Tag: Pakistan

  • Millat Express case: Nephew says policeman took woman with him

    Millat Express case: Nephew says policeman took woman with him

    Update: The preliminary report of the case of the woman identified as Maryam allegedly falling to death after being beaten up by a police officer in the Millat Express train has come to light.

    It was reported that the woman jumped from the moving train on April 8 at 6:30 am at Chanigoth, dying on the spot, reports Geo.

    Rescue staff says that the woman was going from Karachi to Faisalabad along with children. Despite people trying to stop her, she jumped from the window of the moving train.

    Contradiction in the stance of Police

    On the other hand, there is a contradiction in the position of the police regarding the officer involved in the violence against the woman in which the police say that the bail of the police officer Mir Hassan was granted on April 13, the day after his arrest.

    The police have said that Mir Hasan has been suspended and a case has been registered against him.

    Stance of Maryam’s brother

    The woman’s brother Afzal said that the deceased woman Maryam belonged to Chak 648 GB of Jaranwala. She left Karachi on April 7 via Millat Express. She was buried in the village on April 9, after it was said that she died in a train accident, but after the video went viral, the violence on the sister and the facts behind the incident came to be known.

    The woman’s brother alleged that the police officer raped Maryam and killed her and threw the body on the track.

    In addition, Ghalib Hamad, the nephew of the woman, said in his statement that he was with his aunt. “The policeman objected to loud noise of her recitation and started assaulting her. He took Aunt Maryam with him and then dropped us at the next station.”

    Previously, a body of a woman who was tortured by railway police officer Mir Hasan on the Millat Express train, was found near Chani Goth Railway Station in Bahawalpur.

    Background

    The policeman was arrested last week after the video went viral in which he could be seen pulling the woman’s hair and hitting her multiple times while other passengers watched silently.

    A local court in Hyderabad approved the cop’s bail on the same day against a surety bond of Rs35,000. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Railways Abdullah Sheikh confirmed that the incident took place on April 7 on the Karachi to Lala Musa-bound Millat Express.

    However, just a day after the the cop was released on bail, the woman’s body was found in Bahawalpur.

    The railway police officer took the woman — who belonged to Jaranwala’s Chak 40 Mor, Faisalabad — with him after violently beating her on April 7.
    The victim’s brother, Afzal, said that his sister used to work at a beauty parlour in Karachi and she was coming to Jaranwala to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.

    The brother demanded that the death of his sister should be investigated.

    Previously it was reported that the constable came to check the ticket of the woman after he was told that she was travelling without a pass. The woman refused that she was travelling without a ticket after which the policeman tortured her in front of her children.

    Later, the cop claimed that the woman had kidnapped the kids. Despite this allegation, he confessed to have beaten up the woman after she misbehaved with him.

  • Palestinian Artist Saint Levant brings solidarity to Coachella as crowd cheers him on

    Palestinian Artist Saint Levant brings solidarity to Coachella as crowd cheers him on

    Rapper Saint Levant held an amazing show at Coachella. The artist, of Palestinian, French, Algerian and Serbian descent didn’t just bring cool music to the festival, but also talked about supporting Palestine. Even though the band No Doubt was performing too, Saint Levant still gathered a huge crowd at the Gobi Tent. Fans wore keffiyehs and waved Palestinian flags, showing solidarity with Gaza.
    The 23-year-old artist, whose real name is Marwan Abdelhamid, grew up in Gaza, then moved with his family to Jordan, and later settled in Los Angeles. He felt a strong connection to Gaza when he talked to the crowd at Coachella. “My name is Saint Levant, and I was born in Jerusalem and raised in Gaza.”

    He also said, “I hope you all know that the people in Gaza have been suffering a lot, facing a very harsh situation for the last six months. And Palestinians have been living under a tough occupation for 75 years.” He shouted, “It’s not just me up here — it’s the whole Arab world up here,” showing that he represents a whole community fighting to make people aware and demand fairness for Palestine.

    During his performance, Saint Levant sang some of his well-known songs and also some new ones like “Deira” and “5am in Paris,” which he released shortly before Coachella. The songs talk about being forced to leave your home and feeling like you don’t belong, which are experiences he knows well and are part of the Palestinian story. He said to the Coachella crowd, “It’s about exile. A feeling that us Palestinians know a bit too well.”

    Saint Levant being at Coachella meant a lot to the people there. Yara Brenton, a 43-year-old festival-goer, said the experience was “incredible.” She thought it was important that Saint Levant spoke up for the Palestinian cause. Reflecting on how more people know about Palestine now, Brenton said, “There are a lot more people who know about Palestine today. And there’s no going back, I think, from this awareness.”

    Saint Levant’s rise to fame is like other Palestinian artists, such as Elyanna, who performed at Coachella last year. Having them there not only makes music more diverse but also shows how art can make a difference and give voice to those who aren’t always heard.

  • Sania Mirza’s tennis lessons extend beyond money and fame

    Sania Mirza’s tennis lessons extend beyond money and fame

    Former Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza recently talked to BBC Urdu, the first long interview she has given after her divorce from Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik. She talked about why she decided to stop playing tennis, how her life has changed, and what she learned from her sports career.

    The 37-year-old elaborated on her retirement decision, emphasizing the physical demands that influenced her timing: “A lot of people asked about my decision to retire. I wanted to stop on the top. It was very important to me.”

    The sports star talked more about how her body didn’t bounce back as quickly after tough matches as it used to. “My body had become a huge problem after three surgeries and having a kid as well. The recovery wouldn’t proceed the way it was needed.” Even though she was winning, people didn’t see the hard work she put in behind the scenes. She said, “People would see that I was playing finals but they couldn’t see what I had to do to get there.”

    Talking about how people see her, Mirza talked about how she handles criticism. “I don’t think I feel that people are after me but I do understand and realise that not everyone can like you in the world. Everyone in your family can’t like you, then how would everyone in the world like you?”

    She talked more about how she deals with being famous and what people think of her: “Everyone has different opinions, choices, likes, and dislikes. It’s not a personal attack on you.”

    In the last ten years, Mirza said she has changed a lot personally, especially in how patient she’s become. She thinks being a mom has played a big part in that. She said, “I have definitely developed more patience. I think that is something that has happened both with my age and my child’s birth. I think when you become a mother, you don’t have a choice other than being patient.” She talked about how she used to be more impulsive but now she thinks things through more.

    Mirza talked again about what she said before about staying down-to-earth even when you’re famous. She said, “I think the world we live in today, be it social media or as in my case, fame, you have so many people around you telling you nice things. It’s very important that you also have people who tell you the truth.”

    “The most important things in life are not money and fame. They are nice to have, but not the most important. What really matters is who supports you when times are tough, and who you’re willing to stand up for.”

    She compared sports to life, saying that the skills learned on the tennis court help in everyday situations. “The same principles apply in life because they build your personality. The lessons I’ve learned from sports, I don’t think there’s a book in the world that could teach me the same,” she mused.

    “Bad days don’t last. Good days also don’t last but you have to try to stretch those good days and if you had a bad day, then the next day, you have to try and make it better.” Mirza summed up the guiding ethos of her professional and personal life.

  • Korean singer who converted to Islam set to construct mosque in Korea

    Korean singer who converted to Islam set to construct mosque in Korea

    Famous South Korean pop singer and YouTuber, Daud Kim, who became a Muslim five years ago, said he’s going to build a mosque in Incheon.
    Taking to Instagram, Kim shared pictures of the land he purchased for the mosque and the contract.

    “At last, with your support, I’ve signed a contract for the land to build a mosque in Incheon.”

    “This place will soon be a mosque. I can’t believe this day has come,” he wrote in his post.
    He plans to build a place for prayers and an Islamic podcast studio for Da’wah to Koreans.
    Kim said, “I think this is a really big step. There will be tough times, but I believe I can do it. I’ll keep working until every street in Korea hears the beautiful Azan. I’ll do my best,” Kim promised.

    “To build the mosque, I need financial support. If you want to help, please donate here. Thank you very much,” Kim said.

    Daud Kim, who used to be called Kim Kyun-woo and went by the name Jay Kim, is a singer, actor, and YouTuber from South Korea.
    In September 2019, Kim made a YouTube video saying he had become a Muslim.
    He often talked about wanting to go to Makkah and Madina.
    In Ramadan 2022, Kim went for Umrah.

  • BLA releases video of Noshki target killing, militants roamed around freely

    BLA releases video of Noshki target killing, militants roamed around freely

    In a video released by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on April 15, terrorists can be seen roaming around with ease in the area and thoroughly checking the travellers in Quetta-Taftan Highway N-40, near Noshki.

    On April 13, nine people from Punjab and killed by the BLA militants after they stopped a bus and forced them off it.

    The gunmen checked the identity cards of passengers from the Taftan-bound bus and kidnapped them. They were subsequently shot dead.

    In the shocking footage, the militants easily moved on the road and kept inspecting all the vehicles and passengers.

    The footage was made from different angles. It also zoomed in and pointed to a Pakistan Military outpost and military camp nearby while the militants were conducting their operation.

    At the end of the video, the militants stopped two passenger buses and the in-video text showed “primary target” on a white bus. The other bus was let go and appallingly the video ended with the caption “ALL TARGETS NETRALISED”.

  • Titanic 2? Australian businessman will rebuild the legendary ship

    Titanic 2? Australian businessman will rebuild the legendary ship

    Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has announced the construction of Titanic 2, expected to be completed by 2027.

    Clive Palmer, the chairman of Blue Star Line, had filed lawsuits against Australia’s state and federal governments over border closures during the Covid pandemic.

    Titanic 2 will cost a billion pounds to build, while the construction is expected to be completed by 2027, according to media reports.

    Clive Palmer first announced the development of Titanic 2 in 2012 and again in 2018.

    When he first announced the project in 2012, he said that it would be completed in 2016.

    Later in 2018, when the work started again, the work had to be stopped due to the covid-19 epidemic. Now, after six years, once again he has announced to restart the project.

    The famous Titanic ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, its wreckage resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, at a depth of 12,500 feet.

  • Bilawal accuses PTI-led opposition alliance of plotting against Pakistan

    Bilawal accuses PTI-led opposition alliance of plotting against Pakistan

    Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto took a dig at the PTI-led ‘opposition alliance’, stating that the group is hatching a conspiracy against Pakistan by staging protests on alleged poll rigging.

    The Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman, while addressing a public gathering at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Larkana on Sunday in connection with 45th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, made a veiled reference to Imran Khan that he wanted to launch a PNA-II.

    The Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) was a nine-party alliance launched in 1977 against the Zulifqar Ali Bhutto.

    “Many forces did not believe in democracy. They used to hatch conspiracies but President Asif Ali Zardari foiled their designs,” he remarked.

    The six-party alliance, led by PTI, launched the movement against the alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections.

    Bilawal said that some politicians want to play with the fate of country for their “personal ego”, warning that common people would suffer the most if democracy is derailed.

  • Man accused of murdering Indian spy critically wounded in attack

    Man accused of murdering Indian spy critically wounded in attack

    In 2013, Amir Sarfraz Tamba allegedly killed a convicted Indian Spy Sarabjit Singh in Kot Lakhpat prison, Lahore. Amir was at his residence in Lahore’s Islampura area when two armed men entered his home and shot him on April 14.

    Initially, media reports claimed that Amir succumbed to his injuries but Dawn confirmed that while he was indeed critically injured, he was still alive.

    The incident has raised serious concerns among authorities over foreign involvement.

    Interestingly, just a few days ago, The Guardian reported that the Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate “terrorists” living on foreign soil.

    A high-profile investigation has been launched to probe the motive behind the attack including finding out if there was Indian involvement.

    Amir Tamba and his accomplice were acquitted in 2018 after all witnesses retracted their statements. Sarabjit Singh was killed a few months after a Kashmiri freedom fighter Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail, Mumbai in 2013 for his role in the 2001 Indian parliament attack

    Sarabjit Singh was serving his death sentence awarded by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for his role in a series of bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990.

  • Several flights canceled, delayed due to bad weather

    Several flights canceled, delayed due to bad weather

    Several flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were canceled and delayed due to overcast skies across much of the country.

    The cancelled flights included PIA flight 503 from Karachi to Gwadar, and PK 768 from Karachi to Islamabad, while flight PK 308 from Karachi to Islamabad was delayed.

    Similarly, a flight from Iraq to Karachi could not operate due to the tense situation between Iran and Israel.

    The arrival of the flight from Istanbul to Karachi is expected at 5:30 pm, while the flight from Karachi to Istanbul is also delayed by several hours.

    An Airblue flight from Karachi to Lahore was also cancelled.

  • Pakistani man among those killed in Sydney attack: community groups

    Pakistani man among those killed in Sydney attack: community groups

    A 30-year-old Pakistani man was named on Sunday as the security guard killed in a weekend knife attack in a Sydney shopping mall, according to two local community groups.

    The Australian Pakistani National Association and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said Faraz Tahir was killed by a knife-wielding man who also killed five women.

    On Sunday evening, members of the Muslim community held a silent vigil for the man, who is said to have moved to Australia last year.

    “He quickly became an integral part of our community,” a statement said.

    The Australian Pakistani National Association encouraged the community to “stand together in solidarity, offering support and prayers to those grieving and affected by this heartbreaking loss”.

    As the attack unfolded on Saturday, online social media accounts falsely reported that the attack was linked to ideological or religious groups or events in the Middle East.

    Police have named the assailant as 40-year-old itinerant man Joel Cauchi who was previously diagnosed with a mental health issue.