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  • Buzdar beats Shehbaz in social sector reforms, increases education budget to Rs89.8bn

    Buzdar beats Shehbaz in social sector reforms, increases education budget to Rs89.8bn

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar has beaten his predecessor Shehbaz Sharif in reforming the social sector, as an amount of Rs89.8 billion has been earmarked for the provincial education sector.

    As per the details, presenting the provincial budget on Friday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government enhanced the education budget, which under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rule stood at Rs52.35 billion.

    In its last provincial budget for the fiscal year 2017-18, the outgoing PML-N government had allocated Rs52.35 billion for school education and Rs28 billion for providing basic facilities at government schools.

    An amount of Rs6.03 billion had been fixed for the construction of new classrooms in Punjab schools.

    According to the budget presented by the Buzdar administration, health stands second in the social sector with Rs47.5 billion. Water supply & sanitation will gain Rs22.4 billion, local governments Rs6.3 billion, social welfare Rs1 billion and women development Rs0.8 billion.

    Meanwhile, Rs350 billion have been allocated for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2019-20, which stood at Rs635bn under the Shehbaz administration in 2017-18.

  • How Prince Harry is saving the environment

    How Prince Harry is saving the environment

    The World Economic Forum has estimated that currently there is 50 million tons of plastic in the world’s oceans which is alarming because plastic can take centuries to degrade. Hence, popular personalities across the world are making efforts to combat this problem and are encouraging people to go plastic-free and adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

    Prince Harry is one of them. UK media outlets, quoting the Prince’s close friend Argentinian polo player Nacho Figueras, have reported that the Duke of Sussex is making conscious efforts to cut down on his plastic use and actually requests hotels he stays in to use minimum plastic.

    Recalling a time he and Harry stayed a night at a hotel before a game, Figueras said, “He talked to a person at the hotel and said, ‘This morning I got my coffee and I saw that you have a plastic thing on the coffee. And then I also sent my shirt and I got my shirt in a big plastic bag.”

    Looks like Harry is borrowing a page from wife Meghan’s book. The Duchess follows an eco-friendly lifestyle and in fact, a lot of her fashion is also sustainable.

    Not only the Prince but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced a ban on single-use plastics in Canada. The leader of the state said that Canada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021 and the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws.

    Trudeau asserted that the issue of plastic pollution is a “global challenge” and that everyone should play an active role in combating it.

    Moreso, even our neighbours are taking the initiative to end plastic pollution. A village in the east India state of Assam, where people are too poor to pay school fees, is educating children free of cost as long as they bring 25 recyclable plastic items.

    Pakistanis are also making efforts to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, albeit on a micro-level. Here are some tips from The Green Gang Pakistan on how to use less plastic:

  • Should people elect Sarfraz Ahmed as the next PM of Pakistan?

    Should people elect Sarfraz Ahmed as the next PM of Pakistan?

  • Private bank fires employee for abusing journalist on Twitter

    Private bank fires employee for abusing journalist on Twitter

    A private bank has fired an employee for abusing journalist Hasan Zaidi during a Twitter spat earlier this week.

    As per the details, the bank’s Financial Reporting Unit head Fazeel Tajammul was fired after Zaidi reported him for abusing.

    Tagging the bank in his tweets with screenshots of Tajammul’s abusive remarks, Zaidi had urged the bank to take action against him.

    Zaidi also shared multiple similar tweets by the bank employee, which took the micro-blogging website by storm with people urging the bank to sack Tajammul.

    The campaign followed an official statement from the bank, wherein it announced having taken the “appropriate action” against Tajammul.

    Meanwhile, Twitterati are criticising Zaidi as well as the bank for the move, calling it unfair.  They allege that the journalist “used his influence to get Tajammul sacked”.

    Some are also seeking Zaidi’s removal for some of his abusive remarks.

    https://twitter.com/azbkt1122/status/1139393829193179136

    Tajammul, for the time being, has deactivated his Twitter handle.

  • Budget 2019-20: Expenses worth Rs2.3 million a day proposed for PM’s Office

    Budget 2019-20: Expenses worth Rs2.3 million a day proposed for PM’s Office

    Funds worth Rs860.28 million have been allocated for the Prime Minister’s (PM) Office in the federal budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, the Ministry of Finance has said.

    According to the proposed allocation, PM Office’s daily expenditure stands at Rs2.36 million (Rs2,356,931) at 365 days a year, which contradicts the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s earlier claims of reducing expenses for austerity.

    The proposal to spend over Rs2 million a day from taxpayers’ money comes just months after dozens of cattle and excess luxury cars of the PM House were auctioned to save money.

    The development had come after PM Imran Khan, in his first address to the nation on August 19, announced the austerity drive and vowed to cut down on government expenses.

  • Duty first: Rescue 1122 diver missed sister’s funeral to save lives

    Duty first: Rescue 1122 diver missed sister’s funeral to save lives

    There are some people who restore your faith in humanity and make you believe that compassion does exist somewhere. And this Rescue 1122 official is one of them.

    Zahir Shah, a Rescue 1122 official, missed his own sister’s funeral in order to retrieve the bodies of three sisters who drowned in Kundal Dam on Eid in Swabi.

    According to reports, a boat carrying 38 passengers capsized in Kundal Dam due to overloading. While the 35 of the 38 passengers were rescued safely, three sisters drowned and died in the dam. Shah was part of the rescue team who tried their best to save the sisters. He was informed of his sister’s death while he was on the rescue mission but he chose to complete his duty before attending to personal matters.

    Shah’s actions and commitment received applause from all around and he was hailed a hero on social media. He was also given a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ by Rescue 1122.

  • K Town gets a new bun man

    K Town gets a new bun man

    When Pappa Roti shut down in Pakistan, bun lovers across the country were left heartbroken. But Karachi fans can now rejoice because a new Baker Boy has arrived in the city.

    Baker Boy, a Malaysian brand, has opened its to doors to customers and are serving hot, buttery, coffee buns as well as karak chai and freshly baked brownies. Their signature buns are made with a special recipe that makes them crisp outside and soft inside. Sounds like the perfect tea time.

  • Rs410m approved for maintenance of two VVIP aircraft as PTI touts austerity

    Rs410m approved for maintenance of two VVIP aircraft as PTI touts austerity

    The federal government has approved an additional amount of Rs410 million for the repair and maintenance of two VVIP Gulfstream aircraft said to be in use of President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, The News reported.

    The supplementary grant, that comes as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) touts austerity to lessen the burden on the national treasury, was sanctioned in March 2019 by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

    It has now been reflected in the budget document for formal approval by the parliament.

    The report further said that the Defence Production Division is responsible for the maintenance of these aircraft, however, ECC had failed to resolve differences between Ministry of Defence Production and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) regarding the transfer of said funds.

    Directorate General Defence Procurement had purchased the two VVIP aircraft (one brand new and one used) at a cost of $58.55 million ($58, 550,924) in September 2005 on the directions of Ministries of Finance and Defence.

  • You won’t believe who Aamir Liaquat is engaging in a Twitter spat with

    You won’t believe who Aamir Liaquat is engaging in a Twitter spat with

    Aamir Liaquat is no stranger to controversy. Ever since he married his second wife, Tuba Aamir, his private life has also come to the forefront and his daughter, Duaa Aamir, often takes to social media to lash out on her father and his new wife.

    Aamir and Tuba, who recently concluded their Ramazan show on PTV, are currently in Saudi Arabia for Umrah and have been sharing moments from their trip on social media. In response to these updates, Duaa wrote on Twitter:

    While Aamir did not directly respond to his daughter, he threw shade at her by retweeting a tweet which said that the stupidest people are those who share their family problems online for attention. Tuba also shared the same tweet.

    He then went onto retweet another tweet which had the same context.

    Tuba also followed the same path as her husband by subtly calling out Duaa for her tweet.

    She then went onto tweet a verse from the Quran.

    Aamir then decided to thank Tuba for “understanding”, though we’re not sure about what.

    In response to Aamir and Tuba’s tweets, Duaa shared a song from Disney’s Aladdin hinting that no matter what, she will not keep quiet.

    https://twitter.com/Duaa_e_aamir/status/1139100173697724417

    In midst of all this drama, Aamir son, Ahmed got into an accident which resulted in major loss of blood. Thankfully, the situation is under control and Ahmed is on the road to recovery.

  • ‘Amir confessed to spot-fixing after Afridi slapped him’

    ‘Amir confessed to spot-fixing after Afridi slapped him’

    Mohammad Amir confessed to spot-fixing only after then ODI captain Shahid Afridi had slapped him, former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has claimed.

    “He [Afridi] told me to leave the room and after a while, I heard the sound of a slap. Later, Amir told the whole truth,” Razzaq said while speaking to a private media outlet on Wednesday.

    Spilling the beans on Pakistan’s ill-fated tour of England in 2010, a scandal that tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket, Razzaq also said that Salman Butt was involved in corruption much before the saga.

    “Butt was deliberately getting out and playing dot balls much before the scandal broke out in England,” the former all-rounder said, also blaming the then PCB management for “bringing a bad name to Pakistan cricket”.

    Butt, Amir and Muhammad Asif were the three players eventually banned for a minimum of five years in early 2011 by the ICC’s anti-corruption tribunal after they were first suspended in September 2010.

    All three have now returned to playing cricket after completing their five-year bans. But only Amir has been picked for the national team and is currently competing in the World Cup.