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  • PTI Wins: What does the Supreme Court verdict mean?

    PTI Wins: What does the Supreme Court verdict mean?

    In a significant political and symbolic win for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a thirteen-member bench of the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the party has the legal and constitutional right to reserved seats.

    It was Justice Mansoor Ali Shah who, with his announcement of the 8-5 majority verdict, dismissed the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order that had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) ruling denying reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council, which was backed by PTI.

    Geo News reported that eight Justices, Justices Athar Minallah, Shahid Waheed, Muneeb Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, and Irfan Saadat Khan supported the verdict.

    The Supreme Court, in its verdict today, declared that a party’s lack of electoral symbol does not affect its legal rights to participate in an election.

    The Supreme Court also stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ‘misinterpreted’ its January 13 verdict of taking away PTI’s bat symbol and they never ruled that PTI could not participate in the elections.

    “PTI was and is a political party, which secured general seats in the national and provincial assemblies in the general elections of 2024,” emphasised the verdict.

    The ruling said that PTI should present a list of eligible candidates for the reserved seats to the electoral body within 15 days after the verdict.

    TIMELINE

    On 13 January 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to revoke PTI’s electoral symbol ‘bat’. PTI leadership called the decision “unfair and damaging to democratic constitutionalism.”

    Following this landmark decision, PTI members contested the general elections as the party-backed independent candidates with their own allotted electoral symbols.

    Following the February 8 elections, PTI-backed independents won the highest number of seats, making history in the country.

    To get the reserved seats according to proportional representation, PTI-backed independents joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) because the laws dictated that only a political party could be eligible for the allocation of reserved seats.

    The SIC then approached the ECP on February 21 seeking allocation of reserved seats. However, the PTI suffered a setback after the electoral body, citing the party’s failure to submit its list of candidates, denied allocating the reserved seats to the SIC via its 4-1 majority verdict on March 4.

    The party then approached the Peshawar High Court on March 6, which, in yet another setback to the party, upheld the electoral body’s decision on the matter in its March 14 ruling.

    Subsequently, on April 2, the SIC moved the SC seeking to set aside the PHC verdict.

  • Gold price surges by Rs2,200 per tola amid renewed interest in investment

    Gold price surges by Rs2,200 per tola amid renewed interest in investment

    On Friday, the price of 24-karat gold in Pakistan increased by Rs2,200, bringing the total to Rs249,000 per tola. This rise follows the release of the US inflation report for June, which indicated the lowest price gains since 2021, sparking renewed interest in gold as an investment.

    Currently, the local price is about Rs2,800 lower than its actual cost, a discrepancy attributed to the reduced purchasing power of consumers.

    According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the price of 24-karat gold is recorded at Rs213,477 per tola for a 10-gramme unit, reflecting a rise of Rs1,886 per tola. Meanwhile, the price of 22-karat gold has also seen an increase, now priced at Rs195,687 per 10-gramme.

    In contrast, silver prices in the domestic market have remained stable, with 24-karat silver being sold at Rs2,900 per tola and Rs2,486 per 10-gramme.

    On the global front, spot gold has levelled off after surpassing $2,400 per ounce, buoyed by the cooler-than-expected US inflation figures, which have raised hopes for an interest rate cut. On Thursday, gold closed 1.9 per cent higher, marking its most significant gain since March.

    The recent inflation data revealed the slowest growth in core consumer prices, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure, since 2021.

    This development has led traders to anticipate a September rate cut, with expectations for at least two quarter-point reductions in 2024, according to Bloomberg. Such lower borrowing costs are generally favourable for bullion, which does not yield interest.

    Gold’s current rally, which has seen a 17 per cent increase this year, is supported by strong demand from central banks, geopolitical tensions, and increased purchases from Chinese consumers, as the metal approaches its all-time high of $2,450.07 set in May.

  • Kardashians in India for billionaire wedding gala

    Kardashians in India for billionaire wedding gala

    Socialite sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian were among the global celebrities spotted in India on Friday to attend a lavish three-day wedding ceremony staged by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.

    Ambani’s youngest son Anant and fiancee Radhika Merchant, both 29, will tie the knot over the weekend in the financial capital Mumbai following months of pre-marriage parties that have set a new benchmark in matrimonial extravagance.

    Earlier celebrations included a European cruise for 1,200 guests, a purpose-built Hindu temple at the Ambani family’s ancestral home and private performances by R&B star Rihanna and Canada’s Justin Bieber.

    The Kardashians are the latest in a long line of famous foreign VIPs to make an appearance.

    Elder sister Kim shared an Instagram story showing her car mobbed by Indian photographers shortly after her arrival and both siblings receiving flower garlands from staff at their luxury hotel.

    Fellow celebrity guests including actor John Cena posed for cameras on the red carpet upon their arrival at the venue, a huge convention centre owned by the Ambani family’s conglomerate.

    Former British prime ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair were also spotted by reporters arriving at Mumbai airport ahead of the party beginning later on Friday.

    In June, the couple embarked on a four-day Mediterranean cruise, where singer Katy Perry performed at a masquerade ball at a French chateau in Cannes.

    The Backstreet Boys, US rapper Pitbull and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli also provided entertainment.

    Guests at earlier galas have included Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and former US president Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, along with a who’s who of India’s sporting and entertainment worlds.

    This week’s opulent celebrations are set to raise the bar further, with even more celebrities, politicians and global business elites jetting into monsoon-hit Mumbai.

    Several major roads around the venue have been closed off to the public by authorities for most of the weekend.

    Friday will see the main formal ceremony at the 16,000-person capacity venue, with a separate “blessing ceremony” on Saturday and a grand reception on Sunday.

    – $123 billion fortune –

    Anant’s father Mukesh is chairman of Reliance Industries, a family-founded conglomerate that has grown into India’s biggest company by market cap.

    The patriarch is the world’s 11th richest person with a fortune of more than $123 billion, according to Forbes, and is no stranger to making a statement when it comes to family marriages.

    He held the most expensive wedding in India to date for his daughter in 2018, which reportedly cost $100 million and saw US singer Beyonce perform.

    Ambani is also a key ally of India’s right-wing Hindu nationalist leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    He inherited a thriving industrial enterprise spanning oil, gas and petrochemicals and grew it into a commercial behemoth.

    Its lucrative interests include retail partnerships with Armani and other luxury brands, more than 40 percent of India’s mobile phone market and an Indian Premier League cricket team.

    His 27-floor family home Antilia is one of Mumbai’s most prominent landmarks, reportedly costing more than $1 billion to build and with a permanent staff of 600 servants.

    Merchant is the daughter of well-known pharmaceutical moguls.

  • Exclusive info: how is the police investigating the viral beating case?

    Exclusive info: how is the police investigating the viral beating case?

    Following the CCTV footage of three girls beating up a salesman in a shop in Lahore and the widespread criticism over the police’s handling of the alleged harassment case, local police are now actively finding out what happened.

    In the viral video, the girls appear to have initiated the assault, with the boy at the receiving end of their blows. However, it was reported that the salesman was arrested on allegations of harassment posed by the girls. This instigated a debate on social media where netizens demanded the arrest of the girls for allegedly using the “woman card.”

    THE POLICE VERSION

    DIG Lahore Operations Faisal Kamran, while talking to Dawn, said the CCTV footage was presented in court by the boys in their defence, led to the case being dismissed.

    The DIG also stated that the police approached the young man to file a complaint against the girls, if they wish to proceed with legal action.

    The Current talked to the Superintendent of Police (SP), Dr. Ayaz, who stated that women’s harassment laws require an immediate response from the police. He said the police responded to the complaint filed by the girls, took the boys to the police station, and booked them instantly. “It was the honourable court’s decision to decide the case,” he stressed. “The police is committed to performing their duties, and as per law, we have a time of 14 days according to which we are conducting our investigation,” he added.

    SP Ayaz confirmed that the medical checkup of both the girl and boy has been done, and all aspects of the case are being investigated, including the harassment and assault allegations. This particular case is registered under Article 509-1 and will proceed under charges of ‘insulting modesty or causing sexual harassment’, Ayaz informed.

    Addressing social media speculation about the girl being the daughter of a lawyer, DIG Kamran clarified that the girl’s mother informed the police that her husband had passed away.

    THE GIRLS

    One of the three girls, on condition of anonymity, talked to The Current and explained how she, along with her friends, went to the shop to have coffee and do some shopping. According to her, she was chitchatting with her friends when the salesman started passing lewd comments about them, asking the girls if they were on “night duty,” implying that they were prostitutes. The comments enraged her friend who told him to behave and as the situation escalated, they first got into a verbal brawl with two boys which eventually took the form of a physical fight. She claimed that they hurled curses at them and pulled the hair of the boy. He also struck a girl, causing her nose to bleed and tore her shirt.

    She said that they stayed there until they called the police and got the FIR registered, an official copy of which is present with The Current. The man who made their video was asked not to do so because of their vulnerable condition, but he did not comply.

    A digital copy of FIR shared by the girl.

    The girl said that at the police station, the boy apologised, and a “raazi nama” was signed. She stressed that in police custody, the shopkeeper said that the CCTV footage was not available as it was deleted. However, it surfaced on social media, two days after the incident, in what she described as an effort to defame them. In a traumatised tone, she said that they are under extreme pressure and because of her public profile on Instagram, she has gotten rape and death threats after the video went viral.

    The screenshots shared by the girl depict the threatening and abusive language used by men sliding into her DMs.

    More than once, she said that the viral video does not present the whole version and lacks the actual audio. She stressed that if the audio was released, it would support her version of the story. “I don’t understand, how can people think that it could have happened without a reason. We are not mad that we just got up and started beating someone. There was a reason, and in all honesty, we are not ashamed of it,” she shared.

    She made it a point to mention that she does not belong to an elite background but from an upper-middle-class household, and the criticism that the girls weren’t ‘dressed properly’ is sexist and violates their right to freedom of choice.

    THE GUY’S VERSION

    The viral footage showed only one boy being assaulted by the girls in the presence of the shop owner and other visitors who eventually intervened. Yasir Shami from Urdu Point was seen talking to the boy, Yousuf, who was beaten up by the girl. Yousuf vehemently denied any allegations of harassment. “I was laughing at something my colleague said, and the ladies misheard and started coming inside the counter area. I told them they couldn’t do that but she still made her way inside and started beating me,” he said. “I did defend myself as much as I could, but not much as she was a woman,” he claimed. He also denied any claim of cursing the girls.

    REPORTED NEWS

    Journalist Ahmed Faraz, while talking on the show Geo Pakistan, explained that only one FIR is registered in any case, and all elements are explored and investigated under that.

  • Car sales in Pakistan hit 15-year low in FY 2023-24: PAMA data

    Car sales in Pakistan hit 15-year low in FY 2023-24: PAMA data

    Car sales in Pakistan plummeted to their lowest level in 15 years during the fiscal year 2023-24, as reported by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA).

    The data reveals that sales of cars, including light commercial vehicles (LCVs), vans, and jeeps, declined by 18.2 per cent year-on-year, amounting to 103,826 units by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2024.

    This marks the lowest sales figures since FY 2009.

    In comparison, 126,878 units were sold in the previous fiscal year, while the average sales over the past five years stood at 188,030 units.

    Furthemore, passenger car sales decreased by 15.7 per cent year-on-year to 81,577 units during the fiscal year, compared to 96,811 units recorded in the previous year.

    Total production of passenger cars was 79,573 units in FY24, a 22.0 per cent decline from the 101,984 units produced last year.

    The PAMA data also highlighted that the highest number of passenger car sales occurred in the ‘Below 1000cc’ category, with 38,657 units sold in FY24.

    Within this segment, Suzuki Alto led with 35,883 units sold, followed by Suzuki Bolan with 2,774 units.

  • What happened between Sidra Niazi and Imran Ashraf the first time they met?

    What happened between Sidra Niazi and Imran Ashraf the first time they met?

    Actress Sidra Niazi actor Imran Ashraf met up and recalled their first day working together on the set of a drama. Sidra appeared as a guest on ‘Mazaq Raat,’ where both shared a funny and heartwarming story. Imran asked Sidra, “Can you tell us about our first day on set? What happened?” Sidra smiled and replied, “You tell us, you probably remember it better, then I’ll add to it.

    “Imran Ashraf recalled the moment, saying, “I was about to shoot a scene, and I had to come out from a corner and walked in front of the camera. You had to come down the stairs from above, and I was watching from a distance. I could see a look of hopelessness in a girl’s eyes, wishing the world would just pause for a moment so the drama could stop.”

    Sidra asked, “What exactly did you say to me?” Imran responded, “I told you, may Allah be with you; this will be a great role for you. We had so much fun working on the whole drama together.”
    Sidra Niazi is known for her roles in dramas like ‘Chupke Chupke,’ ‘Qayamat,’ ‘Sukoon’ and the Eid telefilm ‘Tamiz-ud-din Ki Badtamiz Family.’

  • Khan wins, X goes crazy

    Khan wins, X goes crazy

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) announced a reserved verdict on Friday, declaring that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is eligible to obtain reserved seats. The SC also dismissed the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision to deny the reserved seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

    After the court’s decision, people reacted to it on X (formerly Twitter).

    Journalist Gharidah Farooqi posted, “PTI is not present in the parliament, but they have to submit a list of their candidates for reserved seats in the next 15 days as per the court’s orders.”

    PTI’s official account wrote, “Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja must IMMEDIATELY resign after violating the constitution of Pakistan.”

    Several PTI leaders also expressed their support for the court’s decision on reserved seats.

    Prominent party leader, Zulfi Bukhari posted, “Congratulations to the entire nation for the massive win in the revered seats case. Not only did PTI win 8-5 in the Supreme Court but 11 judges declared PTI a political party and allowed it to contest elections. More than us, this case was for the survival of the Supreme Court and hope of justice in the country.”

    Journalist Shehzad Iqbal said while speaking on Geo News that the court’s decision benefits PTI but is not good news for the coalition government.

    The famous journalist Asad Toor wrote in a post on X, “No extra seats for government.”

    On the other hand, users on X posted memes about today’s verdict.

    One user posted an image with the caption, “Itni Jaldi Mithai Nahi Khani Chahye.”

    PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill posted the picture of journalist Hassan Ayub with the caption, “Aida ki Karna hai?”

  • Heavy electricity bill, Hockey Olympian Zahid Sharif offers to sell his kidney

    Heavy electricity bill, Hockey Olympian Zahid Sharif offers to sell his kidney

    Former Pakistani hockey Olympian Zahid Sharif has offered to sell his kidney to pay the electricity bill due to financial difficulties.

    According to ‘Aaj News’, 56-year-old Zahid Sharif has appealed for help from the President, Prime Minister, Army Chief, and Punjab Chief Minister, stating, “I am suffering from financial problems at the moment; I cannot even afford to pay the electricity bill. I have a kidney apart from the medals, which I am willing to sell.”

    Zahid is a former Pakistani international hockey player who represented Pakistan from 1987 to 1991.

  • From thrills to romance: Ten dramas that defined the year

    From thrills to romance: Ten dramas that defined the year

    Looking for something different from the usual love triangles, family feuds, and predictable comedies? Enter Green Entertainment! This channel has freshen up the Pakistani drama scene with new, exciting content. With its captivating teasers, Green Entertainment made us ask, ‘Is this what we were waiting for?’ And the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’

    Green Entertainment stands out for its diverse array of shows, including family dramas, crime thrillers, horror series, love stories, and unique scripts that challenge the industry norms. Competing with seasoned players in the field was no small feat, but Green Entertainment’s bravery paid off.

    Let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore 10 standout dramas from Green Entertainment – from love stories to thrillers and more!

    Tumhare Husn Ke Naam: This drama brought a touch of vintage romance, captivating fans of classic Pakistani dramas. Starring Saba Qamar and Imran Abbas as Salma and Sikandar, it tells the story of enduring love and following one’s passion. Set against the charming architecture of Lahore’s National College of Arts, this drama highlights societal norms about remarriage and the power of true love.

    22 Qadam: This drama focuses on Fari, a college student passionate about cricket, played by Hareem Farooq. It highlights female empowerment and the pursuit of dreams. With a cast including Wahaj Ali and dynamic characters, “22 Qadam” challenges gender stereotypes and celebrates women’s aspirations.

    Serial Killer: Starring Saba Qamar as SP Sarah, this drama introduces viewers to a murder mystery filled with forensic investigations and intricate plots. Written by Umera Ahmed, it keeps audiences on the edge of their seats with its meticulous attention to detail.

    Breaking News: This drama delves into the manipulation of media and politics, exposing the dark side of the industry. It raises important questions about media responsibility and political influence, offering a gripping and thought-provoking narrative.

    Kabli Pulao: ‘Kabli Pulao’ tells the story of Haji Mushtaq and Barbeena, highlighting cultural expectations and personal sacrifices. Their journey, symbolised by the popularity of Kabli Pulao, reflects resilience and the power of human connection.

    Standup Girl: Zara Noor Abbas stars as Zara, a stand-up comedian navigating life’s challenges. This romantic comedy, set in Lahore, explores themes of identity, humour, and the pursuit of artistic fulfilment, making it a refreshing tale of love and laughter.

    Gentleman: Influenced by Pakistan’s socio-political landscape, this drama blends love stories with deep-seated issues. Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s portrayal highlights the complexities of governance, justice, and the morality of love, offering a cinematic experience on TV screens.

    Pas-e-Deewar: Set in rural Pakistan, this drama follows Ujala and Iftikhar as they navigate financial hardships and societal pressures. With themes of resilience, integrity, and love, it explores the clash between tradition and modernity.

  • Why did ‘Heeramandi’ star Taha Shah want someone to pinch him?

    Why did ‘Heeramandi’ star Taha Shah want someone to pinch him?

    Indian actor Taha Shah Badussha, renowned for his portrayal of Nawab Tajdar Baloch in ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’, was unable to contain his excitement upon meeting his lifelong idol, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise.

    Sharing the moment on his Instagram, Taha posted photos and a video of their encounter.

    “Pinch me! I just met my lifelong idol. The one and only Tom Cruise!” he wrote in the caption of the posts, showing both of them smiling. The video captured a brief interaction between them.

    The post received thousands of likes and comments from fans who admired the meeting of the two stars.