Tag: Pakistan

  • Islamabad bar moves to identify lawyers from Ahmadi community

    Islamabad bar moves to identify lawyers from Ahmadi community

    Members of Islamabad Bar Association have been directed to declare their faith on the finality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or face the suspension of their membership, in a move that is drawing strong reactions from both lawyers and the general public.

    According to The Express Tribune, the lawyers’ group has told its members to submit affidavits by the end of the ongoing month, failing which they would have their membership suspended and names posted on noticeboard.

    The notification in this regard comes in view of the decision taken by the General Body on December 6, 2019, while the report has quoted Association President Malik Zafar Khokhar as saying that “the purpose of seeking affidavits was not the suspension of non-Muslim lawyers from the association, but to identify the members of the Ahmadi community”.

    STRONG REACTIONS:

    Meanwhile, lawyers, as well as the general public, are strongly reacting to the notification.

    “Clearly Jinnah’s Pakistan remains a distant dream! His 11th August speech buried in heaps of paranoia, intolerance and bigotry,” tweeted Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who is a member of the association.

    Here’s what others had to say:

    https://twitter.com/theRealYLH/status/1218447461397749761

    https://twitter.com/ShahidQuetta/status/1218287233603641345

    There has been no official reaction to the backlash.

  • Senate divided on ‘how much rights should Pakistani women get’

    Senate divided on ‘how much rights should Pakistani women get’

    The Upper House on Friday stood totally divided on how much rights should be provided to women in Pakistan, but shared consensus on how they lagged behind as compared to men, as senators discussed the National Commission on Status of Women report, The News reported.

    Among those who participated in the discussion over the 2017 annual report by Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari on January 22 last year, were Mohsin Aziz, Mushtaq Ahmad, Walid Iqbal, Nuzhat Sadiq and Sherry Rehman.

    The widely-discussed issue of a Faisal Vawda, showing a long shoe, also echoed in the House after the Question Hour, when PML-N Senator Kulsoom Parveen raised the matter, wondering should the lawmakers stop appearing in TV talk shows, the way a sitting member of this House was ‘insulted’.

    She clarified that they had voted not for the boots but for the country’s key security institution, which was so dear to them. “Is the punishment of stopping the minister for a few days from appearing in talks shows is enough,” she asked.

    Senators Mohsin Aziz and Mushtaq emphasised during the discussion on the commission report that the women rights should not be seen through the Western lenses and cultural invasion. They insisted that awareness about women rights could not be promoted and drives pushed for their rights while sitting in five-star hotels; instead such events be held in rural areas to read and asses the ground realities.

    They said events in the name of culture in academic schools could not be allowed, which ran contrary to social and cultural values, enshrined in the Shariah. They supported women emancipation and lifting their status in the society, freeing them from the clutches of exploitation but not at the cost of values and honour. They also objected to certain slogans raised and inscribed on posters during drives for women rights last year.

  • Mother-daughter duo plays T20 match together

    Mother-daughter duo plays T20 match together

    The ongoing National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship at Karachi’s National Stadium saw a mother-daughter duo take to the field together.

    While daughter Kainat Imtiaz, a Pakistan international, donned the PCB Dynamites’ colours, her mother Saleema Imtiaz is carrying out match officials’ duties.

    Saleema was passionate about cricket and played it in the
    streets while growing up. She couldn’t play it on the grounds but it was her
    love for the cricket that brought her towards the profession of umpiring in
    2006.

    “Kainat is fulfilling my dream,” says Saleema. “My childhood dream was to represent Pakistan. She is not only a good daughter but also a great cricketer.”

    Kainat, who made her Pakistan debut in October 2010, said her mother inspired her to pursue this profession.

    “I feel proud when I look at my mom. She took up umpiring to fulfill her passion to be in the ground,” said the cricketer. “Growing up there was a lot of interest in cricket in my house as my both parents are sports instructors. They used to be at my school so all of my sporting activities have been under them right from the beginning.”

    The duo has not been involved in the same match played under the auspices of the PCB but Kainat has played with her mother as an umpire in local matches.

    “There is more pressure on both of us when we are involved in the same match,” says Kainat.

    “I have been umpiring since 2006 and I want to be in ICC’s umpiring panel. I wish to preside international matches and make a name for my country,” Saleema remarked. 

  • Iconic Maggi noodles are no more

    Iconic Maggi noodles are no more

    The iconic Maggi noodles that introduced the concept of convenience food to many in Pakistan, have been shut down in the country, Profit has reported.

    According to reports, Nestlé — the company that owns the brand and manufactures the product — has confirmed that they will no longer be marketing the instant noodles with which at least two generations of Pakistanis grew up.

    “Yes, we discontinued Maggi by the end of 2018. The divestment is part of Nestlé’s strategy to manage its multi-product portfolio,” the report quoted an official as saying on the condition of anonymity.

    Nestlé Pakistan has made no public announcements about the matter, and Maggi noodles remain listed as a product on the company’s website. However, the product is conspicuously absent from the 2018 annual financial statements of the company. There was no explicit mention of a discontinuation; it was just listed as a product offering on the 2017 report, and not listed on the 2018 report.

    When it was first launched in Pakistan in 1992, Maggi was the only brand of noodles in the country and had a complete monopoly for the first year of its production. And while Unilever quickly launched its Knorr brand of instant noodles in 1993, Maggi was the market leader and, for the most part, remained so for the next two decades.

    Over the past four years, however, Maggi went from being the market leader in its category to being almost completely wiped out from the country. Sources inside the company confirmed to Profit that the current stock of Maggi in stores is all that is left. Once it is gone, there will be no more.

    Among other reasons behind Maggi’s death are the food safety scare in India from a few years ago – one that turned out to be a false alarm – and losing market share to Knorr even before that scare. Unilever, it seems was much better at localisation than Nestle was, the report said, adding that as a result, Unilever’s product was able to continue gaining market share from Nestle, and was therefore well-positioned to become the market leader by the time Maggi met its demise.

  • ‘#PTIDisrespectsArmy’: Military unhappy with Vawda over shoe stunt?

    ‘#PTIDisrespectsArmy’: Military unhappy with Vawda over shoe stunt?

    Opposition parties, military personnel as well as the general public appear to be unhappy with Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, who on Tuesday night used a boot on-air to heap scorn on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for voting in favour of the recently passed Army Act.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader had a day earlier appeared on a talk show alongside PML-N leader Javed Abbasi and PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira. Mid-programme, while discussing PML-N supremo and former premier Nawaz Sharif, Vawda pulled out a boot and plonked it on the desk in front of the guests to troll their respective parties.

    The little stunt was followed by both Abbasi and Kaira walking out in protest.

    With Vawda making headlines for his gimmick, criticism by netizens, including leaders of opposition parties, military personnel and general public, started pouring in. Here’s what they had to say:

    Meanwhile, a “soldier” wrote:

    PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has also said that Vawda’s stunt “did not dignify a response”, while her colleague Rana Sanaullah has said that the entire nation was witnessing activities of “jokers”.

    “The government wants to make a joke of the army as an institution,” he has said.

  • Pakistani taxi driver returns lost wallet to Indian girl in Dubai

    Pakistani taxi driver returns lost wallet to Indian girl in Dubai

    A Pakistani taxi driver’s honesty in Dubai has made him a hero after he returned a wallet full of cash and documents to an Indian girl, who had forgotten her wallet in his cab’s backseat.

    As per reports, Raechel Rose, a law student at Lancaster University,
    was on her way to attend a friend’s birthday party on January 4 when she left
    the wallet in Modassar Khadim’s cab.

    Girl’s mother, Sindhu Biju told that “She had got into the
    taxi with another friend and then they saw their other friends in another car
    and decided to join them. They immediately left the taxi and Rose forgot her
    wallet behind.

    The purse had her UK student visa, her Emirates ID, UAE
    driving license, health insurance card, credit card and more than 1,000 Dirhams
    in several currencies.

    Her return flight to Manchester was scheduled for three days
    later, and she could not afford to delay it as she had an exam on January 13.

    The family also checked the CCTV footage with the help of
    the police but in the footage, they could not see the car’s number plate
    properly.

     The cab driver,
    Khadim noticed the wallet on the front seat after he had finished two other
    trips.

    “Since the family, who came next, said it was not theirs, I
    opened it to check if there is any contact number. I could only see all the
    cards and the cash,” said Khadim

    Khadim called up RTA’s call center and asked for their
    assistance. After Khadim was told that another department would reach out to
    him, he decided to report the lost wallet to the police.

    “When I reached the police station, I met another taxi
    driver who advised me to try to get the girl’s number and give it as the
    procedures might take a long time,” said Khadim.

    Khadim then tried to get Rose’s contact through her mobile
    service provider and insurance company but he could not find her number as
    privacy clauses barred the company from sharing the information with him.

    “Finally, the RTA call center called me back when I was
    finishing my duty at 3.30 am and verified the details that matched with their
    complaint. I was given their number following which I went to their house to
    drop the wallet,” shared Khadim.

    After handing over the purse, Rose’s father rewarded Khadim
    with 600 dirhams. He initially refused the offer but accepted it when the
    family insisted him.

    Later, Rose’s family also wrote a letter to RTA in
    appreciation of Khadim’s honesty and help.

  • Indian army officer slips in snow near border, reaches Pakistan

    Indian army officer slips in snow near border, reaches Pakistan

    Indian Army Havildar Rajendra Singh Negi’s allegedly slipped in the snow at Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir during duty and reached Pakistan.

    As per reports, on January 8, Negi’s wife Rajeshwari got a phone call from his unit informing her Negi was missing. It was later found that he had slipped in the snow and crossed the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir. The family has demanded the government for his safe and early return from Pakistan to his homeland.

    According to Indian Army sources, the search and rescue operation of Negi was ongoing and all attempts were being made to bring him back safely from Pakistan.

    Negi, a resident of Ambiwala Sainik Colony in Dehradun, had joined the 11 Garhwal Rifles regiment in 2002. He had arrived in Dehradun in October for a month’s vacation and was posted to the snowy area of Gulmarg in November.

  • Engineering university to be set up in Swat

    Engineering university to be set up in Swat

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to set up an engineering and technology university in Swat at an estimated cost of Rs4 billion.

    The planned Swat University of Engineering and Technology (SUET) would be run on the triple helix model and will connect the government, industry and academics.

    Chief planning officer of the Higher Education Department Hamid Naveed who has been selected as a focal person for the establishment of SUET at the fast track by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan revealed that “Unlike other universities in the province that solely depend on the government funds, the SUET will have its sustainability plan.”

    He further shared that the administratively, the new university would be different from other universities as a decentralized system would be applied to address issues at a low level.

    As per reports, the new university would be a joint venture of the private sector and academia and the government, industry and academia would jointly work under the banner of SUET.

    Initially, the university will introduce only six disciplines namely energy engineering, civil engineering, institute of materials, mining and metallurgy, biomedical engineering, computer system engineering and institute of manufacturing.

    SUET also aims to be connected with some of the best engineering universities of developed countries like the US and the UK for the exchange of knowledge. To save SUET graduates from joblessness, the students will also be equipped with entrepreneurial skills in order to make them job providers instead of job seekers.

  • Will get back Pakistani Kashmir if parliament wants: Indian army chief

    Will get back Pakistani Kashmir if parliament wants: Indian army chief

    Recently-appointed Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane has said that the army would act on “getting back” Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) “if the parliament was willing and orders to such effect were received”.

    Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the army chief was asked if the Pakistan-administered region of the disputed territory could be a part of India as stated by the political leadership. In response to the question, Naravane said that there was a parliamentary resolution stating that the “entire Kashmir was a part of India”, and hence the army would take appropriate action if it received orders to take AJK back.

    “There is a parliamentary resolution that entire region is part of India. If parliament wants it, then it [AJK] also should belong to us. When we get orders to that effect, we’ll take appropriate action,” the Indian army chief said.

    This is not the first time the new Indian general has indulged in provocative posturing. In an earlier statement, Naravane had said that India “reserve[d] the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror”.

    He had told the Press Trust of India that India had “evolved a strategy of resolute punitive response against sponsored terrorism”.

    Pakistan had rejected the statement, calling it “irresponsible”. The Foreign Office had in its statement said Pakistan was fully able to respond to any Indian aggression in AJK and that New Delhi should not forget Islamabad’s befitting response to its aggression in Balakot last year.

    ISPR RESPONDS:

    Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan’s armed forces will give an “even stronger” response than given in February 2019, if India attempts any military action across the Line of Control (LoC).

    Reacting to the Indian army chief’s statement, the ISPR chief said it was a part of routine rhetoric to divert attention from domestic issues in India.

    “Statements by Indian COAS to undertake military action across LOC are routine rhetoric for domestic audiences to get out of ongoing internal turmoil. Pakistan Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to any act of Indian aggression [sic],” he tweeted.

  • Canadian traveller Rosie Gabrielle converts to Islam after Pakistan visit

    Canadian traveller Rosie Gabrielle converts to Islam after Pakistan visit

    Canadian traveller Rosie Gabrielle has converted to Islam after visiting Pakistan. The traveller took to social media to make the announcement and share the reasons behind the decision.

    Rosie wrote that last year was one of the hardest one of her life, and the challenges she faced the previous year led her to this point.

    “From a young child, I’ve always had a unique connection with creation and special relationship to God. My path was far from easy and I carried a lot of anger in my heart from a lifetime of pain, always begging God, why me? Until ultimately coming to the conclusion that all is meant to be, and even my suffering is a gift,” she wrote.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7F7JC-gmPR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Rosie also shared that though she had called it quits with Christianity four years ago, she continued to tread upon the path of self-discovery and “never let go the sight of the Creator.” 

    “Never resonating with what I was brought up with, I denounced my religion 4 years ago, going down a deep path of spiritual discovery. Exploration of self, and the great Divine. I never let go the sight of the Creator, in fact, my curiosity and connection only grew stronger. Now no longer dictated by fear, I was able to fully explore this righteous path,” she elaborated.

    She then wrote how Pakistan played its part. “The universe brought me to Pakistan, not only to challenge myself to let go of the last remaining traces of pain and ego, but also to show me the way.”

    “Through kindness and humbled grace of the people I met along my pilgrimage, inspired my heart to seek further. Living in a Muslim country for 10 + years and traveling extensively through these regions, I observed one thing: peace. A kind of peace that one can only dream of having in their hearts.”

    Rosie also highlighted Islamophobia in her post.

    “The true meaning of Islam, is peace, love and oneness,” she asserted, adding “It’s not a religion, but a way of life. The life of humanity, humility and love.”

    Rosie first visited Pakistan in December 2018.  She had extensively documented her trip on social media.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5X5AyAAY6I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B44Ro98Ag6h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Meanwhile, Hamza Ali Abbasi congratulated her on this and sent blessings her way.