Majid Rehman, a 13-year-old boy addicted to playing the game PUBG, was found on Thursday after he went missing while purchasing groceries.
His father, Reham Mehmood, reported his son’s disappearance, stating that the boy left home with Rs65,000 rupees for monthly groceries but never returned.
Police registered a kidnapping case and began to search for him.
Rehman was found by a National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP) team in a vehicle during an inspection.
Apart from other items, the police found a PUBG character’s costume.
As Majid was questioned, he revealed that when he left home, he decided to hang out with his friends and spent the grocery money buying things that were of interest to him. He also talked about his liking for PUBG.
According to DSP Changezi, parents’ neglect towards their children results in such incidents.
PUBG is a widely played shooter game. However, it has been a part of several unfortunate or absurd incidents in Pakistan as well as around the world.
PUBG addicts, mainly children, have inflicted self-harm or harmed others. Some tend to run away from home. In extreme cases, players have committed suicide or shot people.
Boys from Nawan Kot and Kahna killed their family members in 2021 and 2022, respectively, under the the influence of the violent nature of the game. One boy even chased a member into the street while clad in the game’s character attire.
Similarly, children have committed suicide after losing the game or getting bullied for it.
Following several cases, the Lahore Police asked the higher authorities to ban the game.
The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) created the “Mohafiz” app through which one can search and share information of cases of underprivileged, homeless children who run away from their homes in Punjab.
Through the app, government institutions can also be reached in case of an emergency and citizens can report any disappearance or accidents involving children.
According to Express Tribune, hundreds of children are present in various centres of Punjab including the CPWB in Lahore.
In a exhilarating match on Thursday, the Pakistani cricket team were officially out of Asia Cup 2023 after losing to Sri Lanka by two wickets, paving the way for the island nation to face off against India in Colombo. Although many expressed their disappointment at the lack of performance, including former captain Shahid Afridi, many were still proud of the effort the boys in green displayed. Since yesterday, prominent celebrities like Shahista Lodhi and Mawra Hocane sent uplifting messages to the cricket team, especially to captain Babar Azam for his efforts to make it this far.
The aesthetic surgeon and actress took to Instagram to express her pride at the way Babar Azam kept fighting till the end.
“Dear skipper Babar Azam, proud of the way you fought. I will never stop supporting you no matter what. Chin up King don’t let your crown fall.”
Hocane sisters Mawra and Urwa rallied behind the boys in green, commending them for their hard work and prayed that more achievements will arrive soon.
Koi baat nahi..you put up a great fight Pakistan..the better team won.. #AsiaCup2023 congratulations Srilanka well done Pakistan ❤️❤️❤️❤️ My heart will always pray for you..never hopeless ever..I won’t lie, I cried a tear or two but here’s to many many heart warming…
The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday struck down recent amendments made to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, during the tenure of the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government. A three-member SC bench headed by outgoing Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, conducted 53 hearings on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition against the changes made to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance under the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022.
Today’s 2-1 majority verdict has resulted in the restoration of corruption cases against public office holders, which were closed down following the NAB amendments. The ruling specifically reinstated the NAB clause pertaining to the Service of Pakistan.
In June 2022, former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan approached the top court to challenge the amendments to the NAB laws, contending that they will “virtually eliminate any white-collar crime committed by a public office holder”.
PTI کے چئیرمین عمران خان کیجانب سے نیب ترامیم کو سپریم کورٹ آف پاکستان میں چیلینج کرتے ہوئے دستور کے آرٹیکل 184(3) کے تحت باضابطہ درخواست دائر کردی گئی ہے ۔ #RegimeChangeInPakistanpic.twitter.com/19U1bK0K6A
On September 5, the SC reserved its verdict in the case. “My retirement is near, [we] will give a decision before retirement. We will soon announce a short and sweet verdict of the case,” said CJ Bandial.
According to today’s SC verdict, the petition by PTI Chairman against NAB amendments was declared admissible by the majority decision, restoring all closed inquiries filed with the anti-corruption body. The top court has ordered restoring all graft cases worth less than Rs500 million that were closed down after the amendments.
According to The Express Tribune, former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif was a major beneficiary of the amendments. Other beneficiaries include former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former President Asif Ali Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maryam Nawaz, Faryal Talpur, Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Rana Sanaullah, Javed Lateef, Makhdoom Khosro Bakhtiar, Amir Mehmood Kayani, Akram Durani , Saleem Mandiwala, Noor Alam Khan, Nawab Aslam Riasani, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Barjees Tahir, Nawab Ali Wasan, Sharjeel Memon, Anwarul Haq Kakar, Liaqat Jatoi, Amir Maqam, Goram Bugti, Jaffer Mandokhel and G-B Governor Syed Mehdi Shah.
The Head of Human Resource (HR) at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) dismissed media reports about the airline’s poor financial condition and potential closure. He stated, “It will happen only over our dead bodies.”
These comments came during a meeting with the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation, Hidayatullah, who had noticed a senior PIA director’s statement about possible closure within 15 days.
Hidayatullah initiated an investigation and mandated that only the airline’s spokesperson or PR department should communicate with the media.
A private TV channel had reported concerns about flight operations being suspended by September 15 without emergency funds.
During the meeting, the HR chief presented an overview of PIA employees, including qualifications, experience, and positions, with a focus on Group IV and above.
According to Dawn, the committee members stressed their preference for hiring native Pakistanis for overseas roles. The HR chief highlighted the predominance of Pakistani-origin staff in such positions.
Performance evaluations for UK-based employees were discussed to ensure fair assessments.
Furthermore, the HR chief disclosed the dismissal of two employees in Saudi Arabia due to fake degrees, with another under scrutiny. He assured me that all cases were being closely monitored.
BTS fans will continue to go to all lengths to prove that they’re indeed the most wholesome and wonderful people to exist on the planet.
A BTS fan from Gujranwala, Syeda Binte Zainab, moved social media a few days ago when she celebrated the birthday’s of both BTS members Jung Kook and Namjoon’s by donating 125 boxes of food to patients suffering from thalassemia at Sundus Foundation, in an effort to spread awareness about providing blood donations to help children suffering from the disease.
Namjoon aka RM, is a popular rapper and song writer from the South Korean band BTS, which comprises of six other members including Jung Kook, Jin, Suga, Jimin, V and J-Hope. The band, declared by Time Magazine to be the ‘Princes Of Pop’, partnered with UNICEF in 2017 for their campaign to end violence against children, and have received 5 Grammy nominations.
Guyz I need your Prayers because I’m almost going to start Namkook Birthday Project Celebrations with Thalassemia patients and right now I’m packing food for them while streaming “Slow Dancing” Please drop your wishes or Purple heart pic.twitter.com/xkOkkCzpix
— Syeda BinteZainab⁷♥ #HBD_NAMJOON♥| ʟᴀʏᴏ(ꪜ)ᴇʀ ⍤⃝ (@BinteZainab33) September 9, 2023
The viral tweet received praise from fans and non-fans alike on social media, who appreciated the woman for undertaking such an amazing charity project on her own to celebrate her idol’s birthday.
감사합니다 아미 ♀️ You did a really really good Job Our boys will probably be so proud of you, and of course ARMY too… Fightingggg ♀️ https://t.co/GsnSyYMidC
Syeda Zainab also shared a link to her Youtube account which showed how she set up the project. She also included an interview with a doctor who spoke in detail about the disease and encouraged others to donate blood to patients and help save their lives.
Speaking to The Current, Syeda Zainab, who works as a teacher had previously collaborated with Sundas Foundation to organise 180 gifts food boxes, and this year had decided had collaborated with a student to bake a cake and a fellow BTS fan from Twitter, who baked cookies for the occasion.
“This year in collaboration with #BTS_Pk_Streaming , I thought of doing something different, so I texted the Director and asked for his permission to organise a little activity to which he instantly agreed. So I saved my 1 month salary and decided to arrange a special meal for Thalassemia fighters and their families. My student ‘Haider’ who is also BTS ARMY member, prepared the BTS Themed Cake to celebrate Namkook’s (Namjoon & Jungkook of BTS) birthday . A kind ARMY friend *Saira from Twitter specially prepared ‘Namjoon & Jungkook day special cookies’ for patients. I’ve Donated Blood before Starting the celebration because I know the importance of blood donations. My Blood can save 1 life so what’s better then this to celebrate this special month?”
Syeda Zainab told us she had been organising charity efforts for Sundas Foundation since 2021, when she donated blood to the patients and was in touch with the director whom she described as a ‘noble’ man. In 2022, she had celebrated Jung Kooks’ birthday with the rest of the patients by packing more than 180 gifts for the patients, and also brought along a cake to celebrate the occasion as shown from pictures she shared with us.
Speaking on the overwhelming praise her project received from social media, Zainab said she found it “over whelming and heart touching”. Several patients suffering from thalassemia exchanged phone numbers with her in order to see her vlog. “They literally longed for blood and happiness. I’m glad I was the reason behind their smile and happiness.”
“BTS is the reason behind spreading smiles all around the world and we ARMYs simply follow their footsteps. Alhumdulillah I feel incredibly happy to spread happiness around me just like my idols.”
Pakistani BTS fans have gone viral on several occasions for setting up extensive charity projects to celebrate birthdays of the band members, asking for nothing in return. “BTS and the ARMY fandom have been actively involved in social causes and have raised millions for charities. I remember back in June 6th 2020, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter, and the ARMY fandom matched that amount within 24 hours.”
Continuing further, Zainab said “We organize projects like this because our icons inspire us every single day. Jungkook donated millions of won (Korean currency) to hospitals and universities on his birthday. When the severe earthquake disaster happened in turkey, it was BTS band members who donated millions of dollars to help the victims. The list is too extensive to share how many times they have contributed to help others.. We ARMYS do good things on BTS name all around the world so it doesn’t matter for us that our idols live in Korea or anywhere else. The thing which only matter is “THE MESSAGE”. The message BTS gives to ‘LOVE YOURSELF’ & ‘BE HUMAN’.”
Zainab told The Current that Pakistani BTS fans have done several projects in honor of their idols in the past, as last year they had celebrated Namjoon’s birthday by donating wheelchairs to Manawan Hospital Lahore. On September 1, which was Jungkook’s birthday, ARMY members donated 50 notebooks to schools in order to provide educational facilities for students from lower income backgrounds, along with Rs 7000 to Edhi Foundation, just proving how their fandom continues to do good and keep making their icons proud.
Over a hundred Pakistani pilgrims took part in the annual Urs (death anniversary ) of Sufi saint Hazrat Mujadid Alf Sani at Sirhind Sharif in India, with the total number tallying up to 127.
Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires to India, Aizaz Khan, was also present to commemorate the 410th urs of the 16th-century Islamic scholar who was deemed as a Mujaddid by his followers, meaning a “reviver” since he revised Islam through his writings.
According to Express Tribune, Aizaz expressed his appreciation to the shrine’s caretaker, Khalifa Syed Mohammed Sadiq Raza, and the local administration for their support in facilitating the pilgrims.
Pakistani pilgrims reportedly attend the annual Urs of Hazrat Mujadid Alf Sani every year under the framework of the 1974 India-Pakistan protocol on visits to religious shrines.
Former Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is a big sports fan and tweets about cricket and tennis quite often. His tweets full of excitement during the Asia Cup about Pakistani cricketers created quite a stir, but not for the right reasons. Twitter (now X) users are blaming Shehbaz for Pakistan’s loss. Here’s why.
However, in the next match between Pakistan and India, Shaheen’s performance was so bad that even his father-in-law Shahid Afridi was not happy with his performance.
“If we ball like Naseem Shah in initial overs, the situation could have been different. Shaheen’s line and length were not good, he gets frustrated if he doesn’t get wickets in early overs because he is known as a wicket taker in the first over,” said Shahid about Shaheen.
Pakistan lost the crucial Super 4 match against Sri Lanka yesterday and thus couldn’t qualify for the Asia Cup final.
Shehbaz Sharif was quick to buck up the Boys in Green.
“That was an incredible last over, Zaman. A great game of cricket indeed.”
X users were quick to point out that after Shehbaz praised Shaheen, he performed badly and now that he has praised Zaman Khan, his career may be over. One user told Shehbaz to “stay away from cricket”.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), currently grappling with severe financial challenges, has been compelled to cancel multiple domestic and international flights.
An authoritative representative of the national flag carrier conveyed to Geo News that there’s a looming risk of suspending flight operations by September 15, today, unless urgent financial support is extended.
This predicament initially materialised on August 12, when numerous domestic flights, both departing from and arriving in Karachi, had to be abruptly canceled. This unfortunate situation was attributed to a combination of financial constraints and the inability to settle outstanding dues owed to Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for fuel supply.
An examination of today’s schedule at Jinnah International Airport reveals a series of disruptions in PIA’s services. Notably, flights from Karachi to Bahawalpur (PK588 and PK589) and Karachi to Lahore (PK302 and PK303) have been canceled.
Furthermore, the Karachi to Islamabad flight (PK368) faces a three-hour delay, while the Karachi to Lahore flight (PK304) encounters an extensive delay of eight and a half hours.
Additional disruptions include the cancellation of PIA flights between Karachi and Rahim Yar Khan (PK582 and PK583), along with delays for Karachi to Multan (PK330) and Dubai (PK213), both postponed by two hours.
Moreover, the Islamabad to Karachi flight (PK301) has been cancelled; Islamabad to Riyadh (PK753) is running three hours behind schedule; and Lahore to Karachi (PK305) faces a delay of two and a half hours.
PIA’s financial struggles have been escalating, with the airline revealing on September 7 that it had grounded five of its 13 leased aircraft, potentially grounding an additional four due to the ongoing financial strain.
A plea for an urgent bailout of Rs22.9 billion was met with rejection by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). The ECC also declined the request to defer payments, including Rs1.3 billion per month to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for Federal Excise Duty (FED) and Rs0.7 billion per month to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for embarking charges.
Adding to the airline’s woes, PIA cautioned of possible suspensions in the supply of spare parts by Boeing and Airbus come mid-September. In the previous month, the Federal Board of Revenue of Pakistan (FBR) took the drastic step of freezing 13 PIA bank accounts due to non-payment of Rs8 billion in FED.
Maryam, a seven-year-old girl, got shot on Friday while she was on her way to school near Nagan Chowrangi.
The girl was seated in a car being driven by her father when a security guard and robbers exchanged fire.
Dawn spoke with Taimuria police officer Ghulam Murtaza who said that the father recalled that the two were near a shopping centre around 7:12am when the car slowed down at a speed breaker. At that point he heard Maryam cry out “Baba”. She was bleeding so he rushed her to a hospital nearby and then to Ziauddin Hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
According to Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed, the family took Maryam’s body home without a post-mortem examination but then the police brought it back to conduct a post-mortem which concluded that she was shot in the head.
The police reported that the shootout was between a security guard and robbers.
Maryam’s father did not lodge an FIR, however, police have registered a case against the detained guard on behalf of the state under Section 319 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code and initiated an investigation.
Security guard Ali Raza was then taken into custody.
Initially, two spent bullet casings fired from separate pistols had been recovered from the spot, and later, as per a police spokesperson, a forensic report confirmed that the bullet that killed Maryam was fired by the security guard.
The guard, employed at a restaurant, opened fire on two robbers as they escaped the scene, when one of the bullets hit Maryam on the opposite side of the road near Haroon Shopping Centre within the jurisdiction of the Taimuria police station.
A four-member committee has been formed which will be led by Gulberg SP to probe into the case.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has also taken notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the Additional IGP of Karachi.
The Pakistani rupee displayed resilience against the US dollar, registering a noteworthy 0.43 per cent appreciation in the early hours of trading within the inter-bank market on Friday.
By 11:15 am, the rupee had reached a level of 296.68, marking a substantial increase of Rs1.28 in the inter-bank market.
In contrast, on the previous Wednesday, the rupee had demonstrated a 0.29 per cent appreciation, ultimately settling at 297.96.
Concurrently, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) opted to maintain the key policy rate at 22 per cent, anticipating a future decline in inflation.
This decision mirrors the MPC’s stance during the preceding meeting, indicating a consistent status quo in the policy rate despite market expectations of a potential rate hike.
Internationally, the US dollar maintained relative stability in the Asian market on Friday, slightly retreating from its recent gains against other currencies. This shift coincided with the strengthening of the yuan, driven by positive economic data from China.
The US dollar’s surge was driven by an unexpected increase of 0.6 per cent in August retail sales, surpassing the estimated 0.2 per cent rise. Additionally, market participants reacted to the European Central Bank’s 25-basis-point hike.
While the US dollar index currently stands at 105.32, marginally lower than Thursday’s six-month peak of 105.43, it still maintains its overall strength.
Furthermore, oil prices experienced an uptick on Friday, marking their third consecutive weekly gain. This rise was influenced by better-than-expected Chinese economic data and reports indicating record oil consumption, reinforcing the belief in continued high demand from the world’s second-largest crude consumer.
