Tag: Pakistan

  • Shocking: Govt has access to citizens’ messages, audio/video content, browsing history

    Shocking: Govt has access to citizens’ messages, audio/video content, browsing history

    During the court hearings of the illegal surveillance of Bushra Bibi’s case last month, the Islamabad High Court made a startling discovery, learning that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had ordered telecom operators to finance, import, and install a system enabling mass surveillance of citizens’ data.

    The surveillance system currently in operation is known as the Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS), the system allows access to private messages, video/audio content, call records, and web browsing histories, Geo News reported.

    Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC noted that the LIMS was being utilised by “designated agencies” for surveillance purposes.

    Justice Sattar noted that mass surveillance was illegal and it lacked any judicial or executive oversight.

  • Man sentenced to life for abduction, marital rape of minor wife

    Man sentenced to life for abduction, marital rape of minor wife

    A local court in Shangla has convicted a person for the abduction and ‘marital rape’ of his minor wife and sentenced him to life imprisonment, and imposed a fine of Rs300,000 on him.

    Dawn’s Umar Bacha, in his report, states that the judge convicted the accused on two counts and sentenced him under section 365-b (kidnapping) of the Pakistan Penal Code to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs100,000 and to 25 years imprisonment with a fine of Rs200,000 under section 376 (rape) of PPC.

    The court acquitted seven of the convict’s family members due to a lack of evidence. 

    The lawyer appearing for the convict said that the victim was his client’s legal wife, and hence, he committed no offence.

    However, the judge, in his judgement, observed that a close and critical reading of section 375 PPC, defining the offence of rape, made no exception to marriage.

    “If the allegation of rape in marriage is ignored, yet another question is the victim’s juvenility. The victim, being just above 16 years of age, is still covered in the definition of ‘child,’ being under 18 years of age,” the verdict read. 

    The victim’s mother in the FIR stated that her husband died around ten years ago, and around two years ago, she arranged the Nikkah of her daughter (the victim) with the accused, but Rukhsati was yet to take place.

    She had put a demand to the family of the accused to arrange separate accommodation for her daughter before formal marriage, but they declined. She alleged that on the night of the incident, the accused, along with his father and four other relatives, barged into their house and forcibly took away the victim while the complainant, her son and another daughter were beaten and tied.

    In the beginning, FIR was registered for abducting the girl, but eventually, when she was recovered by police, different provisions of PPC and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act, dealing with sexual assaults and sexual abuse, were also included in it.

    The girl, upon her recovery after four days, said in a statement that she was assaulted during captivity, and her medical examination also confirmed that she was subjected to sexual assault.

    The court eventually found the accused guilty of the offence of the abduction of the victim and having sex without her consent.

    Even though the lawyer Mian Safeer said it was the first-ever conviction in a case of ‘marital rape’ after amendments in 2021 but a man in Karachi was sentenced to three years in jail after he was found guilty of having non-consensual sex with his wife earlier in the year on January 20. 

    Read More: First ever conviction on Marital Rape opening new doors of discussion: A religious and legal context

  • ‘Men deserve leverage too’: Zara Noor Abbas on societal pressures

    ‘Men deserve leverage too’: Zara Noor Abbas on societal pressures

    Actress Zara Noor Abbas recently shed light on the societal pressures faced by men, emphasising their need for leverage in both society and relationships. She was invited as a guest in ‘Zardast’ hosted by Wasi Shah, where she speaks out about the pressures men face.

    Zara Noor Abbas said, “Men deserve leverage in society and from their partners. The pressure of being responsible for everything, amidst economic stress and a challenging environment, is not easy. If women want their rights, they should also be willing to give men their due rights.”

    She stressed that its essential that everyone in the household shares responsibilities, allowing men to have quality time with their families and not be perpetually burdened with work. “Men need to prioritise their health, too, as they’re more prone to heart attacks. It’s crucial for them to take care of themselves and quit harmful habits like smoking.”

    Zara Noor Abbas is the daughter of Asma Abbas, and niece of Bushra Ansari. She is married to actor Asad Siddiqui.

  • Salaried class fights back: Petition filed against high taxes in Supreme Court

    Salaried class fights back: Petition filed against high taxes in Supreme Court

    After the National Assembly approved the controversial economic budget for the next fiscal year last week, a group called the Salaried Class Alliance of Pakistan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, citing discrimination in taxation against salaried classes in the recent budget.

    “This budget marks the third consecutive year in which the burden of taxation has disproportionately fallen upon the salaried class, neglecting broader efforts to expand the tax base in the country,” read the petition.

    The alliance raised key issues such as an unbalanced tax burden, neglect of tax base expansion, impact on economic growth and brain drain, and disparities in taxation.

    It urged the Supreme Court, “Under Article 184(3) of the constitution of Pakistan to uphold justice and protect the rights of salaried class and all taxpayers in Pakistan.”

  • PTI forms five-members committee to hold talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    PTI forms five-members committee to hold talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has constituted a five-member negotiation team for holding talks with Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to establish an extensive opposition alliance.

    The negotiation team includes PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Asad Qaiser, party’s Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan, Senator Shibli Faraz, and NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan.

    Both parties have the same agenda, namely that the February 8 general elections were not free and fair. PTI formed a six-party opposition alliance in April to give the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) a hard time.

    In a meeting between PTI’s Asad Qaiser and Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad last month, both the leaders agreed to play a vital role of opposition in NA.

  • Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Sahiwal’s Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) has awarded the death sentence to a Christian man who allegedly circulated a social media post that led to riots in Jaranwala last year, reports Dawn.

    Judge Ziaullah Khan sentenced the young man to 22 years in prison and imp­osed a fine of Rs1 million. The final judgment said he was awarded the death sentence and a fine of Rs500,000 under Section 295(C), ten years rigorous imprisonment under Sec­tion 295(A), seven years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, and five years and Rs500,000 fine under 7(1) (G)-ATA.

    The Punjab police claimed last year that around 135 miscreants had been booked for the attacks, but according to Advo­cate Akmal Bhatti, only 12 people are currently facing trials in the court.

    However, the convict was accused of sharing a social media post which allegedly contained blasphemous content.

    He was picked up by police on intelligence reports three days after the riots.

    Complainant Amir Farooq, who is now SHO at the Ghala Mandi police, told Dawn that while the man in question did not produce the blasphemous content, he did share it on TikTok, where it went viral.

    Background

    In March, Faisalabad ATC had acquitted two Christian brothers who were ‘framed’ for desecration after a police probe revealed that the two had been implicated in a blasphemy case over a personal enmity.

    Dozens of Christian homes and around 20 chu­rches were vandalised and ransacked by mobs in Jaran­wala following allegations that a copy of the Holy Quran had been desecrated.

  • Anoushey Ashraf ties the knot in intimate nikkah ceremony

    Anoushey Ashraf ties the knot in intimate nikkah ceremony

     Host and former VJ Anoushey Ashraf’s special day has finally arrived, marked by the presence of her closest friends and family. Anoushey has tied the knot with Shahab Reza Mirza in an intimate Nikkah ceremony held via online video link. She announced her marriage through her Instagram account with the caption, “Beta aapne abhi tak shaadi kyun nahi ki?”

    “Lo, Karli” ♥ ♥.

    The humorous announcement is hallmark of the laid-back VJ and television host, who begun her career on Indus Music/MTV Pakistan’s musical shows and live transmissions. Anoushey is part of Pakistan’s first group of VJs and pioneered musical transmissions. She has also hosted the morning show ‘Chai, Toast, or Host’ on Dawn News. She is also a known animal rights advocate.

    Here are pictures from Anoushey Ashraf’s Nikkah:

  • Turkiye airport workers refuse to refuel Israeli airplane

    Turkiye airport workers refuse to refuel Israeli airplane

    Israel’s national carrier, El Al, said Sunday that its Warsaw to Tel Aviv flight was not allowed to refuel at Antalya airport after making an emergency landing to evacuate a passenger for medical reasons.

    Turkish workers at Antalya airport refused to refuel flight LY5102 before it could take off for Israel, El Al said in a statement.

    “Local workers refused to refuel the company’s plane even though it was a medical case,” it said, adding that the passenger was evacuated.

    The plane then took off to Rhodes in Greece, where “it will refuel before taking off to Israel”, the airline said.

    Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since October 7, with all direct flights between the two countries cancelled since.

    Turkish diplomatic sources confirmed the plane was allowed to make an emergency landing to evacuate a sick passenger.

    “Fuel was to be provided to the plane due to humanitarian considerations, but as the relevant procedure was about to be completed, the captain decided to leave of his own accord,” a Turkish diplomatic source said.

    Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel said the plane was on the tarmac at Antalya for several hours before it took off for Rhodes.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel’s blistering military operations in Gaza and has often expressed support for Hamas as defenders of their homeland.

    Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 37,877 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

  • Ali Abbas wants 18+ age limit, ID verification for social media

    Ali Abbas wants 18+ age limit, ID verification for social media

    Pakistan is going through huge regulations, with Twitter/X banned by the government and talks of a firewall underway in the country. 
    Recently, actor Ali Abbas appeared as a guest on the ‘FHM Podcast’ where he talked about the urgent need for regulations on social media.
    Ali Abbas said, “There should be an age limit of 18 years enforced and monitored, with users required to verify their identity using an ID card or passport before opening an account. The younger generation is losing their way, influenced by inappropriate content they encounter online.”

  • Khan’s release not possible under current PTI leadership, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Khan’s release not possible under current PTI leadership, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Former leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry, has criticized the party’s current heads, stating that there is no possibility of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s release in the presence of the current leadership, Geo News reported on Sunday.

    “[Due to] lack of political strategy of current PTI leadership, all of us are suffering,” said the former vice president of the party, who left PTI after the May 9 events.

    He also replied to criticism that those who left Imran Khan during a difficult time have started speaking up for him now that the draught period has passed.

    “Tough times have not ended for the jailed former premier and other PTI leaders. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others are still behind bars and going through a difficult time,” Fawad Chaudhry said.

     “Some people start their journey from Peshawar and return after staging a rally in Lahore,” he remarked.