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  • 24 karat gold price declines by Rs200 to Rs241,500 per tola

    24 karat gold price declines by Rs200 to Rs241,500 per tola

    The price of gold in Pakistan saw a decline on Monday, with 24-karat gold being sold at Rs241,500 per tola, marking a decrease of Rs200 per tola.

    This reduction is noteworthy as the price has been maintained at Rs1,500 below its actual cost due to diminished purchasing power among consumers.

    According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the price of 24-karat gold per 10 grammes also fell, now standing at Rs207,047, a reduction of Rs172 per 10 grammes. Similarly, the price of 22-karat gold was recorded lower at Rs189,793 per 10 grammes.

    Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained stable. The price of 24-karat silver was unchanged, selling at Rs2,850 per tola and Rs2,443 per 10 grammes.

    On the international front, spot gold traded near $2,327 an ounce, an increase of $2.8 or 0.12% from the previous session.

  • Man sentenced to life for abduction, marital rape of minor wife

    Man sentenced to life for abduction, marital rape of minor wife

    A local court in Shangla has convicted a person for the abduction and ‘marital rape’ of his minor wife and sentenced him to life imprisonment, and imposed a fine of Rs300,000 on him.

    Dawn’s Umar Bacha, in his report, states that the judge convicted the accused on two counts and sentenced him under section 365-b (kidnapping) of the Pakistan Penal Code to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs100,000 and to 25 years imprisonment with a fine of Rs200,000 under section 376 (rape) of PPC.

    The court acquitted seven of the convict’s family members due to a lack of evidence. 

    The lawyer appearing for the convict said that the victim was his client’s legal wife, and hence, he committed no offence.

    However, the judge, in his judgement, observed that a close and critical reading of section 375 PPC, defining the offence of rape, made no exception to marriage.

    “If the allegation of rape in marriage is ignored, yet another question is the victim’s juvenility. The victim, being just above 16 years of age, is still covered in the definition of ‘child,’ being under 18 years of age,” the verdict read. 

    The victim’s mother in the FIR stated that her husband died around ten years ago, and around two years ago, she arranged the Nikkah of her daughter (the victim) with the accused, but Rukhsati was yet to take place.

    She had put a demand to the family of the accused to arrange separate accommodation for her daughter before formal marriage, but they declined. She alleged that on the night of the incident, the accused, along with his father and four other relatives, barged into their house and forcibly took away the victim while the complainant, her son and another daughter were beaten and tied.

    In the beginning, FIR was registered for abducting the girl, but eventually, when she was recovered by police, different provisions of PPC and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act, dealing with sexual assaults and sexual abuse, were also included in it.

    The girl, upon her recovery after four days, said in a statement that she was assaulted during captivity, and her medical examination also confirmed that she was subjected to sexual assault.

    The court eventually found the accused guilty of the offence of the abduction of the victim and having sex without her consent.

    Even though the lawyer Mian Safeer said it was the first-ever conviction in a case of ‘marital rape’ after amendments in 2021 but a man in Karachi was sentenced to three years in jail after he was found guilty of having non-consensual sex with his wife earlier in the year on January 20. 

    Read More: First ever conviction on Marital Rape opening new doors of discussion: A religious and legal context

  • PCB stops Saim Ayub and Azam Khan from playing in CPL

    PCB stops Saim Ayub and Azam Khan from playing in CPL

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stopped cricketers Azam Khan and Saim Ayub from playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

    PCB has strengthened its stance on the No Objection Certificate (NOC) policy following Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the US and the West Indies. The policy restricts central and locally contracted players from participating in more than two overseas leagues per year to manage the workload of players and prioritize national duty.

    Earlier, when leg-spinner Usama Mir was told he had exhausted his quota of two leagues, he argued that since he is not currently part of the Pakistan team, he should be allowed to play in England.

    However, he was told that this decision was not for him to make but for the board. The decision, which rests solely with the PCB, underscores the board’s determination to retain control over players’ participation in international leagues.

    PCB officials have informed the cricket boards and franchises conducting T20 leagues about this stand and warned them against including Pakistani players without the NOC issued by the PCB.

  • ‘Men deserve leverage too’: Zara Noor Abbas on societal pressures

    ‘Men deserve leverage too’: Zara Noor Abbas on societal pressures

    Actress Zara Noor Abbas recently shed light on the societal pressures faced by men, emphasising their need for leverage in both society and relationships. She was invited as a guest in ‘Zardast’ hosted by Wasi Shah, where she speaks out about the pressures men face.

    Zara Noor Abbas said, “Men deserve leverage in society and from their partners. The pressure of being responsible for everything, amidst economic stress and a challenging environment, is not easy. If women want their rights, they should also be willing to give men their due rights.”

    She stressed that its essential that everyone in the household shares responsibilities, allowing men to have quality time with their families and not be perpetually burdened with work. “Men need to prioritise their health, too, as they’re more prone to heart attacks. It’s crucial for them to take care of themselves and quit harmful habits like smoking.”

    Zara Noor Abbas is the daughter of Asma Abbas, and niece of Bushra Ansari. She is married to actor Asad Siddiqui.

  • Babar Azam will play under the captaincy of Rizwan?

    Babar Azam will play under the captaincy of Rizwan?

    Pakistan captain Babar Azam will now play under the captaincy of Muhammad Rizwan.

    Rizwan, the newly appointed captain of the Vancouver Knights in Canada’s Global T20 League, will lead the squad which includes Babar Azam, Muhammad Amir, and Asif Ali.

    In addition, South Africa’s Devine Pretorius and Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichanne are part of the squad. The Vancouver Knights added ‘Sir’ to Rizwan’s name in the announcement of his captaincy.

    The Global T20 League will be held in Canada from July 25 to August 11.

  • Salaried class fights back: Petition filed against high taxes in Supreme Court

    Salaried class fights back: Petition filed against high taxes in Supreme Court

    After the National Assembly approved the controversial economic budget for the next fiscal year last week, a group called the Salaried Class Alliance of Pakistan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, citing discrimination in taxation against salaried classes in the recent budget.

    “This budget marks the third consecutive year in which the burden of taxation has disproportionately fallen upon the salaried class, neglecting broader efforts to expand the tax base in the country,” read the petition.

    The alliance raised key issues such as an unbalanced tax burden, neglect of tax base expansion, impact on economic growth and brain drain, and disparities in taxation.

    It urged the Supreme Court, “Under Article 184(3) of the constitution of Pakistan to uphold justice and protect the rights of salaried class and all taxpayers in Pakistan.”

  • PTI forms five-members committee to hold talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    PTI forms five-members committee to hold talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has constituted a five-member negotiation team for holding talks with Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to establish an extensive opposition alliance.

    The negotiation team includes PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Asad Qaiser, party’s Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan, Senator Shibli Faraz, and NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan.

    Both parties have the same agenda, namely that the February 8 general elections were not free and fair. PTI formed a six-party opposition alliance in April to give the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) a hard time.

    In a meeting between PTI’s Asad Qaiser and Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad last month, both the leaders agreed to play a vital role of opposition in NA.

  • Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Sahiwal’s Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) has awarded the death sentence to a Christian man who allegedly circulated a social media post that led to riots in Jaranwala last year, reports Dawn.

    Judge Ziaullah Khan sentenced the young man to 22 years in prison and imp­osed a fine of Rs1 million. The final judgment said he was awarded the death sentence and a fine of Rs500,000 under Section 295(C), ten years rigorous imprisonment under Sec­tion 295(A), seven years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, and five years and Rs500,000 fine under 7(1) (G)-ATA.

    The Punjab police claimed last year that around 135 miscreants had been booked for the attacks, but according to Advo­cate Akmal Bhatti, only 12 people are currently facing trials in the court.

    However, the convict was accused of sharing a social media post which allegedly contained blasphemous content.

    He was picked up by police on intelligence reports three days after the riots.

    Complainant Amir Farooq, who is now SHO at the Ghala Mandi police, told Dawn that while the man in question did not produce the blasphemous content, he did share it on TikTok, where it went viral.

    Background

    In March, Faisalabad ATC had acquitted two Christian brothers who were ‘framed’ for desecration after a police probe revealed that the two had been implicated in a blasphemy case over a personal enmity.

    Dozens of Christian homes and around 20 chu­rches were vandalised and ransacked by mobs in Jaran­wala following allegations that a copy of the Holy Quran had been desecrated.

  • Anoushey Ashraf ties the knot in intimate nikkah ceremony

    Anoushey Ashraf ties the knot in intimate nikkah ceremony

     Host and former VJ Anoushey Ashraf’s special day has finally arrived, marked by the presence of her closest friends and family. Anoushey has tied the knot with Shahab Reza Mirza in an intimate Nikkah ceremony held via online video link. She announced her marriage through her Instagram account with the caption, “Beta aapne abhi tak shaadi kyun nahi ki?”

    “Lo, Karli” ♥ ♥.

    The humorous announcement is hallmark of the laid-back VJ and television host, who begun her career on Indus Music/MTV Pakistan’s musical shows and live transmissions. Anoushey is part of Pakistan’s first group of VJs and pioneered musical transmissions. She has also hosted the morning show ‘Chai, Toast, or Host’ on Dawn News. She is also a known animal rights advocate.

    Here are pictures from Anoushey Ashraf’s Nikkah:

  • Indian cricketer Mohammad Siraj gets trolled by right-wing extremists for thanking Allah

    Indian cricketer Mohammad Siraj gets trolled by right-wing extremists for thanking Allah

    Extremist right-wing Indians have trolled Indian fast bowler Mohammad Siraj for thanking Allah after winning the T20 World Cup 2024.

    India defeated South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup, winning an International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy after 13 years. India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007, while the ODI World Cup was in 2011.

    The pacer tweeted, “Thank You Allah Almighty” after lifting the trophy, an innocent tweet that got him trolled right-wing Hindutva followers. Some even suggested that he should have thanked the Indian team and Hindu gods instead.

    Here are some reactions: