Tag: Pakistan

  • Sindh government allots 52,000 acres for corporate farming, Geo reports

    Sindh government allots 52,000 acres for corporate farming, Geo reports

    The interim Sindh government has alloted 52,000 acres of state land for corporate cultural farming, disclose official documents.

    As per a report filed by Geo’s Benazir Shah and Rasheed Memon, the caretaker government of Sindh gave ultimate approval last week to allot 52,713 acres of state land for the project, out of which 28,000 acres will be rendered in Khairpur, 10,000 in Mithi, 9,305 in Dadu, 3,408 in Sujawal, 1,000 acres in Thatta, and 1,000 in Badin.

    The land is being allotted under the authority of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). SIFC is a top military body that was established in June this year to attract foreign investment in the country.

    According to state documents seen by Geo.tv, earlier this year, the chief secretary of Sindh issued a directive to the provincial Land Utilisation Department and the Board of Revenue to explain the availability of land in the province.

    The documents even recommend that the land be leased out to the Pakistani army, insisting that the latter had “well-trained manpower” for the job.

    The minutes of a cabinet meeting in Sindh on December 1st imply that the interim government in Sindh is considering leasing state-owned land to a private company affiliated with the Pakistan military.

    The agenda read: “…approval of a joint venture agreement for the corporate agro-farming initiative in Sindh between the Land Utilization Department and Green Corporate Initiative Pvt Ltd”.

  • Newsflash Pakistanis, Hania Amir and Badshah can be friends without dating

    Newsflash Pakistanis, Hania Amir and Badshah can be friends without dating

    Hania Amir is going viral on the internet for a very, very weird reason. The actress shared pictures of her trip to Dubai where she went around with Indian rapper Badshah, including dining together in a restaurant. Indian media outlets quickly assumed the two were dating. Because lo and behold, if you’re seen sitting next to a man, you have to be romantically linked with him.

    We have to question our media: why in this day and age are y’all still resorting to such sexist thinking? Can Hania actually spend time with a male friend without dating him? Men and women can remain friends, and its clear from their past interaction that the two respect each other.

    Rather than trying to fuel rumors to get more traffic on your websites, can we instead celebrate that despite political and cricket rivalries, here are two public figures from Pakistan and India who keep uplifting each other publicly?

    Also, Hania Amir doesn’t need to be linked to another man in order to be recognised publicly. Her projects have gotten immense praise, and she continues to remain booked and busy, so stop trying to assume she has to be dating someone just to get some attention. Insinuating such a thing is deeply demoralising, and proves how women can never be recognised for their achievements alone.

    We’re not going to be paying any heed to careless rumours, but instead we’ll be celebrating the wholesome friendship between Hania and Badshah. In January, Badshah gushed about the ‘Mere Humsafar’ actress by calling her an instant mood lifter during an Instagram live.

    READ MORE: Cross-border affection between Bollywood singer Badshah and Pakistani actress Hania Amir is too wholesome to ignore

    “Yes I follow her she’s a very funny person. My mood uplifts every time I see her posts, and I think its also just her personality. I think she’s a very bright human being,” responded the rapper.

  • Manzoor Pashteen to be exiled from Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following arrest

    Manzoor Pashteen to be exiled from Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following arrest

    Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen was arrested by the police in Chaman, Balochistan on Monday. Consequently, the Interior Ministry has decided to shift him to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With this, Pashteen has been banned from Balochistan, Caretaker Information Minister Balochistan Jan Achakzai has said.

    Pashteen was arrested yesterday from Chaman when he was going to speak to a massive sit-in, protesting against the alleged murder of a Baloch student at the hands of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), in Turbat.

    The Deputy Commissioner of Chaman has claimed that Pashteen was arrested after armed men from his vehicle allegedly opened fire at a police vehicle. PTM leaders have accused law enforcement officers of initiating the gunfire, saying that Pashteen emerged unharmed from the shooting incident. In a video released by PTM on Youtube, member central committee Haji Abdul Samad Khan can be seen relating the incident where people inside their vehicle were also injured, including a woman.

    Jan Achakzai stated that Pashteen had addressed the Chaman sit-in without the approval of the administration, referring to PTM as “an anti-state organisation”, reports Express Tribune.

    He also stated that an FIR had been lodged against Pashteen by police in Chaman, noting that four people were injured as the PTM chief’s guards opened fire on them.

    Renowned Journalist Azaz Syed criticised the arrest as a move against the freedom of speech.

    Fellow PTM leader Ali Wazir reasserted his determination to the cause they stand for in face of the oppression of the state.

    Salma Khan, member of the PTM, called out the state for using disruptive tactics to create chaos.

    v

    Anchor and Journalist Sanna Ejaz condemned the attack and arrest.

  • Kiran Ashfaque shuts down troll who tried to shame her for second marriage

    Kiran Ashfaque shuts down troll who tried to shame her for second marriage

    Actress and social media influencer Kiran Ashfaque made headlines yesterday when pictures of her marriage to PPP official Hamza Asim Chaudhary went viral on social media. Previously, Kiran was married to actor Imran Ashraf and divorced him after four years of marriage.

    The actress was not here for the cynics shaming her for finding love for the second time. Kiran responded to a troll who accused her of marrying soon after getting divorced:

    “You mean I should have kept residing at my parents and remained depressed about my life while my parents were worried about me?”

    Kiran’s marriage to Hamza was held in his residence in Lahore which was attended by family and friends. The actress had shared pictures from the event on her social media.

    The actress had previously done a Q and A on her Instagram where she revealed her previous marriage broke up because of how much her ex urged her to change herself.

    READ MORE: Kiran Ashfaque talks about her divorce with Imran Ashraf in a Q&A session on Instagram

    Responds to a fan asking why they divorced because the couple had looked happy, Kiran had responded: “Not all that glitters is gold.”

    Another answer got praises where Kiran urged her followers to never change themselves for another man, and to remain proud of how bold they are.

    We’re still shocked that to this day, women are facing more scrutiny for choosing to break off unhappy marriages. Why should Kiran have to keep justifying her choices, and have to fight off the label of ‘Imran Ashraf’s ex-wife’? It’s gross and absolutely not acceptable, and we send our sincerest regards to Kiran for living rent free in the minds of haters while doing whatever she loves.

  • ARY News ordered to issue apology to Asma Shirazi

    ARY News ordered to issue apology to Asma Shirazi

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed ARY News to apologise and pay Rs50,000 in damages to senior journalist Asma Shirazi for misreporting against her.

    Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC issued a verdict on Shirazi’s appeal against the December 21, 2022, verdict of the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority’s (Pemra) Council of Complaints.

    “The court is of the view that editorial side and the airing committee of the licensee/respondent No.3 [the TV channel] is not vigilant enough that picture of the appellant was wrongly placed along with the news content, when she has nothing to do with that particular news item on aired by respondent No.3 […],” the verdict stated.

    “The facts were deliberately concocted to make the viewers’ believe that the appellant’s journalism was criticised during the [SC] proceedings,” the journalist had contended in her appeal against the TV channel.

    Shirazi said that Pemra rejected her complaint against the TV channel as non-maintainable, stating that “no legal point had been made by the complainant in the instant matter as a proper forum for defamation was available” to her.

    The IHC, in its decision, said that TV channels are obligated by Pemra laws to disseminate news and reports in an accurate manner.

    It is also mentioned in the decision that a senior journalist has a right to damages; however, it is not the duty of the court to determine the extent of damages when there is no information available on record.

    It also stated that Shirazi still has the right to approach the competent court to seek damages under defamation law.

  • More than 250,000 illegal Afghan citizens have returned to their homeland

    More than 250,000 illegal Afghan citizens have returned to their homeland

    The process of repatriating undocumented Afghan citizens to Afghanistan is underway across Pakistan.

    So far, two lacs 55 thousand and 29 illegal residents have returned from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan.

    According to the Interior Department, a total of 250, 814 immigrants have gone back to Afghanistan via Torkham, while 3,516 people have returned to their homeland through Angoot Ada border and 698 people have returned to their homeland from Kharlachi border.

    According to the data of the Immigration Department, 255,029 immigrants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have returned to Afghanistan.

  • Awaam ka paisa artificial rain mein zaaya karne ki ijazat nahi dein ge, says Lahore High Court

    Awaam ka paisa artificial rain mein zaaya karne ki ijazat nahi dein ge, says Lahore High Court

    In today’s review of smog prevention in Lahore, Justice Shahid Kareem ordered that smoke-emitting factories be fined Rs10 lac each. Along with that he also warned the Punjab Government to not waste public money on any useless pursuit like artificial rain.

    The Director General Meteorological Department was present in the court to inform the judge that some of the sealed factories had opened themselves. Member water commission informed the court that such factories are working at night and the officers of the meteorological department are paid to stay silent on this. This prompted the court to issue a warning against these officers, reports Geo.

    The court ordered to fine domestic users Rs10,000 for wasting water and Rs20,000 thousand to commercial users for the same.

    The court also inquired about artificial rain and when it will materialize. The public prosecutor replied that the process is underway. The court admonished the government that public money should not get wasted in this pursuit.

    The court adjourned the hearing till December 8.

    As Lahore battles with hazardous levels of smog, Punjab has been planning artificial rain to dispel toxic pollution. The Punjab government has planned to carry out cloud seeding in Lahore to cause artificial rain, estimated to cost a whopping Rs 350 million. This was expected to happen in December.

  • Nine beggars offloaded from Umrah flight

    Nine beggars offloaded from Umrah flight

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested nine alleged beggars at Multan International Airport who were all set to travel to Saudi Arabia under the guise of Umrah pilgrims.

    There were six men and three women in the group that was arrested. Authorities were able to figure out their intentions as they were unable to produce evidence of hotel reservations or other legitimate purposes for their visit to Saudi Arabia.

    As they were subjected to scrutiny, the nine people admitted to engaging in begging activities during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

    Subsequently, they were taken into custody by the anti-human trafficking unit for further investigation.

    The operation marks the latest in a series of efforts by the FIA to stop begging rings that exploit individuals seeking to perform Umrah in Makkah. Earlier in October, FIA aimed at blacklisting people who malign the name of the country.

    Previously, a report was submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis about a shocking percentage of professional beggars who were arrested in the Middle East, 90 per cent of whom are Pakistanis.

  • Why flaunt class by inviting privileged women on a live show to get pedicures?

    Why flaunt class by inviting privileged women on a live show to get pedicures?

    Once again, Pakistani television shows fail to understand how elitism in their content disconnects them from their audiences.

    Nida Yasir has time and time again been called out by the internet for using her show ‘Good Morning Pakistan’ to promote misogynist, sexist content and giving platforms to abusers, but her recent episode has sparked outrage for mocking salon workers. This morning’s episode featured the host along side five other public figures including television presenter Nadia Khan, who were invited for an hour-long pedicure while they all talked about completely random things.

    In the beginning of the episode, Nida Yasir said the purpose of this segment was to invite her friends, and in a way encourage every woman out there to take some time out for themselves. But through out the episode, we can see that it is only elite women who share Nina’s stature and can afford to find the time to get pampered and massaged, but working class women like salon workers are forced to work for long hours without any regard for their mental health. Because by the end of the day, it is these women who need to make a living and cannot afford to take time off from their jobs, even if it means being forced to sit in uncomfortable positions to massage the feet of elite women for an hour and a half.

    During this one hour and 30 minute painful watch, Nida Yasir and her friends gloat about their love for saris, their foreign trips, their beauty tips, while the women toiling away at their feet cannot afford such luxuries

    .We have to ask what was the purpose of this show? Is Nida Yasir aware that most women who are fans of her show aren’t able to afford luxuries like finding time to party with their friends, while ignoring all of their household responsibilities, considering most of them can relate to the struggles of the salon workers.

    Nida Yasir could have interviewed salon workers and asked them about finding time to pamper themselves, but instead she chose to mock them, and other working class women in such a demeaning manner.

    Twitter Tamkenat began the conversation by slamming the episode. Taking to her Twitter account, the content creator wrote:

    “Morning show on ARY digital right now, where elite privileged women are getting live pedicures on tv, while discussing how disgusted they were by their body hair as teenagers.”

    Soon this led to others to criticise the morning show host and ARY for thinking such content is acceptable.

  • London sy Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif ka mask naak sy neechay kyun?

    London sy Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif ka mask naak sy neechay kyun?

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif has come back to Pakistan from a four year-long stay in United Kingdom, but he has brought a constant with him. And that is his mask, which is always worn in a manner that leaves his nose uncovered.

    Here are some pictures of Nawaz Sharif wearing a mask on his chin.

    In the picture above, the PML-N supremo is talking to journalists in front of Avenfield House in London.

    Nawaz Sharif can be seen in this picture sitting next to his grandson, Junaid Safdar, at his nikah ceremony in London.

    In this above picture, Nawar Sharif can be seen wearing a mask on his chin while visiting a factory in the UK with former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

    Here, Nawaz Sharif is in Jeddah, and his nose is still not covered with a mask.

    In this picture, the former prime minister can be seen with his daughter and PML-N’s senior vice president, Maryam Nawaz, performing Umrah while his mask is still underneath his nose.

    In this picture, Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif are together at their Avenfield House in London.

    In this above picture, the PML-N head reaches Pakistan after almost four year, on October 21.

    Oh, surprisingly, Nawaz Sharif can wear a mask properly, as seen in this rare picture taken in London.