Tag: Pakistan

  • Lt Gen Faiz appointed as Bahawalpur Corps Commander

    Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed has been appointed as Bahawalpur Corps Commander, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Monday.

    He was previously appointed as the commander of the Peshawar Corps last year. It is pertinent to mention that when his appointment took place, it was speculated that he had former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s favour, however, Khan himself has denied it several times.

    In his place, the military’s media wing said Lieutenant General Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat has been posted as the commander of the Peshawar Corps.

    During Khan’s tenure, Lt Gen Hameed was given the post of Director General (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan in 2019. He had previously served in the ISI as the head of internal security and comes from the army’s Baloch Regiment.

    Last week, Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor was appointed as the Commander XII Corps (Quetta), after Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali was martyred in a helicopter crash. Lt Gen Ghafoor had previously served as the ISPR head.

  • Hey Pak govt, aren’t we sporty enough for you?

    Hey Pak govt, aren’t we sporty enough for you?

    Sports in any country is a celebrated sector of society. It brings pride and recognition to a country. Sports are symbolic of life. Life demands discipline, resilience, respect, compassion, teamwork, and character. Sports help develop those skills to apply on the playing field and in life. In any country, the state invests in their sports and the individuals playing them. Pakistan does just the opposite of it.

    Pakistan chooses to forget its most talented and has a way of neglecting its sportsmen and sportswomen. Cricket and our men in green are a source of continuous pride for the country but there are other sports and players who too wear green with pride, and give it their all to bring us glory.

    Our teams have gone to the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics but the players participating tell the same stories of negligence and their individual hard work. So what is that the players say? One: They need the state to pay attention to them. Two: Recognise the talent and show confidence in them when they are trying to develop their skills and polish themselves for the better. Three: Give them better training so that they can perform well and bring gold, silver, and bronze medals back home. Four: Treat them as equal and as important as they would treat a person playing cricket. Five: Don’t take credit for our individual wins as you have not invested in us. They ask the state to actually invest in them so that they can stand tall amongst the best.

    What does the state do instead? The state has been in a habit of neglecting the raw and the talented, barring them from the opportunities which could have done wonders for the games, players, and the country. Yes, in recent times we see a prime minister congratulating a gold medalist but is congratulations enough? Don’t they deserve better training, better chances, and a better future? We can only hope that the state realises that mixed fortunes become the fate of many players in Pakistan because they were left out at some point. We can only hope that the state realises that every sport matters, every game matters, and every player is worth fighting for and that he and she deserves to get the best facilities. May our talented players keep making us proud.

  • Want to get rich? Make rich friends: Study

    Want to get rich? Make rich friends: Study

    Friendships that cut across class lines are a key indicator of economic mobility and can help alleviate inequality, according to a new research in the United States.

    The study analysed Facebook friendships of 72 million people.

    The study found that poor children who grew up with wealthy friends had, on average, 20 per cent higher incomes later in life than other poor kids. In fact, researchers discovered that other forms of social capital, such as having affluent parents or attending top-notch schools, are less significant indicators of upward economic mobility than friendships between rich and poor individuals.

    A project led by researchers and collaborators at the Harvard University-based nonprofit Opportunity Insights, which studies barriers to economic opportunities conducted the study, which was published in a journal named Nature. The research was led by Harvard economist Raj Chetty.

    “Growing up in a community connected across class lines improves kids’ outcomes and gives them a better shot at rising out of poverty,” said Raj Chetty while talking to The New York Times.

  • No ‘mauka mauka’ for India: Star Sports decides not to jinx Asia Cup 2022

    No ‘mauka mauka’ for India: Star Sports decides not to jinx Asia Cup 2022

    Indian broadcaster Star Sports has decided not to make its famous ‘Mauka Mauka’ advertising series for the Asia Cup 2022 match between Pakistan and India.

    According to reports in Cricket Pakistan, the ‘Mauka Mauka’ advertisement was made to make the Pakistan cricket team aware of their forgettable record against India in World Cups with the 1992 world champions failing to win even a single encounter.

    The report further states that the ad has lost its relevance after India’s 10-wicket loss at the hands of the Babar Azam-led side during last year’s T20 World Cup in Dubai and therefore, the advertisement will not be aired anymore.

    The arch-rivals — India and Pakistan — will face each other on August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium.

  • Russian woman comes to Pakistan to marry Gujranwala boy, embraces Islam

    Russian woman comes to Pakistan to marry Gujranwala boy, embraces Islam

    A Russian woman came to Pakistan to marry a man from Gujranwala. She also converted and embraced Islam.

    The couple recently appeared in an interview with a YouTuber during which they shared their story.

    Muhammad Ali said he met a Russian woman named Polina on an online community platform. Polina was impressed by him because he used to talk to her in a respectful manner.

    Muhammad Ali revealed that Polina was an atheist and was not following any religion so it was easy for her to convert to Islam.

    After converting to Islam, Polina married Muhammad Ali and now lives in Gujranwala with him.

    Polina said that she makes rotis and parathas. She also said she loves the northern areas of Pakistan.

  • Karachi among South Asia’s top 10 start-up-friendly cities: Report

    Karachi among South Asia’s top 10 start-up-friendly cities: Report

    Karachi has been ranked in the top 10 start-up-friendly South Asian cities in Blink’s Startup Ecosystem Report 2022. Karachi has emerged as the highest-ranked city in Pakistan, taking the position away from Lahore.

    Karachi’s position has moved up in South Asia but globally it lost five spots to rank 291st. Lahore dropped a heartbreaking 48 positions to rank 305th whereas Islamabad dropped one position to 438th. This year has not been good for city rankings of smaller Pakistani cities – Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Jhelum are out of the global top 1,000, leaving Pakistan with only three ranked cities, versus seven in 2021.

    Pakistan has dropped one spot in 2022 to rank 76th globally and maintains its second rank in South Asia. Pakistan is ranked fourth in the CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program) business region.

    Pakistan’s overview:

    “With a population of over 220 million, Pakistan’s economy has massive potential to grow. For this to happen, digitalisation and successful startups will be a critical element. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, digital entrepreneurship increased side by side with investment in local startups,” says the report.

    The report further states that digital infrastructure in Pakistan has seen improvement with the introduction of broadband internet coverage, including 4G. All this came together with new legal frameworks that regulate and promote digital payments, investment, and credit under the State Bank of Pakistan’s Digital Banking Policy.

    “In addition, the government set up Special Technology zones offering several tax exemptions and incentives. Pakistan has come a long way with its legal framework, but there are still some areas that require more clarity when it comes to taxation or incentives for domestic investments. The country’s turbulent political climate is not helping to create certainty and stable policies to boost the local startup ecosystem.”
    As per the report, “The spike in funding and startups needs to be fuelled by talent with experience in scaling startups. To sustain this need, the country needs to come up with ways of providing its startup ecosystems with qualified and trained personnel.”

    The global rating evaluates the state of the startup economy and describes the dynamics of their growth and the main trends. This year’s report evaluated startup ecosystems in 1,000 cities and 100 countries.

  • Man attempts suicide inside a mosque, policeman rescues him

    Man attempts suicide inside a mosque, policeman rescues him

    Trigger warning: Self harm/suicide

    A 55-year-old cloth merchant attempted suicide inside a mosque in Karachi. The man tried to cut his throat with a razor inside a mosque in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) after Friday prayers.

    “He availed a loan to support his drowning cloth business but failed to overcome the financial losses,” said his family.

    Clifton Division Superintendent of Police Rohail Khan said that the worshippers and the policeman deployed outside the mosque for security rescued Nisar from further harming himself, reports Samaa News.

    He was taken injured to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment. JPMC Executive Director Dr Shahid Rasool said the patient was stable but he has been placed on a ventilator for the time being.

    According to the JPMC Medico-legal Officer (MLO) who examined the patient, the man’s family said the patient was suffering from psychiatric issues and depression.

  • More rains expected from August 10-13: Met Department

    More rains expected from August 10-13: Met Department

    The Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted more monsoon rains from August 10 to August 13.

    According to a statement issued by the PMD, rains and thundershowers are expected in Kashmir, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and parts of Balochistan from August 10-13.

    The PMD has also warned that rains can cause flash flooding in different cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Shakargarh, Sialkot, Narowal, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Dir, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Kashmir.

    In addition, the PMD has warned of urban flooding in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas due to heavy rains.

    The Met Department has advised travellers and tourists to remain more cautious during the forecast period.

  • Army chief reaches out to Saudi, UAE authorities to discuss IMF programme

    Army chief reaches out to Saudi, UAE authorities to discuss IMF programme

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has spoken with the rulers of two Gulf countries — the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — to discuss the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

    According to media reports, the extended fund facility worth $1.2 billion with the IMF was discussed with the Gulf countries, including the upcoming executive board meeting of the IMF, which is expected to ratify the loan programmme.

    It is pertinent to mention that the loan programme reportedly came under discussion and a positive development is expected for Pakistan soon.

    The development has taken place a week after the COAS was reported to have reached out to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman over resuming the programme with IMF. He appealed to the US to help Pakistan secure an early dispersal of $1.2 billion in funds.

  • ‘Largest prison in the world’: Politicians condemn atrocities in occupied Kashmir

    ‘Largest prison in the world’: Politicians condemn atrocities in occupied Kashmir

    Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir is being observed today in Pakistan to mark the day when Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi revoked the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK). In violation of the United Nations (UN) resolutions and international law, India scrapped Articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution that granted special autonomous status to IIOJK and imposed a military siege on the territory on August 5, 2019.

    Pakistani politicians expressed solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that India’s actions are “aimed at altering the demographic structure of the occupied territory”.

    “The Jammu and Kashmir dispute has been a battle of hope against overwhelming odds, of courage against fear and of sacrifice against tyranny.”

    The premier also paid tribute to the martyrs of IIOJK for their sacrifices and courage.

    “Pakistan will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just struggle. We call upon international community to take practical steps to hold India accountable for its gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK and to facilitate a peaceful resolution of this long-standing dispute,” tweeted President Dr Arif Alvi.

    The president further added, “The resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC Resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people is the only way to ensure durable peace and stability in the region.”

    “More than 1.5 billion people in the region deserve to see the dawn of peace and prosperity, which has been held hostage by India in IIOJK.”

    Similarly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that the Indian authorities assumed that their moves would crush the spirit of Kashmiri resistance “but the Kashmiris’ spirit of resistance became stronger and it continues to strengthen”.

    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari released a video message on the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir.

    He said that the presence of the Indian troops has turned occupied Kashmir into the most militarised region in the world.

    “Over the past seven decades, three generations of Kashmiris have awaited for the world community and UN to honour their solemn commitment.”

    Former FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi called India a rogue state.

    “India continues to act as a rogue state with unrelenting violence in #IIOJK. Yet indigenous resistance movement for Kashmiri’s inalienable right to self-determination stands strong. Pakistan will always stand by ppl of Kashmir.”

    “Modi government has made IIJOK the largest prison in the world,” tweeted federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman.