Tag: Pakistan

  • Aiman Khan, Saboor Aly, shower love on Zara Noor Abbas as she announces pregnancy

    Aiman Khan, Saboor Aly, shower love on Zara Noor Abbas as she announces pregnancy

    Zara Noor Abbas could win the cutest pregnancy announcement award if there ever was one, with a hilarious picture she posted holding a desert with a simple caption: “Round 2- – InshaAllah ‍ ‍ ”.

    The actress married Asad Siddiqui in 2017, becoming pregnant in 2021. But sadly, the actress announced she had suffered a miscarriage and lost her son. We’re praying for her health and hope a miracle lies ahead.

    It was also wonderful to witness celebrities showering love and prayers upon Zara and her husband. A-listers Saboor Aly, Mawra Hocane and other actors sent warm congratulations in the comments.

    Among the celebratory notes was actress Merub Ali, who expressed her joy at becoming a khala.

  • Punjab announces winter vacations for schools

    Punjab announces winter vacations for schools

    Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced on X (former Twitter) that Punjab schools will have a 15-day long winter break, as per the winter vacation schedule.

    Late on Thursday night, Naqvi posted that vacations will start on December 18, 2023, in public and private schools across the province and continue till January 1, 2024.

    “We held a meeting with experts and govt officials today addressing the SMOG challenge in Punjab. With an improved Air Quality Index (AQI), no restrictions are planned for the upcoming weekend. Additionally, winter vacations for children will commence from Dec 18, 2023 to Jan 1, 2024,” the CM wrote on his official handle of Twitter.

    Earlier in the week, Sindh announced winter vacations from December 22 till December 31.

    Read More: Holidays are around the corner in Sindh

  • PML-N hits back at Bilawal over ‘mehangai league’ tirade

    PML-N hits back at Bilawal over ‘mehangai league’ tirade

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) responsible for the inflation in the country during the two parties’ coalition government. Political temperature across the spectrum is rising as general election is set to take place on February 8 next year.

    PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been calling the PML-N “mehangai [inflation] league,” alleging that the PML-N is responsible for rising prices in the last 16-months period.

    The term of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which included the PPP, PML-N, and various other parties, concluded in August this year. During this period, there was a significant surge in inflation, unprecedented increases in energy and fuel costs, and a notable decline in foreign reserves.

    In his conversation on Geo News’ programme “Capital Talk”, Musadik Malik — who served as the Minister of State for Petroleum during the PDM government — slammed Bilawal for targeting the PML-N for rising inflation and noted that all decisions in their 16-month stint were collective.

    Musadik Malik also reminded the PPP Chairman that he was a foreign minister of the country in the previous coalition government.

    “So when the minister had the portfolio of Foreign Ministry and I finalised a [oil] deal with Russia, he called it truck ki batti [false hope]. What was that? He should talk about his role as well. Was it my job to secure deals in Azerbaijan Russia? And you, while sitting in the US, said it was truck ki batti. So didn’t we reach our destination while following this truck ki batti?” asked Malik.

  • ‘Islamabad can’t see that Balochistan is heart of Pakistan’: Asif Ali Zardari

    ‘Islamabad can’t see that Balochistan is heart of Pakistan’: Asif Ali Zardari

    Ex-president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday called Balochistan the “heart of Pakistan”, lamenting that the view was not shared by Islamabad or the other provinces.

    He made the remarks while addressing a rally in Quetta to mark the party’s 56th foundation day, campaigning to improve its prospects in the province in the run up to the general elections.

    “Pakistan has everything. And Balochistan is the heart of Pakistan. Unfortunately, Islamabad does not see that Balochistan is the heart. The other provinces do not see it [either],” he lamented.

    “But we see that Balochistan is the heart of Pakistan. And it is very important to win over this heart. Without winning over the heart of Balochistan, we cannot fix Pakistan.”

    “There is much grief […] in Balochistan and we need to address that. We tried to do it in our time but it was not enough,” he said, adding that PPP wanted the people of Balochistan to take ownership of their land and resources.

    He said that he would ensure water was made accessible for the people of the province. “Pakistan becomes an export country when Balochistan has [access to] water,” he said.

    “We have formulas available on how to develop Pakistan, how to strengthen Balochistan, and how we have to serve you,” he added.

    Commenting on his son PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the ex-president — in an apparent slip of the tongue — said, “My son, by becoming the youngest prime minister of Pakistan, raised Pakistan’s honour and flag.”

    During the previous tenure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, Bilawal served as the foreign minister, the youngest to do so.

    “Everyone knows him now. Some knew him because of his mother, some people knew him because of his father and some knew him because of his grandfather but today they know him because of his own identity,” he said.

    “In all seasons and at all times, we have to support him […] we have to transfer what we know […] we want to make Bilawal the leader of the youth,” he said.

    “We will redefine Pakistan, we are not weak, you are not weak,” he said as he wrapped up his speech.

    Following reports of differences between the top two leaders, party chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari has called for “burying” politics of hatred and division in line with the vision of his father Asif Ali Zardari’s reconciliatory politics.

    “We have to do politics wherein we should think about unity and not of division. The PPP wants to start a new kind of politics in the country,” Bilawal said while addressing the public rally.

    “PPP is fighting against inflation and poverty due to which people are suffering. The old style of politics is based on hatred, division, and revenge. The country’s youth needs to bury such politics,” the PPP chief added.

    In the same gathering, Bilawal also fired a broadside at his political rivals saying that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is now known as the “mehangai [inflation] league” in the country.

    “People know that they are showbaz [big mouth] of politics,” the PPP chief added.

    Bilawal said Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the PML-N wanted to roll back the provincial autonomy granted under the 18th Amendment.

    “They want to occupy the resources of the provinces.PPP will not let this conspiracy succeed.”

    Bilawal also announced giving a surprise in the February 8, 2024 general elections saying a jiyala [PPP worker] will become the country’s new prime minister.

  • Holidays are around the corner in Sindh

    The Sindh Department of Education has officially announced the winter vacation schedule for all educational institutions.

    Holidays will commence on December 22 and end on December 31.

    All private and government educational institutions, including universities, colleges, and schools in the province will reopen on January 1, 2024.

    The winter vacation 2023 in Sindh notification was issued on November 30.

    The holidays are being observed in accordance with the decision of the department’s annual steering committee, said the secretary of education.

  • ‘Balach’s murderers be punished’; Protests in Turbat enter eight-day

    The Balochistan government has put together a four-member committee to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balaach Mola Bakhsh in a clash with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Turbat.

    The committee, formed under Section 3(1) of the Balochistan Tribunal of Inquiry Ordinance 1969, will be led by Fisheries Secretary Imran Gichki and includes the Deputy Inspector General of Quetta police, Deputy Commissioner of Kech, and Gwadar SSP.

    The committee is mandated to complete its inq­uiry, determine the incident’s motives, and submit its report within 15 days.

    Balaach Mola Bakhsh’s funeral took place on Wednesday, and a subsequent sit-in at Fida Shaheed Chowk saw the family and organizers expressing their commitment to continuing protests until justice is served.

    The case

    On November 24, four men were killed in an alleged encounter by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). Among them, Mr Bakhsh, Shakoor Baloch, Saif Baloch were identified, while the identity of one person remains unknown.

    However, conflicting accounts emerged as the family refuted the CTD’s claims, asserting that Balaach was not involved in any unlawful activities and was picked up on October 29, leading to his alleged killing in a “fake encounter.”

    The ongoing protest, now in its eitht day, has garnered attention and renewed discussions on extrajudicial detentions and deaths, shedding light on concerns of police impunity in Balochistan province.

    Baloch’s killing has triggered outrage in cities across the Makran division, with a complete shutter-down strike observed in Turbat and other towns on Wednesday while roads leading from the area to Pakistan’s main business hub, Karachi, were blocked by protesters.

    Following a demand by Baloch’s family, a local court in Turbat had ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), or police complaint, against the CTD team involved in the operation in which the 24-year-old was allegedly killed.

    “Now we are protesting because despite court orders, why are the authorities not registering an FIR against the people who killed my brother,” Balach’s elder sister Najma Baloch told Arab News.

    On the government’s inquiry tribunal, she said: “Neither do I know anything about the inquiry committee nor has anyone from the committee contacted us.”

    “Now hundreds of people have joined the protest and are demanding registration of FIR against the CTD team,” she added, saying her family’s “clear demand” was that Baloch’s murderers be punished.

  • Elon Musk tells advertisers, ‘Go f*** yourself’

    Elon Musk tells advertisers, ‘Go f*** yourself’

    Owner of X (formerly Twitter), and one of the richest men on the planet, Elon Musk, famous for controversial statements, has told big advertisers to not blackmail him with money, and, “go f* yourself.”

    The billionaire tycoon of Tesla was invited to the DealBook Summit in New York on Wednesday where he was asked about recent controversial tweets and if he would like to apologize for remarks widely termed as anti-semitic. To this Musk instantly replied, “If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f*** yourself. Go. F**. Yourself. Is that clear?” Musk singled out Disney CEO Bob Iger in the audience, saying “Hi Bob!”

    He told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin, “I have no problem being hated. Hate away.”

    He also implied that his fans would boycott those advertisers in kind. “The whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company and we will document it in great detail,” Musk threatened.

    Musk’s inflammatory posts on the social media platform, among other things, have led large advertisers, including Disney, Apple, and many others, to suspend campaigns there and drove some famous users to abandon the platform.

    The contents of the tweet promoted the conspiracy theory that white people in the West are being “replaced” through immigration from the Global South with the help of progressive Jews – “the actual truth”.

    However, in the recent talk, he called those tweets, “one of the most foolish if not the most foolish thing I’ve ever done on the platform,” he said, adding that he was sorry for the tweet.

    Elon went to Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog earlier in the week. “It was jarring to see the scene of the massacre,” said Musk later in an X Spaces conversation with Netanyahu, adding Israel has “no choice” but to eliminate Hamas.

    The tour took place after one of his tweets, dubbed anti-semitic by critics, went viral on social media. Musk reached an agreement with Israel “in principle” that internet access to Gaza may be provided through Starlink, but only using units operated by Israel and with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications.

  • FIR to be lodged against Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Sarfraz Bugti : Islamabad High Court

    FIR to be lodged against Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Sarfraz Bugti : Islamabad High Court

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a directive to the federal government, ordering the recovery of all missing Baloch students.

    During a hearing related to the implementation of recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani warned that a case will be registered against the caretaker prime minister if the recovery of the students is not ensured.

    Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that 22 Baloch students had been recovered and reached home while 28 Baloch students were still missing and efforts will be made to recover all the missing persons.

    Referring to the missing persons, the senior judge wondered: “Are such things take place in a civilised society? Every missing person who is recovered says I don’t want to pursue the case.”

    If the missing persons are not recovered, the IHC judge said he will order the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti.

    “I am stating this in very clear words.”

    The judge’s warning follows the non-appearance of the caretaker prime minister, who failed to attend the court hearing on November 29 as summoned by the IHC. The caretaker PM cited foreign trips as the reason for his absence, indicating that he is currently on an official visit to the Middle East.

    Justice Kayani also held the defense secretary and the interior secretary responsible for the recovery of the Baloch students if it didn’t take place. He urged the authorities to present the missing persons in court, even if they are labeled as terrorists.

    The hearing of the case has been adjourned until January 10.

  • Petitions seek postponement of elections, citing ‘snowfall’ and ‘terrorism’

    Petitions seek postponement of elections, citing ‘snowfall’ and ‘terrorism’

    Two separate petitions seeking the postponement of elections have landed before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) a day before the commission is set to publish final delimitation lists.

    The petitions, filed by individuals hailing from Balochistan, cited security issues and snowfall in several districts as reasons to seek the postponement of elections.

    One of the petitions filed by Meena Majeed, a general councilor from Mand tehsil of Kech district, through Advocate Fatima Nazar, stated that Balochistan was dealing with heightened security concerns.

    “Specifically, the Mekran division has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities, ranging from target killings of innocent daily wage earners to alarming incidents such as IED blasts and women suicide bombing,” it stated. The impact was most pronounced in districts such as Kech and Gwadar, where 61 acts of terrorism during the last three months alone claimed 32 lives, it read.

    “This topography coupled with inadequate road infrastructure and poor connectivity presents a formidable obstacle to implementing effective security measures and ensuring the feasibility of free and fair elections,” it added.

    The other petition, filed by Toor Gul Khan Jogezai from district Kila Saifullah Khan through Advocate Azizullah Kakakhel, pointed out that many districts and divisions in the country face heavy snowfall in winter which affects the daily routines of residents.

    As a result, elections can not be held in such areas, since the inhabitants of these areas were either displaced or are limited, until the month of May or restoration of normal life.

    The petition argued that if elections are held in such areas, it is feared that provincial or national assembly candidates would either lose their vote bank or voters would lose their votes in favor of their candidates.

    Hence, it is need of time that the election be postponed to any other suitable time through which the citizens of such an area could participate in a free and fair election and elect representatives according to their choice of constituency, the petition read.

    Elections ‘on time’

    ECP issued a firm rebuttal, cautioning that legal action could be taken against individuals disseminating misleading news about a potential delay in the polls scheduled for February 8, 2024.

    The ECP had earlier set February 8, 2024, as the election date following consultations with President Arif Alvi and in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives.

    Despite the announcement and a consensus among political parties welcoming the development, some political leaders and analysts persisted in casting doubts on the scheduled elections.

    A spokesperson for the ECP, in a statement on Thursday, termed the media reports regarding election delay as “baseless and misleading”.

    The statement said a report claiming that the voters’ lists were not being prepared is “completely false”.

    The spokesperson further said that it has approached the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to take legal action against those “spreading misleading news”.

  • ‘In Flames’ and ‘Kamli’ win major international awards

    ‘In Flames’ and ‘Kamli’ win major international awards

    Two Pakistani films are winning prestigious awards at international platforms. ‘In Flames’, directed and written by Zarrar Kahn, has won local and international praise since its release. The film has now won the prestigious ‘International Newcomer Award’ at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Taking to his Instagram account, Zarrar quoted a statement from the festival’s jury along with a picture where he posed with the award:

    “Our award goes to a filmmaker who manages to shift and play with genre while maintaining a connection both to his audience as well as his protagonist throughout the film. The main character is a young woman who is allowed to be both brave and fragile, and she is brought to life through a wonderful debut performance that complements the mise-en-scene. The winner is In Flames.”

    The Instagram account for the movie shared another clip from the event, adding in the caption that this was the first time in 70 years a Pakistani director had the honour to take home such a prestigious award.

    While Sarmad Khoosat’s film ‘Kamli’ continues to win accolades even a year after its release. In Belarus, the Saba Qamar starrer bagged three awards at the prestigious Minsk International Film Festival. Qamar received the Best Actor Award, director Sarmad received Best Director and the Viewer’s Choice award.