Tag: Imran Khan

  • God has told both men and women to ‘guard their modesty,’ says Hamza Ali Abbasi

    God has told both men and women to ‘guard their modesty,’ says Hamza Ali Abbasi

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on rising rape cases due to vulgarity in society have sparked an intense debate on social media with everyone from Jemima Goldsmith to Rohail Hyatt weighing in on the issue. Hamza Ali Abbasi, who recently embarked on a spiritual journey to connect with God, has now also stepped in to share his thoughts on the matter.

    “In my personal understanding, God has made it clear in the Quran that sexual instinct is one of the most powerful instincts in both men and women,” said Hamza. “Hence God emphasizes on overall modesty and responsible behaviour from both men and women, equally, in this particular area.”

    Quoting a verse from the Quran, the actor further said: “Speaking as a man, in my understanding of what I believe is the literal speech of God, Quran, God has very clearly told all men who say they are Muslims that no matter what anyone is dressed like or behaves like, unconditionally lower your gaze and guard your own modesty.”

    Hamza also shared verses from the Quran to further express his point of view.

    He also took time to respond to his followers and discuss the subject.

    “Allah has made it clear that we are only responsible for our own intentions and deeds,” said Hamza, asserting that as individuals, we all need to start acting responsibly.

    The actor also said that a woman’s dressing does not contribute to rising rape cases.

    When a user asked Hamza to explain indecency, the actor said: “Any kind of sexual behaviour or actions outside marriage.”

    Hamza also clapped back at a troll who raised questions on his wife Naimal Khawar’s dressing.

    “If you mean face covering and head covering, it’s not commanded by Allah in our understanding,” clarified Hamza. “In case you are thinking about verses of Surah Ahzab, it is a commandment to establish identity in a dangerous situation, not for purity.”

    Meanwhile, Hamza is currently working on his book on Allah and religion, which he announced in December 2020. The first draft of the book was completed last month and the actor hopes to make it free for everyone.

  • Rohail Hyatt says PM Imran’s words ‘have been taken out of context’

    Amid the recent criticism on Prime Minister Imran Khan over his remarks on rape, musician Rohail Hyatt has come forward to defend the premier.

    In a detailed Twitter thread, the musician said that PM Khan’s words were taken out of context and that he never said that rape is justified.

    “As a leader he is simply speaking to us about the ground realities of what is around us,” said Hyatt. “Yes indeed there is a sickness out there and one can contest if the better solution is to target the oppressor as opposed to the oppressed.”

    Hyatt added that as a father he would give similar advice to his child “to be mindful of how you dress in our society”.

    “There’s a sad trend by a certain group to attack IK on all such matters, labelling him as a ‘right-minded’ individual,” continued Hyatt, saying that he sees him “closer to [the] centre”.

    Elaborating his point further about extremist views, Hyatt said: “One wants to cover from head to toe and the other wants to strip-down from head to toe as a display of their preferences.”

    The musician concluded by advising people to bring themselves to the middle ground and not get caught up with the play of either extremists.

    Rohail in the past has shown his support for Imran Khan on various occasions.

  • Hajra Khan appeals to President Alvi, PM Khan to resolve PFF issues

    Hajra Khan appeals to President Alvi, PM Khan to resolve PFF issues

    Pakistan National Women Football Team captain Hajra Khan has urged President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan to resolve issues pertaining to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).

    In a video message, Khan said: “Today I speak in utmost sadness that the Pakistan Football Federation was suspended today for the second time in the last five years.”

    “I speak on behalf of all those football players, whose hard earned bread came from the sport. It came from representing Pakistan. We’ve worked hard, blood and sweat, to represent this country and we’ve taken it to the podium, we’ve won championships in the past,” said Khan.

    “Where do we go next? What is next for us? What sport do we switch to? Who do we rely on? Where do we express our love for the country, how do we do it,” she questioned.

    Requesting the President and Prime Minister, Khan said: “Today I request the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the matter. There is still hope and we are expecting a response from you two. We expect the country to back us when we need them the most right now.”

    “It is a request, it might not be humble anymore, but it is a request. It is a need, it is a representation from all football players and again, it all relies on you,” she added.

    Reiterating her point, Khan in the caption said: “Players have all been affected roughly. Football as a sport has been ridiculed over time in Pakistan.”

    “Who’s answerable,” she questioned.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has said that they are “surprised” by the ban, expressing that the decision was taken in “haste.”

    PSB director-general Col (retd) Asif Zaman while talking to The News, said that Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza had requested patience during her press conference held a couple of days back.

    “We were not expecting such a hasty decision from the football’s governing body. It has shocked us as the game of football will be the ultimate sufferer after such a decision. The minister had assured her help for resolving the issue in the best interest of the game,” said Col Zaman, adding: “Though the government does not want any interference, for the sake of the game’s future we wanted an amicable settlement of the issue.”

    Zaman said he was expecting FIFA to carry out a detailed and thorough review of the prevailing situation.

    “We were taken by surprise by this hasty decision that I feel would serve no good to the future of the game. We were expecting a rational review of the situation by the game’s governing body before imposing a suspension on the PFF,” said the DG.

    The FIFA in a handout issued on Wednesday said the decision to suspend Pakistan was prompted by the recent takeover of the PFF’s Headquarters in Lahore by a group of protesters and an alleged decision by certain individuals to remove the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee of the PFF led by Haroon Malik and to hand over the leadership of the PFF to Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah.

    When PFF president Ashfaq Shah was approached in Islamabad where he was nursing his minor surgery, he said he was disappointed by the decision like any other Pakistani.

    In 2009, Khan was selected in the Pakistan national team for the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After Khan’s participation at this event, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) selected her for a FIFA women’s football coaching course in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In December 2010, she played in the inaugural SAFF Women’s Championship, helping Pakistan reach the semi-final.

    21 year old Hajra Khan made history for Pakistani national women football team when she invited to top three German football clubs SGS Essen, FSV Gütersloh 2009 and VfL Sindelfingen to play, she spent three weeks there and played preseason trials. Being a Pakistani international footballer that opportunity was an important milestone in her career, she said.

    She was the first Pakistani women footballer to sign an international contract in 2014 with Sun Hotels & Resorts Football Club to play in the Maldives National Women’s league.

  • Pakistan makes e-voting machine to curb election rigging

    Pakistan makes e-voting machine to curb election rigging

    National Institute of Electronics (NIE) has claimed that their new e-voting machines will halt election rigging and ensure transparency during the general elections.

    Earlier this month, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), NIE, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), and COMSATS University have collaborated to develop indigenous e-voting machine.

    While explaining the voting process through the indigenously manufactured e-voting machine, Technical Research Director of NIE, Kamran Bhatti, said that symbols of all contesting political parties will be visible on the machine for the e-voting machine.

    Voters will only need to press the button of the candidate they want to vote for. A green light on the ballot box of the e-voting machine will notify them that they have successfully cast the vote.

    The e-voting machine will also compile the final tally after the polling ends. The record of the e-voting could be used in courts and also as a reference if the results are challenged.

    The Director of NIE added that voters will be verified through thumb impressions that will be provided by NADRA on the day of general elections.

    He claimed that the NIE e-voting machine cannot be hacked that will ensure the safety of the data of the voters.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has been making efforts to introduce an e-voting system in the general elections to ensure impartiality and transparency.

    In November 2020, PM Imran had announced electoral reforms for free and fair elections in the country.

    The reforms included open balloting through a show of hands during Senate elections, an e-voting system for general elections and allowing overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes.

  • ‘The onus is on men’: Jemima schools Imran on rape

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former wife Jemima Goldsmith has schooled him on the topic of rape, saying that the “onus is on men”. PM Imran in an interactive session with the public on Sunday had blamed rising rape cases on “vulgarity” when asked what his government is doing to curb the surge in rape cases and sexual violence, especially against children.

    Pakistanis had strongly criticised the premier and told him that rape is an act of violence and has nothing to do with the way a person dresses.

    PM Khan’s words made it to international publications and now Jemima has criticised him for his remarks.

    Sharing a report, Jemima quoted an ayat with which she wrote: “The onus is on men.”

    Goldsmith added: “I’m hoping this is a misquote/ mistranslation. The Imran I knew used to say, ‘Put a veil on the man’s eyes not on the woman’.”

    Responding to Jemima’s comments, Focal Person to the Prime Minister on Digital Media Dr Arslan Khalid said that PM Khan “never engaged in victim blaming”.

    “DailyMail has misinterpreted his comments about purdah which in Islam is for both male and female,” said Dr Khalid. “Rest he talked about how society must act against trends that harmfully influence young minds and turn them into sexual predators.”

    Dr Khalid also shut down other media outlets and said that they are reporting a “total misrepresentation of what he said.”

    Later, a spokesperson of the government said that misperceptions are being created about PM Khan’s comment regarding the incidence of rape in the country.

    The spokesperson said that while expressing deep concern about it, the Prime Minister spoke about the societal responses and the need to put our efforts together to eliminate the menace of rape completely. Unfortunately, part of his comment, consciously or unconsciously, has been distorted to mean something that he never intended.

    The statement further said: “The Prime Minister said that our strict anti-rape laws alone will not be able to stem the rise in sex crimes. The whole society has to fight it together including lowering exposure to temptation.”

    “Prime Minister emphasised a holistic solution with the society and the stringent legal remedies, which are already in place, working together to eliminate the scourge. Plucking a line out of the statement would always distort the perspective and would not serve the narrative of the actual comment.”

    “PM Imran Khan remains fully committed to utilise all avenues at the government’s disposal to tackle the incidence of rape. He believes that all of us have a role to play in the fight and hoped that we would do so,” concluded the statement.

    Meanwhile, Pakistanis have all sorts of reactions to Jemima’s statements with some asking her if she still loves PM Khan and others rallying for her to become Prime Minister.

    https://twitter.com/_kiteRunnerr/status/1379832932454572035

    https://twitter.com/Sareyeh/status/1379829614495870977

  • Pakistan Test team’s record win on this day in 1988

    Pakistan Test team’s record win on this day in 1988

    On this day in 1988, Pakistan became the first visiting team to win a Test in the Caribbean in ten years. Pakistan won the Georgetown Test by nine wickets, under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Imran Khan.

    As per details, the Pakistan cricket team toured the West Indies from March to April 1988 and played a three-match Test series against the West Indies cricket team which was drawn 1–1.

    The First match was played from April 2 to 6 in Georgetown. Batting first in the first innings, Windies got all out on just 292 runs. Khan took seven wickets, sending more than half of the team to the pavilion. Later, Pakistan scored 435 runs with the help of Javed Miandad’s heroic ton, giving Pakistan a lead of 143 runs.

    Read more – Why is the Pakistan cricket team so dramatic?

    In the second innings, Windies only managed to get 172 runs due to Khan’s majestic four-for. Later, with the fall of only one wicket, Pakistan chased down the score in just 3.3 overs, breaking a ten-year record. Khan was declared Man of the Match for his 11-121.

    While Khan led the Pakistan side, the West Indies was led by Gordon Greenidge and legendary Sir Vivian Richards.

    The second Test match was drawn and West Indies beat Pakistan in the third match.

    Though the series may have been drawn at the end it was a huge record by a visiting team to win in the Caribbean in the 10-year history of Test matches at that time.

  • ‘Rape is an act of violence’: Pakistanis educate PM Imran on rape

    ‘Rape is an act of violence’: Pakistanis educate PM Imran on rape

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday held an interactive session with the general public via phone calls in which he answered their questions and responded to their concerns.

    During the session, while responding to a question about what the federal government is doing to curb the recent surge of rape cases and sexual violence especially against children, PM Khan instead of laying out his government’s plans blamed the rising cases on vulgarity.

    The premier’s comments caused an uproar on social media, prompting Pakistanis to not only bust myths related to rape but also call him out for his insensitive remarks. Some even shared their own personal experiences to make it more clear that why rape happens and why it is never okay to blame the victim.

  • Teammates defend flip-flop on trade with India; say PM, Commerce Minister Imran ‘wear different hats’

    Teammates defend flip-flop on trade with India; say PM, Commerce Minister Imran ‘wear different hats’

    Teammates of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan have defended his move to defer cotton and sugar trade plans with India as the PM after approving the same as the commerce minister earlier.

    Defending the move, National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf said that the premier wear two hats as both the commerce minister and the chief executive of the country.

    When asked if Imran, as the commerce minister, believed the proposal should be forwarded to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for approval, but differed on his own idea as the PM, the NSA didn’t respond.

    “I am not the bureaucrat here to determine the technicalities,” he said, adding that it was just irrelevant.

    Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry also went for a similar choice of words, saying that the premier “wore two hats”.

    “As the PM chairing the federal cabinet meeting he also has to take into account the recommendations of other stakeholders, including the foreign, defence and interior ministries,” the minister maintained.

    The statements come days after the federal cabinet rubbished plans to resume cotton and white sugar import from India despite Commerce Minister Imran Khan’s proposal approved by ECC headed by Finance Minister Hammad Azhar.

    The federal cabinet chaired by PM Imran deferred the proposal despite improving Pakistan-India ties, saying New Delhi should first restore the autonomous status of the troubled disputed valley of Kashmir.

  • World Bank to replicate PM Imran’s Green Initiatives in other countries

    World Bank to replicate PM Imran’s Green Initiatives in other countries

    The World Bank (WB) has announced complete financial and technical support to different green initiatives on environmental conservation and protection of climate taken by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, said the Bank’s Country Director Najy Benhassine.

    PM Imran launched several projects on climate conservation and afforestation programmes for Clean Green Pakistan.

    The country Director informed PM’s aide Malik Amin Aslam that funding of US $120 million pledged for PM Imran Khan’s Green Stimulus initiative has already been approved and can be utilised by the country to increase green jobs in the country for those rendered unemployed due to the COVID-19 crisis by engaging them in the country’s green projects.

    He further added that the World Bank management is profoundly impressed with PM Imran’s vision for Clean Green Pakistan and other projects, particularly the world’s largest 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Project (TBTTP).

    “Having been impressed with the marvellous green initiatives of the incumbent government of PM Imran, we at the World Bank are mulling over replication of Pakistan’s green initiatives in other countries in different parts of the world,” Najy Benhassine said.

    PM’s aide informed the delegation further that another ambitious Protected Areas Initiative (PAI) had also been launched under the umbrella programme ‘Green Pakistan’, which aims at the conservation and promotion of nature-based solutions and the creation of additional 5,000 green jobs for the community members in the protected areas.

    Najy Benhassine praised the initiatives and assured that his organisation would utilise financial, technological, and knowledge resources to support Pakistan.

  • ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    Prime Minister Khan has responded to the letter written by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Pakistan Day, telling Modi that the Pakistani people “also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India”. The letter is dated March 29, a week after PM Khan received the letter from Modi.

    PM Khan started the letter by saying, “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day. The people of Pakistan commemorate this Day by paying tribute to the wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers in envisioning an independent, sovereign state where they could live in freedom and realise their full potential,” clearly stating that Pakistan is a place where people live in freedom.

    Letter written by Imran Khan to Narendra Modi

    PM Khan said Pakistan was convinced that “durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu & Kashmir dispute” . He also added that the “creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue.”

    “Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” PM Khan concluded, after conveying his best wishes to the Indian people in the fight against coronavirus.

    It should be noted that in Modi’s letter to Khan, the same phrase was used to end the letter.

    In the letter that Modi wrote to Khan, Modi stated that, “an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility” was necessary if both countries were to move forward.

    Social media was abuzz after the news of the letter broke, with details emerging that Pakistan and India were going to resume trade.

    Others were hopeful that maybe this time Pakistan and India might commit to a new peace.

    While some are apprehensive.

    A separate message was also sent by President Ram Nath Kovind to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi. Indian government officials have told the Indian press that it is a routine letter sent every year.