STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the Rangers were being called in Punjab for 60 days to maintain law and order in the province. The decision comes after recent clashes with the banned outfit. 

What happened? TLP rejects any negotiations: Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) leader Syed Sarwar Shah Saifi said, “Sheikh Rasheed lied yesterday that matters have been resolved. He also lied about contact [with us] at 8 pm — from them till now no government official, including Sheikh, has contacted [us].”

Saifi said the demands would increase if more blood was spilt and the nation would be “rid of this dishonest, lying and hypocritical government”. He said it would be better if the agreement was abided by and TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was released so the group could go back. 

Previously, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that the negotiations were going well but he said that the govt cannot expel the French ambassador as demanded by the TLP. 

Fawad’s statement: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry in a hard-hitting press conference on TLP ongoing protests, said, “No one has the guts to blackmail the state.”

“TLP will be treated as a militant party and not a political party in Pakistan. Other institutions [in Pakistan] should also realise their role in this matter. It is the duty of all the institutions to fulfil their duty in this regard,” he said.

He called TLP a terrorist organisation.  

This situation is getting worse day by day. I hope this matter resolves soon without any bloodshed. 
 

Saudi Arabia has agreed to revive its financial support to Pakistan, including about $3 billion in safe deposits and $1.2bn to $1.5bn worth of oil supplies on deferred payments. 

PM Khan’s gratitude Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman for supporting Pakistan with the deposit in the State Bank of Pakistan extending the oil facility on deferred payment.

The news came after PM Khan’s three visit to Saudi Arabia, where he went to attend the launch ceremony of the Middle East Green Initiative Summit in Riyadh.

How would this help? The facility is expected to help Pakistan convince the International Monetary Fund  (IMF) about its financing plan.

   Indian college suspends 3 Kashmiri students for praising Pakistan players on WhatsApp

Three students of occupied Kashmir have been suspended by an Indian college in Agra for posting a WhatsApp status celebrating Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 World Cup on Sunday. 

Details: The students — Arsheed Yousef, Inayat Altaf Sheikh, Showkat Ahmed Ganai — from Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical Campus in Bichpuri, were suspended by the college. 

The college referred to it as an act of “indiscipline” to praise Pakistani players following the victory. 

Other cases: In another incident, several Kashmiri students were beaten up by students of UP and Bihar in Punjab’s Sangrur. The attackers claimed the Kashmiris were supporting the Pakistan team.

And a couple of days ago, two cases under the tough anti-terror law were filed against medical students in Srinagar who celebrated India’s defeat. 

What was trending? 

 1.#PakvsNz

 Pakistan beat Kiwis on Tuesday by 5 wickets. 

2. #ShoaibAkhtar

The former cricketer was trending after he resigned on air from PTV due to a heated argument with anchor Dr Nauman Niaz.

3.#PakvsNewzealand

It seems like Pakistanis are still celebrating this victory.

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 I can see a lot of mood swings today.

STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

The notification that everyone has been waiting for has finally been issued by PM Khan.

Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum has been appointed as the new DG ISI and will take charge on November 20.
 
The notification came after Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Imran Khan for a meeting.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, while speaking at a press conference about the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP), said: “We cannot expel the French ambassador as demanded by the TLP.”

“We accept all other conditions of the banned TLP. They promised us that they will open all blocked roads but we are waiting for them to open the routes,” said Rasheed, adding that the only issue between the government and TLP is the French ambassador matter. “Otherwise we don’t have any reservations with their conditions.”

“TLP’s demand of expelling the French Ambassador has a lot of complications attached to it. We are the largest nuclear force in the Islamic world. The world is conspiring to sanction us,” said Rasheed.

Federal Shariat Court declares ‘compensation marriages’ to resolve disputes un-Islamic

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Noor Mohammad Meskenzai, observed that the tradition of giving away a minor girl to settle disputes was against the teachings of Islam, Malik Asad reports for Dawn.

Taking up a petition filed by Sakeena Bibi, the bench held that Ulema had come to an agreement that vani, or swara, was against the teachings of Islam.

What is Swara?Swara is a tradition where girls, often minors, are given for marriage or servitude to a distressed family as compensation to solve disputes, often murder. It is a punishment decided by a jirga (group of tribal elders).

What was trending? 

1.#PakvsNz

It was the top trending hashtag on Pakistani Twitter yesterday.

2.#HarisRauf

Haris Rauf was trending as he performed exceptionally well against NZ.

3. #AsifAli

Asif Ali was also trending because of his amazing batting performance. 

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STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, while speaking at a press conference about the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) protests in the country, stated that he found the party’s leader Saad Hussain Rizvi “more cooperative” than others. 

He said that the government has reached an understanding, and negotiations with the banned organisation are going well. In the press conference, he shared an agreement between the government and the TLP, which will be presented in the National Assembly (NA) as per the minister.

About Rizvi’s release:The minister said, “A lot of other people insist on freeing him right now. Decisions cannot be taken right now. There is a legal process that we will follow. We will talk to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan [who is currently in Saudi Arabia] after his return.”

Background: Earlier, the federal government announced that the cases against the TLP workers would be withdrawn by Wednesday (Oct 27) and assured them that the authorities would also oversee the charges imposed under the fourth schedule.
Under the Fourth Schedule, the suspects of terrorism and sectarianism are placed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
In a tweet, Rasheed said, “We have released 350 TLP workers up to now.”

Casualties during the protests: Because of last week’s protest in Lahore, three policemen were martyred in clashes with TLP while the banned organisation had claimed that their 500 workers were injured.

What happened? Shami, who is the only Muslim player in India’s playing XI, has been on the receiving end of abuse on social media after India lost to Pakistan on Sunday. The Indian player is being subjected to abuse on the basis of his religion, with people accusing him of being a traitor.

Irfan’s statement: After these online attacks, former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan came to Shami’s defence.

“Even I was part of IndvsPak battles on the field where we have lost but never been told to go to Pakistan! I’m talking about of a few years back. THIS CRAP NEEDS TO STOP,” he wrote in a tweet.

Shami in PakvsInd match:The match finished in the 18th over, which was bowled by Shami. He gave 43 runs in 3.5 overs.

  The Facebook Papers may be the biggest crisis in the company’s history

According to CNN, Facebook has confronted whistleblowers, PR firestorms and Congressional inquiries in recent years. But now it faces a combination of all three at once in what could be the most intense and wide-ranging crisis in the company’s 17-year history.

Last week, a consortium of 17 US news organisations began publishing a series of stories collectively called “The Facebook Papers”, based on a trove of hundreds of internal company documents, which were included in disclosures made to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Woah! This is a big problem.

Check out the story to see what they found. 

What was trending? 

 1.#PakvsIndia

 The match is over but the excitement is still there. Since Sunday night, the hashtag has been trending on number one. 

2.#MaukaMauka

Pakistani fans are over the moon as ‘Mauka Mauka’ ads are officially over after India’s loss. Oops! 

3.#BabarAzam

Captain Babar Azam was trending for his marvelous performance in the match. 

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STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

Jam Kamal Khan has stepped down as the Balochistan chief minister on Sunday evening.

“Jam Kamal Khan has submitted his resignation to the Governor of Balochistan Syed Zahoor Ahmad Agha,” a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Paind Khan Kharoti said.

The resignation was accepted by Governor Agha, it added.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said that the government will withdraw cases against workers of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) by Tuesday. 

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Rasheed said that the government will also oversee the charges imposed under the fourth schedule. 

He stated that it is not the government’s job to clash with religious parties but its responsibility is to resolve matters in an amicable manner. “Under no circumstances does the government want to go against religious parties.” 

Rasheed added that he had a one-on-one conversation with TLP chief Saad Rizvi and the negotiations turned out to be successful. He said the talks with the TLP lasted more than eight hours, hoping that situation will return to normalcy soon. 

 
Update on TLP dharna: 

Earlier on Sunday, the TLP decided to convert their march towards Islamabad into a sit-in till their demands are met after successful negotiations with the government. 

Serious, capable, trustworthy team needed to take Pakistan out of quagmire: Shehbaz 

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that a “serious, capable and trustworthy” team is needed to govern the country to take it out of the quagmire it is in. 

The statement was quoted by PML-N on their official  Twitter account. 

Shehbaz said that delaying the ouster of the incumbent government would be a “gross injustice with the country and nation”. 

“It has been proved that this government is unable to resolve the issues of the country and nation. Further delay [in ousting the government] is a serious injustice with the country and nation,” read the post. 
 

What was trending? 

1.#PakvsIndia

It was the top trending hashtag on Pakistani Twitter yesterday, and we know why  

2.#BabarAzam

Babar Azam was trending on Pakistani Twitter as he performed exceptionally well in yesterday’s match.

3. #T20WorldCup2021

Pakistani Twitter was all about cricket yesterday.

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It will be a lazy Monday.

STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

In a statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the spokesperson stated that “no such understanding was in place”. The statement said that Pakistan and the United States (US) have longstanding cooperation on regional security and counter-terrorism and the two sides remain engaged in regular consultations.

Background: 

A report published by CNN suggested that the US administration is nearing an agreement with Pakistan to use its airspace to conduct military and intelligence operations in Afghanistan.

Remember? In an interview, Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan Imran Khan said that Pakistan would absolutely not allow the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use bases on its soil for cross-border counter-terrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan is in Saudi for a three-day visit to attend the launch ceremony of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit in the capital Riyadh, announced the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan.

What is going to take place there? At the MGI event, the prime minister will share his perspective on the challenges faced by developing countries due to climate change, PMO statement said.

PM Khan will also participate in an event for the promotion of investment in Pakistan and interact with leading investors and businessmen from Saudi Arabia and the Pakistani diaspora, read the official statement.

Click the button below to find out more about his visit. 

  ‘No hugs, caressing, bed scenes’ in dramas, directs Pemra

Oops! What the…? The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a warning to all satellite channels to refrain from airing caress and hug scenes in Pakistani dramas in a recent notification. 

The notifications reads: “All Satellite TV channels are hereby directed to refrain from airing caress/ hug scenes in dramas and properly review the content of the dramas through In-House Monitoring Committee and edit/ amend the same by giving due consideration to above reservations and apprehension of the viewers.”

I wonder what PEMRA thinks about the abusive and slapping scenes on TV? Why are those not given any consideration?

What was trending? 

 1.#PakVsInd

 It was the top trending hashtag yesterday as both the teams will be facing each other today.

2.#ENGvWI

 This hashtag was trending on Pakistani Twitter because WI lost to England in T20 world cup match.

3.#TLPDharna

 This hashtag was trending in relevance to TLP’s march towards Islamabad.

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STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced on Thursday that Pakistan will continue to remain on its increased monitoring list or grey list. 

FATF President Dr Marcus Pleyer:  
While announcing the decision, FATF said that Pakistan’s government had the 34-point action plan of which 30 items have been addressed.

Turkey also joins Pakistan: 
Turkey has also been put on the grey list along with Jordan and Mali.

The foreign minister went on a one-day visit to Kabul yesterday where he held a meeting with Afghanistan’s Interim Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund. This is the foreign minister’s first visit to Kabul since the Taliban took over in August. 

“Pakistan is determined to help Afghan brethren on humanitarian grounds. He said Pakistan wants to enhance bilateral trade with Afghanistan,” FM Qureshi said during the meeting with Akhund. 

The diplomat said visa facilities to Afghan citizens, especially the business community, opening up of new border points, and facilitating movement were steps taken by Pakistan to facilitate the people of Afghanistan. 

“Pakistan resolves to play a constructive role, in collaboration with Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, for peace and stability in the region,” the FM expressed. 

Views were also exchanged on matters of bilateral interest, enhancing cooperation in the economic sector, including trade and commerce, as well as various options to bring the Afghan people out of the economic crisis. 

PPP leader Khursheed Shah granted bail, name to be placed on ECL 

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah was granted bail by the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan yesterday in the assets beyond means case, reports Geo News. 

The court has directed Shah to submit bail bonds worth Rs10 million as the surety against his bail and ordered that his name be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL). 

Justice Umar Bandial, who chaired the hearing of Shah’s bail plea, also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to continue its investigations but not keep Shah permanently in jail. 

Why and when was he arrested? NAB had arrested Khursheed Shah on September 18, 2019, accusing him of allotting himself an amnesty plot illegally from a cooperative society in Sukkur. 

NAB also accused Shah of acquiring assets worth some Rs700 million in the names of his front-men through illegally acquired money. 

What was trending? 

1.#QuestioningIsNotHarassment

This hashtag was started by the official Twitter account of PTI, asking social media users to mention the names of the journalists who have blocked them for ‘questioning’. journalists. 

  #2 کل_تک_معاہدہ_پوراکرو

This hashtag contained tweets of TLP workers, who are demanding the release of Saad Rizvi.

 3.#asmashirazi

Asma Shirazi was trending because people were tweeting their support with the journalist after a targeted campaign was started against her.

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STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

According to Geo News, a no-confidence motion against Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal has been tabled in the Balochistan Assembly. 

According to the report, BAP spokesperson Abdul Rehman Khetran presented the no-confidence motion before the assembly. Of the 65 lawmakers present in the assembly, 33 backed the vote of no-confidence against CM Kamal.

Arguments against CM Jam Kamal: Addressing the session, Khetran demanded the release of the five missing lawmakers with immediate effect and said that the assembly has lost its confidence in Kamal.

“We demand Jam Kamal immediately step down from the post of the chief minister,” Khetran said. “Due to his poor governance, the province had to witness hopelessness, disrepute, and unemployment, while the performance of different departments was also adversely affected.”

Jam Kamal’s statement: Prior to the assembly session, CM Jam Kamal spoke to the media and said that he is confident of the outcome of the no-trust motion, adding that the Opposition wants to create discord among government members.

Praising his rule as the chief minister of the province, Jam Kamal said that he has “worked hard to establish peace and harmony in the province”, therefore, he would not let the Opposition spoil his accomplishment. 

Finally some relief for the awaam. Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a meeting of the ruling party’s members on Wednesday to discuss the petroleum prices’ issue.

The premier has directed relevant authorities to draft a petrol subsidy plan for the low-income segment, as per Geo’s report. 
The plan to provide low-cost petrol to motorcycles, rickshaws and public transport owners will be presented next week.

What else? Sources informed Geo News that during the meeting, it was decided to form committees at the district level to reduce inflation.
It was also decided that targeted subsidies will also be provided to low-income people through utility stores.

Governor Sindh Imran Ismail confirmed that the relevant authorities have been directed to make a plan to provide subsidised petrol to low-income groups.

‘I am ashamed’: Shireen Mazari responds to daughter’s tweet on PTI govt

Oops! Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari’s daughter, Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in a tweet yesterday.

Exchange of tweets:  “If the country was to be run by magic, then why is the money of this nation being wasted on such a large cabinet,” Imaan tweeted.

Shireen Mazari responded to her daughter’s tweet for criticising the government without any proof. “I am ashamed you would resort to such low personalised unsubstantiated attacks esp since as a lawyer u should know without any proof hurling such accusations is defamation. When all substantive issue-based criticism fails this level of a base personal attack is plain shameful,” the minister tweeted.

What was trending? 

 1.#PAKvSA

Yesterday, Pakistan and South Africa played a T20 World Cup warm-up match. Fakhar Zaman performed really well by scoring five sixes. 

2. #asmashirazi

People expressed their solidarity with journalist Asma Shirazi and condemned PTI’s attacks on Asma. The ruling party’s official Twitter account shared a video and directly attacked her. In the video, Nawaz Sharif can be seen having a conversation with Asma, which took place during a telephonic press conference prior to his arrest in 2018. 

3.    #Hafeez

People were praising cricketer Mohammad Hafeez for his performance in T20 World Cup. 

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STORIES YOU CAN’T MISS… 

The federal government has issued a notice to increase the price of petrol by Rs10.49 per litre. Apart from this, the price of high speed diesel (HSD) has been increased by Rs12.44 per litre.

The prices of kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO) have increased by Rs10.95 and Rs8.84 per litre respectively. The new price of kerosene is Rs110.26 per litre and that of LDO is Rs108.35 per litre. 

Price hike is ‘a calamity’ for people: MaryamPML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz lashed out at the price increase, calling it a “calamity” that had fallen on the people like a “lightning bolt”.

“When petrol and diesel become expensive, then your electricity, wheat, bread, vegetables and everything become expensive,” she explained.

On a lighter note, social media users did not lose the opportunity to start a meme fest following the news.People are complaining about inflation but speaking at a press conference in Washington, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said that other items, including oil, are becoming more expensive all over the world and the reason why this is happening is not known.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued notices to the Punjab government, chief secretary, and inspector general ordering them to submit a report on Punjab police’s “discriminatory” actions toward transgender people.

“Articles 4, 18, and 25 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, provide a shield against any kind of discrimination especially in respect to a job or profession to earn a livelihood but the act of the respondents not to permit transgender persons to compete with the other applicants offends against the said provisions of the Constitution,” the court observed.
Sira Ashi, a transgender woman from Lahore, filed a court suit against the police earlier this month. She claimed that despite meeting all conditions, the Punjab police have been “discriminatory” in their treatment of transgender people by refusing to hire them.

Apple worker says she was fired after leading movement against harassment

An Apple employee who led fellow workers in publicly sharing instances of what they called harassment and discrimination at the company said on Thursday that she had been fired.

Janneke Parrish, an Apple program manager, said the iPhone maker informed her on Thursday that she had been terminated for deleting material on company equipment while she was under investigation over the leaking of a company town hall to media. She told Reuters that she had not leaked it.
 

What was trending? 

1.#PetrolPrice

It was the top trending hashtag on Pakistani Twitter as petrol price was increased.

2. #MatricResult2021

The matric result was announced yesterday.

3. #ListenToWaqarZaka

This hashtag, which looked like a paid trend, contained tweets requesting PM Khan not to ban crypto in Pakistan. 

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CURRENT BABA’S WISDOM FOR TODAY 

Opportunities will find your way today.