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  • Shakib Al Hasan apologises to the people of Bangladesh

    Shakib Al Hasan apologises to the people of Bangladesh

    Former Bangladesh cricket team captain Shakib Al Hasan has apologised months later for his silence during the deadly student protests in July, which led to the ousting of the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wazed.

    Shakib was a member of parliament during the Awami League regime and remained silent during the July protests.

    He was playing in a league in Canada during the protests, after which he moved to the US and later joined Pakistan and India for two series. He is also named in a murder case and has not yet returned to Bangladesh.

    Now, he stated on his Facebook account that he apologized for staying quiet during the students’ protest and appealed for support at home ground in his last test match.

    He wrote, “Assalamu Alaikum, respect to the love of every people in my country. Your prayers and love towards me have felicitated me today as this Shakib Al Hasan in the world court. In the beginning, I remember with respect for all the sacrificial students who were martyred and wounded in the student-crowd led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Respect and condolences from the bottom of my heart to them and their families. Although nothing can be fulfilled the sacrifice of a family lost loved one. The pain of losing a child or losing a brother is not worthy of anything.”

    “My respect and sincere apologies to the place of feelings of you who have been hurt or hurt due to my absence of all presence during this crisis.
    If I was in your place, I would have been heartfelt like this. I was a Member of Parliament of Magura-1 seat for a very short time. To get involved with my politics was basically my birthplace i.e. the opportunity for the development of the people of Magura. You know that in the context of Bangladesh, it is a bit difficult to play a direct role in the development of your area without any particular responsibility. And my want to develop this area makes me interested in becoming a member of parliament,” he stated

    Shakib further wrote, “Anyway, at the end of the day, I am a Bangladesh cricketer. When I was wherever I was, I captured cricket from my heart. You guys have taken the way to earn the honor of the world’s best all-rounder by holding this cricket. Your love and support made me today Shakib Al Hasan. When I bat for the country in the cricket field, you all bat with me. Shout out to the gallery, your support has motivated me to play better. The crowd in front of tea shop on the day of cricket match – gave me strength. If I win, you all won. If I lose, you all lost! You know, very soon I’m going to play my last match. From the beginning of my cricket career to becoming Shakib Al Hasan, you have driven this whole journey.”

    Requesting his fans to support him in the home ground, he wrote, “This whole story of cricket is written by you! So in my last match, in the last chapter of this story, I want you beside me. I want to take you all along and say goodbye. At the goodbyes, I want to put my hands in the hands of those people whose clap made me play well. At the goodbyes, I want to keep my eyes on the eyes of the people, in my good game whose eyes are filled with joy. Again at my bad game whose eyes are cheating. I hope, not just hope – you all will be with me during this farewell. Everyone will stay together and draw the end of the story, who is the hero of the story – I am not, you.”

    Last month, Shakib announced his retirement from Test cricket, but he has expressed his desire to play the last Test against South Africa at his home ground.

    The Test between South Africa and Bangladesh is scheduled to start from October 21 in Dhaka.

  • Were Bilawal Bhutto’s remarks on Justice Mansoor Ali Shah misrepresented in a video clip?

    Were Bilawal Bhutto’s remarks on Justice Mansoor Ali Shah misrepresented in a video clip?

    A partial video clip of Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto was circulating online, giving the impression that he said that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court wouldn’t be able to control the other top court judges.

    Appearing on Dunya News programme, ‘Dunya Meher Bokhari Kay Sath,’ he actually remarked, “I don’t have the confidence that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will be able to control the other judges, Some of whom have shown a tendency that be it in the 63A case, be it in the original practice and procedure case whatever their position may be today, they have time and time and time again proved that they willing to go beyond the constitution to achieve a political aim.”

    He further said, “PPP respects both Chief Justice Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah,” and added that some judges have attempted several times to go beyond the 63-A Practice and Procedure case to achieve their political objectives.

    Bilawal claimed that for the first time in history, a chief justice “shared his authority” with another judge, and this happened during the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure.

  • Russia cancels proposed football match with Pakistan team

    Russia cancels proposed football match with Pakistan team

    Russia has cancelled a proposed football match, scheduled to be played on the 11th of the international football window during October, against Pakistan.

    The Russian Football Union has confirmed the cancellation of the match citing lack of time.

    The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had already cancelled the match due to a lack of time. After the federation’s refusal, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) announced that it would send a team to Russia on its behalf.

    The Sports Board had formed a team consisting of Islamabad Football Association players, while travel arrangements for this team had also been completed.

    However, the team did not have the status of Pakistan’s national team, as the Pakistan Football Federation did not sanction the team.

    Earlier, PSB had formed a team through the Islamabad Football Association, which included some players representing the Pakistan Football Team.

    The head coach of the Pakistan team, Stephen Constantine, was not in favour of allowing the players associated with the national team to participate in the match under the Pakistan Sports Board.

  • Finance Minister Aurangzeb promises economic reforms in meeting with ADB

    Finance Minister Aurangzeb promises economic reforms in meeting with ADB

    Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing its reform agenda and meeting structural benchmarks to lend permanence to macroeconomic stability, promote inclusive, sustainable growth and end Pakistan’s reliance on external borrowing.

    He made it clear that the only way this goal could be successfully achieved was by changing the “DNA of the economy” by moving it from away its usual boom-and-bust cycles and leading it to a sustained export-led growth encouraging investment and FDI flows into export-oriented sectors and getting access back to the international capital market.

    He made this observation during a meeting with a high-level delegation from the Asian Development Bank that called on the Minister at Finance Division today.

    The visiting delegation was led by Donald Bobiash, Executive Director of Asian Development Bank and Mr Shigeo Shimizu, Executive Director Asian Development Bank while Yong Ye, Country Director Asian Development Bank and other senior officers from the ADB and Finance Division were also present.

    Senator Muhammad Auragzeb welcomed the delegation and shared with them a roundup of ongoing structural reforms and the resultant growth trajectory and improvement in key economic indicators.

    He particularly highlighted an efficient management of twin deficits backed by buoyant remittances and healthy exports, a steep fall in inflation from a 38 per cent high of last year to a 44-month low of 6.9 per cent in September last, and reduction in the policy rate by 450 bps with expectations of more cuts in coming months.

  • Gold price drops by Rs4,000 in two days to Rs271,700 per tola in Pakistan

    Gold price drops by Rs4,000 in two days to Rs271,700 per tola in Pakistan

    Gold prices seem to be going down after touching the highest ever peak of Rs277,000 per tola in the previous month.

    On Wednesday, the price for 24-karat gold in Pakistan dropped by a whopping Rs3,000 per tola unexpectedly and was recorded at Rs271,700 in the local bullion market.

    This means the price is now Rs5,300 per tola down from the all-time high level seen in September 2024. So, is it a good time to buy gold in Pakistan? Maybe… or maybe not as the price may drop even further in the coming weeks.

    Along with the per tola, ten-gramme gold rates are also down by Rs2,572 as the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA) reported the price for ten-gramme to be at Rs232,939.

    Since the start of this week, gold rates have declined Rs4,000 per tola within two days.

    In the previous week, the total loss gold suffered was of Rs500 per tola only.

    The international rate of gold was also seen down, according to the APGJSA, the price was recorded at $2,617 per ounce, including a premium of $20, and down by $30.

    Not surprisingly, the price of silver remained unchanged at Rs3,050 per tola in the local market.

  • CPEC energy debt reprofiling: Economic relief at a billion-dollar price tag

    Pakistanis look on with weary eyes as lawmakers in Islamabad plan to celebrate a possible extension of a $15.4 billion loan. The debt reprofiling for energy-based projects attached to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will increase the debt amount by approximately eight per cent, which is huge given that it amounts to $1.22 billion.

    What exactly is debt reprofiling in this context?

    Simply put, Pakistan will get five more years to pay back the loan – all the while, interest will keep racking up on the principal loan amount.

    The repayments of this additional sum exceeding one billion dollars will come from taxpayer funds at the end of the day as Pakistan seeks to climb out of the quagmire of the circular debt problem it finds itself in.

    Since the government has planned not to pay this amount by incurring further debt, this reprofiling will translate into higher tariffs on electric bills – an ugly sight Pakistanis are all too familiar with.

    The hike in tariffs is bound to accelerate the existing trend of installing solar panels on residential properties in urban centres. According to a survey by Gallup Pakistan, over 15 per cent of households have some sort of solar panel system installed. This makes sense as it’s a great return on investment, at just PKR 1.5 million for a decent sized plant.

    With prices for a single solar panel listed under PKR 16 thousand, it is possible that the business community linked with solar panels will see astronomical profits once the tariffs are increased.

    However, this can prove disastrous for the FBR and the Chinese power companies operating in Pakistan under the CPEC project. This will be because revenues may decline when people resort to using grid electricity for their electricity.

    Rumours are circulating that in the wake of the extension of the loan, lawmakers might introduce taxes on green meters linked to home-based solar systems. This will be done in an attempt to expand the energy sector tax net once again – as many have found respite in solar power.

    The rumour, however, maybe just that: A rumour.

    This is because Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz favours a transition towards sustainability, as proven by her scheme to equip 50,000 households with solar power systems.

    Introducing taxes on solar panels will set her sustainability goals back.

    The arrival of the Prime Minister of China Li Qiang, ahead of the high profile SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) meetings will indeed provide relief to the economy. But can the same be said for citizens when the debt burden gets passed off to the taxpayers? Time will tell.

  • Did Barrister Saif slap Imran Riaz Khan?

    Did Barrister Saif slap Imran Riaz Khan?

    Rumours have been spreading on social media that Advisor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Barrister Muhammad Saif slapped YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan over his misconduct with Chief Minister (CM) KP Ali Amin Gandapur.

    Netizens claimed that Imran Riaz Khan met with CM Ali Amin Gandapur in Peshawar and misbehaved with him.

    Journalist Murtaza Solangi claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that when Ali Amin Gandapur reached CM House, YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan was also present there with the provincial cabinet.

    Imran misbehaved with Ali Amin Gandapur, upon which Barrister Saif slapped Riaz twice and pushed him out from there, Solangi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) without taking names.

    Veteran journalist Umar Cheema, on his Youtube channel, claimed that Barrister Saif denied the allegation of slapping Imran Riaz Khan over his misbehaviour with Ali Amin Gandapur.

    “Advisor KP acted like an illiterate person during the incident,” Cheema stated.

    However. Imran Riaz informed Umar Cheema that there was a confrontation with Barrister Saif regarding Saif’s recent statement about inviting Indian External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to address the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad and clarified that they were not involved in a physical altercation.

    Cheema concluded by saying that later, CM KP mediated between Barrister Saif and Imran Riaz Khan.

  • Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    US star Taylor Swift got a special police escort for her London concerts after an alleged suicide attack plot led to the cancellation of three performances in Vienna.

    Culture Minister Lisa Nandy denied the singer was given preferential treatment, after reports she had a motorbike escort usually reserved for senior members of the royal family and politicians.

    Her denial comes with the new Labour government under attack for accepting free gifts, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was given six tickets to the Swift concert.

    Starmer, who attended the concert with his wife Victoria, announced last week that he had repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts including the concert tickets.

    But Nandy said the police escort, first reported by The Sun newspaper, was not the result of pressure from senior politicians.

    “I utterly reject that there’s been any kind of wrongdoing or undue influence in this case,” she told Sky News television.

    The interior minister, Yvette Cooper, would not have insisted “any individual got the top level of private security arrangements. That is an operational matter for the police, not for the government,” she said.

    Other Labour politicians who enjoyed free tickets for the “Eras” tour shows included Education Minister Bridget Phillipson, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Nandy herself.

    The Swift tour wrapped up its European leg in August in London following dates across a dozen countries.

    The last month of the Europe tour, however, was marred by the thwarted Austria attack, with authorities there revealing that an Islamic State sympathiser was planning a deadly attack at a concert in Vienna.

    Three suspects were detained and all three August concert dates in Vienna were cancelled after an investigation conducted with the help of US intelligence.

    According to The Sun report, Swift’s mother and manager threatened to axe the London shows in August unless she received the police escort.

    It alleged that the Met Police agreed after “personal interventions from Cooper and Khan”, stressing that any cancellation would be “economically damaging and embarrassing”.

    The Swift tour had been forecast to boost the UK economy by almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion), Barclays bank said in a study entitled “Swiftonomics”.

    London’s Metropolitan Police told AFP the force was “operationally independent” with decisions taken on the basis of a “thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and the circumstances of each case”.

  • Ayaz Samoo welcomes baby girl

    Ayaz Samoo welcomes baby girl

    Actor and television host Ayaz Samoo has become a father once again with the birth of his daughter.

    He announced the news by posting a picture of his daughter on his Instagram account with the caption, “ALHAMDULILLAH! I am really happy to announce the arrival of our little princess & M.Amaz’s younger sister. May ALLAH bless her with all the health, good luck, joy and happiness. Aameen.”

    A number of fellow actors and fans have sent him their congratulatory wishes.

    Ayaz tied the knot with his wife, Amna, in December 2017 in Karachi. The couple was blessed with their first child, Amaz Samoo, in May 2019

    Ayaz last starred in the reality show Tamasha in season 3.

  • Bushra Ansari defends Firdous Jamal over controversial statements

    Bushra Ansari defends Firdous Jamal over controversial statements

    Senior actress Bushra Ansari recently shared that a few weeks back, Firdous Jamal was asked about past statements on a TV show.

    The actress appeared on the comedy show ‘Gup Shab,’ where she discussed various issues.

    During the program, she also expressed her frustration, saying she often has to deal with negative comments related to her age, particularly when using social media. Bushra Ansari remarked that because her acting and career have been remarkable, “people resort to age-related taunts when they cannot criticise anything else.”

    She condemned such behaviour, saying, “No one should be insulted for their age, height, complexion, or clothing.”
    “Perhaps those who taunt me about my age think I will either hide from their comments or somehow be young again,” she pointed out.

    She also noted that a senior actor like Firdous Jamal was confronted with past remarks during a recent TV program. Without mentioning Firdous Jamal’s name directly, she said, “He is a very talented and senior actor who has done great work, but old things were brought up against him in the program.”

    She explained, “Even if Firdous Jamal had made a mistake in the past, it was unnecessary to revisit those remarks,” adding that “the controversy surrounding him resurfaced intentionally to create a stir and gain attention.”

    Previously, Firdous Jamal openly criticised Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed in a TV program when asked by the host.

    He commented that Khan had grown older, and while some might still find her beautiful, it was not her fault. He suggested that she should no longer play main roles but rather take on other characters. Similarly, when asked about Humayun Saeed, he referred to the actor as someone who “blocks the way for new talent by using his resources.”

    When Jamal was told that Saeed is one of the highest-paid actors, he controversially replied, “Even prostitutes make money.”