Tag: Lahore

  • Sania, Shoaib Malik’s son spotted with Salman Khan

    Sania, Shoaib Malik’s son spotted with Salman Khan

    Sania Mirza’s sister Anam shared a reel of her trip to Dubai on her Instagram account, where Sania and Shoaib Malik’s son, Izhaan, was spotted posing for a picture with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

    His brief appearance in the video caught the attention of many fans, including Indian film director Farah Khan, who applauded Anam on her weight loss.

    According to India Today, Khan was currently in Dubai for the promotion of his upcoming film ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’. The actor has returned to Mumbai with high security after local police received an anonymous call on April 10, threatening to murder Khan at the end of the month.

  • Toyota Indus Motor Company sees 142% increase in quarterly profit despite low demand

    Toyota Indus Motor Company sees 142% increase in quarterly profit despite low demand

    Indus Motor Company (IMC) announced a 37 per cent decrease in its profit-after-tax (PAT) for the third quarter of financial year 2022-23, with earnings of Rs3.216 billion compared to Rs5.118 billion in the same period last year.

    Despite this, the automaker saw an increase in its quarterly PAT by 142 per cent, which was attributed to an improvement in gross margins, resulting in an operating profit after two consecutive quarterly operating losses. The company also declared an interim cash dividend of Rs24.4 per share, in addition to the previously paid interim cash dividend of Rs18.4 per share.

    Muhammad Abrar, an investment analyst at Arif Habib Limited, explained that IMC was able to offset the impact of currency devaluation by raising the prices of its cars significantly. The automaker’s operating expenses were also curtailed. While revenue decreased by 29 per cent due to lower units sold, IMC’s gross profit was Rs3.05 billion during 3QFY23, compared to Rs5.23 billion in the same period last year.

    Pakistan’s auto sector has been struggling due to the government’s decision to curb imports and restrict issuance of Letters of Credit (LC), higher finance cost, and massive increases in car prices. Despite this, IMC’s gross margins improved to 6.3 per cent on a QoQ basis, which was unexpected, according to Abrar.

    According to Brecorder, the company’s earnings per share (EPS) stood at Rs40.92, compared to Rs65.11. IMC’s board of directors met to review the company’s financial and operational performance in the first nine months ended March 31, 2023. While higher profits are expected in the upcoming quarter due to the increase in car prices and the reduction of operating expenses, the country’s auto industry reported a 66 per cent decrease in car sales compared to March 2022.

    Last week, Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited also reported its highest-ever quarterly loss of Rs12.9 billion in the first three months of 2023 due to decreased sales and high finance costs.

  • Nawaz isn’t coming back to Pakistan, leaving for London from Saudi

    Nawaz isn’t coming back to Pakistan, leaving for London from Saudi

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has concluded his tour of Saudi Arabia and is set to return to London.

    The former Prime Minister, who was accompanied by his daughter and Senior Vice President of his party, Maryam Nawaz, will fly back to the British capital where he has been living since 2019 after leaving Pakistan for medical treatment. Maryam Nawaz, however, is expected to return home on Wednesday around midnight.

    Nawaz was in the Kingdom from April 11 on the invitation of the Saudi royal family. His meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made headlines back home, especially given that Maryam Nawaz was a part of it.

    During his stay, Nawaz also performed Umrah and also visited the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH).

    Speculations were rife among political circles that Nawaz might come back to Pakistan after almost three years of living abroad. However, the Sharif family never confirmed the rumour.

    .

  • ‘How could anyone be in favor of ending such a life’: Yashma Gill against euthanizing Noor Jehan

    Actor Yashma Gill shared a video clip of her visiting Karachi Zoo to see the facility’s ailing elephant Noor Jehan, whose condition is growing worse day by day.

    Karachi Zoo has been slammed by animal right activists for neglecting the animals under its care. Noor Jehan’s prolonged illness and mishandling of her ailment led to national outrage on social media.

    Gill discussed her experience of watching the elephant fight for her life:

    “As I stood before Noor Jehan, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of admiration for her unrelenting spirit. Despite her illness, she remains hopeful and determined, a true symbol of resilience. Her eyes hold a gentle yet unwavering gaze, a testament to her will to live. Her sheer strength and perseverance were truly inspiring, leaving me with a renewed sense of hope and optimism.”

    Gill rejected eeports that the elephant will be euthanized as her illness shows no improvement, asking authorities to keep fighting hard for Noor Jehan and give her the best possible chance at life:

    “For me, the answer is clear – we must do everything in our power to give her a chance to heal and recover. No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, we owe it to Noor Jehan to give her the best possible chance at life. After all, where there’s a will, there’s always a way.”

    Read her complete post here:

    Anoushay Ashraf had also joined the growing cry to shut down Karachi Zoo when she shared a clip of herself visiting elephant Noor Jehan and talking to the wildlife expert Maira over there.

    Celebrities like Hamza Ali Abbasi, Arooj Aftab and Ayesha Noor had joined the rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan, by sharing how the animals suffering in cages are deprived of the natural habitat and are not given the proper facilities they need to survive:

    Arooj Aftab had re shared a clip of her interview with The Current, and in the caption she said that authorities could build much better entertainment facilities for children:

    The ‘Maula Jatt’ actor had shared pictures of the lions in Karachi Zoo, who were suffering from starvation and neglect, and demanded that authorities shut down the zoo and transport the animals to proper shelters.

  • Khan buys bulletproof gate for Zaman Park house worth Rs15 lakh

    Khan buys bulletproof gate for Zaman Park house worth Rs15 lakh

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has bought a new bulletproof gate for his Lahore residence in Zaman Park amid fear of a possible operation by the government.

    The gate, which has now been delivered, has reportedly cost between Rs12 lakh and Rs15 lakh.

    On Monday, Khan apprised the Lahore High Court (LHC) that he had “concrete information” of another “attack” at his Zaman Park residence during the Eid holidays.

    In March, Punjab police launched an operation in Zaman Park when Khan was on his way to Islamabad to appear before the court in the Toshkahana case.

    The police crashed into the gate before entering the premises.

  • ‘Janwaron say bad dua lenay say behtar hai’: Hamza Ali Abbasi joins rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan

    ‘Janwaron say bad dua lenay say behtar hai’: Hamza Ali Abbasi joins rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan

    Actor Hamza Ali Abbas has joined the chorus of voices calling for zoos across Pakistan to be shut down. As the country watches veterinarians try to save the life of one of Karachi Zoo’s elephants, Noor Jehan, celebrities have lent support to the demand that the animals be shifted to sanctuaries.

    Taking to Instagram, the ‘Maula Jatt’ actor shared a clip of a post by Express Tribune, slamming authorities for not caring about the welfare of the animals:

    “We can’t take care of animals in zoo’s- it is better than to receive curses from animals that we should ban zoos and send the animals to a safer place.”

    Abbasi’s criticism comes after countless celebrities, including Grammy award winner Arooj Aftab, raised their voices to support animals and shut down zoos. Aftab re-shared a clip from her interview with The Current where she had talked about the abysmal conditions of animals in Lahore’s zoo, calling for better facilities to be set up for animals.

    Just as Noor Jehan improved, she fell into a concrete pond built inside her shelter, leading to worsening of her condition. Authorities had remained in contact with the animal welfare organization Four Paws to coordinate for her treatment.

    Yesterday, The Nation reported that Minister of Climate Change and member of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sherry Rehman, had advised Sindh government to shut down Karachi Zoo, and for the animals to be moved to enclosures where they are provided with proper facilities.

  • Imran ne kaha ke Bushra Bibi se shaadi karne par woh PM ban jaye gaye, claims Mufti

    Mufti Saeed, who solemnised the nikkah of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and his third wife Bushra Bibi, has told a court in Islamabad that Khan told him that there was a prediction that if he married Bushra Bibi, he would become the prime minister.

    Stating that he solemnised their nikkah on January 1, 2018, Muft Saeed said that later Khan himself told him the first nikkah was illegal as per Islamic law, and asked him to perform the ceremony again.

    When the first nikkah took place, Khan took Mufti Saeed, a former close associate, to a house in Lahore where he met a woman who identified herself as Bushra Bibi’s sister. Saeed claimed that he asked the woman if Bushra bibi’s nikkah could be solemnised as per Shariah, to which she said yes.

    On the woman’s assurance, Mufti Saeed carried on with the formalities. But later in February of the same year, Khan requested him to conduct another nikkah with Bushra on the pretext that the first time her iddat had not been completed.

    Iddat is a period in Islamic law where either after being widowed or getting divorced, a Muslim woman may not marry another man. Once the stipulated period is over, she can marry whoever she wants to.

    Mufti Saeed said Khan claimed that Bushra Bibi got divorced in November 2017, hence, according to Mufti, they both got married knowing all the facts, yet went ahead with the nikkah. He also stated that their marriage is “illegal”.

  • Farmers ‘harassed and threatened’: Human Rights Watch releases report on RUDA project

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report on Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) project, stating that authorities are forcibly evicting thousands of farmers near the city of Lahore for a massive infrastructure project.

    The international organisation spoke to 14 farmers, who said they have been evicted or threatened with eviction since August 2020. According to them, not only have the authorities “harassed” them but have “criminally charged more than 100 farmers with resisting or refusing to hand over the land they occupied.”

    The report noted that in 2022, the Supreme Court allowed the government to continue development only on the land it had already acquired and for which it had paid compensation.

    Despite that farmers and activists alleged that the development authority has continued to seize land.

    Although the project claimed that it will ease Lahore’s many problems including pollution, sewage, water, housing, and employment, the report said otherwise.

    “Environmental groups have raised concerns that the project’s proposed changes to the flow of the Ravi River could significantly increase the risks of flooding. Pakistan’s Sindh province experienced catastrophic floods in mid-2022.”

    In 2022, former Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi allocated 700 kanals of land for the construction of a journalists’ housing society in RUDA.

    However, journalists openly criticised the government and refused to accept the offer.

    In August 2020, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the controversial real estate project.

  • Eid shopping: Markets in Lahore to remain open till 1am

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has approved an extension of market hours for the provincial capital, Samaa has reported. The decision has been taken keeping in mind that Eid-ul-Fitr is now around the corner and shoppers will throng markets.

    Justice Shahid Karim was informed during the hearing of a petition to reduce smog in the city that most people go for shopping after Iftar.

    He was also informed that the business community would lose money if marketplaces weren’t allowed to stay open until late at night. After hearing the arguments, the court allowed extension of market timings in Lahore.

    Previously, the markets in Punjab’s capital were allowed to stay open till 10pm.

  • Four Paws has reached Pakistan to treat elephant Noor Jehan

    International animal welfare group Four Paws has reached Karachi on April 4 to examine and begin treatment of ailing elephant, Noor Jehan. In a press release posted on their website, Four Paws revealed that since 2021, they have been strongly recommending that both elephants Noor Jehan and Madhubala are shifted from Karachi Zoo, as the facility does not comply with international standards of providing habitable living conditions for animals.

    “However, no such measures to relocate them have been taken,” the post read.

    The team was led by the head of the organization, Dr Amir Khalil, along with  Dr Frank Göritz and Prof Dr Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibnitz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), and Dr Marina Ivanova from FOUR PAWS. Khalil spoke to journalists about Noor Jehan’s condition yesterday, as reported by Dawn and Express Tribune.

    He said that Jehan needs a detailed medical examination which includes endoscopy, ultrasound and X-rays, in order to provide proper insight into her condition.

    “We don’t know what went wrong with her. But, her condition has deteriorated very fast within a few weeks. She has got swelling on her hind legs as well as genital parts and she could barely walk. Right now, she has a 50-50 chance for survival,” he said.

    Khalil went on to reveal that their team was setting up a crane, wench and a fire brigade to help the animal remain stable and upright during surgery:

    “Our greatest concern is not to let the animal fall down. We fear that if Noor Jehan falls down, she it will not get up again. We will find out tomorrow whether it’s a fracture, trauma or an infection.”

    Today, the Karachi Metropolitan Center (KMC) spoke to DAWN and revealed that they were ready to facilitate the team in every way to help the elephants, and were making preparations to send them to Safari Park:

    “We are with Four Paws. All departments are ready to arrange any logistics needed for medical procedures. We are also making preparations to shift both zoo elephants to Safari Park within a month as per experts’ recommendation,” said Dr. Saif-ur-Rehman, Karachi Administrator.

    Rehman went on to add that Noor Jehan had been suffering from a neurological deficiency for the past two or three months which had impacted her hind legs. The government did not have the facilities for the treatment Noor Jehan needed in Pakistan which is why the international group was approached to help diagnose her illness and provide a solution.

    “The kind of treatment Noor Jehan requires isn’t available in Pakistan. So, we approached the international group to help us diagnose her illness and suggest and offer treatment, if possible,” Dr Rehman said.