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  • Former foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan passes away

    Former foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan passes away

    Gohar Ayub Khan, former foreign minister and ex-Speaker of the National Assembly, breathed his last on Friday.
    The Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),verified that his father has passed peacefully after a brief illness.
    “Qul will be offered at 11am at Omar Ayub Khan’s residence Main G.T Road Haripur on 19th November,” he added.

    Born in 1937, the former foreign minister was under treatment in a private hospital in Islamabad for quite some time, PTI spokesperson Rauf Hussain confirmed.

    Gohar Ayub Khan was the son of former field marshal president Ayub Khan.
    President Dr. Arif Alvi conveyed profound sadness and Omar Ayub Khan sorrow on the passing of the former foreign minister. He extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving family.

    Interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also conveyed profound sadness and condolences on Gohar’s passing. In a message, the premier offered prayers for the high ranks of the departed soul and for the grieving family to find strength in coping with their loss.

  • Smart lockdown imposed in ten districts of Punjab including Lahore

    Smart lockdown imposed in ten districts of Punjab including Lahore

    Seeing the deteriorating air quality in Punjab, the government has imposed a smart lockdown in different regions of the province, including Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikupura, Kusur, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin. Under the smart lockdown, travel is restricted.

    Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed has ordered restricting normal life in Lahore and Gujranwala divisions, as per a handout.

    According to the decision, all public and private educational institutions will remain closed on Saturday in these districts. However, educational institutions can organise online classes, if they want. Nabil Javed further said the markets, shops, cinemas, and offices will be closed till 3 pm.

    In a crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles, district authorities in Hafizabad have suspended route permits of more than fifty cars and halted 1300 vehicles altogether.

  • Shehbaz Sharif is ‘innocent’

    Shehbaz Sharif is ‘innocent’

    Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with 10 co-accused, have been acquitted in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme reference by a Lahore accountability court, as per Geo News.

    The list of the acquitted individuals includes the incumbent federal minister Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hassan Fawad.

    The court, headed by Judge Malik Ali Zulqarnain Awan, reserved the verdict on November 2 after the conclusion of final arguments presented by counsels and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors on acquittal pleas.

    Acquittal applications contended that all prosecution witnesses and approvers had retracted their statements, signaling a lack of grounds for conviction in the reference. The applicants urged the court to approve the applications and absolve them of the charges.

    A report filed by NAB in May stated that there was no evidence of financial corruption or misuse of authority by Shehbaz Sharif. The allegations of misuse of authority and corruption against the former prime minister, according to the report, were not substantiated under the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999.

    NAB had filed the reference in 2018, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif and other accused had caused a significant financial loss to the national treasury by awarding the contract for the housing scheme to a construction firm without a competitive bidding process.

    Sharif was arrested on Oct 5, 2018, in connection with the case when he appeared before the accountability bureau in another matter while Cheema was taken into custody on February 21 of the same year. Both of them were later released on bail.

    Earlier, Kamran Kiyani, the brother of former army chief Ashfaque Parvez Kiyani, and Nadeem Zia of Paragon City were acquitted by the court due to a “lack of evidence”.

    The NAB alleged that Cheema received illegal benefits from the owners of Paragon City Developers as a reward for awarding the housing scheme contract to their proxy firm, Bismillah Engineering.

  • Sohail Tanveer appointed head of junior selection committee

    Sohail Tanveer appointed head of junior selection committee

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former Test cricketer Sohail Tanveer as the head of the national junior selection committee.

    Tanveer’s first assignment will be the selection of the Pakistan U-19 team for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) U-19 Asia Cup, to be held in the United Arab Emirates from December 8 to 17, after which the Pakistan U-19 team will participate in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka from January 13 to February 4.

    Sohail Tanveer has said that the appointment is an honor for him, thanking PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf.

    “Our first responsibility is to form a strong team for the U-19 Asia Cup and the U-19 World Cup,” he remarked.

    Earlier, PCB appointed former former fast bowler Wahab Riaz as the chief selector of the selection committee of the national men’s cricket team.

  • ‘Non-cricketers are running the cricket board’: Javed Miandad

    ‘Non-cricketers are running the cricket board’: Javed Miandad

    Cricket legend, former captain Javed Miandad has said that those who run sugar mills are running cricket, wrong decisions have pushed Pakistan cricket towards destruction.

    The former captain said, “Those people who have nothing to do with cricket are running the game, so wrong decisions are being taken. Political influence is causing irreparable damage to the game in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)”.

    He was of the opinion that administrators like Abdul Hafeez Kardar are needed in the Board. “The appointment of a junior and less experienced cricketer in the selection committee is surprising,” he said.

    The master batsman then said that the greatest player of the country was ridiculed, non-cricketers are making cricket decisions. “The decision to remove Babar Azam from captaincy is not correct, and cricketers should be respected. Babar should have been given a competitive manager to make him a strong captain. Air Marshal Noor Khan made me captain and made Mushtaq Muhammad the manager. PCB’s recent treatment of a great player like Babar is pathetic.”

    Babar is not being told that he is repeating mistakes again and again, Miranda’s pointed out. “Removing mistakes at the net will give him confidence and he will become a good batsman. When I was the head coach of the Pakistan team, I worked on the mistakes of many batsmen including Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan”.

    He said, “In the presence of Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sadiq Mohammad, Haroon Rashid, Shoaib Mohammad and such cricketers, such a cricketer who has recently retired from cricket was made the chief selector. How much cricket has Wahab Riaz played? I don’t need a position but good people should be brought forward which will benefit Pakistan cricket.”

    Without naming Zaka Ashraf, Javed Miandad said “How much cricket has he played?He is deciding the fate of cricket”.

  • Another exam, more cases of cheating

    Another exam, more cases of cheating

    After cases of cheating during MDCAT examination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in September, the Public Service Commission examination has also been infiltrated with cheating.

    According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission, a test was held on June 24 for the recruitment of SDO in the Irrigation Department and CNW, during which 18 candidates were caught cheating.

    KP Public Service Commission officials also revealed that electronic devices, guides and other copy materials were recovered from the candidates during the examination.

    Examinations were cancelled and they have been banned from appearing for a period of one year to three years.

    The commission has issued a public notice for re-examination and the relevant test will be held again on December 23.

  • Blessed Friday Sale Alert

    Blessed Friday Sale Alert

    Understanding the cultural and religious sensitivities of majorly Muslim societies, brands have initiated end-of-the-year sales under the title of Blessed Friday Sales.

    The phenomenon started in America as traders started the practice of reducing prices so that consumers spend right before the Christmas season. It was called Black Friday but over time it has evolved and now in Muslim-majority countries, it is referred to as Blessed Friday or White Friday sale.

    Here are the best deals out there:

    Borjan’s Bright Friday Sale

    Borjan is offering flat 30-50 percent off on all its products, including shoes and accessories for men, women, and kids.

    The sale is live from November 16 and will go on over the weekend. The shipping fee is a mere 100 rupees, which too is exempted from shopping over Rs. 3000.

    Beechtree Blessed Friday, November Sale

    Beechtree is offering 50 percent off on its unstitched, pret, luxury pret, and outerwear products.
    The sale is live from November 16 and will go on till November 19.

    Chen One Blessed Friday Sale

    Chen One is offering a flat 25 percent discount on its home, textile, and apparel. This is the offer one looks for around the wedding season because the high-end brand is offering discounts on furniture as the wedding season is in full swing. Along with that, there are home accessories, jewellery, and pret variety available for women, men, and children.

    Minnie Minors Funtastic Friday Sale

    Exclusively for kids, Minnie Minors is offering up to 40 percent off on a range of items.
    Their stylish winter products are something to look out for if you want to upgrade your kid’s wardrobe. Free shipping is available on shopping of more than Rs. 1500.

    Chinyere Fancy Friday Sale

    Chinyere is offering limited-time offers for everyone from casuals to formals and even couture.
    The sale is offering up to 50 percent off with free shipping and the sale will end over the weekend.

    NDURE T.G.I.F Sale

    NDURE’s TGIF Blessed Friday sale is one to look out for.

    The brand is offering up to 50 percent off with shipping charges being Rs. 99 only.

    Insignia Blessed Friday Sale

    Insignia’s Blessed Friday Sale is available on a variety of products from shoes to handbags and fragrances.

    There are flat discounts of 21 percent, 31 percent, and 51 percent on the entire stock with free shipping for shopping above Rs. 3000.

    Engine Blessed Friday Sale

    Engine Clothing Blessed Friday sale is for western wear lovers.
    They are offering 40 percent off on all their stock including chic clothes for men, women, and kids.

    Delivery charges are not to be paid on orders above Rs. 2500.

  • Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    As political parties gear up for election activities, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), expressed concerns about the continuation of traditional politics, labeling it the country’s worst enemy. He emphasized the importance of embracing “new politics,” as reported by Geo News on Friday.

    Speaking at a workers’ convention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Bilawal said: “We need to [embark] on a new political [direction and strategy] which will allow us to overcome the issues faced by the country.”

    He added: “Veteran politicians neither think about the present nor the future [as] they are still stuck in the past. We want to leave behind the politics of division, hate and abuse which [as part of] the traditional politics has been going on for the [past] 70 years.”
    While talking about contemporary politics and its advantages, Bilawal Bhutto said, “We have to become the voice of the ‘new politics’ […] We think about the present and future and not what’s in the past.”

    Earlier in the week, while talking at a worker’s convention in Abbottabad, the PPP chairman said that “new political leadership” is needed if the country is to progress.

  • Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    After being inactive for seven years, Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has re-entered the political scene, announcing that it will actively participate in the upcoming February 2024 general elections.

    “We shall take full part in the upcoming elections from our own platform and on our electoral symbol,” PAT’s central president Qazi Zahid Hussain told a press conference on Friday.

    Qazi Zahid Hussain, accompanied by party officials including information secretary Nurella Siddiqui, and Raja Zahid, said that PAT candidates will champion the cause of comprehensive reforms in the system, initiating mass-contact campaigns and electioneering immediately.

    Notably, PAT abstained from the 2013 polls but actively participated in the 2015-16 local body elections.

    Hussain clarified that Dr Qadri had endorsed the decision following a two-day consultation by the PAT central executive council. Responding to queries, Siddiqui confirmed that Dr Qadri would not partake in the electioneering process for PAT nominees.

    Highlighting the party’s stance on candidate commitments, Siddiqui stated that once a candidate submits nominations from the PAT platform, withdrawing in favor of another party’s nominee would result in expulsion from the party.

    Additionally, Siddiqui ruled out the possibility of electoral alliances, noting that decisions regarding post-poll cooperation would be made at a later stage.

    Despite being former partners in protest, a party insider revealed to Dawn that any political cooperation with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was unlikely.

    The insider cited the PTI’s alleged failure to deliver justice to PAT in the 2014 Model Town tragedy, where 14 party activists lost their lives in a police raid, during the PTI’s approximately four-year rule.

  • Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    In another controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk wrote that calls for genocide like ‘from the river to the sea’ will result in suspension i.e. X users who use the terms “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and other “similar euphemisms” that “necessarily imply genocide” will be suspended from the platform.

    This was followed criticism from pro-Palestinian users who asserted that such a policy restricts their free speech after which he posted again, stating that “anyone advocating the genocide of “*any*” group” would be suspended from X.

    Alluding to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, “From the river to the sea” is a pro-Palestine slogan used by Palestinian supporters who voice for the freedom of the occupied land. And now that the slogan is under scrutiny, it has been pointed out that labelling it as anti-semitic is a way to criminalise and silence pro-Palestinian narrative and curtail their free speech because following the events of October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel intensified attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 11,000 people which then resulted in increased criticism of Israel around the world.

    Elon Musk has claimed to be a “free speech absolutist” and that he bought Twitter (now X) to create a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”