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  • Arrest warrants issued for Khawar Maneka and son

    Arrest warrants issued for Khawar Maneka and son

    An anti-corruption court has issued arrest warrants for Khawar Maneka, the ex-husband of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and his son Musa Maneka, for not appearing in court in a land grab and tax evasion case.

    Special Judge Asif Bashir directed the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Okara to arrest both suspects and present them in court on July 9.

    Khawar and his son both failed to appear in two court hearings, after which the judge issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for them.

    Per the prosecution, Maneka had allegedly illegally constructed 26 shops and a marriage hall on a four-kanal piece of land meant for Pir Islam Graveyard in Haveli Lakha without map approval.

    Tax evasion allegations have also been levelled against Khawar Maneka , and after the registration of the case, Khawar Maneka tried to flee the country from Lahore airport.

  • Fahad, Hania and Emaad? Can’t wait for ‘Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’

    Fahad, Hania and Emaad? Can’t wait for ‘Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’

    The first teaser of the new drama ‘Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’ is out now, showing a story of love, passion, and heartache. Fans are excited to see Fahad Mustafa back on TV after a very long break and co-starring with Hania Aamir. The drama is written by Farhat Ishtiaq, directed by Badar Mehmood and produced by Big Bang Entertainment. It will premiere soon on ARY Digital.

    The drama promises to be a hit since director Badar Mehmood has also directed hits drama like ‘Dunk’, ‘Cheekh’, ‘Balaa’, ‘Ishqiya’, ‘Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha’ and ‘Mein.’

  • Coke ad faces backlash in Bangladesh as actors forced to apologize

    Coke ad faces backlash in Bangladesh as actors forced to apologize

    A 60-second-long Coke ad faces backlash in Bangladesh has caused a storm of criticism for the brand over its attempt to distance itself from Israel amid the genocide in Gaza.

    A report by Al-Jazeera says that Coca-Cola sales have declined by about 23 per cent in Bangladesh since the genocide in Gaza started.

    Consequently, the beverage brand’s advertising campaign in the country has moved from full-page newspaper advertisements to prominent placements on news websites in order to convince people otherwise.

    On Sunday, the company released an advertisement on television and social media to dispel the “misinformation” that Coca-Cola is an Israeli product.

    The advertisement argued that the beverage “has been enjoyed for 138 years by people in 190 countries.

    The advertisement opens on a hot day in a market, with a young man approaching a middle-aged shopkeeper as the latter is watching a song from Coke Studio.

    “How are you, Sohail? Should I give you a [bottle of] Coke?” asks the shopkeeper, turning a table fan towards his sweaty customer.
    The man replies: “No, Bablu bhai [brother], I am not drinking this stuff anymore.”

    When the shopkeeper asks about the reason, the young man says: “This stuff is from ‘that place’.” He does not name the “place” — but it soon becomes clear that he is referring to Israel.

    Through a conversation with the man and his friends, the shopkeeper explains that Coca-Cola is not from “that place” and that claims linking it to “that place” are misinformation.

    The shopkeeper tells them: “Listen, guys, Coke is not at all from ‘that place.’ For the past 138 years, people in 190 countries have been drinking Coke.
    They drink it in Turkey, Spain, and Dubai. Even Palestine has a Coke factory.”

    In the end, relieved Sohail asks for a bottle of Coke.

    The ad, which featured famous Bengali actors Saraf Ahmed Zibon and Shimul Sharma, drew intense criticism and threats of boycott, forcing the two of them to issue apologies.

    In an opinion piece for The Daily Star, authors Nahalay Nafisa Khan and Azmim Azran called it the “power of boycott.”

  • Shehbaz Sharif meets Maulana Fazal ur Rehman to cool animosity

    Shehbaz Sharif meets Maulana Fazal ur Rehman to cool animosity

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif reached Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman residence in Islamabad on Thursday to meet him.
    The Premier took the initiative to improve relations between both the parties that witnessed growing animosity after February, 2024 general elections.   

    Shehbaz praised Maulana’s role in strengthening democracy in the country and acknowledged his services for religion.

    PM Shehbaz proposed a committee to make relations better for the sake of the country’s development.

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on May 2, rejected the general election’s results and demanded fresh polls.

  • Tax dou, phir baahir jao: no vacation abroad if you don’t pay your taxes

    Tax dou, phir baahir jao: no vacation abroad if you don’t pay your taxes

    Pakistan’s budget for 2024-25 was presented on Wednesday by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

    With a heavy bailout IMF bailout package weighing on the government, increased taxes have been imposed.

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has asserted strict actions against non-filers including disallowing foreign travel, No vacation abroad if you don’t pay your taxes.

    While these people are barred from travelling as per the proposal in the Finance Bill 2024-25, Haj and Umrah travellers, minors, students, overseas Pakistanis and such other classes of persons categorised as non-filers are exempted.

    The implementing agencies can face a penalty of Rs 100 million if they fail to block SIMs, utility connections or bar foreign travel of non-filers for first default and Rs200 million for each following default.

    These impositions are put forward for people failing to show necessary evidence or submitting incomplete information pertaining to tax returns or not filing returns.

    Traders and shopkeepers who did not register under Tajir Dost Scheme, will also be penalised while failure to register could result in imprisonment for six months or a fine, or both.

  • Will Florida weather effect USA – Ireland match?

    Will Florida weather effect USA – Ireland match?

    The T20 World Cup match between USA and Ireland is scheduled to be played in Florida on Friday at 7:30 pm but torrential rains continues in Miami.

    Florida’s Governor Ron DeSatis has imposed an emergency as floods hit Miami.

    If the match is cancelled, Pakistan will be out of the race for the next stage. The national team reached Florida yesterday.

    Yesterday India won against USA in the 25th match of T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. After the victory, India has qualified for the Super Eight round with 6 points.

  • Nadia Khan is not OK with veteran actor Behroze Sabwari’s misogynistic comments, whether they are recent or old.

    Nadia Khan is not OK with veteran actor Behroze Sabwari’s misogynistic comments, whether they are recent or old.

    In her show, she said, “I think it is okay if he only talks about himself, I have a problem when he pass statements on women. In a recent podcast, he talked about his ex-daughter-in-law. Sometimes, he talks against other women, he also criticizes women for their clothing, and he keeps an eye on how women dress up. Sometimes, he talks against me, it has become a pattern now. Hina Bayat made a brilliant video on his recent viral statement. I really liked her stance. I think it is true that he is enjoying being discussed on various platforms after such statements.”

     Earlier, Behroze Sabzwari was invited as a guest on Nadir Ali’s podcast, where he made several controversial remarks about women. He said, “In Pakistan, a lot of people have motorbikes. Obviously, everyone can’t afford cars. There is inflation and people are barely surviving, but I have noticed one thing: the dressing of women is not appropriate while sitting on bikes. Some women wear weird clothes which cannot be called appropriate. They are not good at all. The clothes are not only see-through but usually are very tight. It shows home training. Women should be fully covered while sitting on the motorbike. This should be strictly kept in mind. Men should also control their eyes, and women should be dressed in an appropriate manner.”

  • Sargodha ATC Judge alleges harassment by ISI; LHC Chief Justice summons IGP & others

    Sargodha ATC Judge alleges harassment by ISI; LHC Chief Justice summons IGP & others

    Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan on Wednesday summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar and other officials on a complaint by a judge of an anti-terrorism court of Sargodha alleging harassment by intelligence agencies.

    According to the summons, District & Sessions Judge (D&SJ) Muhammad Abbas, on the first day of his new charge as the judge of ATC Sargodha, received a message from an ISI official requesting to meet the judge in his chamber; the judge, however, refused to meet him.

    Ever since, according to ATC judge Abbas, he had been facing a string of harassment incidents, including damaging his house’s sui-gas meter, extra-ordinary electricity bill which was fake, harassment of judge’s relatives and even an incident of firing outside the main gate of ATC which damaged the electricity transformer.

    In his summons, the Chief Justice of LHC stated that Judge Abbas is an “Honest and hardworking Judicial Officer of this institution.”

    “The threats and harassment given to the said Judicial Officer [Judge Abbas] and his family has caused restraint in his judicial work,” stated the summons by LHC.

    The chief justice also converted the judge’s complaint into a contempt petition and issued a notice.

  • B Form no longer needed for admission to federal government schools

    B Form no longer needed for admission to federal government schools

    The government has abolished the B-form — or Child Registration Certificate (CRC) — requirement for admission to federal government schools.

    Geo reports that according to Education Secretary Mohiuddin Wani, the B-form has been one of the major reasons for the growing number of out-of-school children, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.

    All children residing in Islamabad, regardless of their documentation status, will now be eligible for admission to government schools.

  • Gadhe aur Insaan; Massive surge reported in Pakistani donkey, human population

    Gadhe aur Insaan; Massive surge reported in Pakistani donkey, human population

    Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2023-24 has revealed a shocking rise in the population of both donkeys and humans in the country.

    Pakistan’s donkey population has climbed to 5.9 million, marking a significant increase from the previous financial year’s count of 5.8 million, according to the survey.

    The upward trend in donkey numbers has persisted over the past two years, with an additional 0.2 million donkeys born within this time.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan’s population has increased by 16.3 percent to 241.5 million compared to 2017 (excluding Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan), showing that the country is facing a population explosion.

    According to Economic Survey 2023-24, population growth rate at the national level is 2.55 percent. In contrast, the growth rate in urban areas is 3.65 percent, which is higher than the population growth rate in rural areas—1.90 percent—due to rural-urban migration.

    Population density increased from 260.88 persons per square km in 2017 to 303 in 2023. Additionally, the average household size has decreased from 6.39 in 2017 to 6.30 in 2023.

    Pakistan’s urban population increased from 75.67 million to 93.75 million between 2017 and 2023, making it one of the most urbanised nations in South Asia.

    Almost 39 percent of its population lives in urban areas. Urbanisation impacts a country’s economy and development, leading to changes in various areas such as labour market opportunities, family structures, education, health, environment management, security systems, and governance.

    The literacy rate has gone up in all provinces, with Punjab (increased 66.1 percent to 66.3 percent), Sindh (61.6 percent to 61.8 percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (52.4 percent to 55.1 percent), and Balochistan (53.9 percent to 54.5 percent).