Renowned Indian screenwriter and poet Javed Akhtar is set to attend the Faiz Festival in Lahore where he will be a part of two discussions with actor Adeel Hashmi, as well as a mushaira with other poets.
The Current spoke to Hashmi about what their discussion will be about and he said:
“Our first talk will be about his book ‘Jadunama’ which was released a few days ago, and will also be available for purchase at the event. Our second talk [taking place on Sunday, 19th Feb, is called ‘Talking Life’ which will be a discussion about life. In the next Mushaira, he will be reading out his poetry.”
Along side Javed Akhtar, many prominent faces are expected to attend the event such as singer Shafqat Amanat Ali who will hold a performance on Friday, as well as Director and Screenwriter Sarmad Khoosat who will hold a conversation with Navid Shahzad.
Faiz Festival is taking place from February 17 to 19 at Alhamra Center.
Tag: Lahore
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Javed Akhtar set to appear at Faiz Festival
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Imran Khan to live in special bulletproof rooms in Bani Gala
Amid security threats, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has decided to shift to his home in Bani Gala, Islamabad.
The former Prime Minister (PM) is currently living in his family home in Zaman Park in Lahore.
Preparations are being made to increase the security of his Bani Gala residence so that Khan can stay there.
Two special bulletproof rooms have been set up for the PTI chief, with bullet-resistant glass being fitted in the windows. It has also been decided that his private security will be increased.
Imran Khan has been living in Lahore since November of last year, when an assassination attempt injured the former Premier.
Imran Khan’s convoy was attacked on November 3 while passing through Wazirabad. The PTI chief was leading a protest march toward Islamabad at the time. He suffered bullet injuries on his legs and received treatment at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital.
PTI has claimed several times that Khan’s life is at stake. On January 27, Khan alleged that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari is plotting and financing an assassination attempt for which Zardari had hired terrorists.
PPP denied the accusations, with the party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari slamming the allegations against his father. The party even sent a legal notice to Imran Khan, stating that it will sue him unless he apologises within 14 days.
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Millions in Pakistan without electricity after countrywide outage
Millions of Pakistanis were left without electricity on Monday due to a nationwide power outage, which threatened to unleash chaos in the South Asian country, which is already experiencing fuel shortages during the winter.
The country’s Ministry of Energy said in a statement the country’s National Grid went down at 7:34 am local time, “causing a widespread breakdown in the power system,” according to initial reports.
“System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” the statement added.
A “limited number of grids” in Islamabad and Peshawar have had power restored, the ministry said.
The duration of the power outage is unknown, but attempts are being made to bring power back to various areas of the country.
The disruption occurs as the country’s frail economy continues to face numerous difficulties, including a serious energy crisis.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered all federal agencies to cut their energy use by 30 per cent. In addition, his administration mandated that all stores and restaurants close at 8:30 pm.
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Lahore private schools ‘condemns the incident’ after video of three girls torturing fellow girl goes viral
Lahore Police have initiated an inquiry of the alleged torture incident of a student by her classmates at a private school in Lahore, ARY has reported.
A video of the incident shows three girls forcing their classmate to the ground, then sitting on her back. One of the girls can be seen pulling the victim’s hair and swearing at her while making her apologise .
The incident’s First Information Report (FIR) has been recorded on the complaint submitted by Imran, the victim’s father, accusing his daughter’s classmate J of being a drug addict and forcing her daughter to do drugs with her.
According to the FIR, J tormented the victim alongside her sister K, U and N R The victim’s father also said that they stole the gold chain his daughter was wearing.
Police is yet to arrest the girls named in the FIR.
The School has issued a statement in this regard saying that “it strongly condemns the incident that recently took place.”
“Our school culture is our highest priority and we uphold our core values of honor, respect, compassion and responsibility,”
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CM KP has prepared summary for dissolution of assembly: Fawad Chaudhry
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has prepared a summary for the dissolution of the provincial assembly..
Talking to the media, Fawad revealed that Khan and his cabinet were scheduled to visit the PTI Chairman Imran Khan in Lahore but were unable to do so due to bad weather
“We spoke to them on the phone,” he said. “They have prepared the advice to dissolve the KP assembly”.
About the dissolution matter of the Punjab Assembly, the PTI leader asked the Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman not to wait for “48 hours” and urged him to dissolve the assembly immediately so that the process for the formation of an interim set up in Punjab be initiated.
Earlier, it was reported that CM KP is expected to meet Khan today (Friday) in Lahore.
The chief minister along with his cabinet was set to arrive in Lahore at the directions of his party chief.
According to ARY News, Imran Khan would announce that the assembly will be dissolved by tonight.
However, Special Assistant to CM Mahmood Khan on Information Barrister, Muhammad Ali Saif, said that the dissolution of the KP Assembly will take place after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly.
He said that a summary will be sent to KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali to dissolve the assembly. According to him, there is no problem in KP, but they would wait for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly first.
He added that after the dissolution of the KP Assembly, a letter will also be written to the Leader of the Opposition— Akram Khan Durrani— for the appointment of a caretaker chief minister.
On the other hand, KP Governor Ali has said that he still stood by his stance that assemblies should not be broken.
On Thursday, Punjab CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi signed the summary for the dissolution of the provincial assembly.
In a brief one-line advice addressed to Governor Rehman, Elahi said: “I Pervaiz Elahi, chief minister of Punjab, hereby advise you to dissolve the provincial assembly.”
Speaking to the media after Elahi’s meeting with Imran, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said that “if the governor does not accept the advice then, the assembly is automatically dissolved after 48 hours.”
He said that a letter would be sent to former Punjab CM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Hamza Shehbaz in the next two days for finalising an interim government in Punjab, adding that elections would take place in the next 90 days.
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‘Kya baat hai Lahore ki thand ki’: Junaid Safdar returns to Pakistan, talks about future plans
Junaid Safdar, the son of Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz, has reached Lahore on Thursday night.
It was reported earlier this week that Junaid was shifting permanently to Pakistan to assist his mother in her party’s political activities.
Taking to Instagram, Junaid wrote, “I am not interested in Pakistani politics, for now. I have only moved to Pakistan to fulfil the responsibilities owed to my mother and family. I will be assisting my mother in her work and family matters but I will not be taking part in politics,” he added.
“Side note: Kya baat hai Lahore ki thand ki [Nothing can come close to Lahore winters]. Have really missed this!” added Junaid.
On January 2, Maryam Nawaz was appointed the Senior Vice President of PML-N. She will also take on the responsibility of reorganising the party.
According to news reports, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday left London for a week-long trip to Geneva.
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4,000 Safe City cameras to be installed in Rawalpindi to control crime
As part of the Rawalpindi Safe City Project, the administration is finalising a plan to monitor every section of the city by placing 4,000 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the roads.
A spokesman for the Commissioner’s Office stated that Commissioner Saqib Manan had presided over a meeting to discuss the status of the Rawalpindi Safe City Project. He said that in order to increase surveillance and keep a close check on criminal activity in Rawalpindi, the Punjab government had chosen to engage in a contract with the Safe City Authority to put CCTV cameras in the city, according to The News.
The meeting was informed that 950 locations had been chosen in Rawalpindi where around 4,000 cameras would be installed to monitor the city.
He stated that the integrated system these CCTV cameras will operate under would assist reduce crime and strengthen the city’s law and order situation. Along with car tracking and surveillance, the idea would aid the police and the local government in managing traffic signals. Additionally, the project would be crucial in providing security during significant public events.
In order to preserve peace and order in large cities, traffic control, and other public amenities, he claimed that current technology was employed everywhere; this system would also be implemented in Rawalpindi.
A control and command centre would be built at the City Police Office, according to the spokesperson. He continued by saying that it would govern quick emergency and police responses, including intelligent traffic management, police unit dispatch, Rescue 1122 response, criminal identification, and virtual surveillance.
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Gold price hits new all-time high of Rs187,200 per tola
For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the price of gold passed Rs187,000 per tola.
On Monday, the price of 24-carat gold per tola increased by Rs3,300, reaching an all-time high of Rs187,200 compared to the last trading day’s sale of Rs183,900.
According to the All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA), the price of gold increased by Rs3,300 per tola and Rs2,829 per 10 grammes, respectively, to settle at Rs187,200 and Rs160,494.
From Rs126,000 per tola on December 31, 2021, the yellow metal has increased by Rs57,900, or 45.95 per cent .
According to the group, the price of gold in Pakistan has been “overcost” by Rs6,500 per tola when compared to pricing in Dubai. This indicates that the price of gold in Pakistan is currently higher than it is on the global market.
The discrepancy between the official price of gold and the price it is being sold for is growing. The official price in the Sarafa market, as announced by the association, is Rs187,200 per tola. But the price at which it is being sold is reportedly higher.
According to Geo, due to the rupee’s depreciation against the US dollar during the present cycle, financial experts and goldsmiths predict that the price of gold may increase to Rs200,000 per tola.
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Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report
The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has released its annual performance report for 2022.
The 15 Emergency Helpline received 2,73,61,000 calls, 32,80,141 cases involving grave concerns, and cases for further action were generated by the dispatch control centre. 1,65,25,000 calls were surprisingly deemed irrelevant.
Police investigators and the Court of Law received 2,004 pieces of audio and video evidence from the Electronic Data Analysis Center.
According to The News, police in Lahore reported 2,34,000 suspicious observations from PSCA’s Operations and Monitoring Center. In addition to recovering 1,230 motorcycles, 30 vehicles, and 27 auto rickshaws and returning them to their owners, the PSCA Lost & Found centre assisted in the recovery of 109 missing people. 3,736 social media pages were reported to LEAs by the Media Management Center.
Additionally, 2,790 campaign messages about road safety, effective use of the 15 emergency helplines, and other topics were carried on official social media pages and radio by MMC, PSCA WebTV, and Radio Safe City 88.6. PSCA is committed to extending its assistance and collaboration to LEAs and any other parties in need as needed. 15 helplines are available for residents to call in case of an emergency or to report criminal activities in the city.
The Safe Cities Authority was crucial to the orderly execution of Ashura, international cricket, and other security tasks in Pakistan this year. This fiscal year, the Safe Cities Authority is attempting to create contemporary centres in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in addition to Lahore and Kasur.
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Flour prices hit record high in Punjab due to inter-provincial smuggling
Owing to increased smuggling of wheat and subsidised flour bags to other provinces, the price of flour in the Punjabi capital increased by Rs5 per kilogramme to Rs140.
Smuggling has exacerbated Punjab’s flour problem, increasing open-market prices to an all-time high. According to sources, the subsidised flour bags were being smuggled into Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkwa at a cost of Rs2,400 each bag.
Prices for 10-kg and 20-kg flour sacks in Lahore have risen to Rs1,400 and Rs2,800, respectively, while Chakki flour has risen to Rs140 per kilogramme, according to Dunya News.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the local administration in Jhang stopped an attempt to smuggle flour bags from a local flour factory, seizing nearly 1,000 20 kg bags from a truck.
According to wheat dealers, the open market price of wheat has risen to Rs4,700 per 40 kg. Furthermore, the rate for a commercial unit of power from 6 pm to 10 pm has risen to a staggering Rs70 to Rs80, severely hurting the economics of grain trading.
Lahore Atta Chakki Owners Association has requested the government to immediately prohibit the inter-provincial movement of wheat and its products in order to halt the ongoing rise in wheat prices.