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  • SIC files petition in Sindh High Court for reserved seats

    SIC files petition in Sindh High Court for reserved seats

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has on Friday accepted a plea filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) demanding the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities in the province.

    The party, which was joined by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidates who had won the February 8 general elections to claim reserved seats, filed the plea today. 

    The court has decided to conduct a hearing urgently to assess the importance of the matter.

    On March 4, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said in its decision that SIC is not eligible to get reserved seats.

    After that, the party approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) which extended the stay order on the oath-taking ceremony of lawmakers and summoned Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan to appear before the court on the next hearing.

  • Sarah Ali Khan narrowly avoids horrifying accident

    Sarah Ali Khan narrowly avoids horrifying accident

    Bollywood actress Sarah Ali Khan narrowly escaped from burning during a promotional event for a film.
    Sarah Ali Khan is currently busy with the promotion of two films, ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ and ‘Murder Mubarak.’
    She shared a new video on her Instagram, showing wax applied to her stomach.
    “When you are promoting two films, there is always some commotion. What can I do now? My stomach got burned, and I have to lie down. So everyone has to wait.”
    Sarah Ali Khan wrote in the post caption that the movie ‘Murder Mubarak’ will be out on Netflix on March 15, while ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ will premiere on Prime Video on March 21.

  • Adil Khan Durrani, Rakhi Sawant’s Ex-husband, gets married again

    Adil Khan Durrani, Rakhi Sawant’s Ex-husband, gets married again

    Indian actress and dancer Rakhi Sawant’s ex-husband, Adil Khan Durrani, has gotten married again after his relationship with the firebrand Sawant ended last year.

    According to Indian media reports, Durrani has tied the knot with Somi Khan, a former contestant from the popular reality show Bigg Boss. So far, Rakhi Sawant has not released an official statement on the matter.

    The report also says that Adil Khan Durrani’s second wedding happened on March 2, in Jaipur. The couple reportedly kept the ceremony private to avoid the attention Adil Khan Durrani received in the media when he married Rakhi Sawant.
    Adil Durrani has said that this isn’t his second marriage, but actually his first. He said that he and his wife are currently in Bangalore, and they plan to tell everyone about their marriage once they get back to Mumbai, promising to share all the details about the ceremony.

  • India confirms citizen fighting with Russian army dead

    India confirms citizen fighting with Russian army dead

    India’s embassy in Moscow has confirmed the death of a citizen recruited by the Russian army, days after a relative said he had been sent to fight in Ukraine.

    Two years after Russia’s invasion began, tens of thousands of its soldiers have been killed in Ukraine and Moscow is on a global quest for more combatants. The foreign ministry in New Delhi said last month that it was working to secure discharges for around 20 Indian nationals “stuck” in the Russian army.

    The embassy did not state the circumstances behind Mohammed Asfan’s death but said it was in touch with his family and Russian authorities. “Mission will make efforts to send his mortal remains to India,” the embassy wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

    Asfan’s brother Mohammed Imran said in February that his sibling had been missing for nearly two months. Asfan had last called from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don to say that he had been deployed to the frontlines, Imran had said.

    He said that another Indian soldier who managed to escape told his family that 30-year-old Asfan had been wounded by a bullet. Asfan is the first death confirmed by Indian authorities among its citizens serving with the Russian army and the second confirmed overall.

    A 23-year-old man from Gujarat state was killed in a Ukrainian airstrike while working as a “security helper”, local media reported last month, citing relatives and another Indian soldier at the frontlines.

    Several Indian recruits said last month that they were lured into joining up by promises of high salaries and a Russian passport before being shipped to the frontlines.

    The soldiers said they had been promised non-combatant roles but were trained to use Kalashnikov assault rifles and other weapons before being sent to Ukraine.

  • PSL 9: Islamabad United defeats Karachi Kings by five wickets

    PSL 9: Islamabad United defeats Karachi Kings by five wickets

    In the 24th match of Pakistan Super League 9, Islamabad United defeats Karachi Kings by five wickets in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan won the toss and invited Karachi Kings to bat first.

    Karachi Kings inning

    Playing first, Karachi Kings scored 150 runs for 7 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

    On behalf of Karachi Kings, Kieron Pollard scored 39 runs and James Vince scored 29, Tim Seifert scored 26 runs and Shan Masood scored 10 runs. Apart from them, Muhammad Nawaz scored 5 runs and Shoaib Malik scored one run, Irfan Khan was dismissed for 16 runs.

    Tymal Mills took three and Faheem Ashraf took two wickets on behalf of Islamabad United, Hunain Shah and Imad Wasim took one wicket each.

    Islamabad United inning

    Chasing the target of 151,Colin Munro scored 9 runs Alex Hales scored 18, Salman Ali Agha scored 33, Haider Ali scored 26 while Faheem Ashraf scored 12 runs.

    From Karachi Kings Mir Hamza took 3 while Muzarabani and Zahid Mehmood took one wicket each.

  • High achievers to get iPads in Punjab

    High achievers to get iPads in Punjab

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz presided over a high-level meeting in Lahore on Thursday, focusing on matters concerning higher education scholarships and the iPad scheme.

    During the meeting, the chief minister expressed dissatisfaction with the incomplete briefing and called for a comprehensive plan for the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) Scholarship scheme.

    Emphasizing her commitment to modernizing higher education and other institutions, she instructed for a student survey to be conducted regarding the iPad and laptop schemes across the province to better understand their requirements.

    She said that the government will take further action regarding the laptop and iPad schemes after considering the needs of students.
    “It is necessary to have students’ feedback in this regard,” Chief Minister added.

    She further asserted that the education sector must not be directionless and aimless.

  • Gaza Government Says Israel Returned 47 Exhumed Bodies

    Gaza Government Says Israel Returned 47 Exhumed Bodies

    Gaza’s government media office said Thursday that Israel had returned dozens of bodies that had been exhumed from graves in the besieged territory in recent weeks.

    Israeli forces have on several occasions taken bodies from Gaza to Israel for examinations as they look for hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7 attack.

    AFP journalists have previously witnessed the reburial of bodies which Gaza officials said had been exhumed by Israeli forces in November, December and January.

    The 47 new bodies sent back by Israel on Thursday “have been transferred to Al-Najjar Hospital” in Rafah, in southern Gaza, the besieged territory’s crossings and borders authority said in a statement.

    A separate statement from the government media office said they would be “buried in a recently established mass grave” near Rafah.

    “The bodies were seized and transferred to Israel under the pretext of examination and verification” to ensure they were not those of hostages held in Gaza, the government statement said.

    Since the start of the war, Israeli officials have exhumed “hundreds” of bodies from graves at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, it said.

    The Israeli army told AFP it was looking into reports about the latest group of returned bodies.

    Hamas took around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes 99 of them remain alive in Gaza and that 31 have died.

    The attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

    Israel’s genocide in Gaza after October 7 has resulted in the deaths of at least 30,800 people in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is under immense domestic pressure to secure the return of hostages as part of any new truce deal with Hamas.

    That pressure intensified after soldiers killed three hostages in December, mistakenly perceiving them as a threat.

  • Hassan, Hussain Nawaz arrest warrants get suspended

    Hassan, Hussain Nawaz arrest warrants get suspended

    An accountability court has suspended the arrest warrants of Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz — sons of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif- in multiple cases, including the Al-Azizia, Flagship, and Avenfield cases.

    Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court announced the decision after reserving the verdict a day earlier.

    As per the verdict, the arrest warrants are suspended until March 14.

    The arrest warrants against the brothers were issued seven years ago when the court declared them absconders.

    In today’s hearing, both brothers were represented by their lawyer, Qazi Misbah, while National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors Sardar Muzaffar, Usman Masood, and Sohail Arif also appeared in court.

    The petition for suspension of arrest warrants was filed as Nawaz Sharif’s sons are planning to return to Pakistan on March 12.

  • Fan insults me, takes a selfie, Saheefa Khattak’s reveals crazy fan story

    Fan insults me, takes a selfie, Saheefa Khattak’s reveals crazy fan story

    Saheefa Jabbar Khattak, model and actress, recently opened up about a bizarre encounter with a fan. After taking a break from dramas, she’s making a comeback with the Ramadan serial ‘Rafta Rafta’ on Green TV.

    During an appearance on Mazaq Raat, Saheefa stressed the importance of mental health and accessibility to support. She highlighted the financial barrier many face in seeking help, stating, “People do not have 3000 rupees per session for three days a week.” She proposed the idea of influential individuals creating communities and safe spaces for those who can’t afford professional help.
    The discussion took a surprising turn when she recounted an incident where a fan approached her while she was having dinner with her husband. “The lady came up to us and insulted me for a whole five minutes, criticizing women in showbiz for lacking respect,” Saheefa revealed. Despite the confrontation, the fan still requested a selfie with Saheefa before leaving.

    If the fan is reading this, or has watched the interview, maybe it’s time to reconsider how you behave in public.

  • Pakistan gears up for crucial IMF talks on $3 billion SBA programme

    Pakistan gears up for crucial IMF talks on $3 billion SBA programme

    Pakistan is set to commence vital discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concerning the completion of the second review under the $3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) programme.

    The formal invitation to the Washington-based lender is expected to be dispatched shortly after the formation and oath-taking of the federal cabinet, with negotiations anticipated to commence in the coming week.

    Simultaneously, Pakistan plans to request a new deal under the 36-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

    Sources have indicated that the size of the upcoming EFF programme is yet to be finalized, but Islamabad aims to explore the inclusion of climate finance to potentially increase the programme’s magnitude from $6 billion to $8 billion.

    A significant challenge facing the incoming finance minister is the pursuit of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) tax collection target of Rs890 billion for March 2024. Failure to meet this quarterly (Jan-March) target with the IMF may prompt additional taxation measures for the remaining fiscal year.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday to receive a comprehensive briefing from the FBR team on the future strategy for revamping the taxation system.

    The FBR has, to date, collected Rs5.82 trillion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, experiencing a shortfall of Rs33 billion in achieving the February 2024 monthly target.

    To meet the targeted Rs9.415 trillion by June 30, 2024, the FBR must collect Rs3.58 trillion in the remaining four months (March-June) period.

    March 2024 holds particular significance, with the monthly target of Rs890 billion crucial for fulfilling the agreed third-quarter (Jan-March) period with the IMF.

    PM Shehbaz emphasized the immediate commencement of automation and digitization of the FBR, personally committing to monitor the entire process.

    According to The News, he urged the adoption of international best practices to enhance transparency, increase tax collection, and eradicate tax evasion, corruption, and smuggling.

    Expressing dissatisfaction with the current progress, PM Shehbaz directed the FBR to start the automation and digitization process immediately, urging the acquisition of services from international firms. He stressed the appointment of officers based on merit in the Track and Trace system.

    During the meeting, FBR Chairman Malik Amjad Tiwana briefed the prime minister on measures taken towards automation, tax net expansion, refund payments to exporters, and anti-smuggling efforts.

    PM Shehbaz, however, insisted on immediate progress, highlighting the collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and the Pakistan Army to combat smuggling effectively.

    As the meeting concluded, PM Shehbaz praised the efforts of caretaker finance minister Dr. Shamshad Akhtar and her team, commending their adherence to the policies laid by the previous government to avert default.

    The prime minister expressed confidence in achieving progress and prosperity through diligent efforts and adherence to the right direction.

    The meeting, attended by key officials, emphasized the urgency of digitalized invoicing and the inclusion of 1.5 million more individuals into the tax net, underlining the government’s commitment to fostering economic stability and growth.