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  • Swat’s Malam Jabba ski resort gets a zip line

    Swat’s Malam Jabba ski resort gets a zip line

    Swat’s famed Malam Jabba ski resort has a new attraction: a zip line. The zip line, which is the highest in Pakistan at 9,200 feet, has been installed in the resort to attract tourists from all over the country and the world.

    The newly installed zip line is approximately 1,000 feet (90 metre) high and about 2,000 feet (550 metre) long, while its speed can reach up to 80 kilometres per hour. Just imagine the views and adrenaline rush you’re going to get.

    Ever since it was opened, tourists have thronged to the new tourist attraction, zip-lining to their heart’s content. Speaking to different media outlets, the tourists said that it was a true adventure and a unique experience for them.

    The provincial government of KPK along with the federal government have placed a lot of emphasis on developing tourism in Pakistan. In fact, KP Tourism Minister Atif Khan in a recent media talk revealed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is planning to start a helicopter service to make it easier for people to reach popular tourist spots.

  • ‘Qatari emir brokering deal for Nawaz, Maryam to leave Pakistan’

    ‘Qatari emir brokering deal for Nawaz, Maryam to leave Pakistan’

    Senior journalist and analyst Arif Nizami has said that Qatar
    is reportedly brokering a deal between the government and former prime minister
    (PM) Nawaz Sharif to secure the latter’s release.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Nizami said that Qatar was
    an old friend of Pakistan and previously involved in securing Nawaz’s release
    when former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf had arrested him after
    the 1999 coup.

    “When Musharraf came into power and detained Nawaz, the emir
    of Qatar was the first person to initiate the process for his release,” he said.

    Nizami added that up to 90 per cent of the deal had been processed to let the former PM and his daughter Maryam live in London, while sources had informed him that the “recent visit of the emir of Qatar was also linked to this task”.

    Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had arrived in
    Pakistan earlier this week and announced $3 billion worth of new investments in
    the country. He had also announced that Qatar may invest another $12 billion
    later on.

    “Sources have claimed that Nawaz’s health is not stable and
    according to his daughter Maryam, he has already suffered a stroke thrice,”
    Nizami said further.

    He claimed that under the deal, Nawaz will be allowed to pay the fine to secure his release so that he and his daughter can go and live in England. “Shehbaz and Hamza will stay here to run the party affairs and face cases leveled against them,” Nizami added.

  • Indian MP wants Abhinandan’s facial hair declared country’s ‘national moustache’

    Indian MP wants Abhinandan’s facial hair declared country’s ‘national moustache’

    An Indian parliamentarian has demanded that Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s gunslinger moustache be declared the “national moustache of India”.

    “Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman should be awarded and his moustache should be made the national moustache,” Indian National Congress (INC) leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was quoted as saying by India Today.

    On February 27, the IAF pilot was captured after Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian jets for intruding into Pakistan’s territory.

    Pakistan, as a goodwill gesture, had handed over the captured pilot to Indian authorities at Wagah border on March 1.

    According to Indian media reports, the opposition party’s leader has now argued that the pilot should be given a national honour “for his bravery”.

    Earlier, the shot down and captured Indian pilot’s facial hair had become the talk of the town as India hailed him as a “war hero”.

  • What built up to the ban on calling PM Imran Khan ‘selected’ in the National Assembly, The Current’s style

    What built up to the ban on calling PM Imran Khan ‘selected’ in the National Assembly, The Current’s style

  • ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    Head coach of the national cricket team, Mickey Arthur, has said Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India was so painful that it left him “wanting to commit suicide”, Khaleej Times reported.

    “Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide. But it was, you know, only one performance,” he was quoted as saying.

    Pakistan faced a humiliating 89-run defeat against India in Manchester on June 16, a result which sparked a furious backlash as the country’s hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals were put in grave danger.

    “It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it’s a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We’ve all been there,” Arthur said.

    While the head coach’s emotional comment may have been exaggerated to show how passionate he is about his job, some believed it was in bad taste considering former coach Bob Woolmer’s sudden death after Pakistan suffered a bruising defeat against Ireland during the 2007 World Cup.

    Pakistan lifted Arthur’s spirits with an impressive 49-run win against South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday. They now need to win their remaining three matches and improve their inferior net run-rate to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

    Pakistan play New Zealand in Birmingham on Wednesday.

  • Over 2,000 Afghan families told to vacate Mansehra refugee camps for CPEC security

    Over 2,000 Afghan families told to vacate Mansehra refugee camps for CPEC security

    As many as 2,397 Afghan families living in Mansehra have been served a final notice to vacate their refugee camps for the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), ARY News reported.

    According to reports, Mansehra Assistant Commissioner (AC) Talat Fahad has directed the refugees to leave the three camps situated in the area latest by June 30.

    “The decision has been taken to ensure the security of CPEC”, the AC said in a notification issued in this regard.

    According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistan is hosting over 1.4 million Afghan refugees, making the country the second largest host of the refugee population in the world.

    Some refugees have been living in Pakistan for three generations. They have established their business here while some of them have married locals and been deeply integrated into Pakistani society.

    The interim stay of Afghan refugees extended by the Pakistani government is coming to an end on June 30, and Minister of State for States and Frontier Region Shehryar Khan Afridi has affirmed that the country supports voluntary repatriation.

    In a recent meeting, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UNHCR have agreed to launch an awareness programme to enable Afghan refugees to make a decision to voluntarily return with Pakistan’s facilitation.

  • Why are car drivers not careful while driving in the rain?

    Why are car drivers not careful while driving in the rain?

  • Here’s why you should nap in the middle of the day

    Here’s why you should nap in the middle of the day

    We’ve all grown up with the knowledge that eight hours of sleep is very important for our bodies in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But taking a nap, or wanting to sleep in the middle of the day is also completely normal.

    Sleep experts have claimed that our bodies are programmed to doze off at various times of the day making it okay to take a short nap when you feel like it.

    According to a UK-based sleep physician, Dr David Cunnington, the idea of getting eight hours of sleep comes from the Labour moment in the UK in the early 19th century. The slogan, ‘Eight hours’ labour, eight hours’ recreation, eight hours’ rest’, coined by labour rights activist Robert Owen in 1817 became the goal in western society.

    This rule however, limits people to only sleep for eight hours at night.

    “We criticise millennials for being lazy but many of them are moving toward that freelancer way of living rather than salary working,” Dr Cunnington said, adding “And that means they can allocate time across their day for work, play and sleep and therefore be more productive in whatever role they have.”

    While there are some places in Southern Europe where they sleep twice a day, most industries and countries follow the eight-hour margin.

    We are designed to sleep in cycles of 60 minutes to 120 minutes before coming up to surface. As you age, the amount of sleep you actually require decreases. Working adults should be sleeping an average of 7-9 hours.

  • ‘Data of around 45,000 Pakistanis stolen to unlock smuggled mobile phones’

    ‘Data of around 45,000 Pakistanis stolen to unlock smuggled mobile phones’

    Identity credentials of around 45,000 international passengers have been stolen to unlock smuggled mobile phones since the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) launched its crackdown on illegally-imported devices.

    This was revealed by PTA and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) while briefing a federal cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan last week, a private media outlet reported.

    The authorities informed the cabinet that travel documents such as passport, CNIC copies etc of around 44,943 resident and overseas Pakistanis were stolen and misused to unlock the smuggled phones since the implementation of PTA’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).

    According to PTA, 986,000 mobiles phones were received for registration, out of which around 656,000 were registered under FBR baggage rule exemption with no tax while around 33,000 mobile phones were registered under the duty paid category.

    PTA says that with the implementation of DIRBS, a significant increase has been seen in the legal commercial import of mobile phones. The authority hopes the system will give more dividends towards the elimination of smuggled phones.

  • Calling PM Imran ‘selected’ banned in parliament

    Calling PM Imran ‘selected’ banned in parliament

    Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri has barred lawmakers from using the word “selected” to address Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, a private media outlet reported.

    According to reports, during the NA session held Sunday, Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan protested against the premier continuously being referred to as “selected” in the house.

    He said that addressing PM Imran as “selected” was a breach of the privilege of the house as he was an elected representative.

    Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan, who was presiding over the session, then banned the use of the word, saying that each member had entered the house through votes of the people and the word came as an offence to the house.

    Lawmakers of opposition parties have time and again referred to the premier as “selected” for they allege the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of coming to power after “stealing the mandate of the people”.