A life-size statue of Abhinandan, the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan after the Pulwama incident, has been placed in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Museum.
Abhinandan’s ammunition, blueprints, uniform have also been placed in the museum.
The statue stands in a gallery named Operation Swift Retort.
The move has led to severe criticism from the Indian media.
Abhinandan’s MiG-21 jet was shot down by a Pakistani fighter after the Balakot attack.
Meanwhile, visitors are excited to take selfies with the statue and the display.
After the government announced earlier that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be allowed to leave the country on ‘conditional permission’, Nawaz has refused to leave Pakistan.
Sources claim that a one-and-a-half hour meeting took place between Nawaz and his brother Shahbaz Sharif at Nawaz’s residence where he took this decision.
Analysts say the only course of action for the Sharifs is to take the case to court but that might take time. Since Nawaz’s doctors have stated that he is in immediate danger and needs to be treated abroad, going to court might be a difficult decision for the family.
Nawaz’s departure is now unconfirmed and Geo News sources are claiming that an air ambulance has not been called for transporting Nawaz, as previously claimed by the media.
On the other hand, the cabinet committee will officially announce tomorrow if Nawaz’s name has been taken off the exit control list. The decision will be announced at 10 am Wednesday morning.
Interior Minister Ijaz Shah has said that even Maryam Nawaz would be allowed to travel abroad if she was unwell, Geo News reported.
According to the details, the minister said that there was no difference of opinion in the cabinet over the issue of removing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
“Nawaz Sharif is being allowed to go abroad on humanitarian grounds,” Shah said, adding that according to the doctors, former Prime Minister’s health was in critical condition and his treatment was not possible in Pakistan.
“Nawaz is not going out of the country on a permanent basis. He will return after recovering from illness,” Shah said, dispelling the notion that the PML-N leader was being given relief under a deal.
He added that all the ministers were in favour of allowing Nawaz to go abroad for treatment.
Commenting on the ongoing Azadi March, Shah said, “We are giving Maulana Fazlur Rehman so many facilities that he will forget his demand for the prime minister’s resignation.”
The minister, however, conceded that the JUI-F chief was not going to leave Islamabad anytime soon. “We have given him water, electricity and medical support,” he said, adding that Maulana Fazl had grown fond of Islamabad.
Advisor to Prime Minister (PM) on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has claimed that tomatoes are being sold at Rs17 per kilogramme, Pakistan Today reported.
However, the fruit is being sold at as much as Rs320 per kilogramme in the market as reported by citizens who bought groceries from multiple locations in the city on Monday morning.
Hafeez Sheikh also advised people to buy tomatoes only from the sabzi mandi if they did not wish to splurge on the basic food item.
When some of the reporters present at the scene told him that tomatoes were, in fact, being sold at Rs240 per kilo, he refuted their comment, saying people were lying.
Watch Video:
A journalist said: “Which sabzi mandi, sir?” To which, Dr Sheikh responded: “You go and check it out yourself!”
Another journalist added: “Is it the sabzi mandi of Islamabad that you’re talking about?”
Immediately, then, the adviser looked directly at the camera, muttering under his breath, “oh this again,” and everyone behind him laughed.
“That’s what is being run on the TV,” Dr Sheikh noted, to which one of the reporters said: “But on the TV, it says tomatoes are being sold for Rs240 a kilo.”
A journalist responded with a fresh personal story: “Sir, I myself bought tomatoes for Rs300 a kilo.”
“Oh but I am agreeing that prices of many commodities need to be controlled. Agriculture [industry] has seasonality,” the PM’s adviser explained, as someone from behind persistently tries to stop the person holding the phone from recording the video of Dr Sheikh’s comments.
“There are storage facilities for many things, especially fresh produce, but we don’t have them in our country, so we need to come up with solutions for such problems”, the advisor added.
Then there’s this thing that if you increase the capacity, then it’s natural that you’d predict beforehand about which things experience seasonal shortage, and, therefore, you can order it prior and store and there would be additional storage cost,” Dr Shiekh said.
Vendors and hawkers claim that the high prices are not their fault since wholesale prices have shot up significantly.
He said that delicious biryani and karahi can be made using locust meat. They can even be barbequed.
WATCH: locusts invade Karachi
Conflicting statements as reports state that the locusts entered Karachi through Malir and damaged crops of vegetables but the minister claimed that the insects do not damage crops.
The Sindh Government is planning to fumigate the area where the locusts have been seen and the minister has asked people to remain calm since the locusts do not harm humans.
Local media reports are headlining that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Indian Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh share family ties. But while the two certainly do share history, they are not related.
According to an official statement issued by Singh’s office, PM Imran and Singh on their five-minute bus ride on the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor discovered a ‘special connect’ between their two families even though they had not met each other before and neither did the two know each other personally.
The statement read, “During his conversation with [PM] Imran, Captain Amarinder told the latter that his uncle, Jahangir Khan had played for Patiala, along with Mohd Nisar, Lala Amarnath, fast bowler Amar Singh and the two Ali batsmen (Wazir Ali and Amir Ali).
“These seven players were part of the team captained by Captain Amarinder’s father, Maharaja Yadvinder Singh (the ruler of the erstwhile Patiala state) in 1934-35, for India and for Patiala.”
Jahangir was married to PM Imran’s maternal aunt, Mubarak, and was a cricketer during the British Raj era.
The Congress leader’s office said that the bus ride lasted less than five minutes, but, thanks to cricket, it was enough to break the ice between the two leaders.
The Punjab chief minister was part of the group of over 550 Indian pilgrims who were the first Indians to enter Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor.
Singh shared the bus ride with the premier after he was received by PM Imran and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Zero Point of the International Border of the Kartarpur corridor.
Prime Minister Imran Khan body-shamed his special assistant for Information and broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan.
In a video doing the rounds on social media, PM Imran can be seen travelling with a group of government officials including Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq and Punjab Governor Muhammad Sarwar.
Video shows PM saying “ Bayth jayain. Koi casuality na nah ho jaye”
نیازی صاحب نے فردوس عاشق کو کہا “آپ بیٹھ جائیں کوئی casualty نہ ہو جائے۔ چوہدری سرور اور جہانگیر چیکو کے قہقہے سنیں pic.twitter.com/4wQlINIBW0
A month after Balochistan University’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Javed Iqbal stepped down to allow an inquiry into allegations that the administration used surveillance videos to blackmail students, the university has come up with a ‘solution’ for sexual harassment.
Vice Chancellor Javed Iqbal resigned from his post after blackmail allegation protests
According to a notice by the university, “Strict compliance to all students admitted in BS/Masters Study Programmes, that wearing of student uniforms…shall be mandatory.” This notice will be in effect for March 1st 2020.
“After March 1, 2020 no student (boy/girl) will be allowed to enter into the university premises without wearing the prescribed uniform,” the statement added.
The protests started in October when 20 students filed complaints that the university administration allegedly blackmailed students with video recordings from CCTV cameras. The administration then asked for sexual favours, marriage proposals and “friendship messages”, students told SAMAA TV.
Female students protesting the administration-led alleged blackmailing of students
Women left their hostels to go back home since they weren’t feeling comfortable at the university.
The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) was ordered by the Balochistan High Court to investigate the matter.
Public outrage led to protests across the country in October
The FIA said that the investigation is in the final stages but not a single employee of the university has been arrested. Balochistan parliament set up a 10-member committee to also monitor the issue but no further details have been given since October.
Tomato prices have jumped to Rs320 a kilogram (kg) under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, sending a shockwave to consumers with a massive jump from Rs160 per kg within a week.
“Only two consumers bought half a kg of tomato each out of 12 to 15 customers as most of them purchased 250 grams because of the high rates,” Dawn quoted a Karachi-based vendor as saying.
He reportedly blamed the hike on the soaring wholesale rate of tomato to Rs260-270/kg from Rs120-140 last Friday.
According to the report, the vendor was of the view that the arrival of tomato from Quetta and Swat had slowed down drastically because of the winter wave that has affected tomato crop.
The city government had quoted Saturday’s consumer price of Rs199 per kg for tomato which was Rs147 on Friday. However, neither tomato nor any other such items were available at official rates in the city.
Yet there is some stability in the prices of other vegetables such as capsicum, whose price dropped to Rs240 from Rs280-320 per kg of last week.
Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market New Sabzi Mandi President Haji Shahjehan said the arrival of Iranian tomato had also come to a halt followed by the slow arrival of Balochistan crop.
While disagreeing with Rs276-270 per kg wholesale rate at the mandi, he said vegetable dealers quoted very high wholesale rates to justify their retail price as tomato’s actual wholesale rate on Saturday was Rs220 per kg.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has resigned after nearly 14 years in power, amid turmoil following his disputed re-election last month, BBC reported.
According to reports, the head of the army had also called on him to go after protests broke out against his election win and auditors found irregularities with the poll. Morales, however, said he had been the victim of a coup.
He said he was leaving to help protect families of political allies after their homes were burned down. In a televised address, he urged protesters to “stop attacking the brothers and sisters, stop burning and attacking”.
The 60-year-old also aimed criticism at what he called the “civic coup” which led to his resignation. Morales ally and Senate President Adriana Salvaterria later said she too would step down shortly after the president.
Morales later tweeted that a police officer had told him they were in possession of an “illegal” warrant for his arrest and that his home had been attacked by violent groups.
