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  • Tehreek-e-Labaik mob dig up Ahmadi grave in Sheikhupura

    Tehreek-e-Labaik mob dig up Ahmadi grave in Sheikhupura

    In a viral video that emerged on social media, a frenzied mob can be seen exhuming an Ahmadi from his grave, boasting to have done a sacred act while Ahmadis were seen helplessly sitting across the graveyard covering their faces.

    The video has been widely shared and garnered reactions from people all across social media.

    Filmmaker and activist Ali Raza shared the video and said, “Reports coming in that Maulvis in Sheikhupura dug out an Ahmadi grave and destroyed the tombstone. These are same poor people who we help through charity, who comes to the world that Allah is putting them through a test and we feel for them and now we know why!”

    Mona Farooq Ahmed suggested, “State needs to act & rectify, before reaching a point when rectification is impossible.”

    Journalist Kalbe Ali questioned: “Whats the difference btween extremist Right wing RSS type hindus , Zionist /settler Israelis and these Muslims in Pakistan who are vandalising grave of someone Ahmadi of faith.

    TV anchor Rabia Anum shared her thoughts on X, “We can never claim to be better than israelis, some of us are worse than them infact whenever and wherever we get a chance. Whether it’s desecrating graves, mistreating our servants, beating up our spouses OR putting people behind bars because they have different political views. We are not better.”

    Author and Lawyer Yasser Latif Hamdani posted, “While everyone plays election election this is what you are doing to Ahmadis in Pakistan. “Ghairatmand Muslims” attacking dead bodies now. The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution is a crime against humanity. This is what it has led to.”

    A netizen Ali Kazmi tweeted, “Pathetic act of cowardice … Our prophet never imparted any such teachings and neither did his disciples.”

  • One dead, four injured in multiple blasts in Balochistan

    One dead, four injured in multiple blasts in Balochistan

    At least one person was killed and four injured as multiple blasts occurred on Thursday in different areas of Balochistan, including the provincial capital, Quetta, the police confirmed.

    The blast took place in the Spinny Road area of Quetta. Police have cordoned off the area and are figuring out what caused the explosion.

    Blasts also happened in Turbat and Naseerabad district.

    According to the police, at least three people were injured when a hand grenade exploded at the Dera Allah Yar Bhatti gate area in Naseerabad, while one person was injured in a grenade blast in Turbat’s main market.

    Bomb disposal squads and rescue teams have arrived at the site of the blast in Quetta, where, according to police, at least one person has died in the explosion.

    According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Quetta, Tariq Jawad, eight to 10 kg of explosives were used in the blast in Quetta.

  • Viva Espana; Spain refuses to cut aid for Gaza

    Viva Espana; Spain refuses to cut aid for Gaza

    The Spanish foreign minister has announced that Spain will maintain its support for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza despite USA, Canada and Australia withdrawing its support and funding, reports Alyssa Mcmurty News Agency.

    During a parliamentary commission meeting, Jose Manuel Albares called the UN agency “‘indispensable,” and said the funding helps “alleviate the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

    His announcement comes after a growing number of Western nations are freezing funding for the agency amid an internal investigation about some employees’ roles in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel after allegations were made by Israel.

    Around a dozen nations, including the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Japan Australia, and Austria, have suspended funding. Meanwhile, a minority of Western nations like Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Belgium, Kuwait, and Qatar have spoken out against the funding cuts.

    On Monday, Spain’s foreign minister said Spain will be following the agency’s internal investigation closely, but highlighted the inquiry is looking at the acts of “around a dozen people out of UNRWA’s 30,000 workers.”

    On Sunday, the UN agency released a statement saying its “life-saving aid may end” due to the funding freezes, adding that as the primary aid agency in Gaza, it runs shelters for over 1 million people and provides food and healthcare.

    UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has said that governments suspending funds to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) represents “double standards” when they continue to support Israel, whose actions “plausibly constitute” genocide.

    We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job,” the 21 NGOs said in a statement.

    Spain’s junior coalition party Sumar posted on X that the decision to cut aid is “an attack against humanity” and “collective punishment.” It added that it will pressure the Spanish government to boost funding for the organization.

    Meanwhile, Albares added that Spain has tripled its funding to Palestine in recent months to around €50 million ($54 million), which includes funding for UNWRA.

    The Spanish foreign minister also told politicians that Spain supports Friday’s ruling of the top UN court which calls on Israel to prevent genocide. “We urge the integral compliance with this sentence by all parties. We request an urgent cease-fire and the entrance of humanitarian aid,” he added.

    Albares warned that the violence in Israel and Palestine could spill over to neighboring nations, which could have “devastating effects for those countries, and the entire Mediterranean region, which, of course, includes Spain.”

    The Spanish government continues pushing for an international peace conference, which would, in effect, see the entire international community recognizing a “viable” Palestinian state. Albares said that 88 nations now back the idea.

    “We will not resign ourselves to watching more innocent women, men, and children killed in Gaza and more suffering of Palestinian families,” he said. “We will not resign ourselves to keep watching the suffering of the families of hostages. The violence must stop.”

  • PTI will hold new intra-party polls

    PTI will hold new intra-party polls

    The central media department of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), announced on Thursday that the party has issued the official schedule for its intra-party elections, set to take place on February 5.

    The party’s spokesperson has been named as the federal election commissioner.

    “The PTI Federal Election Commission is pleased to announce the Election Schedule for the Intra-party Elections (IPE) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to elect the Chairman, Central and Provincial Organisations,” the statement read.

    According to the released statement, all party members registered before January 31 will be allowed to vote for their favourite panel as well as for the chairman candidate. Party members can use the ‘Raabta Application Intra Party Election Module’ to record their votes.

    Details regarding all the panels participating in the intra-party elections as well as the procedure of the elections are explained in the Election Rules, 2020, which will be available on the party’s official website and Raabta application.

    The polling will begin at 10am and end at 4pm.

    The last date for submission of nomination papers will be February 2, 2024, until 10pm. Candidates can submit their nomination papers at central and provincial secretariats and also digitally through email.

  • Woman arrested for smuggling 130 poisonous frogs

    Woman arrested for smuggling 130 poisonous frogs

    BOGOTA: Authorities in Colombia seized 130 poisonous frogs being trafficked through the Bogota airport on Monday and arrested the Brazilian woman carrying them.

    The woman was transporting the colorful harlequin poison frogs (oophaga histrionica) inside film containers while travelling to Sao Paulo with a stopover in Panama.

    She “claimed that a local community had given them as a gift,” Bogota Environment Secretary Adriana Soto said in a video shared with media.

    Harlequin frogs are venomous, measure less than five centimetres (two inches) and live in damp forests along the Pacific coast between Ecuador and Colombia, as well as in other countries in Central and South America.

    “This endangered species is sought after in international markets,” said Bogota Police Commander Juan Carlos Arevalo, adding that private collectors might pay up to $1,000 for each.

    The police reported that the woman carrying the frogs was arrested “for the crime of wildlife tracking” before being handed over to the prosecutor’s office.

    Animal trafficking is common in Colombia — one of the most biodiverse countries in the world — especially of amphibians, small mammals and marine animal parts, such as those of sharks.

  • 103-year-old man in India marries for third time to a woman half his age

    A 103-year-old man from Bhopal, India, has gone viral after marrying a woman almost half his age.

    Habib Nazar tied the knot with 49-year-old Firoz Jahan in a ceremony in the Itwara region of Bhopal, reported India Today.

    The wedding came to light after a video of them returning back to their home in an autorickshaw circulated on social media, almost an year after the wedding.

    Mr Nazar’s second wife passed away, prompting him to get married for a third time as he felt lonely.

    Speaking to reporters, Mr Nazar said: “I’m 103 years old, and my wife is 49. I got married for the first time in Nashik.

    “After she passed away, I went to Lucknow to tie the knot again. My second wife also left for the other world. I was feeling lonely. So I married again.”

    The couple have been married since last year, but it wasn’t until January this year that their wedding went viral. In the video clip, Mr Nazar and his wife can be seen returning home after the marriage ceremony.

    In the video, a person behind the camera is heard congratulating the couple while Habib is seen saying: “Kisi cheez ki kami nahi hai. Kami hamare dilon mein hai”, which translates to “I don’t feel a shortage of anything. I only feel loneliness”.

    NDTV reports Mr Nazar’s first marriage was held in Maharashtra’s Nashik and his second marriage was held in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.

    As for Ms Jahan, this is her second marriage after her first husband passed away. She reportedly agreed to the marriage with Mr Nazar as he has no one else to take care of him.

    On her decision to marry Mr Nazar, Ms Jahan said: “My husband is absolutely fine and has no medical issues”.

  • ECP calls emergency meeting over worsening law and order

    ECP calls emergency meeting over worsening law and order

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to conduct a crucial meeting today, focusing on the worsening state of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, as general elections are set to take place on February 8, The News reported on Thursday.

    In the past few weeks, there has been a significant increase in attacks on political rallies, camp offices, and candidates, as well as terror incidents, especially in the two restive provinces.

    The ECP directed KP’s chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a detailed report on the murder of independent candidate, Rehan Zeb Khan, contesting for the National Assembly (NA) seat from NA-8 Bajur.

    The unidentified persons gunned down the young political activist on Wednesday in his hometown while he was canvassing for votes.

    An ECP notification stated that “The scheduled meeting in Islamabad on Thursday at 3pm will be attended by the minister and secretary of interior, chief secretaries, inspectors general of KP and Balochistan, and officials from intelligence agencies.”

    ECP also asked for an immediate report from the Balochistan chief secretary and inspector general of police on the bomb attack at a political party’s election office.

  • Electioneering in Sindh – I

    Electioneering in Sindh – I

    For a long time, anti-Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) political parties in Sindh have had a desire to keep it away from power. To achieve their target, they have formed alliances and engineered seat adjustments since 2013, but they have failed at every occasion. Keeping their tradition alive, they have again joined hands by expanding an already existing alliance – the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) – and by making seat adjustments with the remaining anti-PPP parties: the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), etc., and personalities.

    Administratively, Sindh is divided into six divisions and 30 districts. Voters in Sindh have to directly elect 61 MNAs and 130 MPAs to represent them in the National Assembly (NA) and provincial assembly (PA). PPP leadership is confident that this time it will increase its seat tally from Sindh, but the party’s biggest impediment is internal rivalry of its candidates in different areas.

    On most seats in Sindh, PPP candidates have a clear lead over their opponents, unless a miracle happens. Today we will discuss national and provincial assembly seats in Larkana (eight NA and 17 PA seats) and Sukkur (seven NA and 14 PA seats) divisions, where a close contest is expected or where important candidates are in the running.

    On NA 190 Jacobabad-I, a neck-to-neck fight is expected between traditional rivals, 2018 winner Mohammad Mian Soomro, who is running as an independent candidate, and PPP’s Ijaz Jakhrani. Similarly on PS 1, Jacobabad-I, PPP’s first-time runner Sher Mohammad Mugheri is facing independent candidate Abdul Razzaque Khan. On PS 3 Jacobabad-III, Mumtaz Jakhrani, PPP’ ex-provincial minister and relative of NA candidate Ijaz Jakhrani has rebelled against party decision and is in the race against PPP candidate Aurangzeb Panhwar. This constituency will see a close fight. All these independent candidates have the support of GDA and its allies. Past results suggest that PPP’s Sohrab Sarki is favourite on PS 2 Jacobabad-II. However, JUI-F’s Shafique Khoso is possibly giving him nightmares.

    PPP’s Shabbir Ali Bijarani and JUI-F’s Dr. Ibrahim Jatoi are in the race on NA 192 Kashmore cum Shikarpur. A close contest is expected here because both the candidates have not only party votes at their disposal but they have strong personal support bases too. On PS 5, Kashmore II, JUI-F’s Rab Nawaz Chachar, with the help of his community and the influential Tegho Khan Teghani, can surprise Ghulam Abid Sundrani of PPP. On PS 7 Shikarpur-I, Agha Taimoor Khan of JUI-F, whose peers were associated with the PPP and he himself has remained PPP MPA, is contesting the election against PPP where an interesting contest is expected. PPP’s Arif Mahar is up against JUI-F’s Abid Jatoi on PS 8 Shikarpur-II, where a fierce battle is expected.

    Although JUI-F’s Rashid Mehmood Soomro is up against PPP’s fresh inductee Shahryar Mahar, son of ex-federal minister Ghous Bux Mahar on NA 193 Shikarpur, his actual constituency is NA 194 Larkana where he is contesting elections against PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. His brother Nasir Mehmood Soomro is contesting NA 196 Kamber-I against Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. According to local sources, PPP candidates have an edge over their rivals on these seats. However, PPP will have challenging contests on PS 12 Larkana-III and PS-14 Kamber I.

    On NA 198, PPP’s Khalid Lund will be challenged by independent candidate Faqeer Abdul Haq alias Mian Mithoo, infamous for forced conversion cases. Similarly on PS 18 Ghotki-I, PPP candidate Shahryar Shar is facing sitting PPP Senator Jam Mehtab Dahar and on PS 19 Ghotki-II, PPP candidate Bari Khan Pitafi is facing independent candidate Nadir Akmal Leghari. Both these independent candidates enjoy the support of PPP rivals.

    The PPP has smooth sailing in Sukkur, where former federal minister Khursheed Shah and others are in the run. GDA’s Deedar Jatoi will offer a bit of resistance against PPP’s Nauman Shaikh on NA 200 Sukkur-I and independent candidate Mubeen Jatoi against PPP’s Nasir Shah on PS 25 Sukkur-IV. Nafisa Shah, Qaim Ali Shah and Halar Wassan enjoy one-way traffic on NA 202 Khairpur-I, PS 26 Khairpur-I and PS 27 Khairpur-II respectively. There is a close contest on NA 203 Khairpur-II between Sadaruddin Shah of GDA and Fazal Shah of PPP. While in NA 204 Khairpur-III, PPP’s Javed Shah has a small lead over Moazzam Abbasi of GDA. On PS 27 Khairpur-III and PS 31 Khairpur-VI, PPP candidates Sajid Banbhan and Syed Bachal Shah are in difficult positions against their rivals Ismail Shah and Rashid Shah of GDA. PPP’s Shiraz Rajper and Naeem Kharal are slightly better off against their rivals Rafique Banbhan and Khalid Shaikh of GDA on PS 29 Khairpur-IV and PS 30 Khairpur-V respectively.

    In the next part of this series, we will discuss Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpur Khas divisions of Sindh.

  • Petrol price increased by Rs13.55 per litre for the next two weeks

    Petrol price increased by Rs13.55 per litre for the next two weeks

    In a statement released on Wednesday, the caretaker government disclosed an adjustment in the pricing of petrol and diesel, elevating their rates to Rs272.89 and Rs278.96 per litre, respectively.

    The revised figures indicate an increment of Rs13.55 per litre for petrol and Rs2.75 per litre for high-speed diesel (HSD).

    The updated prices are slated to come into effect on February 1, 2024. Prior speculation by Business Recorder suggested a potential surge in petrol prices ranging from Rs8 to Rs11 per litre and an increase of Rs2 to Rs7 per litre for HSD.

    This decision follows the government’s recent review, during which a notable reduction of Rs 8 per litre was declared for petrol while the HSD rate remained unaltered.

    The move has garnered attention and stirred discussions within various sectors.

  • Survey: Imran Khan emerges as top choice for financial experts to revive Pakistan’s economy

    Survey: Imran Khan emerges as top choice for financial experts to revive Pakistan’s economy

    In a recent Bloomberg survey conducted among Pakistani finance professionals, incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan emerged as the leading choice to oversee the country’s economic recovery.

    Despite being barred from contesting the upcoming February 8 election, Khan’s enduring popularity was cited as a crucial factor by respondents, who believe he could implement market-focused reforms in the long term.

    The survey, which included 12 traders, economists, and analysts from major brokerages, placed three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif in the second position. Respondents acknowledged Sharif’s experience in government and speculated that his alignment with the powerful military contributed to his standing.

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a member of the influential Bhutto clan, secured a distant third place, with some survey participants expressing reservations about dynastic politics.

    Bloomberg Economics conducted an analysis of Pakistan’s misery index, combining inflation and unemployment rates, revealing that Sharif’s party had a better track record in managing the economy over the past three decades compared to rivals, including Khan.

    Despite Khan’s three court convictions and election disqualification, questions about the legitimacy of the upcoming polls are surfacing among independent observers and voters.

    With almost 129 million eligible voters set to cast their ballots, concerns are growing about the electoral system’s integrity in the absence of the country’s most popular politician.

    Pakistan’s National Assembly has completed a full term only three times in its 76-year history, and political observers note rising discontent with the electoral system in Khan’s absence.

    Khan, convicted of graft in August, received another jail sentence on Tuesday for his involvement in publicising a classified diplomatic cable. On Wednesday, he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in jail for a case related to the illegal selling of state gifts.

    As Khan faces legal challenges, Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are gaining support from voters. Sharif’s return from exile last year, widely seen as a deal with the military, has boosted his popularity, particularly in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province.

    The respondents to the Bloomberg survey unanimously agreed that Pakistan’s economic survival hinges on a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. Half of them believe the country can withstand six months without a bailout, while the ongoing nine-month IMF programme is set to conclude in March, with about $1 billion in dollar-denominated debt due in April.

    Key findings from the January survey include expectations of 2.65 per cent economic growth in the fiscal year starting July, the government’s estimate of 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent expansion in the current fiscal year, a forecasted moderation of inflation to 25.05 per cent by the fiscal year ending June (currently at about 30 per cent), and a consensus that Pakistan cannot survive for more than a year without an IMF bailout.