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  • No men allowed near female students in schools, colleges: Lahore High Court

    No men allowed near female students in schools, colleges: Lahore High Court

    Lahore High Court (LHC) announced in a recent hearing that college authorities should prohibit the presence of men wherever there are female students. The remarks came with regard to an alleged case of sexual harassment in LCWU.

    A full court bench heard the case.

    On Friday, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum ordered the authorities to note down the statement of the alleged victim linked to the claims of rape in Punjab College.
    The High Court took up the matter of three separate incidents, including the protests against alleged rape in Punjab College Campus 10 and a case of harassment in Lahore College of Women University (LCWU).

    Punjab College case

    Punjab Inspector General Usman Anwer and officials from the colleges appeared before the court with a complete report.

    Justice Neelum expressed displeasure with the police chief. She asked him the reason for the delay. She also remarked that removing the video from social media would have only taken half an hour. The IG replied that they had reached out to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, but it wasn’t within the police dom­ain to delete a video to prevent it from going viral.

    Advocate General Punjab told the court that the relevant assistant superintendent of police met family of the concerned student linked to alleged rape and checked CCTV footage.

    “Every child protesting was claiming that rape had been committed but no one has the evidence,” he stated in the court.

    He, however, admitted that there were some failures on the authorities’ part.

    “It is quite unfortunate if all this happened due to fake news,” the CJ remarked during the hearing.

    LCWU case

    Moreover, she inquired about the number of complaints regarding harassment case in the LCWU.

    The public prosecutor and college registrar told the court that there was only one such complaint and the person facing the allegations has been suspended from his post.

    CJ Neelum asked the authorities if the students were in such a “state of mind” that they can join their colleges again and she said for this the college administration should regain the trust of parents.

    The court ordered the authorities to take the statement from the girl who is being named in the claims pertaining to alleged rapein LCWU. It also warned the college authorities against pressurising the student.

    The court also ordered a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) committee to investigate all three cases.

    Read More: Committee formed to investigate Punjab College case declares alleged rape as fake

  • PPP and JUI-F agree on 26th Constitutional Amendments

    PPP and JUI-F agree on 26th Constitutional Amendments

    Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has claimed that PPP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) have reached a 100 per cent consensus on the Constitutional Amendments.

    Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Bhutto expressed his wish by saying that Maulana Fazlur Rehman should himself present the Constitutional Amendments draft in parliament.

    Regarding the positive role of political parties on the 26th Constitutional Amendment, he urges the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party by saying, “Prove that you PTI are a political party, not social media Lashkar.”

    “Politics is a name of compromises,” Chairman PPP added.

    He further said that he hoped that Maulana Fazlur Rehman could convince the PTI leadership of the government’s proposed Constitutional Amendments.

    Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Barrister Gohar Khan clarified his party stance on Constitutional Amendments by saying, “Jab tak Khan sahab ki final guidance nahi a jati tab tak hum is position ma nahi hu sakte ke hum is par vote kar sakain.”

    He remarked that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, gave a message to his followers from Adiala Jail Rawalpindi that Khan is firm in remaining in jail for “100 years” for the betterment of the sovereignty of the constitution.

  • Names of opposition Senators revealed who may vote in favour of the Constitutional Amendments

    Names of opposition Senators revealed who may vote in favour of the Constitutional Amendments

    Veteran journalist Azaz Syed has revealed the names of opposition senators who might vote in favour of the government’s proposed Constitutional Amendments.

    Speaking on the YouTube channel Talk SHOCK, Azaz Syed disclosed that there is a possibility that Senator Faisal Saleem, Senator Ahmad Khan, Senator Abdul Shakoor Qasim, Senator Naseema Ehsan, Senator Dr Zarka Suharwardy Taimur and Senator Saifullah Abro might vote in favour of the 26th Constitutional Amendments in the Upper House.

    “Although, these Senators did not confirm their support for the government,” he added.

    Commenting on the suggestion of military court inclusion in the 26th Constitutional Amendment draft, Syed cleared that it is not part of the coalition government’s proposed Constitutional Amendment draft.

    Meanwhile, talking to media outside the parliament, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif today claimed that the coalition government has achieved the magic number to pass the Constitutional Amendments from parliament.

  • Honey Singh reignites feud; trolls Badshah for rapping skills

    Honey Singh reignites feud; trolls Badshah for rapping skills

    The ongoing rivalry between Yo Yo Honey Singh and _ is back in the spotlight. The two Indian rappers, who were once part of the group Mafia Mundeer, came at odds after Badshah left the group in 2009, claming that Honey Singh was more focused on his solo career and not giving credit to others.

    On October 17, Honey Singh posted a promo video on Instagram stories from Indian Idol season 15, where Badshah showed off his freestyle rap skill with Vishal Dadlani and Shreya Ghoshal.

    Bashah confidently sang, “Dilli ka golgappa, Mumbai se bhelpuri, Chandigarh ki lassi ko gadd gadd pi jaate hai.”
    Singh couldn’t resist adding his own comment, joking, “Aise lyrics likhwane hai bass taqdeer ban jayegi meri .”

    The two rappers parted ways in 2009 because of a mysterious feud. Badshah made digs at Singh in his songs, which made things worse. Even though Honey faced a health problem that paused his career, he seems to still hold onto their past issues.

    In a recent interview with The Lallantop, host Saurabh Dwivedi asked, “Was Badshah a part of Mafia Mundeer?”

    Honey replied, “No, he is not a talent which is picked up from the street, he is a son of a high ranking officer, who already has money and doesn’t need a small platform like Mafia Mundeer.”

    The host again asked, “Are the differences still not resolved between the two of you?”

    “You get upset with your loved ones, not with a client, he was just a client for me”, Singh replied.
    “I wish him best of luck.”

    What is Mafia Mundeer?

    Mafia Mundeer was a group formed in mid-2000, consisting of five members Honey Singh, Raftaar, Ikka, Badshah and Lil Golu. The group delivered serval hit songs such as Gabru, Haye Mera Dil,Glassi, Get Up Jawani, and Siftaan.

    Why Mafia Mundeer broke up:

    The breakup stemmed from disagreements and clashing ambitions. As the group gained fame, the tension grew, and soon members started leaving.

    Currently, Badshah is a judge on Indian Idol season 15, which airs on Sony Entertainment.

    Yo Yo Honey Singh is known for many hits including Millionaire, Jatt Mehkma High on Me, Lapata, Caliente, Sheeshe Wali Chuni, Blues Eyes, Angrezi Beat.

    Recently, Honey Singh released his new album ‘Glory’.

    He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and alcohol addiction; he publicly revealed that he struggled with bipolar disorder for around 18 months, during which he experienced extreme mood swings and periods of deep depression.

  • Diljit Dosanjh becomes first South Asian artist on Billboard UK cover

    Diljit Dosanjh becomes first South Asian artist on Billboard UK cover

    Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has made history by becoming the first South Asian artist to appear on the cover of Billboard Magazine. Known for blending Punjabi folk music with rap and hip-hop, Dosanjh will be featured on the cover of the first-ever print edition of Billboard UK, which will be released in December.

    Despite controversy over unpaid dancers during his Dil-Luminati tour, it has proved to be one of the most successful so far by any South Asian artist. The special edition of Billboard will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes stories from the tour, shared by his manager, Sonali Singh, according to Billboard.

    The magazine will feature four collectible covers, which reflect another dimension of Dosanjh’s journey. One cover released within an international project with Billboard will come out in December. Limited signed copies and a special box set with multilingual editions will be available for collectors, “representing his global influence.”

    The singer left fans excited after the sold-out O2 Arena show in London as he declared that the pre-ordering of the magazine is live.

    Being on the cover of Billboard is one of the many firsts for Dosanjh, a South Asian artist who just continues to break barriers.

    Originally from a small village in Punjab, India, Dosanjh’s unique style blends modern and traditional influences, and his soulful music showcases his deep, emotional baritone voice.

    Check the video below:

  • ‘It was my mistake to believe ASP Sheherbano,’ says Nadia Hussain

    ‘It was my mistake to believe ASP Sheherbano,’ says Nadia Hussain

    Model and makeup artist Nadia Hussain has firmly opposed Punjab government’s actions against protesting students, questioning why such swift and effective measures aren’t taken against actual culprits when incidents of violence against women occur regularly in the country.

    She went further to demand justice for all victims of sexual assault, especially those accused of spreading misinformation for propaganda purposes.

    On Instagram, she posted a video in which she stated:

    “I want swift action against the rapists the same way as how swiftly videos were made by the ASP, or how quickly press conferences were held by the CM or the PGC principal! I demand immediate justice for any rape victim! Justice delayed is justice denied! And why is there such a fear of protests?

    This is something I have been advocating from day one! Protests are a right of every citizen of this country! Violence against protestors will not be tolerated, be it in Lahore, Pindi, or anywhere!”

    Earlier, she posted another video on Instagram where she explained:

    “Yesterday, I made a video expressing my happiness over the fact that the Punjab college incident was perhaps based on misinformation and that this unfortunate event may not have occurred,” she said.

    “The only reason I said I was happy was because I believed and wanted to believe what ASP Shehrbano was saying, as she is a responsible officer.”

    “I want to make one thing clear: I am not related to Shehrbano, nor am I connected to the Punjab police or PGC. When I uploaded the video, I expressed happiness over the student protests and the outrage.

    I believe protests are extremely important to raise awareness and make noise, but a lot of people messaged me, saying, ‘I’m sorry this incident happened,’” Hussain shared.

    “I faced significant backlash for my video, despite always standing up for women’s rights. I am one of the only celebrities who speaks openly about incidents involving women being harassed.

    So, I would just like to add that if anyone has any information regarding this incident, they should share it with me because, honestly, I am not the type to be silenced by anyone regarding women’s issues and rights,” she added.

    Hussain called the incident “very serious” and reiterated that she is not connected to any of the authorities investigating it. “I want to verify this matter, and if it is true, I will raise my voice. If not, I will hold anyone accountable if they have spread false information,” she concluded.

  • Fakhar Zaman likely to be dropped for Australia tour

    Fakhar Zaman likely to be dropped for Australia tour

    Pakistan left-handed opener batsman Fakhar Zaman is likely to be dropped from the squad for the Australia tour.

    According to Express, Fakhar’s selection in the squad seems unlikely as he has failed the fitness test. After returning from a long trip to the West Indies, he was given the task of running two kilometres in eight minutes, which he failed to complete.

    Zaman reportedly suffers from a problem with his knees; he is playing domestic cricket to be fit, while the selection committee has decided not to compromise on fitness.

    Earlier, he tweeted in favour of Babar Azam before the squad announcement against England for the second Test, but after some time, the announcement of dropping the star batsman came out. It seemed like Fakhr criticized the decision. Later, PCB issued a show-cause notice to him.

    Some former cricketers had also suggested that Fakhr be given leadership in the white ball.

    Till Thursday night, Salman Ali Agha was the favourite to take over the White Ball captaincy, but now again, Muhammad Rizwan seems to be leading the race.

  • Cotton’s potential revival: Strong harvest drives 52 per cent increase in ginning factories

    Cotton’s potential revival: Strong harvest drives 52 per cent increase in ginning factories

    Cotton farmers breathed a sigh of relief as the final bale of their successful harvest was loaded onto trucks en route to the ginning factories. After a 48 per cent decline in cotton output from last year, the first fortnight of October recorded an 8.87 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, reigniting the hopes of many in the cotton industry.

    The cotton harvest crossed the one million bale mark compared to the same time last year. This increase in the yields, amounting to an extra 90 thousand bales of cotton, resulted in 184 ginning factories reopening. That is an incredible 52.27 per cent increase in the number of operational factories. The owners of these factories are set to benefit as the factories have gone from collecting dust to receiving cotton trucks.

    At these factories, cotton is cleaned and refined by separating it from impurities such as leaves, dirt and, most importantly, cotton seeds. These seeds are a major byproduct of the purification process and a source of profit for the factory. If farmers manage to increase yields, factory owners can count on getting more seeds with each additional deposit of raw cotton to the factory.

    The availability of these extra seeds will likely translate into an increase in the production of cottonseed oil and animal feed. This is going to spell good news for businesses involved in poultry as the increased supply of animal feed in the market will potentially result in lower feed prices for their hens.

    Due to lower cotton production levels earlier in the year, import deals to bring in approximately 3 million bales of raw cotton have been formalised. However, the cotton is still not on Pakistani shores.

    The wait times associated with the import of cotton by Pakistan from the United States, which sources most of Pakistani cotton imports, is a staggering 44 days. If this cotton was sourced internally from local farmers, however, this time could be cut down to just 2-3 days. Unfortunately though, farmers cannot currently scale up production to meet the domestic demand of cotton.

    If cotton farmers can continue to ramp up production, the business community will not be the sole beneficiary. Pakistan has been importing billions of dollars of cotton, recently being the 5th largest importer of the raw material in 2022. If local farmers can meet domestic demand, the economy will be spared a huge import bill, thereby reducing the balance of the trade deficit, which stood at a glaring $24.8 billion in FY 2023.

    October may mark the end of the woes faced by farmers this year. However, only time will tell if they can reach the level of production they enjoyed just a year prior.

  • Justice Mansoor Ali Shah unlikely to be next CJP: Report

    Justice Mansoor Ali Shah unlikely to be next CJP: Report

    Justice Mansoor Ali Shah is unlikely to become the next Chief Justice of Pakistan after Justice Qazi Faez Isa if the coalition government manages to pass the 26th constitutional amendment, The News has reported.

    The News report stated that according to government sources, the ruling coalition and its allies will choose Justice Yahya Afridi as the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) after Justice Qazi Faez Isa retires on October 25.

    The three most senior judges after Isa who are next in line for the slot of CJP will be Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Yahya Afridi.

    In recent months, Supreme Court judges have been involved in controversy upon contriversy, and there has been a clear lack of consensus amongst the higher judiciary on many things.

    Justice Afridi, however, has remained neutral, The News reported.

    How will the proposed constitutional amendment affect the next CJP?

    The constitutional draft the government is trying to pass suggests: “The Chief Justice of Pakistan shall be appointed on the recommendation of the Special Parliamentary Committee from amongst three most senior Judges of the Supreme Court. The Committee, constituted for the aforesaid purpose, shall send the name of the nominee to the Prime Minister, who shall forward the nominee to the President for appointment. Provided that where the nominee under this clause declines, the next most senior judge shall be considered by the Committee and so on till the appointment of the chief justice of Pakistan.”

    Suppose the government succeeds in passing the amendments with a full majority in Parliament. In that case, the ‘special parliamentary committee’ will decide the next Chief Justice of Pakistan, making it significantly different from the past procedures.

    “The Special Parliamentary Committee, in this article referred to as the Committee, shall consist of the following twelve members, namely:- (i) eight members from the National Assembly; and (ii) four members from the Senate. Provided that when the National Assembly stands dissolved, the total membership of the Committee shall consist of the members from the Senate only…” proposed the 26th constitutional amendment draft.

    Representation of each political party would be according to the strength it holds in the Parliament. According to this draft, the parliamentary committee would send the nomination to the Prime Minister fourteen days before the retirement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

    In September, the coalition government remained unsuccessful in passing the Constitutional Amendment Bill amidst protests by the opposition party and senior lawyers. The Government failed to get the magic number to pass the bill, with JUI-F President Fazal ur Rehman holding the key. Fazl took centre stage as the opposition and coalition government raced to meet with him to get his support.

  • PTI MNA speaks out on harassment ahead of Constitutional Amendments

    PTI MNA speaks out on harassment ahead of Constitutional Amendments

    Journalist Hamid Mir, while talking to Aaj News on October 18, revealed that an unnamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA is allegedly being subjected to harassment to get him to vote for the upcoming constitutional amendments in the parliament.

    “A PTI MNA from Punjab called me from a different number. He is currently hiding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Not only was his house demolished, but also the women of his family were subjected to severe pressure,” revealed Hamid Mir.

    However, Mir also stated, “This has been done so that they [PTI MNAs] show their detachment from PTI and vote for the constitutional amendment in favour of the government. However, despite oppression and repression, these MNAs are steadfast and will not vote for the government under any circumstances.”

    Mir narrated that he received calls from an Indonesian number, but he did not pick up. Then he received a message from a UK number telling him the identity of who was calling.

    Hamid Mir further stated that this PTI MNA belongs to Punjab, but currently, he is hiding in Peshawar. Mir said, “I asked him why he was calling me. He replied: I am calling you to make you a witness that I am resisting and won’t go to Islamabad to participate in any voting.”

    On October 16, PTI member Meher Bano Qureshi, the daughter of former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, posted on X that her sister-in-law, the wife of PTI MNA Zain Qureshi, was abducted from near their home by “masked men in plain clothes and multiple cars.”

    “They have not been able to break us for the last year and a half despite all kinds of threats and are now resorting to such low-level tactics. Mine & my family’s faith in Allah is unbreakable. He will see us & Pakistan through this fascism,” she wrote.

    A few hours later, Qureshi posted a photo with the caption: “Alhamdulillah, she’s home. Thank you for your prayers and support!”

    In a separate post, the PTI member also revealed on X: “She was taken literally yards away from interior minister’s @MohsinnaqviC42 house who happens to be our neighbour.”

    Furthermore, Chairman Balochistan National Party (BNP) Akhtar Mengal, who recently handed over his resignation as an MNA citing unheard grievances of Balochistan, took to X (formerly Twitter) to write that his lodges in Islamabad had been raided.

    Mengal also wrote: “My party Senator Naseema Ehsan is confined to her apartment, and her son has been abducted. Meanwhile, my party’s other Senator Qasim Roonjo, who went for his dialysis at 8 a.m. in Islamabad, has been untraceable along with his son since then. Is this what democracy looks like?!!!”

    Mengal also showed solidarity with PTI’s Meher Bano Qureshi, writing, “All boundaries have been breached to ensure the votes get pushed through. It’s a déjà vu of Musharaf’s dictatorship. Shameful act.”