Blog

  • After Ayodhya, Hindutva leaders now targeting muslim dargah in Mumbai

    After Ayodhya, Hindutva leaders now targeting muslim dargah in Mumbai

    Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ignited controversy by announcing his intent to “liberate” the 700-year-old Haji Malang dargah, a historic Muslim shrine situated on the outskirts of Mumbai, exclusively for Hindus. The shrine, known for its Sufi heritage and cultural significance, has become the focal point of a heated religious dispute.

    After the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invoked a significant amount of “divine” support from his followers for upcoming elections. The next target to double the effect is the Sufi shrine. This is aimed to polarize the voters even more.

    CM Shinde while speaking at the annual Malang-gad Harinam Mahotsav in Thane distinct, broke away from the late Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to lead a BJP-backed coalition, said he is “committed to liberate Malang-gad”, adding he would not rest till he has fulfilled the promise.

    Malang-gad (’gad’ means a fort in Marathi) is famous for its 12th-century shrine of Sufi saint Haji Abdul Rahman, popularly known as ‘Haji Malang’. According to Kashmir Media Service, Haji Malang dargah, atop a hill, is believed to house the tomb of an Arab missionary who arrived in India over seven centuries ago. On the contrary, Hindus believe the place holds the samadhi of Machindranath, a revered deity in the Nathpanthi sect, which was later converted into a dargah.

    An article published in The Times of India on Feb 14, 1993 reveals the arrest of Thane’s top Shiv Sena leader late Anand Dighe while leading an agitation demanding the renaming of Malang-gad as Shri Malang. Dighe was Mr Shinde’s mentor and the promise to liberate Malang-gad is a logical political move on the chief minister’s part to claim his master’s legacy, quotes Dawn.

    Nasir Khan, chairman of the Peer Haji Malang Saheb Trust, refers to the Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency which mentions the structure as the shrine built in honour of Arab missionary Haji Abd-ul-Rahman. “It is only in the 1980s that the Shiv Sena began making claims of it being a Hindu temple. If it was a Hindu temple, why did the Peshwa kings send gifts to the shrine?” asks Mr Khan.
    According to the chairman of the Trust, Haji Malang is equally revered by Hindu and Muslims. He says that even Christians and Parsis visit the shrine to seek blessings.

  • Shehzad Roy tweets about ‘time flying’; fans have hilarious reaction

    Shehzad Roy tweets about ‘time flying’; fans have hilarious reaction

    We all know Shehzad Roy is refusing to age. While the world marches past him on the endless loop of time, the singer, social worker, and humanitarian stays put, refusing to let time ravage him. Roy, actively involved in promoting education and child rights through his organization, Zindagi Trust, is revered and adored for his altruistic projects and, you know, being ageless.

    Recently he took to his X (formerly Twitter) account and shares a photo with Fatima, who he said is like a little sister to him. He wrote: “Fatima, just like my younger sister, grew up in front of me, and now she’s stepping into a new chapter as she gets married. Time flies so fast. May she stay happy always, and all my best wishes are with her.”

    Well, the photo and post was adorable enough but Roy’s reference to time flying triggered his fans into reminding him that time has no effect on him.

    Here are some funny reactions from twitter:

  • Mona Lisa gets souped as protest

    Mona Lisa gets souped as protest

    During a protest in the French capital Paris, two demonstrators threw soup at the famous painting of the Mona Lisa, preserved in glass, and demanded that French citizens be given the “right to healthy food”.

    According to the Louvre Museum, the painting was not damaged, the protective glass in front of it taking the brunt of the impact. A viral video shows two female protesters, wearing T-shirts, throwing soup on the painting.

    The protestors then stood in front of the painting and said, “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?, Your agricultural system is sick, our farmers are dying”.

    A group called Food Counter-Attack later claimed responsibility for the stunt, saying in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that the protest was part of efforts to provide general social protection for food.

    The group also called for a food card worth 150 euros to be provided to citizens every month to be used for food.

    Meanwhile, French Culture Minister Richida Dati said that “no reason” can justify targeting the Mona Lisa, calling France’s historical heritage.

  • ‘Virat Kohli spat on me during India tour’; Dean Elgar’s startling revelation

    ‘Virat Kohli spat on me during India tour’; Dean Elgar’s startling revelation

    Former South Africa batsman Dean Elgar has alleged that India’s star batsman, Virat Kohli, spat on him during his first tour of the South Asian country.

    Elgar, who recently retired from Test cricket, when Kohli spat at him, he too responded in kind. The former opening batsman immediately reacted and threatened to hit the then Indian captain with his bat.

    Speaking in a podcast, Dean Elgar said that, “The first time I faced Kohli in India, the wickets there were a joke and was difficult to play at that level.”

    When he came to the crease to bat, Elgar narrated, he had trouble playing Ashwin and Jadeja while Kohli spat at him.

    “I told Virat Kohli if you keep doing this, I will hit you with this bat,” the former batsman told the host of The Boys podcast.

    “However, when you play in India, you have to be a bit careful,” said the former South African batsman.

    Notably, Dean Elgar came to play Test matches for the first time in 2015 on a tour of an Asian country. In the same year, Virat became the full-time captain of the Indian Test team.

  • Notorious Japanese fugitive dies after 50 years on the run: media

    Notorious Japanese fugitive dies after 50 years on the run: media

    Tokyo, Japan – Long hair, youthful smile, thick glasses slightly askew: for decades, the black-and-white photo of one of Japan’s most wanted fugitives has been a ubiquitous sight at police stations nationwide.

    But after nearly 50 years Satoshi Kirishima — wanted over deadly bombings by leftist extremists in the 1970s — reportedly died Monday, days after local media said he had finally been caught.

    Last week, the 70-year-old revealed his identity after he admitted himself to hospital under a false name for cancer treatment, according to Japanese media.

    The reports were a sensation in Japan, where his young face is so widely recognised that it has inspired viral Halloween costumes.

    But police were still scrambling to conduct DNA tests when the man believed to be Kirishima passed away on Monday morning.

    “Investigators looked into and eliminated past tips, but there is a very high possibility that this individual is actually Kirishima,” a police source told the Asahi newspaper.

    Plain sight

    Details are emerging of how Kirishima may have been hiding in plain sight for decades.

    Born in Hiroshima in January 1954, Kirishima attended university in Tokyo, where he was attracted by radical far-left politics.

    He joined the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, one of several militant groups active in the era along with the once-feared Japanese Red Army or the Baader–Meinhof Group in West Germany.

    The revolutionary Armed Front carried out bombings at Japanese companies, including one at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that killed eight people.

    It operated in three cells, with fanciful names: “Wolf”, “Fangs of the Earth” and “Scorpion” — Kirishima’s outfit.

    Under the radar

    Alongside physical descriptors on Kirishima’s wanted posters — 160 cm tall (5 ft 3), full lips, very short-sighted — is a summary of his crime.

    In April 1975, the young radical allegedly helped set up a bomb that blasted away parts of a building in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district. No one was killed.

    He has been on the run ever since.

    TV Asahi and other outlets said he had lived a double life for years, working at a building contractor in the city of Fujisawa in Kanagawa region, under the alias Hiroshi Uchida.

    He was paid in cash and went under the radar with no health insurance or driving licence, the reports said.

    At the nondescript office where the man reportedly worked, someone who knew him told TV Asahi that the suspect had “lost a lot of weight” compared to the wanted photo.

    The man believed to be Kirishima began to receive treatment for stomach cancer under his own expense, the reports said.

    It was at a hospital in the city of Kamakura that he finally confessed that he was 70-year-old Kirishima, they added.

    Walking free

    Nine other members of the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front were arrested, the Asahi newspaper said.

    But two 75-year-olds are still on the run after being released in 1977 as part of a deal by the Japanese Red Army, which had hijacked a Japan Airlines plane in Bangladesh.

    Fusako Shigenobu, the female founder of the Japanese Red Army, walked free from prison in 2022 after completing a 20-year sentence for a 1974 embassy siege.

    Shigenobu’s group carried out armed attacks in support of the Palestinian cause during the 1970s and 80s, including a mass shooting at Tel Aviv airport in 1972 that killed 24 people.

    Kirishima though escaped justice, or so it seems.

    “I want to meet my death with my real name,” he told staff at the hospital, according to NHK.

    bur-kaf/stu/ser

    © Agence France-Presse

  • PSL season 9: All teams announced the names of their supplementary players

    PSL season 9: All teams announced the names of their supplementary players

    All the franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have announced the names of their supplementary and replacement players for season 9.

    In the supplementary round, Multan Sultans have selected West Indies’ Johnson Charles, while nineteen-year-old Mohammad Shahzad will join Multan Sultans. Lahore Qalandars have made Tayyab Abbas and Karachi Kings 21-year-old Muhammad Roheed a part of their team. Peshawar Zalmi drafted left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim.

    Peshawar Zalmi has selected Waqar Salam Khel in the silver category for Lungi Ngidi, and fast bowler Khurram Shehzad has been selected in the silver category due to the partial availability of fast bowler Arshad Iqbal. In contrast, Peshawar Zalmi has selected England’s Gus Atkinson in place of Noor Ahmed. Selected. Naveen-ul-Haq of Afghanistan will be partially available, the team has reserved the right to select.

    Rashid Khan will not be available for Lahore Qalandars, the team has reserved the right to select him, while Dean Lawrence will be partially available to the franchise, Islamabad United’s Tom Curran will also be partially available, on which the team will choose him. The right has been reserved. Fast bowler Luke Wood was selected by Peshawar Zalmi Obaid McCoy by Islamabad United

    Karachi Kings have hired Zahid Mahmood as a partial replacement for Kieron Pollard, New Zealand’s Tim Seifert will be available to Karachi Kings after the New Zealand series. Karachi Kings picked up English middle-order batsman Leus du Plooy
    and Sri Lankan batsman Bhanuka Rajapakse. Vanundu Hasringa will be partially available for the Sri Lanka series where Quetta Gladiators have replaced Vanundu Hasringa with Bismillah Khan. took Quetta Gladiators have made English batsman Laurie Evans a part of the squad.

  • State Bank of Pakistan unveils plans for new currency notes with international security features

    State Bank of Pakistan unveils plans for new currency notes with international security features

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday announced plans to issue new currency notes featuring international security features. 

    The central bank assured a seamless transition, avoiding disruptions akin to India’s 2016 demonetisation. 

    Governor Jameel Ahmad stated that the new notes would have updated serial numbers, designs, and heightened security features. The design framework is expected to be finalised by March.

    The decision, prompted by concerns over counterfeit currency, was cautiously welcomed by financial experts. 

    CEO Khurram Schehzad acknowledged the move as a “positive development” but cautioned against premature assessment. 

    He emphasised the need to address higher-denomination notes and questioned their effectiveness, citing challenges faced by countries like India after demonetisation.

    Schehzad underscored the importance of evaluating the impact on black money, highlighting the public’s inclination to convert cash into alternative assets amidst inflation. 

    He urged the SBP to consider reducing the number of higher-denomination notes in circulation to address economic concerns, emphasising the role of controlled currency printing in curbing inflation.

  • Pakistani rupee sees marginal dip against US dollar 

    Pakistani rupee sees marginal dip against US dollar 

    In Monday’s trading session, the Pakistani rupee experienced a slight decline of 0.02 per cent against the US dollar in the inter-bank market, closing at Ra279.64, reflecting a decrease of Re0.05, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    The previous week saw the rupee’s 11th consecutive week of appreciation, gaining Re0.31, or 0.11 per cent, to settle at Rs279.59 against the US dollar. 

    This consistent uptrend was attributed to the approval of the second tranche of $705.6 million in the $3 billion Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The positive impact of the IMF inflow was evident in the foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP. 

    Meanwhile, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar instructed the Ministry of Energy to develop a comprehensive plan, in consultation with the Finance Ministry, to address and reduce the circular debt in the power and gas sectors.

    In a significant move, the SBP announced plans to revamp the foreign exchange trading system by introducing a centralised foreign exchange (FX) trading platform named “FX Matching” for the interbank FX market.

    On the global front, the US dollar maintained a stable position as investors assessed US economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve policy meeting scheduled for the week. 

    Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East contributed to a cautious risk sentiment among investors.

  • ‘I am strongly against stopping criticism, as freedom of the press is enshrined in the constitution,’ Chief Justice Faez Isa

    ‘I am strongly against stopping criticism, as freedom of the press is enshrined in the constitution,’ Chief Justice Faez Isa

    The Supreme Court (SC) has instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to promptly withdraw notices sent to journalists involved in a “malicious campaign” against the judiciary and institutions on social media as per Geo News.

    A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, heard the case pertaining to harassment of journalists by FIA.

    CJP ISA told Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan that verbal abuse was a different matter and that the FIA should not take action against journalists, especially on criticism.

    The AGP assured the Chief Justice of Pakistan that journalists would not face any action.

    The chief justice remarked that he is strongly against curtailing criticism, as freedom of the press is enshrined in the Constitution. “I don’t care if you make fun of me, but if you make fun of the judiciary, the country will suffer. You can criticise the Supreme Court, but the Constitution also has some limitations,” he said.

    “If you think that you are benefiting me or the Supreme Court by stopping criticism, then you are harming [the institution],” CJP Isa remarked.

    Qazi Faez Isa also said that media persons are allowed to criticise, but the matter of incitement is different. “We can never restrain a common man or a journalist from criticising.”

    Justice Musarrat Hilali stated that there is no issue with fair criticism, but the language used is wrong.

  • Ali Afzal Khan finally reveals why he left the entertainment industry

    Ali Afzal Khan finally reveals why he left the entertainment industry

    Ali Afzal Khan was a regular feature on our television screens, playing all sorts of roles. Then suddenly, the actor disappeared, and fans were left wondering what had happened. Khan has finally opened up about what transpired behind his departure from the industry.

    Ali has said that he was inspired by singer-turned-preacher, the late Junaid Jamshed, and bid farewell to the showbiz industry.

    Talking on a podcast, he said, “I worked in the industry for 20 to 22 years, and during my extensive career, I undertook numerous projects as both an actor and a host. During this time, Junaid Jamshed, who was a renowned Naat reciter and singer, and I, being an actor, often had frequent meetings.”

    He began to explore and understand the Holy Quran. However, due to some personal differences, he left hosting duties. “It was during this time that Junaid Jamshed inclined me towards religious preaching. In this period, I spent three days and then 40 days in seclusion, initiating the practice of regular prayer.”

    Stressing that it is not easy for an actor who is at the peak of his career to leave it, Khan said, “The decision was difficult for me too but I had made a commitment to myself eight to nine months before leaving showbiz, that I would quit and after that I stopped signing contracts.”

    He shared that he is still being offered different roles but he refuses them now.

    “But I am still willing to play a historical role, so if someone offers me such a role, I am ready.”