Tag: Top News

  • Lahore restaurant management thrashes family for asking Sales Tax Number

    Lahore restaurant management thrashes family for asking Sales Tax Number

    A restaurant, located in Lahore, thrashed a man and his family when they asked the restaurant management for the Sales Tax Number (STN) number. 

    According to reports, a family’s dinner at Bashir Dar ul Mahi, Hussain Chowk, turned into a nightmare when they asked the restaurant’s management for the STN number to confirm if they pay their taxes. Not only did the restaurant manager deny the request, but he also turned to humiliate the family by beating up a male member while harassing the rest of the family.

    The management reportedly admitted to not paying taxes which is why they couldn’t entertain the request of the family. They allegedly further added that law enforcement agencies cannot bring them accountable.

    The victim family has demanded immediate action against the restaurant management.

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention here that a branch of Bashir Dar ul Mahi in Mozang was previously sealed by the Punjab Food Authority for having ‘a record-breaking level of unhygienic conditions’.

  • VIDEO: Pakistani flags hoisted in India’s Jalandhar ahead of Kartarpur opening

    VIDEO: Pakistani flags hoisted in India’s Jalandhar ahead of Kartarpur opening

    The Sikh community in India has hoisted Pakistani flags on their houses in Jalandhar for opening Kartarpur Corridor, Duniya News reported.

    According to the details, the flags can be seen waving in the air in India’s Vijay Colony as millions of Sikhs thank Pakistan for Kartarpur project. They said that this facility will provide them relief in traveling to the neighboring country for the celebrations of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

    The video of flags has gone viral a day after posters honoring Prime Minister Imran Khan on the occasion of the opening of Kartarpur Corridor surfaced in Amritsar, India.

    The poster’s displayed, “PM Imran Khan and Navjot Singh Sidhu are the real heroes for opening Kartarpur Corridor”.

    The Sikh minority in India has long sought easier access to the temple, which is just over the border in Pakistan.

    5,000 pilgrims shall be permitted to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib through the corridor on any given day, with an additional provision for more pilgrims on special days including Gurpurab, Baisakhi, etc.

    This corridor will help Pakistan generate revenue up to $100,000 every day and since this facility will remain open 365 days of the year, it can potentially generate a direct income of USD36.5 million i.e. about Rs5.55 billion per annum.

  • Tips to beat the toxic smog this winter

    Tips to beat the toxic smog this winter

    The thick blanket of smog is engulfing major cities and other areas. During the bad smoggy days, visibility drops to a few hundred meters, the sun looks like a dull blurry blob, lungs struggle for air while eyes itch and burn. Here are a few tips to deal with those bad days.

    Limit your time spent outdoors

     It’s bad enough that pollution badly affects people’s lungs, it’s even worse that it discourages the outdoor activities. Try to limit your time spent outdoors. Exercise indoor, enjoy food deliveries at home and play indoor games. Enjoy Home Sweet Home!

    Choose the right mask

    It might be difficult to find the right mask but avoid surgical masks as they don’t provide proper respiratory protection. Give masks to your whole household, especially those working outside. You can either buy or order online a better quality mask. Go for the one that filters the maximum amount of finer particles of dust and pollution. 

    Buy an air purifier

    Air purifiers filter out harmful particles, kill germs and removes volatile organic compounds that can harm the lungs, liver or kidneys. They aren’t cheap but worth it in the long run. Smart air canon purifier, Beurer LR 200 and Hextio air purifier are good options to buy an air purifier.

    Read more: Air purifiers that are effective and available

    Go green

    Make your home a little greener. Bring home some natural air purifiers like aloe vera, and spider plant that can suck all the pollutants. The plants will not only help with the air quality but will also help as a mood refresher.

    Spider Plant

  • Army follows govt’s orders, has nothing to do with politics: Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan Army is not meddling in politics as it is busy in ensuring the security of the country.

    “Marches and sit-ins are a political activity and the army, as a state institution, has nothing to do with them,” he told a private media outlet and added that it had also supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government during the 126-day sit-in staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2014.

    “The army had followed the government’s instructions at that time and as an institution, had deployed troops for the security of important buildings and performed other tasks assigned by the government,” the military spokesperson said.

    “The army follows the government’s orders,” he said while talking about the military’s deployment during the general elections and added it was only for security reasons.

    “The work we are involved in does not allow us to become a part of any such [political] activity,” he said in an apparent response to the allegations levelled by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman regarding the military’s involvement in politics.

    The ISPR chief further said that the army’s primary focus was ensuring national security and they would not allow any efforts to harm national stability. “We will always support the government within the ambit of the constitution.”

  • Jemima Khan reacts to being called ‘Wiki’s’ cousin

    Jemima Khan reacts to being called ‘Wiki’s’ cousin

    Former wife of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith had a hilarious response to being called ‘Wiki of Wikileaks’ cousin by Jamiat Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayat.

    During a debate on a private TV channel, when the anchor apprised Mufti Kifayat that as per cable leaks, Maulana Fazlur Rehman had met an American official, Mufti Kifayat interrupted him and said that ‘Wiki of Wikileaks’ is cousin of Jemima Goldsmith and that the leak [regarding Fazlur Rehman] was part of a vested agenda.

    Jemima founds the claims to be extremely amusing and took to Twitter to share her amusement.

    Jemima then even joked that “Panama Leaks” and “Vicky Pedia” are also her cousins.

    When Mufti Kifayatullah stood by his claims in another talk show, Jemima also responded to that.

    Mufti Kifayatullah, a JUI-F leader, was arrested from Islamabad the day his party began their ‘Azadi March’ for making inflammatory statements against state institutions. He was later released on bail by the Peshawar High Court.

    Meanwhile, Jemima also added that nothing “compares to the madness, vitriol & corruption of Pakistan’s elections.”

    Journalists and other Twitter users loved Jemima’s response.

    According to its website, WikiLeaks is “a multi-national media organisation and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006.”

    WikiLeaks says it specialises in “the analysis and publication of large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials involving war, spying and corruption. It has so far published more than 10 million documents and associated analyses.”

  • BBC’s list of 100 novels that shaped our world include books by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie

    BBC’s list of 100 novels that shaped our world include books by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie

    Pakistani authors Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie have made it to BBC’s 100 novels that shaped our world list. The list features renowned authors from across the world making it a great honour for both the authors to be featured on the list.

    BBC, as part of their year-long celebration of literature, shared a list of ‘100 novels that shaped our world,’ which have been written over the last 300 years.

    An expert panel consisting of six leading British writers, curators and critics were part of the compilation that featured books that have made a large cultural and personal impact on a global scale.

    The list features work ranging from classics to contemporary writers from around the world and has been organised into themes which are: Identity, Love, Sex and Romance, Adventure, Life, Death and Other Worlds, Politics, Power and Protest, Class and Society, Coming of Age, Family and Friendship, Crime and Conflict and Rule Breakers.

    While Kamila’s Home Fire was listed in the ‘Politics, Power & Protest’ category, Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist was part of the ‘Crime & Conflict’ category.

    BBC’s list ranges from classics to contemporary, with works like Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice and JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series making it in their own genres.

  • How to get your stolen phone blocked

    How to get your stolen phone blocked

    If your mobile phone has been stolen or misplaced, you can immediately lodge a complaint and get it blocked within 16 hours.

    This service has been introduced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to prevent the possible misuse of the stolen mobile phones.

    According to a statement issued by the authority on Monday, a complaint can be lodged through call or email or the complainant can also “contact the Citizens Police Liaison Committee helpline for filing a complaint”.

    To file a complaint regarding a stolen phone visit PTA’s website to get the official contact details.

    Through this service, mobile phone users don’t have to go all the way to PTA’s offices to lodge a complaint about stolen phones, which are located in a few cities only.

    How to check the status of your phone?

    You can check the status of your stolen phone 16 hours after reporting. It can be checked through SMS, PTA’s official website or an Android application (DVS). The IMEI search for your phone will show that it has been blocked.

    The IMEI of your mobile phone can be found by dialing *#06#. It can also be checked from your phone settings.

    The advisory has further said that PTA is only responsible for the reporting of the stolen phone, If someone wants to trace or locate his/her device then they must contact the police.

  • PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has introduced a mobile application to facilitate passengers in online bookings and confirmation of seats.

    The PIA app features a user-friendly interface. It allows the user to perform several functions, including booking their flight directly from their mobile phones, checking their booking status, and monitoring the status of their flight.

    “The application has recently been launched and now the air passengers will enjoy improved services. The airline’s overall seat factor has improved and reached nearly 84 percent while on some sectors, the seat factor is at 90 percent,” a PIA spokesman told state-run wire service.

    As per reports, significant improvement was obvious in different pointers like seat occupancy ratio, aircraft utilization, cargo load factor and customer service.

    The mobile app even generates a digital boarding pass for an easier check-in experience.

  • Pakistan has set an example by hosting refugees for the last 40 years: Mahira Khan

    Pakistan has set an example by hosting refugees for the last 40 years: Mahira Khan

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has announced Mahira Khan as their “newest Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan.”

    Mahira, who previously visited several refugee camps in the country with UNHCR said she was “grateful and honoured” with the position.

    She added that she was “proud to be born to a motherland that has opened its arms to refugees for over 40 years.”

    In the video shared by the UNHCR, Mahira said: “Pakistan has set an example for the world, where a country has hosted refugees for the last 40 years. Four decades.”

    “This is one cause because I feel so strongly about it, this is something I want to talk about, especially as Pakistan’s UNHCR National Goodwill Ambassador.”

    Speaking further, Mahira said, “It was amazing to see despite the violence that they have faced, or the conflicts that they faced, they’re resilient people, they have defied all odds and they’re hopeful. They actually are hopeful, and, from now on, all we have to do is not give up.”

    “This cause is not limited to a country and should not be limited to a country. So, I think first and foremost, there should be some sort of responsibility sharing,” the actor concluded.

  • Irshad Bhatti slapped with legal notice over Buzdar’s ‘second marriage’ claims

    Irshad Bhatti slapped with legal notice over Buzdar’s ‘second marriage’ claims

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday served a legal notice to journalist Irshad Bhatti for claiming that the former had “recently gotten married for the second time”.

    Bhatti had on October 29 claimed that the provincial chief executive “had gotten married for the second time” and congratulated his colleagues while appearing on Geo News‘ programme “Report Card”.

    “I congratulate all of you as Buzdar Sahib has gotten married for the second time… and on top of that, stories surrounding his new in-laws are amazing,” he had said.

    “You have made certain assertations and touted them as facts which, I am instructed, are completely untrue and baseless, to say the least,” CM Buzdar’s lawyer, Advocate Obaid Ullah, stated in the notice served to Bhatti on Wednesday.

    The notice further said that that the statements had damaged Buzdar’s reputation both personally and as a politician, and “lowered him in the estimation of others”.

    “Personal relationships of my client with his family members, who are also respectable members of the society, have been soured and grossly undermined as a natural consequence of your defamatory utterances.”

    Seeking an unequivocal apology within 14 days, Obaid also sought for CM Buzdar Rs250 million in damages. “…failing which, if a suit is filed, Rs500 million plus mark up shall be claimed, apart from the claim pertaining to entangling and grossly undermining the personal relationships of my client and his family.”