Tag: Top News

  • Who owns Tehzeeb Bakers? Baking giant lands in legal battle

    Who owns Tehzeeb Bakers? Baking giant lands in legal battle

    The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued a significant ruling on Tuesday, redefining certain elements of partnership in a family business.

    The decision came in response to a petition filed by two brothers, Shaukat Ali Noon and Arshad Ali Noon, against the control and ownership of a business outlet managed by their three siblings.

    The petitioners approached the LHC, seeking either the liquidation of the family business or a court decree granting them an equal share in it.

    The case involved the family’s business journey, starting with a bakery in Rawalpindi in 1947 and evolving into Rahat Bakers, later renamed Tehzeeb Bakers due to legal disputes among the family members.

    As per the petition, the deceased father of the petitioners and respondents initiated the business, and after his demise, joint business efforts commenced.

    The dispute arose when the petitioners claimed that they were entitled to a 20 per cent share in the business based on partnership deeds dating October 29, 1994, October 28, 2002, and December 2, 2011.

    They alleged that the respondents changed the business name and registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) without providing them their due share.

    During the court proceedings, Saqib Shafique, advocate for the petitioners, argued that the business, generating daily sales revenue exceeding Rs40 million, was not honoring the agreed-upon shares.

    On the other side, Advocate Kashif Ali Malik, representing Khalil, countered that the petitioners were never legitimate members or shareholders and presented allegedly forged documents.

    The court, in its observation, highlighted the requirements for intervention under Section 286 of the Companies Act, emphasizing the need for a member with at least 10 per cent of the issued share capital and a demonstration that the company’s affairs are being conducted unlawfully.

    Moreover, the next requirement is that such a member or creditor has to satisfy the court by making an application that the affairs of the company are being conducted unlawfully.

    The court pointed out that the law defines the modes of becoming a member of a company, firstly by subscribing to a memorandum; secondly by allotment of shares, and thirdly by entering their name in the register of members of a company in terms of Section 119 of the Companies Act.

    It pointed out that the documents provided did not establish unlawful conduct, and thus, the petitioners couldn’t be declared partners due to a lack of compliance with the legal prerequisites.

    The court’s ruling sets a precedent in defining the criteria for partnership claims in family businesses and emphasizes adherence to legal requirements in such disputes.

    Companies Act 2017

    Section 119 – Register of members.—(1) Every company shall keep a register of its members and any contravention or default in complying with requirement of this section shall be an offence punishable under this Act.
    (2) There must be entered in the register such particulars of each member as may be specified.
    (3) In the case of joint holders of shares or stock in a company, the company’s register of members shall state the names of each joint holder. In other respects joint holders shall be regarded for the purposes of this Part as a single member and the address of the person named first shall be entered in the register;
    (4) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable to a penalty of level 1 on the standard scale.

    Section 286 – Application to Court.—(1) If any member or members holding not less than ten percent of the issued share capital of a company, or a creditor or creditors having interest equivalent in amount to not less than ten percent of the paid up capital of the company, complains, or complain, or the Commission or registrar is of the opinion, that the affairs of the company are being conducted, or are likely to be conducted, in an unlawful or fraudulent manner, or in a manner not provided for in its memorandum, or in a manner oppressive to the members or any of the members or the creditors or any of the creditors or are being conducted in a manner that is unfairly prejudicial to the public interest, such member or members or, the creditor or creditors, as the case may be, the Commission or registrar may make an application to the Court by petition for an order under this section.

  • Italy: Pakistani parents sentenced to life-imprisonment for killing daughter

    Italy: Pakistani parents sentenced to life-imprisonment for killing daughter

    A Pakistani couple was sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court on Tuesday for the 2021 murder of their daughter after she refused an arranged marriage.

    Saman Abbas, 18, was living in Novellara near Bologna when she disappeared in May 2021, having rejected the previous year her family’s demand that she marry a cousin in Pakistan.

    A tribunal in Reggio Emilia in central Italy ruled that the parents ordered the murder and that an uncle had strangled his niece.

    The uncle was sentenced to 14 years after accepting a plea bargain, while two cousins were acquitted in an affair that shocked the country.

    Abbas had denounced her parents to the police and social workers placed her in a shelter in November 2020.

    But she visited her family in April 2021, planning to pick up her passport and start a new life with her boyfriend, whom her family disapproved of.

    She disappeared soon after, and police, alerted by the boyfriend, raided the family home in May but the parents had already left for Pakistan.

    The young woman was probably killed the night of April 30 to May 1, according to surveillance camera footage showing five people leaving the family home with shovels, crowbars and buckets, before returning two and a half hours later.

    A year later Abbas’s body was found in an abandoned farmhouse with a broken neck.

    Her brother told police that he had overheard his father talking about the murder and that it was the uncle who had killed his sister.

    The father, Shabbar Abbas, was arrested in Pakistan and extradited to Italy in August 2023.

    The uncle, Danish Hasnain, was turned over by French authorities while the cousins were arrested in Spain.

    The four men were present at the trial, but the mother, Nazia Shaheen, is still a fugitive.

  • Landlord’s son kills renter couple, baby survives shooting after father comes between her and bullets

    Landlord’s son kills renter couple, baby survives shooting after father comes between her and bullets

    Islamabad Police has reported that the son of a house owner killed the couple who had rented his house in Barakahu after an argument. The couple’s 18-month-old daughter miraculously survived the attack. ⁠
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    Twitter account Islamabadies posted details about the victims: “The 23-year-old Rida Noor, along with her husband Asim, was shot dead in their car by unknown Shooters. The only witness to this horrific incident, their 18-month-old daughter Sabrina, was also injured in the attack. They were shot down on their way to her mother’s place in Islamabad on Monday night,” the account posted.⁠

    The account also urged the authorities to take action and provide justice to the little girl Sabrina.⁠
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    It was claimed that the attack was targeted, and aimed at murdering the entire family.⁠
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    Islamabad police has said that the police is in search of the suspects.⁠

    According to media reports, two men gunned down the couple in the limits of BharaKahu police station on the night of December 4.⁠
    ⁠
    The killers were identified as Shareefullah and Ismail, the couple’s neighbours who had a heated argument with them and opened fire at them when the victims’ vehicle blocked their passage. ⁠
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    A brief altercation over the use of the path led to the double murder. On the day of the incident, the two groups once again had a dispute on the use of the passage, reports Dunya News. ⁠
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    The police has confirmed that the culprits were Afghan nationals who managed to escape after committing the crime, reports Express Tribune.⁠
    ⁠

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools in plains get short winter holidays

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools in plains get short winter holidays

    Winter vacations have been announced for all the educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a notification released by the provincial Education Department.

    Holidays in all the plain areas, typically the summer zone, will span from December 23 to December 31. However in the winter zone, including the mountainous region, winter vacations will be for an extensive time, from December 23 to February 29.

    The long break in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan is due to the severe winter conditions in the region which brings all the activities to a halt.

  • Pope Francis gives approval for priests to bless same-sex couples

    Pope Francis gives approval for priests to bless same-sex couples

    A document released by the Vatican states that Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has formally cleared the way for priests to bless same-sex couples without subjecting them to “an exhaustive moral analysis”.

    The Pope, however, has maintained that marriage is a lifelong sacrament that can only be between a man and a woman. Blessings can be offered because, “Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God,” the document said.

    The document laid out the conditions in which a union like this can be blessed. Blessings should not be offered at the same time as a civil union or with the garb traditionally used in weddings.

    Another condition is that the priest should use “pastoral charity” when blessing such couples.

    Monday’s announcement is not a total surprise as the Pope has hinted in the past that he might formally approve same-sex blessings. It has also reversed a 2021 ruling which condemned same-sex unions as a “sin”.

  • Watch: Supporting Palestine – A strong message at Pakistan Bridal Show

    Watch: Supporting Palestine – A strong message at Pakistan Bridal Show

    A three-day bridal fashion show is going on in Lahore, in which famous Pakistani actors and personalities, including models, exhibited wedding dresses of famous designers.On the second day of the show, actor Ahsan Khan walked down the runway wearing clothes designed by Imran Rajput. But what made his appearance more special is that he held signs to show support for the people in Palestine, with messages of peace for the children in Gaza.

    Later, Amna Ilyas also walked the runway wearing clothes by Imran Rajput, with Palestinian anthems playing. Nine designers presented their collections on the first day.

    Many famous actors like Dur-e-Fashan, Imran Ashraf, Kanza Hashmi, Feroze Khan, Resham, Hara Mani, Komal Mir, Saboor Ali, Saba Qamar, and Iman Ali, among others, also walked the runway.

  • Election candidates can submit their nomination papers by tomorrow

    Election candidates can submit their nomination papers by tomorrow

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will start receiving nomination papers from expected candidates tomorrow as the upcoming general elections are set to take place on February 8 next year in the country, The News has reported.

    District Retuning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) will take oaths today as per the Election Act of 2017. After that, the process of receiving nomination papers will start.

    A day earlier, at least 859 ROs completed their training for the upcoming polls while 144 DROs will complete their training today. The training of DROs and ROs was halted on December 14 after the stay order of Lahore High Court (LHC) on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) petition against the appointment of officers.

    However, the Supreme Court (SC) suspended the LHC order and directed the ECP to release the election schedule as well as restore the training of DROs and ROs.

    Candidates who want to take part in the upcoming general elections can submit their nomination papers to their respective ROs from December 20 to December 22.

  • Army chief praises Pakistani-American businessman Tanveer Ahmed for donating nine million dollars to NUST

    Army chief praises Pakistani-American businessman Tanveer Ahmed for donating nine million dollars to NUST

    Pakistani-American businessman has donated nine million dollars to the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for unprivileged students, reports Geo.

    The donation will help 200 students every year through an endowment fund. This is the biggest ever fund given to any Pakistani university.

    Tanveer Ahmed also donated 50 million dollars to flood affectees in 2022. Business tycoon Tanveer went to America as a student and started working in a restaurant.

    Recently, as reported by Dawn, he met Army Chief General Asim Muneer in Washington DC where the chief praised him for his contributions for Pakistan. “I met the army chief along with dozens of other community members. More than 70 people were in attendance. We had an open and frank discussion with the army chief. He interacted with everyone and was very receptive,” Ahmed tweeted after the dinner.

  • India celebrates minority rights day as Ram Mandir set to open in place of Babri Masjid next year

    India celebrates minority rights day as Ram Mandir set to open in place of Babri Masjid next year

    Every year on December 18 Minority Rights Day is celebrated in India but this year, the country topped the list of atrocities on minorities.

    In the Northern Indian city of Ayodhya, once marred by communal rights because of Babri Mosque, Ram Mandir is about to be inaugurated on January 22. The establishment of Ram Mandir is a long overdue promise of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Ayodhya is expecting about 4.5 million tourists a month – more than Ayodhya’s entire population of three million – once the first stage of Ram Mandir opens in the upcoming days.

    Ayodhya made international headlines in 1992 when a Hindu mob razed Babri mosque – where the Mandir will stand – saying it had been built on the site of an earlier Hindu temple.

    The incident spurred nationwide riots that left 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.

    After decades of legal wrangling, India’s Supreme Court in 2019 awarded the site to Hindu groups for the temple.

    While the $180 million temple project in Uttar Pradesh is funded by donations, the state government – controlled by PM Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP- is pulling out all the stops.

    In a Reuters report cited by the Business Recorder where they interviewed people from the locality of the temple, Hindus expressed excitement for the launch because this will attract business for them. Muslims, on the other hand, fear being marginalized further.

    The Supreme Court also said authorities must allocate the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, which advocates for Muslim rights, “suitable” land at a “prominent” place to build a new mosque.

    The board was issued land 15 miles from the temple, just next to the city border.

    That effectively means Muslims are excluded from the development boom-brought by the temple-downtown, said Azam Qadri, president of Ayodhya district committee of the board.

    “Everyone is focused on the temple. There should have been a focus on promoting mosques too,” Qadri said.

    Muslims still don’t have wide acceptance in the city and even if the community tried to build hotels, Hindu religious tourists might not visit, he added.

    It’s not just Muslims, other minorities in India are suffering as well. On April 21, 2022, 50 thousand houses of Muslims were demolished in the state of Hyderabad, and in 2023, 400 incidents of violence against Christians were reported in 23 states of India. On August 25, Indian extremists killed hundreds of Christians and burned 600 villages in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, reports Samaa News.

    Sikh riots intensified after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, in which around 17,000 Sikhs were killed. Farmers remain protesting across Punjab but the government did not pay any heed to their demands.

    As per DW, 60,000 crimes against Dalit Hindus were reported. On average, an incident of violence against a Dalit occurred every 10 minutes in 2012.
    National Crime Bureau said that over 250,000 hate crimes against lower castes were reported in the last 5 years while as per the report US Institute on Religious Affairs, there have been systematic attacks on Muslims, Christians, and Dalits in India.

    The head of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom said that religious freedom in India has suffered a sharp decline under the Modi regime.
    Since 2020, the US Commission on Religious Affairs has included India in the list of countries of concern, and human rights organizations have declared India as a dangerous country for minorities.

  • Watch: Ex-British Home Secretary Suella Braverman tricked into ‘D* of the Year’ prank

    Watch: Ex-British Home Secretary Suella Braverman tricked into ‘D* of the Year’ prank

    Suella Braverman, former Home Secretary under Rishi Sunak’s government, notorious for her pro-zionist and anti-immigration stand, was pranked by one of the country’s comedy programmes into accepting its “D* of the Year” award in person.

    YouTube comedians, Joshua Pieters and Archie Manners, hired by the comedy show “The Last Leg”, tricked the ex-secretary into believing they were constituents of a fake fishing firm called “Fareham Fishing” in her constituency.

    Last week, Braverman, who has adopted a tough stance against small boat migrants trying to cross the English Channel, attended what she believed to be a small boat naming ceremony on the Wallington River, in Fareham.

    However, during the segment, as she cut a red ribbon to unveil the plaque, it instead named her as the winner of the humiliating award given only to personalities who are most hated.

    The prankster hosts personally awarded Braverman the prize before walking off the pier, leaving her slightly stunned.

    After an awkward few moments, Braverman was seen looking toward her staff before saying: “I’m not sure what that is all about”.

    Each year “The Last Leg” gives the award to an unwitting public figure, who is chosen by viewers and the show’s hosts.

    It is to note that Suella was recently sacked from her post by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who previously reinstated her but is now a target of her criticism.

    Ms. Baverman wrote a piece in a newspaper where she accused the police of “playing favorites”, criticising the Metropolitan Police’s handling of what she called a “pro-Palestine mob”.