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Good Morning, *|MERGE1|*. It’s April 8. Hello, Subscriber. I hope you are having a great week. Yesterday, Urooj did this crazy story about this woman who finds out that her son’s bride is her long-lost daughter but here comes the twist. The mother revealed that she had adopted the boy after giving up on all hope of finding her daughter. Pakistan won the ODI series against SA.? It’s going to be a sunny day again.   Laila-The Current  MORNING MEME   Jemima calls out Imran Khan So, in an interesting turn of events, Jemima — our Prime minister Imran Khan’s ex-wife — has schooled him about women’s rights in Islam.  Jemima took to her Twitter account to share a news report about Imran Khan’s comments about rape while quoting an ayat along which she wrote ‘The Onus is on men’.  Read On NA body approves bill seeking criminal proceedings against anyone defaming military A bill seeking criminal proceedings against anyone who defames the military, has been approved by National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior.  The bill, under which the said act is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of Rs500,000 or both, will now be presented before the lower house of parliament.   Read On  Drama Review The Current Top 5 ki iss episode main Saman and Ashar discussed last episode of Chalawa is ke ilwa they discussed weak characters like Ammar and Junaid from Qarar and Rakshi from Pehli SiM Muhabbat.  Watch the review for the rundown on last week’s dramas and which ones you should be watching.     Watch Iffat Omar promises to get 10 people vaccinated ?  Iffat Omar has promised to get 10 people vaccinated after jumping queue to get vaccinated herself at Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema’s residence in Lahore. The model-turned-actor also admitted her fault and apologised for her actions after receiving a barrage of criticism and backlash.      Read On ‘Mrs Sri Lanka’ injured after ‘Mrs World’ snatches crown  Beauty queen Pushpika De Silva won the ‘Mrs Sri Lanka’ title at a ceremony on Sunday. Moments after the crown was placed on her head, the 2019 winner seized Mrs De Silva’s crown, claiming she could not be awarded the title because she was divorced.  Though the judges had announced Ms De Silva the 2021 winner at the final in a theatre in Colombo, the 2019 winner, Caroline Jurie, stripped Mrs De Silva of her crown, citing a pageant rule that competitors must be married and not divorced.    Read On On this day: 8 April DELHI PACT    On this day, the Nehru-Liaquat Pact made in 1950, following the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) after economic relations between the two countries had been severed in December 1949. Current Baba’s prediction  You will get to spend quality time with your family today. HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE.    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam. Here’s how:  Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.” If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy. And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you  Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend   Copyright © 2020 Instant Morning Current, All rights reserved.

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It’s Tuesday, April 6, *|MERGE1|* and here’s hoping it’s a great one! ?Two of our team members got vaccinated today! They are both doing well and had minimal side effects: they can’t stop talking about it and how smooth the process was but had one important point: Eat a good meal before you get the vaccine since it might cause nausea and a drop in blood pressure. Rain is expected in Quetta today and it will be sunny in other cities!   Laila-The Current  MORNING MEME   NCOC to meet today?   The National Command Operation Center will have a special session today to review the opening of educational institutions and also decide Ramzan SOPs for corona precautions. Does General Bajwa want CM Buzdar out?   Senior journalist Najam Sethi has claimed that Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently “summoned” six cabinet members of the ruling PTI and put forth three topics for “some plain talking”.  Sethi claimed that the removal of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief ministers, and the need for the federal government to constitute a more efficient and credible team “at least for putting the economy on track”, was also discussed.  Read On  Maulana Fazl aur Imran Khan mein dosti? Yeh kya Fazl sahib? Bye, bye Maryam and BBZ, Khan is my new best friend?  In an unforeseen turn of events, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl has joined hands with PM Khan’s PTI in Larkana to give the PPP a tough time in its stronghold, a private media outlet has reported.  However, the media report isn’t entirely true as brother of the JUI-F chief, Senator Attaur Rehman, has rubbished the same in conversation with The Current.  Read On Twitter angry over de Kock’s fake fielding trick    Fakhar Zaman, who played one of the best innings in the history of the 50-over game, fell to a cheeky run out trick initiated by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock on the second one-day international of the three-match series.  Just before getting ‘out’, when he was on his way to making a double-century, de Kock ‘tricked’ him into getting out. The incident has sparked outrage on social media and the ‘spirit of cricket’ has been summoned in the form of a Twitter debate. Also check out what other cricketers and experts have to say on the matter. Read On Tiktokers Zulqarnain, Kanwal Aftab tie the knot  Pakistani TikTok stars Kanwal Aftab and Zulqarnain Sikandar tied the knot in an intimate ceremony.   While the bride opted for a white and gold outfit for the nikkah, the groom looked elegant in white shalwar kameez and a red waistcoat.  Check the story for pictures and videos  Read On On this day: 6 April PAKISTAN MISSILE TEST  On this day, in 1998 Pakistan carried out a successful flight test of the surface-to-surface Ghauri missile with a range of 1,500 kilometers. It was fired from Malute, near the city of Jhelum, and impacted the target near the southwestern city of Quetta. Ha Current Baba’s prediction  Aaj dil ki bajaye dimaagh se sochein, warna you can get into some trouble! HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE.    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam. Here’s how:  Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.” If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy. And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you  Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend   Copyright © 2020 Instant Morning Current, All rights reserved.

In what would be damning for not only the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but also key Punjab players among others, sugar baron Jahangir Khan Tareen is likely to soon join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

According to PPP senior leader Shehla Raza, Tareen has met JDW chairperson and veteran PPP politician Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood.

“Next week he will also meet former president Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi. I believe during this meeting he will announce quitting the PTI and joining the PPP along with his companions,” she tweeted.

Tareen, a former aide and close friend of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, has been at odds with the premier ever since the government went after him and his family members during the sugar crisis probe.

The development comes days after registration of cases against Tareen and his son by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was reported.

If Tareen does join the PPP, it could mean a severe blow to the PTI in Punjab where it is said to be in power only due to the support Tareen garnered for incumbent Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.

The claims, however, have reportedly been rubbished by Tareen.

He was quoted by journalist Adil Shahzeb.

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Hey, *|MERGE1|*. It is April 4th.  The Ministry of Science and Technology has announced that Ramzan will begin from April 14 so we only have 10 days left. Coming Ramzan feels similar to the last one; we were in lockdown then and we are in lockdown again, but as the vaccination process is speeding up, we can see light at the end of the tunnel. This Ramzan along with religious obligations, I’m also going to focus on my own character development and work on my toxic traits, especially those that affect others, and ahem, also eat less fried items. What are your goals for this Ramzan?  ? It will by sunny and breezy in most cities of Pakistan, with a sandstorm expected in Quetta.  ? Happy Sunday!   Laila-The Current  MORNING MEME    No plan to privatise PIA The National Assembly (NA) was informed on Friday that there is no plan to privatise any of the assets of national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).   Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said this during the question hour while speaking on the floor of the House. He said that the present government is very keen to make the national flag carrier self-reliant and a profitable entity. Efforts are underway to improve the financial health of the airline by reducing its losses through various means. He also said that loss-making routes have been closed and flights on profitable routes have been added, which has resulted in reduction of losses.  Do you think PIA should be privatised?    Read On Incumbent government fails to control inflation ahead of Ramzan The Consumer Price Index (CPI) witnessed a new round of inflation (increase in prices of goods and services) up to 9.1 per cent from 8.7 per cent in February.  Inflation took place primarily due to price increase in food items, clothing and footwear, say the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).  Non-food items also witnessed a price hike due to higher energy rates in Pakistan. Due to the shortage of production, at the beginning of the current Fiscal Year (FY), inflation stood at 9.3pc in July that eased down to 8.2pc.  While all of this becomes super hard to understand, it basically means we can’t afford what we could. We’re all becoming more vegetable lovers now since meat is so expensive. Right? Read On  Metal objects from the sky? If 2021 could not get any stranger, metal objects fell from the sky in Karachi.   I just hope it has nothing to do with the aliens. According to details, eyewitnesses said that heavy objects fell at three different areas in Pak Colony and the Site area. A grave at Mayo Shah Cemetery and roofs of three houses were damaged by the metal pieces.   Authorities have sent the heavy iron objects for an analysis and the situation will be clear after they have been investigated.   Read On Sunday Super Star | Malaika Zahid?  Malaika Zahid, a teenage boxer from Balochistan, fought against all odds to chase her dreams. Malaika is the recipient of many national awards. Listen to this week’s Sunday Superstar’s story to know how she convinced her mother and other relatives, through her determination and hard work.  Watch  The Duke of Hastings will not be returning for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2  THIS broke our hearts! Regé-Jean Page will not return for the second season of record-breaking Regency romance Bridgerton, Netflix said Friday, prompting howls of despair from fans of the dashing Duke of Hastings.  Read On On this day: 4 April ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO’S EXECUTION  On this day, 38 years ago in 1979, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed after being deposed in a military coup by his appointed army chief Zia-ul-Haq. He was hanged before dawn at the Rawalpindi jail for the alleged murder of a political foe.  Current Baba’s prediction  An unexpected gift could arrive today HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE.    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam. Here’s how:  Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.” If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy. And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you  Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend   Copyright © 2020 Instant Morning Current, All rights reserved.

Yesterday there were 3,568 Covid-19 patients in critical care in Pakistan, tweeted Asad Umar.

“This is the highest number since covid started.”

The Sindh government has also decided to suspend physical classes till grade 8 of all schools — public and private— for 15 days starting from April 6.

Last month, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood had announced that all educational institutions will remain closed till April 11 in all districts where corona positivity and infectivity rate was high. According to a report in Dawn, a total of 19,367 under-18 children have tested positive for the coronavirus in Punjab so far. A large number of recent cases amongst minors and teenagers have contracted the UK-variant in the past three months.

The third wave of coronavirus in Pakistan is turning out to be extremely dangerous. It is indeed spreading like wildfire across the country. NCOC recently banned wedding functions — both indoor and outdoor — from April 5 onwards in areas with a three-day rolling average of an 8 per cent positivity ratio. Many cities now have a high positivity rate. The UK government has now banned entry of passengers from Pakistan from April 9.

The government’s vaccination programme for people above the age of 50 has been launched across the country. The Punjab government has launched a mobile vaccination service for senior citizens aged above 80 years and for differently-abled persons aged above 50 in four cities. Media reports say that while the government’s vaccination programme is going on smoothly, around 1,400 doses of the vaccine donated by China have either been administered to people out of turn or have went missing from three state-run hospitals in Lahore. Hopefully, such scams will stop now that private vaccines are also for sale.

Privately-imported Russian vaccine Sputnik V is now available in a few cities in the country, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The cost of the vaccine has been fixed at Rs 12,268 for two doses. Some facilities are charging an additional amount to administer the vaccine. Those who are above the age of 18 can get the private vaccine if they can afford it. We hope that those who can afford it will get the vaccine and others who qualify for the government’s vaccine programme will also get vaccinated at the earliest.

The pandemic is not going anywhere anytime soon. Despite this, we have seen how people are flouting SOPs. Markets are crowded with people who are not wearing masks and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SOPs violations. This can be dangerous. We must all act in a responsible manner and continue to follow SOPs — even after being vaccinated. This is the least that we can do.

A woman on Sunday asked Prime Minister Imran Khan the question that many have only been desiring too amid harsh economic conditions.

“Ghabrana nahi hai [do not panic],” the premier has time and again said since taking reins of the country, promising the nation of better days if they stay strong during the journey to “Naya Pakistan”.

However, people have been, for a long time now, being taking digs at the government and dragging the very popular phrase through the mud as they lose faith in the incumbent government’s ability to bring change.

“The situation is worsening by the minute. Inflation is out of control. Should we run our households or pay for our kids’ education?” a woman asked PM Imran on live call during an interactive session with the public.

She went on to say that Ramzan was just around the corner and rupee was also strengthening against the dollar but the people had been provider no relief.

“Please fulfil your promises or allow us to panic,” she said, leaving the premier cracking.

Seemingly controlling his laughter, PM Imran, in response, said that controlling inflation was the topmost priority of the government.

Addressing the caller by her name, he said, “Ambreen, you need not be frightened [over inflation] because the government is working towards tackling this problem.”

—

When asked by another caller what the government plans to do in the light of rising incidents of rape and sexual violence, especially against children, he said there were some fights that governments and legislation alone couldn’t win and needed the society’s help.

He said it was important for societies to protect themselves against vulgarity and the situation was much worse than what made its way to media. He said when he went to the UK, during the ’70s to play cricket, the “sex, drugs and rock n roll” culture was taking off.

The premier added nowadays, divorce rates “have gone up by as much as 70% due to vulgarity in that society”.

He said the whole concept of modesty in Islam has a purpose to it which is to “keep temptation in check”.

The premier spoke about how Bollywood followed the trends of Hollywood and now, the “same is happening there”, explaining why he brought the show Ertugrul to Pakistani screens.

Earlier, he said prices of vegetables and other food items were on the rise as the farmers who supplied them wanted their products to be sold at high prices in the market.

“The middlemen are making a lot of money from this,” he said.

The PM said his government was working towards an ingenuous solution through which they are aiming to connect the primary producers of these items to the final consumers.

He said the masses will see the positive effects of the rupee strengthening against the US dollar, adding that the local currency’s performance had already led to a decline in prices of diesel.

The premier spoke against “hoarders and mafias”, saying they were responsible for the hoarding of necessary food items in the country.

“For the first time, we are going after mafias in Pakistan,” he said. “The FIA completed its inquiry for the first time to bring to everyone’s knowledge how a few people hoard basic food items so their prices skyrocket and they make profits out of it,” he said.

He also revealed the government was working towards revolutionising the agriculture sector so Pakistan is self-sufficient in basic food items and other products.

During the broadcast, the premier also spoke of his government’s determination to root out corruption, shared details of upcoming education and health sector reforms, besides lashing out at the opposition.

Pakistan trade deficit has increased by 97.6 per cent in March, Ministry of Commerce data showed on Thursday.

The deficit has increased from $1.502bn to $2.968bn. On a month-on-month basis, the trade deficit grew by 17.77pc.

The trade gap is widening since December 2020. In February, it swelled by 23.93pc to $2.52bn against $2.03bn over the corresponding months of the last year.

Commerce Advisor to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Abdul Razak Dawood tweeted: “The imports grew to $5,313 million in March which is mainly due to increased imports of petroleum, wheat, soybean, machinery, raw material, chemicals, mobiles, fertilisers, tyres, antibiotics, and vaccines.” The surge in trade deficit is mainly led by higher growth in imports with lower growth in exports in March 2021.

The decline in imports in the last two years had provided breathing space to the government to manage external accounts despite a downward trend in exports. But, reboun­ding imports would likely create pressures on the external side.

It seems that the rise in imports will put lots of pressure on the incumbent government. However, the growth in remittances will balance against the import bills.

Unofficially, it is believed that the current account deficit in FY21 will remain in the range of $4bn to $6bn by end of June.

According to Mr Dawood, the growth in exports in March is the highest in the last ten years. This is also the first time since 2011 that exports have crossed $2bn the mark for six consecutive months.

The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet had allowed the import of cotton and cotton yarn from India, but the decision was reversed one day after by the federal cabinet chaired by PM Imran.

The stakeholders had warned that export orders in hand will eventually be diverted to rival countries if the cotton yarn is not made available in the required quantity.

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Good Morning, *|MERGE1|*. It’s  April 1st. Today is the day when people try to show they are funny by doing little pranks, while there is no harm in pranks but it’s not a good idea to lie about deaths or anything traumatic, especially in these troubling times. Be funny but also be considerate of others’ emotions   Yesterday, I saw Pooja Bhatt’s tweet in which she sent love to the women who reviewed her Netflix’s latest Bombay Begums. While the show has been on my watch-list for quite some time but after watching the review, I have decided to binge-watch it tonight. What are you watching these days? I think I should stop updating you guys about weather kyunke garmiyaan hain toh we all know it will be sunny but with strong winds in the capital.        Laila-The Current  MORNING MEME   ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India ? The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has approved two summaries of the commerce and textile ministry to lift ban on import of cotton and white sugar from India.  According to reports, there were 21 items on the agenda of the ECC meeting to be chaired by newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar. Commerce and Textile divisions had submitted five crucial summaries for approval besides others.  At the agenda no. 16, the Textile Division summary sought permission from the ECC to lift ban on import of cotton and cotton yarn from India in a bid to bridge raw material shortfall for the value-added textile sector.  Read On Video: Tariq Bashir Cheema in hot water over out-of-turn vaccine allegations The Natio­nal Com­mand and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to conduct a probe to reveal facts regarding the video clip wherein family members of Federal Minister for Hou­sing Tariq Bashir Cheema were seen allegedly getting vaccinated out of turn.    He appeared on a TV show in which he seemed rather baffled while answering the questions regarding this incident. Read On Journey of Strings   Last week, Strings announced that they are breaking up their band, and itna dukh to kabhi apne breakup ka bhi nahin huva jitna Strings ke breakup ka huva. Well, take a look back at their journey in this video. And did you know they were the first band to be featured in a #Hollywood film. Any guesses which one?  Watch Drama Review   With Aulaad  turning out to be a bad copy of Baghban  and Mehmal trying to win back Haider in Fitoor, iss haftay ka drama review kaafi masalaydaar hai. Check it out!     Watch Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid are not married       Sorry guys, but Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid ki shaadi nahi hoi.  Social media was recently abuzz with news that the former One Direction star and his long-time girlfriend had tied the knot in secret after Zayn’s collaborator Ingrid Michaelson referred to him as a married man during a live session. Soon after fans of the couple started trending the hashtag #ZaynisMarried on social media to express their excitement.  Turns out Michaelson made a blunder because she later issued a clarification, apologising for the accidental blunder.  Check the story for details.   Read On Humayun Saeed turns down Indian girl’s marriage proposal    Modi is not the only one writing love letters to Pakistan. Recently, an Indian girl on Twitter proposed Humayun Saeed for marriage but Humayun politely declined the proposal.   Read On On this day: 1 AprilAPRIL FOOL  On this day, we observe the annual custom of making practical jokes. The significance of this day is culturally and historically relevant. In fact, it’s quite necessary nowadays as the COVID-19 pandemic is once again spreading its wings at a rapid rate. Amid all this tension and stress, people have forgotten to laugh, so to spread the laughter, enjoy this day. Current Baba’s prediction  Aaj chances hain ke log aap se mazak mein jhoot bolein, logo ki baaton mein matt aiyega.  ? HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE.    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam. Here’s how:  Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.” If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy. And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you  Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend   Copyright © 2020 Instant Morning Current, All rights reserved.