Tag: Top News

  • Food & Agri Exhibition concludes with deals worth $1.2billion

    A three-day food and agri event attended by more than 800 buyers from 75 countries ended in Karachi with 330 exporters exhibiting around 500 quality products.

    Dawn reported that international chain stores, buyers and multinational companies visited the Second International Food and Agriculture Exhibition at the Karachi Expo Centre. The largest participation was from China, comprising 150-plus buyers.

    As result of 7,000 business-to-business meetings, deals worth $1.2bn were finalised, besides signing of more than 36 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) mainly in rice, processed food, seafood, kinnow, potato, lentils, chickpeas, mangoes, confectionery, meat, food and beverages, spices, cereals and oil seeds by China, Malaysia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Gambia and France.

    Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Chief Executive Zubair Motiwalla said the estimated export orders of $1.2bn will complement the target set by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his inaugural speech at the event.

    According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce, $35 million worth of export contracts were signed between Pakistani and Chinese companies in the seafood sector. Additionally, several MoUs and investment interests were expressed by various companies, including HVA (dairy investment), Bolynta (potato seeds from the Netherlands), Huiyuan Beverages and Food Group (China), and METAS (Qatar).

  • PTI office raid revealed Gen Faiz’s role in facilitating PTI, alleges Omar Cheema

    PTI office raid revealed Gen Faiz’s role in facilitating PTI, alleges Omar Cheema

    Journalist Omar Cheema revealed last night on his YouTube channel, Omar Cheema Exclusive, that when authorities raided the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretariat last month, they found evidence of former spymaster Lt Gen (retd) Faiz’s “role in facilitating PTI.”

    On July 13, former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hamid was taken into custody by the army over allegations of land grabbing and snatching valuables from the owner of a private housing society

    Omar alleged, “Gen Faiz was connected to PTI leadership and trained them to bypass intelligence agencies’ supervision because he was the inside man.”

    The journalist further claimed, “The problem that the army is facing is the involvement of its own people with PTI. And the leader of all these internal dissenters is Gen Faiz.”

    He stated that the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, was getting some facilities in jail that nobody could explain until now.

    Cheema claimed that the Top City Case in which Gen Faiz was found guilty was just for optics, while the real reason was his cooperation with PTI and Imran Khan.

    “This is a big setback for Imran Khan because his biggest supporter has been arrested,” said Cheema.

    He said this indicates where the relationship between the army and the PTI is going.

  • Lahore College names history museum after Maryam Nawaz

    Lahore College names history museum after Maryam Nawaz

    Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) has dedicated its history museum to alumnus Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

    The News reported that Vice Chancellor Dr Shagufta Naz said that in politics, Maryam Nawaz has achieved significant success and became the Chief Minister of the largest province, making it the biggest goal an alumnus has achieved. “Maryam Nawaz’s remarkable success in the political arena and her recent elevation to the highest executive position in Punjab is a matter of immense pride for LCWU,” she said.

    She added that the History Museum is dedicated to Maryam, acknowledging her highest status among the alumni.

    The VC asserted that during LCWU’s centenary celebrations, a history museum was established in which biodata of prominent alumni and monuments related to the institution were collected.

    Maryam Nawaz has also been formally invited to visit the university and visit the History Museum.

  • Imran warns of protests if Chief Justice Pakistan given extension

    Imran warns of protests if Chief Justice Pakistan given extension

    Chairman Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has warned of a nationwide protest if the government attempts to extend the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa.

    The former Prime Minister has said that protests will be held if the CJP-led bench fails to implement the verdict on reserved seats.
    The former premier alleged that the CJP and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) worked together, with the military supporting them, while talking to the media in Adiala jail.

    Mr Khan further said: “All these things have been witnessed in Pakistan as well. Before elections, a crackdown was launched against the PTI on the pretext of May 9 violence”, while terming the situation in Pakistan worse than Bangladesh.

  • FBR registers 58000 traders against 3.2 million target

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has so far registered over 58,000 small traders or new shopkeepers under the Tajir Dost Scheme against the target of 3.2 million.

    Business Recorder has reported that monthly tax payments from traders will start from the ongoing month.
    Chief Coordinator of the Tajir Dost Scheme Naeem Mir said that the Board has projected total collection Rs 50 billion under this head in the current year.

    Mir said that it is an ambitious target and would require full cooperation of the traders to voluntarily deposit monthly tax payment installments.
    FBR has chalked out monthly advance income tax table for traders in 42 major cities of the country.
    Based on location of shops, the FBR has issued market or area wise indicative income, indicative income tax and Monthly Advance Tax to be paid by small traders.

    Under the monthly tax payment plan, the traders and shopkeepers in 78 percent of the markets would be required to pay monthly advance income tax of Rs 5,000.

    The monthly tax payment would be Rs 10,000 per month for traders covered in 14 percent markets of the country. The tax payment would be Rs 20,000 per month in five percent areas. Traders will pay Rs 30,000 per month as tax installment in two percent areas and Rs 45,000 monthly payment in 0.6 percent areas and traders would pay monthly advance income tax of Rs 60,000 per month in 0.40 percent markets of the country.

  • ‘Waade, tarle, minnaten,’ What did Gen Faiz do to become the next Army Chief?

    ‘Waade, tarle, minnaten,’ What did Gen Faiz do to become the next Army Chief?

    The arrest of former spy master General (retd) Faiz Hameed came as a surprising development on Monday evening, taking most analysts by surprise. Geo’s Shahzeb Khanzada asked the Defence Minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Asif, whether Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid sent messages to Mian Nawaz Sharif about his ambitions of becoming the army chief. In reply, Asif revealed, “He offered numerous assurances to Mian sb and was constantly sending messages in a bid to gain power.”

    “I cannot even tell you what kind of promises and oaths he undertook to assure them [Nawaz Sharif] – all in the lust of power and ambition,” said Asif.

    Asif lamented that when “people become blind in a bid to get power, it always ends badly,” referring to the detention of the former spymaster and court martial proceedings against him for misuse of authority.

    “They [General Bajwa & General Faiz] resisted till the last moment when the government appointed General Asim Munir. General Bajwa presented many options for the next COAS while General Faiz was campaigning for himself. Bajwa had abandoned Faiz in the last days,” revealed the defence minister.

    Khawaja Asif also stated that Faiz Hameed was involved in political events following his retirement in 2022.

    “Knowing him a little bit, he never refrains from muddling the waters. Especially [in Faiz’s case] a person who has exercised unlimited power and he has to take the back seat,” he said.

    “We can say he [Faiz] had the role of strategic adviser in the May 9 events. I can’t say that with certainty but the events and circumstances are pointing towards him,” he added.

  • Defiance in Hijab: Olympian Sifan covers head to receive gold medal

    Defiance in Hijab: Olympian Sifan covers head to receive gold medal

    Marathon gold medalist Sifan Hassan, a Dutch of Ethiopian descent, accepted her Olympic gold medal wearing a hijab.

    It was Sifan’s third medal in Paris. She was competing in the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon – the last two events just two days apart.

    On Friday, Hassan took bronze in the 10,000m in the Stade de France after coming away with a bronze in the 5,000m.

    “It was not easy,” said Hassan, 31. “It was so hot, but I was feeling OK. I’ve never pushed myself through to the finish line as I did today,” Sifan said.

    France has been criticised during the Olympics for prohibiting athletes from wearing hijab while competing.

    Athletes from other countries, like Egypt, have worn hijabs while playing. For several years, apparel makers have designed hijabs that function well for competition, which has eliminated one argument that had been used by some detractors.

    Hassan’s presence at the ceremony was not a direct reaction to the French rule, but it is a reminder of a position taken by France that has been widely criticised.

  • Did Kumar Sanu sing a song for Imran Khan?

    Did Kumar Sanu sing a song for Imran Khan?

    Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu, who has worked his magic in countless films in the past, has refused to sing for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    The Indian singer released an explanatory statement on Instagram, in which he denied singing a song for Imran Khan. Sanu shared a screenshot of a news article published in Indian media that had a fact check and stated that he did not sing for Khan.

    “I want to clarify that I have never sung any song for the former Prime Minister of Pakistan,” he wrote. “The audio circulating on Facebook is not mine but is generated with the help of AI (artificial intelligence). Some people are trying to defame me, so I want to tell my fans this. The news (song) is fake; it is a lie.”

    He requested that the Government of India take immediate steps to stop the misuse of AI and the use of fake technology. On July 26, a user shared a video on Facebook in which Kumar Sanu was singing a song at a concert for the release of former Prime Minister Imran.

  • Resham breaks silence: ‘Syed Noor destroyed my career’

    Resham breaks silence: ‘Syed Noor destroyed my career’

    Renowned actress Resham has leveled serious allegations against director Syed Noor, saying that he ruined her film career.

    Resham, a well-known name in Pakistani cinema, started her acting career on TV and starred in popular films like ‘Jeeva’ and ‘Sangam.’ Although she was successful early on, Resham stepped back from acting in recent years to focus more on charity work.

    During an appearance on ‘Excuse Me’ podcast with Ahmed Ali Butt Resham talked about her career and Pakistani cinema, saying, “I recently heard Syed Noor say that I was an unfortunate actress because I ruined myself by working in low-budget films.”

    Resham defended her choices, saying that every actor does both good and bad projects. “Show me any actor who has only done good work. We all have ups and downs, but everyone thinks only Resham made bad films,” she said.

    She also accused Noor of betraying her professionally, especially after he fell in love with actress Saima, whom he then cast repeatedly in his movies. “Syed Noor was the only director who understood my acting, but he stopped giving me roles because of his feelings for Saima Ji,” she explained.

    She strongly stated, “By God, Syed Noor ruined my career. He insulted me on set, asking who would cast me in their films.”

  • Regime change ‘America’ ki sazish hai, Shiekh Hasina

    Regime change ‘America’ ki sazish hai, Shiekh Hasina

    Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister (PM) Shiekh Hasina has accused the US of being involved in the regime change in Bangladesh.
    According to NDTV, before leaving the country, Hasina wanted to address the nation but couldn’t because protestors stormed her official residence.

    Hasina shared details of her undelivered speech with close associates in India.
    A letter accessed by NDTV reveals, “I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it’’.
    Hasina wrote that she could have remained in power if she had “surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal.”

    “I beseech the people of my land, please do not be manipulated by radicals.”

    It also further added: “Maybe if I had stayed in the country, more lives would have been lost. I have removed myself. You were my strength and did not want me, so I left. I have lost, but the people of Bangladesh have won, the people for whom my father and my family died’’.