Tag: islamabad

  • ‘Her choice’, Social media defends girl dancing on Islamabad street

    ‘Her choice’, Social media defends girl dancing on Islamabad street

    A video of a girl dancing on the streets of Islamabad went viral two days ago. In the video, the girl is fully clothed. can be seen dancing around a parking sign and people passing her are least bothered.

    However, someone made the video of her and uploaded it on social media, after which the girl started facing a lot of backlash.

    Islamabad Police has said the girl was not “sound-minded.”

    “Dear citizen, As per the initial enquiry, The above video is three days old and eyewitnesses said that she wasn’t of sound mind,” Islamabad police wrote in a tweet.

    While some people on social media are criticising the girl, many others are of the view that there is nothing wrong with it. Social media users are asking Islamabad police to take action against those who made video with out the consent of the girl.

    https://twitter.com/7kayhan/status/1526854676787908608

    https://twitter.com/urswagymf/status/1526948391095259136?s=20&t=wX5HbJi5V-i9khrJ4Q3T7w

  • Fact Check: TikToker Dolly did not set fire to the forest in Margalla Hills

    Fact Check: TikToker Dolly did not set fire to the forest in Margalla Hills

    Claim: TikToker Dolly set the Margalla Hills on fire leading to a forest fire lasting several days

    Fact: TikToker Dolly on her way back from Haripur came across an already lit fire and shot her TikTok

    On May 15th 2022, TikToker Dolly uploaded an 11 second video of her performing to a song with a forest fire in the background. On May 17th 2022, this video was viral on Twitter, being shared and condemned by Twitter users with hundreds of thousands of followers. It was widely believed that she lit the fire in order to shoot her video.

    Surfing through Dolly’s TikTok account @dollyofficiall, it became clear that 6 days ago, on Thursday, May 12th, 2022 Dolly was attending an event in Haripur where she was specially invited as a TikTok star and influencer. It is the same outfit in which she shot her video with the forest fire in the background. Team Current reached Dolly’s Signature Salon in Gulberg on May 17th, where although we were unable to meet the celebrity herself, we met Usman who is her personal assistant and often appears in her TikToks as well. Usman informed us that the viral 11 second TikTok was shot as an afterthought. Usman later also shared a video with us, embedded below, which was shot when Dolly and Usman found the fire while on the motorway back from Haripur and made a video with a local who claimed to have set the fire himself to protect his children from snakes.

    Video shared by Usman from Dolly’s Signature Salon: Dolly explains that while on her way back from Haripur she saw this fire on the side of the motorway and chose to record a TikTok. She also introduces the man who claims to have the set fire himself.

    This video conclusively proves that the fire was set before Dolly reached the location. Mainstream news channels such as ARY, GEO, Bol have all covered this event quoting an FIR that was lodged against her and teammates in Kohsar Police Station. Social media users as well as TV channels are connecting this instance of forest fire with another video in which two men are seen setting fire in Margalla Hills. This video was recorded two days after Dolly recorded her own TikTok on May 15th.

    Several Twitter users openly condemned Dolly, called for her arrest and shamed her. Eventually the collective internet action led to the registration of an FIR against her at the Kohsar Police, Islamabad. However, it is clear that even though Dolly made a TikTok with a forest fire that has ranged over an expansive region by this point, she did not cause it. Dawn reports that the fire started out in the Chinari area of the Margalla Hills, another fire was also reported in forest 16 of the Saidpur Range earlier on Sunday.

    These yearly occurring forest fires are continuously increasing and the blame for these is often misdirected while local authorities such as Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) display negligence and disregard towards establishing a system of pre-emptive mechanisms to deal with this consequence of climate change

    VERDCIT: FALSE

  • Nine Pakistani female entrepreneurs flying to US for mentoring, networking

    Nine Pakistani female entrepreneurs flying to US for mentoring, networking

    A programme financed by the United States (US) Embassy and introduced by the Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) Islamabad, sent nine Pakistani women entrepreneurs to the US this week.

    The Accelerator Programme for Women Entrepreneurs is a one-of-a-kind training programme and competition that offers women-owned Pakistani start-ups exposure to American business tools, coaching, and mentorship.

    450 women-owned companies responded enthusiastically to the programme. The top 12 start-ups were chosen for a 15-week Founders Institute Acceleration Programme after a comprehensive round of mentoring sessions and pitching contests.

    Nine women entrepreneurs were chosen from among the 12 start-ups for an in-person acceleration exchange. Women entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to attend important conferences and visit the offices of big corporations like as Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and PayPal during their tour.

    They’ll also stop by 9 Mile Labs, Kiwi Tech, Angel Pad, and Alchemist, all of which are situated in the United States. Throughout the eight-week programme, the participants will have many networking opportunities and will pitch to selected US-based investors on both the east and west coasts.

    Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin-Ul-Haque said that this initiative offers Pakistani women entrepreneurs connectivity to global startups and foreign investors, speaking at a ceremony organised by the TIE Islamabad chapter before the departure of the Pakistani women entrepreneurs to the United States.

  • Twitter reacts to Shahbaz Gill’s wife’s PhD controversy

    Twitter reacts to Shahbaz Gill’s wife’s PhD controversy

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill’s wife Izza Asad Rasool is reportedly found to be owing around Rs18.6 million to the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) University of Islamabad.

    According to Geo News‘ reporter Azaz Syed, a show-cause notice has been sent to Rasool in this regard. The university has demanded the payment of official expenses worth $99,000 and Rs86,000, spent on account of Rasool’s tuition fees, her living allowance and airfare.

    According to the notice, Rasool went to the United States (US) in 2011 to pursue an MS leading to PhD studies in the field of Labour and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She was supposed to complete her studies by 2016 and come back to the country but she didn’t. She has been living there since she left for the US.

    Moreover, the notice stated that Rasool could not complete her studies by the due date and she was also irregular in submitting her academic progress reports.

    It is pertinent to mention that at the time when Rasool left for her studies, she was not married to Gill who is an employee of the same American university.

    COMSATS has warned Rasool to respond to the notice within 15 days or they will initiate legal and administrative action against her.

    As per the media outlet, GIll has allegedly been using his influence to threaten COMSATS’ administration in order to avoid action against his wife.

    Responding to the news, Gill termed the news as false. He said that her wife’s PhD is still going on and she will be back as soon as her degree finishes.

    “There is a campaign going on against me and this news is also a part of it. I know who is doing it”, he claimed.

    Following the news, Twitter questioned the unusually long period of Rasool’s degree completion.

  • Islamabad Traffic Police intensifies crackdown against wrong parking

    Islamabad Traffic Police intensifies crackdown against wrong parking

    In an attempt to minimise congestion, the Islamabad Traffic Police is elevating action against vehicles that are parked incorrectly in order to maintain a smooth flow of traffic in the federal capital.

    Islamabad Traffic Police reviewed measures to guarantee smooth traffic flow in the city, as directed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic Rai Mazhar Iqbal. During this campaign, a considerable number of automobiles were also challaned for improper parking.

    The SSP Traffic ordered all Zonal DSPs to assure that traffic laws are followed by the motorists. He advised that individuals be treated with respect and informed them about driving laws.

    The SSP Traffic remarked that pedestrians have the right to use the walkway and that parking will not be permitted there.

    He stated that automobiles should be parked in designated areas at shopping centres, and that a public awareness campaign has been initiated to educate consumers who come to shop.

    Read more: CNG prices pushed to Rs140 per kg for sales tax collection

    Rai Mazhar Iqbal stated that it is our top responsibility to ensure the convenience for residents and road users by preserving traffic discipline, and that every effort will be made to achieve this goal.

    SSP Traffic also presented certificates of appreciation and cash prizes to the officers and men who played their best role in the convenience and convenience of the citizens. According to ITP good performance will be encouraged while departmental action will be taken against those who show negligence.

  • Rana Sanaullah says PTI supporters will become ‘humans’ after being thrashed

    Rana Sanaullah says PTI supporters will become ‘humans’ after being thrashed

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters will become human beings after being thrashed.

    “This is your misconception that you will be able to cause anarchy or chaos in the country. Nothing will happen,” Sanaullah told former Prime Minister Imran Khan. “They [the supporters] will become human beings after a few thrashings.”

    “Even yesterday, he (Imran Khan) told his supporters not to spare anyone. I am warning you for the last time — not as a minister — but as the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab. If you don’t let go of these tactics and keep inciting your supporters to misbehave with members of other parties, you will face the same fate too. You won’t be able to escape from it.”

    The minister warned Khan that if he didn’t mend his ways, the PML-N too would instruct its workers to “catch and beat them up”.

    Rana Sanaullah demanded guarantees of a ‘peaceful’ PTI march to Islamabad as well.

    “They will have to give [the government] assurances that the march will be peaceful, political, and democratic,” said Sanaullah. 

    Sanaullah also warned former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed and said,  “You told people that this march will be bloody. I am warning you to take your words back or I won’t let you step out of your house.”

  • Severe heatwave conditions predicted by Met office from Sunday

    Severe heatwave conditions predicted by Met office from Sunday

    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasted extreme heatwave conditions across Pakistan for the coming week, warning that high pressure will hold the upper atmosphere starting Sunday, May 8.

    Day temperatures are expected to steadily increase in most parts of the country from Sunday due to this high pressure, as per a notification from PMD.

    The temperature in upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir was expected to hover between 7-9 degrees Celsius beyond average during the day.

    Meanwhile, the daytime temperature of Upper and central Sindh, central and south Punjab and areas of Balochistan will likely experience temperatures between 6-8 degrees Celsius above usual.

    Read more: Pakistan starts oil and gas production from Dhok Sultan DS X-1

    The department also tweeted a warning about the heatwave’s potential effects, stating that extremely hot and dry weather might affect dams, crops, vegetables, and forests.

  • Dr Murtaza Syed assumes charge as the new Governor State Bank of Pakistan

    Dr Murtaza Syed assumes charge as the new Governor State Bank of Pakistan

    With effect from May 5, Dr Murtaza Syed, the senior-most Deputy Governor and a former Deputy Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), became the new acting Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    Prior to this, the federal government named Dr Syed as the Deputy Governor of the SBP for three years on January 27, 2020.

    Dr Syed has taken up the position in light of Section 10(2) of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Act 1956 (amended), and has therefore succeeded Dr Reza Baqir, whose term ended on May 4, according to the notification.

    He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oxford’s Nuffield College and has more than 20 years of experience in macroeconomic research and policymaking, including 16 years at the IMF. He worked on IMF initiatives and monitoring of emerging markets and advanced economies such as the Eurozone, Japan, and Korea. Dr Syed also handled IMF training and technical support projects around the world, and between 2010 and 2014, he was the IMF’s Deputy Resident Representative in China.

    Dr Syed started his career as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Human Development Center in Islamabad, where he worked under former Finance Minister D. Mahbub ul Haq. Afterward, he worked for the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), a London-based public policy think tank, where he did research on company investment and employment behaviour, as well as evaluating Latin American anti-poverty programmes.

    Read more: Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves down by $328 million

    Dr Syed has produced papers on a multitude of macroeconomic topics, including fiscal and monetary policy, financial stability, economic crises, investment, demographics, poverty, and inequality, in addition to teaching public policy at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

  • Rawalpindi: Transporters continue to overcharge ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr

    Rawalpindi: Transporters continue to overcharge ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr

    The transporters have doubled fares ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, as they do every year, causing trouble to travellers who are heading to their hometowns to spend Eid with their loved ones and family.

    A massive influx of passengers was observed at all bus terminals as well as the Rawalpindi Railway Station. On May 1, both bus and wagon stations, as well as the railway station, were packed with folks heading back to their hometowns to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their families.

    Transporters at the Pirwadhai, Faizabad, Rawat, Humrahi and Soan Bus/Wagon Terminals were majorly involved in overcharging customers.

    Passengers were spotted frantically sprinting from one bus stop to the next in search of tickets, while transporters took advantage of the situation and asked for higher charges.

    Read more: City Traffic Police Lahore to check overcharging, overloading by transporters on Eid

    Long-distance transporters, on the other hand, were blatantly plundering poor travellers by demanding increased fares in addition to luggage charges.

  • PTI’s Qasim Suri attacked in Islamabad restaurant

    PTI’s Qasim Suri attacked in Islamabad restaurant

    Former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Qasim Khan Suri was attacked in the early hours of Friday at a private hotel in Islamabad. In the incident, Qasim Suri was unharmed, but his friend suffered a slight injury.

    Following the incident, Qasim Suri stated in a video statement saying that he was sitting in a hotel when a bunch of people suddenly appeared and attacked them.

    In his message on Twitter after the incident, Qasim Suri alleged that ‘PML-N goons’ allegedly carried out the attack. Suri has filed an application to register an FIR at the Kohsar police station.

    In a separate incident yesterday, the Pakistani delegation in Saudi Arabia was surrounded by people yelling “chor chor” when they made their way to Masjid-e-Nabwi in Madina.