The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has recovered three Pakistanis kidnapped in Iran, and arrested a suspect.
According to the FIA spokesperson, three citizens who had gone on pilgrimage visas were abducted on arrival in Iran, adding that human traffickers received Rs 20 lakh for the release of the citizens.
He also revealed that the kidnappers demanded more money by sending videos of torture on the hostages to their families.
The recovered persons include Muhammad Adnan, Kashif Mehboob and Muhammad Dawood.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has stated that the United States does not want the gas pipeline project between Pakistan and Iran to continue. “We do not support this pipeline going forward,” he said.
The State Department’s statement came right after Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik hinted that Pakistan would “vigorously” present its case to seek US sanctions waiver for the pipeline.
It is also important to highlight that a few days ago, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson said that Pakistan does not require any country’s permission to move forward with a regional project.
“We always advise everyone that doing business with Iran runs the risk of touching upon and coming in contact with our sanctions, and would advise everyone to consider that very carefully,” said Matthew Miller.
The project began in 2009 and to this day Pakistan has not completed any major portion of construction whereas Iran has completed 900-kilometres of pipeline. That’s also why Iran issued a third notice to Pakistan that it would approach arbitration court to seek penalties.
Shazia Khalid*, a 28-year-old housewife, was sitting on a bench in a small park in Lahore, looking at her five playing children when we met. She had a spark in her eyes but visibly looked tired, at least a decade older than her age. Seven years ago, when she got married, she was denied the authority to take a break from giving birth every year except one time which cost her everything.
Shazia was in the final year of a Bachelor’s program when her family decided to marry her off. It was entirely their decision; she wasn’t even allowed to talk to her fiancé during the two months she was engaged to her future husband, a small general store owner.
Akmam*, Shazia’s husband, is 42, and has been running the store for the past 20 years as this is his family business. Shazia feels like there is less mental compatibility between the two due to the 14-year age difference between them which also has an impact on family planning, “He keeps saying that he needs more off-spring before he gets older. We had four children in the first four years of our marriage. I wasn’t prepared for it at all. I kept asking him to think about a gap or family planning, but he never listened to me.”
Teary-eyed, she explained how difficult her pregnancies were. Every time doctors advised her husband to wait for a year or two before the next pregnancy. “During my fourth child’s birth, my body almost collapsed. They had to give me a steroid shot to revive me. I was anemic and there was a lot of blood loss during childbirth. I went in shock and most things after that are blurry for me,” she said.
After the near-death experience, she decided that she needed to think about her well-being and her children. Thoughts of what would happen if they were left alone in this world haunted her. The spectre of death during her next pregnancy seemed a real possibility. Her husband was still adamant that he needed another child because he had only one son, born after three daughters. Khalid talked to her gynecologist who strictly prohibited her from birthing again, advising her to give two years to her body before getting pregnant again.
Since her husband wasn’t convinced, she secretly contacted her doctor to learn about contraceptives. After surety of discretion, she opted for an IUD (Intrauterine Contraceptive Device) which impacted her period cycle for two months but then everything was normal.
Her husband was frustrated within six months that Shazia wasn’t getting pregnant. Her mother-in-law started talking about a second marriage for her son as she wanted more grandchildren. After almost a year, she was forced by the in-laws to visit another doctor of their choice and that’s when the truth was revealed.
Shazia was beaten by her husband, the gynecologist who helped her was attacked too, the staff in her clinic was assaulted and Akram didn’t hesitate in breaking things. Distraught and heartbroken, Shazia was sent back to her parents’ home where she received divorce papers soon after. Her kids are still with her husband and like 9909 people, as per data of consolidated statement of Family Cases in Lahore, she is also waiting for a verdict on custody and visitation rights.
For gynecologist and physician Mehnaz Asim, who runs her practice in a lower socio-economic area of Lahore, these cases are a norm and to my surprise, religion is not the sole reason behind it. “Most of these people want more kids because they want them to be a part of the labor force and earn money from a young age. They don’t worry about their upbringing or education; they see their kids as a source of income.”
As per the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2023 data, contraceptive prevalence rate for any method of contraception is only 26 percent among women aged between 15 and 49 while for modern methods it is only 20 percent.
In a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest biomedical library and a leader in research in computational health informatics, significant barriers to the adoption of IUDs in Pakistan were identified. These barriers include the reluctance of husbands, societal and cultural taboos, and heightened concerns regarding perceived side effects of IUD usage. Additionally, factors such as illiteracy, poverty, and low socioeconomic status were found to contribute to limited IUD utilization.
Other important factors contributing to such a low modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 35.4% in Pakistan include the conservative society imposing restrictions on women’s self-determination and self-governance.
Doctor Mehnaz thinks that it is important for people to know the pros and cons of every contraceptive method and there should be a strict rule implemented by the government regarding at least 2 years gap between children. “We are an overpopulous country with limited resources. Our government needs to implement this rule and penalize people who don’t follow it. This is not only important for the mother but for healthy childbirth too.”
Beyond her acting endeavors, Kubra Khan is also known to unleash her competitive streak in the gaming world. This Ramadan, she brings her gaming spirit to the popular game show, Jeeto Pakistan, adding a fresh and fun dimension to the festivities.
When it comes to spreading smiles and good vibes, Kubra Khan is the undisputed queen! Her stint on Jeeto Pakistan this Ramadan has been nothing short of delightful, with fans swooning over her simplicity and positive energy.
Check out these adorable clicks of Kubra stealing the show on Jeeto Pakistan:
Kubra has fans falling head over heels for her on the game show! And it’s not just her looks—fans are also showering her with love for her down-to-earth personality.
Former first lady, Bushra Bibi has alleged during a hearing on Tuesday that some substance was mixed in her honey in Bani Gala, leading to her becoming unwell.
“There was something mixed in my honey, and when I came back home after hearing and eating honey, my health worsened.”
Bushra Bibi also said that if something happens to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, the establishment will be responsible.
“Life and death are in the hands of Allah,” she said, adding that Imran Khan is physically fit and in good health.
Bushra Bibi also stated that Khan is in jail for the people of Pakistan, and the masses will not forgive the people in power if something happens to him.
The PTI founder kept stopping Bushra Bibi from speaking during the hearing yesterday.
In an explosive letter written to Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, six judges of the IHC — Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz — called on the SJC to summon a judicial convention over what they called the alleged interference of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies.
“We are writing to seek guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with regards to the duty of a judge to report and respond to actions on part of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, that seek to interfere with discharge of his/her official functions and qualify as intimidation,” read the letter.
The Supreme Court had recently declared the removal of former IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui illegal after he had been removed from service when he alleged interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters.
It was also stated that in May 2023, “the brother-in-law of an IHC judge was abducted by armed men.” In another incident during the summer of 2023, surveillance equipment was discovered in the residence of another IHC judge and it had private recordings of their family members.
In their letter, the IHC judges pointed out the lack of guidelines in the code of conduct for judges when they perceive a threat to the judiciary’s independence.
Two women pretending to be customers tricked a shopkeeper in the Samundri area of Faisalabad.
According to details, the women entered the clothes shop on the pretext of shopping, asked the shopkeeper to show them various valuable suits and kept looking for more.
Later, when the shopkeeper found that the suits were missing, he went through the CCTV footage after which he came to know about the women’s trickery who stole the clothes.
The total value of the clothes was more than 40 thousand rupees.
Veteran actor Nauman Ijaz seems to not be too happy with the list of people that received the Presidential Awards. However, we can’t really tell, because he was a bit too cryptic in his message, leaving us scratching our heads.
Recently, the actor talked about the Sitara E Imtiaz awards. He congratulated the celebrities who received it and admired the people who nominated those artists. Sharing his opinion on Instagram, the actor wrote, “Congratulations to those who got Sitara E Imtiaz, I think those who have distributed these awards, should also get Sitara E Jurrat – Jin jin ko sitar e imtiaz mila un sab doston ko bohat bohat mubarik… Mujhay lagta ha inko awards denay wallay ko beh Sitara e jurat milna chaheay. Pakistan zindabad.” Here is the post shared by Naumaan Ijaz.
An Anti-Terrorism Court on Monday has granted post-arrest bail to three suspects allegedly involved in the harassment of a woman in Ichra market for wearing a shirt with Arabic script printed on it, reports Dawn.
The suspects, identified as Muhammad Nadeem, Adil Sarwar, and Altimash Saqlain, were arrested and sent to jail on judicial remand after the court denied further custody to the police on March 19.
The lawyers for the suspects argued in the court that the police arrested their clients without any evidence, and only under pressure to show performance to the government.
Judge Arshad Javed allowed bail petitions of the suspects subject to furnishing surety bonds of Rs100,000 each.
The judge also disposed of pre-arrest bail petitions of two other suspects — Maulana Aleemuddin Shakir and Khalid Shehansha — as withdrawn in the light of a discharge report submitted by the police.
In the FIR lodged a week after the incident it was stated that dozens of people accused a woman of blasphemy in Ichra bazaar as they confused the Arabic text printed on her shirt with Quranic verses. The mob threatened to kill the woman. A police team led by ASP Sheharbano Naqvi rescued the woman and shifted her to a police station.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan needs another International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme for economic stability. Recognizing the programme’s ‘limitations’, however, he said that alongside the loan, his government will focus on the country’s growth, provide job opportunities and address inflation.
“We have to do another IMF programme. It won’t work out without one. Rome was not built overnight,” the Prime Minister said addressing the Tax Excellence Awards in Islamabad today.
The premier stressed the importance of collaboration between federal and provincial governments to facilitate the private sector of the country. He said it is the government’s responsibility to foster a conducive environment for business, and not its job to conduct business. The Prime Minister also stated that the FBR will be totally restructured through complete digitalization.
He said that leading exporters and taxpayers are the heroes of Pakistan and said, “Those who are being given awards today will be given blue passports as honourary ambassadors of Pakistan.”
