Prime Minister Imran Khan have popped up in Amritsar, India.

    The posters which featured images of PM Khan and former Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu read, “Navjot Singh Sidhu and Imran Khan are the real heroes, for opening Kartarpur Corridor.”

    However, the hoardings were taken down within hours of being put up as they irked the Indians who widely criticised them.

    According to India Today, supporters of Sidhu put up hoardings calling him and PM Imran the real heroes of Kartarpur. The report further added that the hoardings were put up by Amritsar Municipal Councillor Harpal Singh Verka who is known to be close to Sidhu.

    Speaking to India Today, Verka said, “Imran Khan had asked his friend Navjot Singh Sidhu what he can do for him as he visited his swearing-in ceremony in Pakistan. Sidhu put forth a demand before Imran Khan that the Kartarpur corridor be opened for Sikh devotees. I put up hoardings of my own as I wanted to send out the message to the people about Sidhu’s role in getting the corridor opened.”

    See pictures: Kartarpur Corridor ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims

    As per reports, Sidhu was the first Indian politician who received the first invitation card to the opening ceremony bearing number 001 from Imran Khan three days ago.

    Sidhu has reportedly been given permission to visit Pakistan on November 9 when the Kartarpur corridor will be formally inaugurated.

  • 11-year-old Pakistani boy sets new World record

    11-year-old Pakistani boy sets new World record

    An 11-year-old boy from Karachi has set a new Guinness World Record.

    Aima’az Ali Abro set the record by identifying most countries from their outline in one minute.

    A post on the Guinness World Record reads, “The most countries identified from their outline in one minute is 57 and was achieved by Aima’az Ali Abro in Karachi, Pakistan, on 8 October 2019.”

    The boy is a resident of Karachi’s North Nazimabad area. After setting the Guinness World Record, the boy is determined to win a Nobel prize too.