An elderly widower from Upper Dir was tricked by a conman into marrying a transwoman in return for Rs 150,000 in dowry.
According to reports, 55-year-old Jan Saaz – whose wife had passed away three years ago – met an alleged matchmaker in Peshawar, who promised to find him a bride.
The matchmaker set up Saaz with a transwoman, Sapna, without sharing the details. Meanwhile, he told Sapna that Saaz wanted to marry her knowing that she is gender-neutral. The two got married and on the wedding night, Saaz was shocked when he found out that Sapna was a transwoman. Sapna was also shocked to know that he had not known about her.
The next morning, Saaz dropped Sapna in Peshawar before telling his family about her. He said that he revealed the truth after sending Sapna off fearing that his friends, family and villagers might harm her.
Saaz’s family claimed that they paid the matchmaker Rs 150,000 in cash as dowry and spent another Rs 150,000 on the wedding ceremony. They are planning to register a case against the alleged matchmaker.
It is always a delight to spend the summer in Europe but spending the summer in the European countryside is special. Think bright, sunny mornings, long, warm afternoons by the pool and cool nights under the starlit sky.
This summer I had the chance to spend the summer in Provence, a historical province in southeastern France. The culturally rich province extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. To be honest, my family and I couldn’t have picked a better escape to relax and unwind from the hustle-bustle of our daily lives.
What’s so special about Provence?
Where to stay
Chateau de Goult
Getting around
Places to explore
Goult
Provence Market
Bonnieux
Roussillon
Gordes
Learn how to make French Cuisine
Don’t forget to soak in some Vitamin D.
Just writing this piece has given me a serious case of wanderlust and made me want to go back.
With rising costs of basic necessities, other products which are categorized as “not so necessary,” such as expensive clothes, are taking the back seat. But it appears that fashion brands are oblivious to these shifts in the economy. Why? Because they seem to churn out products that are categorized as affordable but are way out of the average Pakistani woman’s league.
On one hand, we have Generation, which has always prided itself for being inclusive and affordable and on the other, we have Elan, a high-street fashion brand which most people love from afar.
Generation, with their latest campaign featuring teachers, has gotten a few things wrong. For starters, people are unhappy with the prices. The joras are priced between Rs 6500 – 9000. Most school teachers in the country, including those who work in private schools, earn up to Rs 40,000 a month. Given the rising costs of basic necessities, it is unlikely that teachers will have any money left over to splurge on such items.
Social media users also thought the same and many of them commented on Generation’s posts, asking them to rethink their prices and offer discounts to teachers.
When we contacted Generation for their response on the social media backlash, they commented, “We kicked off August with our “Back to College” campaign and the shoot in question, was its extension.”
“Inspired by the nostalgia of college and the fact that a huge part of our customer base is from the teaching profession, we shot the campaign with Naveed Anjum, a college professor herself-who is a regular customer of GENERATION and who herself chose the clothes for this shoot. The blackboard, chalk and the old-school feel of the visuals served to evoke memories of good old classroom days with the teachers who shaped our present.”
They added, “Our casual product price ranges from Rs 1,500 to 9,000 and we chose one of the more sober collections featuring three-piece suits which ranges from Rs 6000 to 9000 but perhaps price should have been centre stage in deciding which collection to feature for the teacher segment. We’ll be more mindful of these things in the future.”
A balanced and well-curated response as one would expect, given their up-to-date marketing and PR teams.
Meanwhile, Khadija Shah of Elan came under fire after she took to Twitter to announce that she is introducing an “unstitched wedding season collection” which will be priced between Rs 18,000 and Rs 20,000.
The trolling that Khadija received, after her tweet, had no end. People called her out for being an elitist who lives in her own bubble.
With all due respect, i cannot afford to spend 20k on a dress. I would rather buy books in that amount and be contented for life. https://t.co/Xm3xwDD7Iv
At the same time, several people stepped forward to defend Khadija.
People giving @khadijah_shah grief over this. She’s explicitly said this is a WEDDING season collection. These are to be worn at WEDDINGS. WEDDING clothes are expensive generally. Unless you want to wear these for the school run… which is baffling. https://t.co/0f8fd5BZGy
Trollling #Elan for her new unstitched collection is UNJUST. I know it to be true how much cost goes into making of such articles. Frankly the bling COSTS !! If you can’t afford it just don’t buy it ! Nazi proletariat needs to get real ! @khadijah_shah
Khadija also tried to reason and explain the logic behind the high prices. She said that because of the depreciating rupee, the cost of raw materials and production has increased.
A student of Bahria University Islamabad passed away after falling from the fourth floor of the university building.
The deceased, 23-year-old Haleema Amin, was a bachelors student in her second semester at Bahria University. According to the police and hospital staff, she fell from the fourth floor of a new university block which is currently under construction.
The hospital staff claimed that the Haleema was conscious when she was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in the afternoon by university staff, including a doctor.
She had suffered multiple fractures including her backbone and was kept under observation and provided treatment. However, she passed away in the afternoon around 4:30 pm. The staff added that her body was later taken from the hospital by the same people who brought her to Pims.
Meanwhile, the Margalla police said they found out about the incident when the woman was brought to the hospital. They said they were told she fell off the building while taking a selfie.
The police said that the university did not allow them to investigate the scene of the accident and said that they would inform the police later and submit a report in this regard.
The police also shared that the woman’s family has yet to be approached for legal action, and her body is not with the police or the hospital. They said legal action will be taken, including an autopsy, if a complaint is lodged with the police.
Meanwhile, students of Bahria University said that their colleague passed away due to negligence by the university. They said that some of their classes were being held on the fourth floor of a new university block which is currently under construction and Haleem fell because of no proper fencing.
The students took to social media and the streets to protest against the university for being negligent and hiding the facts of the case and are demanding justice for their friend.
A student just told us: “ACs are also not working, and not a single water cooler is in BS(business school) department. They lack all the General facilities”. #BahriaUniversity#Islamabad
Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazaari also took notice of the incident and asked Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood to institute an inquiry.
Apart from shocking calousness on how we treat our students, why did the Uni not clearly have warning signs in this building? why were students allowed access to a building not fully constructed? Even more disturbing is the way the Uni authorities behaved after accident happened.
at the very least this is a case of criminal negligence – Bahria University must be held responsible. It shd come under federal jurisdiction so HEC & Min of Ed @Shafqat_Mahmood must institute an indep inquiry with a time frame to see where responsibility must be laid
So that criminal negligence proceedings can be instituted according to the law. No one can be above the law and we cannot keep treating our children with such fatal callousness. #JusticeForHaleema
A mother-of-four is warning others against kissing their newborns during the flu season after her own son barely survived a severe respiratory infection.
Ariana DiGrigorio’s son Antonio caught the flu when he was still an infant.
For two months, they could not figure out why the symptoms persisted. Antonio was then diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Ariana shared a heart-wrenching photo of son in the hospital with all manner of supportive and monitoring tubes and wires coming from his tiny body on Facebook, urging parents to keep their babies away from relatives’ kisses, for the infants’ good.
RSV is a common viral infection but for the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and especially babies, the virus can be dangerous.
Most instances of pneumonia and bronchitis in infants are triggered by RSV.
Antonio pulled through, but it was a terrifying time for the DiGrigorio family. Antonio finally pulled through.
‘Don’t be the reason a baby is hospitalized (or dead) because the baby was “just so cute I had to kiss her!”‘ Ariana wrote in a Facebook post that was shared over 2,500 times.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to bring beauty parlours, bakeries, grocery stores, and all other retail outlets under an Invoice Monitoring System to check their tax and to ensure that no sales tax theft is taking place at these stores.
As per reports, the FBR is going to launch its pilot project in Islamabad from next month. Under the plan, the Invoice Monitoring System will be installed at all commercial beauty parlours, bakeries, and grocery stores in the capital to record their actual sales. The project would gradually be extended across the country after its trial launch.
The system works in a manner that whenever concerned outlets issue a copy of the invoice to a customer, an electronic copy will reach the linked FBR office. This will help the bureau keep a track of the actual sales and the amount of sales tax charged on each bill.
The FBR officials expressed satisfaction over the system and hoped that it will help increase the revenue collection.
Most parlours and grocery stores already charge tax so it is unlikely that the prices will be increased. However, this system will ensure that the tax you’ve paid reaches the relevant authorities and is not stolen along the way.
Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) Punjab Chairperson Sarah Ahmad on Tuesday announced that Zainab Ansari’s father Amin Ansari is being appointed as the focal person for child abuse in the Kasur district. According to details, the father of the six-year-old – who was raped and killed in January 2018 – volunteered himself for the task.
Zainab’s case had sparked countrywide outrage and protests and her perpetrator Imran Ali was executed nine months after her death.
We are appointing Zainab’s father as focal person for child abuse (voluntary) in Kasur district. pic.twitter.com/ujhBZCirkE
The bureau, on the directives of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, has launched a campaign in Kasur to raise awareness regarding child sexual abuse. According to the chairperson, this is the “first time that the government has started a campaign in Kasur.” Previously only NGOs were the only ones working on the ground to tackle the problem of child abuse in the area.
This is the first time that the govt has started Campaign in Kasur. Previously only ngos were doing. Within this week committees at UC level comprising of professionals legal officers etc will be ready to go in the field InshAllah.
Though the bureau had established a small outreach centre at the TMA Hall in early 2018, after Zainab’s case, the centre had not been equipped properly and largely depended on the Lahore head office.
The development comes days after the remains of three minor boys, whom police suspect were raped and murdered, were found in Kasur’s Chunian Tehsil. According to the police, two children were reported missing in August while a third had gone missing earlier this month. On the indication of a local worker, police found the body of one of the boys and the skeletal remains of the other two at a deserted place in Chunian Industrial Estate area. Residents in Chunian says that five children had gone missing in recent months. The remains of four have now been found.
Investigators claim that the heinous crimes have been committed by a single person as suggested by the result of the samples taken from the body of one of the victims, Faizan. The police have so far detained 20 suspects from Chunian, while the samples of over 950 others have also been collected for DNA tests.
The discovery of the bodies had led to violent protests after which the government including Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident.
In recent years, Kasur has garnered international attention for being a hotspot for child abuse and pornography.
Roads of Jatlan town in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) collapsed after a strong earthquake jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday evening.
As per the details, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore among other parts of northern and central Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and AJK.
According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.
People of the areas where the quake was felt, rushed out of their homes and offices in panic reciting Quranic verses.
At least three people were killed and 50 others injured after roads in Mirpur collapsed due to the intensity of the quake. Several vehicles, including passenger buses, were also seen falling and getting stuck in the massive cracks.
An earthquake of high intensity jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday, injuring over 50 people.
According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), tremors measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore among other parts of northern and central Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
People of the areas where the quake was felt, rushed out of their homes and offices in panic reciting Quranic verses. At least 50 people were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals in Mirpur.
The epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.
In a photo shared by his son on Twitter, President Dr Arif Alvi has been spotted picking up trash on his hiking trip with family in Changla Gali mountain resort town of Galyat.
According to the details, the president was seen collecting garbage in a trash bag and then disposing it of in a bin by the side of a road.
“During our treks, we usually take trash bags, but accidentally forgot them, next time will do more [sic],” the president’s son, Awab Alvi, wrote and added that Pakistanis should “behave like responsible tourists when they visit such beautiful places in the country”.
Sad to see tourist take a trek & enjoy a picnic but leave plastic bottles all over the trail – we tried to pick as many as we can pic.twitter.com/QrvroNpFJh
