Tag: Pakistan

  • ‘My condition is like the setting sun’: CJ bids emotional farewell

    ‘My condition is like the setting sun’: CJ bids emotional farewell

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Atta Bandial, was overwhelmed with emotions during his farewell address to the officers and staff of the Supreme Court.

    The outgoing Chief Justice compared himself to the setting sun and said that, “Nine years have passed well with you as a Supreme Court judge, now my condition is like the setting sun. You people have time now, all of you should work with your full dedication.”

    He further said that the country is facing economic and other challenges, stressing that when everyone is united, this crisis will not remain.

  • Naseem Shah’s international career at risk as cricket board awaits crucial scans

    Naseem Shah’s international career at risk as cricket board awaits crucial scans

    Pakistan’s fast bowler, Naseem Shah, is facing the grim prospect of missing the entire World Cup due to a severe right shoulder injury that has been revealed to be more serious than initially anticipated. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is actively considering seeking a second medical opinion, but initial scans conducted in Dubai indicate that this injury may sideline him for the remainder of the year. 

    If subsequent medical assessments corroborate the initial findings, Naseem could potentially face an extended period of absence from the cricket arena. His participation in the upcoming Test series in Australia, scheduled for the beginning of the year, now hangs in the balance. Furthermore, there is a growing concern that he might also be unavailable for the next edition of the Pakistan Super League in 2024. 

    Naseem Shah’s injury ordeal commenced during Pakistan’s recent clash against India in the Asia Cup. He had to leave the field during the 46th over on the reserve day designated for that game and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.

    The PCB had advocated for the inclusion of the reserve day in the schedule, particularly for the India match, as a concession following the decision not to move the matches to Hambantota, a venue expected to offer drier conditions. It was on this very reserve day that Naseem sustained the injury, specifically to a muscle located just below his bowling shoulder. This injury is distinct from any prior shoulder issues he may have had. 

    According to ESPNcricinfo, Naseem Shah’s absence from the World Cup, along with his uncertain participation in the upcoming Australian series, represents a significant setback for Pakistan. In the past year, Naseem has transitioned from being a specialist red-ball bowler to becoming an integral part of Pakistan’s bowling attack across all formats. His current form indicates that he is the standout performer among Pakistan’s highly regarded trio of fast bowlers, which includes Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. 

    The PCB is expected to make an official decision once they receive the results of his follow-up scans in the coming days. During his absence from the Asia Cup, Naseem Shah was replaced by Zaman Khan, while Mohammad Hasnain, another potential replacement, is currently nursing an injury. 

    Naseem has grappled with injury issues early in his cricketing career. A back injury, sustained just a year into his international career when he was only 17, sidelined him from the sport for a lengthy 14 months. Six weeks after his return, he suffered a shoulder injury during his debut in the County Championship with Gloucestershire, which kept him out of action for another month. 

    Over the past 18 months, Naseem’s workload has considerably increased. Initially regarded as a red-ball specialist, he has evolved into a crucial bowler for Pakistan in all formats of the game. Since his ODI debut, he has emerged as Pakistan’s most potent bowler, amassing 32 wickets in just 14 matches at an impressive average of under 17. 

    Additionally, Naseem has been in high demand on the T20 circuit, recently participating in the LPL. His inclusion in the SA20 auction shortlist on Friday is now a likely casualty of his unfortunate injury situation. 

  • Parvez Elahi arrested again by Anti-Corruption Establishment

    Parvez Elahi arrested again by Anti-Corruption Establishment

    Parvez Elahi, the president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab on Saturday after getting bail in the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) attack case.

    The former chief minister of Punjab has been taken by ACE personnel to the judicial complex for temporary detention; later this evening, he will be brought to the ACE headquarters in Lahore.

    An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad had earlier granted bail to the PTI president in the case pertaining to the attack on the judicial complex.

    According to officials, Parvez Elahi faces four corruption cases.

    Elahi’s bail was granted by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain in exchange for a Rs 20,000 surety bond, which Elahi’s legal team failed to pay.

    Elahi was taken into custody from the Adiala jail by ACE as a result of the bail bond not being paid.

  • Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover

    Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover

    A 41-year-old woman from Sweden has flown to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to marry 23-year-old Ahmed whom she met online.

    Tianarat and Ahmed wed in a simple ceremony in Charbagh with only their family present.

    Ahmed Shah resides in Charbagh and is studying English Literature at a university, while Tianarat has embraced Islam after marrying him.

    In recent months, a spate of foreign women have travelled to Pakistan to marry men whom they had formed connections with online. In July, several cases emerged of women from different countries who had met Pakistani men on social media, fallen in love and later arrived in the province to marry them while converting to Islam. Mexican national Rosa married 18-year-old Izaz Ali after becoming friends on Facebook, and converted to Islam after marrying him.

    Read more: Ye KP mein kya ho raha hai: Mexican woman flies to Pakistan to marry Facebook lover

    In Sindh, another online romance case emerged when a Filipino woman Mikona married a man from Larkana, Oshaq, whom she met on Facebook. Their ceremony took place on video call with friends and family members present.

    Read more: Love online: Yet another foreign woman marries Pakistani man

  • Court verdict will not affect Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, says Ata Tarar

    Court verdict will not affect Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, says Ata Tarar

    Attaullah Tarar, deputy secretary general of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has stated that the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments will not have an impact on party head Nawaz Sharif’s planned return to Pakistan on October 21.

    No case, said Tarar during press conference “is a hindrance in his way of returning to Pakistan,” as there is overwhelming evidence that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is an innocent.

    “Nawaz’s return date remains the same. The date has been announced. He is coming back on the same date,” Tarrar insisted.

    He also said that the former prime minister didn’t disobey any law when it came to Toshakhana gifts. On the other hand, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan sold state gifts and made profit out of them, Tarar mentioned.

    Following the Supreme Court’s decision in the NAB law amendments case on Friday, it is anticipated that some 2,000 NAB cases, including those at the reference, complaint verification, inquiry, and investigation levels, will be reinstated.

    According to the report, Asif Ali Zardari, a former president, and six former prime ministers—Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Shehbaz Sharif—are among suspects in cases that stand to be reinstated.

  • Court fails to recognise legislative authority of parliament: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah

    Court fails to recognise legislative authority of parliament: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah

    In a 2-1 majority decision, the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated changes made by parliament to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regulations. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah commented that the decision failed to recognise the legislative authority of parliament.

    Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), received approval on Friday from a three-member SC panel for his appeal challenging amendments made to the country’s accountability legislation under the previous administration, which was led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    The majority decision, according to the verdict, found the petition against the NAB changes valid, reopening all closed inquiries submitted to the anti-graft body.

    “The majority judgement has also fallen short to appreciate that what Parliament has done, Parliament can undo; the legislative power of the Parliament is never exhausted,” Justice Shah said in his dissenting note.

  • MDCAT results withheld by Peshawar High Court

    MDCAT results withheld by Peshawar High Court

    Results of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) have been withheld on the orders of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday following petitions filed by students in the light of cases of cheating via Bluetooth devices in examination halls.

    The court issued orders to the chief secretary, executive director of the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA), and the registrar of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to provide responses regarding these allegations.

    The court has asked the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) to not publish the official results on its website for now as the investigation is underway.

    The hearing was chaired by Justice Syed Arshad Ali who passed orders that the online release of the results must be halted till September 21, the date of the next hearing.

    The case

    Dozens of candidates had been caught cheating in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) MDCAT exams conducted in a number of cities on Sunday.

    Over 40 candidates, including 20 female candidates, were arrested in Peshawar while 10 were taken into custody in DI Khan.
    All of the detainees were said to be using Bluetooth to cheat in the test. And as reported by Geo, DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates for which a hefty amount was paid to take the exam through dishonest means.

    Students and parents filed complaints to the Human Rights Cell in Peshawar regarding the results and integrity of the system which were then sent to the PHC chief justice.

    The applicants asserted that approximately 200 students were caught using Bluetooth devices during the examination.

  • 98 percent of Pakistanis unhappy with country’s direction, survey

    98 percent of Pakistanis unhappy with country’s direction, survey

    Along with the country’s economy, restoring the declining confidence of Pakistani consumers is a big challenge for the caretaker government.

    Apsus Pakistan released the third quarter survey report of Consumer Confidence Index.

    According to the survey report, 98 per cent of Pakistanis are not happy with the country’s direction, while the number of Pakistanis who consider the direction to be correct has come down to merely 2 per cent.

    According to the report, Pakistanis are disappointed with the country’s economy and their own financial situation, 76 per cent of Pakistanis say the country’s economy is weak and 68 per cent say their financial situation is precarious.

    The survey also revealed that 66 per cent of Pakistanis are not optimistic about improvement in the country’s economic conditions, even in the next six months, while 60 per cent see their financial conditions becoming weaker in the future.

  • Social media is sharing controversial opinions about desi culture

    What would be the most controversial, yet important take you have about desi society?

    A user on X posed this challenge to their followers, asking for opinions about every single aspect of desi society. Whether it is excessive body shaming, poor funeral etiquettes, division of household chores within family members, or wedding obsessions, desi social media users held back nothing, leaving us with some very blunt, but direly needed takes.

    Your wives are not unpaid house helpers. We wish more families would understand this.

    Please understand that funerals are a time when family members need to grieve. Instead of giving them space, desi family members end up doing the opposite which is tragic to witness.

    Teach your sons to be the kind of men your daughters would feel safe around.

    We hope more people start unlearning that talking about periods is a taboo.

  • PUBG addict found after stealing Rs65,000 from home

    PUBG addict found after stealing Rs65,000 from home

    Majid Rehman, a 13-year-old boy addicted to playing the game PUBG, was found on Thursday after he went missing while purchasing groceries.

    His father, Reham Mehmood, reported his son’s disappearance, stating that the boy left home with Rs65,000 rupees for monthly groceries but never returned.

    Police registered a kidnapping case and began to search for him.

    Rehman was found by a National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP) team in a vehicle during an inspection.

    Apart from other items, the police found a PUBG character’s costume.

    As Majid was questioned, he revealed that when he left home, he decided to hang out with his friends and spent the grocery money buying things that were of interest to him. He also talked about his liking for PUBG.

    According to DSP Changezi, parents’ neglect towards their children results in such incidents.

    PUBG is a widely played shooter game. However, it has been a part of several unfortunate or absurd incidents in Pakistan as well as around the world.

    PUBG addicts, mainly children, have inflicted self-harm or harmed others. Some tend to run away from home. In extreme cases, players have committed suicide or shot people.

    Boys from Nawan Kot and Kahna killed their family members in 2021 and 2022, respectively, under the the influence of the violent nature of the game. One boy even chased a member into the street while clad in the game’s character attire.

    Similarly, children have committed suicide after losing the game or getting bullied for it.

    Following several cases, the Lahore Police asked the higher authorities to ban the game.

    The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) created the “Mohafiz” app through which one can search and share information of cases of underprivileged, homeless children who run away from their homes in Punjab.

    Through the app, government institutions can also be reached in case of an emergency and citizens can report any disappearance or accidents involving children.

    According to Express Tribune, hundreds of children are present in various centres of Punjab including the CPWB in Lahore.