Four crore rupees were looted late in the night from passengers in a bus on Chakwal road, reports 24 Pakistan.
The late-night robbery was been committed in Dhok Amb area of Jatli police station in Rawalpindi.
The robbers looted all the passengers on the bus, travelling from Peshawar to Lahore, on Suhawa Chakwal Road after the vehicle had to exit the Motorway at Balaksar Interchange due to intense fog.
A passenger named Daniyal informed the police over the phone that he was a cattle trader who was going to Lahore from Peshawar by public transport bus. The robbers fled the scene.
Passengers on the bus were mostly cattle traders travelling from Peshawar to Lahore to buy cattle.
Police were told that seven robbers, riding in a Toyota Corolla, blocked the bus before looting the passengers.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has restored Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) election symbol ‘bat’ after hearing PTI’s petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision revoking the party’s election symbol and declaring its intra-party polls “unconstitutional”.
A two-member bench of the PHC was hearing PTI’s writ petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision declaring the intra-party election as null and void and revoking their symbol of a cricket bat, a sign that depicts the party’s founder, Imran Khan’s career in the sport.
In its verdict, the court termed the ECP’s decision “incorrect”.
A two-member PHC bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali announced the verdict today.
A day earlier, the court heard the arguments by the counsels of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the PTI.
Earlier today, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Barrister Gohar Khan, said that the party is withdrawing its plea seeking the ‘bat’ symbol from the Supreme Court (SC), adding that the party is hopeful that Peshawar High Court (PHC) will give a favourable decision in the matter.
“Today, our petition was fixed at the Supreme Court, but we have withdrawn it,” he said while talking to media outside the apex court, adding that the decision from PHC will be issued in the party’s favour.
Earlier, the PHC had accepted ECP’s review petition and restored the electoral authority’s ruling on intra-party polls and election symbol of the PTI.
Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) announced the reduction of one subject each for matric and ninth classes.
In a report, Geo’s Ummay Farwa talked to the spokesperson of the board who said that for the session 2024-2026, only ninth-standard students will take Islamic Studies exams, while matric students will appear for the Pakistan Studies examination.
The report elaborates that marks for Islamic Studies have been increased from 50 to 100, while the same applies to Pakistan Studies. Since the marks have been moved up, the Punjab Textbook Board has been asked to print books in line with the development, it added.
Moreover, BISE Lahore has also announced that Punjab Matric Exams for 2024 will begin on March 1.
A report submitted on orders of the Supreme Court by the Missing Persons Commission has said that most of the cases of missing persons have been reported by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Balochistan.
A total of 2297 cases of missing persons are pending while members of the commission as well as the heads are all being paid hefty salaries. The report was presented in front of the two-member commission for missing persons constituted by the Interior Ministry on the Supreme Court’s directions. It is headed by Justice (R) Javed Iqbal while the second member is the former inspector general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sharif Virk.
According to the information extracted by Samaa’s Sohail Rashid via Auditor General Pakistan, the highest number of 3,485 cases of missing persons were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by the enforced disappearance of 2,752 citizens from Balochistan.
The report states that the reason behind the said disappearances in KP was extremism, war, and deaths in drone attacks. Moreover, moving to another country without informing one’s family owing to a war-like situation was also a reason behind the said disappearances, as per the commission.
Furthermore, 744 production orders were issued to produce the missing persons, while only 52 were executed. The 692 production orders issued by the commission were not even implemented by the relevant authorities, the commission reported.
The police and sensitive institutions filed 182 requests for revision of the production orders, the report says, adding that out of the unimplemented production orders, 503 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
From March 2011 to December 2023, 4,413 missing persons returned home, while 994 were incarcerated in various detention centres and 644 imprisoned in different jails of the country.
From March 2011 to December 2023, bodies of 261 missing persons were found, according to the commission, which also dismissed 1,477 cases it categorized as non-enforced disappearances.
The commission further says that the disposed of cases involved kidnapping for ransom, personal grudges or willful disappearances.
Moreover, 260 cases from Punjab, 163 from Sindh, and 1,336 from KP are still pending in the commission as well as 468 cases from Balochistan, 55 from Islamabad and 15 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the report, the monthly salaries of the 35 officers and employees of the Missing Persons Commission are more than Rs1.5 million. Commission chief, Justice (r) Javed Iqbal receives a monthly salary of Rs674,000, while that of Zia Parvez, a member of the commission, is Rs829,000, as per the report.
Commission member Justice (r) Amanullah’s salary is over Rs1.1 million, while that of Sharif Virk is Rs263,000. The Supreme Court has sought a response from the federal government within 20 days of receiving the report of the missing persons commission.
National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Executive Board, chaired by the NAB Chairman, approved the closing of an investigation into the Sharif Trust case involving Sharif’s family including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.
The meeting convened on January 1 to approve the closure of corruption cases, including those against PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his family.
The meeting approved shutting down six corruption cases, notably a 24-year-old case against Nawaz Sharif and his family in the Sharif Trust case. This decision brings relief to the former premier and his family members.
Among the closed cases was an inquiry into Islamabad Inspector General Akbar Nasir in the Safe City corruption case. Additionally, the board decided to conclude the investigation into the Park Enclave Housing Society, involving officers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). Another inquiry against federal officers for alleged preferential recruitment was also approved for closure.
Furthermore, the NAB board approved to close an inquiry against Shahid Malik and Shahbaz Yasin Malik, the CEO of Hilton Pharma.
The investigation into the Sharif family regarding the Sharif Trust Case was initiated on March 31, 2000, based on allegations of receiving funds through illicit means, lack of audits, misappropriation of funds, and benami property acquisition by the Sharif family in the name of the Trust.
The Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, submitted to the Supreme Court, had criticized NAB for delays in the investigation and urged prioritization.
Under the recently amended National Accountability Act 2002 by the previous PDM government, the NAB has concluded the Sharif Trust investigation under Section 31-B.
This decision by the NAB’s Executive Board marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings against the Sharif family, as they receive a respite from multiple longstanding corruption cases.
Actor Agha Ali has revealed that many times actresses were not allowed to work with him by their fiancés. The actor shared this information during a recent appearance on Geo News’ show ‘Hansna Mana Hai,’ where host Tabish Hashmi asked him various questions about his life and career.
In response to a question, Agha Ali said, “It was in 2016- 2017 during which time I would sign any drama, after that I would get a call from the producer saying, ‘Agha, do you have any quarrel with such and such heroine?’ On this, I would tell them that I have not even met this heroine yet, on which the producer would ask that ‘You don’t have any quarrel with her fiance?’ I tell them that I don’t know who their fiancés are.”
He further said that during this time he was also going to work with Humayun Saeed’s production house. “He also called me and asked me what are you doing that the fiances and husbands of the actresses are afraid of you?” Agha Ali said, “There is no specific reason for my image, but I think many times people misunderstand the actor because of the characters in his dramas. It plays such a negative role.”
He further said that when he came into the industry, he was not very familiar to people. “So maybe that’s why they were afraid of me, but now it’s not like that, everything is fine.”
Responding to another question, Agha shared that he was banned from working in Lahore years ago due to giving strong answers in an interview, which led to a producer dropping him from a signed project. Following the ban, a friend’s request prompted him to move to Karachi.
Update: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has just recently posted the clarification on the official X account stating that “the said piece has been authored by the PTI Chairman-for-life, Imran Khan, vindictively incarcerated at Central Jail, Rawalpindi. In no way, this has been compiled through the use of artificial means including artificial intelligence.”
“It is clarified that the news/reports carried by local media on the contents and mode of publication of an article by the PTI Chairman-for-life in a foreign publication “The Economist” does not reflect the actual state of facts regarding the matter.
Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan held an informal conversation with reporters in the courtroom at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, talking about the article that appeared under his name in The Economist, creating an uproar. “I take full responsibility for the article published in The Economist recently,” he said. However, he admitted that he himself had not written the piece, confessing that it was “dictated”.
Embattled PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan made a surprising claim, saying that an essay recently published by The Economist under his name was actually “AI-generated”, reports Dawn.
According to Geo’s Khalid Iqbal, Mr. Khan also shared that “next week” his party will share another of his fresh speeches on social media.
When the Geo News reporter asked the former Prime Minister whether the speech would be audio or a video, Khan replied, “Today is the era of Artificial Intelligence.”
To a question about elections, the PTI founder said nationwide polls should be held in the country on time, though the process of participation had been made very difficult for his party. He stressed that elections must be held in any case.
“Elections are very important for the country’s economy and political stability.”
“It has been made difficult for us to contest the elections, yet the elections should be held on time,” he added.
Talking about the incidents of May 9, Khan called it a conspiracy against him and his party PTI.
The former Prime Minister said: “These people are conducting an inquiry against me regarding the May 9 incidents. May 9 is a conspiracy against us. Who stole the CCTV footage of my arrest from the Islamabad High Court, the attack on GHQ and Corps Commander’s House? Find the CCTV footage thieves, and all will be revealed.”
“It is a conspiracy to trap me; it’s a conspiracy against the PTI,” said the PTI founder.
The caretaker governments in the federal capital and Punjab have claimed that The Economist piece was a “ghost article”.
Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said that Adiala Jail comes under the Punjab government’s jurisdiction, so, the provincial government must be investigating.
Saying that he believes the piece was a “ghost article”, the caretaker minister added that, “The federal government will approach The Economist and write [to] them that if Imran Khan sends an article/letter following due process and the jail manual then it is publishable. But according to my information, he hasn’t written any such article, and the foreign publication has misled its readers. We are working on it and will soon write a letter to The Economist.”
Former Chairman PTI admits that he didn’t write the article and it was AI generated, the current Chairman PTI doesn’t endorse its anti-establishment and anti-American contents but the PTI overseas, some semi-literate anchors and @TheEconomist are jubilant over AI generated…
In a recent post, he criticised the statement of Imran Khan of living in the age of Artificial Intelligence by saying that this should not be allowed to run amok.
“We are truly entering a new age where AI’s impact can now be found almost everywhere. Where these technological advancements need to be celebrated, there is also a dark and malicious side to AI that needs to be watched very carefully. Nations cannot — and should not — prohibit…
Journalist Gharidhah Farooqi posted on X that now that Imran Khan himself has admitted he did not write the article but AI did for him; A- It’s proven the article is in-fact “ghost writing”, B- being a journalist I’d like to know what a leading and reputable publication as The Economist say about publishing an article which is not the real work/writing of a political leader, the ethical and legal standards behind publishing such a piece of writing.
Now that Imran Khan himself has admitted he did not write the article but AI did for him; A- It’s proven the article is in-fact “ghost writing”, B- being a journalist I’d like to know what a leading and reputable publication as The Economist @TheEconomist say about publishing an…
Journalist Noreen Shams questioned the veracity of the fact generated by a machine.
The write-up written in @TheEconomist by Former PM Imran Khan was AI generated as he claims he didn’t write from Jail. Such renowned publications will accept AI-generated content from every author? Can we believe in the facts generated by Machine? https://t.co/qYXtk9d87O
Omar Qureshi asked the question if The Economist has started accepting AI-generated articles.
Dear @TheEconomist – your pal Imran Khan has said that the article he apparently ‘wrote’ for you was “AI generated” – so have you started taking AI-generated submissions as well now?
Asking for a friend (who happens to be a budding writer)
Gold rates in Pakistan witnessed a notable upswing on Tuesday, aligning with the international market trend.
The precious metal was quoted at Rs216,400 per tola in the local market, marking a substantial increase of Rs300 within the day.
According to data released by the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the 10-gramme gold price reached Rs185,528 after experiencing a rise of Rs257 on the same day.
This surge in gold prices follows a recent decline on Tuesday, where the yellow metal in Pakistan had seen a decrease of Rs1,900 per tola.
The international gold rate, with a $20 premium, stood at $2,050 per ounce on Tuesday, marking an increase of $3 in the global market, as reported by the APGJSA.
Meanwhile, silver rates maintained stability in the local market at Rs2,660 per tola on the same day, indicating a lack of significant fluctuations in silver prices.
Market analysts are attributing the rise in gold rates in Pakistan to the positive movement in the global market, emphasising the impact of international factors on the local precious metals landscape.
Investors and traders are closely monitoring these fluctuations as they evaluate their investment strategies in the backdrop of the dynamic economic environment.
The mother of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Usman Dar, Rehana Imtiaz Dar, will take part in the upcoming election against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif from NA-71 Sialkot-2, after an election tribunal approved her nomination papers on Tuesday.
She will contest for a National Assembly (NA) seat in the upcoming general elections, set to take place on February 8, 2024. Her papers were earlier rejected by the returning officer (RO) on grounds of grabbing 40-marla land by forgery.
The election tribunal, however, heard her appeal against the decision and annulled the RO’s decision, after which her papers were cleared.
However, the nomination papers of Dar’s sister-in-law, Ruba Dar, wife of his brother Umer Dar, were rejected from the same constituency.
In December 2023, Usman Dar said that he will strongly support his mother in the upcoming polls.
American President Joe Biden’s speech at a church in South Carolina was interrupted by chants of “Ceasefire Now” by supporters of the Palestinian cause. The president was there as part of the presidential campaign to woo black voters. This is the same church where a white supremacist shot nine black people in 2015.
‘Ceasefire now!’⁰
US President Joe Biden’s speech at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, was interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters demanding a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Palestine’s Gaza pic.twitter.com/XE8oPGHBUN
As he was talking about the horrific incident, one protestor got up and said, “If you really care about the lives lost here, then you should honour lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Palestine.” She was then joined by others saying, “Ceasefire Now”. One of them was seen shouting “Blood on your hands” to Biden.
The President was seen calming the charged crowd by raising a hand and saying, “That’s alright”. As security personnel removed the protesters from the church, he said: “I understand their passion, and I’ve been quietly working, quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza.”
According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
Biden faced the same situation previously at a human rights’ dinner in Washington DC where pretended to not listen.
“Let Gaza live. Ceasefire now”.
US President Joe Biden is interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protester while giving a speech at a human rights dinner in Washington, DC ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZYfTOUgqKy
