Tag: Pakistan

  • The Current’s followers react to Hina Butt’s 3.98 GPA

    The Current’s followers react to Hina Butt’s 3.98 GPA

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hina Pervaiz Butt, in a recent talk show, revealed that she graduated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with a GPA of 3.98.

    The Current posted a midnight question asking people what their GPA was in university and here is how people responded to the question.

    Followers were quick to point out her faux pas of thinking that BBC Urdu is a credible source of information compared to BBC News.

    Some questioned the institute for this.

    A few had quite a funny reaction to the post.

    One of our followers won’t be relying on GPA system anymore.

    Some social media users appreciated Hina for scoring such a good GPA.

  • VIDEO: ISPR’s new documentary highlights security forces’ role in development of remote areas

    VIDEO: ISPR’s new documentary highlights security forces’ role in development of remote areas

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has released its documentary titled ‘Chiragh-e-Rah: Beacons on the Path of Glory’ that highlights the role played by the country’s security forces in the socio-economic development of Pakistan’s remote areas.

    According to the military’s media wing, the documentary underlines the role played by Pakistani security forces in the socio-economic development of remote areas along the western borders.

    The security forces measured the threats and countered the nefarious designs head-on with a comprehensive strategy. The essence was to achieve enduring peace reinforced with a population-centric and community-driven developmental approach, through stabilisation of the western zone by defeating insurgency; concurrent mainstreaming and education of youth to make them useful members of the society, read an Instagram post by the ISPR.

    “Having addressed the menace of fear, terrorism and uncertainty, a new era of development and progress has been launched with the assistance of the government,” it read.

    “May it be:
    • Communication infrastructure like roads, tunnels and bridges to connect these remote areas to main cities.
    • Establishment of modern and progressive education system for the youth of the area.
    • Women empowerment initiatives.
    • Providing basic health facilities, provision of clean drinking water
    • Encouraging economic activities through promoting local industries
    • Mineral resources and tourism, providing sports grounds and other facilities for healthy and positive activities and to promote local talent
    • Restoration of law and order, establishing writ of the government.
    The documentary highlights that; the day is not far when these areas will be at par and in pace with other developed parts of the country.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    What do you think of the new ISPR project? Let The Current know in the comments…

  • Cops run for life after pigs enter Sindh police station

    Cops run for life after pigs enter Sindh police station

     Two pigs have reportedly entered a police station in Sindh after which cops were seen running out of the building to save their lives.  

    According to the details, the incident took place in Moro City of Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district.

    As soon as the pigs made an unexpected entry into the station building, the police staff present inside panicked. The witnesses noted that police stayed outside while pigs were inside.

    The station house officer (SHO) said one of the pigs was brought back out while the personnel sought help to bring out the other one.

    The police managed to reclaim the station with the help of locals.

  • VIDEO: Indian media apologises for airing doctored video of Pakistani analyst on Balakot airstrike

    VIDEO: Indian media apologises for airing doctored video of Pakistani analyst on Balakot airstrike

    Media outlets from across the border, including India Today and NDTV, have apologised for airing a doctored video of Pakistani analyst and former diplomat Zafar Hilaly, wherein due to editing, he appeared to be supporting Indian claims of hundreds of casualties in the 2018 cross-border aggression by New Delhi.

    Several Indian television channels, newspapers and websites had carried the report by news agency ANI on Hilaly’s remarks that he made while speaking to a Pakistani media outlet over Indian claims of 300 terrorists dying in the Balakot airstrike on February 26, 2019.

    Besides ANI, India Today and NDTV, the story was reported by Republic, The Times of India, Moneycontrol, WION, Hindustan Times, NE Now, Odisha TV, Jagran, Swarajya, Lokmat, Oneindia, Deccan Herald, Business Today, Livemint, DNA, The Quint, News18 India, HW News, CNBC TV18 and ABP News among others.

    One of the reports said, “The admission by the former Pakistani diplomat, who regularly takes the Pakistan army side in TV debates, goes against the zero casualties claim made by Islamabad at that time.”

    Here’s how India Today reported the same:

    “India crossed the international border and did an act of war in which at least 300 were reported dead. Our target was different from theirs. We targeted their high command. That was our legitimate target because they are men of the military. We subconsciously accepted that a surgical strike — a limited action — did not result in any casualty. Now we have subconsciously told them that, whatever they will do, we’ll do only that much and won’t escalate,” ANI had quoted Hilaly as saying.

    But a fact-check by Alt News found that the comments were misreported. Hilaly also tweeted a video saying his statement was spliced and edited.

    In the debate posted on YouTube by HUM News as part of a programme called “Agenda Pakistan”, Hilaly had actually said, “What you did, India, was an act of war. By crossing the international boundary, India committed an act of war in which they intended to kill at least 300 people.”

    While the report has since been retracted by all outlets, here’s what India Today tweeted.

    BALAKOT AIRSTRIKE:

    The 2019 Balakot airstrike was conducted by India in the early morning hours of February 27 when Indian warplanes crossed the de facto border in the disputed region of Kashmir, and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in Pakistan.

    While India claimed having destroyed terror camps “established on the Pakistani side” with hundreds of terrorists dead, Pakistan had rebutted the claims and sent a group of both local and foreign journalists to the area to ascertain the facts by themselves.

    The episode had led to tensions running high between the two countries for months and embarrassment for India after Pakistan shot down one of its intruding fighter jets besides capturing an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot.

    What do you think of the yet another rather embarrassing moment for Indian media? Let The Current know in the comments…

  • Army announces tea for opposition if it marches to Rawalpindi

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar has said that leaders of the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), will be offered tea and snacks and looked after if they decide to stage a long march towards Rawalpindi.

    “I don’t see a reason for [them] to come to Pindi. And if at all they want to come, we will offer them chai paani [refreshments] and look after them. What more can I say?” the military spokesperson said while responding to a journalist’s question regarding PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during a wide-ranging press briefing.

    Maulana had indicated that the opposition could turn the direction of its anti-government movement towards the army leadership, saying that the opposition alliance’s movement would no longer be directed only at the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government but also “his backers”, hinting that its possible long march to the capital “could also be to Rawalpindi”.

    Earlier, Maj Gen Babar spoke on a broad range of issues, including the border situation and to present an analysis of the security challenges of the past decade.

    The army’s spokesperson said the last 10 years were a challenging time in every aspect for Pakistan, but in 2020 alone the coronavirus pandemic and locust attack had put the country’s food security and economy in severe danger. He said while banned organisations were also being facilitated on the western border, the state, institutions, the armed forces and intelligence agencies, and most importantly the people of Pakistan were facing all challenges with a united front.

    Saying that along with restoring peace in the tribal districts on the western border, socio-economic projects were also launched in this period; he added that concrete steps were taken to strengthen Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran. “The security situation improved considerably as a result of successful operations against terrorism.”

    Maj Gen Babar further said that whether it was India’s condemnable designs or the application of hybrid warfare against Pakistan, internal threats or external challenges, the country not only identified the threats and presented facts, but also combatted them successfully.

    “The world is recognising this [Pakistan’s position] because truth always prevails,” he maintained.

  • You can get the new Alsvin in Pakistan for a price way cheaper than you think; lower than Rs25 lacs

    You can get the new Alsvin in Pakistan for a price way cheaper than you think; lower than Rs25 lacs

    Changan Pakistan has announced the pricing for its most anticipated car, the new Alsvin. 

    According to the announcement made Monday, Alsvin will be offered in three variants, the prices of all variants are as follow:

    Variant Price
    1.37L BASE with 5 Speed Manual Transmission PKR 2,199,000
    1.5L COMFORT with 5 Speed Dual Clutch Transmission  PKR 2,399,000
    1.5L LUMIERE with 5 Speed Dual Clutch Transmission PKR 2,549,000

    The booking will start on January 14, 2021, with an advance booking amount of Rs750,000.

    The vehicle comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty, whichever comes first, and will be available in multiple colours, including Steller White, Lunar Silver, Galaxy Black, Cosmic Red, Nebula Blue and Space Gray.

    Click here for further details.

  • Lahore among ‘places to love in 2021’

    Lahore among ‘places to love in 2021’

    Lahore has been listed among the world’s most-loved cities by the New York Times.

    The New York Times recently published a piece in which the publication asked people about the places that delighted or comforted them in 2020. While it received more than 2000 suggestions, only 52 of them got the chance to be featured in the publication’s article. According to the American daily, Lahore is among the most-loved cities for its food, culture, and historical architecture.

    “Especially in winter, this city nourishes you. It opens its arms to you, then feeds you and wraps you in a hug,” wrote the author while expressing the beauty of the city.

    Lahoris are admired for their hospitality and the city is loved for its rich historical architecture.

    Other tourist spots on the list include Andros of Greece, Lebanon’s Beirut, Romania, Siberia, Jordan’s Wadi Rum and Kaliya Dhrow, India.

    It is pertinent to add there that even Turkish actor Engin Altan Düzyatan couldn’t resist saying “Lahore, Lahore hai” during his visit to the city.

  • Man dies after falling from Lahore Fort’s wall

    Man dies after falling from Lahore Fort’s wall

    A 50-year-old man died after falling from a 200 feet high wall of the Lahore Fort.

    The deceased, identified as Munir was seriously injured after falling from the Lahore Fort wall while trying to take a selfie on Saturday. He was taken to a nearby medical facility where he succumbed to his wounds.

    A spokesman for the walled city said that the deceased was from Sheikhupura. He fell from wall while trying to take a picture.

    “The administration of the fort warned him multiple times to refrain from climbing up the wall but he did not listen to their warnings that lead to this incident,” the spokesperson added.

  • Don’t have electricity? Don’t worry, it’s the entire country

    Don’t have electricity? Don’t worry, it’s the entire country

    Power outages have been reported in all major cities of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

    While no confirmed reports have yet poured in on the situation in other cities, the blackout is being deemed a national one with a fault allegedly occuring in the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) transmission lines.

    The cause of the fault has not yet been ascertained, however, sources say it could be due to the foggy weather conditions prevailing in the country.

    Earlier, the outage began with voltage fluctuations. The same being a countrywide problem emerged as soon as people took to social media.

    Here’s what’s going on on Twitter:

    Meanwhile, here’s an official update:

    Since the restoration could take a while, how about you tell us your plans for this Saturday night?

    Let The Current know in the comments…

  • Horrid tour lays bare Shan Masood’s frailties

    Horrid tour lays bare Shan Masood’s frailties

    “The core question we are confronted with now is that if Shan 2.0 was a hoax or whether he would get his act together and we’ll get to see that Shan again who can judge which balls to play and which ones to leave.”

    In the absence of Babar Azam and with Pakistan’s most senior batsman Azhar Ali suffering a form slump, Shan Masood carried a heavy load on his shoulders to save Pakistan’s batting against a top-quality Kiwi bowling attack.

    This Shan Masood wasn’t the same who was sidelined from the team after abject performances with the bat when James Anderson made him dance to his tunes during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2016

    It was the rejuvenated Shan Masood, also touted as Shan 2.0. The 2018 tour of South Africa, 2019 tour of Australia and 2020 tour of England where he struck a remarkable ton at Old Trafford confirmed that Shan Masood 2.0 had worked on his flaws, upped his game drastically and could be relied upon to solve Pakistan’s top-order woes.

    However, the recent tour of New Zealand has laid bare his technical frailties again. Across four innings, he could muster a tally of 10 runs, including three ducks on the trot, and seemed to be like the replica of Shan 1.0 who has harked back to his old ways. Even 17-year-old Naseem Shah, Pakistan’s No.11 batsman, managed a higher tally of runs in the series than Shan. Before proceeding to deconstruct what sets Shan 2.0 apart from Shan 1.0, let’s revisit his dismissals during the series.

    Barring the first innings of the first test where he scored 10 thanks to a few painstaking nudges and nurdles, he failed to buy a single run in the next three innings. In the first innings of the first test, he ended up giving a catch to wicketkeeper BJ Watling trying to glide Jamieson towards the third man region. Tim Southee accounted for him in the next innings when he edged him to Ross Taylor standing at the first slip attempting a defensive prod off a ball pitching outside the off-stump. Under the pump to score big in the next match, he ended up registering a pair. Southee had him plumb in the first innings when he failed to get a bat on his yorker and then Jamieson’s away angler induced an outside edge of his bat which was pouched safely by Tim Southee at the third slip wrapping up a miserable tour for him.

    Fair play to New Zealand bowlers for their disciplined bowling but, to be honest, none of the deliveries which sent Shan back to the pavilion weren’t brute or corker of a delivery but then that’s par for the course for a batsman who couldn’t resist the temptation to chase deliveries away from the stumps, leave them alone and not poke his bat at it. Things would have gotten easier for him and Pakistan if he had managed to see off the new ball with patience. Interestingly, as told by Shan Masood in an interview with Jarrod Kimber for the Red Inker podcast, it was his judgement of not being able to decide when to play at a ball and when it is wide enough to let it go that coach Gary Palmer identified as a flaw in his technique after 2016 tour of England. Palmer, according to Shan, remarked that he was susceptible to throw his bat at balls that could be safely left alone because of incorrect positioning of his head when facing the bowler which in turn adversely impacted his judgement.

    On the back of strong performances in domestic, he earned his way back into the side and fared reasonably well on the tough tours to South Africa, Australia and England thereby passing the attrition test and announcing the arrival of rejuvenated Shan 2.0. It was evident that the net sessions with Palmer helped him to chip away at his flaws.  As pointed by Tim Wigmore in his article for The Telegraph, during the 2020 tour of England, Shan left 22 per cent of balls from seamers to him pitched 20cm outside off stump as compared to the 2016 tour where he left only three per cent of deliveries bowled in that channel. Shan 2.0 was like a breath of fresh air. However, watching the 83 balls he played in this series, it seemed like all the skills he learned from Palmer had evaporated in unison. The core question we are confronted with now is that if Shan 2.0 was a hoax or whether he would get his act together and we’ll get to see that Shan again who can judge which balls to play and which ones to leave.