Tag: islamabad

  • US blogger accuses PPP leadership of raping her in Islamabad: Here’s what we know so far

    US blogger accuses PPP leadership of raping her in Islamabad: Here’s what we know so far

    In a shocking development, a former prime minister (PM) and two of his cabinet members have been accused of manhandling and sexually assaulting Islamabad-based United States (US) blogger nine years ago.

    As per the details, Cynthia Dawn Ritchie has accused some of the top Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders of subjecting her to the treatment during the party’s third tenure in Centre from 2008 to 2013, also alleging that PPP stalwart and then federal minister for interior Rehman Malik raped her — an accusation denied by both Malik and then PM Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.

    The accusation comes a week after the blogger posted some controversial tweets involving slain former PM Benazir Bhutto which attracted a load of criticism and cyberharassment both from party’s local leadership and its support base.

    READ: PPP writes to ISI chief for action against Pakistan-based US blogger over tweet about Benazir Bhutto

    “In 2011, I was raped by the former interior minister Rehman Malik. That’s right, I’ll say it again. I was raped by the then interior minister Rehman Malik,” Ritchie said in the live video on her Facebook page.

    She also accused former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin of “physically manhandling” her while the former was staying at the “President’s House”.

    Ritchie said she was reserving “some of the more graphic details” because her audience could include children, but added that she would be “happy to go into more detail” with neutral investigative journalists.

    The blogger alleged that she has endured harassment “primarily from the PPP” for a number of years now. “I have received countless threats against my life, rape threats, claims that PPP has my father,” she claimed, adding that she has “evidentiary support” of everything she has been posting.

    Ritchie also said she had informed about the incident to “someone” at the US Embassy in 2011, “but due to ‘fluid’ situation and ‘complex’ relations between US and Pakistan, [the] response was less than adequate”.

    The US embassy in Pakistan has not reacted to the claims as of yet.

    ACCUSED DENY CLAIMS:

    In their responses, both Gillani and Malik strongly denied the accusations.

    Gilani said that he even considered responding to such allegations “humiliation and disgrace”.

    Talking to a private news channel on Friday, the former premier questioned as to what Richie was doing at the Presidency when she was allegedly manhandled, and why she had been staying in Pakistan.

    Interestingly, it was Gillani himself who in 2010, through the Ministry of Interior which was then headed by Malik, empowered then Pakistan ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani to directly issue diplomatic visas to Americans without clearance of relevant authorities.

    The former premier further alleged that the blogger had come to Pakistan as part of a campaign to malign politicians.

    Gillani claimed that Ritchie was maligning him because his two sons had filed a defamation case against her for her allegedly defamatory tweet against Benazir.

    The PPP has also lodged a complaint with the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against her for making “extremely derogatory and slanderous remarks” against Benazir.

    Malik, in his response, called the allegations “baseless, shameful, and inappropriate”.

    READ: Imran’s ex-aide called out for showing up at Cynthia’s party uninvited

    In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the former minister said that the purpose behind the allegations was to damage the reputation of the PPP leader.

    While support pours in for the US blogger, a number of people are also engaging in war of words over social media over the validity of her claims.

  • Meethi Eid: Places to order Eid cakes from

    Meethi Eid: Places to order Eid cakes from

    Eid ul-Fitr means new beginnings, celebrations and eating a lot of food and starting this exciting day with something sweet. Keeping in view the social distancing rules, everyone must avoid going out unnecessarily but that doesn’t mean we give up on our sweet tooth.

    Here are a few places where you can order Eid cakes online and have them delivered to your doorstep.

    Islamabad

    Waima’s Kitchen

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Wasimas-kitchen-102480028076161/

    Baked Temptations by Saira

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Baked.Temptations.by.s/

    Lahore

    Rabi’s Food Studio

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/rabifoodstudio/

    Cake Cloud

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/cakecloudlahore/

    The Baking Studio

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thebakingstudiolhr/

    Theobroma

    If you’re a fan of the Tres Leches, then the Tres Leches from Obroma is a must-have. Order it now and thank us later.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_703cLg2aW/

    Vanilla by Hafsa Zulfiqar

    The richest, creamist chocolate cake you’ll ever have.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5iS6gehryx/

    Karachi

    Cakesh

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/cakeshbysadiakanwal/

    Contact Number: 03343324381

    Sugar Mama

    Their Lotus Cheesecake is a bestseller and one everyone needs to try at least once. They are also offering a variety of Eid packages you can send to your loved ones.

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sugarmama.khi/

    Pie in the Sky

    Website: https://pieinthesky.com.pk/

  • VIDEO: ‘Ch Nisar secretly facilitated Imran, Qadri’s 2014 Islamabad sit-ins against PML-N govt’

    VIDEO: ‘Ch Nisar secretly facilitated Imran, Qadri’s 2014 Islamabad sit-ins against PML-N govt’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif has claimed that former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar secretly facilitated the 124-day-long demonstration jointly organised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in 2014 against the PML-N government.

    Latif, who was part of a three-guest panel at anchorperson Hamid Mir’s show on Monday, said that Nisar released the “violent protesters” who attacked the parliament and state-owned broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).

    According to him, Nisar facilitated the entrance of protesters in the heavily guarded Red Zone that houses the president and prime minister houses in addition to several other highly-sensitive secretariats.

    “Nisar’s disagreement with Nawaz Sharif’s GT Road rally was also part of his plan. He continuously opposed the party policy on certain important matters and today we all know about his current political standing and reputation,” Latif said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    It merits a mention here that since his association with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the mid-80s, Nisar was Sharif’s go-to man in matters involving the country’s powerful establishment — until he fell out of favor as a result of his advocacy of a non-confrontational policy with the military following Sharif’s judicial ouster in 2017. 

    Hailing from a respected military family himself, Nisar had allegedly played a key role in the appointment of retired General Pervez Musharraf as the Chief of the Army Staff in 1998. 

  • Flight from UAE carries 104 coronavirus patients to Pakistan

    Flight from UAE carries 104 coronavirus patients to Pakistan

    The Rawalpindi district administration on Monday said that 104 passengers who were flown in from Abu Dhabi have tested positive for coronavirus.

    “Out of 209 passengers, 104 tested positive for COVID-19,” the district administration said, adding that the flight carrying the passengers had arrived in Islamabad on April 28.

    Following the SOPs prepared by the government, all the passengers were screened at the airport and were shifted to the quarantine centre at Fatima Jinnah Women University.

    With the country having blocked all international commercial flights since mid-March — a ban that’s now set to continue for an indefinite period of time — many of the country’s residents have struggled to find a path back to their homeland, making government repatriation flights a necessity.

    On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 22 more fatalities from novel coronavirus as the death toll in the country has reached 471. The nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients jumped to 20,725 while over a thousand cases were reported in 24 hours.

    According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center, Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

    Till now 7,882 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 7,646 in Punjab, 3,129 in KP, 1,218 in Balochistan, 415 in Islamabad, 364 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 71 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).

    Earlier in the day, it was reported that three crew members of a special PIA flight from Australia had also tested positive for COVID-19.

    The PIA staffers had performed duties on the flight from Melbourne to Lahore.

  • Islamabad reopens hiking trails under strict SOPs

    Trails and parks in Islamabad that had been shut down to control the spread of COVID-19 have now been opened up for the public but with strict SOPs in place.

    According to a notification issued by the district administration of the city, hiking trails are to be reopened for the public under social distancing rules. Sports grounds will remain closed.

    https://twitter.com/ICTA_GoP/status/1254769478866362370?s=20

    Read More: Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    According to the order, residents can hike while strictly following the rules of social distancing. A six feet distance has to be maintained between people at all times.
    Residents are happy over the decision and said everyone could protect themselves from the virus if social distancing is practised in daily life.

    The notification held the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation and the environment directorate responsible for ensuring government SOPs are followed.

  • Faisal Edhi, who met PM last week, tests positive for coronavirus

    Son of the late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and incumbent head of the Edhi Foundation, Faisal Edhi, who met Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan at the latter’s office last week, has tested positive for coronavirus, raising concerns over the health of the premier who could have contracted the virus.

    Edhi met Imran on April 15 to donate Rs10 million to the PM’s COVID-19 Relief Fund on behalf of his organisation, and a picture of the meeting had also gone viral over the internet.

    According to reports, he is in Islamabad at the moment and was tested after insisting the same, considering that he has been working in the field. His family and most people he interacted with within the past two weeks, including PM Imran, are also likely to be tested.

    His son Saad Edhi has said that his father started suffering from symptoms last week, soon after meeting the PM.

    “He is doing good and is practising self-isolation without being admitted to any hospital.”

    Earlier, Edhi had trashed criticism surrounding his donation to the government, saying the organisation could not “operate without the government’s help — be it federal or provincial”.

    In a video message shared with Independent Urdu, he had said, “I am glad that we [Edhi foundation] are working with the government.”

    READ: ‘PM didn’t recognise me,’ says Faisal Edhi, who met Imran to donate Rs1 crore

    “Edhi foundation has been working with governments since day one after the emergence of coronavirus [in the country]” he had said, adding that people would suffer if all stakeholders, at this time, did not unite to work together.

  • Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    Claim: Viral video of leopard entering a house and fighting a pet dog is being placed in a house on Margalla road, Islamabad.

    Fact: The video is actually from Gujrat, India and was posted 5 days earlier on Times of India.

    A video of a leopard entering a house and getting into a fight with a pet dog is going viral on social media and especially in Whatsapp groups. It is being speculated that the incident took place in a house on Margalla Road in Islamabad considering a leopard was recently spotted on a camera trap near the hiking trails.

    Read more – Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    However, the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad has confirmed that the video is not from Islamabad.

    Meanwhile, a quick Google search revealed that this incident took place in India. According to a report in the Times of India, the incident took place in Rajkot, Gujrat. The leopard was attempting to prey on the dog but when a vehicle passed by outside, it got scared and ran away. The owner of the house said that this is the first time he witnessed such an incident and that he alerted the forest department about it.

    “We have set up a cage with a live bait inside it to trap the leopard,” said an official from the forest department.

    The leopard population in Gujarat has witnessed a growth in recent years and it appears that the lockdown which is currently in place in the country is allowing these big cats to move around more easily.

    VERDICT: FALSE [OUT OF CONTEXT]

  • Islamabad cops feed monkeys during lockdown

    Islamabad cops feed monkeys during lockdown

    Human beings aren’t the only ones affected by the coronavirus lockdown in Pakistan. Animals are also suffering amid all this as many stray or wild animals haven’t been getting any food.

    As per reports, group of Islamabad policemen gave monkeys food during the lockdown to make sure they don’t go hungry either.

    Pakistan is currently under lockdown, with shops and markets closed to control the spread of the coronavirus. People are practicing social distancing while staying at home. That’s why stray animals could not find any food on the streets.

  • Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    With human under lockdown, nature is running free and wildlife is coming out of hiding to explore the empty spaces once swarmed with humans.

    According to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), a male leopard was caught on a camera trap near the hiking trails of Margalla Hills National Park. While leopards are occasionally caught on camera, this is the first time a larger male leopard was spotted on the hills. The IWMB added that the latest discovery could mean that there are three families of the common leopard hiding in the national park. Popularly referred to as the Margalla Leopards, these animals are an endangered species.

    The board also shared that not just leopards but wild animals including fox, martins, porcupines, barking deer, jackals and wild boars among others have also descended from the hills. They have also been caught by the camera traps laid out by the wildlife board.

    Various species of birds including pheasants have also been spotted on the grounds.

    Meanwhile, it has also been reported that dozens of monkeys living in the Margalla Hills National Park have descended on to the residential areas of the city in search of food.

    IWMB Assistant Director Sakhawat Ali said that residents of sectors F-6 and F-7 have filed complaints about the monkeys entering their homes. Some videos posted online showed the simians scurrying about the streets of the city or climbing over rooftops.

    “It is not a good practice [to feed animals when you go hiking on the MHNP trails or other hilly areas] as human-fed food item will have bad impacts on their health,” Ali said, adding that monkeys have lived in the national park since before humans inhabited this region.

    Ali, however, noted that the monkeys were not hostile to human beings and only attack or become violent when someone tries to hurt them.

    He advised the public to stay calm if they encountering any monkey. Moreover, he suggested that people keep their food items secure in their stores and not offer animals anything.

    Ali also advised people to take care of their clothes and the laundry hung out to dry.

    “Monkeys have a habit to take away clothes left outside a house if they find nothing in their search of food,” the IWMB officer warned.

  • Online grocery stores in your city

    Online grocery stores in your city

    After the spread of coronavirus outbreak, people are asked to stay at their homes and practice social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus. Amid all this, people need groceries for their homes and some people might be worried about how to go and get them from the market.

    The Current did some research and listed a few online grocery stores in your city.

    Karachi

    Agha’s Supermarket

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AghasSupermarket/

    Freshiez

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/freshiezpk/

    Fowry

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fowrryofficial/

    Website: https://www.fowrry.com/

    Lahore

    Road Runner

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/roadrunnerpk/

    Grocer App

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GrocerApp.pk/

    Jalal Sons

    Islamabad

    Shaheen Grocers

    Fowry

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fowrryofficial/

    Other cities

    Al Fatah

    If you have a branch of Al Fatah in your city then you can order your groceries from there.